I awakened the cultivation panel.

Chapter 108 I Can't Stand It Anymore (4K)

When Li Shiming woke up, she first stretched and then rubbed her eyes.

Then, with a thick nasal voice, he asked, "What time is it?"

She saw Chen Jingle lying on the mahogany sofa, using his arm as a pillow and playing on his phone, glancing in her direction.

Chen Jingle replied, "Just past four o'clock."

He woke up relatively early and noticed it the moment the other person woke up.

Li Shiming was stunned: "It's already this late?"

Chen Jingle said, "I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you. Did I make things difficult?"

Li Shiming shook her head: "I don't have any other plans for this afternoon."

I didn't expect to sleep until this late. Last time it could be said to be an accident, but this time... I feel very peaceful.

But why isn't there an air-conditioning blanket this time?
hateful!

Chen Jingle nodded slightly, glanced at the sky, and said, "Would you like to have a meal before going back?"

"Is that okay?" Li Shiming was quite surprised.

"..."

Chen Jingle had intended to say that he was just being polite out of habit, but he didn't expect the other party to take it seriously.

People from Jiangbei are used to letting guests stay for dinner before they go home, but no one actually does that unless there are special circumstances such as heavy rain.

Okay then!

If they stay for dinner, it's not a big problem.

For him, cooking for one person is the same as cooking for two; it's just a matter of adding more chopsticks.

He has a big appetite, and he usually cooks enough for three people. Adding Li Shiming wouldn't make much difference.

Seeing that he had already said what he wanted to say, Chen Jingle could only try to smooth things over: "Let me make it clear first, I haven't prepared any special ingredients today, so the dishes will be quite simple."

"It doesn't matter, as long as there's food to eat," Li Shiming said with a smile.

She had confidence in Chen Jingle's cooking skills.

I've seen it before. Although they make home-style dishes rather than imperial banquet dishes, the taste is not much worse than that of chefs who cook for state banquets.

That ability to create unique flavors from everyday ingredients is true skill.

It's clear that this guy has an exceptional talent for cooking, but it's a shame he didn't seriously develop it in that direction—what a waste!
"Then you wait."

Chen Jingle got up to measure the rice and cook it.

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Shiming quickly sent a message home.

"Mom, I'm having dinner out with my friends tonight, so don't wait for me."

After sending the message, I quickly silenced my phone and tossed it aside, afraid that Liu Qiong would call and interrogate me.

When Liu Qiong saw this, she was indeed very angry: "Eating out again. It's one thing to eat out for lunch, but not coming back for dinner either."

Despite my complaints, I still told Aunt Wang, who was preparing to cook, to avoid wasting food.

……

Chen Jingle rinsed the rice and put it in the pot, then began preparing the vegetables.

There's not much food left in the fridge, so dinner tonight will be simple.

I plan to make four dishes; I won't make soup.

Besides water spinach, Chen Jingle also plans to make scrambled eggs with scallions, eggplant with minced meat, and steamed pork ribs.

It's worth mentioning that he used rice processed from the spiritual rice he grew himself to cook today, so Li Shiming is in for a treat tonight.

Li Shiming, as always, offered to help, but Chen Jingle refused to let her into the kitchen, arguing that it was unreasonable to ask a guest to help with cooking.

The real reason was that he felt Li Shiming's presence would only hinder his efficiency.

I have to say, watching Chen Jingle cook is a real treat.

So rhythmic, so elegant!
The whole process was so smooth and natural that it made one wonder if he had been in the kitchen for many years.

Li Shiming leaned against the door frame, secretly staring at Chen Jingle's profile. She always felt that when this man was doing something seriously, he exuded a completely different and special charm.

It's so addictive.

By the time Chen Jingle finished preparing the dishes, the rice was almost cooked.

A rich aroma of cooked rice wafted through the air along with the steam.

Those who cook frequently should know that the aroma of cooked rice is a very important criterion for judging whether a type of rice tastes good.

Li Shiming could smell the aroma even in the living room, and was immediately surprised: "What kind of rice is this? It smells so good!"

Chen Jingle gave a vague answer: "Uh, it's the rice flower fragrance of Wuchang."

"That can't be right. I've tried Daohuaxiang and Changlixiang before. Although they're very fragrant, they're still not as good as yours," Li Shiming said skeptically.

She was certain she hadn't misremembered.

Chen Jingle chuckled awkwardly twice: "Maybe it's a different brand?"

Which brand did you buy?

"Fortune Comes to the Door".

“That makes even less sense. My family bought Fulinmen’s Natural Fragrance Gold 9%.” Li Shiming blinked.

Chen Jingle finally understood what it meant to need more lies to cover up one lie.

He had no choice but to play dumb: "I don't know."

Fortunately, Li Shiming did not dwell on this issue.

In her opinion, there could be many reasons why the rice smelled so good, perhaps it was due to Chen Jingle's cooking method.

Even with the same rice, not everyone can cook it well.

For example, her mother, Liu Qiong, could turn even the best rice into a mushy mess in her hands, no matter how much water and rice you prepared for her.

In contrast, Aunt Wang Xiulian is a chef by training, and her cooking skills are superb; she has never made a mistake.

This is a matter of talent.

Chen Jingle clearly has a strong talent for cooking, so it's normal that he cooks rice well.

……

What surprised Li Shiming even more was yet to come.

I thought this rice was just fragrant, but when I actually started eating it, I found that it tasted really good. In addition to the strong feeling of fullness from the carbohydrates, it also seemed to boost my energy and spirit.

This surprised her greatly.

Although I didn't do anything too physically demanding today, from home to the restaurant, to Chen Jingle's place, and after taking a nap, I felt a bit lazy and didn't want to move.

At this moment, as I eat rice, I feel as if my body has been injected with new energy, and I feel full of energy all over.

so amazing!
However, she thought this idea was too far-fetched and didn't take it seriously. She simply thought that Chen Jingle's cooking was so delicious that it suited her taste, which made her feel happy and refreshed.

Besides the rice, which tasted great, the dishes were also delicious.

The vegetables tasted almost exactly the same as the last time I had them; they were delicious, and I loved them.

The meat wasn't of particularly high quality, but the cooking method and heat control were excellent, making it equally delicious. The scrambled eggs and the eggplant with minced meat were both very appetizing.

In conclusion, Li Shiming was very satisfied with the ordinary ingredients but the meticulous cooking techniques.

"He really does care about me!"

Otherwise, why would they prepare so meticulously?
They kept saying they didn't prepare any special ingredients, but compared to last time, there was hardly any difference.

The reason he didn't say it outright must be because he's too shy and embarrassed.

That's right, that's it!
Li Shiming herself almost believed it.

"correct."

During the meal, Chen Jingle said, "Didn't you say last time that you wanted to fish in the pond in front of my house? I asked around for you, and it's okay to fish there. You can just pay them by weight later."

Upon hearing this, Li Shiming was overjoyed again, not expecting that he still remembered this matter.

He immediately smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll bring my fishing gear over when the weather isn't so sunny anymore."

"Yes, you're welcome anytime."

"You said it yourself, don't go back on your word."

Chen Jingle said calmly, "Come if you want. I don't have any entry requirements or fees. Do you think I can stop you from coming?"

Li Shiming tilted her head up and said, "It's different. I only come because my host welcomes me. Otherwise, if I come and get disliked, I might as well stay at home and play games."

"..."

Chen Jingle looked at her speechlessly, what kind of twisted logic was that? Li Shiming, on the other hand, returned the gaze without any politeness.

However, in the end, she blushed slightly and somewhat awkwardly gave in first.

Chen Jingle sighed and said, "I will definitely welcome you with open arms, is that alright?"

"That's more like it," Li Shiming said happily.

He seems like a child who hasn't grown up.

……

After a satisfying meal, take a short rest.

Li Shiming glanced at the time and said apologetically, "I should probably go now."

This time, Chen Jingle didn't try to stop him: "Okay, be careful on the road, drive slowly."

Although Li Shiming was reluctant to part, she still smiled and waved goodbye to Chen Jingle.

It's impossible to stay overnight, is it?

She's not crazy yet.

Besides, Chen Jingle made it clear that she was welcome to come and visit anytime, so there was no need to make up excuses like looking at flowers, petting cats, playing with birds, or fishing anymore.

You can come anytime you want!

This is a huge step forward!

back home.

My parents seem to have already eaten dinner and are currently looking at their phones on the sofa in the living room.

Liu Qiong glanced over and snorted, "Going out to play, you don't even bring me a cup of milk tea when you come back."

"I didn't drink any milk tea today." Li Shiming rolled her eyes silently.

"Do not believe!"

"If you don't believe me, throw me down!"

"You can drink it, but I can't?"

"I really didn't drink any!"

Helpless, Li Shiming shouted at her father, "Dad, do something about your wife!"

Li Yuan was lying on Liu Qiong's lap playing on his phone when he glanced at his daughter and said with a smile, "I want to drink too."

I didn't think much about it; I just wanted to amuse my daughter and have some fun.

"Then let's order!"

Li Shiming hummed twice, took out her phone, and opened the food delivery app.

Liu Qiong pouted: "Forget it, I don't want to drink it anymore."

"I think you're just looking for trouble." Li Shiming gave her a death stare.

Liu Qiong glared at her: "Li Shiming, watch your tone!"

Li Shiming made a funny face and ran upstairs in a few quick steps.

The living room fell silent again.

There's something I don't understand.

Li Yuan suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Liu Qiong looked down at him.

Li Yuan: "You said it's a holiday, how come her expenses this month are less than when she was in school?"

"Is it too little?" Liu Qiong asked in surprise.

Li Yuan nodded and said, "It's almost the end of the month, and she hasn't even spent all 50,000 yuan this month. That's not like her."

He paused, then added, "It was the same last month."

Liu Qiong didn't take it to heart: "Isn't this a good thing? It shows that she knows her parents don't earn money easily, and she's starting to think about her family and stop being so extravagant."

Li Yuan chuckled twice: "You don't even believe that yourself."

Liu Qiong retorted irritably, "Why wouldn't I believe you? I know my own daughter better than anyone else. Of the allowance you give her each month, besides eating and drinking, she might buy some pretty dresses when she goes shopping, but she's spent the rest on gifts for you and me, hasn't she? Isn't that enough? She hasn't squandered any money!"

Li Yuan remained calm: "Then here's the question: if we're just eating, drinking, shopping, and buying things as usual, and even preparing gifts for our parents, how can we possibly have any money left over?"

Liu Qiong frowned: "Then tell me why?"

"How would I know?" Li Yuan said with a straight face.

He probably knew it, but he just didn't want to admit it.

It's probably because my daughter went out to eat with that person. The other expenses weren't high, unlike when she's with her girlfriends, they would go shopping after the meal.

However, he would rather his daughter spend more money with her girlfriends each month than have her spend money on a strange man.

I wouldn't say I deeply hate that man, but I'm definitely wary of him.

Liu Qiong was a little impatient: "Since you gave her the money, let her spend it however she wants, it's not much anyway."

Li Yuan was speechless.

This woman really has no concept of money. Many people can't even save 50,000 yuan a year, while your daughter gets almost a million yuan in pocket money a year.

Isn't this called much?

However, compared to their total assets, 50,000 a month is indeed not much.
And at least it wasn't wasted; it was just used for eating, drinking, and shopping, which is nothing at all.

You could even say they gave too little.

Look at the rich kids of the same age, they're playing with top-of-the-line luxury cars or watches and other luxury goods.

If this happened in another province, a tycoon with a net worth of ten figures would be laughed at for only giving his daughter tens of thousands of yuan in pocket money each month.

But in the southeast, everything seems perfectly natural.

I even felt like I gave too much.

"Why would a child need so much money?" "It'll all be yours eventually anyway, so your parents will keep it for you." "Having too much money makes it easy for a child to go astray," and so on.

Fortunately, Li Shiming has never caused them much worry since she was a child.

In fact, at their level, as long as they don't commit crimes or trample on the law, everything is negotiable.

That's true at least in the Jiangbei region.

Seeing that he was still struggling with it, Liu Qiong reached out and pinched his brow speechlessly: "You're unhappy that your daughter is spending less money on you? What's wrong with you?"

Li Yuan felt he was overthinking things; there was really no need to be so nervous.

Even if they are really talking, um... no, just thinking about it makes me angry, I can't stand it!
Your daughter is so outstanding, why not find someone decent? Why did you choose someone so ordinary?

This is illogical!

Could it be that the other person has some exceptional qualities that they are unaware of?
"Or is there something I've overlooked?"

Li Yuan frowned in deep thought.

I did consider hiring someone to keep an eye on her, but that would be too disrespectful to my daughter's privacy.

After thinking about it, I decided to give up on the idea.

I was extremely conflicted.

He felt it necessary to consult his wife, so he said, "Our good daughter doesn't seem to have caused us any worry, does she?"

"What do you mean?" Liu Qiong felt that he was acting a bit strange today.

Li Yuan continued speaking to himself, "Your taste in making friends seems pretty good?"

Liu Qiong thought for a moment: "From childhood to adulthood, although many of my friends have only been friends for a short period of time, at least we haven't had any major conflicts."

"Indeed. So we should trust the good girl."

Li Yuan tried to convince himself to relax.

……

Meanwhile, Chen Jingle was flipping through the calendar.

There's nothing to be careful about tomorrow, the key is the day after tomorrow, which is the first day of the sixth lunar month.

The problem is that it's already June.

Therefore, there are two sixth months in the lunar calendar this year.

"I remember that meals are delivered during leap months, right?"

(End of this chapter)