Xia Xue truly regretted having Lin Feng pretend to be her boyfriend, but as things stood, her regret was useless.
"Captain Xia, how about I tell your family that we're not compatible and break up? I see your dad is eager for us to get married. I can't possibly have to fake a marriage with you, can I?" Lin Feng suggested.
"No!" Xia Xue refused decisively. If she told her parents they broke up, the old couple would just pressure her to find someone else.
But soon, Xia Xue's lips curled slightly as she patted Lin Feng's shoulder. "In my dictionary, there's no breakup, only widowhood! If it really comes to marriage, I'll just say you died in a car accident!"
Lin Feng was utterly speechless. This 'she-devil' was too ruthless, resorting to death as an excuse at the drop of a hat! What had he done to deserve this, to always be the one facing death?
"Xiao Xue, help me scrape the fish scales!" Xue Jingru called for Xia Xue to help in the kitchen.
"Lin, didn't you perform quite well in front of my dad? Then you should perform well in front of my mom too. Go on, scraping fish scales is all yours!" Xia Xue nudged Lin Feng. Xue Jingru, who looked down on Lin Feng from the bottom of her heart, saw this as an opportunity to let Lin Feng experience how difficult her mother could be.
Lin Feng was unfazed; scraping fish scales was as easy as a flick of his wrist.
"Auntie, where's the paring knife?" Lin Feng entered the kitchen and took the large carp from the basin.
"You, can you scrape fish scales?" Xue Jingru asked suspiciously, but still handed a paring knife to Lin Feng.
"Auntie, I've got this." Lin Feng smiled faintly, picked up the paring knife, and began scraping quickly. His knife speed was astonishing, the paring knife in his hand seeming to have a soul, moving at his will. In a flash of blade light, the fish scales were cleanly removed.
Afterward, Lin Feng placed the cleaned fish on the cutting board, prepared to cut it, and removed the innards one by one.
"Auntie, shall I help you cook the fish?" Lin Feng asked, seeing Xue Jingru busy with the other dishes.
"Xiao Lin, you can cook fish?" Xue Jingru was surprised. Lin Feng's knife skills had already impressed her. Most young people nowadays, especially boys, didn't know how to cook. Lin Feng, however, was proficient in his knife skills and cleaning fish, more so than a housewife like herself.
"Auntie, I often cook fish. Just tell me if you want it steamed or braised!" Lin Feng said, preparing the ingredients for the fish.
"Braised!" Xue Jingru stepped aside, giving half of the stovetop to Lin Feng. Lin Feng wasted no time. He heated the pot before pouring in the oil, and added a little salt. This way, the fish wouldn't stick to the pan when frying. Indeed, when he placed the cleaned carp into the hot oil, the fish skin didn't stick to the bottom of the pan at all.
"Xiao Lin, your fish-cooking skills are quite impressive. What method is this?" Xue Jingru asked curiously, as her own attempts at frying fish always resulted in sticking.
"Auntie, I learned this from a fisherman friend; they are skilled at cooking fish there," Lin Feng explained briefly before covering the pot. He never added too many seasonings when braising fish, as excessive seasoning would mask the fish's natural freshness. A simple touch to remove the fishy odor was sufficient. The rest depended on the heat! The heat for braising fish should not be too high; high heat would toughen the fish meat. The entire process required slow simmering over low heat.
"Xiao Lin, how about you cook these other dishes too? Auntie can assist you?" Xue Jingru suggested, wanting to gauge Lin Feng's culinary skills.
"No problem." Lin Feng put on an apron. The wok felt like a toy in his hands, and his wok tossing was masterful, without a drop of soup spilling. What amazed Xue Jingru the most was Lin Feng's control over the heat. Every dish he stir-fried was a feast for the eyes and the palate, perfectly balanced in color, aroma, and taste. Crucially, Lin Feng was methodical and composed throughout the entire process. Watching others cook often made Xue Jingru anxious, but watching Lin Feng cook was a pleasure.
"Xiao Lin, did you perhaps study to be a chef?" Xue Jingru began to look at Lin Feng with new respect.
"Auntie, I haven't studied to be a chef. But I'm an orphan, and I've been cooking for myself since I was little, so I've gotten good at it over time." Lin Feng smiled. "When I was young and didn't have enough to eat, I'd go into the mountains to find wild vegetables myself and then experiment with recipes."
"What a good child. People like you who can endure hardship are rare," Xue Jingru said. She had initially disliked Lin Feng for being an orphan, but now she found his past rather touching.
"Auntie, the fish is braised and ready to serve." Lin Feng sprinkled chopped scallions and cilantro into the fish pot and served a perfectly braised carp, exuding color, aroma, and taste.
"Alright, I'll handle the rest. You go and get ready for dinner," Xue Jingru said, pushing Lin Feng out.
Seeing Xue Jingru's action, Xia Xue thought her mother found Lin Feng a nuisance in the kitchen. She laughed, "Lin, my mom is not easy to please, is she?"
"You could charm my dad, but you won't be able to charm my mom!" Xia Xue was quite confident about her mother's temperament. Someone as uncouth as Lin Feng wouldn't catch her mother's eye.
Lin Feng shrugged, too lazy to explain.
"Xiao Lin, come, sit down and have a couple of drinks with me." Xia Weiguo brought out a bottle of Maotai that had been sealed for over a decade. He usually wouldn't drink it, but today he opened it for Lin Feng.
"Xiao Xue, quickly serve rice for Xiao Lin. Let's all sit down and eat!" Xue Jingru came out with the dishes and instructed.
"Mom, I serve him rice? Are you kidding me?" Xia Xue frowned, subtly feeling that Xue Jingru's attitude towards Lin Feng was becoming a little unusual.
At that moment, Xia Weiguo took a bite of a dish and couldn't help but exclaim, "Jingru, your cooking is amazing today! This braised fish is far beyond your usual standard!"
"It wasn't me who cooked it. All the dishes on the table today were stir-fried by Xiao Lin; I just assisted him," Xue Jingru explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Xia Weiguo's gaze towards Lin Feng became even more appreciative.
"Xiao Lin, your cooking is excellent! These dishes are on par with chefs at star-rated hotels!" Xia Weiguo's words were not exaggerated. He was always discerning when it came to food. Yet, today, he had tasted every dish on the table, and each one was perfect.
"Dad, Mom, are you exaggerating that much?" Xia Xue sat down at the dining table skeptically and took a bite. The moment the food entered her mouth, Xia Xue's expression became complicated. The fish was so tender and fresh; it truly wasn't something her mother could cook. Immediately, she tasted the other dishes; they were equally delicious and refreshing. Damn it! I asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend, not to put on a talent show! Xia Xue was about to collapse! Her mother cared most about whether a man could take good care of his partner. Now that Lin Feng was such a good cook, wouldn't her mother be completely taken with him?
Just as Xia Xue predicted, Xue Jingru now found Lin Feng much more agreeable, praising his capabilities incessantly.
"Old Xia, Xiao Lin is indeed a good child. If Xiao Xue marries him, we can be completely at ease regarding her diet," Xue Jingru said, her face beaming with smiles. Her daughter, she didn't aspire for immense wealth or status, only for her to find a man who would wholeheartedly take care of Xia Xue. And Lin Feng's performance this time had perfectly won Xue Jingru over.