Tang Baona was left to play with the canary in the living room, Xiang Kun returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.
Although he hasn't been learning to cook for very long, he always prepares thoroughly before cooking, researching and adjusting recipes in advance, and even trying out the recipe several times to ensure the taste meets his expectations.
With his exceptional senses, memory, and nimble fingers and wrists, and after meticulously planning the process in advance, his cooking efficiency and fluency are remarkable. To say he's comparable to a top chef might be an exaggeration, but no one would believe he's a novice who's only been learning to cook for a month or two.
After playing with the canary for a while, Tang Baona casually strolled around Xiang Kun's house. Compared to when she came here last time with Yang Zhen'er and Xia Libing, there was basically no change.
Oh, it's not that there's no change at all. There's an extra birdcage, an extra canary, and some extra feed and other things specifically prepared for the canary.
The bedroom door was open, and you could see some used wood piled up in the corner, along with a Saber sculpture that was clearly a failed attempt at carving. There were also several other unfinished pieces that were only roughly shaped. It was clear that Xiang Kun had put in a lot of effort and time to prepare that wooden Saber sculpture, which further proved that the sculpture was indeed made by Xiang Kun.
Tang Baona was touched. Although she was already very satisfied with the gift Xiang Kun, and knew that he had carved it himself and put a lot of effort into it, seeing those failed attempts now gave her the feeling of watching Xiang Kun create the wood carving little by little. It was as if she had witnessed the birth of the wood carving, and her perception of the gift became more comprehensive and three-dimensional, as if she had given it a memory.
Especially the wooden carving that had already captured Saber's approximate appearance and possessed a somewhat demonic Saber-like aura, Tang Baona found herself growing to like it more and more the more she looked at it...
"Xiang Kun, can I have that half-finished Saber wood carving in your room?" Tang Baona ran to the kitchen door and asked Xiang Kun, who was busy at work.
"No problem." Xiang Kun felt a little strange, but still said, "But let me do some finishing touches first, otherwise many parts haven't been polished and look too rough. Hmm, actually, if I were to carve it now, I think I could do a better job."
Tang Baona laughed and said, "No need, it's perfect right now! That's exactly the feeling of a half-finished product!"
Then, remembering something, she asked, "By the way, does that canary have a name?"
"No."
"Not planning to take one?"
Xiang Kun thought for a moment and replied, "I haven't decided on a name yet. Do you have any suggestions?"
Tang Baona immediately suggested, "How about calling him Gold Glitter?"
Xiang Kun asked curiously, "That sounds a bit strange... Is there some kind of meaning behind it?"
"No, I just think its fur is beautiful!" Tang Baona said.
"Hmm, let's call it 'Gold Glitter' then." Xiang Kun had always avoided paying too much attention to the animals he brought back from an emotional perspective, because they would either become food or the target of experiments. If there was too much interaction, it would either affect their eating and experiments, or they would easily become mentally unstable and abnormal.
However, after spending this time together, the canary has transformed from an experimental subject into a companion he spends every day with. After all, the two have developed a certain level of "communication."
It's only right that we give it a name.
A little after six o'clock, Xiang Kun started serving the dishes on time. Tang Baona also came over to help carry the dishes. However, she was obviously not used to housework. She was so hot that she almost spilled the soup. Fortunately, Xiang Kun was observant and noticed the danger before she picked up the soup bowl. He caught the bowl steadily in time.
"Aren't you afraid of getting burned?" Tang Baona was quite surprised by Xiang Kun's action of catching the bottom of the soup bowl with his bare hands.
Xiang Kun casually said, "Didn't you all say I secretly practiced martial arts? Like the Ruthless Iron Hand technique..."
The meal consisted of six dishes and a soup. Apart from one vegetable dish, all the other dishes featured rabbit meat as the main ingredient.
Before eating, Tang Baona naturally took photos and posted them in the group chat, tagging Yang Zhen'er and Xia Libing, just to show off a little.
Yang Zhen'er immediately replied with an angry emoji, "Tang Baona! You'll get so fat! Your clothes will burst! Winter's coming, and you won't be able to fit into your favorite dress anymore!!!"
Tang Baona responded with a slightly sticking-out tongue emoji to show her disdain.
Xia Libing: "Studies have shown that women who eat too much rabbit meat experience a decrease in body fat, an increase in muscle mass, smaller breasts, and a firmer buttocks."
Tang Baona sent a twitching cheek emoji. "Lao Xia! You actually make lame jokes? You're not the real person, are you?! Who possessed you?!"
After chatting on WeChat for a while, Tang Baona sat down at the dining table and started eating at Xiang Kun's urging.
Thanks to the rice cooker that Shiling's Mother gave him before moving, Xiang Kun didn't need to go anywhere else to prepare rice this time.
Compared to the previous two times, there were several new dishes this time. Even the previous dishes were adjusted by Xiang Kun to suit Tang Baona's taste, so she had a different feeling when eating them.
"Mmm! Delicious! Xiang Kun, Chef Xiang, your cooking skills are improving every time! It's amazing, these dishes are even better than last time!" Tang Baona exclaimed, her mouth burning from the heat.
Xiang Kun smiled modestly, but was secretly pleased. Of course, he thought it tasted even better, since it had been slightly adjusted to suit Xiang Kun's taste.
The previous dishes, such as the dry pot rabbit, were tailored to Yang Zhen'er's taste and were relatively strong. So, although Tang Baona thought they were good, she didn't quite like them. Now, after the adjustments, the spiciness and saltiness are just right, enough to stimulate the taste buds without being excessive. They also added her favorite onions for seasoning, so naturally, she would find them even better than last time.
Tang Baona ate with a sweat pouring Xiang Kun. Xiang Kun, on the other hand, took a few symbolic bites, suppressing the urge to vomit with the help of the two related stones in his stomach, while observing her reaction to eating. He analyzed the results of his adjustments to the dishes and further summarized his findings. Based on the newly added dishes and flavors, he could more comprehensively judge Tang Baona's preferences for food tastes and parts of the ingredients.
Although I haven't actually known Tang Baona for very long, this period of time all occurred after he underwent his mutation.
After his sensory abilities were greatly enhanced, the people he came into contact with most were Tang Baona, Yang Zhen'er, and Xia Libing. Therefore, he was very familiar with their many small actions, expressions, habits, and various bodily reaction data.
Even now, judging Tang Baona's preference for a particular dish based on Xiang Kun's actual reaction might be more detailed and accurate than her own description.
"Phew! I'm so full!" Tang Baona took a sip of soup, then patted her stomach somewhat unceremoniously, let out a long sigh, and looked at Xiang Kun strangely. "Why did you eat so little? It seems... I ate all of it?"
Xiang Kun tapped his biceps with his finger. "Eat smaller, more frequent meals—the self-discipline of a fitness enthusiast."
"Hey! You're making me feel really guilty!" Tang Baona said reproachfully.
Xiang Kun suddenly felt a little sentimental. They were a single man and a single woman who had met through a blind date. Generally speaking, a man and a woman eating together at one of the other's homes would be considered a "date".
As a result, one of them was extremely focused on the food, and the other was extremely focused on the diners' reactions to the food, constantly thinking about how to make the dishes better and more suited to the diners' tastes.
The theme was actually just eating and cooking...
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, fellow readers! There will be another chapter later. Thank you to readers 3.21213E+11, toy5545, Lao0Zuiqiang, Huluhulululu, DaoshengYiyi, reader 20190530211437220, Bantianxiatang, XF5205za, KNIGHT7, and Getting Something for Nothing, Wishes Come True, Impossible donations.