Not long after, Wei Jia ordered fresh ingredients to be delivered to the villa at Li Jing’s request.
Seeing everything was ready, Li Jing rolled up his sleeves without a word and went into the kitchen to start cooking.
Regarding cooking, Li Jing frequently helped his family with als after graduating high school, and often lent a hand during college vacations as well.
Li Jing’s family was of modest ans and seldom dined out in restaurants, but because his parents were hospitable and outgoing, they had many interactions with relatives and friends.
So whenever friends and family gathered at their ho, Li Jing almost beca the main force in the kitchen, while his parents would be busy hosting guests in the living room.
Although preparing a large tableful of dishes wasn’t an easy task, after years of practice, Li Jing had nearly mastered his mother’s cooking skills, gaining an extra talent, and his dishes tasted even a bit better than those at local Hunanese restaurants.
At this mont, Wei Jia and Wei Zheming watched Li Jing, dressed in LV, busily working in the kitchen, and couldn’t help but feel curious and surprised.
"Sis, for a man with strong financial abilities to still be willing to cook, that’s not sothing simple," Wei Zheming said thoughtfully.
Upon hearing this, Wei Jia glanced at him: "So you an to say he’s a rare good man?"
"I don’t know if he’s a good man," Wei Zheming continued, assuming a scholarly air as he pushed up his black-rimd glasses, "But if a man is willing to cook and enjoys it, that person must have a deep love for life.
It’s like Su Shi and Lu You; they wrote many poems about cooking, which also demonstrated their love for life. This is what our literature teacher ntioned."
Hearing this, Wei Jia fell silent, her gaze shifting back to the busy figure in the kitchen, her expression subtly changing.
A love for life...
Her own life seed to rely fill the gaps outside of work, fragnted and uninteresting, never truly spending effort to experience the essence of life.
Although she didn’t know what loving life felt like, sitting back on the sofa in the living room, Wei Jia looked at Li Jing busy in the kitchen. She found it inexplicably interesting, resting her face in her hand as she continued to watch.
anwhile, busy in the kitchen for quite a while, Li Jing noticed neither Wei Jia nor her brother had co to help, and he couldn’t help but complain inwardly: these two are really used to being pampered, not even a bit of help!
At this thought, he couldn’t help recalling the al An Tong cooked for him and sighed inwardly: No wonder most n still prefer a virtuous woman who manages the household well.
So girls appear glamorous outside, but return ho without moving an inch, like a living Buddha.
Living with such a woman, if financially lacking, life would inevitably fall to pieces, with inevitable quarrels over life’s necessities.
Of course, Wei Jia was different; after all, she could afford to hire help and didn’t rely on n for a living.
Still, Li Jing thought it would be nice to have a helper. Since it was Wei Jia’s birthday, he felt it was inappropriate to ask her, so he chose soone else. Turning back to the living room, he called, "Wei Zheming, co help!"
"Huh???"
Wei Zheming, who was about to read, imdiately frowned upon hearing Li Jing’s straightforward request and complained, "Didn’t you say you’d handle the cooking?"
"Even a cook needs an assistant. I helped you earlier; now co over and help ," Li Jing called back from the kitchen, "Reciprocity is a virtue of the ancient gentlen—do you want to be a gentleman or a scoundrel?"
"I..."
Hearing this, Wei Zheming, ready to argue, suddenly deflated and stood up reluctantly, saying, "Alright, alright, I have no choice. After all, I am a gentleman."
Seeing Li Jing actually called her brother into action, Wei Jia raised her eyebrows in surprise, her beautiful eyes opening slightly wider.
She herself might not even be able to command Wei Zheming, yet Li Jing not only showed no hesitation but also managed to get him moving.
Watching Wei Zheming walk toward the kitchen, Wei Jia squinted in thought:
This must be partly because Li Jing hit the point that resonated with Zheming, but likely more because Zheming is not averse, perhaps even fond of Li Jing.
Zheming usually appears aloof and dismissive of those around him, yet today, he acknowledged Li Jing.
Li Jing... truly is unique.
Watching her brother enter the kitchen for the first ti, Wei Jia wore a playful expression, the corners of her mouth gradually turning up as she found it more and more amusing.
"Hunanese cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines, recorded in Qu Yuan’s Chu Ci. With the perfection and developnt over various dynasties, there’s a lot to learn here," Li Jing said, noting Wei Zheming’s reluctance as he entered the kitchen, deliberately drawing in so historical context to spark his interest. "You aren’t just cooking; you’re studying the culinary culture of history, you understand?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Zheming’s eyebrows moved slightly, his interest piqued, "Was Hunanese cuisine always this spicy?"
"As far as I know, it beca known for its strong spice after chili peppers were introduced during the Ming and Qing Dynasties," Li Jing explained.
"Oh! Right, chili peppers were introduced to our country in the late Ming period, so that fits," Wei Zheming said, seeing it matched with his own knowledge, his interest significantly increased. "Interesting, that a cuisine famous for its spice took so long to establish its flavor profile, there’s likely a lot to explore in this."
"Not just that; many techniques and combinations in Hunanese cuisine were handed down from our ancestors, with many details traceable to their origins, all worth learning about," Li Jing added, noticing the spark of interest in Zheming as his mouth curled into a slight smile. "As a local, learning authentic Hunanese cuisine isn’t sothing you can do in Tianhai or Linshui."
Hearing this from Li Jing, Wei Zheming finally set aside his reluctance and agreed:
"Alright! Reading from books is ultimately shallow, understanding sothing requires personal experience. Since you’re a local, I really can learn from you; maybe next ti I read about Hunanese cuisine in a book, I’ll have more insight."
With that, Wei Zheming took a deep breath, ready and willing to serve as Li Jing’s assistant.
Although called an assistant, most of what Li Jing had Wei Zheming do was peel garlic, wash vegetables, and fetch condints—little tasks. He didn’t intend to let him handle the pots and spatulas.
Initially, Wei Zheming found these chores a bit boring, but when he saw Li Jing turn the heat up to the maximum for a fiery stir-fry, the flashing flas and pungent, spicy aroma instantly made his eyes light up: "Slls great! That’s the flavor!"
"Try it, see if you like it," Li Jing prompted.
"It could be spicier; both my sister and I love spicy food!"
"Then cut more chili peppers," Li Jing instructed.
"Got it!" Wei Zheming responded enthusiastically.
"Get the soy sauce," Li Jing requested.
"Okay!" Zheming replied.
"Fetch so water," Li Jing directed.
"Okay!" Zheming responded promptly.
"Bring a bowl over," Li Jing said.
"Okay! Can I eat a few pieces first?" Zheming asked.
"No problem, just don’t eat it all," Li Jing laughed.
"Okay, okay! Haha, being an assistant isn’t so bad!" Zheming chuckled.
...
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