Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 556 The Little Demon 17

The two began to eat quietly.

Without the unexpected disturbances of the kitchen and the breathtaking concentration of applying ointment, the meal at this moment was filled with the relaxation and tranquility of home.

The heat from the food blurred the slight distance between them.

Chi Jingchen ate with great relish, and it was obvious that he was really hungry. Occasionally, he would comment on a certain dish: "This soup with rice is amazing."

He held the bowl with his less flexible right hand, and the spoon in his left hand looked a little clumsy, but his seriousness revealed a childish cuteness.

He looked at the table full of home-cooked dishes, his voice filled with a barely perceptible sense of loneliness: "I've been missing the taste of that bowl of noodles since last time, and I've been looking for an opportunity to thank you for the midnight snack."

It was shortly after the New Year. When he returned home in the evening, he was hungry because there was no food at home.

He plucked up the courage to send a message to Yun Chu.

Yun Chu asked him to go to her house and cooked him a bowl of noodles.

"We're neighbors, so a bowl of noodles is nothing." Yun Chu lowered his head to pick up some dishes, his tone relaxed, but his ears felt a little hot.

"It's different." Chi Jingchen looked up at her, his eyes gentle and serious, "That bowl of noodles is not just food...it's warm."

His voice was low and his words were simple, but they carried a lot of weight.

Yun Chu's heart trembled slightly, as if something had silently touched her. She raised her eyes and met his sincere gaze.

The white gauze pad on the back of his hand was particularly conspicuous under the warm light, but it also cleverly blended into the ordinary and warm atmosphere of this dinner.

There is no deliberately created starlight, no focus of attention, only a warm lamp, a table of ordinary home-cooked meals, a hand covered with a small gauze that was left behind accidentally, and two neighbors who have put aside some of the burden of their identities and sit opposite each other in food and warmth.

The aroma of food rose in the air, dispelling the last trace of heat in the summer evening.

The chirping of insects outside the window played a nocturne. In this lighted window deep in the Chenxi community, the most ordinary yet precious "sequel" of the mundane world was silently seeping into my heart, bite by bite.

After finishing the last bite of the meal, Chi Jingchen looked at the empty dishes on the table, then looked at Yun Chu's profile across from him, which was illuminated by the warm light as she was adding water to his bowl. He suddenly felt that the skin under the gauze seemed to have anticipated some kind of warmth and no longer hurt.

The end of the dinner passed in a simple and peaceful atmosphere.

Putting down his chopsticks, Chi Jingchen stood up and wanted to clean up the dishes, looking at the empty blue and white porcelain plate and the stew bowl with only soup base left.

"Let me do it." Yun Chu also stood up and naturally took the bowl in front of him.

"No, you cook and I'll wash... well, it might be a little slower though."

Chi Jingchen looked at her, his tone gentle but insistent. He gently tapped his right hand, which was wrapped in a small gauze bandage, with the fingertips of his uninjured hand. "Although it is very valuable now, it is still okay to contribute some labor from your left hand."

He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, with a hint of joking.

Yun Chu was amused by him. Seeing him eager to try, the hesitation in her heart melted away and she nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."

Yun Chu didn't insist on taking charge of all the things, which seemed to be a tacit consent, allowing him to enter deeper into her daily territory.

The two of them carried their dishes to the small sink. The space was limited, so they stood so close that their arms could almost feel each other's body heat. Yun Chu turned on the faucet and adjusted the water temperature: "Warm water will do."

"Okay." Chi Jingchen responded, watching the water flow into the sink intently.

Yun Chu was given the task of squeezing the dishwashing liquid. The foam quickly expanded and spread in the warm water, carrying a refreshing lemon scent. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender arms, and began by immersing a few bowls in the bubbles.

Chi Jingchen stood outside her, reached out to pick up the first bowl from the foam, and gently wiped it with a sponge, imitating Yun Chu's demonstration just now.

His movements were a little unfamiliar and clumsy, especially when operating with his left hand. The rotation of his wrist always seemed to lack a little bit of strength and smoothness.

But he looked focused, with his eyebrows slightly lowered and his lips pursed, like a student who was completing his homework seriously.

"Actually... you can use a little more force," Yun Chu's voice sounded with a gentle smile. She gestured with her eyes to the bottom of the bowl, "It's not easy to clean here. You need to rub it with the edge of the sponge."

As she spoke, she naturally stretched out her hand and gently covered the back of Chi Jingchen's left hand holding the sponge under the water, guiding his movements: "Like this... Yes, sink your wrist a little."

Her fingertips were slightly cool and moist, and they briefly and clearly touched the back of his warm hand.

Chi Jingchen only felt that the skin suddenly became extremely sensitive, as if a tiny electric current was running through it.

He did not move immediately, but just felt the brief touch and guidance, and his heart seemed to be gently bumped by something warm and soft.

The water flows and the steam rises.

Yun Chu quickly withdrew his hand, as if the action was the most natural thing.

"Understand?" she asked, her voice seemed a little softer than before, her ears slightly red.

"...Yeah." Chi Jingchen's Adam's apple rolled as he responded, then lowered his head to continue. However, his movements seemed to have really gotten the hang of it with her gentle guidance, and they became noticeably smoother.

Then it became quiet, but the atmosphere was even more magical.

Chi Jingchen washed the dishes carefully. Yun Chu stood beside him, took the foamy bowl he handed over, rinsed it with clean water, and put it in the drain rack.

The sound of running water is the main melody, and the occasional clinking of dishes makes a crisp sound.

Although the two did not talk frequently, occasionally a gesture of passing a bowl, a slight touch of fingertips when one took the plate, a slight friction of the corners of clothes when one moved sideways to make room for the other... all these subtle interactions were carried out silently, with a wonderful sense of rhythm.

Their eyes would occasionally meet between the water and the foam, then quickly move away, like dragonflies skimming across the water, leaving tiny ripples.

After washing the last dish, Chi Jingchen turned off the faucet. The only sound in the kitchen was the dripping sound of water on the drain rack. He turned around and looked at Yun Chu, who was wiping the countertop with a rag.

The smooth table reflected the light and also her lowered silhouette.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, the precious little gauze standing out clearly under the light, "Mission accomplished."

Yun Chu raised her head and met his gaze.

The orange light fell into his deep eyes, casting a warm halo.

There was only one step between the two of them, and the air was filled with the clean scent of detergent, the lingering aroma of food, and an indescribable sense of intimacy mixed with moisture.

"Well, very qualified." Yun Chu curved his eyes and smiled sincerely, "As a wounded soldier, this is your first experience washing dishes. It deserves praise."

Chi Jingchen looked at her bright smile, his heart moved slightly, and he also smiled.

When the smile spread, the fatigue that had been suppressed in his eyes seemed to completely dissipate, leaving only a bright and gentle glow.