茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Chapter 105: A Gift For You

Noticing that the other three at the table seemed to have put their chopsticks down and were staring at him, Xiang Kun was perplexed. “What’s up? Why have you stopped eating? What are you all looking at me for?”

Yang Zhen’er said, “If anyone should be asking that, it should be us. You were the first to stop eating and then started looking at us with such ‘benevolence’ in your eyes…”

‘Benevolence’ , what the hell…

Xiang Kun slightly twitched his mouth, quickly answering, “I was just thinking about coming up with some new dishes, trying to improve my recipes a bit. So, how are the dishes tonight? Are they okay?”

Tang Baona immediately extended her hand, making a thumbs-up gesture. “Fantastic! Delicious!”

Yang Zhen’er nodded as well, “Yes, I initially thought there wasn’t much difference from the dishes I had last time at your house. But they somehow taste even better now. I don’t know if it’s because of different ingredients or something else, but they seem to be even more delicious? There’s no need to improve these dishes now, they are perfect just the way they are!” She was slightly worried that if Xiang Kun were to “improve” them further, he might alter the taste, making them less delicious than they currently are.

Xia Libing confidently responded, “It’s better than last time.”

Xiang Kun nodded his head in “gratitude”. Even though he had anticipated the praise, it still made him happy and provided a sense of achievement.

“All of them were delicious, but I wish the dry pot rabbit meat was a little less spicy and had a bit lighter flavor.” Tang Baona suggested in a low voice.

But Yang Zhen’er by her side immediately retorted, “Not at all! The taste is just right, if it gets any lighter we might as well steam it.”

Tang Baona muttered, “Eating light is healthy.”

Yang Zhen’er huffed, “Nana, how old are you that you’re already thinking about health preservation?”

Xia Libing proposed, “You can try doing a few seafood dishes.”

Tang Baona quickly recommended, “Try some vegetable dishes. Xiang Kun, don’t you think we’ve had too much meat? It was the same at your house last time… though the meat was delicious, we still need vegetables for a balanced diet.

Yang Zhen’er excitedly said, “I know a restaurant where they make exceptional seafood. I’m quite close with the owner. Next time I’ll bring you guys to try it, then we can find an excuse to check out their kitchen so you can learn a few tricks, Xiang Kun…”

For their suggestions, Xiang Kun simply nodded with a smile. However, remembering Yang Zhen’er’s remark about being ‘benevolent’ … he quickly put away his smile, adopting a serious look instead.

In reality, Xiang Kun might now understand their taste preferences better than they do themselves.

At least when it comes to the dishes on the table, he was able to accurately capture their reactions, body language, and all sorts of information while they were eating. Combined with the previous time at his house, he could now make even more detailed and accurate judgments.

He knew exactly which dishes he had made to cater to whose tastes, so he was not confused by their seemingly contradictory comments. However, to further understand their preferences, relying solely on these dishes was not as efficient anymore. He would need to change up the types of dishes.

After dinner, although it was still early, it was Mid-Autumn Festival, so Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona had to return to their homes in the city to enjoy the moon and eat moon cakes with their families.

Since they lived in different directions, Tang Baona didn’t need Yang Zhen’er to drop her off and called a cab herself.

Xiang Kun, of course, also insisted that he didn’t need a lift. He voluntarily stayed back to help Xia Libing clear the table and clean the kitchen and utensils.

After Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er left, Xia Libing was responsible for the simpler tasks like wiping the table and packing up the dishes, while Xiang Kun handled washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen and utensils—mainly because he had used this kitchen before, and had already planned the cleaning process while cooking. If he hadn’t stayed to “help”, it wouldn’t have mattered. But since he did, he preferred to follow his plan. Besides, Xia Libing didn’t seem like someone who did housework often.

Even though there was a dishwasher here, there were still a lot of things to tidy up in the kitchen besides utensils such as bowls and chopsticks.

Xia Libing, too, was quietly helping on the side, not telling him to leave it alone as a housekeeping service would tidy up tomorrow.

“You don’t seem to be feeling well today?” , Xia Libing suddenly asked when they were almost done tidying up.

Xiang Kun was taken aback and asked curiously, ‘Why would you say that?” “You seemed unusually tense the whole day,” Xia Libing noted.

Xiang Kun instantly understood what she was referring to. He now had significantly better control over his body’s muscular function compared to the average person and had a high tolerance threshold for pain and other negative feelings. Even when they had visited his house to have a meal last time, he could effortlessly act normal and engage in laughter & chatter even while struggling to suppress the discomfort caused by a stone in his stomach.

But today, in order to suppress the sensation of queasiness, he had swallowed two stones, and his stomach was in agony due to the “duel” taking place inside. Though this made it easier to suppress the sensation of queasiness and ingest more regular food, it was even more uncomfortable.

He thought he had hidden his discomfort well and showed no signs of it, but Xia Libing had seen through him. On reflection, his expression might not have given anything away, but his body could have involuntarily reacted, with his muscles more tense than usual, and his posture not as upright as before.

Fortunately, having just finished eating, he had already excused himself to the restroom to vomit out the two stones along with the food he had consumed that night and was now in a completely relaxed state.

“It’s nothing serious, just a slight stomach (dis)comfort,” Xiang Kun answered vaguely.

He had long realized that Xia Libing had an unusual amount of attention focused on him. When they were hanging out as a group, she always seemed to allocate a portion of her attention to him.

He didn’t find Xia Libing’s particular interest in him of romantic inclination. Instead, he believed she, being a brainiac in psychiatry, psychology, and mental health, might have picked up on the fact that there was something off about his mental and emotional state, hence the special attention.

This possibly could be chalked up as a “job hazard”. Just like how he is tempted to ponder the possible root cause or solution when he sees someone else’s program malfunctioning, even when expressing his sympathies.

But topics of mental and psychological disorders remain sensitive subjects in China. A lot of people, even when they realize something’s wrong with their mental health, are unwilling to seek help from psychiatrists, fearing the social stigma of being labeled insane. Therefore, Xia Libing, even if she had suspicion about his mental and emotional state, would hesitate to voice them.

Unfortunately, Xiang Kun couldn’t bring himself to spill out his issues, making it impossible for her to make an actual diagnosis.

To Xiang Kun’s explanation, Xia Libing only said: “If your stomach frequently feels uncomfortable, you should get it checked out. Even though you seem quite healthy typically, there could still be potential health issues that might not be apparent.”

After finishing tidying up, Xiang Kun prepared to take his leave, but Xia Libing invited him to her study on the first floor.

Two and a half walls of the study were filled with built-in bookshelves, almost ninety percent of which were filled with books. There were in fact, piles of books even stacked up on the floor, forming mini towers.

These books covered a variety of topics. Apart from medical texts, there were history, philosophy, and novels. However, the majority of these, judging by their spines, seemed quite new.

Seeing so many books, Xiang Kun couldn’t help but mumble to himself. Even with his current exceptional reading speed, it would still take him a long time to finish these books. Had Xia Libing even read these books?

However, the most eye-catching feature of the study was not the books or bookshelves, but three life-size 1:1 models: a skeletal model, a torso anatomical model, and a full-body layered muscular model. A brain model, which could be assembled to show internal structures, was sitting on the table beside.

Xiang Kun couldn’t help saying, “Aren’t you studying psychiatry and psychology? You need these, too?”

Xia Libing, standing beside him, didn’t answer his question but only said, “You can have them if you want. Anyway, I’m heading off to Haixi Province..”