Kiss in the Kitchen

Mrs. Yang was forced to take a few steps due to Xiaoguo’s imposing aura.

She stammered, “Actually, you don’t have to…”

“Really?”

Xiaoguo was going to apply her strategy of acting cute, which was always fool-proof. She put on an extremely awkward looking expression that could barely be called cute.

Taking one look at her, Mrs. Yang could immediately tell that she was teasing her.

“Alright, don’t even think about covering up for your deed in this manner.”

Seeing this, Xiaoguo quickly handed over the sour plums she had prepared and that immediately stopped Mrs. Yang from saying more.

The nagging that was on the tip of her tongue instantly became something else.

“I don’t need you to introduce me. I’ve gotten familiar with the two young ladies since this morning.”

Xiaoguo sat opposite her and watched her eat. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“I don’t like any bit of this sour plums,” Mrs. Yang said as she stuffed it into her mouth. “I am only forgiving you because you have admitted your mistake with a good attitude.”

“Yes, yes.” Xiaoguo stopped smiling and nodded quickly. “I am totally at fault.”

When Mrs. Yang heard her words, she pretended to forgive her with reluctance.

“Thank you for lunch, Sister-in-law.”

Xiaoguo knew that Zhuang Zhuang and the others wouldn’t go hungry during the time when she was not at home. Mrs. Yang would definitely come and summon the children during mealtimes.

“It’s nothing…” Mrs. Yang waved her hand indifferently.

Xiaoguo smiled at her with sincerity. It was wonderful to have a neighbor, friend and family like Mrs. Yang.

While chatting, Mrs. Yang heard that Xiaoguo was looking for a renovation contractor, so she recommended someone to her.

“My uncle’s brother works as a carpenter in the county. You can go check out his shop.”

Xiaoguo was delighted to hear that. “That’s great. It saves me the trouble of going around to look for someone.”

When Mrs. Yang heard her words, she quickly shook her head. “You can’t afford to be careless with this kind of thing. You should still look for more options and make comparisons before coming to a decision.”

Xiaoguo was well aware of this, so she nodded. “Okay, I’ll go to the shop tomorrow.”

Mrs. Yang nodded and told her the address.

The purpose of her telling Xiaoguo about the shop was not to let her choose directly, but to give her another option. No matter what, since Xiaoguo was sent there by her, they would definitely give her a discount.

—-

When it was time for dinner, Mrs. Yang had to start preparing to cook. Xiaoguo got up and bade farewell to her before walking home.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she realized that the kitchen chimney was smoking.

Her interest was piqued. “Were they so self-motivated today that they had started cooking?”

“Mother…”

“Sister Xiaoguo…”

Before Xiaoguo could enter the kitchen, Zhuang Zhuang and Xiao Zhu called out in unison.

It didn’t sound like there was a problem, but Xiaoguo could detect a hint of distress in their voices.

“Huh? What delicious food are you making?”

Xiaoguo smiled and walked into the kitchen. Then, she retreated immediately in the next instant. It turned out that the chimney was not the only thing that was smoking, the kitchen was completely filled with smoke as well.

“Hurry up and come out. There’s so much smoke inside.”

Xiaoguo rubbed her eyes and looked at the few people who were still standing there in a daze.

With the stove in the way, she didn’t see the figure who was trying to defuse the fire below.

Seeing the strange expressions on the children’s faces, Xiaoguo subconsciously felt that they must have caused the fire while messing around.

“Are the three of you trying to burn down my kitchen?”

The three people in the room tensed up and looked nervously at the stiff man beside them. Then, they shook their heads anxiously at Xiaoguo. It was unclear if Xiaoguo was able to see them.

Zhuang Zhuang pursed his lips and gestured aggrievedly to the side.

Xiaoguo didn’t quite understand, but she acknowledged with a vague reply, “Ah.”

Then, Yu Ling and Xiao Zhu also gestured anxiously towards something on the side.

“What’s wrong?” Xiaoguo was confused by their actions. She really didn’t understand what they meant, so she could only shout into the room, “Jiang Danhe!”

She had been back for a while, but Jiang Danhe was nowhere to be seen. The other three kids were all acting strangely. She urgently needed someone who could talk to her and explain things to her.

“Yes…”

Xiaoguo thought she was hearing things. She looked at the kitchen and then at the back room. She didn’t understand what was going on, so she called out again.

“Jiang Danhe!”

A weak reply came from the kitchen. “Yes!”

This time, Xiaoguo heard him clearly. She turned to look at the kitchen and whispered to the three of them, who were in a daze, “No way.”

The three of them nodded silently. That’s right. Their father (brother-in-law) was here. He was the one who caused the fire in the kitchen.

Jiang Danhe looked up from the stove and smiled at Xiaoguo.

Xiaoguo immediately turned around with shoulders trembling.

But don’t get me wrong. She wasn’t crying, instead she was laughing.

What was Jiang Danhe trying to do? His face was covered in soot. It was too funny!

After a while, Xiaoguo composed herself and turned to look at him.

Jiang Danhe had already stood up from the stool when she turned around. He walked to the door frame and looked at Xiaoguo sadly.

While waiting for her return, Zhuang Zhuang kept complaining that he was hungry. Jiang Danhe had no choice but to do the cooking himself.

However, Zhuang Zhuang, Xiao Zhu, and Yu Ling were not confident in his cooking skills. They insisted on watching him cook. On the surface, they claimed that they were there to help out. But the actual truth was quite evident. Under the guise of helping out, they were actually monitoring him.

He had been through all kinds of situations—the watchful eyes of three little kids had no effect on him.

However, Jiang Danhe had to admit that he was too arrogant.

With three pairs of innocent eyes staring at him blankly, no matter how strong his mental strength was, it was hard to withstand.

As soon as he added water, someone would come over to check if there was enough water. Once he added firewood, someone would immediately walk over to check if he could start a fire.

If not for the fact that they were still young, Jiang Danhe would have slapped every single one of them.

Before he knew it, he had added a lot of firewood to the stove. Once the fire started burning, the chimney couldn’t handle all the smoke. About half of the smoke drifted out of the open stove and by the time they realized it, the entire kitchen was filled with smoke. Everything looked dark and gloomy, almost like the hell in the story that Xiaoguo had told them about.

Xiaoguo came back before they could do anything to salvage the situation.

“Shall I do the cooking?”

Xiaoguo held back her laughter and asked Jiang Danhe.

Jiang Danhe shook his head gently. “I’ll do it. You’ve had a long day.”

“Then shall I assist you?”

This time, Jiang Danhe nodded without hesitation.

The two of them entered the kitchen together. The smoke in the kitchen had dissipated a little. Zhuang Zhuang wanted to stay and help. But Xiao Zhu and Yu Ling were keen observers— they quickly pulled the reluctant Zhuang Zhuang back into the house.

Now, the kitchen belonged to the two of them.

Xiaoguo couldn’t help herself. She dipped her hand in clean water and walked to Jiang Danhe. She then raised her hand to wipe the soot off his face.

“Don’t move.”

Jiang Danhe was immediately frozen on the spot. Looking at the woman in front of him, his heart started beating wildly.

The setting sun slid through the open window and landed on Xiaoguo’s face, its gentle glow gradually spreading across her face.

Jiang Danhe was captivated by the woman’s serious expression and gentle hands.

He couldn’t help but stare at her slightly parted lips. The four words “rosy lips and pearly teeth” were truly embodied on Xiaoguo’s lips.

Her rosy lips were moving as she breathed.

Jiang Danhe felt like his heart was being bitten by ants—the itch was too much for him to bear. Unable to take it anymore, he pulled the hand that was about to leave his face and gently pulled Xiaoguo into his arms. Guided by his desire, he leaned down towards her.

Xiaoguo was stunned for a moment before she started struggling. This was the kitchen. The children were all at home. If they were accidentally seen, she would be done for.

Jiang Danhe moved back slightly and said breathlessly, “I’ll keep a lookout.”

Before Xiaoguo could protest, he leaned over her again.

Perhaps it was his intoxicating breath, or maybe it was something else, suddenly Xiaoguo didn’t want to resist anymore. She just wanted to follow his lead…

The two of them were deeply engrossed in each other, unaware that they were being watched by a pair of curious big eyes.