The girl walking over was naturally Xia Xiaozhi, the high school girl. From the look of her, she had just gotten back from school.
This little girl’s hairstyle hadn’t really changed much for such a long time. It was like her mushroom cut was going to last forever. Even if there were minor changes, the overall look remained unaffected; she was still that cute and adorable.
However, perhaps because she had been eating so much of the healthy and delicious food Jiang Fei made over the past six months or so, the little girl had grown quite a bit taller, already breaking past 1.6 meters. Her legs, which weren’t very noticeable before, had become long, slender, and well-proportioned. Her figure had developed very nicely. She had truly blossomed into a graceful, elegant young woman.
Just like today, if she weren’t wearing her high school uniform, it would be hard for people on the street to mistake her for a high school student. They’d probably think she was a mature university student over eighteen. No wonder Ye Yuanyuan, with her less-than-pure thoughts, would judge Jiang Fei’s feelings and relationship with Xia Xiaozhi that way.
The little cabbage has grown so tender and lush, ready to be picked…
“Why can’t we come together? The question is, you, it’s not even six o’clock yet, and you’re home. No evening self-study? Or did you skip class again?” Jiang Fei got out of the car and asked with a smile.
He had known this girl for quite a while now. Their relationship had gone from being irreconcilable enemies to the close and harmonious one they shared now. Jiang Fei truly did see Xia Xiaozhi as a cute little girl next door.
Xia Xiaozhi walked over to Jiang Fei, unhesitatingly reached out and linked her arm through his right arm, and rolled her eyes at him. “Uncle, it’s already the end of the year. We’re about to start our final exams and then winter break. What evening self-study?”
In the middle of winter, Xia Xiaozhi was wearing a thick coat, wrapping her delicate figure up tightly. Linking arms with Jiang Fei like this didn’t feel particularly provocative. Unlike in summer, Jiang Fei couldn’t feel that perfectly full and soft sensation of the girl, but her faint, pleasant, subtle fragrance was something that never disappeared, no matter the season; it was always there, impossible to hide.
Jiang Fei took a light breath and smiled. “Oh, right, it’s already the end of the year. The New Year is almost here. How’s your exam preparation going? Once these finals are done, it means half your high school life is over. You can officially start looking ahead to the college entrance exam.”
“You know my IQ, Uncle. Even if I don’t study much usually, I never mess up on exams.” Xia Xiaozhi said, acting very proud and coquettish. But mentioning studying made her a bit unhappy, so she quickly changed the subject. Smiling sweetly, she asked, “Uncle, you and Sister Yuanyuan are back so late. You haven’t eaten, right?”
Without needing to guess what the little girl was thinking, Jiang Fei shook his head and said, “Come on, let’s go upstairs to my place for dinner. There’s still plenty of ingredients in the fridge at home, enough to feed that little mouth of yours.”
“Yay! I knew you were the best, Uncle!” Xia Xiaozhi was overjoyed. Now well over 1.6 meters tall, while still holding his arm, she stood on tiptoe, pursed her pink lips, and gave Jiang Fei a quick kiss on the cheek.
The soft, tender touch came and went. Being ‘force-kissed’ by this girl, as a man, aside from a tiny bit of embarrassment and guilt, the predominant feeling was definitely pleasant surprise and secret delight. After all, Xia Xiaozhi, a well-developed girl like this, wasn’t really a little kid; it wasn’t like looking at her would make one feel like they were truly committing a crime.
She’s practically an adult now, a tender cabbage ready to be picked…
However, before Jiang Fei could enjoy the feeling for too long, he immediately felt a surge of cold, murderous aura emanating from beside him, sending a slight chill down his spine. Turning his head, he saw Ye Yuanyuan, who had also just gotten out of the car, staring at him with a piercing look, like he was some kind of criminal who had assaulted a minor. The look was definitely hostile.
So Jiang Fei immediately suppressed the smile trying to spread across his face, put on a stern expression, looked at Xia Xiaozhi, and pried her little arm away. He said seriously, “Xia Xiaozhi, you’re already in your second year of high school, you’re 17. You’re sensible and almost an adult. You’re a big girl now. Can’t you be a bit more mindful of boundaries and your image? You need to know to keep an appropriate distance from men!”
Xia Xiaozhi didn’t care at all. She wasn’t upset when Jiang Fei pried her arm away. She immediately giggled, pressed herself against him again, and linked her arm back through his. “I keep a totally safe distance from other guys, okay? So many boys chase me at school, and I’ve never given a single one of them a friendly look. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Zhuangzhuang and Tangyuan. But you’re different, Uncle…”
Jiang Fei glared. “What’s different about me? I’m a man too!”
“You…” Xia Xiaozhi looked up at Jiang Fei, thought for a moment, her eyes darting around, before saying, “You’re my elder, right? What’s wrong with being close between a younger person and an elder?”
What the hell!
Just as Jiang Fei was about to continue his lecture and pry her hands away again, this answer felt like an arrow piercing his chest. He was so annoyed he almost spat out blood. I’m only a few years older than you! It’s fine when you jokingly call me ‘uncle’, but now I’m actually your ‘elder’ ?
‘Uncle’ and ‘elder’ are completely different things, alright?!
Even Ye Yuanyuan, who had been radiating murderous intent and keeping a straight face, almost lost her composure when she heard Xia Xiaozhi’s answer. The corner of her mouth twitched as she barely suppressed a laugh.
Kids these days, they’re just too good with words.
Seeing Jiang Fei’s dejected look, after they entered the stairwell, Xia Xiaozhi quietly turned her head to glance at Ye Yuanyuan. Seeing that she wasn’t paying attention, she secretly whispered in Jiang Fei’s ear, “Uncle, I was just kidding earlier! Actually, the reason I’m affectionate with you is because I like you, not because I see you as some elder. Where would you find such a handsome, charming elder… You get what I mean, right?”
Jiang Fei’s pace slowed slightly, and he gave Xia Xiaozhi a strange look. Then he also secretly glanced back at Ye Yuanyuan, thinking to himself in surprise: Kids these days are this smart? Obviously, this little girl Xia Xiaozhi had noticed Ye Yuanyuan’s unusual mood earlier and deliberately said that for her to hear. Didn’t they say women in love have low IQs and are silly?
He cleared his throat softly, feeling much happier inside, but still put on a stern face and pretended to lecture. “Seeing me as an elder is definitely wrong, but you, a high school girl talking about ‘liking’ someone, is also wrong. Your main task now is to study hard and improve every day. Talking about love and romance is a crime, it’s puppy love, you know?”
“Pfft~” Xia Xiaozhi didn’t hesitate to show her disdain. Then, changing her tone, she asked, “So, after I graduate high school and turn eighteen, then I can like you?”
Jiang Fei sighed, a bit awkwardly. “After you graduate and go to university, you won’t like me anymore.”
In Jiang Fei’s view, that’s probably how things would turn out. Although high school girls nowadays might look mature in terms of appearance and figure, their mentality is still very much that of a little girl. Maybe now she’s captivated by his high-quality ‘uncle’ image, but after she gets to university, her thoughts will be completely different.
“What if I still like you then?” Xia Xiaozhi persisted, asking stubbornly.
“Uh…” Jiang Fei touched his nose and said, “We’ll talk about it then.”
“Mm-hmm. We’ll talk about it then. It’s not like I’m some fickle airhead like Zhuangzhuang whose feelings can be swayed easily. I’m not that easy to change!” Xia Xiaozhi muttered softly.
The three of them quickly went upstairs. When they passed by Xia Xiaozhi’s apartment on the lower floor, she went home first to tell her mom she was going to Jiang Fei’s upstairs for dinner. Having known each other for so long and being such close friends, her mom naturally didn’t mind, just telling her to come back early and not bother Jiang Fei too much.
The ingredients for dinner weren’t extremely rare or luxurious, but Jiang Fei still managed to make them unique. Every dish was exquisite, delicious, and meticulously prepared.
This made the two beauties, the younger Xia Xiaozhi and the older Ye Yuanyuan, eat non-stop, completely abandoning any concern for image. At the same time, they couldn’t help but be extremely curious about what exactly was in Jiang Fei’s mind, what made him different from ordinary people.
Being supremely skilled and seemingly omnipotent in medicine, music, martial arts, and so on was one thing, but his culinary skills were also out of this world. They had been freeloading meals from Jiang Fei for over six months, eating who knows how many of his delicious dishes. Yet, they discovered that no matter when, Jiang Fei’s culinary skills seemed to have no limit. He could always create new styles of dishes, leaving them always wanting more, always finding something fresh.
Sometimes, even with the exact same dish, looking identical in presentation, it would taste one way yesterday and another way today, both equally irresistible.
“Uncle, what’s this dish? It tastes like Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, but the texture is different, and the flavor is a bit off too. Besides the sweet and sour taste, there’s also a little spiciness…” Xia Xiaozhi asked, her mouth greasy, pointing at a dish with red meaty chunks.
“This? It’s not Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin. It’d be more accurate to call it Sweet and Sour Pork,” Jiang Fei said.
Ye Yuanyuan rolled her eyes at Jiang Fei. “Do you take us for fools? If this were Sweet and Sour Pork, where are the bones?”
“I’m really not lying to you. You really are fools.”
Jiang Fei smiled and explained, “This dish is called Sweet and Sour Pork (Gulaorou). It evolved from Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs. Back in the Canton region, many foreigners loved eating Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs but found spitting out the bones troublesome. So someone thought of using boneless lean meat, mixing it with seasoning and starch, and frying it into a big meatball. They called it ‘Gulao’ meat (meaning ‘ancient meat’). But since foreigners’ pronunciation wasn’t standard, it became ‘Gulao'”
Ye Yuanyuan and Xia Xiaozhi listened to Jiang Fei’s eloquent explanation. Who knew there were little stories behind this dish? After glaring at him, they didn’t dare talk further and just focused on eating.
Doubting Jiang Fei about culinary skills was just asking for trouble!
