Chapter 73: I’ll Go Buy Some Drinks

In the evening, Tang Zhichu took a shower and changed into a set of clean clothes.
Having finished cleaning, he was covered in sweat.
Sitting on the sofa, Tang Zhichu picked up his phone from the coffee table and saw several WeChat messages waiting.
His eldest aunt had invited him to visit, as had his uncle and others.
After replying to his relatives, Tang Zhichu finally opened Jiang Lan’s chat window.
“Where are you? There’s something I need to give you, but I forgot.”
Tang Zhichu touched his stomach, just then feeling hungry, and typed: “Lan-jie, are you off work?”
“Nothing much today, so I got off early. Shall I come find you?”
“I’ll send you my location. Dinner’s on me; there’s a hotpot place next door with great reviews.”
“I don’t really feel like hotpot.”
“Then what do you want to eat? You decide—today, you’re the boss.”
“Aren’t you good at cooking?”
“Uh... I suppose I could.”
“Never mind if you don’t want to. I’ve been running around these days and finally lost a bit of weight. If I eat, I’ll just gain it all back.”
Tang Zhichu sucked in a breath. That stung. Who was she running around for? Lost weight, even!
“But... but cooking always makes me feel awful.”
The other side went silent for a while before replying, “Sorry, I’ll cook for you.”
Seeing her message, Tang Zhichu pressed his palms together in thanks to the air.

Tang Zhichu and Jiang Lan met at the entrance of the supermarket.
Jiang Lan still wore her business attire, though today she had on tailored women’s slacks, a white shirt, and a matching jacket, looking every inch the successful urban woman.
They’d been chatting away on WeChat, but in person, both wore slightly bashful smiles.
“What’s that?” Tang Zhichu asked, eyeing the document folder tucked under Jiang Lan’s arm. It looked familiar.
Jiang Lan handed it over. “For you. Consider it proper compensation.”
Tang Zhichu squeezed it; it felt like papers. “Money?”
“More or less.”
He handed it back. “I don’t want it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Jiang Lan, seeing he wasn’t joking, smiled. “Take it. With that attitude, at least my hours negotiating with the production team weren’t wasted.”
Then she walked into the supermarket.
Tang Zhichu had a good guess—it must be about the QQ Candy.
QQ Candy was simple; any professional could tell how to make it at a glance. It had some commercial value, but with the program’s involvement, Tang Zhichu didn’t expect to earn much from it.
Jiang Lan’s ability to handle it was impressive, and if it went well, both he and Chen Siyang would benefit.

If she insisted on giving it, he could accept. He was short on cash, after all.
Though Jiang Lan was to cook, Tang Zhichu still picked out the ingredients himself, showing each one to Jiang Lan for approval.
He felt responsible for treating her to this meal and wanted it to be special.
“This chicken looks good—the meat seems firm, and it’s a young bird. Let’s make white-cut chicken.” He pointed to the free-range chicken, glancing at Jiang Lan.
She nodded. “Can we finish it all?”
“If not, we’ll save the rest. The seafood here doesn’t look lively, so let’s just get some shrimp.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Jiang Lan pushed the cart, following behind, but she could guess what dish he’d make with each item he picked.
Her hometown was Chancheng in southern Guangdong, and Tang Zhichu was clearly planning a Cantonese menu.

“Look at this—Golden Friend’s chicken feet, so tasty! Want some?” Tang Zhichu asked with a grin as he picked up fruit and spotted the snacks nearby.
Jiang Lan rolled her eyes. “Buy them if you want.”
Tang Zhichu, generous, swept a dozen or so packs into the cart.
Jiang Lan scolded, “Can you eat that many?”
“They’re delicious. I’ll save them for later.”
They bought groceries, fruit, and snacks—everything they needed.
After paying, Tang Zhichu took Jiang Lan back to his aunt’s place.

Inside, Tang Zhichu handed Jiang Lan a pair of slippers.
She eyed him suspiciously. “Women’s slippers?”
“My aunt’s.”
“Oh.”
“The remote’s on the sofa; you can watch TV. Isn’t the second episode of our show out? It’s almost 7:30. I should start cooking. If you’re hungry, have some snacks...”
He’d already headed to the kitchen before finishing his sentence.

In the unfamiliar apartment, Jiang Lan looked around. The décor was fresh and light.
The dining room had a solid wood round table and a stone-like accent wall. There was wood flooring, and the living room was separated by a white railing.
The sofa was in soft, pale shades.
Jiang Lan sat down and turned on the TV. The second episode had been released at noon yesterday, but she’d been too busy to watch.
After finding the channel, she soon found watching alone uninteresting and got up to head to the kitchen.

Tang Zhichu was busy preparing the chicken.
Even if he wasn’t a Cantonese cuisine expert, he could make white-cut chicken. He’d learned it in a past life—it was a classic, an iconic Cantonese dish. There was a saying: “No banquet without chicken.”
He cleaned the chicken, boiled a large pot of water with scallions, ginger, and turmeric. Worried the color wouldn’t be rich enough, he tossed in a few gardenia fruits.
Once the water boiled, he blanched the chicken and plunged it into ice water, repeating the process three times to ensure the perfect texture.
After three cycles, he placed the whole chicken into the pot, brought it to a boil, then turned off the heat. Since it was free-range, not old, he noted the time—forty minutes would do.
With the most time-consuming dish left to cook itself, Tang Zhichu noticed someone watching from the kitchen door.
He turned and saw Jiang Lan.

Suddenly, the scene felt oddly familiar. He asked, “Lan-jie, you haven’t added someone named Tang Huiwen on WeChat, have you?”
Jiang Lan snapped out of her thoughts. “Who?”
He shook his head, thinking she must be hungry.
Rubbing his hands, he decided to make something quick.
He opened a bottle of milk, poured it into several small bowls, and added water to the steamer on the other stove.
At the door, Jiang Lan swallowed—she was indeed hungry.
She looked away, thinking to herself that no wonder so many online called him “husband”—he really was good-looking, with a pronounced Adam’s apple, just a bit thin.

“What are you making?” Jiang Lan asked.
Tang Zhichu pointed to the steamer. The milk-filled bowls were already inside.
“Don’t tell me you can’t guess?”
Jiang Lan’s eyes lit up. “Double-layer milk pudding!”
“Smart!”
She moved closer, watching intently before letting him close the lid.
This was a special feeling; as a child, her favorite treat had been this very dessert. Her father had even learned to make it for her—it was a signature snack from her hometown.
“I remember how to make it, but it might not be authentic,” Tang Zhichu said.
She said nothing, simply watching him continue with his preparations.

Soon, Tang Zhichu opened the steamer, donned oven mitts, and carefully took out the bowls of milk.
He worked gently since the milk had formed a skin. Using chopsticks, he lifted the skin, poured out the milk, then spread the skin evenly across the bottom of the bowl.
This was why it was called “double-layer milk pudding.”
He sweetened the milk with sugar and a pinch of salt to balance the flavor, then added egg whites and lemon juice to mask any eggy scent.
Finally, he poured the milk back into the bowls and returned them to the steamer.

Having an audience made Tang Zhichu a bit nervous, relying as he was on memory rather than familiarity.
He placed the lid on the steamer and breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Jiang Lan. “Lan-jie, what do you think? Is my method passable?”
Jiang Lan sniffed, looking at him. “You know, this could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? It’s fine, I’m wearing gloves.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Tang Zhichu gazed at her; with her fair skin and white blouse, she looked almost translucent, flawless.

Only then did he sense the atmosphere had shifted.

Jiang Lan stepped back and left the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Tang Zhichu called.
Her voice came from the doorway. “I’m going to buy some drinks.”