Chapter 72: Fried Meatballs p2
Mi Hongdou stirred the meatballs with her chopsticks, pretending to let the paper towels absorb more oil, and waited. Ji Junxin still didn’t speak. It was rare… for the little foodie to be so restrained. Mi Hongdou couldn’t help but clear her throat and ask, “Want to try one?”
Ji Junxin fiddled with her clothes, bit her lip, and nodded repeatedly, her pitiful expression making Mi Hongdou’s heart ache.
It was just switching from boiled meatballs to fried ones, just setting a bait, why did it seem like she had bullied her? … Mi Hongdou couldn’t bear Ji Junxin’s pitiful gaze and quickly handed her a pair of chopsticks, then turned away to start the next batch of meatballs, practically fleeing. Forget about asking questions, Mi Hongdou couldn’t even bear to look at Ji Junxin, her heart aching.
Why did she feel so guilty, just for making some fried meatballs? Mi Hongdou thought, absentmindedly slapping the meat mixture between her hands, listening for any sounds from Ji Junxin.
Silence…
Was she angry because she hadn’t offered her the meatballs directly? Mi Hongdou, distracted, kept slapping the same portion of meat mixture, unable to form it into a ball. After a while, still no sound, she became anxious and couldn’t help but glance over.
Perhaps because Mi Hongdou’s movement was too sudden, Ji Junxin was startled and dropped the meatball she had just picked up, how pitiful.
But in Mi Hongdou’s eyes, it was a different scene. This person, her cheeks puffed out, startled by her glance, dropping the meatball from her chopsticks… wasn’t she just a chubby field mouse caught stealing food!
Mi Hongdou looked at the three meatballs left on the plate. She had fried more than ten! She looked Ji Junxin up and down. Okay, it seemed that she had indeed eaten them all, not hidden them anywhere.
“Eat slowly… aren’t they hot?” Mi Hongdou softened her voice, gently coaxing the little field mouse. “Eat slowly, there’s more.”
Mi Hongdou’s gaze was gentle and indulgent, as usual. Ji Junxin relaxed and resumed her usual… shameless foodie demeanor. “They’re not hot! Just blow on them!” She quickly picked up the dropped meatball, blew on it, and offered it to Mi Hongdou like a treasure.
Every time she told her to eat slowly, she would do this, did she think she would always fall for it? Mi Hongdou raised an eyebrow, then smiled and took the meatball. The outside was crispy and fragrant, the inside tender, juicy, and firm, just the right texture. The final high-heat sear had the same effect as frying them a second time.
Ji Junxin’s eyes shone as she looked at Mi Hongdou, waiting for her to finish the meatball and then asking expectantly, “How is it?”
How could it be anything but delicious, with her looking at her so expectantly, as if she had made it herself… Mi Hongdou nodded. “Well, it’s not that hot after blowing on it.” She knew what Ji Junxin wanted to hear. Even if it wasn’t hot, eating more than ten fried meatballs in such a short time was a bit much.
As expected, after Mi Hongdou’s reply, Ji Junxin beamed and reached for the bowl. “Then have another one, I’ll blow on it for you.”
A meatball blown on by her idol… she did want to eat it. However… Mi Hongdou looked at the two remaining meatballs and stopped Ji Junxin, taking the chopsticks from her hand.
Only two left, if she missed this opportunity, she would have to wait for the next batch.
Mi Hongdou quickly picked up a meatball, carefully blew on it, and held it to Ji Junxin’s mouth.
Only two left… Ji Junxin hesitated, a little embarrassed, but when her lips touched the warm, fragrant meatball, she surrendered.
Her cheeks puffed out as she ate.
While Ji Junxin was chewing, Mi Hongdou asked with a smile, “Is it good?”
Ji Junxin nodded vigorously.
“How does it taste?” Mi Hongdou continued.
“Um… the outside is crispy, the fried aroma is so good, and the meat inside is also delicious, not dry at all, tender and fragrant, not mushy, so good!” Ji Junxin’s eyes shone when talking about food.
Mi Hongdou tried to maintain her composure, not to be swayed by her idol’s sweet words. “So, you think these fried meatballs are delicious now, but will they still be delicious later, in a soup with vegetables, mushrooms, and egg dumplings?” Mi Hongdou asked casually, feeding the last meatball to Ji Junxin.
“Of course they will be delicious!” Ji Junxin said seriously. “Eaten fresh out of the wok, they’re crispy. In a soup, they’ll have a different texture. I think they’ll be delicious!”
“Then why were you staring at my face earlier?” Mi Hongdou quickly asked as soon as Ji Junxin finished. Hmph, first tempting her with food, lowering her guard, then chatting casually, making her comfortable answering her questions, and finally, the killer question, how could she not fall for it? Using complicated fried meatballs instead of simple boiled ones, did she think fried meatballs were so easy to get? ~ As Mi Hongdou had planned, Ji Junxin’s guard was down after a bowl of fried meatballs, and she had resumed her usual casual demeanor.
“I saw the young empress’s gaze towards Miao Qianye today, and I wanted to see what your gaze towards me is like.” The answer slipped out of Ji Junxin’s mouth, her mind probably still on the food.
Mi Hongdou: “…”
Ji Junxin: “…”
They looked at each other, shock evident in both their eyes.
Mi Hongdou was shocked by the reason for Ji Junxin’s staring. Ji Junxin was shocked that she had blurted out the truth.
Mi Hongdou felt her limbs go numb, her heart pounding, her mind almost blank. No… she couldn’t let Ji Junxin see anything… She bit her tongue, the pain bringing her back to reality. She didn’t have time to regret her own persistent questioning. Thoughts raced through her mind. Regardless of why Ji Junxin wanted to see how she looked at her, this wasn’t the time to find out. She had to get past this hurdle.
“Haha, what are you thinking about?” Mi Hongdou laughed, as if unable to contain herself. “Then tell me, what’s my gaze towards you like?” She hoped she could summon her best acting skills from both lifetimes.
Ji Junxin’s surprise and regret gradually faded amidst Mi Hongdou’s laughter, replaced by a slight annoyance. “Hmph, what’s so funny!” Ji Junxin stamped her foot. “I just wanted to see! You’re not missing any meat!”
“Okay, okay, I’m not missing any meat, I’m missing a bowl of meat.” Mi Hongdou pointed at the empty bowl, only the grease-stained paper towel remaining.
“…” Ji Junxin’s face flushed. “But… but I ate that whole bowl…” Her voice was weak and unconvincing.
“Yes, you did. But I also ate one.” Mi Hongdou nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She held up a finger. “Just one.”
“But… but you fed me two!” Ji Junxin fought for her last shred of dignity.
“Yes, I did… if I hadn’t fed you, would you have eaten them?” Mi Hongdou’s smile deepened.
Ji Junxin, defeated, fled back to the sofa, curling up and hiding her face.
Mi Hongdou wasn’t letting her off the hook. “Hey, don’t run away. You haven’t told me what my gaze towards you is like.” Her tone was teasing.
“It’s mischievous! A bullying gaze!” Ji Junxin’s muffled voice came from behind the pillow, laced with annoyance.
Mi Hongdou chuckled and, no longer teasing the pitiful little foodie, turned back to start the next batch of meatballs.
Now, her smile was gone, her expression serious and thoughtful. She had managed to fool the little foodie for now. Based on Ji Junxin’s answer, it seemed she hadn’t revealed anything suspicious yet. But it was still troublesome.
A person’s gaze was difficult to hide. Weren’t eyes the windows to the soul? This time, she had managed to deflect the question with teasing and change the subject. But what about next time? She couldn’t always use this method, could they still be friends then? And if she accidentally showed a too gentle gaze towards the little foodie… Mi Hongdou recalled the porridge scene. If she wasn’t careful, she might unconsciously show the same gentle and indulgent gaze the young empress had towards Miao Qianye. If Ji Junxin noticed… what would she think? Mi Hongdou didn’t even dare to imagine.
Why was this usually oblivious person suddenly paying attention to these things? Mi Hongdou felt a headache coming on. Pan Xiang, Director Pan, and… those romance novels on Ji Junxin’s phone, they were all bad influences!
But some things were beyond her control. Just like how Mi Hongdou, despite her unwillingness, couldn’t stop Ji Junxin from growing up. All she could do was fry another batch of meatballs, make a soup with vegetables and mushrooms, and add the egg dumplings and fried meatballs to the broth. She knew there was little she could do. She could only hope to work harder, do better, and stay by Ji Junxin’s side for a little longer.
Ji Junxin, curled up on the sofa, hiding her face with a pillow, didn’t understand Mi Hongdou’s dilemma. She was incredibly embarrassed… Mi Hongdou had always indulged her, making whatever she wanted to eat, even finding time to cook for her when she was busy. Ji Junxin had become accustomed to this care. Only after being teased by Mi Hongdou did she realize that she had been too presumptuous. Devouring a whole bowl of freshly fried meatballs… how shameless…
Ji Junxin felt too embarrassed to even be in the same room as Mi Hongdou… no, she couldn’t even face her anymore. She was mortified and also a little wronged. It was the meatballs’ fault for being so delicious! It was Mi Hongdou’s fault for always spoiling her! Now that she was spoiled, Mi Hongdou was criticizing her, waaaah… Ji Junxin was so embarrassed that she didn’t even want to stay in the room. But running away in the middle of the night seemed too childish. Torn, she could only bury her face in the pillow, like an ostrich.
The meatball soup was ready, and Mi Hongdou had made up her mind. She had to be more distant with Ji Junxin.
She placed the steaming bowl of soup on the coffee table, but Ji Junxin, still buried in pillows on the sofa, didn’t move. Mi Hongdou thought for a moment, picked up a magazine, and used it to fan the steam towards Ji Junxin. The pile of pillows seemed to move slightly, but Ji Junxin didn’t emerge.
Mi Hongdou didn’t dare to fan anymore. The weather was cold, the soup would cool down.
“Dinner’s ready,” she softly called out to the little foodie.
The little foodie didn’t appear as usual.
“It’s getting cold, it won’t be as delicious when it’s cold.” Mi Hongdou looked at the pile of pillows. Could she have fallen asleep?
Silence.
Could she really be asleep? … She would definitely catch a cold! Mi Hongdou regretted being so preoccupied with her own thoughts about how to interact with Ji Junxin that she hadn’t paid attention.
After another ten seconds, still no movement. Mi Hongdou walked over and sat down on the sofa.
The pile of pillows seemed to tremble.
So she wasn’t asleep? Mi Hongdou frowned, feeling… a sense of impending doom.
She hesitantly reached out and grabbed the pillow covering Ji Junxin’s face. Just as she was about to pull it away, Ji Junxin grabbed it too, and they were now in a tug-of-war. Mi Hongdou immediately let go.
Looking at Ji Junxin hiding behind the pillow, Mi Hongdou thought about what had happened. So, was she angry because she had teased her about eating all the meatballs?
Although Mi Hongdou had just been trying to change the subject with a joke, it seemed she had gone too far. The thought of Ji Junxin being angry with her made her panic.
“Hey… are you angry?” Mi Hongdou gently tugged at the pillow. “I was just teasing you. I made the meatballs for you, they were all for you.”
Silence.
“Don’t be angry. I was really just teasing you. I made them for you, why would I mind you eating a lot? … Come and have some soup, okay? There are delicious fried meatballs, and the egg dumplings, the skin is soft, the filling is tender. I added a lot of vegetables, just the leaves, not the stems you don’t like. And rehydrated dried mushrooms, and a sprinkle of white pepper before serving, it’s so warm and fragrant. If you don’t eat it soon, it will be cold, and it won’t be as delicious.” Mi Hongdou’s voice softened as she coaxed the little foodie, gently pulling at the pillow. It seemed to loosen a little, but… Ji Junxin still didn’t let go.
“I was really just kidding. I make all this food for you, to make you happy. Fried meatballs, you like them, I’m happy that you like them. I practiced my cooking just so you could eat it. I only want to cook for you, why would I mind you eating a lot? …” Even food wasn’t working… Mi Hongdou’s panic intensified, and her true feelings tumbled out.
“You’re lying…” The pile of pillows moved.
Mi Hongdou pulled again, and this time, the pillow was pulled away.
The hidden face, with its red eyes and pitiful expression, was revealed.
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