Of course, Qin Guanglin couldn't be the one to cook dinner. Qin's Mom stir-fried the oddly-shaped vegetables Qin Guanglin had cut and left him with a single dish of stir-fried greens to practice on. If it turned out bad, he'd be the one eating it anyway.
Qin Guanglin felt a bit excited as he held the spatula for the first time. He always thought the chefs on TV, making flames shoot up as they cooked, looked really cool. He wanted to imitate them but knew better than to try anything flashy. He carefully flipped the vegetables with the spatula.
"Why are you standing so far away?" He Fang pushed him from behind. "You won't get burned. Trust me."
"No, no, this is fine." Qin Guanglin stood an arm's length away, refusing to get closer.
"Listen, you really won't get burned."
He Fang pushed him a couple of times with no success. Seeing that Qin's Mom in the living room wasn't paying attention, she leaned her whole body against Qin Guanglin's back. "Don't move unless you're afraid your mom will see."
This effectively pinned Qin Guanglin in place. He quickly leaned forward, watching the sizzling, crackling wok nervously. "Just you wait!"
"Wait for what?" He Fang, trying to regain the upper hand, whispered menacingly, "If you mess around, I'll tell your mom."
"..."
"How much salt should I add?" Qin Guanglin changed the subject.
"Add it slowly, and I'll watch."
Qin Guanglin gently shook a bit of salt into the wok. "Is that enough?"
"A bit more."
"How about now?"
"That's about right, add a little more."
"It'll definitely taste great," Qin Guanglin said confidently, putting down the salt. "What else should I add?"
"MSG, just half a spoonful will do."
The dish looked decent when it was done. He Fang helped bring it to the table, though because of Qin Guanglin's vegetable cutting, none of the dishes had uniform pieces or slices and were at least three levels below their usual quality.
Aside from Qin Guanglin himself being slightly embarrassed, the other two showed no concern and still enjoyed their meal heartily.
Qin's Mom didn't care much, as it was her son who had cut the veggies. He Fang was happy for Qin Guanglin to learn to cook now; after all, he'd hone his skills with time, and this was all part of the process.
"He Fang, if you have time, come by often to teach him; otherwise, he'll be too lazy to learn." Qin's Mom thought it was a good thing for a man to know how to cook; at least he wouldn't fear not having a meal after an argument.
"For sure," He Fang nodded.
Qin Guanglin remained silent; there was no point in arguing since they had already decided he wanted to genuinely learn cooking.
So annoying, it all felt a bit embarrassing.
"The stir-fry tastes really good," He Fang praised him while taking a bite of the greens.
"I can tell for myself if it's good," Qin Guanglin muttered, scooping a large helping into his bowl. "I'm keeping it for myself."
"It's only your first time, not bad at all," He Fang said nonchalantly, taking another bite. "Greens, after all, are hard to mess up unless they get burnt."
Qin Guanglin couldn't accept it. Even Qin's Mom had only taken one bite before dismissing it, not bothering with a second. He quickly finished the dish in his bowl and took another large serving, wiping the plate of the not-so-tasty greens clean.
"Take it easy," He Fang said helplessly. "You'll get better with time."
Qin's Mom enjoyed the current atmosphere—it felt like a family. She didn't join their conversation, just sat comfortably in her spot, eating quietly.
After finishing this joyous dinner, Qin Guanglin cleared the table and rushed to the kitchen to wash the dishes. He Fang didn't return to the room. Instead, she stood at the kitchen door watching him.
Qin's Mom sat on the sofa, watching TV for a while, then suddenly remembered something. "He Fang."
"Yes, Auntie?"
"Come have a seat," Qin's Mom invited her to sit. "That pickled vegetable was really tasty. Teach me how to make it."
He Fang obliged and sat down on the sofa. "You just cut the radish into strips about this long, then salt them a bit..."
"Oh," Qin's Mom nodded as she listened.
"So the oil is key; no wonder it's so fragrant. You really know a lot."
"I learned it all online. If you like it, I can make more next time," He Fang said with a gentle smile.
"You're really a good girl," Qin's Mom said with admiration. "Do you have any siblings at home?"
"I have an older brother."
"Brothers are good. It's lonely for someone like Lin, an only child, without siblings," Qin's Mom remarked while watching TV and chatting with her.
"Pretty much. Now my brother spends time with his wife, so there's not much for me, his sister, to do."
"He's married, then he must be much older than you?"
"Yes, he's seven years older."
After Qin Guanglin finished washing up, he dried his hands and stood beside them for a while. Seeing they were still chatting away, he couldn't help but sigh.
It seemed there was no chance to sneak off to the room for a cuddle.
He poured two glasses of water, placing them on the table for them, then shamelessly sat next to He Fang, watching TV with them.
He Fang pushed one of the glasses toward Qin's Mom, picked up the other to take a sip, and continued chatting with Qin's Mom.
The TV was playing "Life Revelation," with Yan Ni and Hu Ge, who was six years younger than her, looking every bit a loving newlywed couple.
Watching, Qin Guanglin started to fidget, quietly taking He Fang's small hand between them and giving it a little squeeze. He glanced at Qin's Mom, ensuring she couldn't see them, and then went about playing with it.
Once you shared a kiss that swapped fluids, the relationship quickly heated up. The intimacy level before and after was completely different, giving one naturally more confidence—having grown so close, these little things felt trivial in comparison.
"Yes, the university in He City isn't as good; Luo City University is still the best," He Fang said to Qin's Mom, stealthily warning him with a glance, squeezing his hand tighter, but not taking her hand away.
"But it's close by, so going back and forth is convenient," Qin's Mom remained unaware of their little gestures.
Qin Guanglin happily lounged on the sofa, watching TV. If they couldn't cuddle, at least he could play with her little hand; after all, he had to do something to feel content.
He ran his palm slowly across the back of He Fang's hand, enjoying the soft, smooth texture. Then he hooked his pinky and lightly scratched the palm of her hand.
After just two scratches, He Fang, being ticklish, gripped his hand, causing Qin Guanglin to yelp slightly from the pain in his pinky.
"Hmm?" Qin's Mom looked at him.
"What's wrong?" He Fang asked with concern, squeezing his hand a bit more.
"Nothing, nothing," Qin Guanglin nonchalantly avoided their gazes. "The TV show is quite interesting."
"Yes, this series is good," Qin's Mom nodded. "But that Liu Guangyao is just despicable, makes me angry just looking at him."
He Fang agreed, "Lan Xin is also very bad, two bad people together really suit each other."
Qin Guanglin quietly freed his pinky, retaliating with a thorough kneading of He Fang's little hand, but he didn't dare to randomly scratch again.
Qin's Mom sat for a bit longer. After finishing the episode, she got up, deciding not to intrude on the couple's alone time, and went back to her room with a light farewell.
Hearing the door close, Qin Guanglin focused intently on the TV commercial, as if it was more engaging than the show itself.
He Fang looked at him with a half-smile. "You've gotten bold now, haven't you?"