1606 In Her Bedroom

They added the vegetables to the pot of seafood last, and the crayfish and the soup were ready at about the same time.

They then retrieved the freshly-bought fish from the fridge.

They lined the bottom of the bowl with ice from the freezer before placing the fish slices on top, ensuring the freshness of the meat.

By the time Shi Xiaoya finished setting the table, it was already six.

She finished far earlier than she expected, with Han Zhuoling's help.

Han Zhuoling was missing when she went to the living room.

"Young Master Ling?" Shi Xiaoya called out as she searched.

There were only so many rooms in her home. Han Zhuoling wasn't in her study, nor was he in her coatroom.

Shi Xiaoya's eyes started twitching. He wasn't in her bedroom, was he?

Though she'd asked him to make himself comfortable, she didn't intend for him to be so at home!

Wasn't it impolite to enter a lady's bedroom without her permission?

When she entered, she saw Han Zhuoling standing in the middle and sizing up the room, though not touching anything.

She had no idea what was there to look at.

Hearing her voice, Han Zhuoling turned and explained, "I didn't get a good look last time, so I came to observe. I never touched your things."

"It's fine." What else could she say?

But he was rooted to the spot, and he never moved anything. What could he see from this?

"Dinner's ready." Shi Xiaoya stood by the doorway and said, "Come and eat?"

"Right." Han Zhuoling nodded and finally left her bedroom.

Shi Xiaoya heaved a sigh of relief.

Both of them sat in the dining room, and Shi Xiaoya said shyly, "My skills are pretty average, but I'm saved thanks to these seasonings. The hotpot is made using base ingredients, same with the crayfish."

She remembered how Han Zhuoling disliked the noodles she planned to make with artificial seasonings.

Shi Xiaoya was still tentative right now.

But Han Zhuoling did not mind at all. "It's alright, as long as it's cooked by you."

Shi Xiaoya thought there was something weird about the words.

But she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, so she smiled. "Give it a taste, then. I never changed the base ingredients for the hotpot, but I did for the crayfish after tasting it. I added rock sugar, bay leaves, cinnamon, chili, and some other spices."

Shi Xiaoya even prepared disposable gloves.

Because Shi Xiaoya modified the base ingredients for the crayfish, Han Zhuoling took one first.

"Oh, do you eat this frequently?" Shi Xiaoya asked before he started shelling.

Han Zhuoling shook his head. "Rarely."

He was frequently overseas before, and the restaurants there did not have these.

Even if the restaurants in Chinatown did, he never sought it out on purpose.

He did not have many demands so long as his appetite was slaked.

Food was just an essential fuel his body needed, and it wasn't something worth spending so much effort on.

But Shi Xiaoya seemed passionate about this.

"Let me teach you." Shi Xiaoya picked up a crayfish. "Don't assume it's just about shelling. There's a technique to it. It's quite simple—you can finish shelling within seconds without effort after learning."

Han Zhuoling's stoic face finally showed some interest after hearing that.