Considering girls did not eat much, Qin Ze had not bought too many ingredients. Tonight's menu: Vegetable Tofu, Steamed Yellow Croaker, chicken stew with mushrooms, Sauerkraut Pork Knuckle, and Radish Bone Soup.
He had even specially bought two clay pots for the occasion.
After rushing home, Qin Ze got busy washing the ingredients, chopping meat and vegetables. The chopping board rang with a rapid "thud thud thud," his knife skills so good they had no friends. His mind was filled with cooking experience, as though he were a top chef with twenty years in the business. To him, the system's most powerful function was undoubtedly "direct empowerment." In the face of that ability, talent and hard work were worthless.
As long as he kept exchanging for skills, he could climb to the pinnacle of life.
Provided he could keep completing tasks without end.
At eight thirty, Qin Ze had finished preparing all the ingredients and was about to show off his newly learned advanced cooking skills when the sound of a key turning came from the door. Then came his sister's voice. "Qin Ze, you didn't make dinner, did you?"
"Not yet. I was just about to start cooking," Qin Ze called loudly from the kitchen.
"Then don't bother. We've already eaten," Qin Baobao said in her crisp, sweet voice.
Qin Ze looked at the mashed tofu, the minced meat, the cleaned and gutted Small Yellow Croaker, the neatly sliced radish... Suddenly, he had the urge to rush out and beat Qin Baobao up.
"Then I'll eat by myself. It's no big deal..." Of course, Qin Ze would not get angry with his sister. At least, not while they were in the middle of a Cold War. He walked out of the kitchen, his gaze passing over Qin Baobao before landing on the beauty by the entrance.
Wang Zijing had goddess-level long, straight black hair. She wore a light blue short-sleeved shirt and pale white fitted cropped pants. Her figure was well-proportioned, and her butt was especially perky. She had a beautiful oval face, with gentle, clear eyes and the air of a refined lady from a distinguished family.
What a beautiful older sister.
Qin Baobao seemed unhappy with Qin Ze's stunned gaze and said irritably, "This is my bestie, Wang Zijing. Her nickname is Tissue. She'll be staying at our place from now on. No idea for how long."
Standing by the entrance, Wang Zijing changed out of her white canvas shoes and into thin cotton slippers. Smiling, she said, "Hello, little brother. Please take care of me."
When she smiled, she seemed particularly gentle and dignified. Her temperament was exceptional.
"Hello, older sister." Qin Ze gave her a mild and courteous smile. He searched through Qin Baobao's circle of besties in his mind but could not match Wang Zijing to anyone. "I don't think I've seen you before, older sister."
Qin Baobao explained, "She was my closest sister in high school. After graduation, she went back to BJ, and we hadn't seen each other for years. All right, all right, go do your thing. Zijing, let's go inside."
Qin Baobao had originally wanted to treat Wang Zijing to a meal at home, but Wang Zijing had stomach problems and could not stand being hungry. They got off the elevated road halfway there and bought jianbing from a roadside stall. Qin Baobao, craving one herself, bought one too. Then she discovered, Oh, this is actually pretty tasty. So they each ate two jianbing, and that settled dinner.
Besties reunited after a long separation had plenty to catch up on. They shut the door and chatted in the room.
Starting with the simplest dish, Qin Ze made the Vegetable Tofu. He chopped up the greens, scalded them in boiling oil, added a little soy sauce and cooking wine, stir-fried them for two minutes, then poured everything, sizzling oil included, over the crumbled tofu. It hissed loudly. Qin Ze mixed it evenly with his chopsticks, took a bite, and was so moved by his own cooking that he nearly cried.
The Sauerkraut Pork Knuckle and Steamed Yellow Croaker cooked at the same time, one in the Pressure Cooker and one in the steamer. The seasonings, fishy-smell removal, and all the other prep work had been done. About fifteen minutes later, the Steamed Yellow Croaker was ready, and the aroma of fish filled the entire kitchen.
Opening the steamer lid, he saw the Small Yellow Croaker lying neatly in a dark red broth. Qin Ze sprinkled on scallions and garlic. Carefully picking up a fish with his chopsticks, he gave it a gentle suck, and all that remained was its skeleton. The fish's distinct freshness and tender texture filled his mouth, while the soy sauce and cooking wine removed any fishiness. It was utterly delicious.
Qin Ze moved the steamer aside and put on the chicken stew with mushrooms. This was one of his better dishes, because Qin Baobao loved it and he made it for her every few days. But compared to today's chicken stew with mushrooms, he felt that what he had made before was not food at all. It was garbage.
The chicken had stewed until soft enough to fall from the bone. The mushrooms had absorbed the rich broth, which gleamed with a soft sheen. The chicken's rich fragrance mingled with the mushrooms' fresh aroma. Not only was the meat thoroughly flavored, even the marrow had soaked up the taste. Qin Ze chewed the bones to mush along with the meat.
By then, the Sauerkraut Pork Knuckle was ready as well. Steam billowed from the top of the Pressure Cooker. He opened the lid and poured it into the newly bought clay pot. The pork knuckle had been stewed to a tender mush, a layer of golden oil floating on the broth. He could easily poke a hole through the pork skin with his chopsticks.
Qin Ze took a bite. It was rich without being greasy and melted in his mouth. He felt as though his taste buds had exploded, especially with the sauerkraut's appetite-whetting effect making saliva pour from his mouth.
With four dishes finished, he finally set the Radish Bone Soup to stew.
In the room, Qin Baobao and Wang Zijing wore identical bear pajamas as they lay on the soft bed, playing with their phones and chatting.
Wang Zijing wore Qin Baobao's pajamas, which looked slightly loose on her. She was a few centimeters shorter than Qin Baobao; women as tall as Qin Baobao's 172 centimeters were uncommon. Her bust was not as large as Qin Baobao's either. A 36D chest could crush more than ninety percent of Chinese women.
"What are you planning to do in Shanghai City this time? How long are you going to stay mad at your family?" Qin Baobao was reading a romance novel.
Wang Zijing was watching a drama. Without even looking up, she said, "I'll stay here with you for now. My family froze all my bank cards and credit cards, so I'll go look for a job in a few days. At the end of the year, I'll consider whether to go home."
"It's good that you have a plan." Qin Baobao rubbed her chest, her feet restlessly kicking at the blanket. "Your big sister here will feed and house you. My little brother is actually quite skilled at cooking."
"Did your brother graduate from New Oriental?" Wang Zijing joked.
"Get lost," Qin Baobao snapped coyly. "Don't mock my brother, okay? He practiced those skills from childhood. His chicken stew with mushrooms is especially fragrant. That's all thanks to my excellent training."
"I'm not much of a foodie. I'm pretty casual about what I eat, as long as it's not too spicy." Wang Zijing smiled faintly, not taking Qin Baobao's words seriously. For one thing, her weak stomach placed many restrictions on what she could eat. For another, what delicacies from land and sea had she not tasted? Still, with her emotional intelligence, she naturally would not contradict Qin Baobao while she was bragging about her brother.
"You don't have to be like this either. If you ask me, you should just listen to your family and marry a rich, handsome man. What's so bad about that?" Qin Baobao earnestly tried to persuade her bestie.
"Stop feeding me chicken soup for the soul," Wang Zijing teased. "That's the pot calling the kettle black. I really do have high standards and can't find a good man, but Bao Bao, you don't even have a boyfriend. I really don't get it."
"You make it sound like my standards are low." Qin Baobao became distracted for no apparent reason and said softly, "I just feel like if I got a boyfriend, I'd regret it someday."
"Regret it?" Wang Zijing froze.
Did she mean she had no faith in men? Was she afraid of meeting a scumbag?
"If you don't go looking, that's when you'll regret it. Don't tell me you have a fear of relationships?"
"I've only heard of a fear of marriage." Qin Baobao shook her head. "I can't explain it. I just feel like I'll lose something."
"Don't you get lonely by yourself?"
"I'm not lonely. I live with my little brother."
"That's different. You know what I mean."
"I don't. Anyway, I feel happy when I live with him. I don't have to cook, clean, or do laundry. It's so comfortable. When I'm unhappy, A Ze comforts me. When I'm angry, I take it out on him. I love seeing that resentful look on his face when there's nothing he can do about it."
"Don't tell me you're Brother Complex."
"Get lost."
For a while, neither spoke. Qin Baobao softly hummed Invisible Wings. The melody was melodious and ethereal, her voice beautiful and pleasing to the ear. Wang Zijing listened for a while, paused the drama playing on her phone, and listened quietly.
When Qin Baobao finished singing, Wang Zijing asked impatiently, "What song was that? It sounded so good, but I've never heard it before."
At the mention of it, Qin Baobao immediately became smug. With a chuckle, she said, "Of course you haven't heard it. I haven't become a big star yet, so how could you possibly have heard it?"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know this, but I was able to sign with Star Arts Entertainment entirely because of that song." Qin Baobao waggled her eyebrows. "My little brother wrote it for me."
"Qin Ze wrote it?" Wang Zijing was stunned.
"He wrote both the lyrics and the music."
"Your brother goes to an arts school? He's so talented. He'll make a name for himself in no time." Wang Zijing was half sincere and half flattering, but unfortunately, she had patted the horse's leg. Qin Baobao lightly kicked Wang Zijing's perky butt with her little foot and said unhappily, "What arts school? New Oriental? My brother is a proper Finance University undergraduate, studying finance."
"Someone studying finance can write such a good song? Why do I find that so hard to believe?" Wang Zijing wondered. "Since he has that talent, why study finance? I remember you often told me how weak your brother was, how your father was always criticizing him. I thought he hadn't even gotten into college."
"Of course he's weak compared to me." Qin Baobao sighed. "Maybe he really does have talent in that area, and it was overlooked before. You know, my dad is a professor in the Finance Department at Finance University. He chose Qin Ze's major for him. You could say he's carrying on the family business."
Wang Zijing said, "I hate it most when elders plan out your life for you, arranging marriages and everything."
Qin Baobao suddenly sniffed, sat upright, and nearly drooled. "It smells so good. Where's that smell coming from?"
Wang Zijing sat up as well and looked around in confusion. The scent had made her a little hungry.
"Could it be in your living room? Let's go take a look."
Before you continue