Cooking (1)

After Yun Xi helped Xiao Hui complete his assignments, both of them headed towards the kitchen to prepare dinner. While they were heading towards the kitchen, Yun Xi saw Mo Shan accompanying Old Master Mo in playing chess.

Mo Shan also noticed her and asked, “Where are you two going?” His voice caught Old Master Mo’s attention too and he also looked at Yun Xi waiting for her answer.

Before Yun Xi could speak, Mo Shan answered, “Today, my teacher gave me an assignment of cooking with parents and to record a video of it. So, Mother and I are going to the kitchen to cook. Mother said that we are going to prepare the dinner for everyone tonight.”

Mo Shan frowned at that and even Old Master Mo objected to that, “Xiao Xi, you should just rest these days. Don’t tire yourself in the kitchen. You don’t need to cook. Just take care of your body. As for Xiao Hui’s assignment, I will ask someone else to help him with that.”

Xiao Hui was a bit disappointed hearing that but he still cared about her health more, so he said, “Yes, mother. I think grandfather is right. I can get someone else to help me.”

But Yun Xi could feel that Xiao Hui was disappointed and she also didn’t think that cooking would do her any harm. So, she replied, “Grandpa, I am fine now. Moreover, it’s not like I would be in the kitchen all time. You don’t have to worry about me. We will just cook some light foods. And it’s my first day here, so you should definitely taste my cooking. We will be done soon.”

Old Master Mo still wanted to object to her and he was just going to say something when he saw Mo Shan standing up from his seat. He waited to see what his grandfather was going to do.

Mo Shan opened his mouth to say, “Mmmm, it’s a good idea to cook for the family. Then, let’s go. I will help you with cooking. Moreover, it will be better if both of us accompany Xiao Hui in his assignment, right?” With that, he walked towards the kitchen.

Everyone present was stupefied when they heard Mo Shan. That would be the first time he ever stepped into the kitchen. Yun Xi was even more surprised hearing his words. “Can he cook? Will the food cooked by him even be edible?” she wondered.

Mo Shan realized that only he was walking and everyone else was standing still. Yun Xi and Xiao Hui didn’t even follow him. So, he asked, “Aren’t you guys coming?”

Yun Xi and everyone else finally came into the sense when they heard his voice. Yun Xi and Xiao Hui hurriedly followed him.

When they reached the kitchen, Yun Xi and Xiao Hui entered and Yun Xi started to help Xiao Hui with his apron. But, Mo Shan stood still outside the kitchen. He did say on a whim that they should cook together but now he was starting to regret it as he did not even know how to cook anything.

While he was thinking about what to do next, he heard Yun Xi calling him. “Huh?” he replied absent-mindedly. “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked. “Coming” he replied and walked inside the kitchen.

He saw that Yun Xi had an apron in her hand, so he just walked and stood in front of her as if to say, “Help me wear it.”

Actually, the apron in Yun Xi’s hand was really meant for Mo Shan. She intended to help Mo Shan help wear it but now when he came to stand in front of her, she was embarrassed. A faint hue of pink could be seen in her cheeks because of being embarrassed. Mo Shan saw that too and his corner of lips slightly went up. But he still pretended not to see it.

Mo Shan lowered himself a bit to reach Yun Xi’s height in order to let her slid the apron around his neck. Yun Xi understood his intention and blushed even more. She quickly slips the apron around his neck and wanted to walk around him to tie the knot in his back. But Mo Shan was a step ahead of her. He turned around and Yun Xi tied the knot around his waist.

Now Yun Xi was the only one left without the apron. Mo Shan took the apron from a cabinet and slid it through her neck. After that instead of going around her to tie it, he pulled her closer to him, slid his hands around her waist, and tied the knot around her waist very slowly. He was taking time teasing her and he enjoyed teasing her. He loved seeing her being all shy and flustered.

After the knot was done, Yun Xi hurriedly took few steps back. She could not even raise her eyes to look at Mo Shan.

Xiao Hui saw her face being red so he asked concerned, “Mother, what happened to you? Why is your face so red?”

Yun Xi did not know how to answer his question and stuttered, “umm, n.. no. It’s nothing. I am completely fine. It’s just that it is a bit warmer here.” She could not even look at Xiao Hui because of lying.

Xiao Hui did not think much and just nodded his head. He then questioned excitedly, “So, what are we making for dinner, mother?”

Yun Xi thought for few minutes and then replied, “Rice is the must for dinner. Let’s make mapo tofu, fish stew, roasted duck, pickled radish, and scrambled eggs for us; chicken soup and beef broccoli for grandpa. Finally, double-layered milk custard for dessert. Is it okay?”

Xiao Hui clapped his hands excitedly and even Mo Shan was nodding his head in agreement. “So, let’s start.” Yun Xi said. But, she found that the father-son duo had frozen still. They were looking at her while smiling awkwardly. At that moment she realized that they did not know anything about the kitchen. But her heart melts thinking that even if they had no idea, they were fully supporting her eyes.

She smiled at them warmly and said, “No worries. I will teach you what to do. You can wash and cut the vegetables and I will cook, hmmm? So, first of all, let’s prepare to make Mapo tofu.”

Mo Shan and Xiao Hui smiled at each other seeing that Yun Xi did not mind their weakness.

Yun Xi opened the refrigerator and saw that there were only juices, beverages, and dairy products there, other than that there was nothing. So, she went to check on the freezer and there she found all types of meat and ice-creams. But she still could not find fruits and vegetables. So, she turned at Mo Shan and asked, “Where are the fruits and vegetables kept?”

At the same time, Butler Li entered the kitchen and heard her asking those questions. So, he replied curtly, “sorry to interrupt, Miss Yun. Actually, some of them are grown in our greenhouse and some are kept in cold storage in the basement. You can tell me what you are going to cook tonight and I will send someone to deliver you the fruits and vegetables you need.”

“Uncle Li, don’t need to trouble others for this. You can just tell me the location and I will get them by myself.” Yun Xi replied.

“No” An objection sounded from Mo Shan. “It’s so cold in there. It’s not good for the child. So, just let someone bring them over here.” Yun Xi knew that Mo Shan would not budge from his decision so she just nodded her head at him. Then she listed all the foods she thought of preparing.

Butler Li listened to her and then went outside and called few maids there to prepare everything needed for those dishes. Maids scurried away in hurry to prepare everything and bring them back to the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, Yun Xi took out tofu from the fridge while she told Mo Shan to take out spare ribs, beef, and chicken from the freezer. Mo Shan did as he was told. Yun Xi then asked, “What about the maids? Do we have to prepare for them all? How many of them are here?”

“Don’t worry about them. Even if you want, you cannot make for all of them. There are about 150 of them working here, so they have a separate kitchen prepared for them in their quarter. We do not need to cook for them.” Mo Shan replied.

Yun Xi was surprised when she heard that there were about 150 maids working there. But on the second thought, it was quite possible since there were too many rooms in the mansion which required them to clean, there were pools, gardens, etc. Yun Xi did not think much about it and quickly got on the work.