In the anime series, Goto Ichiri is actually my childhood sweetheart?

"Hey, Yili often says that too. He can't make friends at school and often plays by himself."

Mother Goto sighed. She had been worried a lot about this matter.

"Don't worry, Auntie. I will take good care of her at school. After all, I am her friend."

Takahashi Kaede's reliable words, spoken like an adult, made Goto's mother smile.

Goto Ichiri blushed and kept shrinking to the side without saying anything.

"Then I feel relieved - here we are, this is your home, right?"

The apartment building they had known appeared in front of them, and Takahashi Kaede pointed to the rear of a car and signaled Goto's mother to stop.

The car stopped steadily, and Takahashi Kaede took Goto's mother and son into the convenience store. He was originally a little worried that there would not be enough food to buy in the evening, but now it seems that this worry is completely unnecessary.

There was a long refrigerator with rows of meat piled on it. The chef spirit hidden deep in Takahashi Kaede's heart broke out completely. He carefully selected all the chicken and chops and threw them into plastic bags.

He cooks simply and doesn't use too many seasonings. Usually, simple salt and MSG with a little seasoning to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor are enough.

Saltiness, fragrance, and removal of fishy smell, as long as these three are in place, Gao Qiaofeng believes that any dish will be delicious.

Looking at Takahashi Kaede walking around the store nimbly, Goto's mother was a little surprised. She came to help, but he didn't seem to need any help at all.

Goto Ichiri followed Takahashi Kaede to pick vegetables together. They were very close to each other, and Goto Ichiri was still a little scared in public places.

After buying all the meat, vegetables and spices, Takahashi Kaede pushed the cart up to Goto's mother.

"Auntie, please."

Mother Goto took the cart with a smile, paid the bill, and the three of them walked towards the apartment.

"Takahashi-kun, do you often help Ms. Ryoko buy groceries?"

Goto's mother asked. The way Takahashi Kaede bought vegetables just now was no different from that of an auntie who had been working in the vegetable market for decades. She looked very experienced and it was hard to believe that she was less than six years old.

"Well...that's right."

Takahashi Feng was embarrassed to make up some lies, so he evaded the question, but he did often buy groceries for Ryoko. You can only say that this is the art of speaking.

The three of them took the food upstairs and when they passed by the Fu family, Gao Qiaofeng greeted them.

"Xiao Feng, there are guests at home."

"Yes, it's my classmate Goto Ichiri and her mother. I want to invite them to my house for a meal."

"Hey, Miss Ryoko hasn't come back yet, right?"

“I cook for myself.”

"Eh??"

Under the somewhat incredulous gaze of Fu's mother, the three of them went upstairs and into the house.

"Excuse me." Goto mother and son said in unison.

Gao Qiaofeng moved aside to let them go in first, then he closed the door. While they were taking off their shoes, he took out a pair of slippers from the cabinet and placed them in front of them.

"Takahashi-kun, your house is so clean. Does Ms. Ryoko clean it often?"

Goto's mother exclaimed. As soon as she entered the room, the tiles in the living room were shining. It felt like she didn't need to wear shoes at all. Even if she walked barefoot on the floor, her feet wouldn't get dirty.

"After all, there are only two of us living here, so we still clean the house regularly, haha." After saying that, Gao Qiao Feng touched his head.

In fact, most of the credit goes to him alone. Regular cleaning makes sure that he doesn't get upset by the piles of garbage at home when he gets home. This is very important for people living alone. He has not changed his habits from his previous life.

"Okay, I'll start preparing now. It would be best if I can finish it by the time Ryoko gets home."

Taking the bag from Goto Ichiri, Takahashi Kaede walked towards the kitchen.

"Auntie, you guys can do whatever you want and watch TV as you like. Don't worry about me." Gao Qiao Feng turned around and added.

The mature and reliable cooking process starts with the side dishes. Standing on a small stool, Gao Qiaofeng carefully washes the purchased vegetables one by one. The stove is very low, but it is very high for him now, and adding a small stool is just right. In the past, he always had back pain because he had to bend over to wash vegetables, and he often couldn't stand up for a long time after washing.

"This can be considered an advantage of being short." Gao Qiaofeng complained.

Chapter 12 You are already great

After the washed ribs and chicken are put into the colander, they need to be shaken vigorously to pour out the water inside. This made Takahashi Feng very nervous. He was not strong enough and shook it too hard, and he almost fell down. Goto's mother, who had been standing behind him and watching, hurriedly supported him.

Gao Qiaofeng felt a little embarrassed. He almost had a problem right at the beginning. Now even he didn't believe himself.

"Takahashi-kun, you have to be careful. If you need any help, you must tell me. Don't be stubborn. If you hurt yourself, Miss Ryoko will definitely be distressed if she sees you."

"Oh, thank you for your concern..."

Gao Qiaofeng had nothing to say but to agree.

"Auntie, can you help me cut the corn? If I were to do it, I would probably just chop the corn with the knife and smash it down."

"No problem~"

"What about me? What about me!"

Goto Ichiri, who was watching TV in the living room, couldn't sit still and came over to join in the fun.

"Help me stir the egg mixture evenly."

Gao Qiaofeng casually beat a few eggs into a bowl, then took a pair of chopsticks to demonstrate to her. Hold the chopsticks normally, with the middle finger stuck between the two chopsticks, allowing the ends of the chopsticks to come together for a distance, and then stir the egg liquid repeatedly.

Seeing Goto Ichiri's confused look, Takahashi Kaede asked her to hold the chopsticks and taught her the movements step by step.

Goto Ichiri learned quickly. She carefully took the bowl of eggs and began to beat the eggs in an orderly manner.

Gao Qiaofeng chopped the green onion and ginger into sections, placed them on a plate, and then took out a frying pan from the cabinet.

Both the braised chicken and spareribs need to be stir-fried first to make the meat firm so that it does not become mushy during stewing. However, the sparerib soup still needs to be cooked in a pressure cooker for twenty minutes, so Gaoqiao Feng decided to prepare the spareribs first.

Wearing an apron, Takahashi Feng first added water to the pot, then put in the spare ribs and ginger after the water boiled, and waited for a while.

"Boom-thump-thump-"

This is the sound of Goto's mother cutting corn. After all, corn is very hard and requires a lot of force to cut.

Adding ribs to boiling water is to remove the blood foam in the meat, and adding ginger is also to better remove the fishy smell, otherwise there will be a strange fishy smell.

After a while, Gaoqiao Feng used a colander to scoop out the ribs and ginger slices, turned off the fire, and looked at the big pot of water. He held the handle of the pot with both hands and lifted it up, but it didn't move at all. He was a little puzzled.

"Um, Auntie, can you help me pour the water? I can't carry it."

Once again, an unexpected accident occurred, but fortunately there was Goto's mother, a strong adult, there, otherwise Takahashi Kaede would have to resort to the dangerous method of pumping out the water bit by bit, knowing that this was boiling water.

The water was poured out quickly. Takahashi Feng unpacked the smaller spatula that Goto's mother brought, shook it in his hand, and then raised it high. The metal sparkled under the light in the kitchen, and the feeling of cooking came up immediately.

Turn on high heat, wait until the pot is dry, then pour in an appropriate amount of oil. When the oil starts to bubble, Gao Qiaofeng places his palm flat on the oil to feel the temperature, and then pours the washed ribs into it.

Since he couldn't hold such a heavy object steadily, Gao Qiaofeng could only pour it all in at once. The oil reacted violently with the moisture in the ribs, making crackling sounds and splashing oil everywhere, some of which even splashed onto Gao Qiaofeng's apron.

Gao Qiao Feng didn't take it seriously. He just wiped the sweat off his head and started to stir-fry. He couldn't do any fancy moves with this small spatula and his small hands, so he could only stir-fry honestly. It didn't take long until the meat was slightly charred on the edges, then he could take it out and put it into the pressure cooker.

Finally, put water and seasonings into the pressure cooker, sprinkle some chopped green onions, then cover the lid, forcefully put the two handles together, turn on high heat, and you're basically done. Just wait for the pressure cooker to steam and then turn to low heat to steam it slowly.

Also be careful to place the pressure limiting valve properly, otherwise there will be big problems.

"You're quite skilled. Where did Takahashi learn this?" Goto's mother exclaimed.

'Learned it in my previous life'.

Of course he wouldn't say that.

"I learned by reading books. I bought a basic recipe book from Ryoko. It has the basic usage of kitchen utensils. Don't say it looks simple, but it's still a bit difficult to do it in practice. There are always some problems."

"Yes, yes, cooking is also an art!"

Chimiko seemed to agree with him.

The gas wrapped in the closed iron sheet was continuously heated, and finally couldn't help but rush out from the air hole. The exhaust hole began to "hiss" and gas began to come out, and the pressure limiting valve was also pushed up and down.

The loud noise of the pressure cooker made Goto Ichiri a little scared. She did not continue watching Takahashi Kaede cook, but hid outside the kitchen and observed while beating eggs.

Seeing that the pressure cooker began to emit steam, Gao Qiaofeng turned down the heat and glanced at the clock.

Twenty minutes, Ryoko shouldn't come back so early.

After washing the spatula, Feng Takahashi began to prepare the braised chicken.

The dish he made is slightly different from the authentic one. He would add a lot of oil and dry up the juice to let the flavor fully infuse the meat. You don’t even need to taste it; just looking at it will make your mouth water.

Heat oil in a hot pan, add the chicken and stir-fry, pour in appropriate amount of soy sauce to adjust the color so that the chicken is the most appetizing color, then add seasoning and water, cover the pot and start simmering it.

Chicken is different from pork. Chicken pieces are small and the meat is loose, and can be softened simply by using a pressure cooker. However, pork is different. Even meat from large bones is difficult to soften without a pressure cooker.

The two main dishes are almost done. Takahashi Feng is exhausted. The repeated stir-frying and high concentration are like a magic that absorbs energy. Now he can take a short break and see how Goto Ichiri is beating the eggs.

Takahashi Feng got down from the stool and hung her apron on the wall.

"Goto-san, how are the eggs going?"

Goto Ichiri was tinkering with something with his back to Takahashi Kaede, not saying anything.

Takahashi Feng looked sideways and saw that Goto Ichiri had turned into a little cat. Probably because he was hit too hard and in the wrong direction, the egg liquid splashed onto his face.

Fortunately, the water didn't splash onto her clothes. Gao Qiaofeng quickly took the egg beating bowl and chopsticks and picked up the tissue to wipe her face. She looked a little depressed, with her eyebrows drooping and her eyes looking downward, appearing very lost.

"It's okay. It's a great achievement to be able to do this for the first time." Takahashi Feng wiped her face carefully and said to her softly, "The egg liquid is almost done, Goto-san, you succeeded."

"Really?" Goto Ichiri looked up after taking a look at the turbid egg liquid.

"Really? If you don't believe me, ask your mother."

Goto Ichiri looked at her mother, who gave her an affirmative smile.

"It's already amazing that Xiao Yili has achieved this level. Don't worry about not doing it well."

Goto's mother consoled him.

"But Takahashi-san..."

Goto's mother thought that there was no comparison at all, the child's talent in cooking was too advanced, but her expression still looked like 'you're already great'.

Chapter 13 Takahashi Kaede and Aunt

Goto Ichiri is not stupid. She can tell from the fact that Takahashi Kaede continued stirring the bowl after taking it that she was not of much help. She also tried hard to do it well, but this kind of thing obviously cannot be done overnight. Looking at the bustling kitchen, she wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do.

"Goto, you have to know that cooking is something that requires accumulation of experience. Even for a quick-trained chef, it takes at least a month to become a master. If you want to keep improving, it may take years. Don't be fooled by my seeming proficiency. In fact, I have been practicing for a long time. Look at my book. The pages are all torn. That's because I have persisted for a long time. If I hadn't read and learned every day, it would be impossible for me to cook this meal today."

Takahashi Feng knew that Goto Ichiri just wanted to help and was disappointed because he couldn't help. In his heart, Goto Ichiri was already a very outstanding child.

"And just because you're slow doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. The egg liquid has already taken shape. I just need to complete the final step of mixing it evenly."

Takahashi Feng added, freeing one hand to touch Goto Ichiri's little head to comfort him.

Goto's mother smiled as she watched the interaction between the two children. She found their serious look a little cute.

Goto Ichiri hummed softly.

"Goto, I really appreciate your help today. Thank you for calling Auntie to come and make it this far. I know that it would not have been possible without you today."

After hearing this, Goto Ichiri's expression brightened.

The eggs gradually become golden and even when stirred, and as they are rhythmically turned with chopsticks, they seem to become a piece of dough that can be shaped at will.

"That's basically it, you see."

Gao Qiaofeng picked up the egg liquid with chopsticks. The egg liquid had almost no stickiness and slid down immediately after being picked up.

"oh oh!"

Goto Ichiri looked at the bowl of egg liquid they had beaten together with excitement, as if he had discovered a new world.

After placing the bowl of egg liquid on the stove in the kitchen, the three of them sat back in the living room to rest.

"I was planning to solve it by myself, but in the end I had to endure so much care from you guys. I'm really ashamed."

Gao Qiaofeng sighed. He originally invited the guests to his home as diners, but ended up inviting them to lend a hand. How long will it take for them to grow up? This feeling that there is nothing that others can't do is really a torment for him who never asks for help from others.

"Takahashi-kun, is Miss Ryoko the only one in your family? Where are your parents? Are they working away from home?"

Goto's mother chatted that the apartment was not small and was more than enough for a family to live in, but only Takahashi Kaede and Ryoko lived there, and Ryoko was only Takahashi Kaede's aunt, which made her very confused.

Takahashi Feng shook his head calmly.

"He's been gone since I can remember. I heard from Ryoko that he died in an accident."

Unlike the ignorant Goto Ichiri, Goto's mother could clearly feel the heaviness of the three words "passed away", especially when heard by a child under the age of six. She felt as if she understood why Takahashi Kaede was so sensible. If a child who has suffered a huge blow can come out of it, it is inevitable that his heart will be very strong.