Yang Xia, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard a commotion outside, which made her uneasy.
After a while, she finally couldn’t hold back and peeked into the living room, only to see such a scene.
Yang Mo was pinned underneath Qian Ling. Her soft, pale golden hair was spread messily across the sofa, her cheeks slightly flushed as she gently exhaled warm breaths through her lips.
It seemed she, too, was at a loss in this situation. Instead of struggling at once, she just widened her eyes, her confused gaze tangled with Qian Ling’s.
Qian Ling, who had pounced on her, propped herself up with her right hand beside Yang Mo’s ear, while her other hand was already in contact with Yang Mo’s raised right hand, reaching the remote control in her grasp.
Yet Qian Ling’s gaze wasn’t on the remote, but fixed directly on Yang Mo’s eyes, just as startled.
Even Yang Xia, who had witnessed this scene with her own eyes, was dumbfounded at the same time.
After a moment, she finally shouted at them, “…You two! What’s going on?!”
“……”
“……”
Reminded by Yang Xia, Qian Ling and Yang Mo quickly separated.
Both of them were blushing furiously, not daring to look at each other.
They just placed their hands on their knees, sitting upright on the sofa with a gap between them.
Yang Mo was the first to speak, mumbling softly:
“We…were fighting over the remote.”
“And then, by accident…”
Qian Ling added.
Faced with this situation, Yang Xia didn’t know what to say.
She could only tell them, “It’s just a remote. How did it turn into this… Anyway, just don’t continue.”
Qian Ling and Yang Mo turned to look at her at the same time, then nodded in unison, showing perfect tacit understanding.
Only then did Yang Xia leave the living room and return to her work.
She could only hope these two wouldn’t stir up any more trouble.
A while later, Yang Xia’s calm call sounded from the kitchen.
“Dinner’s ready. Yang Mo, Qian Ling, come help bring out the dishes.”
And so, the evening meal at Yang Mo’s house finally officially began.
The three of them sat in different places than at their previous meeting.
This time, Qian Ling and Yang Xia still sat facing each other, but Yang Mo, without a word, moved from beside her sister to sit next to Qian Ling.
And for some reason—maybe it was her imagination—Qian Ling felt Yang Mo was deliberately sitting a bit closer to her.
But that didn’t matter anymore; enjoying this meal was what she cared about most now.
Looking at the wooden tabletop, aside from their bowls, chopsticks, and freshly scooped rice, there were three dishes laid out.
There was boiled sliced pork in a metal pot, Kung Pao chicken with wood ear mushrooms, and a plate of stir-fried cabbage.
Though the steamy, bright red broth in the pot gave off an intimidating vibe, it only piqued Qian Ling’s curiosity.
Watching her stare straight at the boiled pork, Yang Mo couldn’t tell whether her reaction was excitement or fear.
So she asked from the side, “Can you eat spicy food?”
“I don’t know.”
Qian Ling answered succinctly and swiftly picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks.
“How can she just start eating on her own?”
Ignoring Yang Xia’s protest, Qian Ling brought the meat to her mouth.
But as soon as it touched her tongue, she expressionlessly moved the meat into her bowl of rice.
Yang Mo tilted her head and sighed, “Ah, looks like she can’t handle it.”
Qian Ling immediately disagreed.
“No, it’s too hot.”
As she spoke, she stuck out her tongue and wobbled her head.
“You idiot.” Yang Xia held her forehead, looking utterly helpless.
“I told you, I adjusted the seasoning when I cooked. Even people who don’t eat spicy food should be able to handle it.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Qian Ling replied casually.
With that, feeling it had cooled down enough, she put the meat back into her mouth.
Yang Mo and Yang Xia silently watched her every move until she swallowed what was in her mouth.
“How is it?”
To Yang Xia’s question, Qian Ling didn’t reply but instead gave a sparkling thumbs-up, then brought it down firmly.
That seemed to be her answer.
Yang Mo glanced at her, then turned to look at Yang Xia, her joy growing more obvious.
Finally, she put her hands together and smiled with narrowed eyes. “That’s wonderful.”
Yang Xia let out a proud hum, pulling back her arm from the table, and smiled together with Yang Mo.
After that, they stopped paying attention to Qian Ling’s reaction and started on their own bowls.
If it were in the old world, this flavor would probably be found in the southwest.
Qian Ling chewed as she pondered.
She had indeed seen similar research saying that the original setting was mostly fictional, but some local customs were woven in.
She looked down at the oily, sauce-soaked greens in the red broth, and the peppercorns bobbing in the soup.
She was surprised herself—she hadn’t expected she could handle this level of spiciness.
Even now, the mild spiciness tingled her tongue, the aroma of oil and peppercorns mingling in her mouth.
The meat was tender yet perfectly firm, not losing all its bite.
It made her want to eat another couple of bites of rice.
Yang Xia’s cooking skills surely played a crucial role.
After all, Qian Ling knew the soup base was bought fresh at the supermarket; if she’d just poured it straight into the pot, it would taste like the locals were used to.
But just as Yang Xia had said, by adjusting the seasoning, she’d made a dish even people who rarely ate spicy food could enjoy.
The Kung Pao chicken with wood ear mushrooms and the stir-fried cabbage also had their own unique flavors.
After finishing, Yang Xia’s image in Qian Ling’s heart grew several degrees more sacred.
With the utmost respect, Qian Ling shifted her gaze to Yang Xia.
This might be one of the most memorable meals in my memory. Thank you.
But just as she was about to express her gratitude, Yang Xia pulled a straight face and threw her a line: “Why are you looking at me like that? It’s honestly kind of gross.”
And so, the light in Qian Ling’s eyes—and her respect for Yang Xia—disappeared together.
Before Qian Ling could say anything, Yang Mo spoke up for her.
“That’s so mean!”
She puffed up her cheeks and argued with Yang Xia, “Qian Ling was clearly planning to thank you, Sis!”
Yang Xia just waved her hand indifferently. “She hasn’t even said anything yet. How do you know what she’s planning?”
She glanced at Qian Ling as she spoke.
“Anyway, you’re just guessing. Then let me guess she has no opinion.”
“How can you be like this!”
At this, Yang Mo turned to Qian Ling and said, “Why not let Qian Ling say what she wants herself?”
“Me?”
Qian Ling pointed blankly at herself with her index finger.
To express my feelings so frankly at a moment like this… feels a bit weird…
So she closed her eyes and shook her head, telling Yang Mo, “It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s just clean up the table first.”
“Oh… it is about that time.”
Yang Mo was still frowning, but since Qian Ling herself had dropped it, she didn’t push further.
Afterwards, at Qian Ling’s suggestion, dishwashing duties were left to her.
With nothing else to do, Yang Mo soon joined in, while Yang Xia oversaw them from the side.
Although Yang Xia had doubted whether Qian Ling could even manage this, it seemed she actually had some experience.
At least her use of detergent was within reasonable limits, and her process for cleaning bowls and plates was correct—though whether she was skilled or not was another question.
And so, the three of them worked together, moving steadily towards the end of their tasks.