"Why did you all come in?"
"We felt awkward just sitting around, so we thought we'd come help. Shi'an, these ingredients haven't been cut yet, right? I'll cut them for you~"
"I... I'll peel the garlic."
Even the Class Monitor, who normally refused to peel garlic, was volunteering. Chen Shi'an understood that they couldn't sit still outside, so he let them crowd into the kitchen with him.
Wen Zhixia was brimming with enthusiasm. She turned on the tap with a splash and washed the greens over and over;
Li Wanyin deftly minced the scallions and ginger and coated the shredded meat in starch, her movements brisk;
Lin Meng Qiu stood a little farther away peeling garlic. She soon finished the garlic in her hands, and seeing that there was nothing else to do, she simply squeezed in beside Stinky Cicada to steal her job.
"Hey...! Lin Meng Qiu, if you've got nothing to do, go watch TV. I can do this myself. I don't need you!"
"You've been washing them forever. Do you even know how?"
"No, but you do!"
Watching the two girls fight even over chores left Chen Shi'an at a loss. He had no choice but to divide their tasks up even further.
"The vegetables don't need any more washing. If you two have time, peel the tomatoes for me. One each."
"Okay," both said.
Li Wanyin blinked, unable to resist asking quietly, "Should we blanch the tomatoes for them first? They're hard to peel raw like that..."
"It's fine. No need," Chen Shi'an replied just as quietly.
The older girl understood. He was purely finding something to keep those two busy. She couldn't help smiling. Shi'an really had his work cut out for him.
"Oh, right, Taoist, Mom said we were having stir-fried clams. Where are