Chapter 192: No Loss Either Way
An Han had thought that when Su Peng said “cut the tofu into thin shreds,” the “shreds” would be like shredded potatoes.
But after watching the video, she realized, it wasn’t potato-size shreds, it was hair-thin shreds!
And the recipe even used soft tofu, so delicate that one small poke could make a hole in it. Even a housewife who cooked every day would probably struggle to slice tofu that finely.
She spent almost the entire night listening to Su Peng’s snoring and the tutorial video for Wensi Tofu.
The tofu and other ingredients were supposed to be cut as thin as hair and simmered in a broth made from chicken, duck, and pork bones… It sounded simple when described, but in the video, the process took days!
Early the next morning, with dark circles under her eyes, An Han rushed excitedly to the market. She bought ingredients for porridge and everything needed for Wensi Tofu.
When she returned to the rented apartment, she found Su Peng already standing in the hallway waiting for her.
“Went grocery shopping?”
“Yeah.” An Han carried two big bags and stopped in front of him. “How did you know I was back?”
“I saw you coming in through the window.”
Looking up at him, she sighed heavily. “You tricked me.”
Su Peng grinned happily. “That’s what makes it fun, give and take.”
“True.”
An Han didn’t really get mad. She teased people often herself, so being pranked once in a while was fair.
Quickly cheering up, she put down the bags and took out a shiny kitchen knife. Under the hallway light, it gleamed so brightly that Su Peng immediately took several steps back.
“No need! Really, no need for that!”
Holding back her laughter, An Han raised the knife and explained, “After I cook breakfast for you, I’m going to practice my knife skills!”
“Uh…” Su Peng stopped himself from saying something sarcastic. After all, she was holding a knife.
Once she put it back into the bag, An Han looked him up and down curiously.
“Feel better? You look much more energetic than yesterday.”
“My throat feels better, my nose isn’t as blocked, and the fever’s mostly gone.”
“So basically, you’re all good now~”
An Han nodded and walked past him into her room, holding the groceries. “What kind of porridge do you want this morning?”
“Preserved egg and pork.”
“Okay, wait a second. I’ll check the recipe first.”
Inside her room, she neatly organized the ingredients, took off her jacket, and pulled out her phone to follow the steps for making preserved egg and pork congee.
She used to only know how to cook instant noodles and fry an egg, never really interested in cooking. But today, she stood there seriously, following the video instructions step by step.
Su Peng leaned sideways against the door frame, arms crossed, watching her from the doorway.
Girls are still the cutest when they’re quiet, he thought.
Seeing her follow the recipe and put most of the ingredients into the pot, he finally relaxed. At least it didn’t look like she planned to throw in any strange “extras.”
“Oh right, I don’t eat cilantro. And go easy on the scallions and ginger.”
“Got it~” An Han lowered her head and carefully sliced two strips of ginger, each about as thick as a French fry, then lifted them up. “Like this?”
“Maybe a bit too big?”
She frowned, dropped the ginger back down, and grumbled, “You’re not even helping, but you sure have a lot of requests. Aren’t you already almost better?”
Su Peng didn’t respond, just quietly imagined how bad things would get once she started making Wensi Tofu.
After covering the pot with the lid, An Han took out a pack of supermarket tofu, grabbed her kitchen knife again, and decided to test her knife skills for real.
“Isn’t it a bit late to start practicing now?” Su Peng chuckled from outside the room, clearly enjoying the show. “Be careful, don’t cut your hand.”
“I’m not stupid,” An Han replied confidently.
She tried hard to copy what she saw in the video. First slicing the tofu, then cutting it into thin strips.
Leaning so close that her face almost touched the cutting board, she held the tofu steady with one hand and lifted the knife carefully with the other.
But the knife didn’t seem to listen to her. Her hand trembled slightly as she raised and lowered it, and every slice landed in the wrong place.
In the end, the tofu block that had looked so perfect became a pile of messy pieces.
An Han sighed softly and turned to ask, “You don’t mind if I just add the tofu into the porridge, right?”
Su Peng smiled and nodded. “Sure, I like tofu anyway.”
“Then... you don’t mind if I use another piece, right?”
“You’d have to be a ghost to master that knife skill in one day,” he couldn’t help teasing. “People practice for years before they can make that dish properly. And you didn’t even buy chicken, duck, or ribs for the broth…”
He grinned. “Why don’t you just give up and go on that date with me instead?”
An Han purposely ignored that one word and gave him a look like she was staring at an idiot. “Who even makes broth from scratch these days?”
She reached out and grabbed a small box from a pile of stuff beside her. “See? I’ve got soup cubes! Add one to water, and boom—broth!”
“......”
Seeing Su Peng’s dumbfounded face made her feel extra satisfied. Her once-annoyed expression turned into a bright smile.
“My package arrived! I’ll go downstairs to get it. Watch the porridge, okay? When it’s about to overflow, lift the lid.”
Throwing on her jacket, An Han skipped out of the room cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Su Peng looked down at the floor, rubbing his chin in thought. “Yesterday I said ‘go out and play for a day’... but she didn’t deny the word ‘date,’ did she?”
His eyes began to shine, and a smile crept across his face.
Before, whenever he mentioned the word “date,” An Han would instantly argue back, making it clear that they were just friends going out together.
But this time… she hadn’t denied it.
“What does An Han like to do for fun? Amusement park? Murder mystery games? Or just eating and shopping?”
He thought carefully about possible places, then froze as another idea hit him. “Wait… don’t tell me she wants to go to an internet cafe…”
Based on what he’d learned about her over the past two years, that actually seemed the most likely.
Just then—“Psssshhhhh~”
The sound startled him. Looking down, he saw the pot completely covered in white foam, boiling over rapidly through the sides of the lid.
He quickly lifted the lid, calming it down a little, but just that moment of hesitation had already made a mess.
Liquid spilled all over the table, and the induction stove beeped twice before shutting itself off.
Panicking, Su Peng looked around for a cloth, trying to clean everything before An Han came back.
“I was only gone for one minute…”
But there she was, standing at the door holding her package, watching him struggle helplessly.
“How can you even mess up watching a pot?” she sighed.
“Got distracted…” Su Peng scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s fine, I’ll just wipe it up.”
“I’ll do it. Don’t end up knocking over my pot.”
Putting her package down, An Han quickly pushed him aside and started cleaning up the mess.
She didn’t scold him this time, though. After tidying up, she lifted her chin proudly and declared, “Your Wensi Tofu will be ready in half an hour!”
Seeing her confidence actually made Su Peng hesitate for a second. Could she really pull it off?
Then he smiled again.
Even if she did make it, he’d still get to treat her to a nice meal.
Either way, he wouldn’t lose.