Xu Zifan helped Yu Sisi carry all the small boxes into the room. Yu Sisi gave him a bottle of water and smiled apologetically, "It seems like I'm always troubling you. You've helped me three times in one day. Thank you."
Xu Zifan took a sip of water and said with a smile, "No need to be so polite. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. It's only right to lend a hand. Did you buy these kitchen utensils?"
Yu Sisi nodded, looking at the small boxes with some distress. "I never cooked before, so I never knew there were so many kinds of kitchen utensils. It seems very complicated. I don't know how many times I'll have to cook before I can make a delicious dish."
Xu Zifan asked in confusion, "Are you in a hurry? You need to be patient and enjoy the process of cooking to make it taste good."
"Is that so? My grandma fell and was hospitalized. The daughter of the patient in the next room makes delicious, nutritious meals and brings them to the hospital every day. My grandma seems quite envious, so I want to learn how to make them too, to make her happy. If I take it slow, she might be discharged by the time I learn how." Yu Sisi frowned slightly, then smiled again. "It's okay, I'm resting these few days anyway, I'm sure I'll learn if I practice more."
Xu Zifan used to dislike cooking, so it was easy to see that Yu Sisi also disliked cooking. The fact that she learned to cook in order to make her grandmother happy shows that she is very filial and commendable.
He glanced at the schedule Shao Hua had drawn up for him. Since he had nothing to do recently, he smiled and said, "I've recently become obsessed with cooking, and I'm quite talented at it. I'm doing pretty well. Do you want me to teach you?"
Yu Sisi exclaimed in surprise, "Is that okay?"
Xu Zifan nodded, and said happily with a smile, "That's great! I don't have to bury myself in my studies anymore. That 'Cooking Manual' is so boring. Thank you so much! I'll go buy the freshest ingredients first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, do you have to go to work?"
"I'm a print model. I go when there's work, and I rest on other days. I just happen to have nothing to do these few days."
"No wonder you have such a great presence, you must be very popular." Yu Sisi carefully examined Xu Zifan's appearance, and as if remembering something, she pulled a magazine from the bookshelf. Sure enough, Xu Zifan was on the cover.
She smiled and showed it to Xu Zifan, "What a coincidence! I even bought a magazine featuring you! I was wondering why you looked so familiar."
Xu Zifan joked, "Once I become really famous, you won't just recognize me, you'll know me."
Yu Sisi winked playfully and said, "No need, I already know you." Then she laughed.
Through casual conversation, Xu Zifan learned that Yu Sisi was 25 years old and a fashion designer. She had previously gone to Beijing to participate in the most prestigious design competition in China, the Huashang Cup. However, she received news that her grandmother had been hospitalized on the eve of the final competition, so she withdrew from the competition and rushed back, unfortunately not making it to the end.
However, judging from Yu Sisi's attitude, she didn't seem to care much about it. She was just glad that her grandmother's fall wasn't serious, only a minor fracture that would heal with some rest.
After Xu Zifan got home, he checked and found that Yu Sisi's work was excellent. Her ideas were novel yet realistic, and every piece of clothing was very fashionable. If she hadn't withdrawn from the competition, she would definitely have won the Huashang Cup this time.
Excellent people are always admirable, especially someone who is filial, family-oriented, and has a good personality. Xu Zifan's affection for Yu Sisi increased significantly, and he was happy to help her learn how to make nutritious meals to make the elderly happy.
The next morning, Yu Sisi went out and bought a lot of ingredients, washed all the kitchen utensils, and knocked on Xu Zifan's door at about nine o'clock.
Xu Zifan had gotten up early and cultivated for a while. When Yu Sisi came looking for him, he went to her place.
Yu Sisi specially bought two breakfasts. She felt that Xu Zifan didn't like thanking her all the time, so she expressed her gratitude in every detail.
After the two finished breakfast, Yu Sisi took Xu Zifan to look at the ingredients. Xu Zifan couldn't help but laugh when he saw the refrigerator was full, truly appreciating Yu Sisi's determination to learn to cook.
He opened the book "28 Nursing Regimens," found some dishes and soups suitable for elderly people with fractures, and said, "Let's learn these two dishes first. They are suitable for the elderly and don't take long to prepare, so we can make them several times. Let's try them now."
"Okay." Yu Sisi was a little nervous. She took out the ingredients from the recipe, put them in the sink to wash, and then felt helpless holding the knife. It felt like neither the vegetables nor the knife were very obedient; they were always a bit unsteady.
Seeing this, Xu Zifan took over chopping the vegetables, teaching her as he went, "Like this, stick your fingers up and curl them slightly, use your knuckles to hold the knife, and it's best to tilt the knife at about 15 degrees so you don't accidentally hit your hand. Remember to wash the vegetables after you finish chopping one type before chopping the next. For this kind of meat, don't slice it straight up and down, you have to cut it in strips... Come on, try it."
Xu Zifan demonstrated each step in the book to her one by one, and after demonstrating each one, he let her try it herself and gave her pointers. By the time all the ingredients were ready, it was already ten o'clock.
Then they started making soup. Yu Sisi had bought a complete set of kitchen utensils, including small measuring spoons. Xu Zifan told her to measure out all the seasonings and put them into the pot according to the instructions in the book.
With him overseeing the process, the taste was naturally excellent. Xu Zifan even deliberately lowered his standards to hide his shortcomings, but even a master chef lowering his standards is still delicious. Yu Sisi immediately showed a delighted expression after tasting it.
The soup needed to simmer for a while, so they rested for a bit before continuing to cook. By the time the dishes were done, the soup was almost ready.
Yu Sisi was surprised by her success on the first try and exclaimed happily:
"This is all thanks to you. I never expected you to be such a good cook and such a great teacher. I've learned so much from you. This is the first time I've ever cooked, and it didn't burn or have any weird taste. It's a fantastic start!"
She glanced at the time and said, "There's plenty of food, let's eat together. After we finish, I'll take the food to my grandma at the hospital; she'll definitely like it."
"Okay, I'll serve the rice, you can bring out the dishes." Xu Zifan had spent the morning in her kitchen and already knew where everything was. He quickly served the rice, poured the juice, and set it on the table. Yu Sisi also set out the dishes.
Just as Xu Zifan was about to pick up his chopsticks, Yu Sisi hurriedly stopped him, ran to grab her phone, and excitedly laughed, "I have to take a picture to commemorate this! It's my first time cooking, and I absolutely have to capture this delicious dish on my WeChat Moments! You know, my best friend is an amazing cook. She's abroad, and she's been criticizing me ever since she heard I was cooking. I'm sending this to her right now!"
Xu Zifan's heart skipped a beat. Post it on WeChat Moments? He thought for a moment, then revealed a cryptic smile. He took out his phone and took a picture of the food. He deliberately omitted Yu Sisi's rice bowl and only took a picture of his own side, making the picture look like a lunch for one person.
Then he posted on his WeChat Moments: "[I've fallen in love with cooking. How's it going?]"
His friends' replies were naturally full of jokes, and Xu's parents praised him, saying he was very talented and did a great job.
Yue Lingling quickly replied: [Amazing! My mouth is watering just looking at it. It must be delicious. Zifan, when Xu's parents come back, you have to cook a feast for us to try!]
Xu Zifan replied to his parents and then replied to two other friends, but did not reply to Yue Lingling.
After he and Yu Sisi finished eating, Yu Sisi packed the food into a thermos and went to the hospital to visit her grandmother, while Xu Zifan selected several brokerage companies chosen by Shaohua, submitted his resume, and then turned on the TV's food channel to watch chefs cook Western food.
He used to study Chinese cuisine and has mastered it to a high level, but he hasn't had much exposure to food from other countries. Now that his work isn't too busy, he plans to research delicious food from various countries, as well as the processing and cooking methods for different ingredients. It's also a way of preparing for his future travels to the unknown world; learning more is never a bad thing.
While he was having a very leisurely time, Yue Lingling felt frustrated. In the past, she didn't think much of it when the original owner of the body didn't reply to her occasionally, but after Zhao Xin's farce, she could clearly feel that Xu Zifan's avoidance of her had escalated, as if he didn't want to have any contact with her anymore. It was difficult to even exchange a few words or meet up.
This made her very sensitive. She saw that Xu Zifan had replied to his parents and friends but not to her, and she felt as if she was being rejected and disliked by Xu Zifan.
Her original plan was to retreat in order to advance, to temporarily stop contacting Xu Zifan, and to let Xu Zifan fully experience how difficult women are to deal with Zhao Xin, leaving him exhausted. When she contacted him again, it would create a stark contrast. This was the purpose of her having someone introduce Zhao Xin to Xu Zifan.
But she never expected that Xu Zifan would suddenly break up with Zhao Xin. Her plan was ruined before it even started, disrupting all her arrangements. She was at a loss as to whether to advance or retreat, unsure of how to win over Xu Zifan. Her mind was in turmoil, and she had no mood to do anything every day, feeling extremely irritable.
Xu Zifan's knowledge of psychology is as good as his cooking skills. He basically knows all of Yue Lingling's pain. For someone who has been secretly in love with him for nearly thirty years, the most painful thing is not arguing with her or rejecting her, but completely ignoring her and making her feel that she has no trace in his heart.
Whether it's love, hate, disgust, or aversion, she can comfort herself that at least he still remembers her. But when she becomes nothing in his life, the unbearable pain will surely overwhelm her.
Xu Zifan possessed all of the original owner's memories and knew that the original owner genuinely regarded Yue Lingling as a younger sister. This affection was precious, yet Yue Lingling destroyed the original owner's life because of her own love for her. Who can bear such love? So selfish, so inconsiderate of the other person, this is not love at all, but a perverted possessiveness.
Xu Zifan did not intend to let her off so easily. Her suffering was self-inflicted, but the original owner's suffering was an undeserved disaster. She had also indirectly caused the original owner's death, causing her loving parents, Xu Zifan's father and mother, to suffer the loss of their son.
Her behavior can be considered repaying kindness with enmity, and she doesn't deserve a good ending at all.
At opposite ends of a city, one is confident and calm, while the other is restless and anxious. The lives of these childhood sweethearts have been switched. Yue Lingling can no longer interfere in his life based on her understanding of him. The road ahead will no longer follow her plan, but she is unwilling to give up, so she still has to go on, destined to suffer the consequences of her own actions.
Xu Zifan's phone buzzed. He saw that Yu Sisi had replied to his WeChat Moments post, saying: "[My grandma loved it! Our first attempt at cooking was a huge success! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!]"
Xu Zifan smiled slightly, wondering what expression Yue Lingling would have on her face when she saw that the dishes she praised so highly were actually made by him and another girl.