Endless Fall

Making Soup for Her

“No.” Pei Zhi spat out the mouthwash. His mouth was still filled with the sweetness of peaches.

He handed her a tissue and waited for her to wipe away the water on her lips before looking away.

“Uncle, wait a minute.” Lin Jiao suddenly thought of something and ran to the living room.

She found a charger in the cabinet and stood in the doorway of the second bedroom. She pointed to the headboard. “The plugs are on the right side.”

“Okay.” Pei Yi took the charger.

He said good night to her and watched the door opposite close bit by bit before he was willing to switch off the light in the living room.

Living under the same roof as her was something he had yearned for but could not ask for. When he lay on the bed and was wrapped in the blanket she used, he felt like his life was complete.

He was facing the white wall, and his mind was filled with the image of her. With her in mind, he fell asleep in no time.

As the sun rose, the cicadas resting on the willow trees let out a series of cries.

Summer was their mating season. The hotter the sun was, the louder it cried, causing the entire neighborhood to be filled with high-pitched noises.

Before Pei Zhi’s alarm could go off, he was woken up.

He looked at the time on his phone. After the brain fog went away, he walked into the bathroom to wash up and prepare lunch for her.

At noon, a strong fragrance of soup spread from the kitchen. As soon as Lin Jiao opened the door, she was attracted by the fragrance.

She ran into the kitchen in her slippers and disheveled hair. “Uncle, are you making soups?”

Pei Zhi nodded. “Do you want to try it?”

“Yes.” Lin Jiao glanced at the pot like a kitten waiting to be fed.

She waited for Pei Zhi to blow on the soup to cool it down before taking the spoon from him and drinking it in satisfaction. 𝒇𝔯e𝚎𝘄𝑒𝑏𝙣𝑜𝚟𝗲𝑙.c𝘰𝚖

“How does it taste?”

“It’s very delicious. I usually like to put the ginseng in the chicken soup. I didn’t expect you to do the same.”

Many people could not accept this smell.

For example, every time she made chicken soup with ginseng, Gu Quan would frown with displeasure.

Pei Zhi thought of something. “I still have a few kilograms of Pilose Asiabell ginseng. I’ll give it to you another day.”

“How much is Pilose Asiabell ginseng now?”

“About six hundred.”

Lin Jiao replied, “Then I’ll cook chicken soup for you next time.” She handed him the spoon and resisted the urge to take another sip.

“Okay.” This was what Pei Zhi wanted the most.

“Go wash up first.”

Lin Jiao nodded. “I’ll come to help you later.”

She left the kitchen with light steps, washed up as quickly as possible, and returned to her room to change into another set of nightgown.

While passing the second bedroom, she vaguely heard a vibration, so she followed the sound to the bed and picked up the phone.

“Uncle, your phone is ringing.”

“From whom?”

“Chu Yuzhou.”

Pei Zhi was too busy cooking to care about Chu Yuzhou. He shouted from the kitchen, “Help me answer the call.”

Lin Jiao pressed the answer button. Before she could say a word, she heard him ask, “Brother Pei, have you eaten?”

“Not yet. He’s cooking.”

Chu Yuzhou was so shocked that he dropped his cigarette.

He swallowed his saliva and double-checked if the number he called was correct. He asked tentatively, “Lin Jiao?”

“Yes.” Lin Jiao bit open the packet of biscuits and stuffed a piece into her mouth to fill her stomach. “Why are you calling him?”