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

On New Year's Eve, Li Chen got up at 5:30 a.m., while Yan Xi got up earlier than him.

When he entered the kitchen, she was already standing in front of the stove, her apron tied, but not properly; the strap was loosely wrapped around her waist.

Li Chen walked over, reached out from behind, and tied it up again.

"Did your mother teach you how to tie your apron?" Yan Xi asked without turning her head.

"I figured it out myself, how do you know it wasn't?"

"Your mother wraps the apron around the waist first and then puts it on, while you put it on first and then wrap it around the waist. The order is different, so you weren't taught by the same person."

Li Chen tightened the belt, his fingers pausing briefly at her waist.

"How many times have you practiced?"

"After you went to sleep last night, I practiced plating the sea bass three times in the guest room, using tissues and oranges."

"You used oranges to simulate fish?"

"Its size and thickness are similar to the cross-section of a mid-section sea bass."

Li Chen released her hand and stood next to her.

"You're nervous."

Yan Xi pulled the cutting board over. "Don't be nervous."

"You touched the back of the knife before chopping vegetables. You only touch the back of the knife when you're controlling your emotions. You've chopped ginger at the porridge shop and potatoes on the island, and you didn't touch it then."

Yan Xi paused for a moment on the cutting board.

"You've observed me chopping vegetables more times than I've chopped vegetables myself."

"almost."

Yan Xi turned her head and glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a second before turning back.

"Help me pick these scallions; your mom needs them for stewing meat."

"You don't eat scallions."

"Your mom needs braised pork, so you'll be in charge of her dishes, and I'll be in charge of preparing the bass for the third day of the Lunar New Year. That's the division of labor."

Li Chen took the scallions out of the refrigerator, resigned to his fate.

……

At nine o'clock in the morning, Shen Ruolan appeared at the kitchen door and saw two people standing on either side of the stove, one chopping ingredients and the other preparing sauce.

The vegetables on the cutting board were arranged neatly, and Yan Xi's were even more neatly arranged.

"you……"

"Mom, go and rest," Li Chen said.

"Don't worry about me, I'll come and take a look."

"Auntie, Li Chen and I have prepared the main dishes for today's New Year's Eve dinner." Yan Xi didn't turn around. "You can check them out."

Shen Ruolan stood at the door, clutching a rag in her hand, her mouth slightly open.

"……good."

She turned and walked out, returned to the living room, sat on the sofa, and nudged Li Mohan.

"They kicked me out of the kitchen."

Li Mohan was putting up paper-cut window decorations when the tape on his hand stuck out crookedly. "What?"

"Your son and Xiaoxi won't let me into the kitchen."

Li Mohan straightened the paper-cut window decoration, took a step back to look at it, and it was crooked again.

"Then you shouldn't come in."

Don't you think—

"You should be happy." Li Mohan tore off another piece of tape. "Now you finally know what it feels like to be kicked out of the kitchen. I was kicked out by my dad for thirty years."

Shen Ruolan picked up her phone and took a picture of the kitchen, showing the backs of two young people standing side by side.

I posted it on WeChat Moments with only two words in the caption: Lunar New Year's Eve.

Three minutes later, Li Qingcang liked the post but didn't leave a comment.

Ten seconds later, the old man sent a message via private message.

[Li Qingcang: Don't put too much salt in the fish. That girl has a light palate.]

Shen Ruolan replied.

[Shen Ruolan: Dad, how did you know she has a light palate?]

[Li Qingcang: Yesterday she ate the food I cooked. She picked up the broccoli three times. She only picked up the sea bass twice. I put salt in the sea bass. I didn't put salt in the broccoli.]

Shen Ruolan looked at the message, her face reflected on the screen.

In the kitchen, Yan Xi was adjusting the proportions of the steamed fish soy sauce, while Li Chen stood beside her, holding a small bowl containing the ingredients she needed.

"How long should it be steamed?" Yan Xi asked.

"Seven and a half points, your grandfather's standard."

"My grandfather?"

Yan Xi paused for a moment, then continued stirring without correcting her.

Li Chen was also taken aback. She had just said "your grandfather," but he had misheard the subject.

……

At 5:30 pm, all the dishes were served.

A round table, four people.

Sweet and sour pork ribs were in front of Li Mohan, braised fish was in the middle, garlic shrimp was near Li Chen, stir-fried vegetables were next to Yan Xi, and eight-treasure rice was to Shen Ruolan's right.

There was also a small dish of cold hawthorn salad.

Li Chen glanced at the plate of hawthorns.

"This isn't on the menu."

"I soaked the dried hawthorns your grandpa gave me this afternoon and made a salad," Yan Xi said. "It'll whet your dad's appetite."

Li Mohan picked up a piece, chewed it twice, and nodded.

"The sweet and sour ratio is right. How much sugar did you add?"

"I didn't add sugar, but I added half a spoonful of honey. White sugar would mask the sourness of the hawthorn."

Li Mohan paused for a moment on the rim of the bowl with his chopsticks.

"My dad used to say the same thing."

There was a two-second silence on the table before Shen Ruolan picked up her cup.

"Come on, there's one more person this year, let's eat."

They clinked glasses; Yan Xi drank juice, as did Li Chen, while Li Mohan and Shen Ruolan drank red wine.

The TV was on, showing the Spring Festival Gala, but the volume was low, and nobody was watching it.

Halfway through the meal, Li Chen's phone kept vibrating in his pocket, calling group 302.

[Wang Qiang: Li Chen!! What are we having for New Year's Eve dinner?! Take a picture!!]

[Zhao Zixuan: Let my sister-in-law take the picture. The composition of your photo doesn't show the food at all]

[Chen Mo: I suggest Li Chen not allocate cognitive resources to his phone while eating. His current optimal strategy is: 100% to the person, 0% to the screen.]

Li Chen didn't reply, but placed his phone face down on the table.

Yan Xi glanced at it, then used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of pork rib and put it into Li Chen's bowl.

"You cut it."

"The seasoning you made."

"The division of labor is reasonable."

Shen Ruolan watched the two talking from across the table, her lips twitching into a smile. Li Mohan ate his fish in silence, but picked up a shrimp for Shen Ruolan with his chopsticks.

"You eat too, don't just watch them."

Shen Ruolan rolled her eyes at him, but ate the shrimp.

At nine o'clock, Li Mohan washed the dishes, and Shen Ruolan made dumplings.

Yan Xi helped roll out the dough, but she rolled it out unevenly, with slightly square edges, like an architectural plan.

"Your dumpling wrapper looks like an overhead view of a parking lot," Li Chen said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Shut up."

"The thickness in the middle and the thinness at the edges is correct; your distribution of force feels very similar—"

"Say one more word, and your dumplings tomorrow will be filled with nothing but scallions."

Li Chen shut up.

Shen Ruolan laughed out loud, almost squashing the dumpling in her hand.

At 11:30, the family sat around in the living room, the Spring Festival Gala on TV was entering its countdown phase, and there were sunflower seeds, peanuts and hawthorn berries mixed by Yan Xi on the coffee table.

Li Mohan stood up and walked to the balcony.

"I'll go check outside."

Shen Ruolan didn't stop her, and instead peeled an orange.

Yan Xi glanced at the balcony and then at Li Chen.

Li Chen stood up and followed him out.

The balcony is cold.

Li Mohan leaned on the railing with both hands, watching the scattered fireworks in the distance.

"dad."

"Um."

Li Chen stood next to him, not watching the fireworks, but looking at his father's profile.

"Grandpa came on the third day of the Lunar New Year."

"I know."

"I prepared that jar of aged white tea for him."

"Um."

A firework exploded in the distance, red in color, and Li Mohan's eyes reflected the light.

Li Chen didn't say anything more, he just stood there.

Thirty seconds later, he felt a hand on his back, but it wasn't Li Mohan's.

Yan Xi came out carrying two cups of hot tea, handing one to Li Mohan and the other to Li Chen.

"The countdown has started," she said. "Go in."

Li Mohan took the tea and took a sip.

"The water temperature is just right."

"Your son cooked it, and I brought it out."

Li Mohan glanced at her, nodded, and turned to go inside.

There were two people left on the balcony.

Yan Xi found Li Chen's hand and they intertwined their fingers.

Another burst of golden fireworks exploded in the distance.

"Ten, nine, eight—"

A countdown began playing on the television.

Yan Xi's fingers tightened in his palm.

"Three, two, one."

Midnight.

Li Chen turned his head, and Yan Xi also turned her head.

Her nose was red, her lips were a little dry from the cold air, and the ends of her hair swept across her shoulders in the wind.

"Happy New Year," she said.

Li Chen lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

"Happy New Year."

Shen Ruolan's voice came from the living room, "The dumplings are ready—"

Yan Xi let go of her hand and walked back. After taking two steps, she turned back.

"Your dad just now."

"Um."

"He didn't cry this time."

Li Chen looked at her.

"Because there's one more person this year." Yan Xi said before turning and going inside.

Li Chen stood on the balcony, his palms still warm.

My phone vibrated.

Yan Xi sent the message; she was already seated at the dining table.

[Yan Xi: If you don't come in soon, your mom is going to replace your chive filling with scallion filling.]