Rebirth from the Ashes - Chapter 454

Chapter 454: Food of the Same Taste

As the Su family did not do right by Shen Xi, the girl soon returned to her adoptive parents. Her adoptive parents loved her like their own. It would be great if Lil’ Xi was as blessed too.

“Mom, let me tell you a secret, but you must promise not to tell Qingli, okay?” Fu Qingxuan acted all mysterious.

Mama Fu asked while looking at the clothes collection. “What’s the secret?”

“Meanie…” Fu Qingxuan quickly addressed the girl differently before continuing. “I mean, Shen Xi. She said yes to joining me at the lab as my assistant during the summer holidays.”

Hearing about Shen Xi’s arrival, Mama Fu did simple math in her head. It was less than two months away. Her eyes reflected glee. “I won’t tell your brother. Can I see her?”

“You can meet her in secret if she comes over, but don’t let Qingli know about it,” Fu Qingxuan said.

“Didn’t she say she was coming?” Mama Fu thought it was odd.

Letting out a sigh, Fu Qingxuan had to swallow his words. “She might be busy with something then. I’ll have to discuss this with her.”

He was tempted to list out Qingli’s wrongdoings yet had to hold his tongue.

Since Meanie had already promised him, she would have made it had Qingli not interfered. What should he do to make her come now that she was ignoring him?

There were not a lot of people who knew about the commotion at the supermarket, apart from the onlookers. Shen Xi included, was too far to see what was happening.

Jin Yu, on the other hand, witnessed from afar a young man carrying a person away. He only saw the young man’s back and not the person in his arms.

Shen Xi and Jin Yu went straight home after grocery shopping. They washed and chopped the ingredients in preparation for tonight’s dinner.

The broth was not bought but made by Jin Yu. The bone broth as the hotpot’s soup base required a longer preparation time.

“What else do you crave other than hotpot?” Jin Yu asked the girl who was getting her hands dirty with the mushrooms. Since the broth and spices were underway, he had time to make a few of her favorite dishes.

Shen Xi dwelled on it for a moment as there were too many to choose from. “Can you make them all?”

Jin Yu smiled warmly. “I can try.”

Shen Xi replied, “Sweet and sour ribs and braised trotters, please!”

Jin Yu gave a nod. “Sure.”

Shen Xi’s happiness was written all over her eyes. She gave him the thumbs up and praised him from the bottom of her heart, “Uncle Jin Yu, you’re the best.”

Jin Yu was in a great mood. The girl was so sincere in her compliments, so much so he was so happy to give her whatever she wanted.

An hour later.

Jin Yu shouted, “Xixi, the ribs are good to go.”

Shen Xi excitedly raced to the kitchen. Looking at the ribs served on the plate, she could not help herself from grabbing the chopsticks to try one piece. Her expression changed when the meat melted in her mouth.

Jin Yu gazed at her. “What’s wrong? Is it not to your liking?”

Shen Xi shook her head and answered with a grin, “It’s delicious, so delicious.”

She could never forget this familiar taste after trying it once. It was an exact copy of Fu Qingxuan’s cooking.

Nevertheless, good food probably tasted just about the same while horrible food was all disgusting in its own way.

Li Yuan was home early today, knowing they were going to have a hotpot. He adjourned the meeting ahead of time and returned home to the fragrant aroma. The girl carried a dish out of the kitchen while sneaking a few bites into her mouth. Her cheeks were puffed up like a little hamster. He inquired with a smile, “Aren’t we having a hotpot?”

Caught snacking red-handed, Shen Xi stopped what she was at before sprinting towards Li Yuan. She scooped a piece of the sweet and sour rib to feed him but quickly realized she was without chopsticks. Hence, she aimed the meat at her mouth.

Li Yuan reached out to grab her wrist to send the rib straight to his mouth. He was tickled pink by the girl’s adorably dumbfounded expression. “Did Mr. Jin Yu make this?”

Shen Xi cleared her throat and nodded. The chill sensation of the man’s lips seemed to linger on her finger, making her heart race. “This is the appetizer.”

With the young lady scurrying away with the plate, Li Yuan gleefully commented, “Yum.”

What a glutton. Sweet and sour ribs were no appetizer!

Having started the hotpot, Jin Yu called out to him. “Wash your hands. It’s time for dinner.”

Since the girl had to get to Fu’s residence to provide medical treatment at 7 o’clock sharp, they had to finish by half-past six.

The trio happily enjoyed the hotpot. There were ribs, trotters, steamed seafood, and a king crab.

Shen Xi could not get enough of the food. However, she was puzzled as Mr. Jin Yu had not touched the seafood. “Uncle, aren’t you going to try some of the shellfish?”

Jin Yu stated, “I’m allergic to seafood.”

Shen Xi expressed acknowledgment. What a shame. With shellfish allergy, he would not be able to try any tasty seafood, especially this sumptuous king crab.

By their side, Li Yuan hammered open one of the king crab’s legs to retrieve the flesh and placed it on her plate. “No more after this”

Shen Xi looked at the remaining half of the king crab. She felt she had a lot when in fact, she only had one claw. She rubbed her belly and voiced her concern. “It’d be a waste not to finish it.”

There was still so much left on the several-thousand buck crab. She was on her own since Uncle Jin Yu was allergic while Li Yuan was not having any.

“Leave it to Kun Lun,” Li Yuan said.

Standing in a corner, Kun Lun attentively took the king crab away. Fine, he would eat it, but he could not finish it on his own. The king crab weighed at least ten pounds.

Having filled her tummy, Shen Xi contentedly made her way to the Fu’s residence.

Dinner had yet to be served at the Fu household. Mama Fu gazed at Shen Xi and softly spoke, “Dr. Jiu Zhou, come and have dinner with us tonight.”

“Don’t talk.” Shen Xi was working her needles on her. Sensing Mama Fu’s disappointment, she added. “I ate already.”

Mama Fu wanted to comply but simply could not help herself. “Would you like to have dinner at our place tomorrow night?”

“No, thank you,” Shen Xi refused without thinking twice.

Mama Fu felt down by the rejection. She stopped talking to the indifferent young man so as not to disrupt his work.

“Fu Qingli, what did you feed me!”

Fu Qingye’s angry roar echoed in the living room.

Shen Xi’s heart might have skipped a beat from the howling, but her hands remained steady and calm as she proceeded the therapy like nothing ever happened.

She was sure it was Qingye’s voice. Nevertheless, she never knew the usually gentleman-like Qingli to be so cranky.

Mama Fu frowned as she glanced at the door. Since the door was shut, she could not see what was happening behind the door.

Qingye had nothing but respect for his oldest brother. For him to address Qingli by his full name, it could mean that they had gotten into some sort of conflict. Qingye was not one to act on impulse, so something must have happened.