Chapter 336: Female Chef
When he had been in the first general surgery department, he would take a cab home after being paged for surgery in the middle of the night. Occasionally, he would cook himself a packet of instant noodles before going to bed.
Zheng Ren recalled that cold, lonely period in his life, smiling when he realized that there was someone that would think of him now.
“Instant noodles,” he blurted directly from his mind, unintentionally.
He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth.
The story Su Yun told him was like a crow, persistently circling his head.
Xie Yiren was surprised for a moment, then smiled and said, “Sure; I can a.s.sure you that I’m an expert at cooking instant noodles.”
Hmm? Zheng Ren was bewildered.
It actually worked?
Xie Yiren kicked the engine into gear and the car slowly left the bas.e.m.e.nt parking lot of Sea City General Hospital.
Within three minutes, they had reached her mansion.
Xie Yiren drove into the garage, where they alighted and entered the house from a side door.
Zheng Ren had not known about a direct link between the garage and house.
“What flavor would you like?” Xie Yiren asked, hanging her coat up with a smile. She was already poised to run towards the kitchen.
Zheng Ren was a little caught off guard. He had always eaten the same flavor of noodles, or rather, he had only tried one before—braised beef noodles.
It was not the only one, but he seldom visited the mall, choosing instead to order them from a convenience store downstairs.
He knew about other flavors but could not name them to save his life.
Zheng Ren’s silence and blank expression prompted Xie Yiren to leave for the kitchen while humming a lively tune.
“Have a seat. There’s water in the fridge, so please help yourself,” Xie Yiren said, “Is there any food you avoid?”
Zheng Ren nearly stuttered when he saw Xie Yiren’s alluring back. “No, I eat everything.”
“Okay, I’ll whip up something then.” Xie Yiren put on an ap.r.o.n, instantly becoming a female chef. She then opened up the fridge and started searching for ingredients.
In a few moments, she had retrieved a whole bunch of food and put them aside.
Seaweed, eggs, sausages, condiments, and a few pickled vegetables.
Zheng Ren had not known that instant noodles required so many extra ingredients. Simple man that he was, he sometimes even forgot to add the packet of seasoning.
There was a small fridge beside the sofa.
Opening it, Zheng Ren took out a bottle of distilled water and gulped down a mouthful.
He had not eaten or drunk anything in almost eight hours. After relaxing for a while, the thirst and hunger had started to set in.
Half a bottle of water later, he felt much better.
He offered to help Xie Yiren in the kitchen but she laughed and pushed him out, just like in the operating room.
The feeling of being treated like a master… was unpleasant. He felt anxious.
About ten minutes later, a savory aroma from the kitchen filled the air. It was not very strong but it made Zheng Ren’s stomach growl.
So fragrant!
So hungry.
Another few minutes later, Xie Yiren came out with a huge bowl and called him over to eat.
On the dining table lay a white porcelain bowl filled with instant noodles, barely recognizable under all kinds of side dishes.
“These are red sausages from Harbin. I don’t fat-free like sausages because they lack texture,” Xie Yiren said.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“I’ve already eaten. I was worried that you were hungry, so I asked if you wanted to eat.”
“What did you have?” Zheng Ren asked as he picked up a piece of red sausage with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
True enough, it had an amazing texture.
“I went to eat at Xiao Long Kan with Sister Yanran. They have a newly open branch here. We tried it today and their taste was quite authentic, but their dipping sauces were nothing to shout about. However, we were just glad to be able to have it so near our house.”
Upon recollection, he estimated that they had probably gone during his meeting with the traffic officers.
“Also, we looked for you, but Chang Yue said that you had gone to meet with traffic police. Sister Yanran said that you could be in trouble, so she made a few phone calls and asked her family to help you sort it out,” Xie Yiren said. She had a satisfied smile on her face when she saw Zheng Ren happily enjoying his meal.
Oh? So it was Chu Yanran who pulled the relevant strings.
Zheng Ren thought about it for a while, but decided to put it aside as he had no information to work with. It would be more straightforward to ask her tomorrow when they met face-to-face.
“Eat slowly, it’s hot,” Xie Yiren said as she watched him slurp down mouthfuls of noodles.
It was an ordinary meal, simple even, but Zheng Ren felt the taste of home.
When he finished, Xie Yiren quickly took the bowl and chopsticks away and started cleaning before he had the chance to.
He was slightly embarra.s.sed… He had no idea that it would be so troublesome to make a bowl of instant noodles.
“Zheng Ren, you should head back and rest for the night. You have to work tomorrow,” Xie Yiren called from the kitchen.
He hesitated.
Simply leaving after filling his stomach made him feel callous.
However, Xie Yiren was busy cleaning up. It would be worse to bother her.
What ought he say?
Zheng Ren panicked. A sheen of sweat formed on his forehead and temples.
This was just… too difficult.
When Xie Yiren did not hear Zheng Ren’s response, she leaned back gracefully.
“Hey, what happened? Did you fall asleep?”
“No… I was thinking, if I should… if I should help you,” Zheng Ren stuttered.
By then, Xie Yiren had already finished washing up as there was not much to begin with.
She pulled off her pink gloves and walked out with a smile, approaching Zheng Ren and lowering herself so that her face was on the same level as his.
The proximity was setting off his nerves. Zheng Ren’s mind went blank.
“Be a darling and go back to rest.” Xie Yiren seemed a little embarra.s.sed, either due to the distance between them or the things on her mind. “After such a busy day, you should take a bath before you sleep.”
Her face flushed red after saying that and she immediately ran off to get Zheng Ren’s coat.
Zheng Ren was reluctant to stay any longer. He accepted his coat from her and went to the porch, repeatedly stopping to turn around.
He still felt unwilling to leave after putting on his shoes.
Why would he go home when he had the chance to embrace this stunning girl?
“Hey,” Xie Yiren said from behind him.
Zheng Ren’s heart shook violently. He began to turn but was rushed by an elegant figure before he could.
“You hugged me like this yesterday, so I’m taking it back today,” Xie Yiren said shyly, burying her head into Zheng Ren’s back.
This felt… really good.
It was too bad that everything was happening so fast.
Zheng Ren’s brain shut down for heaven only knew how long before Xie Yiren pushed him out of the house.
The sensation seemed like it would remain with him for a lifetime.
Zheng Ren went back to his place in a daze. His mind was still blank, a far cry from the steady and experienced surgeon he was in the operating room. The sweet feeling of nervousness was all so strange to Zheng Ren.
A text came in from Xie Yiren. [Sleep earlier tonight, remember to take a bath.]
[Okay, you rest earlier too. I’m going to bathe now. :)]
Zheng Ren remained immersed in the short but sweet moment, not wanting to forget it.
…
…