mtlumby2d Chapter 265 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 3
Chapter 265 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 3
Lu Yan stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at her.
That look was calm, yet it clearly conveyed three words: So what?
Jiang Shuwan felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, and her forced desire to freeload a meal instantly deflated.
"Uh... I was just saying."
She chuckled dryly, clutching the soy sauce bottle, and started backing away. "I won't bother you any longer. I'll take the soy sauce, thank you..."
Before he could finish speaking, his stomach rumbled loudly and at an extremely inopportune moment.
The sound wasn't loud, but in a space filled only with the bubbling of soup, it was as clear as an alarm.
Jiang Shuwan's face instantly turned bright red, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
What a shame!
She immediately turned around and practically fled, wanting nothing more than to get away from the disaster scene as quickly as possible.
"and many more."
The voice came from behind her, not loud, but it made her stop in her tracks instinctively.
Jiang Shuwan turned around stiffly, her face still flushed, and laughed awkwardly, "Wh-what's wrong, haha."
Lu Yan had already turned off the stove, picked up two clean bowls, and started serving rice.
His movements remained methodical, and his voice was completely calm: "Let's eat together, go get the chopsticks."
What a twist!
Jiang Shuwan's eyes lit up instantly, and her slight embarrassment was instantly dispelled by a huge surprise.
"Thank you, thank you! Lu Yan, you're such a good person! A really good person!"
She practically skipped to the cupboard to grab chopsticks, then obediently helped bring the rice and the mouthwatering tomato beef brisket to the table, watching him sit down with eager eyes.
Lu Yan sat down opposite her, ignoring her string of "good guy" cards, and simply handed her a clean spoon: "Eat."
Jiang Shuwan couldn't wait any longer and immediately scooped a large spoonful of beef brisket and poured it over the rice.
The piping hot and delicious broth instantly seeped into each distinct grain of rice.
She carefully blew on it and put it in her mouth.
The next second, her eyes narrowed into crescent moons of happiness:
"Mmm! This is so delicious! The beef is stewed until it's so tender, the tomato flavor is completely infused, and the broth... Oh my god, how did you do this? It's better than any restaurant I've ever been to!"
As she ate, she launched into a frenzy of praise, her vocabulary so rich and her expression so sincere, as if she were eating some kind of unparalleled delicacy.
However, talking didn't stop her from eating. She quickly finished one bowl of rice and then served herself a second one.
During this time, she secretly raised her eyes and quickly glanced at Lu Yan.
He ate quietly, but at a considerable pace, and seemed to show no impatience with his neighbor, who was both a "noise maker" and had an "amazing appetite."
He would only occasionally glance at her when her praises became too outrageous.
His gaze was indifferent, yet Jiang Shuwan inexplicably sensed a hint of "he can't even shut up while eating."
Realizing that she might have gotten a little carried away because she was too happy and revealed her overly lively nature, the heat that had just subsided on Jiang Shuwan's face returned a little.
She slowed her movements slightly, chewing more slowly, and muttered an explanation in her own voice: "Well... I don't usually eat this much, it's just that your cooking smells so good, and I've been... um, on a diet lately..."
She tried to make the reason sound more believable.
"Dieting?" Lu Yan had just finished eating, put down his chopsticks, and calmly glanced at the empty bowl in front of her. The unspoken meaning was self-evident.
Jiang Shuwan's ears burned, and she put down her spoon with some annoyance, confessing in a low voice as if she had nothing to lose: "Okay, okay... actually, I've been a little short on money lately and haven't been eating properly."
After saying that, she immediately stood up, her movements swift and seemingly a desperate attempt to change the subject: "Well, you cooked the meal, so I'll wash the dishes!"
She reached for the empty bowl in front of Lu Yan, her fingertips almost brushing against his fingers.
Lu Yan moved his hand away almost imperceptibly, giving her space, and said nothing more.
The air suddenly became quiet, with only the soft glow of the ceiling lights.
……
I thought last night was just a minor incident, but the next night, I heard that familiar knocking sound again.
"Dang-dang-dang."
Jiang Shuwan held up the basket and waved it in front of him. Water droplets splashed on the back of her hand, feeling cool. "Look what I bought! Super fresh strawberries, I just grabbed them from the supermarket!"
Lu Yan looked up at her, probably not expecting her to come again, his eyes showing obvious surprise.
Jiang Shuwan didn't give him time to react.
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, she nimbly slipped in like a fish, went straight to the dining table, pulled out the chair she had sat in yesterday, placed the strawberries on the table, and looked up at him with a smile, resting her chin on her hand.
"What delicious food are you making today? It smells like sweet and sour pork ribs?"
The entire movement was performed in one smooth motion, so natural that it seemed as if she were the owner of the house.
Lu Yan closed the door, turned around and looked at her matter-of-fact expression, his brows furrowed slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Jiang Shuwan, what are you doing..."
"Ok?"
Jiang Shuwan looked up, her eyes innocent, as if she really didn't understand what he was asking.
She pointed to the box of strawberries and replied matter-of-factly, speaking briskly, "Can I borrow this space to eat strawberries?"
She then pointed in the direction of her own front door, her excuse readily available, tinged with a hint of cunning and deceit:
"My faucet seems to be having some problems; the water pressure is too low, and it doesn't get the water clean. Can I borrow yours for a bit? And look at these strawberries, they're so red and big. It's no fun for me to eat them all by myself. Let's share them."
As she spoke, she spontaneously moved to the sink and turned on the tap.
Clear water cascaded down as she deftly began rinsing the strawberries. Turning her head, her eyes crinkled into crescents, she casually revealed her ultimate purpose:
"Besides, sweet and sour pork ribs and sweet and sour strawberries go so well together, the flavor is definitely richer when eaten together, trust me!"
Lu Yan looked into her eyes and remained silent for a few seconds.
I inexplicably recalled that a few days ago when I passed by a convenience store, I unexpectedly saw Jiang Shuwan staring at oden.
Back then, her eyes were just as bright as they are now, as if they held stars, but in the end, she simply pursed her lips, silently turned around, and left.
Almost imperceptibly, as if in resignation, he sighed, picked up the spatula, put the ribs into a plate, then deftly washed the pan, turned on the stove, quickly stir-fried some broccoli, and served it on the table.
Jiang Shuwan had already obediently sat in her usual spot, with her hands on her knees, her eyes following the plate in his hand.
"Let's eat." His voice remained calm as he handed her the chopsticks and sat down opposite her.
"Okay!" Jiang Shuwan replied crisply and couldn't wait to start eating.
But out of Lu Yan's sight, a triumphant smile quietly appeared on the corner of her mouth.