Jiang Yan actually didn't know how to cook anything. Recently, when she cooked for her mother at home, it was mostly instant noodles with an egg. She had tried other things, but either she scalded herself or made a mess of the kitchen, which she then had to clean up for a long, long time. So, she simply stopped trying. She felt she definitely had no talent for cooking.
Today, she planned to cook some dumplings for Jin Lan and bring them over. Of course, they wouldn't be homemade. The dumplings were frozen ones she bought at the supermarket.
After cooking the dumplings, Jiang Yan carried the insulated container out of her home, took a taxi to the downstairs of Jin Lan's apartment building, and went upstairs to knock on the door. There was no response.
She took out her phone and called Jin Lan.
Jin Lan was at the hospital at the moment. He answered the phone and asked, "Who is this?"
"It's me, are you working?" Jiang Yan's voice sounded very soft.
Jin Lan almost dropped the medical record in his hand. He immediately handed the record to a colleague and turned to answer the phone. "What is it?"
"I... it's New Year's Day today, I brought you some dumplings." Jiang Yan explained.
"I'm on duty today, I might be back late. Leave the things here and go back," Jin Lan said.
"Okay." Jiang Yan agreed and hung up the phone, not wanting to disturb his work any further. She then looked at the elevator lobby. Jin Lan lived in a single-unit per floor apartment, so no one else would come by. She decided to sit on the doormat, placed the insulated container aside, and took out her phone to listen to some vocabulary.
She didn't really like her English major. She had only gotten into it because her grades weren't good enough for other programs, so she hadn't studied seriously. Now, her professional level was far from Ye Wan's. Her family's fortune had also declined, so she had to study hard and find a part-time job to earn money to support the family.
After Jin Lan put down his phone, he chuckled to himself. She must have wanted to distance herself from him, and she had certainly gone back home.
It wasn't until past eleven o'clock that Jin Lan finished his night shift. He drove home. The apartment he bought was very close to the hospital, just two streets away, and it took less than ten minutes to get home.
When the elevator door opened and the light came on, he saw the girl sleeping against the door. His heart skipped a beat. Why hadn't she left?
"Wake up." Jin Lan nudged Jiang Yan.
"Ah, you... you're back." Jiang Yan, still groggy, became clear-headed when she saw Jin Lan's face, but she was still a bit confused.
"Why are you sleeping here?" Jin Lan frowned. There was no heating, and in such cold weather, she would freeze.
"Uh, I didn't realize. I fell asleep listening to vocabulary. I brought you dumplings." Jiang Yan immediately held up the insulated container to show him.
Jin Lan gave a soft "Mm," then got up and opened the door. A wave of warm air gushed out, and only then did Jiang Yan realize how cold it was outside.
"Can you move?" Jin Lan, being a doctor, knew that if someone stayed in one position for too long, their legs would go numb.
Jiang Yan shook her head a little awkwardly. Jin Lan bent down, picked her up, and carried her into the apartment. He stretched out a long leg and kicked the door shut.
He put her down on the sofa, and Jiang Yan gasped. Her legs... they were so uncomfortable. Jin Lan, as if knowing this, quickly massaged them for her.
"Thank you." Jiang Yan looked at him somewhat sheepishly. She had come to bring him dumplings, but in the end, she had become his trouble.
"No need to thank me. You are my mistress, that arrangement still stands," Jin Lan said, looking up at her.
Jiang Yan's face instantly turned bright red. "I... I... I know, I haven't forgotten, and I don't intend to renege!"
Jin Lan saw that her legs should no longer be numb and looked at the insulated container next to her, asking, "Did you make these?"
Hearing this question, Jiang Yan's face turned even redder, but she said indignantly, "Even though I didn't make them, I cooked them!"