Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

When I returned to Tingyuxuan, the last bit of gold on the river had already sunk under the eaves of the houses on the opposite bank.

Li Chen pushed open the door to the suite on the second floor, and warm yellow light spilled out from the carved wall lamp.

Yan Xi kicked off her shoes, walked directly to the lounge chair on the terrace, sat down, and tucked her feet into the blanket.

I'm hungry.

Two words, no subject, no request.

Li Chen placed the things the two had bought on the table and turned to walk downstairs.

The inn's kitchen was small, the stove was old-fashioned, and the iron pot had been used for many years, with a layer of black residue on the bottom that couldn't be washed off.

The only seasonings were salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and a small jar of white pepper.

The freezer contained ingredients prepared by the innkeeper—a few eggs, half a block of tofu, a bunch of greens, and a crucian carp about the length of a palm.

Li Chen rolled up his sleeves.

Remove the scales and gut the crucian carp, flatten the ginger slices with the back of a knife, and soak the tofu in cold water.

Heat the iron wok, then coat it with a thin layer of oil.

The moment the crucian carp was put into the water, the sound of oil splattering echoed from downstairs to the second-floor terrace.

Yan Xi's ears twitched.

She did not go downstairs.

I pulled out the notes app on my phone, opened a blank page, and typed four words.

[Going Home Checklist]

Then delete it.

Re-enter.

[Dishes Li Chen Can Cook]

Delete it.

Lock screen.

She buried her face in the blanket, held it for three seconds, and then sat up again.

The phone lit up again, and I opened the chat window with Leng Qingge.

[Yan Xi: He's cooking for me.]

Three seconds later.

[Leng Qingge: ??? ??? Are you trying to kill me by posting this so late at night???]

[Leng Qingge: Wait, you two are at the inn? Just the two of you? He's cooking and you're just waiting to eat???]

[Leng Qingge: Isn't that the old lady, sister?!]

Yan Xi stared at the screen, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

She typed three words.

[Yan Xi: Shut up.]

Then place the phone on the armrest of the chair.

The sounds downstairs changed from deep-frying to boiling.

The bubbling sound of the broth, the soft clinking of the spoon against the edge of the pot.

Fifteen minutes later, Li Chen brought up a wooden tray.

There are three items on the tray.

A bowl of milky white crucian carp and tofu soup, with a few white peppercorns floating on the surface.

A plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, their green color glistening.

A bowl of rice, with a cat ear shape pressed out on the surface with a spoon.

Yan Xi stared at the bowl of rice for two seconds.

"childish."

"You don't like cats?"

Have you ever seen cat ears growing on food?

Li Chen placed the tray on the small square table on the terrace and pulled up a chair to sit opposite her.

"Try the soup."

Yan Xi picked up the bowl and took a sip.

The crucian carp has a rich umami flavor, and the tofu has absorbed all the broth, melting in your mouth.

The spiciness of white pepper spreads across the back of the tongue, instantly warming the stomach.

She took another sip.

Li Chen watched her drink the soup.

His cheeks puffed out slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed.

"Is it good?"

"improvise."

Li Chen didn't say anything, but pushed the plate of green vegetables in front of her.

Yan Xi picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks.

The tender green leaves are coated with a thin layer of oil, and they are crisp when you bite into them. The only seasoning is salt.

She put down her chopsticks and looked at Li Chen.

"And you?"

I'm not hungry.

"Who are you kidding?"

Yan Xi pushed the cat ear rice in front of him and picked up two pieces of rice from the vegetable dish and piled them on top of the rice.

"eat."

Li Chen smiled and lowered his head to eat his rice.

The two of them had a simple dinner on the terrace, facing the lights on the river.

There was no red wine, and no sense of ceremony typical of Western restaurants.

It's just home-style cooking cooked in an iron wok, with rice served in a coarse porcelain bowl.

But Yan Xi drank the whole bowl of crucian carp soup.

Li Chen got up to clear the dishes.

Yan Xi stopped him.

"Leave it for tomorrow."

"It will attract bugs."

"There are no insects in Nanxi Town in winter."

Li Chen glanced at her.

Even architecture students know this.

He stacked the bowls and chopsticks neatly and placed them on the corner of the table.

Then I sat down next to her again.

A small boat carrying passengers returned home late at night. The oars moved slowly, and the sound of the oars cutting through the water was like a piece of cloth being torn apart.

"Li Chen".

"Um."

"After we get back tomorrow, how often will it be before you cook for me again?"

Li Chen turned to look at her.

Yan Xi didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on the river.

The reflections of the lights shattered in the water, swaying with the waves.

"Just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll come to your apartment this weekend."

"Every weekend?"

"Each one."

Yan Xi clenched her fingers on the edge of the blanket.

"You said it."

"I said it."

She didn't say anything more.

Li Chen reached out, pried open her fingers that were gripping the blanket, and took them into his palm.

Yan Xi's fingers were icy cold.

He tightened his grip.

"Let's go inside, it's cold outside."

Yan Xi didn't move.

"Sit a little longer."

Li Chen took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

The weight of the coat pressed down on Yan Xi, carrying his body heat.

She turned her face slightly toward the collar of the coat.

The smell of laundry detergent on him mingled with the slight grease and fumes from cooking.

Yan Xi closed her eyes.

She wanted to remember this taste.

……

The next morning, when sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the wooden window, Li Chen was already in the kitchen.

Yan Xi was awakened by the aroma of porridge.

When she came downstairs, Li Chen was standing in front of the stove, holding the handle of the clay pot in one hand and stirring with a spoon in the other.

He was wearing an apron borrowed from the innkeeper, with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows.

She leaned against the kitchen door frame without making a sound.

Li Chen sliced ​​a few pieces of preserved egg and arranged them on a plate.

Then two white steamed buns were taken out of the steamer.

I saw her when I turned around.

"woke up?"

Yan Xi nodded.

My gaze slid from his face to the apron.

The dark blue coarse cloth was tied in a crooked knot at the back of the waist.

"You tied your apron backwards," she said.

Li Chen glanced down.

"It won't affect cooking."

Yan Xi walked over, went around behind him, untied the crooked knot, and retied it.

Her fingers lingered on his lower back for a second.

"alright."

Li Chen turned to look at her.

Yan Xi's expression was calm, as if the action just now was just a casual gesture.

But the tips of her ears were red.

"Go sit down and wait, it'll be ready soon."

Yan Xi did not sit down.

She leaned against the wall next to the stove, watching him ladle the porridge into bowls and arrange the preserved egg dish and steamed buns.

Li Chen pulled out a chair for her.

Yan Xi sat down.

Plain congee, preserved egg, steamed bun.

Compared to the breakfast the innkeeper made yesterday, it looked much worse.

But the porridge had just the right consistency, the rice grains were cooked through, and it was soft and smooth to the touch.

Yan Xi tore off a small piece of steamed bun and dipped it in the soy sauce from the preserved egg dish.

Li Chen was looking at her from across the room.

"Go draw after you finish eating, I'll clean up the kitchen."

Yan Xi swallowed the food in her mouth.

How did you know I wanted to draw?

"What you said yesterday."

Yan Xi thought for a moment.

She did say that yesterday evening by the river.

You cook, I paint.

She thought it was just a casual remark.

But he remembered it.

"Okay." She picked up the bowl of porridge.

After breakfast, Yan Xi took out her sketchbook and charcoal pencils that she hadn't touched from her suitcase.

She sat cross-legged on a deck chair on the terrace, sketchbook resting on her lap, her gaze sweeping across the white walls and gray tiles on the opposite bank and the awning boats slowly drifting on the river.

The charcoal pencil made a scratching sound as it fell onto the paper.