In the kitchen of the fishpond, Teacher Xia is conducting her first cooking lesson.
Cut the potatoes and beef brisket into chunks, and the green peppers and shredded meat into strips.
"Wait, no, no, that's not how you hold a knife. It has to be like this."
"Then, when you're chopping vegetables with your other hand, position it like this: use your knuckles to press against the back of the knife. This way, no matter how fast you chop, you won't cut your fingers."
While teaching, Xia Jinshu earnestly reached out and grasped the back of Song Yunshen, while constantly adjusting his grip with her other hand.
After teaching him the proper knife technique, she reached out and pinched Song Yunshen's other hand, showing him how to hold the ingredients steady without cutting his fingers.
When Song Yunshen asked her to teach him how to cook, she didn't think too much about it.
As she touched him, the skin between their hands sent a jolt of electricity through him, and his heart began to race uncontrollably.
He suddenly remembered how he taught Xia Kening to shoot a gun when he was teaching her how to play PUBG, and he also thought about how he taught Xia Yunuo how to shoot an arrow yesterday.
So this is what it feels like to be taught.
While studying diligently, Song Yunshen also secretly spared time to feel Xia Jinshu Xia Jinshu's occasional touches and her body as she moved closer to him because she was teaching him.
Because they were so close, Song Yunshen could even smell her faint fragrance, which was refreshing. Xia Jinshu, however, was completely absorbed in teaching and had no idea how close she was to Song Yunshen.
After Song Yunshen successfully cut the potatoes and beef brisket into chunks, she took a small step back and nodded with satisfaction. "Very good, you learn very quickly."
After saying that, she suddenly realized something, her cheeks flushed slightly, she looked down at her own hands, and then looked up at Song Yunshen and well-defined hands.
Was I just taking advantage of someone?
Xia Jinshu couldn't help but think of this, and the blush on her face became more pronounced. She lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.
Fortunately, Song Yunshen was still engrossed in chopping vegetables and did not notice Xia Jinshu's unusual behavior.
Xia Jinshu quickly took a deep breath, composed herself, and continued to instruct Song Yunshen how to cook.
Meanwhile, Zhao Lisong slowly rode his electric tricycle back to the fishpond from outside.
After parking the car, he carried a square cake box and strolled into the house. Peeking out and not seeing Xia Jinshu, he breathed a sigh of relief, then winked at his wife and asked, "Where are they?"
Grandma smiled and gestured towards the kitchen, whispering, " Xiao Shu is teaching Shenshen to cook."
"Why aren't you doing it?" Zhao Lisong asked, puzzled.
"You don't know anything!" Grandma rolled her eyes at him. "The cake is here." Zhao Lisong held up the cake box in his hand to show it, then looked around and quietly slipped the box under the coffee table.
After placing it, he walked around it again to make sure the cake box was out of sight before nodding in satisfaction.
It was past five in the evening when the aroma of food wafted out from the kitchen.
Song Yunshen and Xia Jinshu brought several dishes to the table one after another, and the three dishes and one soup for dinner were officially served.
Grandpa and Grandma sat down around and looked at the three dishes Song Yunshen had prepared; they looked quite presentable.
Zhao Lisong couldn't help but smile and nod, "Not bad, kid. Thanks to Xiao Shu today, I didn't expect to get to eat your cooking."
" Song Yunshen is very capable; he learns very quickly," Xia Jinshu said with a smile. "I didn't actually teach him much."
"Don't be modest, senior," Song Yunshen chuckled. "I've never done this before. The fact that we managed to do it this way today is all thanks to you, okay?"
"Alright, alright, let's eat." Zhao Lisong waved his hand, picked up his chopsticks, tasted the food, and praised it repeatedly.
Xia Jinshu also started eating. All three dishes were her favorites, including fish soup made by her grandmother, and the fish in the soup were ones she had caught herself.
It's safe to say that it's top-notch in both taste and emotional value. Especially the dishes made by Song Yunshen, all of which she personally prepared, perfectly suited her personal tastes, making me feel like my appetite had increased several times over.
But just as they were finishing their dinner, Song Yunshen suddenly coughed and then said to his grandmother, "Grandma, I recently learned a new magic trick. How about I show it to you?"
"Sure," Grandma nodded with a smile.
"Then you two have to cooperate with me," Song Yunshen said casually to Xia Jinshu and his grandfather. "You two too, otherwise this magic trick won't work."
"Okay." Xia Jinshu didn't think much of it, assuming that Song Yunshen wanted to please his grandmother, so she nodded in agreement.
"Alright, the three of you close your eyes first," Song Yunshen said. "I'll count down for thirty seconds. In those thirty seconds, you need to start imagining what you want most right now."
Xia Jinshu had never heard of this kind of magic trick before. Could it be that if you think of something and wait for the appointed time, you can see it as soon as you open your eyes?
No, this was a magic trick Song Yunshen performed for his grandmother. It wasn't meant to be aimed at her; he just didn't want her to see the magic trick.
So Xia Jinshu stopped thinking about it and closed her eyes as Song Yunshen asked. Then she heard Song Yunshen's countdown in her ears.
"30, 29, 28, 27..."
Song Yunshen kept counting down, shouting loudly. Xia Jinshu listened carefully as the numbers on his countdown decreased. Thinking of Song Yunshen's request earlier, although she didn't have much hope, she still cooperated and began to think it over.
What does she want most right now? If there's anything she wants, it's that her mother and sisters are happy, healthy, and well.
But since the condition "at this moment" was added, Xia Jinshu started to think seriously again, and suddenly realized that today seemed to be her birthday.
In that case, she really wants a birthday cake.
However, she only thought about it; it didn't really matter to her whether she had a birthday celebration or not. She didn't have a strong need for birthday celebrations, and she'd rather use the money for other things that required it more.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
At this moment, Song Yunshen had already counted down to ten seconds. Xia Jinshu Shu vaguely heard a "click" sound, like the sound of pressing a button when turning off the light.
Although my eyes were closed, my eyelids could still sense the light source, but at that moment the light source on my eyelids seemed to dim.
Lights off?
Why did Song Yunshen turn off the lights?
"Five, four, three, two, one, zero." Song Yunshen's countdown ended, and with a snap, he clapped his hands before solemnly announcing, "Okay! Please open your eyes!"
Xia Jinshu slowly opened her eyes, only to find everything in darkness. She was slightly surprised and curious about what kind of magic trick Song Yunshen was planning.
The next second, she saw Song Yunshen reach out a hand, click, light the lighter, and then bring it close to the candle on the cake on the table, igniting it. (Go to Bing search for the latest chapter!)
Candle?
cake?
etc...
This is?!
Xia Jinshu suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at the cake with lit candles in front of her. Her heart pounded wildly, as if a sharp arrow had pierced her chest. For a moment, she even had difficulty breathing.
Certain conjectures raced through her mind, but she fiercely suppressed them.
She kept telling herself to control her expression and clench her fists tightly.
No, no, this is a magic trick Song Yunshen performed for his grandmother. What if today happens to be his grandmother's birthday?
I mustn't be presumptuous!
But looking at the lit candles bearing the numbers "one" and "eight" in front of her, she was constantly reminded that this birthday cake was very likely bought for her.
But what if Song Yunshen got the candles in the wrong order? And what if his grandmother happens to be eighty-one years old this year?
Xia Jinshu would occasionally ignite a flame of hope, only to have it constantly extinguished by herself.
From childhood to adulthood, she never dared to ask for too much. Most of the time, she was just giving. As long as her mother and sisters were doing well, she felt that she was already very satisfied. She never thought about what she could get in return.
Even as a flood of information rushed into her mind, constantly reminding her that the birthday cake was bought for her, she dared not hope for more. She just kept telling herself that she was probably overthinking it.
But the next second, Song Yunshen placed a birthday crown on her head.
Xia Jinshu froze instantly, staring blankly at Song Yunshen, watching the candlelight dance and flicker on his face, speechless for a long time.
Seeing Xia Jinshu's stunned expression, Song Yunshen couldn't help but smile smugly. He waved his hand in front of Xia Jinshu and said with a grin, " Teacher Xia? Senior Xia? Xia Jinshu? What are you thinking about? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I..." Xia Jinshu opened her mouth slightly, but as soon as she uttered a sound, she realized that her throat was terribly hoarse, which startled her.
Swallowing hard, Xia Jinshu tried to calm herself down, then whispered to Song Yunshen for confirmation, "This cake, is..."
She wanted to ask if it was for her, but she found herself completely unable to bring herself to ask.
Tears welled up in her eyes; she was afraid that if she asked the question, she wouldn't be able to stop crying.
"It's definitely for you, right? Or is it really for Grandma?" Song Yunshen laughed heartily. "My grandma isn't that old, she's not even eighty-one yet." Xia Jinshu was amused by him and couldn't help but burst into laughter through her tears, wiping them away as she laughed, her shoulders trembling violently.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Xia Jinshu tried hard to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, not wanting the surprise Song Yunshen had prepared for her to be ruined by her tears.
But Song Yunshen simply reached out and ruffled her hair, saying softly, "I told you a long time ago, don't always say sorry. The fact that you're so excited means the surprise I prepared was really good. You should be happy."
Zhao Lisong and his wife exchanged a glance, both smiling, without saying a word, choosing not to disturb them and simply serving as their backdrop.
But Xia Jinshu couldn't ignore the elder beside her. After trying to control her emotions, she looked up at Song Yunshen, her voice still tinged with a sob, and asked softly, "So what do we do now?"
"They're definitely going to sing 'Happy Birthday'." Song Yunshen took out his phone, played the song, and then clapped and hummed along.
Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
My grandparents clapped and sang along, and I felt so much younger.
After singing the birthday song, Song Yunshen said, "Now it's time for the birthday girl to make a wish. What's your wish, senior? You can think about it carefully."
Xia Jinshu felt her heart pounding. Following Song Yunshen's instructions, she clasped her hands together, faced the candle in front of her, and silently closed her eyes.
What should she wish for? According to past practice, she should wish that she could get into a good university, find a good job in the future, and give her mother and sisters a better life.
But... but...
She suddenly wanted to be selfish for once.
Xia Jinshu pursed her lips, silently making her birthday wish for this year in her heart, then slowly opened her eyes and looked at Song Yunshen.
"Blow out the candle, and your wish will come true."
"Mmm." Xia Jinshu nodded gently, leaned close to the candle, and blew it out with a strong breath.
The next second, Grandpa had already turned on the living room lights.
Song Yunshen clapped and cheered enthusiastically, then asked curiously, "What wish did you make, senior?"
Xia Jinshu glanced at him and gently shook her head. "I won't tell you."
"These things won't work if you say them out loud," Grandpa rolled his eyes. "You didn't need to ask."
"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore. Let's eat the cake." Song Yunshen handed the plastic cake knife to Xia Jinshu, then pointed to the left side of the cake, the part with the chocolate pieces, "Birthday girl, I want this piece."
"Okay, I'll cut it for you." Xia Jinshu smiled indulgently, got up and went to the cake, carefully cut off the piece that Song Yunshen wanted, and placed it on the plate in front of him. Then she cut two more pieces and handed them to her grandparents, and finally cut a piece for herself, sat back down in her chair, and began to savor it.
The cream is sweet and the cake is soft and chewy.
This must be the most delicious thing she has ever eaten in her life, Xia Jinshu thought to herself.
When she was halfway through eating the cake, she suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but ask Song Yunshen, "When did you buy this cake?"
"I ordered it a couple of days ago," Song Yunshen said. "A relative owns a cake shop, and I've always bought my birthday cakes from them—they're cheap and affordable. I asked my grandfather to pick it up for me this afternoon."
Zhao Lisong, standing to the side, chuckled smugly, "I deliberately hid it under the coffee table so you wouldn't find it. I was waiting to surprise you at dinner."
Xia Jinshu pursed her lips, many words stuck in her chest, wanting to say them but unable to.
She envied Song Yunshen so much. He could say whatever he wanted. Growing up in such a family environment, his personality was like a little sun, constantly radiating a warm and scorching light.
But she also felt very lucky; if she hadn't been able to see Song Yunshen's diary, she probably wouldn't have had any interaction with him.
Planets in the universe do not need the sun to drift alone in the lonely darkness of the universe. But once captured by the sun, they will forever revolve around it, receiving its light and heat, and will never be able to escape.
Xia Jinshu ate her cake, swallowing many words.
After finishing one piece of cake, Song Yunshen had another. However, such a large cake was definitely too much for four people to finish. So, after all four of them had filled their stomachs, Song Yunshen helped Xia Jinshu Shu repackage the cake, put it in the refrigerator to chill, and then said:
"Take it out when you leave. You can take it home and let your family try it."
"Hmm." Xia Jinshu nodded, silently apologizing to her good deskmate Zhuang Lujun. She had to ask Zhuang Lujun to take the blame for all the things she was carrying home, otherwise it would be difficult to explain.
After placing the cake, Song Yunshen called Xia Jinshu out of the house and headed towards the fishpond. They soon found the kayak they had seen during the day.
Xia Jinshu followed behind, watching the sunset Song Yunshen jumped onto the kayak first, picked up the pole to support himself on the bottom of the fishpond, and waved to her.
Xia Jinshu cautiously approached the shore, tentatively extending one leg to stand firmly on the kayak before immediately stepping on the other leg as well.
After successfully boarding the boat, the two sat at opposite ends of the kayak. Xia Jinshu was given a paddle, while Song Yunshen took the pole and gently poked the bottom of the water. The kayak slid out of the reeds and drifted towards the center of the fishpond.
Xia Jinshu rowed the famous oar, looked up at the afterglow of the setting sun, and then her gaze fell on Song Yunshen's face, looking at him for a long time.
"Senior, why are you looking at me like that?" Song Yunshen touched his face and asked in confusion.
Xia Jinshu tried to compose herself and pointed to the sunset behind Song Yunshen: "I'm admiring the scenery."
"Oh, oh." Song Yunshen turned his head, glanced at the sun slowly setting on the horizon, and then said with a smile, "This scenery is indeed quite nice."
"Yes, it's really nice." While Song Yun Song Yunshen turned his head, Xia Jinshu Shu's gaze lingered on his profile for a long time. When he turned back, her eyes then drifted to the sunset behind him, pretending to continue admiring the scenery. The two rowed for a while, getting a little tired, and let the evening breeze caress their kayak as it drifted with the wind.
Every now and then, a large white goose would swim by. Song Yunshen would deliberately splash water on the goose, and the goose would immediately flap its wings and flee.
Xia Jinshu watched him play, a smile constantly on her face.
When Song Yunshen got tired of playing, he leaned back in the kayak, stretched, and then looked at Xia Jinshu sitting opposite him. He rolled his eyes and said to her, "Senior, I have a few more magic tricks. Would you like to try them?"
Xia Jinshu's heart skipped a beat, as if she had a guess, and her heartbeat quickened involuntarily.
But Song Yunshen immediately demonstrated it to her, conjuring up a coin for her one moment and a small ball the next; it certainly looked like a legitimate magic trick.
So Xia Jinshu relaxed her guard again, watching his performance with a smile. Occasionally, he would even fail and reveal a flaw. The small ball that should have been held between his thumb and forefinger would fall out, making her laugh out loud.
But the previous magic tricks were just appetizers. Seeing that she had relaxed, Song Yunshen put away the coins and small balls, pointed to the words on the building in the distance, and asked, "Senior, can you see what's written on that?"
Xia Jinshu followed his finger, pondered for a long time, squinted slightly, and barely made out, "What 'sky great' something? I can't quite make out the two characters before and after it."
Song Yunshen snapped his fingers and said to her with a smile, "Now close your eyes, count down to ten, and when you open them again, you'll be able to see clearly."
Xia Jinshu was suspicious and had some inexplicable guesses, but having learned from the previous few magic tricks, she wasn't sure. So she closed her eyes and, as Song Yunshen instructed, began to count down. "Ten, nine, eight..."
Song Yunshen took out a long, rectangular box from his pocket. "Seven, six, five, four..."
The box was opened, Song Yunshen took something out of it before approaching Xia Jinshu.
"Three, two, one."
As she counted to this point, Xia Jinshu suddenly felt something pressing against her ear.
When Song Yunshen snapped his fingers again, Xia Jinshu slowly opened her eyes. The scenery before her suddenly opened up, becoming incredibly clear and vibrant, instantly filling her world.
She stared blankly, no longer looking at the distant buildings or the sunset on the horizon, but staring straight at Song Yunshen's face, without any attempt to conceal her gaze, lost in thought.
"Senior, can you see clearly?"
"Hmm." Xia Jinshu's gaze traced the contours of Song Yunshen's face for a long while before she said softly, "You can see it very clearly."