Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

Everyone was intrigued by what Great Uncle had just shared, “Who is it? Is it… Susu’s boyfriend? The boy that she brought home?”

“Stop talking and start playing,” said Jiang Peiying as she took a tile.

“You’re not denying it, so is it true then?” Yan Su’s Auntie was invigorated. “Is it the professor that you were going to introduce to Yan Su? You said that he was the son of Yan Lv’s friend…”

“Nope,” Jiang Peiying said. “You’ll meet him later—I’ll introduce him to all of you. He’s still busy cooking in the kitchen now, so don’t go swarming in there. We all still have to have lunch after all.”

Great Uncle laughed and said, “We’d much rather go to your Yan Su’s wedding banquet. By the way, you should be careful with Susu’s boyfriend—we’re all so worried about her. She had a baby out of wedlock after all.”

“Don’t worry, everyone will be watching out for her.” Jiang Peiying sighed. “I would never accept anyone lower than our standards.”

The elders’ conversation had made its way to some of Yan Su’s older cousins. Yan Mi put her arm around Yan Su and asked, “Wow, are you back together with Shi Xiang now?”

“Oh God, is Shi Xiang in the kitchen?” exclaimed Yan Su’s younger cousin, who was a die-hard of Shi Xiang’s. She shrieked with excitement, “I want to go kiss him and hug him.”

“It’s not Shi Xiang,” Yan Su shook her head.

“Why isn’t it him?” said her younger cousin, disappointed. “Shi Xiang is so good looking, he is almost like a god. Second Uncle has no taste at all—he should never have stopped you from getting together with Shi Xiang in the first place. If he didn’t, Shi Xiang might have become my brother-in-law already.”

“You guys go ahead, I’m going to the washroom,” Yan Su excused herself and slipped away.

In the kitchen, Mo Liuxi wore an apron around his waist, checking on the steamed pork he had put in the steamer earlier on. The pork was honey-golden brown and it looked tender and delicious. A mouth-watering scent wafted through the entire kitchen.

He sprinkled some fresh spring onions over the dish and the food looked as tantalizing as anything a restaurant would have on its menu.

“Did you really make this?” said Yan Su as she popped over his shoulder.

Mo Liuxi turned and looked at her affectionately, “Do you want to have a taste?”

Yan Su grabbed a pair of chopsticks and tasted the pork—it was fatty but not too rich. The scent of the pork was heavenly. “It’s delicious!”

Auntie Wu who was washing vegetables on the side laughed, “He really made all of these. I’ve been just helping with the prep work. I was a little worried initially but I didn’t expect him to be so experienced in the kitchen. His knife skills are far better than mine. I’ve been in the kitchen for decades but I dare say his culinary skills are comparable to mine.”

Yan Su was shocked. She whispered to Mo Liuxi, “I have never seen you cook Jiangxi dishes before.”

Mo Liuxi grinned and whispered into her ear, “I learned it after Christmas. I wouldn’t dare to come back home with you if I wasn’t well prepared for all this.”

Yan Su whispered back, “Don’t you have classes to go to? You have to get ready to shoot a new movie next year as well.”

“There is always time. I learned these dishes at night,” Mo Liuxi laughed. “I hired a renowned Jiangxi chef to teach me all of this. It took me about two hours every night. Anyway, I already knew how to cook in the first place, so it’s not too difficult for me—the cuisine isn’t too complicated either. The freshness of the ingredients plays a big role in the taste.”

“Liuxi…” Yan Su was moved. She bit on her lower lip. “But… it must have been so hard on you.”

“I’m willing to work hard for you,” Mo Liuxi said gently. “You are from Jiangxi and you must enjoy the food from your hometown. It’s a good investment since I can now cook all of your favorite hometown dishes for you when we get married.”

“Thank you.” Yan Su was extremely moved. Ignoring Auntie Wu, who was still in the kitchen with them, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist and tiptoed to give him a peck on the cheeks. She said softly, “I haven’t had such an amazing Lunar New Year in years.”