The voice of Shi Li was filled with anger, "What are you doing?"
Shi Ruan stepped back as if caught in the act, trying to distance herself from the situation, "I-I-I... H-h-how are you?"
Shi Li couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. After all that thinking, this was all her cousin could come up with.
The other four people also chuckled at Shi Ruan's nonsensical response. Seeing her cousin laugh, Shi Ruan bounced forward and hugged her, saying, "Let's go, let's go. We shouldn't disturb this good comrade's hard work." After all, he held half her life in his hands.
When only one person remained in the study, the "good comrade" continued to work overtime.
Afraid of disturbing his work, Shi Ruan had already prepared to order takeout, not daring to interrupt him.
This was a sacred task, an important mission.
The two sisters of the Shi family and Rongrong leaned together, watching two episodes of an inconsequential soap opera at double speed. By the second episode, the comrade who was completing the sacred task emerged from the study.
Shi Ruan asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want water or fruit? Just call me, and I'll bring it up. There's no need for you to lift a finger in our home." This wasn't just about lifting a finger; his action would mean half a page of lesson plans vanishing into thin air.
As she said this, she seemed to have forgotten that just a few hours ago, Ji Chunsheng was cutting fruit in the kitchen, and even just now, he was writing furiously in the study.
Ji Chunsheng shook his head, "It's time to make dinner."
Shi Ruan didn't dare trouble him with such a trivial task as cooking. The most important thing now was for him to return to the study and work!
"That's too much trouble. We can just order takeout."
"It's no trouble. I've already bought the ingredients, and you did say you wanted home-cooked food."
Wanting home-cooked food was just something Shi Ruan had made up on the spot. If she really wanted home-cooked food, she could just go back to the Old Mansion.
Wanting home-cooked food was about as likely as her cat doing a backflip.
As the two of them were locked in a tug-of-war over whether to cook or order takeout, Rongrong spoke up, "I can cook. You can try my culinary skills."
All eyes turned to Rongrong. Shi Ruan now looked at her as if she were a living Bodhisattva come to save mankind. She grasped Rongrong's hand excitedly and said, "Wow, I can't believe someone as young as you already knows how to cook. You're really amazing!"
Rongrong, flustered by the excited woman, blushed slightly. "It's nothing special, just barely edible."
"That's still impressive. Shi Li doesn't know how to cook, and I'm ten years older than you, but I only know how to make instant noodles."
Shi Ruan kept praising her, "Then I'll trouble you with this task. I can be your assistant."
Ji Chunsheng's gaze lingered for a moment on their clasped hands before he looked away, saying casually, "We shouldn't let a guest cook, especially a young person. It's dangerous to handle knives. What if she gets hurt? They still have to go to school, and an injury would affect their studies."
Shi Ruan didn't care about taking time off herself, but it was a different story for students. She couldn't help but be biased.
She gave Rongrong's hand a squeeze and rubbed it, thinking it would be a shame if such beautiful, slender hands were injured.
Shi Ruan said with some hesitation, "Then maybe we should order takeout after all."
"I'll do it," Ji Chunsheng said, rolling up his shirt sleeves as he walked towards the kitchen. "I've already bought the ingredients. They won't stay fresh if we leave them."
"If I'm busy cooking now, I won't have time to write the lesson plans. I might have to stay a bit longer after dinner."
Touching on the issue Shi Ruan cared about most, he implied that he would see things through to the end, finishing her lesson plans before going home!
What a good person, Shi Ruan thought once again.
Shi Ruan breathed a sigh of relief, but Shi Li nearly choked on her own saliva. She knew this man had ulterior motives, and now he was revealing his true intentions.
Shi Li looked at her foolishly grinning cousin with frustration as she said to Rongrong, "It's fine, you rest. Let him handle it."
"We can't always trouble others for help. How much of your lesson plan is left? I can help you copy it."
In the end, she took on all the responsibility.
What else could she do? She couldn't let Ji Chunsheng stay late to write lesson plans.
Shi Ruan looked at her as if she were an idiot. They already had a sucker willing to help, so why should she do the work?
Shi Li thought: What else can I do? It's all for your sake!
At that moment, a male voice called from the kitchen, "Shi Ruan, where's the soy sauce? I can't find it."
Shi Ruan was called away. From the enclosed Chinese-style kitchen, their conversation could be faintly heard. "Don't you remember? We don't have soy sauce at home. We just bought a bottle earlier."
"I'm sorry, I forgot. Could you please pass me the soy sauce then?"
"Oh, sure."
Shi Ruan casually asked, "Do you need any more help?"
"Could you hand me a plate? I don't know where they're kept."
And so, without any specific tasks in the kitchen, Shi Ruan found herself bustling about, either passing salt or finding plates. It exhausted her and infuriated Shi Li.
Shi Li called out, "Sis, is your head still hurting? Why don't you go back to bed and rest for a while? If you don't rest properly when you're sick, it might leave lasting effects."
No one responded for a long time, until finally a careless "I'm fine" was heard.
The conversation in the kitchen continued, with Shi Ruan asking Ji Chunsheng why he knew how to cook, and so well at that.
Ji Chunsheng explained in detail how he learned to cook while studying abroad, which led to amusing anecdotes from his time overseas, making Shi Ruan giggle constantly.
On the sofa, Shi Li imagined the cushion was Ji Chunsheng and pummeled it fiercely.
Suddenly, Shi Li had a brilliant idea: [Find a housekeeper for my sister, and let's see what core competency you have left.]
The other three: What a great plan!
While the two were cooing in the kitchen, Shi Li contacted Huang Jie, asking her to find a part-time worker skilled in cooking and housework.
She had already thought of a reason: her sister living alone in the new house was worrying, and she needed a skilled cook by her side to feel at ease.
Huang Jie didn't doubt the authenticity of Shi Li's words. The sisters had always been close, so it was natural for Shi Li to worry about her sister.
Huang Jie was very efficient. Before the food was ready, she had sent the resumes of potential candidates to Shi Li.
Shi Li specifically chose an auntie who was skilled in cooking and had studied in the East for several years.
At the dinner table, Shi Ruan couldn't stop praising Ji Chunsheng's culinary skills.
"Sis, I've found a housekeeper for you. This way, you can come home to a hot, home-cooked meal after work."
Seeing the slightly bewildered expressions on their faces, Shi Li smiled faintly at Ji Chunsheng.
She didn't believe that his two years of culinary practice abroad could compare to a professional chef auntie who did this for a living.
One shouldn't challenge a professional with their hobby.
