“Are you hungry? Shall we go eat first?” Meng Junchuan asked Lin Qianyi.
“I’m not really hungry, but let’s not go to the restaurant. Let’s go home and cook,” Lin Qianyi replied. She really didn’t want to eat at the state-run restaurant. Since they were now openly together, her partner coming to her home for a meal wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.
“Do you have ingredients at home? Should we buy some first?” Meng Junchuan asked. He actually didn’t want Lin Qianyi to cook, and he himself couldn’t cook either. But he had noticed that she didn’t like the state-run restaurant’s food, and she said “go home,” not “go to my place,” which inexplicably made him feel happy, a slight smile tugging at his lips. If Lin Qianyi knew, she would probably say it was just a casual remark, not thought through at all.
“Let’s get some meat, there’s only a little vegetable at home,” Lin Qianyi said. Her home only had the small amount of vegetables brought by Sister Lanxiang that day; everything else was in her space.
Meng Junchuan drove to the grocery supply store, and the two of them got out to buy some meat and vegetables. At this time, most of the meat was already sold out, so they couldn’t buy too much. Meng Junchuan didn’t let Lin Qianyi pay a single cent. She didn’t argue either—if you’re dating someone, no need to be petty.
After shopping, they returned to the machinery factory. The jeep slowly drove to the building where Lin Qianyi lived. As soon as they entered the residential area, many people turned their heads, curious about who she had come with. Most of them hadn’t been in the office building and hadn’t seen the earlier commotion.
When the car doors opened, a handsome, dignified young officer stepped out, drawing gasps of admiration. Some girls blushed, and the older women started thinking, “This could be a great son-in-law!”
Then the front passenger door opened, and Lin Qianyi stepped out. The people in the residential area widened their eyes in disbelief. Did they really see Lin Qianyi getting out of a military officer’s car?
They opened the trunk and took out a bunch of items. Meng Junchuan didn’t let Lin Qianyi carry anything; he held everything himself. After closing the trunk, the two of them walked toward the building.
Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Qianyi, who’s this relative of yours?”
“This is my partner,” Lin Qianyi said with a smile.
“Hello, I’m Qianyi’s partner. Thank you all for taking care of her,” Meng Junchuan nodded to everyone. He knew about Lin Qianyi’s difficulties, so he needed to make his identity clear.
Everyone was stunned, mouths agape. “Partner? What about that Ma Zhenqiang?” The younger girls’ hearts sank, and the older women’s dreams were dashed.
The two of them carried the groceries into the house.
“Put them on the table first,” Lin Qianyi said as she opened the door, and Meng Junchuan followed in with the bags. She didn’t close the door completely, leaving it slightly ajar.
Meng Junchuan placed the items on the table, and Lin Qianyi began organizing them.
“You bought so much stuff?” she noticed there was more than just what they had picked up earlier.
“When I arrived, I went to the supply station first, though they didn’t have much,” Meng Junchuan explained, helping her unpack.
Lin Qianyi stared in disbelief at all the things he was bringing out—snacks, biscuits, milk candy, malted milk powder, baby formula, and all sorts of random items. This wasn’t even “a lot” yet; emptying the entire supply station would really count as a lot.
“I don’t really plan these things. I just buy what I see. If you don’t want it, give it away,” Meng Junchuan said casually. Lin Qianyi realized he was truly a wealthy young master, completely unbothered by trivial things.
Lin Qianyi was satisfied—he wasn’t stingy, and that suited her well. She carefully arranged everything into the cabinets.
“I’ll take the vegetables to the kitchen,” Meng Junchuan said, carrying the remaining items. The small apartment was clear enough that he could easily locate the kitchen. Lin Qianyi followed him.
“I’m not very good at cooking, so I’ll wash and cut the vegetables,” Meng Junchuan admitted honestly. This rich young master really had never done such chores.
“Alright,” Lin Qianyi said. She thought it was rare nowadays for a man to willingly help in the kitchen, and this young master probably had never done it before. She first started cooking the rice, having practiced it the past couple of days using the previous owner’s memories.
“Do you have any dietary restrictions? Spicy or anything like that?” Lin Qianyi asked while considering what to cook.
“No, I eat everything,” Meng Junchuan replied, taking a basin and starting to wash the vegetables. Though he was actually a picky eater, he meant that anything she cooked, he would love.
Seeing the piece of pork belly they bought, Lin Qianyi thought about making a quick stir-fry instead of braised pork since it was already late.
“How should I cut the meat? Tell me, I’ll do it,” Meng Junchuan asked, washing the pork.
“Don’t cut it yet. Boil it first,” Lin Qianyi instructed, putting the meat in a pot with water. Then she guided Meng Junchuan to cut the other vegetables.
“Cut these into sections, diagonally.”
“Cut these thinner.”
“Chop these more finely.”
Watching Meng Junchuan’s long, slender fingers wielding the knife, Lin Qianyi thought he looked very skilled and pleasing to watch.
After finishing the vegetables, the meat was nearly done. Lin Qianyi took it out and placed it on a plate.
“Cut this cold dish into thin slices,” Lin Qianyi said, handing the plate to Meng Junchuan.
She first made a lean pork, vegetable, and tofu soup, then stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms and cucumber. Fortunately, it wasn’t winter, so there were still plenty of vegetables available. The pork belly was also cut, and Meng Junchuan carried the stir-fried dishes out. Lin Qianyi then cooked the twice-cooked pork.
“Cough, cough, cough!” The chili made Lin Qianyi start coughing.
“Here, drink some water,” Meng Junchuan quickly poured her a glass. Seeing her face turn red from coughing, he felt a little sorry for her. He didn’t want her to cook anymore—such a beautiful face and delicate hands shouldn’t have to endure the harshness of oil and smoke.
“You do it, I’ll watch,” Meng Junchuan decided.
“Hehe, do you know how?” Lin Qianyi laughed.
“You teach me,” Meng Junchuan said, looking eager and humble.
“Hmm, next time. Today, I’ll do it,” Lin Qianyi said with a smile, serving the twice-cooked pork. Meng Junchuan took the pan to clean it, and Lin Qianyi quickly stir-fried a green vegetable. Everything was ready.
“Sit down and don’t move,” Meng Junchuan said, taking over all the remaining work. Lin Qianyi sat at the table and waited to eat.
Three dishes and a soup made for quite a hearty meal for the two of them. The meat and vegetables were clean and safe, and everything tasted great. Lin Qianyi ate with enjoyment.
“This twice-cooked pork is full of flavor, really delicious,” Meng Junchuan complimented. No wonder she didn’t like the state-run restaurant food—her cooking was genuinely good, and even the picky eater Meng Junchuan was satisfied.
“Right? Goes perfectly with rice,” Lin Qianyi said, pleased with her own cooking.
Lin Qianyi didn’t eat much—just one bowl of rice before putting down her chopsticks, and Meng Junchuan cleaned up the rest.