"I’m just saying it’s a possibility." He Teng replied in a muffled voice.
He Zhilan uttered a sound of acknowledgment, first took the key to open the door, turned on the light, and then turned to look at He Teng behind her. She sniffed and asked, "Have you been smoking at the door again?"
"I smoked a couple out of boredom." He Teng answered, then looked around the room. It was a tidy two-bedroom house, and his stuff was currently placed on the chair in the living room.
"Don’t smoke when you’re bored! It’s bad for your health." He Zhilan reprimanded He Teng before asking, "How long have you been waiting at the door? Have you had dinner?"
He Teng shook his head. He had been waiting at the door for a while. He only found out at dusk that He Zhilan had moved. He rushed over after getting the address, but Jennifer from downstairs told him she was at the Xing Family’s house and hasn’t returned since. After that, he didn’t go anywhere else, just squatting at the door and waiting.
"It’s already this late, why didn’t you find something to eat nearby?" He Zhilan glances at the time. It was almost eight o’clock and He Teng still hadn’t eaten, causing her to feel a bit guilty. "You’re almost thirty, yet you’re worse than me at taking care of yourself. At least I wouldn’t let myself go hungry."
After she scolded He Teng, seeing that his expression didn’t change, He Zhilan sighed helplessly. "Wait for me in the living room. I’ll make you some noodle soup with the vegetables and eggs in the kitchen."
All these things were left there by Bian Xiulin. She probably worried that He Zhilan, who always felt hungry, would go hungry living alone here.
"Alright." He Teng didn’t respond until then. He watched as He Zhilan went into the kitchen. Shortly after, the sound of her busy movements drifted out from the kitchen. His steps unintentionally drifted towards the kitchen, and he stopped at the entrance.
Although He Zhilan hardly lifted a finger at the He family, once she did, her movements were swift and efficient. She picked and washed the vegetables, beat and fried the eggs, and cooked everything in the pot. Everything was done in an orderly manner, without the panic of someone unfamiliar with cooking.
This was the first time that He Zhilan cooked alone for He Teng. During the Lunar New Year at the barracks, she had intended to cook a New Year’s Eve dinner for him, yet there was no place to cook, so they ate at the cafeteria. Unexpectedly, here in S Province, she had the opportunity to do so.
"Here, try it! It should taste good." He Zhilan brought a small bowl of noodles over to He Teng. "You eat first, if it’s not enough, I’ll cook some more."
He Teng looked at the mountain of noodles and shook his head. "This is enough."
As he began to eat, he asked He Zhilan if she wanted to join him. Seeing her shake her head, he started eating by himself. He indeed was quite hungry at this point.
He Teng ate his noodles with a gung-ho attitude, slurping them up very quickly. He Zhilan just sat there watching, feeling a sense of contentment. She had fantasized about this kind of domestic life with He Teng before, and today, she got to experience it in advance.
He Zhilan did not enjoy cooking, but she did enjoy the happiness it brought to cook for He Teng.
In just a few minutes, He Teng had polished off the bowl of noodles. He looked at He Zhilan, a smile in her eyes, and said, "There’s a guest house arranged for me. It’s still early, so I’ll head there."