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"I want to compete with you."
Shen Muhan's expression finally softened a bit, his gaze darkening as he turned his head to look at him. After a long moment, he said, "That depends on whether you have the ability."
With that, he reached out and pulled Xia Muxin into his embrace, his warm palm resting on her slender shoulder. He calmly walked away under Ouyang Xuan's glare.
Xia Muxin looked at the cold-faced Shen Muhan in surprise. Seeing him staring straight ahead, his lips pressed into a line, she felt as if something had just happened. She turned back to glance at Ouyang Xuan, but as soon as she did, Shen Muhan's warm hand gently turned her back to face him. Xia Muxin tilted her head to meet his gaze, and Shen Muhan lightly brushed his lips against hers, whispering, "Let's go home."
Xia Muxin was stunned by his action; after all, they were outside. Not to mention anything else, Yan Zhouwan and Ouyang Xuan had certainly seen it. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she obediently allowed Shen Muhan to lead her in the direction of home.
Behind them, Yan Zhouwan was deep in thought, still pondering the issue of the inappropriate pants. Ouyang Xuan was nearly furious enough to spit blood from Shen Muhan's earlier bold declaration. Suddenly, he glanced at the sullen Yan Zhouwan and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
In his view, Yan Zhouwan seemed unhappy at that moment, particularly because of seeing Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan together. A hint of secret delight bubbled up within him; could it be that this plain-looking woman also liked Shen Muhan? If that were true, he wouldn't mind playing the good guy and helping her out.
However, while he was secretly reveling in this thought, Yan Zhouwan covered her face with her hands and lamented with a hint of grievance, "Just now it was clearly Ant Jihua's pants; how could Muxin say they belonged to Grandpa Xia? And how am I supposed to explain this to Ant Jihua..."
Thud...
Before Yan Zhouwan could finish her sentence, there was another thud as Ouyang Xuan unexpectedly fell into the water again, cursing loudly in a rather undignified manner.
Realizing what she had just said, Yan Zhouwan hurriedly quickened her pace and ran ahead while still warning him, "That gentleman, there are many clawed creatures in this river; you should..."
"Ah..."
Before she could finish her hint, a heart-wrenching scream erupted from Ouyang Xuan...
With all the commotion, it seemed that today's lunch would have to be prepared by Xia Muxin herself.
Even though Ming Yi and the others were not around, there were still over ten people in the house to feed, so it would take some time.
However, Ouyang Xuan did not return to the Zhou family. After getting ashore and taking care of the lobster, he used his internal energy to dry his clothes. Ignoring any cleanliness issues, he directly entered the Main Hall of Xia Muxin's home.
At that moment, Shen Muhan was helping in the kitchen. Xia Muxin had not cooked in a long time, and he was thoroughly enjoying this time spent together, so he made sure not to let anyone else disturb them.
"Muxin, is this enough? Will it be too salty?"
"Muxin, what is that? Why are you putting so much brown sugar in?"
"Muxin..."
"Muxin..."
Nostalgic for this feeling, Uncle Shen chatted away today. Xia Muxin felt her brows tightening with each passing moment until she finally stopped what she was doing and looked directly at Shen Muhan, whose gaze shifted with her movements.
Just then, the kitchen door creaked open.
"This damn weather is really cold. Boss Xia, do you mind if I come in to warm up?"
Ouyang Xuan's enchanting face peeked in. Upon seeing the exchanged glances between the two, his eyes narrowed for a moment before he grinned widely. Without waiting for Xia Muxin's consent, he swung the door wide open and squatted down by the stove, rubbing his hands together to warm them.
Xia Muxin glanced at the two men and suddenly placed the garlic she was holding onto the cutting board with a charming smile.
"Alright then, with two men in charge, I'll leave this meal to you both."
He cast a meaningful glance at Shen Muhan before walking out on his own.
“Cook, cook, cook...”
Ouyang Xuan was left speechless as he watched Xia Muxin close the door and secure it from the outside. It seemed that they wouldn’t be allowed to leave until the meal was prepared, so he said cheerfully.
Shen Muhan raised his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, suppressing the anger swelling in his chest as he glared at Ouyang Xuan. He then picked up a knife and began chopping garlic with forceful precision.
In fact, Xia Muxin had already prepared all the ingredients, neatly arranged in small plates with spices ready to be added during cooking.
“Are you going to start the fire or stir-fry?”
After finishing with the garlic, Shen Muhan turned to Ouyang Xuan and asked.
Ouyang Xuan glanced at the dwindling flames in the stove, his handsome face twisting into a frown. He looked at Shen Muhan thoughtfully for a moment before replying, “Stir-fry.”
He cast a disdainful look at the Firewood Stack beside the stove, tugging at the corners of his mouth. Shen Muhan tossed aside the knife and approached him.
After a short while...
“Uh... don’t let the fire burn so high; this pot is going to be ruined.”
Shen Muhan skillfully added more firewood, while Ouyang Xuan stared helplessly at the numerous plates, unsure of how to proceed. The pot was left on the stove until it was nearly empty; its bottom had turned red, and it seemed like the flames were about to burst through. Panicking, Ouyang Xuan shouted.
“You left the pot empty and then blame me for having a big fire.”
Shen Muhan shot him an exasperated look, feeling deeply troubled as he pinched his brow. He recalled what Xia Muxin had once told him: don’t fear opponents like gods, but fear teammates like pigs. Suddenly, his expression darkened—when did Ouyang Xuan become his teammate? He must have been thrown off by that girl Xia Muxin.
“Should we add the vegetables first or the salt?”
Ouyang Xuan felt a bit wronged. He had never stepped into a kitchen his entire life, let alone cooked. At that moment, he really wanted to grab Xia Muxin and give her a good beating, but he dared not do so; this girl could hold a grudge. Besides, he still owed her three requests. What if one day she decided she didn't like him anymore and demanded he castrate himself? Would he have to comply?
Shen Muhan sighed heavily, dragging out his words with a hint of exasperation.
"Pour in the oil..."
Ouyang Xuan responded with an "oh" and picked up the oil bowl, pouring it into the pot all at once. He poured with such force that before the oil was fully in, it splattered everywhere. Fortunately, Shen Muhan managed to dodge just in time; otherwise, he would have been covered in oil. The pot was already glowing red hot, and as the oil hit it, there was a loud sizzle, followed by a continuous popping sound. Ouyang Xuan jumped at the noise and accidentally sent the entire oil bowl clattering into the pot.
Immediately, the pot began bubbling vigorously, sending oil bubbles surging outward.
Shen Muhan stared at the scene in disbelief, his eyes wide with anger. He had never known that this incredibly handsome man could be so foolish.
"What should we do?"
Suddenly, an oil bubble burst with a loud pop, splattering oil everywhere. Ouyang Xuan flailed his sleeves to dodge and asked helplessly.
Shen Muhan shot him a glance before walking over. He used tongs to flip the oil bowl upside down and then grabbed a damp cloth to pull it out. He intended to scoop out the oil.
Just as he managed to get the oil out, before he could even start scooping it away, Ouyang Xuan dumped a dozen plates full of ingredients into the pot—everything from vegetables to meat—along with spices from nearby. Then...
Shen Muhan's face darkened in horror as he watched Ouyang Xuan continue adding salt and other ingredients until the pot was overflowing. Satisfied with his work, Ouyang Xuan set down what he was holding and stirred everything in the pot a few times. Noticing the fire was dying down, he urged,
"Hey... you should add some firewood."
Shen Muhan ignored him, staring dumbfounded at his actions. He then leaned against the doorframe and knocked a few times before calling out,
"Girl, the food is ready; you can come eat now."
Ouyang Xuan was still stirring when he heard Shen Muhan casually refer to Xia Muxin as "Girl." His hand froze mid-motion, and his expression darkened.
At that moment, the door creaked open, and Xia Muxin walked in. She caught a whiff of a burnt smell from afar. Shen Muhan instinctively touched his nose and stepped back while Xia Muxin approached the stove. She looked at the chaotic mixture in the pot along with all that oil and picked up a nearby plate to smack Ouyang Xuan on the head with it. Then she glared at him furiously and began to scold him:
"You are such a pig."
Her words were sharp, leaving Ouyang Xuan momentarily stunned. He then glanced at Shen Muhan, who was reveling in the situation, and suddenly realized that this damn old man had probably set him up.
"It was that old man who schemed against me."
But in order to drag Shen Muhan down with her, the extremely aggrieved Zhaoxia Muxin began to complain.
Old man...
Shen Muhan furrowed his brows, his gaze sharpening as he noticed Xia Muxin trying to stifle her laughter while looking at him.
To be fair, he was only two years older than Ouyang Xuan. Just two years, and he was already being called an old man.
Honestly, he was quite sensitive about that term in front of Xia Muxin.
"Well, no matter how old he is, he's still my man."
Xia Muxin suddenly said as she began to scoop the contents out of the pot, glancing at the two men with differing expressions.
- End of Chapter -
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