With the day's military training finally over, Jiang Chen just wanted to go back to his bed and rest. He was exhausted, bone-weary, and his feet ached terribly.
Glancing at the crowded cafeteria, Jiang Chen decided it would be better to head out to a nearby supermarket, buy some groceries, and cook for himself. He needed some raw ingredients and basic kitchen supplies so he could at least make breakfast in the future.
Jiang Chen knew how to cook. He wasn't even sure how he had picked it up; he had simply watched his family cook while growing up, and after observing for a while, it just came naturally. It wasn't anything gourmet, but home-cooked meals were supposed to be simple anyway.
After parting ways with his roommates, Jiang Chen hopped on a shared bicycle and pedaled toward the supermarket near the residential complex. When he had first looked inside the apartment's kitchen, he found it completely bare except for a single pot. Not even the most basic condiments were on hand.
He browsed the aisles of the supermarket and found the shelves quite well-stocked. He picked up some salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, chicken bouillon, and a few other basic necessities.
The bag was so heavy that by the time Jiang Chen finally reached the apartment, he was too tired to even stand and almost collapsed onto the floor. After putting everything away, he checked the time—it wasn't too late yet—and decided to take a shower before cooking dinner.
After standing at attention all day during military training, he was drenched in sweat and felt sticky and thoroughly uncomfortable.
Once he stepped out of the shower, refreshed and invigorated, he mopped up the water on the bathroom floor and walked out to the living room. He noticed that Xia Xiaoyue still hadn't returned, which meant she must have been held up at work.
Usually, though, he saw her frequently ordering takeout or bringing back meals packed from the campus cafeteria, which suggested she probably didn't know how to cook. Otherwise, the kitchen wouldn't have been so spotless the day he moved in.
He figured the cafeteria probably wouldn't have much food left at this hour, so he might as well cook a bit extra. Even if she didn't eat any, he could just reheat it for breakfast tomorrow.
Checking the ingredients, he decided to steam some rice and make a simple tomato and scrambled eggs stir-fry. After all, he was pretty tired himself, so keeping it simple was best.
Just as the rice was steaming, Xia Xiaoyue happened to return. As she pushed the door open, she saw Jiang Chen wearing an apron and tidying up the refrigerator. Seeing him dressed in casual clothes with an apron tied around his waist struck a chord deep within her.
Jiang Chen turned around to find Xia Xiaoyue standing frozen in her tracks and asked with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong, Teacher?"
Coming back to her senses, Xia Xiaoyue looked at him and realized he was staring right back at her. For a split second, she felt an overwhelming sense of home—a feeling she had never experienced in all her life.
From her earliest memories, she had only ever known her mother, and her mother had never treated her well. Her mother never paid attention to her, spending every day playing mahjong. It wasn't until her maternal grandparents eventually brought her to the countryside that she finally began to experience a bit of care and warmth.
Later on, she found out that her parents had divorced and her father had found another woman. Her mother had still been pregnant at the time, and the child—who should have been aborted—was only brought into the world because of her grandparents' persistent persuasion.
Perhaps because she looked somewhat like her father, this mother of hers had never once looked at her with kindness since she was little. Perhaps for that very reason, Xia Xiaoyue had never had many friends growing up. To her, the concept of "home" was nothing more than that small rural house shared with her grandparents; her mother had never factored into it.
She had once had the opportunity to pursue higher education after completing her undergraduate degree, but when she saw her grandparents' increasingly hunched backs, she gave up on graduate school and took a job as a counselor at her own university instead, solely so she could earn money as quickly as possible to repay the two old people.
Dragged back to the present moment in the small apartment, Xia Xiaoyue thought of her grandparents, her eyes turning slightly red. Her voice trembled as she said, "It's nothing. I'm going back to my room."
Watching Xia Xiaoyue hurry into the master bedroom, Jiang Chen was baffled. Still, he could tell her mood was off, so he didn't press the matter further; after all, their relationship didn't really call for excessive concern.
Seeing that the rice was just about done, Jiang Chen went into the kitchen and whipped up the tomato and scrambled eggs. Once the meal was ready, he walked over to the master bedroom and knocked on the door. "Teacher Xia."
Hearing Jiang Chen knocking, Xia Xiaoyue gathered herself and replied, "What is it?"
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No, why?"
Jiang Chen scratched the back of his head. "Well... I cooked a bit too much food. You can come out and have some if you'd like."
Hearing that Jiang Chen wanted her to come out and eat, Xia Xiaoyue's first instinct was to refuse. But then her stomach let out an uncooperative growl, and coupled with how sick she was of takeout lately, she found herself agreeing, secretly justifying it to herself with the thought, "He just made too much. We can't let food go to waste."
When she stepped out, she saw Jiang Chen already waiting by the dining table. Their eyes met, and both of them hurriedly looked away, flustered.
Jiang Chen thought to himself, *This is absolute torture. Does the teacher have any idea what kind of figure she has?* Even though Xia Xiaoyue wasn't wearing those shorts from yesterday, the pants she had on weren't very long either. She really was a little enchantress.
They sat at the dining table in complete silence, eating quietly. Each had their own thoughts swirling in their heads: Jiang Chen just wanted to finish his meal quickly because this was sheer agony, while Xia Xiaoyue was thinking, *His cooking is actually quite good. This is so much better than takeout. Not many young guys know how to cook these days.*
After the meal, Xia Xiaoyue quickly stood up and deftly intercepted Jiang Chen just as he was about to clear the table and wash the dishes.
With a smile on her face and a firm tone, she said, "Leave the dishes to me! After all, I got to enjoy such a delicious meal you cooked for free today—how could I possibly have the face to make you do the chores as well?"
Seeing how proactive and enthusiastic she was, Jiang Chen found it a bit amusing, but he didn't say much and simply nodded in agreement.
He knew very well that if he pushed too hard to refuse, it would only make them seem overly distant and polite, and sometimes excessive politeness wasn't a good thing.
With that, Jiang Chen turned and headed toward his bedroom. Just as he was about to step inside, he suddenly heard Xia Xiaoyue's soft voice from behind: "It really was delicious. Thank you!"
That simple sentence felt like a warm ray of sunshine piercing straight into Jiang Chen's heart, filling him with an inexplicable sense of joy. The feeling spread quietly within him like flowers blooming in spring.
That night, Xia Xiaoyue sat in her room looking at her phone. A text message had just arrived, simple yet utterly merciless:
"Transfer 5000 yuan over. I gave birth to you and raised you so you could take care of me, not so you could run away from me." It was from her mother.
She hadn't told her mother about the move; it seemed the woman was only just finding out now. Truly a fine mother she had—she only ever thought of her own daughter when she needed money.
She switched off her phone, refusing to dwell on the irritating matter, though she still couldn't fall asleep until the middle of the night.