“Oh, and there’s plenty of chicken soup and noodles in the kitchen. I’ll just cook another bowl.”
From Lu Xingzhi’s eating manner earlier, it was clear he loved food, but Lin Xiangxiu hadn’t expected him to be this passionate about it. When asked, she was momentarily stunned before snapping back to reality and heading straight to the kitchen.
Lu Xingzhi’s expression softened further, his gaze at the rice bowl as tender as if looking at a lover. When he turned to Lin Xiangxiu, there was even a touch of gratitude in his eyes.
Having returned to China for over a year, he rarely ate this satisfyingly. His stomach had been in a perpetual state of discontent—either growling with emptiness or uncomfortably stuffed with bread. This constant discomfort kept him irritable and impatient.
Recently, things had gotten worse.
Previous housekeepers merely failed to understand his picky eating habits, but since the thieving housekeeper had arrived, he’d completely lost any ordinary appetite for meals. He didn’t want to take a single bite, as the sight of Chinese food would remind him of whole chickens served with heads and feet still attached, and pig trotters with hair still on them.
Lately, he’d only been eating toast and boiled eggs, drinking coffee when truly hungry.
Lu Xingzhi had told housekeepers that it was acceptable if they couldn’t cook well, but at least they should remove the chicken’s internal organs, head, and feet, thoroughly clean the pig trotters of hair, and avoid using seasonings like scallions and ginger.
After saying this, the woman who claimed to be his “second aunt” had looked at him with incomprehension, muttering: “What picky eating? I think you’re just spoiled! Who could be this fussy? Don’t think just because you’ve eaten some foreign food you can be this choosy. You’ve clearly never known real hunger.”
“The children in our family—some wouldn’t eat peanuts, some wouldn’t eat chives—but I managed to fix them all in the end.”
Instead of improving, the housekeeper became even more extreme, as if deliberately opposing him. If he said he wanted meat, she’d serve chicken with feathers still on, telling him that one must learn to endure hardship and not be too particular.
Someone like him would eventually be taught a lesson by society.
Lu Xingzhi couldn’t comprehend her logic. He had intended to fire her immediately, but then the Public Security Bureau encountered a major case, keeping him working overtime at the unit for days. Returning today, he almost thought he’d entered the wrong home.
In his momentary anger, he didn’t even bother greeting Lu Xiaoxia and directly dismissed the housekeeper.
Now, with a bowl of chicken noodle soup in his stomach, he felt the weather outside had brightened considerably.
Thank heaven, thank Comrade Lin Xiangxiu, hallelujah!
Lin Xiangxiu felt perplexed by his gaze but still picked up the bowl and went into the kitchen.
“So exaggerated! Don’t you never ask for seconds?” In the living room, Lu Xiaoxia truly couldn’t resist anymore. She targeted the untouched meat pie, picked one up and put it in her mouth, then her eyes instantly began to shine.
It wasn’t that Lu Xiaoxia had never eaten good food before, nor that she’d never had meat pies, but she’d never tasted one this delicious.
Shencheng had few people who ate wheat-based foods—most were rice eaters. The meat pies sold outside either had overly thick crusts or were too salty. While those without picky eating habits found them acceptable, for picky siblings like them, one taste was enough to never want to see them again.
But this plate of meat pies was different.
Even though Lu Xiaoxia had personally watched Lin Xiangxiu make them, she still felt it was like some kind of magic.
The meat pie crust was soft and thin, with a wheat aroma in the first bite and a satisfying chewiness.
Despite the thinness of the crust, the meat filling inside was perfectly cooked, not overdone, and brimming with juicy flavor. It was as if a flavor dispenser had been installed between one’s lips and teeth—each chew released a burst of fragrant meat juices, making it irresistible.
Unlike the palm-sized meat pies sold outside, Lin Xiangxiu’s were petite, no larger than the palm of a hand. Even the most refined eater could finish one in just three bites.
Lu Xiaoxia devoured a meat pie in two bites, licked her lips, and decided the temptation was too great—her principles had to be broken today.
What diet? What aversion to scallions and ginger? Missing out on such delicious food would be the real regret.
“Xiao Lin, could you cook me a bowl of noodles too?” Lu Xiaoxia called toward the kitchen without hesitation.
Lin Xiangxiu quickly peeked out, her hands dusted with flour. Well aware of who her employer was, she looked directly at Lu Xingzhi. “There’s enough noodles for two more bowls.”
“That works.” Lu Xingzhi nodded, his eyes fixed on the plate of meat pies.
He had been so focused on the noodles and chicken earlier that he had forgotten about the meat pies!
Under his cousin’s predatory, hungry gaze, Lu Xingzhi swiftly snatched two pies. Forgoing any pretense of elegant dining etiquette, he took a large, unapologetic bite, then closed his eyes in bliss, savoring the deliciousness.
After swallowing that mouthful, he eagerly stuffed the rest into his mouth, all the while glancing toward the kitchen—when would the noodles be ready?
Lu Xiaoxia simply went to the kitchen to grab a pair of chopsticks and joined her brother in the scramble.
Though their combined ages exceeded fifty, the siblings now squabbled over the meat pies like children—you grab two, I grab three, each eating faster than the other.
Lin Xiao, who had been engrossed in her toys, looked up at the sound of clinking chopsticks and dishes. The little girl’s eyes widened slightly as she watched the two adults fighting over food.
In no time, only one meat pie remained on the plate. Both siblings tightened their grip on their chopsticks, ready to strike. Noticing Lin Xiao’s gaze, Lu Xiaoxia playfully handed the plate to the child.
“Are you hungry? Try it.” Haha, if she couldn’t have the last one, she’d at least get to see her usually expressionless cousin’s reaction.
Hmph, who asked him to claim before that Western food suited his palate better than Chinese cuisine? Little did he know, Chinese culinary arts were vast and profound.
Lin Xiao licked her lips as she stared at the meat pie, torn between craving her mother’s cooking and wanting the meat, her eyes full of longing.
But the well-behaved little girl knew how important this meal was for her mother today. She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“If you’re not hungry, why are you swallowing? Children shouldn’t lie.” Lu Xiaoxia saw right through her, feeling another pang of envy for Lin Xiao’s obedience. She then picked up the meat pie and fed it to Lin Xiao.
Unable to resist the temptation, Lin Xiao honestly opened her mouth and took a big bite, gobbling it all up.
“Wow, you can open your mouth that wide? Impressive!” Lu Xiaoxia couldn’t resist teasing the child. Seeing Lin Xiao’s embarrassed expression, she couldn’t help but reach out and pat the girl’s head.
Turning around, she caught her brother’s stunned look and burst out laughing.
As Lu Xingzhi and Lu Xiaoxia sat at the table waiting for their noodles, the aroma of the meal had already wafted throughout the entire Public Security Family Compound.
His apartment was on the second floor, with four more households above. Each floor had two units per staircase, and each unit featured two bedrooms and a living room—only cadres were eligible for such allocations. Lu Xingzhi had been assigned here due to his status as a special talent.
At a time when housing was tight for every family in Shencheng, the conditions at the Public Security Family Compound were considered quite favorable.
The aroma of food wafted upward through the stairwell and open windows, making the residents on the upper floors too restless to stay seated.
With a screech, Zou Yanhong from Unit 302 upstairs pushed open her newly installed aluminum alloy window and took a deep breath.
“Who’s cooking such a lavish meal so early in the morning? It smells incredible!”