Xia Sanghuan shook her head. "No, I'm not very hungry yet."
With her sitting across the table, Leng Wanqing felt as if the congee was stuck in her throat, unable to spit it out or swallow it down. Her whole face scrunched up as if she were taking poison.
Finally, after much effort, she finished the bowl of congee. She immediately stood up and turned to leave.
But she was stopped by Xia Sanghuan.
"Is the congee delicious?"
She wanted to reply "not delicious", but at the thought of her elder brother's cold and stern look, the words got stuck in her throat.
Moreover, the congee actually tasted quite good.
Finally, she awkwardly blurted out, "It's quite delicious."
Then she walked upstairs to her bedroom.
Hearing this, Xia Sanghuan heaved a sigh of relief. If the picky second young lady of the Leng family could be satisfied, then the second elder brother should be able to accept this congee, right?
She sat by the table and waited. By the time the congee had completely cooled down, there was a noise at the door.
It was Leng Chuanjin coming back.
She tried to suppress her excitement, turned on the gas stove, and put the pot on the fire to heat it up.
Afraid that the congee wouldn't be ready in time for Leng Chuanjin, she turned the fire up a bit. As a result, due to uneven heating, the congee at the bottom of the pot got a bit burnt.
She dejectedly covered the pot and was about to carry it away to throw it out.
She had tried so hard for so long, and she was just one step away from letting the second elder brother taste it.
She felt her eyes getting hot and couldn't help closing them tightly.
Why did she keep wanting to cry today? Did being sick make people vulnerable?
On the other side, Leng Chuanjin, who was taking off his coat and giving instructions to Wang Fu, noticed Xia Sanghuan with her head down like a puppy and walked over.
Seeing him coming straight towards her, she quickly hid the pot behind her back and looked at him awkwardly.
"What are you hiding?"
He looked down at her.
Xia Sanghuan shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's just a pot of over - cooked medicinal congee. I'm going to throw it away."
Just as she was about to bypass him to throw the congee away, Wang Fu suddenly came over.
"Hey, Miss Xia, weren't you going to give the congee to the young master? Where are you taking it?"
Hearing what the butler said, Leng Chuanjin immediately understood.
So this was the congee she had cooked for him?
He let out a soft laugh. "What, do you regret it at the last minute and don't want me to have it?"
Xia Sanghuan just wanted to find a hole to bury herself in now.
She gave the butler a resentful look, which left Wang Fu completely confused.
Didn't Miss Xia really regret it?
Caught in a difficult situation, she had no choice but to take a bowl out of the cabinet resignedly, scoop up a bowl of congee, and put it on the table.
"Second elder brother, have some."
After sending the butler away, Leng Chuanjin sat down on the dining chair.
Seeing Xia Sanghuan looking so reluctant, he raised his eyebrows.
"What on earth did you put in this? You're so reluctant to let me eat it?"
He looked down at the congee bowl. It was an ordinary bowl of chicken congee with a bit of strange black stuff floating on the surface.
He didn't care. He picked up the spoon and was about to put it into his mouth.
"Wait!"
After struggling in her heart for a long time, Xia Sanghuan still regretted it.
How could she let the pampered young master of the Leng family eat burnt chicken congee?
What if he got angry and kicked her out?
"Second elder brother, why don't you let the chef cook for you? What I made surely can't compare to the professional chef's."
Frightened, she quickly dragged the bowl in front of herself and said with a forced smile.
However, Leng Chuanjin didn't buy it at all. He snatched the bowl back and without saying a word, picked up the bowl and started drinking.
"I just like non - professional cooking."
He took a big mouthful boldly. The next second, his facial expression became extremely complicated.
The hot congee wrapped around the still cold and even lumpy chicken broth. No, it couldn't be called chicken broth. To be exact, it should be chicken fat.
Plus a bit of the bitter taste of the burnt part.
His face immediately darkened.
Seeing his ugly expression, Xia Sanghuan was so scared that she turned and ran.
But before she could run a few steps, she was grabbed by the arm by Leng Chuanjin and pulled back.
His handsome eyebrows knitted together, showing an expression of not knowing how to comment.
"You're feeding your savior from yesterday this...?"
The medicinal congee she had cooked for him before wasn't this unpalatable.
Xia Sanghuan took the bowl away somewhat angrily. "I said I was going to throw it away. If it wasn't unpalatable, why would I throw it?"
"Don't throw it away. I'll finish it even if it tastes bad."
Seeing that she was really angry, Leng Chuanjin had to clumsily console her.
His tone was a bit stiff, and there were no soft words, but it somehow made Xia Sanghuan feel good.
But she still felt too embarrassed to give the bowl back to him.
"Then, I'll re - heat it and try to save it."
"If you can't wait, you can let the chef cook another meal for you."
The words "I'll wait for you" circled in Leng Chuanjin's mouth and came out as "Go ahead".
He had never been a person with an abundance of emotions since he was a child. Instead of saying sweet words, he preferred to offer help to the people he cared about through actions.
Now facing her, he didn't know what to say at all. It was as if his tongue was tied.
Fortunately, Xia Sanghuan was completely focused on the over - heated pot of congee and didn't pay attention to what he said.
She used a spoon to pick out the burnt rice from the congee, added some water, and then turned on the gas stove, slowly heating it over a low flame.
The Leng family had a kitchen at the back, but because Mrs. Leng would cook occasionally, an open - style kitchen was built especially for her.
For a moment, in the large dining room, there was only Xia Sanghuan concentrating on reheating the congee and Leng Chuanjin staring at Xia Sanghuan.
Both of them tacitly didn't say a word. It wasn't so much that they didn't want to talk as that they had nothing to talk about.
Leng Chuanjin suddenly missed the soft Xia Sanghuan in his arms last night.
She didn't resist and was as obedient as a little kitten in his arms.
Unlike now, she had returned to her usual calm and self - controlled appearance, with a maturity beyond her age.
And she got angry at the slightest provocation.
I don't know how much time had passed. By the time his thoughts had drifted far away, a steaming bowl of chicken congee was placed in front of him.
"I don't know how it tastes. Just make do with it. If it still tastes bad, I can't do anything about it."
Hearing her say this, Leng Chuanjin picked up the spoon and took a sip. The taste was much better than before. At least it was edible.
Without making any comments, he lowered his head and concentrated on eating.
Seeing that he finally stopped complaining, Xia Sanghuan also scooped up a bowl for herself. The two of them sat facing each other and silently ate the congee.
By the time they finished the congee, it was almost time for bed.
Leng Chuanjin stood up, nodded at Xia Sanghuan. "Thank you for the congee. I'll ask the maid to clean up the bowls later."
She gave a muffled "um" without looking up at him.
He hesitated in place for a long time and finally stammered out those words.
"The congee tastes great."
"Actually, even if you didn't re - heat it, I would have finished it."
After saying that, he left. His back looked as if he was running away in a hurry.
And in a place where he couldn't see, Xia Sanghuan gently curled the corners of her mouth.