"Making breakfast! Oh, stop getting in my way here—we'll run out of time." Shen Yitang waved him off impatiently.
Didn't he know she was slow?
Gu Huaizheng wouldn't let go. "No, seriously—why aren't you sleeping? What's the point of making that stuff?"
"Ha, hilarious. What else would breakfast be for if not for eating? Every household makes breakfast. Why can't I?"
"No, I mean—getting up early to cook is so tiring. We don't need to do that. We can just buy some at the canteen. And what if you burn your hand again? That'd be awful!"
Shen Yitang was a proud person. From childhood to now, there was nothing she couldn't do well.
And that one rare mistake—he kept bringing it up! How infuriating!
Shen Yitang got angry. "Shut up. I'll cook if I want to. What's it to you?"
Gu Huaizheng didn't dare say another word.
He obediently watched her head out, then suddenly curled his lips into a smile. So this was the surprise she meant to give him!
And she said it had nothing to do with him! Who was this breakfast for, then?
Shen Yitang suddenly turned back. "No peeking."
What precious breakfast was she making that she wouldn't let him see?
Gu Huaizheng couldn't resist—he crept over to the kitchen doorway and peeked inside.
Not out of curiosity, of course. Mainly because he was worried she might run into danger.
He watched as Shen Yitang first scooped some water into the washbasin, washed her hands, and dried them.
She untied the flour sack, poured some flour into a bowl.
Tied the sack back up, dumped out the water in the washbasin, refilled it with clean water, and washed her hands.
Added a bit of water to the flour and stirred it with chopsticks.
Lifted the chopsticks to check the consistency—good enough—then set them down.
Washed her hands.
Picked up two scallions and washed them clean.
Washed her hands.
Washed the cutting board and kitchen knife.
Washed her hands.
Finely chopped the scallions into tiny pieces.
Washed her hands.
Sprinkled the scallions into the mixed batter.
Washed her hands.
Started washing the wok.
She looked fairly competent, honestly—just way too fond of washing her hands. Almost every step was punctuated by a hand-washing break in between.
What was that called again? A transition—linking the previous step to the next.
The corner of Gu Huaizheng's mouth twitched. At this rate, she'd scrub the skin right off those hands.
Good heavens, how much water did this woman use to cook?!
Next came lighting the fire—the most dangerous part. Gu Huaizheng watched her nervously.
He saw Shen Yitang place a few pieces of split firewood into the stove mouth, arranging them carefully in a way that allowed air to flow through.
Then she washed her hands.
She took a bottle out of the cabinet.
Opened the lid and sprinkled a little of the liquid onto the wood.
The liquid had a sharp, pungent smell.
Gu Huaizheng sniffed and recognized it—kerosene.
The kind ordinary households used for their lamps.
He also understood her plan. Pretty clever, using kerosene to start the fire.
Though if anyone found out, she'd earn herself another round of criticism for being a capitalist's pampered daughter.
Kerosene was expensive and hard to come by. Most families couldn't even bear to burn their kerosene lamps for long, and here she was using it directly as kindling.
Gu Huaizheng felt the weight on his shoulders grow considerably heavier. Supporting a wife like this was no easy task!
Shen Yitang washed her hands once more, struck a match, and tossed it into the stove with practiced ease.
The fire roared to life with a whoosh.
Soon the wok was hot.
Even in her haste, Shen Yitang remembered to wash her hands first before pouring oil into the pan.
The wok probably hadn't been dried properly, because the moment the oil hit the pan—sizzle!—oil splattered everywhere.
Gu Huaizheng's heart leaped into his throat, and he nearly rushed inside.
Shen Yitang, however, was quite brave. She scooped up a ladle of batter and poured it into the pan.
At least she wasn't hurt. Gu Huaizheng breathed a sigh of relief.
The batter must have had too much water mixed in—it wouldn't set no matter how long it fried. She grew a bit anxious and tried to flip it, but the pancake fell apart.
The first finished piece came out looking like a ragged dishrag, all torn and tattered.
Shen Yitang shot it a disdainful glance, then tried again.
The second one turned out even worse.
At that point, she completely lost her patience and gave up trying. She haphazardly fried up a whole plate of ragged dishcloths.
By the time she carried it out, Gu Huaizheng had already finished washing up in a hurry and was strolling in slowly from the courtyard.
He took an exaggerated deep breath. "Wow, that smells amazing! What delicious food are you making?"
Shen Yitang kept her face expressionless. "This is a specialty from my hometown—pan-fried mushy pancakes."
The corner of Gu Huaizheng's eye twitched slightly as he struggled to suppress a laugh. "Oh? That really is quite unique. Is there any particular story behind it?"
"It's just softer and more tender than regular pancakes, perfect for elderly people and kids with weaker teeth."
"What about me?"
"Of course, it suits young people too. It's not good to eat anything too hard in the morning—something soft is gentler on the stomach."
Sure enough, she was an educated person—she could spin a whole tale out of thin air without batting an eye.
Gu Huaizheng nearly couldn't stop himself from applauding.
"Then I've got to try it right away."
He picked up his chopsticks and went for a piece—but it didn't lift. It was too soft and mushy, breaking into two pieces and dropping back onto the plate.
"It truly lives up to its name, this mushy pancake. Let me go grab a spoon instead!"
He scooped up a heaping spoonful and shoved it into his mouth without a second thought, blurting out praise: "Mm, delicious, so delicious! My wife's cooking is amazing."
Only then did he belatedly register the sticky, pasty taste of raw flour in his mouth.
It was still half-uncooked.
He'd noticed earlier while watching her cook that something seemed to be missing from the process. Now he knew—she hadn't added any salt at all.
Of course, he couldn't say any of that. Gu Huaizheng didn't even dare pause, shoveling mouthful after mouthful in. "Delicious, truly delicious."
Better hope she doesn't make this again next time.
Shen Yitang looked at him suspiciously. "Is it really that good?"
It seemed her cooking wasn't half bad after all. Even if the presentation was a little ugly, as long as the taste was decent, that was what mattered.
She went to grab a spoon too, wanting to try some herself.
But Gu Huaizheng suddenly snatched up the plate, turned around, and started shoveling the pancakes straight into his mouth from the plate.
"There's only this much, and I can't even get enough myself. You can just have some crackers to fill your stomach later!"
Shen Yitang wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What terrible table manners!"
She naturally wouldn't touch the pancakes he'd slobbered all over like that.
Still, having her hard work appreciated by someone else did give her a sense of accomplishment.
"If you like it, I'll make it for you again tomorrow morning."
"Cough, cough, cough!" Gu Huaizheng choked and coughed violently.
Shen Yitang hurried over to pat his back. "How can you be so careless? If you can't finish it, just stop eating."
"No, I can eat it. I can still manage!"
Gu Huaizheng stubbornly swept through every last bit of the mushy pancakes like a whirlwind.
Then he patted his bulging belly and let out a burp. "Thanks, wife. It was really delicious. But next time, don't make so much—getting too full isn't good."
Shen Yitang chided him, "Who told you to eat it all by yourself? I made enough for the two of us, and you went and ate my share too."
"Heh heh, what can I say? It's just too delicious!"
Gu Huaizheng felt bitter inside—he simply didn't want her to know that he was lying against his conscience.