Chapter 206 : I’m on Top, You’re on Bottom
“I think I’d better handle the cooking.”
Ling Ning took in the sight of the kitchen: potatoes cut down to the size of walnut halves, lettuce leaves stripped down to just their tender cores, and oddly shaped meat chunks… Believing that Li Qian could cook was officially the silliest thing Ling Ning had done since reincarnating.
“No, I can keep going! That… that was just a mistake.” Li Qian, her face dusted with flour, stubbornly insisted on continuing.
Smiling, Ling Ning reached out and wiped the flour off her cheek, saying, “Then at least let me be your assistant, okay, Chef?”
Feeling the warmth of Ling Ning’s hand on her cheek, Li Qian blushed and looked away, stammering, “F-fine, have it your way. But I can totally handle this on my own.”
Ling Ning chuckled. “Yes, yes, Chef Li could absolutely handle it alone—this is just me volunteering to help~”
“What’s with that tone!” Li Qian huffed.
Ignoring her, Ling Ning went to the sink, picking through the lettuce leaves Li Qian had discarded. “Xiao Qian Qian, why did you throw away so much? These leaves are perfectly fresh.”
“Look, this one has a yellow spot, that one’s a bit wilted, and this one has bug bites…”
Ling Ning rolled her eyes. Those tiny flaws could easily be removed! At this rate, they’d barely have any lettuce left.
“What about the potato? How did that get so small?” Ling Ning pointed at the walnut-sized potato.
“There were too many eyes, so I just cut them out,” Li Qian replied, looking slightly embarrassed.
Listening to her explanation, Ling Ning sighed, feeling speechless. Resigned, she began teaching Li Qian how to properly prepare vegetables and peel potatoes.
Fortunately, the chunks Li Qian had peeled off the potatoes were large enough to be salvaged. The meat could also be fixed. Ling Ning was grateful she’d stepped in early; who knew what the kitchen would have looked like otherwise.
“I’ll help too!”
Li Meng, feeling restless in the living room, decided to join them in the kitchen. This also served as a chance to keep an eye on her sister and prevent any “monopolizing” incidents.
Luckily, the kitchen was large enough for all three of them, though it was a bit snug.
As she worked, Ling Ning realized that the sisters were kitchen disasters. They knew next to nothing about cooking, leaving her to shoulder the entire task. She had to keep an eye on them, explaining each step and intervening before they made mistakes.
By the time lunch was ready, Ling Ning felt more exhausted than she did after a morning of teaching. Her shirt was soaked with sweat.
She’d never worked this hard on a meal.
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After eating, Ling Ning flopped onto the couch, unwilling to move.
She glanced at the sisters across from her and said, “Xiao Qian Qian, Xiao Meng Meng, don’t you think it’s time you two showed some appreciation for all the tutoring I did today?”
“Meow meow meow?” they both replied in confusion.
Ling Ning stretched out on the couch, presenting her back, and lazily said, “Look at me—I’m sore, my back aches, and my legs are numb. Don’t you know what to do?”
Seeing her posture, the sisters immediately understood what she wanted.
“I’m on top; you’re on bottom. We’ll switch every ten minutes!”
“Got it!”
After a quick, whispered exchange, the two sisters began massaging her.
Feeling four small hands working over her back, Ling Ning thought to herself that coming over to tutor them had been worth it after all. A massage from a pair of twin beauties—if her old life friends could see her now, they’d be jealous.
Though, who was really getting the better deal here was up for debate.
The massage didn’t last long. Ling Ning sat up, ready to resume the afternoon’s lessons. The sisters looked at her, visibly disappointed. They hadn’t had enough—this rare chance to be so close to her was too good to let slip by.
Time passed as Ling Ning explained topics. When she checked her phone, it was almost five in the evening. She figured it was about time to head home, and was just about to wrap up the lesson when she heard raindrops beginning to pelt against the window, quickly followed by the sound of thunder.
“No… no way!”
Rising from the couch, Ling Ning went to the window and pulled back the curtain. The sky outside was now dark with thick clouds, flashes of lightning streaking across it. Large raindrops splattered onto the window ledge, and the small trees below were bending wildly in the wind. Ling Ning felt a sense of unease.
The weather forecast had said it wouldn’t rain today. When they’d eaten lunch, the sky had been completely clear—how had it changed so quickly?
“Wow, it’s pouring! When did that happen?” Li Qian joined her at the window. It had been ages since she’d seen such heavy rain.
“Now I’m wondering if I’ll even make it home.”
Just then, a bolt of lightning struck a tree below, sending it up in smoke. Ling Ning figured that tree was done for.
“With this storm, it’s best not to risk going out. You can just stay over for the night. You can borrow my clothes, and there are plenty of leftover ingredients from lunch, so we’re all set for dinner.” Li Qian said with forced calmness.
“Yeah, safety first,” Li Meng chimed in.
As Ling Ning hesitated, her phone buzzed with a message from her daughter, informing her she was spending the night at Qin Qing’s place and wouldn’t be coming home.
“Alright, then. I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Hearing her reply, the sisters cheered internally, both flashing identical grins of success.
Seeing their smiles, Ling Ning felt a slight but inexplicable sense of unease…
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Author’s Note:
This is the twenty-third chapter—just one more to go!