Of course, she could not let Qin Guanglin make dinner. Mother Qin stir-fried the strangely shaped vegetables Qin Guanglin had cut. She left only one dish of stir-fried greens for him to try his hand. Anyway, if it turned out badly, she would tell him to eat it himself.
Qin Guanglin was a bit excited since it was his first time cooking. He had always felt that the chefs on television were extremely dashing when they cooked, especially when fire spurted. He wanted to mimic them, but he was aware of his standard and dared not try any showy tricks. He obediently held the ladle and slowly stir-fried the vegetables.
“Why are you standing so far away?” He Fang pushed him from behind. “You won’t get burned. Don’t worry.”
“Don’t, don’t. I’m good like this.” Qin Guanglin stretched out his long arms and stood more than a step away. He seemed utterly reluctant to move closer.
“Listen to me. It isn’t hot.”
He Fang pushed him twice to no avail. Seeing that Mother Qin was in the living room and was not paying attention to them, she pressed her entire body to Qin Guanglin’s back. “Move if you’re afraid your mother will see us.”
This was effective in controlling Qin Guanglin. He hastily leaned forward and looked at the sizzling wok while trembling in fear. “Just you wait!”
“Wait for what?” He Fang was planning to wrestle the initiative back from him. She threatened lowly, “I’ll tell your mom if you dare to mess around.”
“…”
“How much salt do I put in?” Qin Guanglin changed the subject.
“Put it in slowly. I’ll watch.”
Qin Guanglin picked up the salt and gently sprinkled some into the wok. “Is this enough?”
“A bit more.”
“Enough?”
“That’s about right. Just a pinch more.”
“It will be extremely delicious.” Qin Guanglin was brimming with confidence as he put down the salt. “What else do I have to add?”
“Seasoning powder. Half a spoon will suffice.”
The vegetables he stir-fried looked passable, and He Fang helped bring it to the table. Because Qin Guanglin had chopped the vegetables, the shredded vegetables did not look shredded, and the sliced vegetables did not look like slices. The dishes were at least three levels lower than the usual standard.
Qin Guanglin was the only one who felt a little embarrassed. The two of them did not seem to mind at all and enjoyed the food, nevertheless.
Mother Qin did not mind. After all, her son had cut the vegetables. He Fang was also glad that Qin Guanglin was learning to cook now. In any case, he would develop this skill properly—all of this was part of the journey.
“He Fang, you can come over often to teach him if you’re free. Otherwise, he definitely won’t be bothered to learn.” Mother Qin felt that it was pretty good for men to learn how to cook. At least, if they fought in the future, he did not have to be afraid of going hungry.
“Hm. I will.” He Fang nodded in agreement.
Qin Guanglin remained silent. Explaining would be futile, anyway. They had already decided that he was serious about learning how to cook.
How annoying. He could not shake off the feeling of slight embarrassment.
“Hm. You fried them so delicious.” He Fang picked up a vegetable and praised him.
“I can tell whether it tastes good,” Qin Guanglin said despondently. He picked up a large bunch of vegetables and put them in his bowl. “Leave them to me.”
“It’s only your first time. You did a pretty good job.” He Fang did not mind and took another bite. “These are vegetables. No matter how you fry them, they won’t taste too bad unless you burn them.”
Qin Guanglin could not accept it. Even Mother Qin did not dare take another bite after the first. He rushed to finish the vegetables in his bowl and put another bunch of bad-tasting vegetables in his bowl, leaving nothing on the plate.
“Slow down.” He Fang felt a little helpless. “You’ll get better at it in the future.”
Mother Qin quite liked the current atmosphere. They were like a family. She did not join their conversation and sat at the head of the table. She held her bowl and concentrated on eating.
After finishing dinner in a relatively joyous and harmonious atmosphere, Qin Guanglin went to the kitchen to wash the dishes after clearing the table. He Fang did not return to the room. She stood at the kitchen entrance and watched him.
Mother Qin sat on the couch and switched on the television. After watching for some time, she suddenly recalled something. “He Fang.”
“Yes, Auntie?”
“Come sit down,” Mother Qin called her over. “The pickles were quite nice. Teach me how to make them.”
He Fang listened to her and went to sit on the couch. “Just cut the radish into threads of around this length. Then, marinate it with salt…”
“Oh—” Mother Qin nodded while listening.
“So the most important thing is that bit of oil. I was wondering why it was so fragrant. You know quite a lot of things.”
“I learned everything from the Internet. If you like it, I’ll make more next time.” He Fang smiled gently.
“What a good girl,” Mother Qin exclaimed. “Do you have younger siblings at home?”
“I have an elder brother.”
“It’s good to have an elder brother. Lin is an only child and has no siblings. So he’s a bit lonely.” Mother Qin watched the television while chatting casually with her.
“It’s the same for me. My brother keeps my sister-in-law company now. He doesn’t really bother with me.”
“So he’s married. In that case, he’s much older than you?”
“Yes. He’s seven years older.”
After washing the dishes, Qin Guanglin left the kitchen and wiped his hands clean. He stood at the side for some time, but the two of them were still chatting incessantly. He could not help but sigh.
It seemed that they could not go back to the room to cuddle.
He poured two glasses of water for them and placed them on the table. Qin Guanglin shamelessly sat beside He Fang and watched television with them.
He Fang pushed one glass towards Mother Qin. She then lifted the other glass for a sip and continued chatting idly with Mother Qin.
“Life Revelation” was currently showing on television. Yan Ni was enjoying her sweet relationship with Hu Ge, who was six years younger than her. They were like newlyweds.
While watching the television, Qin Guanglin started moving around. He quietly pulled He Fang’s hands between the two of them. He started kneading them and glanced at Mother Qin. When he was sure that she could not see their hands, he relaxed and started playing with her hands.
The moment they exchanged saliva through a kiss, their relationship would rapidly intensify. The new level of intimacy was completely different from before this exchange. Naturally, he became very daring—they had already been so intimate. In comparison, actions like these were relatively insignificant.
“Hm. He City University isn’t that good. Luo City University is better,” He Fang said to Mother Qin. She covertly glanced at him in a warning and pinched him hard, but she did not retract her hands.
“It’s not that far, anyway. It’s convenient for you to go home.” Mother Qin did not notice their secret movements at all.
Qin Guanglin leaned against the couch happily and watched television. He would play with her hands since he could not hug her. Whatever the case, he had to do something in order to feel comfortable.
His palm moved along the back of He Fang’s hands and slowly caressed them. After experiencing their softness and smoothness, he curled his little finger and stroked He Fang’s palm lightly.
He had stroked it only twice when He Fang felt ticklish and suddenly gripped his hand tight. Qin Guanglin instinctively let out a whine as his little finger hurt from being squeezed.
“Hm?” Mother Qin looked at him.
“What’s wrong with you?” He Fang also asked worriedly. She exerted more force with her hand.
“No, it’s nothing.” Qin Guanglin avoided their gazes as if nothing had happened. “The television program is quite good.”
“Hm. This drama is not bad.” Mother Qin nodded. “But that Liu Guangyao is inhumane. I get angry when I see him.”
He Fang chimed in, “Lan Xin is also evil. It’s not bad for two evil people to be together.”
Qin Guanglin stealthily extracted his little finger. He kneaded and pinched He Fang’s small hands in revenge but dared not stroke them again.
Mother Qin sat for a while more and stood up after this episode ended. She did not intrude on their alone time and returned to her room after informing them.
When he heard the door close, Qin Guanglin became completely alert. Leaning against the couch, he concentrated on watching the commercials, as if the commercials were even more interesting than the actual drama.
He Fang looked at him with a faint smile. “You’ve become more daring now?”