EFB Chapter 73 Xiaotian: I'll share everything with you.
Chapter 73 Xiaotian: I'll share everything with you.
When I pushed open the door to Xiaotian's apartment, I saw the two of them staring at each other, looking at the chickens and ducks.
Tian Xiwei held a kitchen knife, gesturing at it for a long time but still didn't dare to make a move.
"Brother Feng! You've come at the perfect time!" Tian Xiwei exclaimed as if she'd seen a savior, shoving a cleaver at him. "Quickly, help us chop this duck into small pieces! Small pieces, okay? Ginger-braised duck needs to be cut into small pieces to absorb the flavor! The chicken can be chopped bigger; we'll make soup with it!"
Lin Feng looked at the chickens and ducks and shook his head helplessly: "You two, didn't you know that when you bought them? Are you just going to let them handle it?"
"We have you here!" Tian Xiwei grinned and leaned closer. "Brother Feng is the best!"
"Go, go, go wash the vegetables," Lin Feng shooed them aside, picked up a cleaver and began to prepare them. "I'll demonstrate first, and next time you want to eat them, you can learn to cook them yourselves."
His movements were swift and efficient; he quickly chopped the duck into even pieces and also cut the chicken into parts. Tian Xiwei, peering through the kitchen doorway, stared in awe: "Wow! Brother Feng, your knife skills are amazing! You're incredible!"
"Stop flattering me," Lin Feng said, putting the duck meat into a bowl to blanch. "Have you soaked the shiitake mushrooms? The chicken soup needs to be made by stir-frying the chicken first."
"Soaked them!" Liu Haochun quickly brought over the soaked shiitake mushrooms. "I'll go wash them right away."
The water boiled, and the duck meat tumbled in the pot, foam gradually rising to the surface. Tian Xiwei volunteered, "I'll do this! I saw in the video that you should add ginger slices and cooking wine when blanching!"
She carefully tossed the ginger slices into the pot and poured in some cooking wine.
"Not bad," Lin Feng nodded. "When you stir-fry the ginger-braised duck later, add plenty of ginger and dried chili peppers."
While stir-frying the duck, oil splattered everywhere. Tian Xiwei held the pot lid up as a shield, half her body hidden behind it, only extending one hand to stir with a spatula. The duck meat gradually turned a caramel color: "Wow! It looks good! Brother Feng, look, I cooked it!"
"Yes, yes, you cooked it," Lin Feng said with a smile, taking out his phone to take a picture of her. "I'll post it in the group later so Sister Yitong can see how amazing our Xiaotian is."
Liu Haochun was simmering chicken soup nearby. The aroma of shiitake mushrooms mixed with the fresh scent of chicken wafted out, and she couldn't resist taking a spoonful to taste: "Mmm! The flavor is coming through!"
Lin Feng helped prepare the steamed fish. He made a few cuts on the fish, rubbed it with salt and cooking wine, and added shredded ginger. "Steam it for eight minutes after the water boils, then pour hot oil and steamed fish soy sauce over it. It's simple."
Two hours later, five dishes were served. The ginger-fried duck was bright red and tempting, the mushroom and chicken soup was fragrant, the steamed fish was tender and white, and there were also two stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
Tian Xi, hands on her hips with a hint of smugness, said, "How about it? Didn't disappoint you, did I?"
"Good," Lin Feng nodded, picked up his phone and called Li Yitong, "Yitong, come over for dinner, the dishes are all ready."
After hanging up the phone, he looked at the two girls in front of him. "Eat up," Lin Feng said, picking up his chopsticks. "Try our 'Happy Superman' and 'Sweetheart Superman's' cooking."
Tian Xiwei picked up a piece of duck meat and stuffed it into her mouth. It was so hot she gasped for breath, but she still mumbled, "Delicious! Even better than the ones in restaurants!"
Liu Haochun served Lin Feng a bowl of soup: "Brother Feng, try this soup."
The doorbell rang, and Li Yitong walked in. Seeing the dishes on the table, she smiled and said, "Looks like I'm not late."
"Sister Yitong, come and eat!" Tian Xiwei pulled her down to sit. "You have to try my stir-fried duck with ginger!"
Li Yitong picked up a piece of ginger-fried duck, blew on it gently, and put it in her mouth. The duck meat was a bit chewy, and the aroma of ginger and the spiciness of chili spread on her tongue. "Mmm, it tastes really good," she said, smiling at Tian Xiwei. "Tian is great, to be able to make it like this on your first try."
Tian Xiwei blushed at the praise and scratched her head: "Hehe, I wasn't lying to you, was I? Actually... it was mainly because Brother Feng was guiding me, otherwise I would definitely have messed it up."
She raised the glass of orange juice in front of her. "Sister Yitong, I'll toast you! You have excellent taste."
"Cheers." Li Yitong clinked glasses with her.
Lin Feng picked up a piece of steamed fish with his chopsticks. The fish was tender and the soy sauce for steaming fish was just the right amount of salty and savory. "Hao Chun, this fish is steamed very well," he said, looking at Liu Hao Chun. "Much better than the first time I made it."
Liu Haochun's face turned red instantly, and he whispered, "It was Brother Feng who taught me how to make this sauce. He said adding a spoonful of sugar would make it even more flavorful."
The conversation at the dinner table ranged from the grasslands to training, and then to the upcoming start of the new school term.
Tian Xiwei was munching on a chicken wing when she suddenly heard Lin Feng ask, "Xiao Tian, how's your summer homework going?"
"Huh?" Tian Xiwei almost dropped the chicken wing from her mouth. She stared at Lin Feng with wide eyes, as if she had been struck by lightning. "Summer homework? I almost forgot about it! I still haven't done half of it!"
"How come there are still so many?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. "Summer vacation is almost over."
"It's all your fault!" Tian Xiwei put down her chicken wing and retorted righteously, "I followed you around promoting the movie for the first half, staying up all night every day; then we went to the grasslands for fun, when did I have time to do my homework?"
"Oh? Is this my fault?" Lin Feng was amused by her. "Who was it that said 'Homework is nothing compared to the grasslands'?"
"Well...it was just a moment of confusion!" Tian Xiwei felt a little guilty, but still stubbornly insisted, "Anyway, it's all your fault!"
"Okay, okay, it's my fault," Lin Feng shook his head helplessly. "Then you'll have to catch up on your homework starting tomorrow, or the teacher will punish you when school starts."
"Okay, okay," Tian Xi muttered, turning to Liu Haochun, "Haochun, what about your homework? You haven't finished it either, have you?"
Liu Haochun shook his head: "It's almost finished, just one essay left."
"What?!" Tian Xiwei jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You actually did your homework secretly without telling me? That's so unfair!"
"I did ask you," Liu Haochun said softly. "During the training two weeks ago, I asked you every night if you wanted to write together, and you always said, 'I'm too tired, I'll write tomorrow'..."
"Isn't it tiring?!" Tian Xiwei interrupted her, pulling on her arm and pleading, "Haochun, you're the best! Help me! Those math problems are so hard, I can't even understand them. Can you help me with some?"
"That won't do," Liu Haochun said, somewhat embarrassed. "You have to do your homework yourself, otherwise the teacher will find out."
"Oh, it's just a little bit," Tian Xi gently shook her arm. "We're good friends, right? Good friends should help each other! You help me with math, and I'll help you...!"
Lin Feng tapped her on the head: "You never do it yourself, and now you want someone else to help you? Don't even think about it. You'll write it yourself tomorrow."
"Oh..." Tian Xi pouted slightly, feeling a little aggrieved.
Dinner ended amidst much noise. Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun fought over who would wash the dishes, crowding around the small kitchen sink, getting covered in foam.
After cleaning up, Lin Feng and Li Yitong prepared to leave. Tian Xiwei saw them to the door, still nagging about homework: "Brother Feng, you said I'd start catching up on my homework tomorrow, will I be able to finish it?"
"What do you think?" Lin Feng ruffled her hair. "Take responsibility for your own affairs, and don't try to take shortcuts."
"Okay..." Tian Xi drooped her head slightly, like a little dog that had been soaked in the rain.
Liu Haochun stood to the side, watching their departing figures, and suddenly said, "Brother Feng, be careful on the road."
"You too, get some rest." Lin Feng turned around and smiled at her, then pulled Li Yitong downstairs.
The moment the door closed, Tian Xiwei seemed like a completely different person. She grabbed Liu Haochun and ran towards the room, crying, "Haochun, Haochun, please help me! Those math problems are so hard, I can't do a single one!"
"But..." Liu Haochun hesitated, "Brother Feng said that we have to do it ourselves."
"He's not here!" Tian Xiwei pressed her down in front of the desk, took out a math workbook, and said, "Just help me with a few multiple-choice questions, just a few!"
"No way," Liu Haochun pushed the workbook aside. "The teacher can tell at a glance that it wasn't written by me; our handwriting is different."
"Then...then teach me how to do it!" Tian Xiwei compromised slightly, "You explain the thought process to me, and I'll write it myself, is that alright?"
Looking at her pitiful appearance, Liu Haochun wavered a little. She was actually not good at refusing people, especially when Tian Xiwei was being persistent and coaxing.
"Haochun, you're the best!" Tian Xiwei quickly added, seeing that Haochun had relented. "If you help me this time, I'll share all the good things with you in the future! Whether it's snacks or dishes cooked by Brother Feng, I'll save them for you!"
"Can everything be split in half?" Liu Haochun suddenly remembered something, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Of course!" Tian Xi patted her chest confidently, "Absolutely, definitely, and certainly, 100% sure!"
Liu Haochun bit his lip, but finally nodded: "Then... I'll just give you the ideas, you write it yourself."
"Okay, okay! No problem!" Tian Xiwei immediately beamed and pushed the workbook in front of her. "Let's start with this geometry problem. I've been looking at it for ages and still can't figure out how to draw the auxiliary lines..."
Liu Haochun picked up his pen and began to explain to her, but her mind was wandering. When she agreed to Tian Xiwei's request, what flashed through her mind was not snacks or food, but Lin Feng's image.
She remembered him teaching her to ride a horse on the grassland, saying, "Relax and follow my rhythm." She remembered him laughing and patting flour off her face in the kitchen, and the way he looked at her.