Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 310 - 288: Partners in Arson

Just how bad is Qian’s cooking?

Her family doesn’t even want to bring it up.

When she was young, her family wasn’t well-off, and as the eldest sister, Jia Xiufang was busy with business, while Chen Lin went out to play cards. So Jia Xiufang trained her to help out in the kitchen. Generally speaking, it’s normal for the eldest daughter in small business families to cook simple noodles by the age of 10.

When Qian was 12, Jia Xiufang asked her to try making scrambled eggs.

The pan got scorched.

She ended up with a ball of blackened something.

Chen Zilong, still a little kid, cried out in fright when he was given the "egg".

When offered to the neighbor’s dog, it ran away without even looking back, tail tucked. In the end, there was no choice but to throw it all away.

No one understood how she was so "talented;" she could turn the simplest scrambled eggs into that. The pan was so black that Jia Xiufang spent half an hour scrubbing it with a steel wool pad to clean it out.

Undeterred, Jia Xiufang tried teaching her step by step again, but for some reason, this girl just couldn’t grasp it. She learned other things quickly, but not this, no matter what.

Qian later pondered herself that maybe she had a bit of a knack for making "dark cuisine." You know, there’s a natural talent component in cooking. Some people whip something up casually, and it’s delicious. She gives it her all and still fails.

For a while, she tried experimenting whenever Jia Xiufang didn’t notice. Even as a little girl, Qian wanted to be the best at everything.

Every attempt ended the same, and she didn’t dare let Jia Xiufang see her flops. So she furtively buried them under the trees in the courtyard—specifically under a persimmon tree that was there before, but after a few fail dishes buried beneath, the tree mysteriously withered the next year.

Chen Lin and Jia Xiufang were baffled. The tree had been there since the house was built. It had been grafted for two years and was about to bear fruit, then suddenly died for no apparent reason.

Qian pretended to be nonchalant and did some book research, finally concluding that perhaps something harmful in her cooking had killed the tree.

Since then, she seldom cooked, knowing it might be a life-threatening affair if she did.

In the previous life, feeding her daughter Xiaowei, she wanted to be like those mothers who whip up snacks for their kids whenever. She finally had some time and made a plate of egg fried rice. Xiaowei ended up with an upset stomach and vomiting for several days.

From then on, they used the nutritional meal delivery service.

Perhaps because of her incompetence, her daughter was forced to fend for herself; by five, she could stand on a stool to cook instant noodles, at six chop potatoes and stir-fry them, at eight make Coca-Cola chicken wings, and by ten—a jack of all trades.

Thinking of her daughter, Qian softened as her thoughts drifted far back in time.

Yu Minglang looked at Qian donning an apron, still with Jia Xiufang’s scarf wrapped around her head, as her house didn’t have a range hood, she was afraid her hair would get smoky right after her shower.

The image was very homey, but seeing her knife-wielding grip made Yu Minglang incredibly tense.

At a glance, she didn’t look like she could cook!

Also, what was with that dreamy look in her eyes?

Qian was reflecting on her past life. Seeing her frozen in place with the knife, Yu Minglang couldn’t help but give her a nudge.

"Oh, here we go."

Qian snapped back to reality, swung the knife down with a chop, and Yu Minglang’s heart skipped a beat.

The poor potato found itself decapitated a third of the way through, split into two uneven pieces—one huge, one tiny. Then Qian skillfully chopped it in half again.

Four irregular potato chunks lined up on the cutting board. Yu Minglang estimated the size disparity was ridiculous. His Qian Bao could calculate wind speed and fire combustion points, but ends up like this cutting a potato?

She wore such a determined expression that Yu Minglang didn’t dare pick up the knife to cut down the large pieces, fearing he’d hurt her pride. He just had to endure, watching her ruin one potato after another.

Unable to bear it any longer, he finally spoke up cautiously.

"Qian Bao, when you chop like that, the knife’s force makes the food roll, causing uneven slices. Try holding it steady with your hand."

"No way, if I hold it, I’ll definitely cut my hand. I’ve tried several times." Qian replied seriously, nodding earnestly to confirm her words.

Yu Minglang gulped down his retort. Well, uneven is better than being drenched in blood.

Qian used the same technique and cut up the big radish.

She intended to make potato and radish stew.

The large white radish, struck a few times, ended up with pieces bigger than the potato chunks.

"Qian Bao... won’t this way... be hard to cook through?" Yu Minglang really didn’t want to say it. His girlfriend was putting in so much effort to cook for him. He should just eat in silence and enjoy, but seeing this rougher-than-a-man method of chopping, he couldn’t hold back.

Qian replied in a very professional tone.

"I’ve researched it. White radish cooks faster than potatoes, so I cut the radish larger to make both ingredients cook simultaneously, keeping the nutritional elements intact—but I still don’t know why the potatoes I make always seem raw in the center."

Yu Minglang glanced at her handiwork. The large ones were the size of a baby’s fist, and the small ones smaller than a fingernail, chopped so fiercely, who knows if any wood chips from the cutting board got mashed in...

Of course, they’re undercooked!

But Yu Minglang was naively hopeful, thinking that poor knife skills didn’t matter much, as long as it was cooked, he could eat a few bites and comfort her. Clearly, Yu Xiaoqiang was too naive...

When Jia Xiufang returned from shopping, she smelled something burnt before she even entered the yard. As she stepped inside, she saw Yu Minglang opening the door, a plume of black smoke pouring out of the house...

Qian followed him out, covering her nose with a scarf, inhaling fresh air deeply.

Yu Minglang wiped the sweat from his forehead, still in shock.

The situation just now was truly terrifying.

He’s survived dangerous rescues unscathed, only to nearly choke to death from his girlfriend’s cooking. What a dark history!

"What are you two doing at home! Setting the house on fire?"

Jia Xiufang pushed past the two of them, stepping inside, only to be hit by a brain buzzing shock.

Her stove! Her pots! Her kitchen!

On the stove used for cooking with honeycomb briquettes, there emanated a noxious smell, black smoke still billowing, one wall charred black!

A heap of vegetables messily strewn aside, and on the stove, some unknown substance possibly oil or water, emitting a choking odor.

Were these two trying to burn the house down while no one was home?

Jia Xiufang pointed at the pitiful stove, stammering speechlessly.

Qian knew she was in the wrong, kept her head down, and tried to save face.

"Well, since we’re getting a new place anyway, a bit of damage is no big deal..."