Because he ran too fast, Xi Junjie's cheeks were slightly red. He used to not sweat during morning runs, but now there were a few beads of sweat on his forehead.
Zhen Zhen looked at Xi Junjie's slightly anxious and expectant expression, and suddenly smiled and let go of his hand: "Do I look a little bit like a girl?"
"No." Xi Junjie brought the bucket over. The weight in his hand made him frown slightly, and then he looked at her helplessly: "But you can really let me do things like this in the future."
Zhenzhen looked at him hesitantly, not knowing if this counted as a confession. In the past, Xi Junjie's various behaviors showed that he liked her, but she didn't know whether Xi Junjie was shy or had other concerns, so he never made a formal confession. The two of them were like what later generations called the ambiguous period, carefully testing each other's feelings, but never dared to take the next step.
A breeze blew past her face, bringing with it the faint scent of flowers from the garden. Zhen Zhen suddenly looked up at Xi Junjie and said, "But how can I, a nameless person, always ask you to help me?"
Xi Junjie was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, he saw the beautiful and sweet girl in front of him looking at him with her big eyes flashing. She said with a heroic tone and a bit of determination: "Xi Junjie, I like you very much. Are you willing to be with me?"
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen in surprise, as if he couldn't believe his ears. Did she like him too? The tips of Xi Junjie's ears quickly turned red. He put down the bucket, reached out and gently touched Zhenzhen's hair, with a gentle smile on his face: "I should have said this first."
Zhenzhen smiled very complacently and said, "It doesn't matter who said it, what matters is the result. Do you agree or not?"
Suppressing the complicated thoughts in his mind, Xi Junjie quickly sorted out his thoughts, then knelt on one knee, looked at Zhenzhen and said slowly: "The first time I saw you was the first day of school. You walked into my sight wearing a red wool coat. At that moment, I realized that I came to this world just to meet you. I don’t know when I fell in love with you. When one day I found that I always followed your figure unconsciously, I knew that I had become a slave to love. But you are so beautiful and cute, and you are so passionate about everything you do. I am worried that I am not the type you like. I am afraid that the love I give you will not be as perfect as you expect. But I will not give up pursuing you because of this. If you are willing to give me a chance and let me be your boyfriend, I will try my best to do my best and give you the love you hope for."
Listening to Xi Junjie's confession, Zhenzhen, who had not blushed when she took the initiative to date someone, suddenly felt her cheeks burning. Even without touching them, Zhenzhen could imagine her blushing cheeks. Blinking her bright eyes, Zhenzhen felt a little shy for the first time. She tried hard to control her shyness and used teasing to cover up her discomfort: "As expected of someone who grew up in France, you made a confession like a proposal. I am a little shy."
Without feeling that Zhenzhen was ruining the atmosphere of his confession, Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen tenderly and asked solemnly, "Then Miss Li Mingzhen, are you willing to give me a chance to be your boyfriend?"
Zhen Zhen covered her face, as if she could hear the beating of her heart in her chest: "Okay, from now on you are mine!"
In an instant, Xi Junjie felt as if he had heard the most beautiful sound in the world. He couldn't help but look at Zhenzhen, with a happy smile on his face. Zhenzhen looked at Xi Junjie's smile and couldn't help but reach out and touch his face, smiling happily: "You are so beautiful."
When their skin touched, Xi Junjie suddenly felt that the world had gone quiet. Everything around them seemed to be getting farther and farther away from them. Xi Junjie could only see Zhenzhen and feel the touch of Zhenzhen on his skin. Xi Junjie couldn't help but close his eyes and quietly feel Zhenzhen's soft palm gently caressing his face.
In this era, Zhenzhen's behavior can be said to be a bit bold, but being accustomed to the directness of Western society, Xi Junjie did not have feudal and conservative ideas about this. Instead, he liked the intimate feeling between lovers. He stretched out his hand and covered the back of Zhenzhen's hand. Feeling Zhenzhen's smooth skin, Xi Junjie's heart trembled immediately.
Zhen Zhen grabbed Xi Junjie's hand and pulled him up: "Okay, since the window paper has been torn, please help me send the fish to the kitchen. If it's any later, I'm afraid our lunch will be delayed."
"Okay." Xi Junjie agreed with a smile. Seeing that Zhenzhen had no intention of letting go, he held her little hand and picked up the bucket with his other hand.
Although they said they were in a hurry to cook, the two of them still leisurely enjoyed their time alone. When Xi Junjie thought that the girl he had liked for so long had actually become his girlfriend, he couldn't help but look down at Zhenzhen, fearing that all this was his fantasy.
Noticing that Xi Junjie looked at her from time to time, Zhen Zhen looked up and smiled at him: "Do you like looking at me so much?"
"Yeah." Xi Junjie's ears were still red: "I like it very much."
"I like looking at you, too. You're so pretty." Zhenzhen smiled like a cat that had stolen some fish: "I got the upper hand this time."
"Zhenzhen..." It was the first time that Xi Junjie called Zhenzhen by her nickname. He did not feel uncomfortable at all, but felt very natural. He looked at Zhenzhen's smiling eyes with a bit of doting on her lips: "You are welcome to take advantage of me at any time."
The two of them didn't loosen their tightly clasped hands until they saw the kitchen. Xi Junjie reached out to help Zhenzhen smooth the hair that fell on her cheek. He asked her softly, "What dish are you going to cook? Can I help you?"
"Huh? You can cook?" Zhenzhen looked at him in surprise. In Old Li's family, Zhenzhen's brothers could hunt, fish, and drag firewood, and they could also help light the fire when cooking. Asking them to cook would be as difficult as asking them to embroider.
"Well, I often cook at home." Seeing that there was no one outside the kitchen, Xi Junjie lowered his head and whispered in Zhenzhen's ear: "I also want you to taste my cooking skills."
The warm breath blew on Zhenzhen's earlobe, and the tingling feeling spread from the earlobe to the cheek, bringing a blush. Looking at Zhenzhen's fair skin with a hint of red, Xi Junjie moved his eyes away with difficulty, fearing that he would be unable to resist kissing her cheek if he continued to look at her.
The breathing by her ear gradually disappeared. Zhenzhen couldn't tell whether she was relieved or a little disappointed. She couldn't help but raise her head and rubbed her ears, then looked up at him. Their eyes met and their gazes intertwined again. It seemed that just looking at each other like this made her feel very at ease.
"Zhenzhen, what are you looking at there? Come over and see how the duck is." Mingbei came out of the kitchen and saw the two people standing not far away. He didn't think anything was wrong. Instead, he shouted loudly and used a special hook to turn the duck in the oven next to the kitchen.
Zhenzhen and Xi Junjie smiled at each other and walked quickly to the kitchen. Zhenzhen scanned the duck from inside to outside with her consciousness and immediately shook her head: "It's not time yet, add some more firewood."
"Hey!" Mingbei responded, throwing a dozen pear tree tripwires prepared by Zhenzhen into the water, and then came over to take the bucket from Xi Junjie's hand: "You caught so many fish again? Are you not going to make the carp from yesterday?"
"Well! Let's keep that one first." Zhenzhen was about to go to the kitchen when she suddenly stopped and slapped her forehead in annoyance: "The shrimp cage in the water is being brought back." She shook Mingbei's arm and smiled sweetly at him: "Good fourth brother, please go there."
"You little girl." Mingbei shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to reach out and rub the top of Zhenzhen's head, a sharp gaze suddenly shot over. Mingbei subconsciously withdrew his hand and looked up, but he didn't find anything wrong. He scratched the back of his head in confusion, and put the matter behind his mind. He shouted to the kitchen, "Second brother, come out and kill the fish." Then he hurried to the garden.
Although Mingbei didn't notice anything wrong, Zhenzhen could see Xi Junjie's actions clearly. She made a face at him and mouthed three words: "Be careful... be careful..."
Although it was not the first time that Zhenzhen said this, Xi Junjie was still moved. He looked at Zhenzhen with a smile, and while Mingxi was still there, he quickly touched her hair.
"Fishing again?" Mingxi washed the pigeon and hurried out of the kitchen: "Look at how the pigeon is eaten?"
Since there was already nourishing duck soup, Zhenzhen gave up the idea of making pigeon soup. After washing her hands, Zhenzhen looked at the soaked pigeons. Each one was about half a pound. She pressed the meat on the breastbone with her hand. It was soft and tender, just right for making crispy fried pigeons.
After rinsing off the blood, Zhenzhen poured the prepared broth into the pot and placed it on the stove. Ten blanched pigeons were placed under the broth, bubbling.
Because several dishes were being cooked at the same time, all four gas stoves were lit in the kitchen, and even the stove was used. Fortunately, the house was originally a royal palace, and the kitchen was large enough that it didn't feel crowded even with so many people busy inside.
Mingxi brought in the filleted fish. Xie Yanan, who had just finished washing the vegetables, was overwhelmed by the fishy smell and suddenly began to retch. She covered her mouth and ran out. Mingxi quickly put the basin with the fish aside and rushed out to pat her back.
Zhenzhen went out to take a look and saw Xie Yanan still vomiting acid. She said quickly, "Second brother, help my second sister-in-law go back to the house to rest. There's nothing to do here. I can do it by myself."
Mingxi nodded and carefully helped Xie Yanan back to the house. Zhenzhen returned to the kitchen and saw Wang Xinwen cutting vegetables. She said quickly, "Sister-in-law, don't be busy anymore. Go back and take a rest. Your waist must be sore from standing for so long. Wait a minute for my fourth brother to bring the shrimps over and I'll ask him to go back and accompany you."
Wang Xinwen did feel a little sore in her waist, so she didn't try to be brave. Just as she was about to go out, Mingbei came back with a shrimp cage. Zhenzhen said quickly, "You two should go back to the room and rest for a while. I'll call you for dinner later."
Mingxi and Mingbei both went back home, leaving only Zhenzhen and Xi Junjie in the huge kitchen. Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen and smiled: "Which dishes do you want me to cook?"
Zhenzhen looked at the various ingredients on the table, then turned to look at Xi Junjie: "Just do whatever you can do."
Zhenzhen originally thought that Xi Junjie could only cook some simple dishes like salads, but she didn't expect that Xi Junjie was very good at both Chinese and Western food, and he even acted like a chef when he flipped the spoon.
After turning off the stove, Xi Junjie quickly poured the braised prawns onto a plate. He also left a few for Zhenzhen and placed them on a small plate. He handed it to her and said, "I haven't made it for a long time, so I don't know how it tastes. Try it for me and give me some suggestions."
Just by looking at the color and smelling the aroma, you can tell that this braised shrimp is absolutely delicious. Xi Junjie was just looking for an excuse to let Zhenzhen taste it first. Zhenzhen couldn't wait to take out a pair of chopsticks, pick up a braised shrimp and put it in her mouth, sucking the fresh, salty and slightly sweet soup on the shrimp shell clean. Zhenzhen gently bit the shrimp head, bit the shrimp meat and gently pulled the shrimp tail, and the whole shell fell off, leaving only the soft and tender shrimp meat in her mouth, with a lingering aftertaste.
"It's delicious." Zhenzhen picked up another braised shrimp and put it in her mouth while giving Xi Junjie a thumbs up. She was so moved that she almost cried: "How can your cooking be so delicious?"
Xi Junjie cut the fried pigeon in half and put it on the plate. Seeing that Zhenzhen finished the five braised shrimps in less than a few minutes, he put the freshly cut pigeon on her plate, still using the same excuse as before: "Try it for me."
The baby pigeon was still a little hot, so Zhenzhen picked it up with chopsticks while carefully pinching the pigeon's wings with her fingers, and took a bite of the meat on the back. The skin of the baby pigeon roasted by Xi Junjie was crispy but not burnt, and the meat was tender and not salty. The rich juice made the pigeon meat not feel dry at all, and Zhenzhen's mouth was full of oil while eating it.
Xi Junjie cooked a dish, and Zhenzhen followed suit to taste it. After 40 minutes, 12 dishes were ready, and Zhenzhen was almost full. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and Xi Junjie was doing the final decoration. He placed the flowers he picked from outside the kitchen on the plate one by one, which was very pleasing to the eye.
Holding her bulging belly, Zhenzhen went to the main hall to set up the table and chairs, Mingxi helped to serve the dishes, and Mingbei ran to invite people to come for dinner. The table was full of dishes, except for the roast duck and chicken stewed with mushrooms, which were made by Zhenzhen, the rest were made by Xi Junjie. Zhenzhen looked at him a little embarrassedly: "You are a guest and I still trouble you to cook, I am really sorry."
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Xi Junjie looked at Zhen Zhen tenderly, his tone doting: "I am willing to cook for you for the rest of my life."
The author has something to say: Zhenzhen's boyfriend is super strong (?w?)hiahiahia
I'm so sleepy, I can't stand it any longer, I'm going to sleep first~~