Jie Jingchen was taken aback for a moment, then a gentle smile appeared. He nuzzled his face against her palm. "I'll do it."
"But, my brother..."
"Your brother is just looking out for you. You don't have to cook, but you need to know *how* to cook," Jie Jingchen interrupted Qin Mei. He and Qin Xiang were comrades-in-arms and understood each other well. He knew exactly what Qin Xiang was thinking.
Qin Mei sniffled. "I know. He's afraid I'll starve to death."
'It's better to rely on yourself than on others.' Qin Mei understood. Qin Xiang's reasoning was simple: as long as she knew how to cook, she could fend for herself.
In this era of scarcity, just having enough to eat and stay warm was a major accomplishment.
The smile on Jie Jingchen's face faded slightly. He looked deeply at Qin Mei. "Meimei, your brother can entrust his life to me, but he can't bring himself to entrust you to me. To be honest, I agree with him. Meimei, you don't have to cook, but you need to know how."
