Chapter 119: It’s Normal to Be Scared the First Time

“This is all your fault!”

Walking down the street outside the school towards River Mountain Residences, Su Huaizhou pinched Jiang Miao’s waist hard and complained with a blushing face, “Now they all know! They might even tell other students!”

“Why does it matter?” Jiang Miao didn’t mind at all now. In fact, he was eager for everyone to know he was dating Senior Sister. He reached out for the small hand pinching his waist.

Seeing Senior Sister’s shy appearance was adorable.

Who would have thought she would feel so embarrassed after her junior sisters discovered she was dating Junior Brother?

“How doesn’t it matter?” Su Huaizhou pinched his hand hard. “We-we’re only a third of a couple. But now, everyone’s misunderstood.”

“Let them misunderstand. Anyway, we’ll 100% be a couple sooner or later.”

“You’re pretty confident, huh?” She turned her head away.

“As the saying goes, to capture a girl’s heart, you first have to capture her stomach.” Jiang Miao held Senior Sister’s hand and walked towards the supermarket near the neighborhood. “I feel like I’ve already got this part down.”

“No,” Su Huaizhou murmured. “It’s just one stir-fried pork dish.”

“Then, should I make something different tonight?”

“No way! I want stir-fried pork!”

The two of them entered the supermarket to buy groceries. They were familiar with the place and walked out with bags ten minutes later.

Su Huaizhou carried the lighter bag, with her other hand wrapped around Jiang Miao’s. She turned his head and asked, “Junior Brother, can you teach me how to cook?”

“Stir-fried pork?”

“Yeah!”

“Sure. Senior Sister, you’re so good to me.”

Su Huaizhou: “?”

“I just mentioned wanting to capture your stomach, and now you’re in a hurry to figure out how to capture mine,” Jiang Miao teased thick-skinnedly. “Are you that eager to capture my heart?” Ṟ

“Shameless,” Su Huaizhou spat, her face slightly flushed, refusing to look at him.

They carried the fresh ingredients to Building 3, Unit 1 of River Mountain Residences.

Su Huaizhou scanned her face to unlock the door. The two of them walked into the elevator and watched the numbers jump from 1 to 10.

With Senior Sister holding his arm, Jiang Miao watched the numbers flicker as the elevator swiftly rose. He suddenly felt a bit dazed.

It seemed as if he was already getting a taste of married life before even graduating.

“Senior Sister, if we get married, will it be like this?” Jiang Miao asked. “We’ll wake up together every day, I’ll write, and you’ll draw. Then when it’s time for meals, we’ll head out to buy groceries, cook together, and then sleep together at night?”

“You just want to sleep together, don’t you?” Su Huaizhou shot him a sidelong glance.

“Of course not. As long as it’s with you, Senior Sister, everything we do together feels great.”

“Hmph! I never said I’d marry you.”

“Really? Then I guess I’ll have to find another girl—”

“You dare?!” Su Huaizhou glared at him angrily and stomped hard on his foot.

Jiang Miao simply wrapped his arms around her, pulling her soft body into his embrace. “I wouldn’t dare. I’ll always be Senior Sister’s Junior Brother.”

“Who wants that…” she murmured softly. Her hands pressed on his chest but didn’t push him away.

They hadn’t even unlocked the hugging stage yet.

But she had completely forgotten about it.

“Senior Sister, the elevator’s here. How long are you planning to hug me?”

Awakened by Junior Brother, Su Huaizhou hurriedly wriggled free from his embrace and rushed out of the elevator. “You were the one who hugged me! I didn’t hug you!”

Jiang Miao followed her out with a smile.

Although it was true that he was the one who started it, Senior Sister had kept her face pressed against his chest and rested her hands tightly on his shoulders.

And she still said she didn’t hug him?

The two of them arrived at the door of Room 1001.

Su Huaizhou took out her keys to unlock the door.

The familiar interior came into view. Jiang Miao followed Senior Sister inside and changed into the dark blue slippers, feeling as if he hadn’t been away for long.

Well, it really hadn’t been long.

He had left on Tuesday, and it was only Thursday today.

He had thought he would have to wait a long time before returning to Senior Sister’s place.

Unexpectedly, just two days later, the two of them had sneaked by here for a tryst.

But it wasn’t like he had initiated it. He had only come to apologize to the upset Senior Sister by bringing ingredients to cook stir-fried pork.

But from the look on her face, she didn’t seem that angry.

“Come in quickly.” Su Huaizhou walked into the kitchen and turned around to see him still lingering at the door. She urged, “You still have to teach me how to make stir-fried pork.”

“Coming.” Jiang Miao followed her into the kitchen in the slippers, placed the ingredients on the counter, and took the apron hanging on the wall.

“Senior Sister, stand still.” He came behind Su Huaizhou, draped the apron over her, and pulled two thin strings around her waist to tie them.

She stood obediently on the spot, waiting for Junior Brother to put the apron on her.

Feeling his hand touching her body from time to time, she felt her heart flutter and her pulse quickening.

If Junior Brother suddenly hugged her from behind, she definitely wouldn’t be able to refuse, right?

If he reached out to grasp her chin, forced her to turn around, and captured her lips with a kiss…

Oh~ Su Huaizhou blushed deeply and closed her eyes tightly, not daring to imagine this scene any further.

Jiang Miao finished tying the two strings around her waist. As he tightened them, he whispered in her ear, “Senior Sister, is this okay? Not too tight?”

“Mhm, it’s just right.”

Feeling the snugness of the apron strings around her waist, Su Huaizhou nodded and adjusted the apron slightly. She started by setting the rice to cook and then reached for the ingredients on the counter.

But suddenly, Jiang Miao held her from behind.

“J-Junior Brother, what are you doing?” She was a little flustered, thinking that the scene she had just fantasized about might actually be happening, and her body immediately tensed up.

Of course, he wasn’t planning on kissing Senior Sister forcibly. He was just teaching her how to cook.

He gently placed his hands over hers and said, “I’m teaching you hands-on.”

“This isn’t what hands-on means…”

“But isn’t this the real hands-on?” Jiang Miao held Senior Sister close, his entire body pressed against her back, as he guided her hands to take out the ingredients from the bag, place them in the small sink, and turn on the tap to wash them.

“We’ll start by preparing pork belly,” he whispered into her ear as he used her hands to pick up the pork belly and place it on the cutting board.

The tickling sensation in Su Huaizhou’s ear sent a wave of tingles through her body, making her feel weak. Her entire body was enveloped by Junior Brother’s presence with no way to escape.

But she had no intention of escaping. She obediently followed his instructions, slicing the pork belly and placing the pieces into a bowl to marinate with salt, cooking wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce.

At this moment, Su Huaizhou felt like a delicate puppet, doing whatever Jiang Miao told her to do.

“Let the pork belly sit for at least fifteen minutes to marinate,” he said as he looked over at the other ingredients. “In the meantime, we can chop the green garlic and peppers.”

Su Huaizhou’s knife skills were quite average, just at a basic level, worse than Jiang Miao’s, so she cut very slowly.

It took her several minutes to cut the green garlic, peppers, and ginger.

But since the pork belly needed time to marinate, there was definitely enough time to spare.

Because Su Huaizhou only wanted to eat stir-fried pork, Jiang Miao didn’t plan on making any other stir-fried dishes and decided to make a soup to go with it.

After cutting and preparing the additional ingredients, he guided her to take two tomatoes, peel them, and cut them into chunks to make a simple tomato egg soup.

“How do we make this soup?” Su Huaizhou turned her head to ask after cutting the tomatoes. “Should we just throw them into a pot with water and boil them?”

“We start by adding oil, stir-fry the tomatoes for a bit, and then add water to cook,” Jiang Miao replied while holding Senior Sister’s slender waist as they slowly moved to the stove. “Senior Sister, turn on the stove.”

“Okay.” Su Huaizhou nodded and twisted the knob to turn on the gas stove. A flame flickered to life on the stovetop.

The temperature in the kitchen began to rise, and even her cheeks became rosy.

… Though it was unknown if it was from the heat or from being in Junior Brother’s embrace for too long.

“Pour in the oil.” Jiang Miao gently gripped Senior Sister’s wrists and guided her to pick up the bottle of cooking oil beside her.

Su Huaizhou unscrewed the cap and hesitated. “How much should I add?”

“The right amount.”

Su Huaizhou: “???”

“Just pour a little.” Jiang Miao smiled and guided Senior Sister’s wrist to tilt the bottle slowly.

The cooking oil trickled from the bottle into the pot.

Once enough was in, he carefully guided her to set the bottle aside.

As the oil heated up, it began to sizzle in the pot.

Startled by the sudden noise, Su Huaizhou instinctively pressed herself closer into Jiang Miao’s arms.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing,” he comforted gently. “It’s normal to be scared the first time. You’ll get used to it.”

“It’s not my first time. I’ve made instant noodles before.”

“Wow, you’re amazing,” he praised her like coaxing a child. “Now toss the tomatoes in and stir-fry them.”

“Okay.” She nodded. Following his instructions, she picked up the plate of tomato chunks and poured them all into the pot.

Instantly, the sizzling sound became louder, almost as if oil splatters might fly out at any moment. Su Huaizhou immediately leaned closer into Junior Brother’s embrace.

Jiang Miao enjoyed this very much. Holding Senior Sister close, he patiently taught her, guiding her hand with the spatula to start stirring the tomatoes.

“How long will it take?”

“Just wait until the juices come out.”

“Like this?” Su Huaizhou immediately turned her head to check with him when she noticed the tomatoes gradually softening and bright red juice seeping out.

“Yep. Now add water and bring it to a boil.” Jiang Miao guided Senior Sister to pour water into the pot. “Let it simmer for a few minutes and then pour in the beaten eggs. For now, let’s get started on the stir-fried pork.”

At this time, the pork had marinated enough. Jiang Miao continued teaching her, having her heat a pan, add oil, and place the pork belly slices in. She stir-fried the pork until it turned golden and the fat rendered out. Then she removed the pork from the pan and set it aside.

Next, using the residual oil in the pan, they added the pre-chopped ginger and garlic, stirring until fragrant. Then they added black bean and chili paste and continued to stir-fry.

Once it was ready, they added the pork belly to the pan along with the chopped peppers and finally added the green garlic at the end.

Throughout the entire process, Su Huaizhou leaned her upper body back, keeping a safe distance from the pan, as if getting any closer would result in being splattered with oil.

Jiang Miao found it amusing, not minding at all as he held Senior Sister tightly in his arms. With her soft and fragrant body in his arms, any minor flaws in the situation were completely negligible.

Finally, the stir-fried pork was ready.

After plating the dish, Su Huaizhou didn’t have time to celebrate before Jiang Miao pulled her over to the tomato egg soup. He lifted the pot lid, slowly poured in the beaten eggs, and stirred gently.

He seasoned it with a suitable amount of salt and sesame oil, poured the tomato egg soup into a big bowl, and finally sprinkled some chopped green onions on top for the finishing touch.

“It smells so good~” Su Huaizhou looked at the two dishes with steam wafting up, and a sense of satisfaction and pride swelled within her.

“Mhm, it really smells good.” Jiang Miao sniffed the fragrance of Senior Sister’s hair on her neck and nodded in agreement.

“Why are you still holding me?” Only then did she realize that this pervert was still taking advantage of her. She instantly felt embarrassed and annoyed. “We’re done cooking.”

“Not quite done yet.”

“Huh? What else do we have to do?”

“Of course, it’s time to reward me, your teacher,” Jiang Miao said shamelessly as he leaned forward and gestured to Senior Sister. “Senior Sister, give me a kiss. Consider it your tuition fee.”

“In your dreams!” Su Huaizhou huffed and stepped on his foot.

Her small foot, clad in white socks, slipped out from her slipper and landed directly on Jiang Miao’s foot.

Well, it’s no kiss, but getting stepped on by Senior Sister’s foot isn’t too bad either, he comforted himself. But it would be even better if her sock was off.

The two of them brought the stir-fried pork and soup to the dining table in the living room, set out the bowls and chopsticks, and waited a bit longer for the rice to finish cooking.

Su Huaizhou untied her apron, dashed to the balcony, closed all the windows, and drew the curtains shut.

She turned off the living room lights, leaving only the small lamp on the coffee table.

“???” Jiang Miao looked at Senior sister’s actions, feeling confused. “Senior Sister, what are you doing?”

“You didn’t forget what day it is today, did you?” Su Huaizhou looked at him and giggled while covering her mouth.

“Unlocking Girlfriend Celebration Day?”

“Get lost!” She rolled her eyes at him. At this moment, her phone rang. After answering, she said into the phone, “Okay, I’ll open the door.”

While speaking, she walked over to the door. When she opened the door, a young delivery man handed her something.

When she turned to walk back into the living room, Jiang Miao saw the shape of the item in the dim light from the lamp on the coffee table. It was a small square box, but he didn’t know what it was.

“Come here, come here~” Su Huaizhou beckoned him over, pulled him to sit at the dining table, and placed the box in front of him.

This box was about the size of two palms, not very big.

Standing behind Jiang Miao, Su Huaizhou leaned over and untied the ribbons around the box.

Jiang Miao felt Senior Sister’s stomach pressing against his head. As long as he looked up slightly, he would be able to see the magnificent mountain peaks.

Compared to her usual appearance, the silhouette of the mountains was even more pronounced. Fortunately, the loose T-shirt she wore concealed much of their steepness.

At this moment, Su Huaizhou had already opened the box, revealing a small cake inside.

Next to it were candles shaped like the numbers 1 and 9. She inserted them into the cake and lit them with a lighter she had prepared beforehand.

At this point, Jiang Miao finally realized what was happening and scratched the back of his head with a bewildered look on his face. “It’s my birthday today?”