I really like your sand sculpture group friends

By this time, the oil in the pan had stabilized considerably and was no longer so prone to splattering.

Mo Xiangwen watched as she gripped the spatula tightly again, seemingly wanting to say something, but her lips moved and she ultimately swallowed her words.

He had wanted to offer to take over, but he knew that he would only be rejected if he brought it up again.

He silently took a small step back, giving her enough space, while keeping a concerned eye on her condition.

“Now…” Mo Xiangwen tried to keep his tone steady: “Turn the heat up a little, stir-fry the chicken pieces and caramelized sugar evenly, and let them be coated with the color.”

Su Mengli did as instructed, smoothly stirring the chicken in the pan, the golden-red sugar quickly coating each piece of chicken.

"Then, put in the prepared scallion segments, ginger slices, millet peppers, minced garlic, and diced shiitake mushrooms..." Mo Xiangwen continued.

Even without him saying it, Su Mengli very naturally and almost in sync with his words poured all the chopped ingredients from the bowl and plate next to her into the pot. She held the spatula and nimbly stirred it evenly with her wrist.

Her movements were quite skillful, clearly indicating that she was indeed very good at cooking, and what had just happened was just a minor accident for her.

Mo Xiangwen was slightly taken aback, then realized that he had overthought things.

The next step of stir-frying is no different from normal stir-frying.

With Su Mengli's skill level, she doesn't need any extra guidance from him.

Watching her effortlessly working at the stove, Mo Xiangwen's tense nerves finally relaxed a little, followed by an even more noticeable feeling of fatigue.

He quietly retreated to the back and continued to watch Su Mengli against the wall.

"It smells so good..." Su Mengli exclaimed as she stirred the food, a serious expression on her face.

After stirring evenly, she looked at Mo Xiangwen: "And then? Add sauce and water?"

"Hmm..." Mo Xiangwen's voice lowered, tinged with weariness. "Pour in the sauce I just prepared, stir it evenly, then add hot water, just enough to cover the chicken, and then bring it to a boil."

Following his instructions, Su Mengli poured in the sauce and quickly stir-fried it. After stir-frying it evenly, she smelled a rich aroma.

She then added enough hot water and watched the soup boil and simmer again.

"What's next?" Su Mengli asked.

"It's boiled. Now..." Mo Xiangwen squinted slightly and quietly yawned, "Pour the chicken and broth from the pot into the clay pot next to it, cover it, and then turn the heat to low and simmer..."

"This step is a little tricky." Mo Xiangwen tried to cheer himself up and walked towards her. "Let me help you."

Su Mengli hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.

With Mo Xiangwen's help, the chicken and broth in the wok were successfully transferred to the casserole dish.

Su Mengli lit a fire under the casserole, turned to look at Mo Xiangwen, and saw that his complexion seemed even worse than before, which made her heart tighten.

"Alright, alright, it's just a matter of simmering from here on out." Su Mengli pulled him up from the wall, grabbed his arm, and led him out of the kitchen. "There's no use having two people here. You should go back and rest."

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet it carried a sense of concern that Mo Xiangwen found hard to refuse.

Mo Xiangwen thought about it and realized that was indeed the case. All he had to do next was add the potatoes and green peppers according to the time. There were no particularly dangerous steps in the remaining process.

He didn't say anything more, nodded obediently, gave a brief instruction, and then went into the room.

Su Mengli's gaze followed his departing figure.

The kitchen fell silent the moment he left, with only the faint bubbling sound from the clay pot and the rich aroma spreading through the air.

She let out a soft breath and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her chest, feeling that her heartbeat seemed to be a little faster than usual.

She thought to herself that the shock from earlier hadn't completely subsided.

Her other hand unconsciously touched the wrist that he had just grabbed, where his slightly elevated body temperature from his fever still seemed to linger.

For some reason, Su Mengli was lost in thought and her mind wandered aimlessly.

Oh right, I forgot to tell him that Shishi might be in his room. Su Mengli suddenly remembered.

Chapter 143 Chaotic Thoughts, a Quiet Room (4K Two-in-One)

Actually, Su Mengli didn't need to remind him. Mo Xiangwen pushed open the door and immediately saw Bai Shishi in the room.

She lay on his bed with her upper body exposed, a thin blanket casually draped over her.

Her calves, clad in white pantyhose, dangled over the edge of the bed, her feet below the knees dangling in the air, swaying gently.

Hearing the door open, Bai Shishi immediately looked up and saw it was him, a bright smile immediately spreading across her face.

"Xiao Yi? Didn't you say you were going to help in the kitchen?" Bai Shishi didn't seem guilty at all about being caught red-handed; on the contrary, she seemed very happy.

Mo Xiangwen felt his eyelids were so heavy they were almost stuck together, and his voice was heavy with weariness: "Hmm... all the dishes are ready, only the casserole is simmering, Mengli is watching the fire, I'm coming back to sleep for a while."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but let out a big yawn.

"Ah, then Xiao Yi, lie down quickly." Upon hearing this, Bai Shishi quickly pulled off the blanket she had been covering herself with and patted the bed solicitously: "Rest now, I'll give the blanket back to you."

Mo Xiangwen's mind was completely blank at this moment, overwhelmed by exhaustion, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

He nodded obediently, and almost instinctively walked to the bedside, took off his shoes, and groped his way onto the bed.

The feeling of heaviness intensified as soon as my body touched the soft bed.

He mumbled something indistinctly: "Shishi, call me if anything happens..."

He had barely finished speaking when, before Bai Shishi could reply, he fell into a deep sleep and drifted off to sleep.

"Okay, fine—" Bai Shishi nodded, about to say something, but found that he had already closed his eyes and his breathing had slowly become long and deep.

Bai Shishi, sitting on the edge of the bed, covered him with the blanket and gently poked his cheek with her slender fingers.

"If you're so tired, then get some rest." Bai Shishi pouted in dissatisfaction: "You're usually so good at talking when you're urging me to rest."

Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, listening to his steady breathing, the faint aroma wafting from the kitchen and the sudden tranquility in the room, she gradually became sleepy.

As she looked at it, her eyelids began to droop.

She rubbed her eyes, but ultimately couldn't resist the drowsiness. Too lazy to move, she curled up her legs and lay down next to Mo Xiangwen. Her small body was curled up by the bedside, and she soon fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Xiangwen, in a hazy drowsiness, vaguely sensed subtle movements and a warm presence beside him.

He struggled to open his eyes a crack and saw Bai Shishi curled up asleep next to him.

His brain, already a complete mess, didn't think much. Relying solely on habit and instinct, he vaguely and subconsciously reached out and pulled half of the blanket off himself, covering Bai Shishi's curled-up body.

After completing this simple action, he let his eyelids close with peace of mind and fell back into a deep sleep.

......

About thirty minutes later.

In the living room, Su Mengli turned off the stove on time, letting it cool down naturally. She had just returned to the living room when she didn't see Bai Shishi as she expected, but instead saw Su Mengyao sitting on the sofa.

"How is Nuoya doing?" Su Mengli asked.

"Hmm, she didn't seem to be sleeping very soundly, tossing and turning." Su Mengyao shook her head: "But she should have taken her medicine before, because her breathing and expression seem quite stable now."

She paused, then added, "At least that's how I see it. I don't have an older sister like you, so if you're really worried, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

Su Mengli nodded slightly: "Okay, then I'll go check on Nuoya."

She turned and took two steps, then suddenly turned back and casually added, "Oh, and don't you dare steal any food."

Su Mengyao's face darkened, and she was about to glare back defiantly when her gaze was suddenly drawn to the crooked ponytail at the back of Su Mengli's head.

"Sis, what's with your ponytail?" Su Mengyao asked in surprise. After hesitating for a while, she carefully chose her words before slowly saying, "So... uh, so casual?"

“I mean,” Su Mengyao, with a strong survival instinct, quickly added, “I mean, this isn’t like your usual habits or style.”

When Su Mengli was asked this question, she subconsciously raised her hand and touched the back of her head.

"Oh, it's nothing." She said in a flat tone, as if nothing had happened. "You weren't here just now, so I had to ask Xiang Wen to help me out temporarily."

Su Mengyao was slightly taken aback, almost thinking she had misheard: "You asked Xiang Wen... to help you with the acupuncture?"

“Yes.” Su Mengli looked at her in confusion: “What’s wrong?”

"...According to your habits, shouldn't you go back to your room and do it yourself?" Su Mengyao asked softly, puzzled. "Even if you just do it yourself, it would be much better than Xiang Wen's skills, right?"

Su Mengli was too lazy to explain, so she walked directly to her sister and raised her hand to bring her fingers to her nose.

Caught off guard, Su Mengyao was immediately assaulted by a strong, pungent smell of onions, ginger, and garlic. She frowned and leaned back, exclaiming, "Ouch!"

“So,” Su Mengli withdrew her hand and rolled her eyes at her, “how am I supposed to do it myself? It’s all because you stayed in Nuoya’s room for so long without coming back.”

Upon smelling the pungent aroma of onions, ginger, and garlic, Su Mengyao instantly understood the reason, and her face immediately switched to her usual playful smile: "Oh, I was just curious, you know, why would you ask someone to help you tie your hair?"

She went around behind Su Mengli and said, "Sis, do you want me to fix your hair? Otherwise, everyone will see your messy hairstyle later."

Without much thought, Su Mengli nodded: "Okay, then I'll trouble you."

"Leave it to me." Su Mengyao deftly untied the crooked hair tie and skillfully combed her sister's long hair with her fingers.

The two sisters have helped each other tie their hair countless times.

"By the way, sis," Su Mengyao asked while skillfully gathering her hair, "didn't you say you wanted to find an opportunity to bring up the studio's payment with Dad? How's that going?"

“I’ve already told him.” Su Mengli recalled for a moment and replied, “Dad doesn’t care, but after Mom asked about the situation, she said she wants to meet Xiang Wen first before making a decision.”

"Huh? Why?" Su Mengyao kept moving her hands.

"I don't know." Su Mengli frowned slightly. "Besides, after I told them about Xiang Wen's situation, even Dad said he wanted to meet him."

"Hahaha..." Su Mengyao's laughter carried a hint of meaning, and her hands moved even faster: "Then let's tell Xiang Wen, and let's discuss a time to meet."

Soon, a neat and tidy ponytail was tied up.

"Okay, all done! Perfect!" Su Mengyao clapped her hands in satisfaction.

“Okay, then I’ll go check on Nuoya first.” Su Mengli turned and walked towards Yan Nuoya’s room.

"Uh-huh."

Su Mengli pushed open Yan Nuoya's door and saw Yan Nuoya sitting alone on the edge of the bed, her head slightly lowered, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, exuding a listless and listless aura.

"Noya?" Su Mengli asked with some concern when she saw her like this, "Are you alright? Do you need any help?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Nuoya slowly raised her head.

Those eyes, usually as clear and beautiful as amethyst, now seemed veiled by a thin mist, losing focus and appearing somewhat empty.

Several seconds later, her eyes gradually focused, as if a camera lens had just come back to life from a distant place.

"It's Mengli..." Yan Nuoya's voice was hoarse from just waking up and clearly dazed: "I'm fine... I'll get up now..."

Su Mengli looked at her slightly pale face and sighed silently in her heart, but maintained a gentle smile on her face: "Dinner is ready. We'll wait for you in the living room. If you want to rest, you can rest for a while. We'll save a portion of the food for you."

"Um, I'm sorry..." Yan Nuoya rubbed her temples. "I'll be right there."

After a while, Yan Nuoya came out of the room and into the living room.

She looked around but couldn't find Mo Xiangwen.

Seeing her come out, Su Mengyao waved to her: "Nuoya, are you feeling better?"

Yan Nuoya waved her hand to indicate that she was alright, and then asked, "Where is Xiang Wen?"

Su Mengli pointed in the direction of Mo Xiangwen's room: "Xiangwen just helped cook some dishes. I saw that he was exhausted, so I advised him to go back and rest first."

Su Mengyao looked at Su Mengli in surprise and asked in an incredulous tone, "Sister, you're even requisitioning patients?"

Su Mengli's pretty face turned slightly cold. She glared at her before explaining, "Xiang Wen insisted on helping, and I had no choice."

“Oh dear, Xiang Wen is like this.” Su Mengyao complained, “Even though he asked us to help buy the groceries, he didn’t have to drag his sick body to do it himself. This guy, even when he’s sick, doesn’t he know how to rely on us a little?”

Yan Nuoya was even more surprised: "Buying groceries? Cooking?"

"Look at the group chat," Su Mengyao gestured for her to look at her phone.

Yan Nuoya took out her phone and quickly browsed the chat history. As intelligent as she was, she immediately understood the cause and effect.

"Xiang Wen cooked?" She looked at Su Mengli, her tone tinged with disbelief. "He can cook?"

"I guess you could say we made it together," Su Mengli explained. "But judging from his appearance, he definitely knows how to cook."

"I see..." Yan Nuoya nodded, reluctantly accepting the situation.

She clearly didn't know how to do it either, so what happened to being her kindred spirit? Traitor. Yan Nuoya pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, but a warm feeling welled up inside her.

Su Mengli thought for a moment and said, "However, after we got to the stage of simmering it in a clay pot over low heat, I let him go back to rest. I don't know if he's awake yet."

A hint of worry flashed in Yan Nuoya's purple eyes: "Shall I go check on him and wake him up?"