Blutbefleckter Tod - Kapitel 21
"But you'll eat it yourself, don't you have a sense of taste?"
"…………"
"Even if you don't have it, Ling'er and I do. We don't want to eat this kind of food every day."
"…………"
"Besides, didn't we just agree that we would be honest with each other? What, are you going back on your word?"
"without……"
Under his gaze, which held a mixture of seriousness and mischief, Song Xiaohua's arrogance gradually diminished.
"Did you not cook often before?"
"Um……"
"It's okay, take your time."
"oh……"
Song Xiaohua obediently sidled up next to Lu Ziqi and watched him turn a failed stir-fry into a delicious-looking soup. She sighed inwardly.
Dramatic plots are not suitable for the realities of daily life, like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of everyday tasks.
After that, Song Xiaohua and Lu Ziqi switched roles in the kitchen; Song Xiaohua took charge of cooking, and Lu Ziqi assisted. Of course, this is just someone's wishful thinking…
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What are we eating today?
"Spicy stir-fried green beans, edamame stir-fried with eggs, braised pork with garlic sprouts, and tofu and vermicelli soup."
"Okay, let's begin!"
"Okay!"
"The green beans are chopped too small, the garlic shoots are chopped too big... the eggs aren't even fully beaten yet... be careful with the heat, don't overcook the meat... with so little water, the soup will turn into a broth..."
Amidst the incessant chatter of the assistant, and after a flurry of frantic activity with smoke billowing from his head, the chef finally managed to produce a few dishes that at least looked passable.
The assistants began to taste each dish carefully, while the head chef watched with bated breath and immense tension.
"Hmm..." He frowned and remained silent.
"Failed again?" I was extremely frustrated.
"There's been progress. At least... it's edible now, no need to redo it." He made the judgment in a serious tone, and then gradually smiled.
"Really? Wow!" Her eyes widened at first, then narrowed, curving into two crescent moons.
Song Xiaohua raised her hands and jumped up and down on the spot: "Thank heavens, thank earth, thank my smart brain and high IQ, and of course..." She stood on tiptoe, patted Lu Ziqi's shoulder, tilted her head and grinned: "I also have to thank you, my 'sharp-tongued supervisor'!"
"What? A poisonous snake?"
"Hehe! Even if you are a snake, you're a handsome male snake, not bad, not bad..."
Song Xiaohua's eyes gradually narrowed into two thin slits, and her voice became softer and softer, drawn out longer and longer, revealing a kind of malicious 'lewdness'.
He raised his hand and withdrew it, but his fingertips deliberately brushed across the stubble-covered chin, a very subtle stinging sensation, a tingling, numbing feeling...
The aroma of food filled the small house, and the embers of the fire crackled in the stove. This place, devoid of any romance, was brimming with ambiguity.
"Let me give you another riddle!"
The words that suddenly came out were full of energy, dispelling the ambiguity in the room and snapping Lu Ziqi out of his daze.
There was a speck of ink on Song Xiaohua's nose and a patch of black ash on her forehead, which made her two rows of tiny teeth appear even whiter and more dazzling. Her wide-open eyes were full of excitement and joy, clean and clear.
Lu Ziqi turned his back and coughed lightly, inwardly feeling ashamed. How could he have thought this little girl was intentionally trying to...?
"Okay, tell me about it." When she spoke again, she had returned to normal.
Song Xiaohua, with exaggerated gestures and dramatic flair, exclaimed: "There was a black cat and a white cat walking one after the other on the road. The white cat was in front, and the black cat followed behind. They walked and walked, and suddenly, the white cat saw a large dark hole ahead, but silently walked around it without warning the black cat. As a result, the black cat accidentally 'plop' fell in. The black cat climbed and climbed, and with great effort, finally managed to climb out. He was extremely angry at the white cat's unrighteous behavior. Guess what he said to the white cat, who was squatting by the hole watching the spectacle?"
Without a second thought, Lu Ziqi replied, "Meow."
Song Xiaohua stared in disbelief: "...How did you know the answer?"
"Otherwise, what other sounds would a cat make?"
Under Lu Ziqi's gaze, which seemed to regard her as an idiot, Song Xiaohua burst into tears in silence.
Why would she try to make such lame jokes with an ancient person who has no sense of fairy tales and no dark humor? She's just humiliating herself!
Author's Note: I'm a complete cooking idiot. I had to painstakingly search for those four dishes online because I didn't know what vegetables were available in autumn... *sobs* So, please bear with any inaccuracies in the cooking content.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Entrust Me to You
The sun was shining brightly, and there was no wind.
Song Xiaohua sat on a small stool under the sun by the courtyard wall, with two little black dogs squatting beside her with their small ears pointing straight up.
Lu Ziqi bent down and picked up a freshly polished wooden board. He threaded thick hemp ropes through the holes he had carved at the four corners, then tied the ropes to a thick branch extending from the large tree in the yard. Lu Ling, meanwhile, was jumping around trying to help, but it only made things worse…
Stand on the chair, slightly tilt your feet up, raise both arms, and tilt your head back slightly.
Removing his long robe, his body, clad only in his undergarment, was stretched into a slender and toned silhouette. Sweat soaked his neck, and his Adam's apple bobbed occasionally, making Song Xiaohua want to... take a bite...
No, no, no, as a living, breathing human being, I absolutely cannot do what vampires do, even if I'm desperately thirsty...
Ugh, they're a legally married couple, why do they have to suppress their natural desires and impulses like this?!
Besides, it was obvious he wasn't completely indifferent to her. His stiff body and expression in the kitchen earlier clearly showed that his 'teasing' had been effective! So…
Wow! Daddy is so amazing!
A cheer temporarily extinguished Song Xiaohua's boiling 'wolf blood'. Lu Ziqi bent down, picked up his son, and placed him steadily on the suspended wooden board: "Ling'er, sit tight, Daddy's going to push you!"
Lu Ling was both nervous and excited. She gripped the rope tightly with both hands, her eyes wide open and unblinking, her teeth clenched, and she nodded heavily.
Lu Ziqi smiled affectionately, gently exerting force to send the little person flying along with the swing.
The child's crisp cries and laughter filled the yard in an instant. The puppy chased after the swinging figure, running and jumping. Lu Ziqi stood aside, his arms slightly outstretched, protecting his son's first 'flight', his eyes and brows full of deep affection.
Song Xiaohua watched this scene with a smile, stood up, clapped her hands, and prepared to join in, but her gaze inadvertently fell on a tightly closed door.
There, there is a memorial tablet, a memory, and a love.
Women are truly the most contradictory creatures in the world. On the one hand, they hope that men will not be fickle and will be affectionate and devoted; on the other hand, they hope that men will only have eyes for and love for them, and will let go of everything from the past.
After all, how many women could be like Ren Yingying, staying by Linghu Chong's side without complaint, listening to his reminiscences and watching him admire the junior sister who filled his entire life? How many women could be like Ren Yingying, saying with tears in their eyes and a smile on their face, "I am so happy, because at this moment, you only have me in your heart"...
How many women can so effortlessly say, "If you have no interest in me, then I will leave"?
Song Xiaohua was unsure of herself.
She didn't know why, but she always seemed to avoid the study, intentionally or unintentionally. Anyway, Lu Ziqi cleaned it up every night, so she didn't need to clean it.
In fact, was Lu Ziqi also trying his best to prevent her from stepping through that door and into that place that belonged to their family of three...?
Yes, a family of three. Lu Ziqi, Lu Ling, and the woman whose name contains the character 'Tong'.
In the end, Song Xiaohua was just a latecomer, an outsider.
Lu Ziqi was very good to her, and he was considerate and attentive to her, tolerating her absent-mindedness, bad temper, outrageous behavior, and utter incompetence in housework.
Moreover, he is very generous.
Or rather, being too generous.
Even in the open 21st century, if a husband finds out that his wife is having tea and chatting with a strange man in private, he would at least feel somewhat unhappy, right?
But Lu Ziqi had none, not even a tiny bit.
He arranged everything quietly, then casually brushed it off and never mentioned it again.
This is because... they don't care...
If it were that woman, would he still be so calm and composed? He would be jealous, wouldn't he...?
Sigh, I'm so jealous...
Song Xiaohua slapped herself on the forehead. Had she gotten water in her head or gotten her brain caught in a door? Why was she arguing and being jealous of someone who was already gone? What a moron! Besides, why was she even thinking about these things? Why was she even concerned about them? Had she forgotten the strategic principle of "I won't move unless the enemy moves"? She felt a thousand times more self-deprecating…
"Yaoyao, what's wrong?"
"Oh... there are mosquitoes."