Chapter 34: She screwed up

Shen NingXin had been researching attentively.

Upon hearing Qiu YiBai say she was going to buy another box, she was taken aback, subconsciously turning around to stop her.

But before Shen NingXin could speak, she suddenly saw this person holding a piece of chocolate and looking at her intently.

She had a nervous look, her eyes gleaming, full of anticipation and excitement.

Like a child sharing their favorite candy with friends.

As Shen NingXin watched her, her heart inadvertently skipped a beat.

Don’t you know how intimate it is for grown adults to feed each other?

Just how slow are you ah!

Shen NingXin let out a dry cough, the roots of her ears reddening. She wanted to raise her hand and take the piece of chocolate, but as though unable to control her body, something drove her to move forward.

Looking at Qiu YiBai’s face, she then lowered her head and carefully took the chocolate from Qiu YiBai’s hand with her mouth.

It was a strawberry-filled chocolate, carrying a mellow milky taste as it spread in her mouth, sweet but not overly thick.

It was the best chocolate she had ever eaten.

“Is it okay?” Qiu YiBai hurriedly asked when she saw her eat it.

“It tastes good.” Seeing this, Shen NingXin quickly gave a thumbs up. “Really good.”

No one didn’t like being praised.

When Qiu YiBai heard her say it was good, her lips raised silently. Her previously nervous expression disappeared, and her eyes were full of delight.

“I told you it tasted good,” she let out a light “Hmph”, raising her hand to grab the stack of Zongzi leaves before fiddling with them in her hand, “It’ll definitely taste even better after putting it inside the Zongzi.”

That’s not necessarily true . . .

Shen NingXin commented in her heart. She smiled and nodded in affirmation, then continued to study the method for making chocolate stuffed Zongzi.

The atmosphere soon quieted down, neither of them speaking anymore.

But there weren’t any feelings of boredom. Even if they simply stood together, Shen NingXin soon felt peaceful; it was pleasant.

Shen NingXin pondered for a while before finally finding a suitable expression.

This was probably . . . the feeling of being at ease.

She kept on feeling as though because of Qiu YiBai’s arrival, her small rental house had become a little more home-like.

It was as though suddenly having the addition of the warmth that belonged to a home.

—

Qiu YiBai had never cooked before and at most only knew how to make instant foods. At this moment, she had been holding onto the Zongzi leaves for a while now but still couldn’t even form the shape.

Through her peripherals, Shen NingXin watched her awkwardly struggle, wanting to laugh.

The corners of her mouth curled, but in the end, afraid of breaking Qiu YiBai confidence, she quickly restrained it.

After adjusting her train of thought, she casually picked up a Zongzi leaf with her left hand and grabbed a handful of glutinous rice with her right.

Glancing at Qiu YiBai, she said softly, “President Qiu, let me try and make one first.”

“It’s been many years since I last made one,” she said, “I don’t know if my hands are still familiar with the process.”

This sounded like she wasn’t good at it either.

Hearing her words, Qiu YiBai immediately gained a lot of confidence and quickly nodded, responding, “Alright. You make one, I’ll watch.”

Her tone was rather serious, and she stood upright, subconsciously leaning her head in this direction, as if she was supervising her at first glance.

The real reason was really to secretly learn the techniques.

Shen NingXin saw through her but didn’t say anything, deliberately slowing down to let her secretly learn. Afraid that she still wouldn’t understand after the first one, Shen NingXin then made an excuse saying that she suddenly felt like wrapping another one.

She must confess that our President Qiu’s learning ability really was strong.

After she wrapped two, this person quickly mastered the technique. As Qiu YiBai nodded and casually praised Shen NingXin, she herself picked up a Zongzi leaf and began wrapping as well.

The final result looked rather delicate. Not only did she pinch the Zongzi into a nice shape, she even tied the rope on the top into a pretty bow.

With one glance, Shen NingXin could immediately tell that it fit this person’s aesthetics.

After wrapping the Zongzi, Qiu YiBai felt pleased with herself, the corners of her mouth raising pridefully. Afterward, she held the Zongzi and signaled for Shen NingXin to look, as though seeking credit. “Look at the one I wrapped.”

There was a smile in Shen NingXin’s eyes. “It’s pretty good.”

“It’s just that . . .” she said, only speaking halfway.

“Just what?” Qiu YiBai raised a brow, her face suddenly becoming serious again, as though telling her to think wisely before speaking.

Shen NingXin decided to not speak at all and simply grabbed a candied date from the bowl and dangled it in front of her.

From this movement, Qiu YiBai instantly understood.

A feeling of embarrassment emerged from the bottom of her heart. She looked at Shen NingXin and then at the ball of Zongzi. Not knowing how to explain it, she didn’t say anything for a while.

Fortunately, Shen NingXin gave her a way out.

“It’s okay, President Qiu,” she smiled, taking the Zongzi from Qiu YiBai’s hand and placing it aside, her tone very sincere, “I actually happen to not like dates. When I ate Zongzi before, I’d always pick them out.”

“You saved me the trouble of having to do that,” she also said, “Thank you, President Qiu.”

After all, this was the first time Qiu YiBai made one, and the fact that she could make one like this was already really good; she deserved to be complimented.

Just give in and it’s over.

However, Qiu YiBai naturally didn’t know what Shen NingXin was thinking in her heart. She raised her eyes to look at Shen NingXin’s expression, and seeing that it seemed as though what she said really was true, her confidence was restored at last.

She finally got over it and picked up the Zongzi leaves to continue making more.

Not wanting to affect her performance, Shen NingXin moved to the side and began washing the vegetables, the two of them busy with their own tasks.

Their efficiency was surprisingly high.

At nearly noon, all of the dishes were finally ready, and Shen NingXin and Qiu YiBai brought them to the table one by one.

It had been years since she last made such a sumptuous meal.

Looking at the table full of dishes, Shen NingXin was a little overwhelmed with emotions. After a few seconds of silence, she took out her phone and took a few photos.

Leave some memories, in case there were no more chances in the future.

After all, she knew since she was a child that there was no permanent banquet in the world and that someday, the people she cared about will all leave her, so it was necessary to leave a record.

She sighed, thinking that she was really sentimental today, and shook her head to dispel these thoughts.

Turning her head, she suddenly discovered Qiu YiBai was also holding her phone and taking photos intently.

It was probably going to be used as Weibo posts. She looked rather focused, where even her brows were subconsciously scrunched.

Shen NingXin held her breath and moved closer to look, then she almost fainted.

She used to believe that the reason why Qiu YiBai’s photos weren’t good was purely because she didn’t take the photos seriously, likely just casually clicking the shutter, where the quality of the final product depended entirely on luck.

She never thought Qiu YiBai actually put in so much effort!

Simply looking at her expression, she looked quite professional, but then taking a look at the result . . . it was too hideous to look.

Shen NingXin felt resigned. After staring at Qiu YiBai for a while, she wanted to correct her, but afraid of hurting her confidence, she decided to let her be in the end.

But she made a promise, saying that she was going to share today’s photos with her after the meal.

Qiu YiBai nodded in response and thinking that since Shen NingXin said she wanted to share, she put in even more effort and took some more photos, creating a bunch of ugly works.

In the end, Shen NingXin couldn’t take it anymore, stopping this person by softly telling her to come over and eat.

She made a lot of tasty food today.

In addition to the spare ribs that Qiu YiBai requested, there were also steamed fish, braised pork, and sweet and sour tenderloin.

Considering how exhausting Qiu YiBai’s work was every day, she made a special chicken soup for her as a supplement. Aside from this, there were also stir-fried vegetables and beans.

It was a feast, the dishes comparable to the ones sold outside.

But the key was how much money it saved.

Qiu YiBai was quite satisfied, adjusting her dress before sitting on the small chair Shen NingXin had prepared for her in advance.

Right after she picked up the chopsticks, she heard Shen NingXin ask, “President Qiu, taste and see if they’re good.”

Qiu YiBai answered “En”, picking up a piece of meat and chewing it. Not knowing what she suddenly thought of, she actually chewed it for a long time before swallowing it.

Afterward, before waiting for Shen NingXin to speak, she picked up some vegetables and began doing the same thing with them.

Shen NingXin grew nervous as she watched her.

So did it taste good or not?

She paused, and after a while, she thickened her skin and leaned in to ask, “President Qiu, what do you think of the food?”

“Are you used to the taste?”

“It’s pretty food.” She didn’t expect to hear Qiu YiBai’s answer as soon as her voice fell. “The seasoning is just right, and the meat isn’t greasy. It quite suits my tastes.”

“But the flavor seems really familiar.”

“Familiar?” Shen NingXin was a little puzzled. “Have you tasted a similar flavor somewhere else?”

“En,” Qiu YiBai thought silently for a few seconds, then confessed, “It tastes like the food I ate at my grandmother’s house when I was a child.”

“Like the food my grandmother made.”

Shen NingXin: “. . . . . .”

Oh.

She nodded in a daze and bewilderment, not able to immediately find words to say. All that was floating in her mind was Qiu YiBai’s comment about her “grandmother”, and she didn’t return to her senses for a while.

So, did she change from A Ji to a grandma now?

It’s kind of sudden ha.

But at least it was an improvement.

Shen NingXin felt helpless, smiling awkwardly, then also picked up her pair of chopsticks and began to eat.

Then a thought suddenly emerged in her heart.

She obviously wanted to chase after Qiu YiBai, but in the end, not only was she not able to make any advancements, why was she moving further and further away from her purpose?

Just where did it go wrong . . .

—

After the meal, the two of them didn’t rush to clean up and instead, got two Zongzi and ate them.

Shen NingXin had better luck, picking an ordinary Zongzi, which didn’t have any special taste and was delicious overall.

Qiu YiBai got one with the chocolate filling. She put it in her mouth and ate it, and although the taste was a bit strange, it was actually okay.

Fearing that Qiu YiBai would get a toothache if she ate too much, Shen NingXin opened her mouth to stop her. She then cleaned up the dishes and carried them to the kitchen.

Afterward, she plugged in the electric kettle to boil some water, wanting to make some tea for Qiu YiBai.

Just as she placed the kettle back on, she saw Qiu YiBai sitting on the sofa admiring the photos she had taken.

Seeing this, Shen NingXin remembered what she said about sending her the photos, quickly opening her phone and clicking on Qiu YiBai’s WeChat to share them.

Halfway through sharing them, Qiu YiBai suddenly said, “I’ll send you the ones I took, too. They’re kinda pretty.”

What a lie.

Shen NingXin couldn’t complain, afraid of upsetting her, so she nodded in response to her words.

But before Qiu YiBai could open the album, the water was ready.

Shen NingXin told her she was going to return soon, then hurried into the kitchen and started to prepare the tea.

Feeling relaxed at the moment, she simply left her phone on the table.

Qiu YiBai answered “En”, nodding as she continued to share the photos she took.

The interest speed was rather fast. As soon as she pressed send, a ding sound came from Shen NingXin’s phone, followed by dings of different tones, which, strung together, sounded like a song.

Then, she suddenly saw a few large characters on Shen NingXin’s phone screen. It seemed to be the nickname she set for her.

It was rather long. Qiu YiBai read silently as she looked at it: “Crybaby Qiu is only two-and-a-half years old.”

“. . . . . .”

En???!