Chapter 104 - 49: Jing Si’s Good Fortune
"Do you have any burn ointment at home?" Qin Mei asked.
"Yes," Jie Jingshan replied.
"I’ll go get it." Jie Jingchen turned and strode out of the kitchen. He returned a moment later with the burn ointment. He applied it to Qin Mei’s burn first, then to Jie Jingshan’s, and finally to Jie Jingjue’s. The ointment eased the pain, and Jie Jingjue finally quieted down.
"Let me put some on for you." Qin Mei took the ointment and applied it to the back of his hand.
As he watched her apply the ointment with such focus, Jie Jingchen’s gaze intensified.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, my burn is the worst," Jie Jingjue pointed out.
Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingjue. He did look pretty miserable. No one was trying to figure out who was at fault; they had all gotten burned, so there was no point in assigning blame. ’Besides, I was the one who was craving wavy-cut potatoes.’
’Last night at the black market, I was craving these potatoes and ended up getting arrested for supposedly trying to scalp them. Today, everyone got burned because of them. Ugh! Do I really need to eat these things so badly?’
"Here’s the ointment." Qin Mei handed the tube to Jie Jingjue.
Jie Jingjue took it and slipped it into his pocket.
Now that he was burned, Jie Jingjue went on strike. Jie Jingchen took over the task of frying the potatoes. Watching his practiced movements, the other three were stunned. Jie Jingjue couldn’t help but ask, "Fourth Brother, you know how to cook?"
"I spent six months on kitchen duty in the army," Jie Jingchen said.
The three of them were dumbfounded. Jie Jingjue grew indignant. "Fourth Brother, if you knew how, why didn’t you say anything?"
"Your Fourth Brother is using his left hand," Qin Mei pointed out. Seeing Jing Chen using his left hand made her heart ache.
Jie Jingjue froze for a second, then realization dawned, and he obediently shut his mouth.
Jie Jingchen remained calm and composed, having grown used to it. He had accepted the reality that his right hand was disabled. As long as he didn’t have to lift anything heavy, he could still manage daily tasks with it.
But stir-frying was impossible. It required wrist strength and the ability to flick the wok, which his right hand could no longer do.
"Fourth Brother, let me do it," Jie Jingjue said.
Jie Jingchen shot him a look, then put down the spatula and stepped aside.
The atmosphere became a little heavy, a little strange.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, are they done yet?" Jie Jingjue asked.
"A little longer. They don’t taste good if they aren’t cooked through. It’s better to be safe and fry them a bit more," Qin Mei said. After a few more minutes, she decided they were ready. "Okay, you can scoop them out now."
The potatoes were scooped into a bowl. Qin Mei added whatever seasonings she could find in the kitchen. A fragrance immediately filled the air, making everyone’s mouth water.
"Who wants to be the taste-tester?" Qin Mei asked.
Jie Jingjue shook his head and Jie Jingchen hesitated, but Jie Jingshan bravely volunteered. "Fourth Sister-in-law, I’ll do it."
Qin Mei picked up a piece with her chopsticks and held it to Jie Jingshan’s lips. "Careful, it’s hot."
Jie Jingshan blew on it a couple of times before opening her mouth to eat it.
"How does it taste?" Qin Mei asked.
Under the expectant gazes of the other three, Jie Jingshan chewed slowly. "It’s delicious, just a little bland."
"Bland?" Qin Mei tried one herself. It was indeed a bit bland. She added more salt, but her hand slipped as she was pouring, and too much came out. "Ah! Whoops."
Qin Mei quickly used her chopsticks to fish out the excess salt, picking out the potatoes that had gotten too salty. Once she felt she’d removed most of it, she was satisfied.
"Jing Qi, try this." Qin Mei picked up another piece and held it to Jie Jingshan’s lips.
Jie Jingshan blew on it, popped it in her mouth, and her eyes lit up. She praised her generously, "Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s delicious!"
"For real?" Jie Jingjue was skeptical. He took a pair of chopsticks from the holder, picked up a piece, and stared at it for several seconds before finally putting it in his mouth. His eyes lit up, and he gave Qin Mei a thumbs-up. "Fourth Sister-in-law, this is actually really good!"
"Wavy-cut potatoes are just delicious by nature," Qin Mei said, a smug look on her face. ’Fried potatoes are always good, and the kitchen had all the right seasonings. As long as you get the salt level right, it’s bound to be delicious.’
Jie Jingjue grabbed another piece. ’It was worth all the trouble of cutting them and even getting burned by the hot oil.’
Qin Mei tried one herself. The flavor was great. She smiled, satisfied.
"Have a taste." Qin Mei picked up a piece and offered it to Jie Jingchen’s lips. When he just stared at her without opening his mouth, she suddenly realized what she was doing. Just as he started to open his mouth, Qin Mei snatched the piece away and ate it herself.
’Well, that was awkward.’ She didn’t know if Jie Jingchen was embarrassed, but she certainly was.
"Um... if you want one, you can just grab it with your own chopsticks." Qin Mei then picked up a piece for Jie Jingshan. ’At least she doesn’t mind sharing with Jingshan, and Jingshan doesn’t mind her. Really, what’s there to be grossed out about? They’re just taking the potato; their mouths don’t even touch the chopsticks.’
The four of them finished off the half-bowl of wavy-cut potatoes, but Jie Jingjue still looked like he wanted more.
Jie Jingjue looked at the other half-bowl of misshapen potato pieces. "Can’t we fry these too?"
Qin Mei glanced over and nodded. "We can."
"I’ll fry them!" Jie Jingjue volunteered. Having learned his lesson, he was more experienced this time. Qin Mei and the others were also on their guard, so when the potatoes went into the wok, only a little oil spattered out.