Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Repaying a Peach with a Plum Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Repaying a Peach with a Plum She found two bamboo mats from the space, and her hands efficiently worked until two mats of dumplings were ready in no ti. Luo Qiao had put a pot of water on to heat early in the kitchen, and by now, the water was boiling just right for cooking the dumplings.
The pot was large, so she first boiled one mat’s worth, about seventy dumplings. The remaining mat of dumplings she planned to boil later before storing them in her special space.
She kept twenty for herself and put all the rest into a small porcelain basin. Then she took a small bamboo bowl from her space, filled it with plenty of garlic sauce, and headed towards Lu Yichen’s ho.
When Luo Qiao arrived, Lu Yichen was chopping wood in the courtyard. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw it was Luo Qiao.
He also knew about the incident that had occurred in the afternoon. He hadn’t expected that this little girl would be so tough, not falling for the Zhao Family’s sches. Only when one stands up for oneself, can one avoid being bullied.
Luo Qiao offered a small smile, “Brother Lu, I’ve brought you so dumplings.”
Lu Yichen hadn’t expected the little girl to actually bring him dumplings, which made him feel sowhat embarrassed.
Luo Qiao walked into the courtyard and, as if she had done so many tis before, headed towards the kitchen while saying, “You should wash your hands too, don’t work anymore. Dumplings are best eaten hot. I’ll go into the kitchen and find sothing to serve them with; I still need to take my basin back with .”
She had stayed at Lu Yichen’s ho for two days before, so she knew exactly where everything was. Lu Yichen, for his part, was a neat person; everywhere was tidy and clean.
Luo Qiao dished out the dumplings and garlic sauce into a basin and bowl, covering the bamboo bowl with cheesecloth within the porcelain basin. By the ti she was done, Lu Yichen had already washed his hands and was coming over.
As Luo Qiao exited the kitchen and noticed Lu Yichen walking towards her, she said, “Big Brother, eat them while they’re hot. I’ll be off now.”
Lu Yichen glanced at the dumplings served in the kitchen and asked with a frown, “Where did you get the white flour from?”
Luo Qiao glanced towards the courtyard gate and replied softly, “I picked so herbs in the mountains this morning and took them to the herbal dicine shop in town. I got so money and food tickets, and I thought it wouldn’t do to make dumplings just with corn flour.
So I bought a little to bring ho, just the right amount for two als. Alright, I won’t keep you any longer, as my dumplings will get cold. I’m heading out.”
Luo Qiao didn’t give Lu Yichen a chance to ask any more questions, finished speaking, and dashed off with her basin.
Lu Yichen sighed with amusent. How could he, a grown man, feel comfortable eating her food? But he worried that repaying her might upset the little girl. He thought about chopping so firewood for her as compensation in the future.
Picking up his chopsticks, he tasted a dumpling. Hmm, delicious. The little girl was quite a good cook, on par with the chefs at state-run restaurants.
In her previous life, when Luo Qiao went to university, her mother bought an apartnt near her school. Not wanting strangers in her private space, she didn’t hire a housekeeper.
At first, she either ate instant noodles or ordered takeout. Eventually, she got tired of that and started learning to cook by watching videos on her phone. One day during a holiday, she returned ho and, because the housekeeper had taken sudden leave, she cooked three dishes and a soup herself.
Her parents returned ho just in ti for dinner. That day, smiles filled their faces, a rare delight. From then on, she considered learning to cook an essential task.
She followed not only along with videos but also took a cooking class, mastering the eight major cuisines without skimping on Western als, Chinese pastries, or Western desserts. It’s unfortunate that no matter how well she learned,
her parents were always too busy with near-endless etings, negotiations, contract signings, and tireless travel. Not a minute to spare.
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