novel bin Chapter 142 The Ownership of the Kitchen
Chapter 142 The Ownership of the Kitchen
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows in the mansion's lobby.
Despite it being a rare weekend, Qingzi got up very early, which was unusual for her.
While yawning, Aoko's lips couldn't help but curl upwards.
The thought that from now on, someone in the mansion would finally be able to share the tedious housework made her so excited that she couldn't wait to pull Arthur up and help her with the chores.
When Aoko came down the stairs, she found that Arthur, who had been ordered to sleep in the living room the night before, was now sitting properly on the sofa.
The large black cloak still covered him completely, and his brilliant golden hair shone brightly in the morning light.
"Good morning, Arthur," Aoko said casually, stretching.
Good morning, Ms. Aoko.
"Come on, follow me." Aoko waved enthusiastically.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday that today I'm going to teach you how to use the kitchen?"
Arthur stood up and followed Aoko, but a hint of doubt flashed in his emerald eyes:
"Miss Aoko, may I ask what 'kitchen' means?"
Aoko stumbled, almost causing her to fall flat on her face.
She turned around, staring wide-eyed at the serious-looking blond man in front of her, her lips twitching slightly.
"Seriously...you've completely shattered this basic common sense?!"
Aoko suddenly felt that she might have been too happy too soon.
Putting someone with absolutely no modern common sense, who doesn't even know what a kitchen is, into a place where natural gas is stored—isn't that just asking for trouble?
But since things have come to this, for the sake of her future bright "lazy life," she has no choice but to do it!
"Listen carefully, I'll only teach you once!"
Aoko led Arthur into the kitchen and began her "modern common sense popularization".
She pointed to the gas stove to explain the danger of the flames, and pointed to the refrigerator to explain the uses of electricity.
Just in case, she even went through the uses of the frying pan, spatula, and soup bowl one by one.
Seeing Arthur nodding earnestly, as if he were taking notes in his mind, Aoko couldn't help but facepalm.
Teaching a tall, adult man to recognize pots, pans, and utensils is a truly bizarre sight.
"Okay, I'll start by demonstrating with the simplest thing: a fried egg."
Aoko skillfully lit the fire and poured in the oil. With a soft "sizzle," the oil temperature rose, and she cracked an egg into it with one hand, then sprinkled on a pinch of salt.
"Watch closely, these are the basic cooking steps. The key is to control the heat and seasonings."
A few minutes later, Aoko placed a slightly burnt but otherwise acceptable fried egg on a plate and handed it to Arthur to try.
"The taste is wonderful, very delicious," Arthur praised sincerely.
"Hmph, of course, this is Lady Aoko's masterpiece!"
Aoko accepted the order without any hesitation, then handed the spatula to Arthur, "Okay, Arthur, you try it once."
Aoko crossed her arms and stepped aside, expecting to witness the chaotic scene described in the story.
However, it turned out that she was overthinking it.
The moment Arthur grasped the spatula, his entire demeanor changed, and his eyes became incredibly focused.
Light the fire, pour in the oil, and beat the eggs.
His every movement was fluid and graceful, his arms controlled with precise strength and rhythm.
The way the egg is flipped during cooking even has a captivating...aesthetic appeal?
"Wake up, Aozaki Aoko! This is just an illusion caused by how ridiculously beautiful she is!"
Aoko slapped her burning cheeks hard, trying to shake off this absurd feeling.
But when she looked at Arthur again...
Okay, it's not an illusion at all.
"Foul! A man who exudes charm anytime, anywhere—it's a huge foul!"
"Miss Aoko, it's finished. Please enjoy it."
Just as Aoko was lost in thought, Arthur had already placed the two golden-brown fried eggs on a plate and handed it to her.
Aoko picked up a small piece with her chopsticks with some anticipation and put it in her mouth.
"Hmm..." Aoko chewed twice.
"The taste... seems pretty average?"
"Does it taste different from what Ms. Aoko makes?"
Somewhat puzzled, Arthur picked up another pair of chopsticks, took a small portion himself, and tasted it. His brow furrowed slightly.
"I think it's delicious. From the oil temperature and the time it takes to put the food in the pan to the amount of salt, I replicated it exactly according to your demonstration."
"..." Aoko's expression froze instantly.
She carefully took a small piece of the fried egg that Arthur had just tasted and put it in her mouth.
"Hmm...the taste is really...exactly the same..."
Aoko's face turned red instantly.
Doesn't this prove just how ordinary her self-proclaimed "masterpiece" really is?
"Ahem! You're too rigid about my instructions!" Aoko forcefully changed the subject, directing Arthur:
"Now that you've mastered how to use the tools, try frying one yourself, relying on your own intuition!"
"Based on intuition? I understand."
Arthur started cooking again, and this time, he didn't rigidly calculate the time; the intuition etched deep in his soul came into play at this moment.
He seemed to hear the sound of frying eggs, a sound that told him, "Now is the time!"
Arthur casually sprinkled a pinch of salt.
Finally, when the perfect, golden, soft fried egg, as beautiful as a work of art, came out of the pan, the aroma alone made Aoko unconsciously swallow.
Aoko couldn't wait to take a bite, and her azure eyes instantly lit up with little stars.
"Mmm! Delicious! How can it be so delicious! It's just a regular fried egg!"
Aoko was so moved she almost cried; this was definitely the most perfect fried egg she had ever eaten in her life.
Looking at the pure, childlike smile of contentment on Aoko's face, Arthur stood smiling to the side.
"It's decided!" Aoko slammed her hand on the table with a flourish, unilaterally issuing her final verdict:
"Arthur, from today onwards, you will be in charge of all three meals a day in the mansion!"
I'll buy you a cookbook too, but you have to learn to cook even more dishes!
"As you command, Miss Aoko," Arthur replied with a smile and a hand on his chest.
……
Footsteps could be heard in the hall.
Yu-zhu walked into the restaurant wearing a black casual dress.
She sat down at the table, looked at the perfectly colored, flawless fried egg on the plate, and then glanced at Aoko, who was still excited beside her.
"That's rare." Yuzhu picked up her knife and fork and said calmly:
"I thought your cooking skills would only ever be limited to 'cooking food' in this lifetime."
Although it's still a fried egg, at least it looks much more refined than the shoddy ones you usually make.
"Hey! Yuzhu, what do you mean?!" Aoko immediately bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her cheeks turning bright red.
"I had to go to school and work, and when I got back to the mansion, I still had to do housework and prepare meals. How could I possibly have the energy to study how to cook well?"
Ignoring Aoko's protest, Yuzhu cut off a piece of fried egg and elegantly put it into her mouth.
The next second, Youzhu paused in her chewing, and a hint of surprise flashed in her dark eyes, which were as still as a pool of water.
"How does it taste? This is the fried egg that Arthur just made?" Although she was mocked by Yuzhu, she still explained to Yuzhu that she was not the one who made the fried egg.
"I see." Yuzhu swallowed the fried egg.
"This perfect heat and seasoning... I should have realized long ago that I shouldn't have had any unrealistic expectations for your cooking skills, Aoko."
"Hey! Kuonji Aratsu!! Are you looking for a fight?!"
"I'm telling the truth, Aoko."
The morning hours were spent in the two girls' usual banter.
After breakfast.
In front of the sink, Aoko is teaching Arthur how to use dish soap and a sponge to wash dishes.
"Honestly, I'm practically a babysitter now," Aoko complained as she watched Arthur diligently washing the dishes.
"Does this mean I have to teach you everything you need to know in this mansion from now on?"
"I'm so sorry for causing you trouble, Miss Aoko." Arthur bowed his head apologetically.
Just as he turned to grab a plate, his arm moved a little too much, causing the collar of his ill-fitting black cloak to open wide.
Those incredibly powerful pectoral muscles and deep collarbone lines once again caught Aoko's unsuspecting eye.
"..." Aoko's washing of the dishes froze instantly.
Although we already experienced a "visual shock" last night.
But facing such a barrage of male beauty in broad daylight is still too stimulating for a high school girl.
"No, absolutely not! If he keeps wandering around the mansion naked like this, I'll end up in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat sooner or later!"
"Arthur." Aoko abruptly turned her face away, her ears turning bright red as she loudly announced:
"Today, I'm taking you shopping for clothes!"
"Buying clothes?" Arthur paused for a moment, then thanked Aoko earnestly.
"Thank you very much for your generosity."
Although I am fully aware that I already owe two extremely large debts that I have not yet repaid...
But considering that I am living under the same roof with two unmarried single women, being provided with appropriate clothing is indeed a matter of etiquette.
"You know it yourself, but don't say it in such a serious tone!"
Aoko, embarrassed and annoyed, slapped a clean cloth onto Arthur's chest.