Chapter 12 – Spring
Using chopsticks to stir the noodles prevents them from sticking together and becoming undercooked. With the pot lid covered, a gurgling sound emanated from inside, as if the aroma had transformed into audible sounds demanding attention.
The air was filled with the tantalizing fragrance of scrambled eggs, making one’s mouth water…
After enduring hunger for half a day, Cheng Che silently swallowed his saliva, internally admonishing himself not to be weak.
“Here, have some,” Lin Xingling noticed Cheng Che’s dilemma from the child’s awkward expression and handed him the chopsticks.
Cheng Che shook his head, refusing.
“It’s not about eating in advance, it’s just trying my cooking,” Lin Xingling dispelled his concerns with a single sentence. “The flavor of scrambled eggs mixed into the noodles is different from eating them separately.”
Only then did Cheng Che take the chopsticks and begin eating, one mouthful at a time.
When the noodles were nearly cooked, Lin Xingling was about to add the scrambled eggs, but there was already less than half left in the bowl.
Embarrassment flushed the child’s face, turning it red.
Undeterred, Lin Xingling calmly lifted the bowl and poured the remaining scrambled eggs into the pot, stirring them in before serving the noodles to Cheng Che.
A brimming bowl of noodles was presented, with a drizzle of fragrant sesame oil and a sprinkle of chopped green onions, completing the dish in appearance, aroma, and taste.
“Don’t eat too much for dinner, just fill your stomach,” Lin Xingling advised.
“Okay,” Cheng Che replied.
Delicate hands served plain noodles, and the clear soup resembled a handsome face.
When a cook had someone in mind, even a simple bowl of plain noodles became appetizing to others.
Cheng Che restrained Lin Xingling’s hand, which was about to add cilantro to the dish, shaking his head to prevent a tragedy.
“You don’t like cilantro[mfn]Cilantro, also known as coriander leaves or Chinese parsley, is an herb that is commonly used in cooking. It has bright green, delicate leaves and a distinct flavor and aroma[/mfn]?” Lin Xingling asked.
“Yes,” Cheng Che calmly replied, but internally, he screamed like a groundhog: I can’t stand cilantro!!!
How could such a terrifying thing like cilantro exist in the world?
“I’ll remember that for later,” Lin Xingling smiled and took the noodles, placing them on a small table. He pulled a small chair for Cheng Che to sit on and said, “You eat first, and I’ll cook you some ham and eggs.”
“Thank… thank you, Captain,” Cheng Che expressed his gratitude.
Cheng Che was always quick to adapt to local customs.
After thanking the captain, he no longer held back and savored the noodles. He took bites without smacking his lips or slurping. When sipping the soup, he made no sound… With his fair complexion, his eating manners appeared elegant.
Cheng Che pursed his lips, swiftly extended the tip of his tongue, and efficiently cleaned any soup residue from the corners of his mouth.
“…” When Lin Xingling turned around and witnessed this scene, he was momentarily stunned, then felt a headache coming on.
What kind of precious treasure did he bring home, unaware of its value?
“Hoo, hoo, hoo~” Cheng Che blew on a steaming strand of noodles with his chopsticks, and his face puffed up like a little bun. His eyes sparkled between breaths, exuding liveliness.
Seeing this, Lin Xingling hesitated for a moment, then turned back to continue cooking.
The diced ham and scrambled eggs flipped and blended in the pan, emitting a sizzling sound as they cooked, followed by a fragrant aroma.
In one word, it was delightful.
“…”
Taking advantage of the break while cooking, Lin Xingling
glanced at his phone. As expected, the little guys hadn’t gone to sleep yet and were engaged in a lively conversation in the team chat.
【Long Legs Club】
「Xiao Pei, I’m level two: I re-watched the post-match interview and game voice chat from the Eastern Finals. Clear doesn’t stutter sometimes.」
「Xiao Pei, I’m level two: [Video File · avi]」
「Don’t have 460: intermittent stuttering?」
[DCT-cheng: I feel like I can’t keep up with the new era.]
[Phantom: Don’t gossip about others behind their backs.]
[Hua Xin Luobo: Pop up~]
The protagonist suddenly appeared.
[Don’t have 460: Poke the bubble! @Hua Xin Luobo, go and have a sweet time with him! @DCT-cheng]
[DCT-cheng: Got it!]
[Brother Feng: Does Clear have selective stuttering, right? The interview video was hilarious.]
[Xiao Pei, I’m level two: You really have a talent for selective stuttering.]
[Phantom:…]
Unable to tolerate their behavior any longer, Xiao Pei directly called for Star Dad.
[Phantom: When did you add Clear to the group? @DCT-Stars]
Seeing this message, Lin Xingling was stunned… He hadn’t added Cheng Che’s contact information yet.
[DCT-Stars: Hold on, I will add him.]
The gossip trio panicked and flooded the chat with emojis, trying to push the previous conversation off the screen. After sending dozens of messages, Wu You suddenly realized something was wrong: “Can he still scroll up and see, right?!”
Idiot…
[Phantom: Set new members as unable to see message history.]
[Brother Feng: I’ve set it up, that was close…]
[Xiao Pei, I’m level two: Yeah, that’s right.]
[Don’t have 460: Xiao Pei, did you say something at the top just now?]
[Xiao Pei, I’m level two: Wasn’t it an ellipsis?]
[Phantom:…]
After everything was sorted out, everyone quieted down in the group chat. Phantom, as attentive as ever, reminded Stars once again to add Clear to the group before going to sleep.
Lin Xingling skillfully stirred and cooked the ingredients in the pot with one hand, as if he had worked as a chef in a hotel for several years. He turned off his phone, put it in his pocket, and showed off his skills.
Cheng Che, who witnessed the entire process, politely applauded, “Impressive…”
“Ah…”
Stars looked over… quickly took a few bites of noodles to calm himself.
Cheng Che pretended to focus on eating noodles and deliberately avoided eye contact with him.
Lin Xingling brought over the plate of diced ham and scrambled eggs, placing it in front of Cheng Che. “Is it delicious?”
“It’s delicious!”
Cheng Che immediately picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
Ugh… it’s overcooked…
After carefully tasting it, Cheng Che felt a bit bitter… He struggled to swallow what was in his mouth and forced a smile, saying, “Super, super delicious.”
Lin Xingling smiled and said, “If it’s delicious, have some more.”
Cheng Che:…
“Um…”
Eating more might be fatal, so Cheng Che took a sip of the noodle soup to dilute the taste in his mouth. He couldn’t think of anything to change the subject, but he caught a glimpse of the AD calcium milk placed aside, so he opened it.
To divert his attention from the overcooked ham and scrambled eggs, Cheng Che took out a bottle and handed it to Lin Xingling. He blinked his eyes and said, “Thank you, Captain. You can have this first.”
The captain looked at him blankly.
Cheng Che quickly stuffed the bottle into his hand and smiled.
Is he… worried?
Lin Xingling misunderstood, thinking that Cheng Che was afraid there might be some “special ingredient” added to it, and he wanted to let himself taste it first as a “test” for poison.
The kid is quite vigilant.
Lin Xingling used a straw to poke through the packaging film on the bottle cap and took a sip to put Cheng Che at ease.
Cheng Che: Finally, I don’t have to eat…
“You should eat more of this; it’s my specialty dish.”
No matter how hard he tried to resist, he could not escape his unfortunate fate.
Cheng Che obediently ate the food, but as he took a bite, his heart trembled. Specialty dish… Does that mean it’s a dish made by hand that turns out overcooked?
He couldn’t help but wonder which one was more disastrous, this or Red Wolf’s egg fried rice.
Lin Xingling supported his cheek with one hand and watched him eat, finding Cheng Che’s furrowed brows quite attractive.
Appreciating it silently and calmly was enough.
After a few more bites, Cheng Che couldn’t bear it anymore. He put down his chopsticks and fetched a bottle of AD calcium milk for himself. “I’m done eating… the rest…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Xingling interrupted him, saying, “It’s okay, I’ll put it in the fridge for you. Heat it up tomorrow morning.”
Cheng Che was anxious to finish his sentence. (Unfinished sentence): Pour it out.
He couldn’t escape this ordeal in his lifetime.
“Okay…”
At this point, there was nothing else to say but okay.
Cheng Che watched Lin Xingling carry the plate to the refrigerator and pouted. He obediently took his bowl of noodles and went to the sink to wash it.
He had never liked washing dishes, not only because they were greasy but also because dishwashing detergent was harsh on the hands.
He had barely washed dishes a few times in his life. Growing up, he mostly ordered takeout and threw away the boxes… situations like today, where he voluntarily washed dishes, were truly rare.
He really didn’t want to wash dishes, but… he had eaten someone else’s plain noodles. How could there not be some plain water stains?
“Uh…” Suddenly realizing that “plain water” didn’t mean what he was thinking, Cheng Che petrified by the sink.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xingling looked at the child washing a bowl by the sink for a long time and asked with a smile.
Cheng Che shook his head and lowered it, intending to quickly wash the dishes and put them back in the cupboard. However, his gaze involuntarily shifted to Lin Xingling’s pants beside him.
Stars’… legs, though covered by pants, were obviously straight; looking further up, they were obstructed by the T-shirt, making it hard to see clearly…
What the hell am I thinking right now?!
Cheng Che blushed in embarrassment and looked at the large bucket of White Cat dishwashing liquid on the counter, as if it was saying, “Wash your brain.”
Lin Xingling didn’t notice anything and just happily drank the milk Cheng Che gave him. “These were originally all for you. It’s a bit unfair for me to have one.”
You don’t seem to think it’s unfair judging by the smile
on your face.
“It’s okay.”
Cheng Che put the washed dishes back in their place without looking at him.
It’s best to just appease children. Lin Xingling smirked, “How about this? I’ll drink one of yours today, and from now on, I’ll return one to you every day.”
“…Okay.”
“Pinky promise.” Lin Xingling extended his right pinky finger towards Cheng Che.
Cheng Che: ???
Do I have to respond with “Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye”?
I must be an idiot.
Cheng Che looked at Stars, the senior who had dominated KPL for a year and a half before retiring from the professional scene, with a confused expression. Suddenly, he seemed to understand why he retired.
Most likely, his brain was seriously malfunctioning, very seriously.
But it didn’t matter. Even if the senior’s brain was faulty, he was still a senior, and seniors should be respected.
After being slightly stunned for a few seconds, Cheng Che extended his right pinky finger and entangled it with Lin Xingling’s, saying, “Pinky promise.”
A hundred years, no change.
Author’s Note:
【Mini Theater】
Author: What should I do if the old Gong is crazy? Most likely, I’m done for. I suggest changing to a new one, my dear~
Cheng Che: ????
Lin Xingling: What should I do if the author can’t update every day? Most likely, it’s because you’re spoiling them. I suggest killing them off directly.
Author: [Attempting to remove Lin Xingling from the outline]
Lin Xingling: Mom, I’m sorry.
TL/Note:
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