Chapter 64: Chu Xiaoran: Lin Huaizhi, I’m Still Hungry
Lin Huaizhi didn’t act coy and said directly to Huo Chen, “We only have two hundred yuan. Ordering takeout probably won’t be enough. When we came, I saw a vegetable market not far from here. How about we go buy some groceries and cook ourselves? What do you think?”
Huo Chen didn’t refuse: “Okay, but I’m not good at this. Maybe I can only help you as a sous-chef.”
Huo Chen knew absolutely nothing about cooking. Without exaggeration, he hadn’t stepped into a kitchen in his life and felt that cooking himself was a huge waste of time. But under Lin Huaizhi’s expectant gaze, not only did he agree, but he was even willing to help out.
Saying he wasn’t in love—who would believe it?
The two took a bus to the vegetable market.
The seaside island had plenty of seafood. After asking Huo Chen about his dietary restrictions and preferences, Lin Huaizhi picked some shrimp and crabs, took a fish, a block of tofu, and a small piece of lean meat. Finally, he bought two sections of lotus root and a bunch of water spinach.
Fortunately, it was nearly six o’clock when they checked out. Since the shelf life of fresh seafood isn’t very long, vendors chose small profits for quick turnover. All these things cost less than one hundred yuan.
Back at the villa, the two immediately got busy.
Huo Chen, as he said, stood in front of the kitchen sink and began helping to process the ingredients. He didn’t know how to handle seafood, so he washed the water spinach and lotus root first, then went to wash the rice and cook it.
Lin Huaizhi didn’t let Huo Chen handle the seafood.
Fresh seafood didn’t need much processing. Lin Huaizhi chose to steam the shrimp. Huo Chen, like him, wasn’t a picky eater but preferred things a bit spicier, so the crabs were made into spicy fragrant crab, and the fish became spicy boiled fish.
Of course, steaming is most suitable for fresh seafood to experience its original flavor.
But who cares.
Fresh seafood can be eaten anytime, but the mood he and Huo Chen shared couldn’t be had anytime.
The shrimp they bought were mantis shrimp. Lin Huaizhi laid scallion sections at the bottom of the pot, added some ginger slices, and poured the live mantis shrimp directly in to dry steam.
For the spicy fragrant crab, he cut the crabs in half, coated the cut ends with starch, fried them until ready, then stir-fried ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, bean paste, and half a block of hot pot base until fragrant and red oil appeared. He added soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar for flavor, then poured in half a bottle of beer and simmered until the sauce thickened.
The fish was also made spicy.
The tofu and meat were made into Mapo Tofu. The lotus root was sliced and stir-fried plain, and the water spinach was also stir-fried plain.
The villa had a semi-open kitchen.
Halfway through the cooking, several guests smelled the aroma. Chu Xiaoran was a picky eater; the takeout he ordered didn’t suit his taste. He smelled the scent and thought a chef was cooking, until he saw Lin Huaizhi in the kitchen.
The young man’s movements with the spatula were too skilled; he could even toss the wok.
Chu Xiaoran looked astonished, and the question slipped out unconsciously: “You actually know how to cook?”
Lin Huaizhi ignored him.
What was so strange about knowing how to cook? He indeed wasn’t picky, but in his youth, to fill his stomach, he would stuff anything edible into his mouth. Later, when he had money, he naturally wanted to compensate himself. After eating enough outside, he started figuring out how to cook for himself.
He dared not call himself a chef.
But whipping up a fragrant meal was certainly not a problem.
Lin Huaizhi’s silence didn’t mean Huo Chen wanted to be silent. The man stood not far behind the young man, holding a plate in his hand, his eyes looking extremely oppressive. “What are you doing here?”
Chu Xiaoran was momentarily stunned by this questioning tone, and then his heart filled with displeasure: “I wanted to ask what you are doing.”
The man stepped forward, almost pressing against Lin Huaizhi’s back. He put down the plate in his hand for Lin Huaizhi to dish up the food, but his eyes never left Chu Xiaoran: “We are on a date. Can’t you tell?”
Hearing this word from Lin Huaizhi’s mouth wouldn’t surprise Chu Xiaoran at all. In Lin Huaizhi’s expressions of love for Huo Chen, a date was considered a relatively ordinary expression. But hearing this word from the mouth of Huo Chen, who had been constantly rejecting him, the meaning was completely different.
Chu Xiaoran’s pupils constricted, his tone carrying a tension he didn’t even realize: “You two are already together?”
Huo Chen was just about to answer ‘That’s right,’ but Lin Huaizhi finished plating the dish, put down the spatula, and spoke before him: “What does it have to do with you? If you have time, manage your career properly. Stop prying into your boss’s privacy.”
Lin Huaizhi untied his apron and turned to beckon Huo Chen: “Quick, let’s eat!”
Interrupted, Huo Chen only glanced at Lin Huaizhi, then took a deep look at Chu Xiaoran. That infiltrating feeling pierced straight into the heart.
“Holy cow! What smells so good!!”
Xu Qiao’s voice suddenly appeared. Like a bolt of lightning, she darted directly into the kitchen. Seeing a table full of sumptuous food, her eyes almost popped out: “Lin Huaizhi, did you and Huo Chen make this?”
Lin Huaizhi gave a hum of affirmation.
Xu Qiao swallowed her saliva: “Can you two finish six dishes? Isn’t it too much?”
They could definitely finish it; after all, both he and Huo Chen had large appetites. However, Xu Qiao was straightforward and candid, and Lin Huaizhi had a pretty good impression of her. Seeing her drool almost dripping down, he smiled and invited: “Want to eat a bite together?”
Xu Qiao shook her head: “Eating for free isn’t good. I’ll go ask Sister if I can pay for the meal and mooch a dinner.”
Before Lin Huaizhi could speak, Xu Qiao rushed back to her room like lightning.
“Lin Huaizhi.” Chu Xiaoran was still standing there. He called Lin Huaizhi’s name, his tone actually sounding a bit aggrieved, “I’m still hungry too.”
Huo Chen’s originally pleasant mood was completely ruined by Chu Xiaoran. Lin Huaizhi noticed Huo Chen’s displeasure and sped up his action of picking up food for him: “The food won’t taste good if it gets cold. Do you want to eat mantis shrimp?”
Lin Huaizhi’s attitude was very obvious.
Feeling the young man’s comfort, Huo Chen stopped paying attention to Chu Xiaoran. “En, I want to eat.”
He said he wanted to eat, but listening carefully, it inexplicably had a flavor of acting spoiled. Lin Huaizhi’s bones went soft listening to it. He put down his chopsticks and picked up a mantis shrimp: “Then I’ll peel it for you.”
Lin Huaizhi was extremely adept when it came to eating. Handling various seafood, like how to peel mantis shrimp, was a piece of cake for him.
Especially with today’s cooking method, it was very suitable for peeling.
The mantis shrimp could be eaten directly after peeling, or dipped in sauce. Lin Huaizhi peeled two first; one without sauce and one dipped in sauce, then handed them successively to Huo Chen’s lips.
“Taste it.”
Huo Chen had never been fed by anyone, except during his babbling toddler days. Once he could hold chopsticks, he was trained to eat independently. In his eyes, such intimate feeding behavior seemed useless and wasteful.
However, regardless of what he thought, the man finally leaned forward slightly and let Lin Huaizhi feed it into his mouth.
Clearly, he had eaten this kind of shrimp before, and people would peel it for him, but perhaps due to the variety or region, Huo Chen actually felt this bite was more delicious than any shrimp he had eaten before.
“Which one tastes better?”
Facing Lin Huaizhi’s question, Huo Chen answered with a very high level of skill: “Both are good.”
Lin Huaizhi smiled happily: “Then I’ll peel more for you.”
The ignored Chu Xiaoran was already very unhappy. Seeing the interaction between the two as if no one else was present, he felt even more uncomfortable inside and raised his voice directly: “Lin Huaizhi! I said I’m still hungry! Did you hear me!”
The interrupted young man lifted his eyelids, his gaze cold and ruthless.
“If you’re hungry, find something to eat. If you can’t find anything, you can go die directly. Any other questions?”
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