A Young Woman's Heart

"Is Yinyin afraid of bugs?"

"...Anyone would be afraid of that, right?"

"It's alright." Mo Xueyao picked up the two-piece bean pod containing the writhing green caterpillar, got up and quickly walked outside. Then she tossed it towards the chicken coop with a whoosh, clapping her hands triumphantly at the end. "Hmm, right on target! Perfect for a little treat for them."

"I don't want to shell peas anymore!"

"Oh, there aren't that many. It's only one or two occasionally, which is normal."

"There's nothing wrong with it from the outside."

“Because they lay their eggs when they're flowering.” Mo Xueyao sat back down on the stool. “You don’t mean you don’t want to eat peas anymore because of this, do you?”

“A little…” Hua Yinyin pouted, like a frightened little girl. Such an expression was not common, so much so that Mo Xueyao couldn’t help but admire her for a few more seconds.

But her pupils suddenly contracted, and she screamed, "Wow, Yao Yao! You, your hand?"

"Huh?" Mo Xueyao looked down and saw a green worm crawling out of the bean pod she had just peeled, slowly wriggling toward her finger.

Mo Xueyao's hand trembled, and she flung it away.

"cough!"

"Isn't it because I'm scared?!"

"It suddenly climbed onto my hand, I wasn't prepared..." She coughed twice. "Okay, okay, just the last bit, let's finish quickly."

……

(Fives)

When I finished shelling the beans, the rice cooker was already filled with wisps of white steam carrying the aroma of rice, and the setting had switched to the keep-warm setting. But it still needed to simmer for a while longer. Fried rice is usually made with leftover rice from the previous day. If you can't use leftover rice, you can't use freshly cooked rice either, otherwise it will be too soft and mushy, and not tasty at all.

"Let's get to work, Yinyin!"

"Hmph, let me show you my culinary skills—"

Hua Yinyin picked up an egg, examined it for a while, and then cracked it onto the pot as if she were doing it right. She probably cracked the eggshell too hard, and the egg white and yolk flowed into the pot.

“…Be gentle.” Mo Xueyao picked up a pair of chopsticks and picked out the eggshell crumbs with a hint of helplessness. “Make two more, three will do, otherwise it won’t be enough.”

"Mmm..."

"Too light, too light."

"Hey—Little Yaoyao, stop telling me what to do! I don't know how to do it anymore!"

"...Then I'll watch you do it."

"Don't look!"

"Are you some kind of grateful crane or the Snail Fairy...?" Mo Xueyao covered her forehead. "If I don't keep an eye on you, I'm afraid you'll burn the warehouse down..."

"It's not that exaggerated. Anyway, I'll do it myself! I can definitely make fried rice!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you..."

……

(six)

"The eggs are burnt! Burnt! Burnt! The fire's too high!"

"No, no, no, we have to fish them out first!"

"Phew... Put the rice in first... Never mind, you can put the beans in first too."

"Ugh, the way you cut this sausage... it looks like a dog chewed on it."

"What's wrong with you! This is what makes you unique!"

"Good good..."

"Did you put too little oil in?"

"The oil is cold now... uh... let me think, I should... I should turn up the heat to get the oil hotter."

"Really? It's not burnt again, is it?"

"Don't worry, I can do that."

"Little Yaoyao is burning again!"

"...You're translating too slowly."

"Phew... Don't fry the eggs for too long, or they'll burn and become inedible."

"Watch me flip the wok!"

"Hey, don't you dare..."

"Wow! It's on fire!"

"Turn off the fire! Turn off the fire!"

A half-baked cook and a guy who barely knows how to cook turned this open kitchen into a complete mess.

But I finally finished making this fried rice, even though at least a fifth of it spilled outside the pan...

"Little Yaoyao, how about adding some chili?"

"Hmm, adding a touch of umami flavor, that should be fine."

"Oops! Too much was spilled..."

Mo Xueyao stared at the patch of red fried rice for a long time without saying a word: "I hope Wanyan likes this spicy fried rice..."

……

Chapter 311 So Spicy

(One)

The bright red fried rice immediately made Wang Jiale feel that something was wrong.

She had just sat down when she tried to stand up again, but Hua Yinyin spoke up first: "By the way, Lele, who won between you and Wanyan?"

"Huh? The class monitor won! Although it was a stalemate for a long time, he still lost. He was outmaneuvered. Phew."

"Oh, I see. By the way, would you like a drink?"

Mo Xueyao glanced sideways at Hua Yinyin, feeling that she was the one who should be the owner of this place.

"Hey, you have drinks?"

"Hmm... there's also cola, but there's no refrigerator, and it was opened yesterday, so it's probably flat. I guess it'll taste like sugar water." Mo Xueyao picked up where Hua Yinyin left off and mumbled.

"Forget it, let's eat first, and drink some beverages when we're thirsty."

Wang Jiale completely forgot what she was about to say and picked up the spoon to scoop a big mouthful into her mouth.

The next second, her face turned bright red as if it were on fire: "Cough, cough... cough..."

"Are you okay?"

"So spicy!" She opened her mouth wide, probably because the fried rice was so spicy that her saliva was sticking to the walls of her mouth like glue, trembling with each breath.

"I...I'll get you some cooled boiled water!" Mo Xueyao ran out quickly. Although she wasn't the culprit, she felt a little guilty since the two of them had made the fried rice together.

Hua Yinyin was a little embarrassed, clamping her hands between her legs and lowering her head, not daring to look up for a moment.

……

(two)

"Glug...glug...whoa..." Wang Jiale gulped down a large glass of water before finally feeling better. "Too spicy! Who made it?"

“Look!” Mo Xueyao immediately pointed to Hua Yinyin, “I told Yinyin not to put it there, but she insisted on doing so, and that’s how it turned out.”

"Oops... I accidentally put in a little too much..."

"How can anyone eat this? Nobody can possibly eat it!"

"Is it really spicy?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously, taking a spoonful and tasting it carefully. Fine beads of sweat quickly appeared on her forehead, and her face visibly flushed. "Mmm... ha... hiss... it really is spicy... but... hiss... it's not that... exaggerated... it's... hiss... edible..."

"Shall I try some?" For a moment, it seemed to have turned into a competition to see who could eat the spiciest food. Hua Yinyin also tried a little. "It's not spicy?"

"You're kidding me!"

"It's not spicy... well... it seems a bit spicy now, hiss..." She took a breath of the rain-scented air, "A little bit...? This chili isn't very spicy."

"Huh?"

"Looks like Lele really can't handle spicy food. For spicy food, this should be, hmm, just right?"

"Mmm—I can't eat any more anyway!" Wang Jiale said, resting her chin on her hand. "Oh well, at least I brought some snacks. I'll eat some snacks..."

"It's all Yin Yin's fault."

"I'm sorry..." Hua Yinyin rarely admitted her mistake, which made it difficult for others to say anything to her.

Li Wanyan, who had been silently watching the farce without saying a word, was quietly eating the super spicy fried rice that made everyone else gasp for breath, but to her it seemed only mildly spicy. By the time everyone looked at her, she had already finished more than half of the bowl of rice.

"Isn't Wanyan spicy?"

"Not spicy, just right." Li Wanyan hesitated for two seconds, then continued, "It could be a little spicier."

"How can Wanyan eat so much spicy food?" Hua Yinyin stared wide-eyed in confusion. "I never noticed before."

"Hmm...maybe...because Wanyan eats almost the same things as me?"

"Wanyan!" Hua Yinyin cupped her cheeks and looked at her. "You're always with Xiaoyaoyao, it's really unfair to you. I'll definitely make you a super spicy meal next time!"

"You're done for. You almost set the warehouse on fire." Mo Xueyao flicked Hua Yinyin's forehead. "Eat up. You made this yourself. You're not allowed to leave the table until you finish."

What should I do if I need to use the restroom?

"Pooped in your pants!"

"Waaaaah, little Yaoyao is so cruel—"

"Who told you to put so much chili in, Yinyin? Now I can't eat anymore..." Wang Jiale said irritably. "This bowl is yours too, don't waste it."

"Yes! No waste allowed!"