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

He flipped up two pages. He stopped at an entry from a few days ago.

[Yan Xi: Your faucet has the hot and cold water reversed. The left side is cold, and the right side is hot. (01:36)]

It was 1:36 AM. She found it while washing up in the hotel room. She didn't tell anyone. She sent it to him.

He wondered whether he should reply to the message.

I flipped through it. I replied.

[Li Chen: My dad installed it backwards. It's never been fixed. (01:38)]

[Yan Xi: Okay. I got it. (01:38)]

She remembered that the hot and cold water taps in his house were reversed.

Li Chen locked the screen and placed the phone on the coffee table.

Li Mohan glanced at him.

Stop playing on your phone and go help.

She said no.

"You won't go just because she says it's not necessary?"

Li Chen stood up.

As Yan Xi reached the kitchen door, she turned around to grab the salt shaker.

The two stood facing each other for a second.

"I said I don't need it."

"I'll start the fire."

"Induction cookers don't require a fire."

"Then I'll stand here and watch you."

Yan Xi glared at him. She didn't kick him out.

Li Chen leaned against the door frame.

Watch her stir-fry winter melon.

The cooking time was more consistent than when I cooked the fish yesterday.

The spatula was moved at a consistent frequency, without any unnecessary movements.

Her apron straps were tied in a bow at the back of her waist.

The knot is one centimeter lower than yesterday.

Shen Ruolan taught me. Lower it by one centimeter, and the strap won't dig into your ribs when you bend over.

Yan Xi said something without turning her head.

"Stop looking."

"I didn't see it."

"You stared at my back for forty seconds, and my neck started to itch."

Li Chen looked away.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Yan Xi's.

He didn't take it out.

But he knew what she had posted.

Three seconds later, the phone screen next to the kitchen counter lit up with a message popping up.

It was a memo she sent to herself.

He didn't see everything. He only saw the last three words.

"His salt."

She was memorizing the location of his family's salt jar.

Dinner was served.

Four dishes and one soup.

Boiled shrimp, braised winter melon with tofu, stir-fried broccoli, shredded chicken breast with cucumber, and seaweed and egg drop soup.

Yan Xi stood by the table and arranged the chopsticks in pairs, with the round ends facing outwards.

This arrangement was Li Chen's habit. She remembered it from the first time they ate together.

Now she's incorporated this habit into his home.

Shen Ruolan came out of the bedroom. She paused for a moment when she saw the dishes on the table.

He didn't say anything. He walked to the dining table and sat down.

Li Mohan poked his head out of the study. "Is dinner ready?"

"Sit down." Yan Xi pushed Li Mohan's chopsticks forward one centimeter.

Li Chen noticed that she had already filled Li Mohan's bowl with soup. There were no scallions on the noodles.

Li Mohan doesn't mind scallions.

But he has a habit: when he drinks the first sip of soup, if there are scallions floating on the surface, he will use a spoon to skim them off before drinking.

Yan Xi saved him this step in advance.

Li Mohan sat down. He picked up the bowl, glanced at it, and then put it down.

"The shrimp is good."

He hadn't even eaten yet. He only glanced at the plating before making his judgment.

Yan Xi ignored him. She peeled a shrimp and placed it in Shen Ruolan's bowl.

"Auntie, you should try it first."

Shen Ruolan picked it up and ate it.

"The heat is just right."

Yan Xi nodded.

Li Chen noticed that her shoulder slumped down by half a centimeter. It was a movement she made when she let out a sigh of relief. Very small. But he could see it every time.

"How did you cut the shredded chicken breast?" Shen Ruolan asked.

"I cut it along the grain. After cutting, I marinated it with starch and a little cooking wine."

"Blanched?"

"No. It's mixed directly. Blanching it will make the shredded meat tough."

Shen Ruolan took another bite. She chewed it twice.

"Not dry."

Yan Xi's lips twitched slightly.

Li Chen touched her hand under the table.

She didn't respond. But she didn't avoid it either.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Ruolan put down her chopsticks.

"This winter melon is sliced ​​very thinly."

"Half a centimeter," Yan Xi said.

Shen Ruolan glanced at her. "How did you know I like thinner people?"

"The soup bowls in your cupboard are shallow. If you pile up thick slices, they'll exceed the rim of the bowls."

There was a two-second silence on the table.

Li Mohan lowered his head and ate his rice. His ears turned red.

Li Chen knew what his father was thinking—he had lived in this house for over twenty years and had never paid attention to the relationship between the depth of the bowl and the thickness of the food.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Li Chen didn't take it out.

Yan Xi peeled another shrimp. This time, she placed it in Li Chen's bowl. No further words were exchanged.

Li Chen ate it.

Shen Ruolan couldn't suppress the smile on her lips as she watched this scene.

Are you going back to Linjiang tomorrow?

"The day after tomorrow," Yan Xi said. "Tomorrow is the last day."

What do you want to eat on the last day?

Yan Xi thought for a second. "No need to make anything special. There's still half a sea bass in the fridge; I'll prepare it tomorrow at noon."

"You do it?"

"I've practiced two exercises; I can't let them go to waste."

Shen Ruolan smiled. "Then I'll go buy some groceries tomorrow morning. Make a list for me."

Yan Xi nodded.

After dinner, Li Chen was about to wash the dishes when Yan Xi stopped him.

"The food I cooked today."

"The person who cooks doesn't wash the dishes. That's your family's rule."

"That's how it is in my house. It's your mom's rule in your house. But today's meal wasn't made by 'your mom's guest.'" Yan Xi stacked the bowls. "I made it. I'll take it."

Li Chen stood still.

Shen Ruolan called out from the living room, "Listen to her."

Li Chen left the kitchen.

The sound of water could be heard.

He leaned against the living room wall, looking at the kitchen light.

His phone vibrated. This time, he took it out to check.

Group 302.

[Wang Qiang: Brother Chen! How many dishes did your girlfriend cook for your parents?]

[Li Chen: Four dishes and one soup.]

[Wang Qiang: Isn't she an architecture major? How come she can cook??]

[Li Chen: I practiced for two days.]

[Chen Mo: Background information—Yan Xi's learning model is: observation → sampling → modeling → iteration. She used the same method to pass her physics exam (99 points), master Jeet Kune Do's front straight punch, learn how to steam sea bass, and has now completed a four-dish-and-one-soup family scenario output. Sample size is not important; model accuracy is.]

Zhao Zixuan: The difference between people is greater than the difference between people and dogs.

[Wang Qiang: Brother Chen, how's your status at home...? I think you could consider moving in with me. At least I won't kick you out of the kitchen when you're washing dishes.]

Li Chen typed three words.

[Li Chen: His position is secure.]

He locked the screen.

The sound of water in the kitchen stopped. Yan Xi came out, wiping her hands.

She was still wearing her apron. She walked up to Li Chen.

Purchase order.

"What?"

"Your mom's going grocery shopping tomorrow. Here's the list I mentioned earlier." Yan Xi took out her phone from her pocket, opened the notes app, and said, "Check if there's anything you want to add."