Chương 62: Getting Along in the Kitchen

Outside the door, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, a petite figure came into view.

Luo Bingli was standing outside the door. She had changed out of the casual sweatshirt and jeans she wore in the afternoon and put on a more formal light gray knit sweater, paired with dark trousers. She looked simple and clean. Although she wasn't wearing makeup, her clean face looked particularly delicate under the soft light.

She was holding an exquisite fruit basket filled with various fresh fruits, all meticulously packaged.

"Luo, you're here." Lin Che smiled and spoke gently, stepping aside to open the doorway and warmly inviting her in.

"Please come in."

Just then, a surprised scream came from behind.

"Xiao Li?!"

The phone fell to the sofa with a "thud." When Su Yuqing saw that the guest was her friend, she practically jumped up from the sofa. Without even putting on her shoes, she rushed to the door barefoot.

Her eyes shone with surprise, and her face was filled with uncontrollable excitement.

"Xiao Li! You actually came to our house!" she exclaimed, opening her arms and hugging the other person tightly.

Luo Bingli stiffened, instinctively protecting the fruit basket in her arms. A hint of restraint flashed across her face, but it was quickly melted away by the pure and unreserved enthusiasm.

Although she was still a little unaccustomed to it, she still reached out a hand and awkwardly hugged Su Yuqing back, her eyes filled with helplessness and affection.

"Why are you here? How did you know my house was here? Ah! It's A-Che! Did A-Che invite you? That's great!" She suddenly realized something.

"Yes, we bumped into each other at the mall, and then he invited me here." Luo Bingli nodded gently.

"Great!" Su Yuqing cheered, letting go of Luo Bingli and grabbing her hand as she ran towards the sofa.

"Quick, quick! Sit down! You've never been to my house before!"

While pulling Luo Bingli along, she turned back and called out to Lin Che, "A-Che! Go to the kitchen and get busy! Let's talk first!"

Lin Che nodded and was about to turn around and go back to the kitchen when he saw Lin Chen walking out of the kitchen with his phone in hand, frowning, as if he was talking to someone.

"Okay, I understand... No problem, I'll join right away." He hung up the phone and looked at everyone.

"Luo, you've arrived." Lin Chen walked into the living room with a gentle smile and said, "Make yourself at home, don't be shy."

When Luo Bingli saw Lin Chen approaching, she showed a restrained expression and lowered her head slightly, saying, "Hello, Uncle Lin, I'm sorry to bother you."

"No problem, no problem." Lin Chen waved his hand and turned to Lin Che: "Xiao Che, why don't you sit with Luo and Yuqing for a while? Dad has a video conference coming up, I'll go back to my room to attend it. I might not be able to help with making dumplings later."

"Okay, you can go ahead and get back to work," Lin Che replied.

"Luo, you, Yuqing, and Xiaoye, please sit down first. If you need anything, just tell Xiaoche. Don't be shy." Lin Chen said a few more words to Luo Bingli gently, then took his phone and walked towards his room.

Lin Che sighed and patted Su Yuqing on the shoulder: "I can't wrap all the remaining dumplings by myself. Come help in the kitchen."

"No way!" Su Yuqing immediately pouted, sitting on the sofa and refusing to move.

"I'm exhausted after shopping all afternoon!"

She turned and winked at Lin Che, then lowered her voice to a whisper that only he could hear, saying, "This is a good opportunity to get closer! You and Xiao Li can be alone in the kitchen! I'll stay here and watch over Xiao Ye so she doesn't cause any trouble!"

Lin Che instantly understood her intention. This girl actually wanted to create some alone time between him and Luo Bingli in this way. He was both amused and exasperated, but he also knew that this was her good intention for her friend.

When Luo Bingli heard Lin Che ask Su Yuqing for help, and Su Yuqing refused, a moment of hesitation flashed through her mind. She looked at Su Yuqing and asked, "Do you need any help?"

He knew he couldn't refuse anymore, and a helpless smile appeared on his face: "I'll have to trouble you." He turned to Su Yuqing, a hint of teasing in his eyes, "Lazybones, you just stay here and keep Xiaoye company."

"Hehehe~" Su Yuqing stuck out her tongue at him, her eyes filled with a mischievous smile. She watched Luo Bingli follow Lin Che toward the kitchen and silently made a cheering gesture in her mind.

The two started working in the kitchen; Lin Che was in charge of kneading the dough and rolling out the wrappers, while Luo Bingli was in charge of wrapping them.

Although she doesn't seem to cook much, her movements are swift and her technique is very standard. The dumplings she makes are uniform in size and beautiful in shape.

"Wow, Luo, your dumpling-making skills are amazing!" Lin Che couldn't help but exclaim.

"You must do it often."

Luo Bingli paused slightly, her expression still cold: "... My grandmother taught me this." Her voice was low, as if a soft spot had been touched.

Lin Che noticed the fleeting hint of longing for "grandmother" in her tone and understood. He didn't press the issue of her grandmother, knowing that some things shouldn't be touched upon too deeply or too quickly.

"I see..." he replied softly, then smiled and tried to steer the conversation in a more relaxed direction.

"Looks like I'll have to ask you for some advice. My dumplings aren't as pretty as yours."

He deliberately made a dumpling that was a bit crooked and showed it to Luo Bingli, with a self-deprecating smile on his face.

Looking at the oddly shaped dumpling in his hand, Luo Bingli couldn't help but let out a very slight smile, tinged with helplessness and amusement.

She reached out and took the dough and filling from Lin Che's hand. As she began to wrap, she instructed him, "Don't put too much filling here... pinch the dough tightly, or it will leak out."

Lin Che tried to wrap one as she instructed. Although it wasn't as perfect as Luo Bingli's, at least it looked like a dumpling.

"See, it's much better if you just pay a little attention..."

Lin Che didn't make a point of talking, but just casually chatted a few words while rolling out the dough or handing over the filling, talking about interesting things that happened at school or some light topics.

Luo Bingli gradually relaxed and became less reserved. Occasionally, she would take the initiative to say a few words, such as asking Xiaoye what kind of dumplings she liked to eat, or asking Su Yuqing if she was usually this "lazy" at home.

Lin Che discovered that when the conversation was light and didn't touch on her sensitive inner world, the child actually had the curiosity and liveliness that belonged to her age.

Time slowly passed as the flour fluttered and the dumplings took shape, and more and more dumplings appeared on the cutting board, their shapes becoming more and more beautiful.

The atmosphere in the kitchen gradually became relaxed, with a warmth and tranquility unique to this kind of interaction between two people.

About half an hour later, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock came from outside the door. Su Yuqing was lying on the sofa, but her ears were perked up. Upon hearing the sound, she immediately sat up straight.

Su Wanyi pushed open the door, a hint of weariness on her face, but a gentle smile still graced her lips.

"I'm back—" Her gaze swept over the shoe cabinet, where she noticed a pair of white sneakers. She paused for a moment, then asked curiously as she changed her shoes, "Huh? Are we having guests?"

Su Yuqing immediately responded with a smile, "Mom! You're back! We do have guests at home!" She pointed towards the kitchen.

Upon hearing the sound, Luo Bingli came out of the kitchen and smiled somewhat reservedly at Su Wanyi.

Su Wanyi's face flashed with surprise when she saw Luo Bingli, but she quickly regained her gentle smile.

"Hello." She smiled and walked towards the living room.

"May I ask who you are...?"

"This is my best friend, Luo Bingli, Xiaoli!" Su Yuqing stood up and stepped forward to introduce the two, "Xiaoli, this is my mother."

"Hello, Auntie." Luo Bingli bowed slightly to Su Wanyi politely.

Su Wanyi's smile deepened. Just as she was about to ask Luo Bingli why she had come, her gaze inadvertently fell on the kitchen, only to find that the other woman was actually working inside, her hands still covered in flour.

"Huh? Why is Luo helping out in the kitchen?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

Then, her gaze slowly shifted to Su Yuqing, who was still standing in the living room. The smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a dangerous look.

"And someone..." her voice carried a hint of hostility, "is still lying in the living room playing on their phone."

Su Yuqing instantly felt a chill run up her spine. She knew what her mother's "dangerous" gaze meant, but before she could make an excuse, Su Wanyi had already stepped forward and reached out, accurately grabbing her ear.

"Ouch—Mom! I was wrong! I was wrong!" Su Yuqing immediately let out an exaggerated scream, her body bent over as her mother forced her down.

"I'll go help right now! I'll go right now!"

Su Wanyi finally let go of her hand, glaring at her with annoyance.

"Go on! We have guests, and instead of helping them, you're just lying here!"

Su Yuqing rubbed her reddened ears, glanced at Su Wanyi with a wronged look, and then quickly slipped into the kitchen.

Luo Bingli looked at her friend in a disheveled state that she had never seen or imagined before—her mother was pulling her ear, she was screaming dramatically, and she was begging for mercy in grievance. She was completely different from the lively, cheerful, gentle and kind Su Yuqing she usually was.

This genuine and vivid family interaction, this "unguardedness" that only occurs between relatives, struck her as novel and interesting.

The awkwardness and tension caused by facing an unfamiliar environment completely vanished at this moment, replaced by a warm and humorous atmosphere.

Her usually cool and aloof face couldn't help but break into the first truly relaxed and joyful smile of the night.