Having hastily dealt with lunch and taken his medicine, Yan Shu returned to his room to rest.
When he awoke, dusk had already fallen. He picked up his phone from the nightstand and glanced at the time.
Six in the evening.
Yan Shu placed his hand on his forehead. His temperature was normal, and his head didn't feel dizzy. He got out of bed and went to the living room to pour himself a glass of warm water.
Just as he was carrying the water towards the sofa, there was a knock at the door.
Confused, Yan Shu walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. He recognized his next-door neighbour and opened the door.
Xu Chi stood at the door, withdrawing his hand from knocking. His eyes flickered as he looked at Yan Shu.
"Is something the matter?" Yan Shu asked, puzzled.
Xu Chi hesitated for a moment, his eyes wandering. He stammered, "Um...can I borrow your kitchen?"
Yan Shu furrowed his brow. "Huh?"
Xu Chi quickly explained, "It's like this, my kitchen hasn't been renovated yet, but I don't want to order takeout, and I've already bought groceries, so I don't want to waste them."
As he spoke, he observed Yan Shu's expression, his palms sweating nervously.
After Xu Chi finished speaking, Yan Shu simply responded indifferently, "Oh."
There was no discernible emotion, and even his expression was flat.
It wasn't that Yan Shu agreed reluctantly, but rather that he had just woken up and wasn't quite clear-headed. After he realised what Xu Chi was asking, he thought it was no problem.
After all, they were neighbours, and Xu Chi had been quite considerate of him.
Seeing that Yan Shu agreed, Xu Chi happily thanked him and then brought out two bags of fresh ingredients from his own home.
Yan Shu stepped aside, gesturing for Xu Chi to come in. He poured a glass of water for him. "The kitchen is on your left. Feel free to use it."
"Thank you."
Yan Shu waved his hand, went back to his room, and came out with his laptop. He sat cross-legged on the sofa in the living room and started working on his school assignments.
Xu Chi glanced at Yan Shu, looking hesitant. Finally, he interrupted, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
Yan Shu looked up from his computer, not understanding why he asked that. He pointed at himself questioningly, "Me?"
"Yeah," Xu Chi nodded. "I can't just use your kitchen for nothing."
Yan Shu understood. But since someone was cooking for him, why be picky? "I'm not very picky. Just do whatever you want."
The doubt in Xu Chi's eyes didn't diminish; instead, it was tinged with a bit of sadness. "Alright."
In the end, he used the ingredients he bought to cook three dishes and a soup.
The aroma of the food made Yan Shu's stomach growl, urging him to drop his computer immediately. Without hesitation, he sat at the dining table, his eyes fixed on the braised pork in front of him, eager to taste it.
This looked much better than takeout.
Xu Chi served the rice and came out of the kitchen. Seeing the slight anticipation in Yan Shu's eyes, he smiled contentedly.
He handed the chopsticks to Yan Shu and said with a smile, "Eat up. I hope it suits your taste."
Xu Chi sat opposite Yan Shu, not in a hurry to eat. He simply looked at Yan Shu quietly but nervously, waiting for his evaluation.
After taking a bite, Yan Shu exclaimed in satisfaction, "I didn't expect you to be such a good cook."
Xu Chi relaxed, his smile widening. "As long as you like it."
His gaze swept across the dishes on the table. Yan Shu thought to himself that he had to get along well with this neighbour, otherwise he wouldn't have the chance to eat such delicious and healthy food in the future.
So he smiled at Xu Chi and said, "Neighbour, let's get to know each other. Let's be friends. If you ever need any help, feel free to ask me."
Xu Chi was eager to agree, immediately nodding and saying, "Sure."
Yan Shu introduced himself casually, "My name is Yan Shu. I'm a maths teacher at Jinjiang Middle School."
Xu Chi clenched his fingers under the table, suppressing the excitement in his eyes. He forced himself to appear calm and said, "My name is Xu Chi. It means 'late'. I'm currently a physical education teacher."
Xu Chi looked up at Yan Shu, his lips curving into a slight smile. Finally, he dared to mention his name in front of you. This was a good start.
Yan Shu didn't notice his expression. He continued in a consultative tone, "How about you come over to my place to cook sometime? I'll provide the ingredients. What do you think?"
Xu Chi came back to his senses and quickly nodded, "Sure."
Before he could finish, Yan Shu frowned and asked, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
Who would be so kind as to cook for their neighbour for free?
Seeing that Yan Shu was about to go back on his word, Xu Chi widened his eyes and quickly said, "It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to do it, really."
Yan Shu opened his mouth, about to say something, but the fleeting expectation in Xu Chi's eyes stopped him.
He didn't understand why at that moment.
Yan Shu looked away and lowered his head to eat, "Okay."
After the meal, Yan Shu stood up and volunteered to clean the dishes, but the next second he was pushed back onto the sofa.
"I'll do it. How can the host do the dishes?"
"?" Yan Shu looked confused, shouldn't it be the guest who shouldn't do the dishes? Besides, is it really okay for me to do nothing?
But he couldn't resist Xu Chi, so in the end, it was Xu Chi who washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen before leaving.
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