Chapter 86: Preparing for a Picnic

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Huo Zheng hugged Lin Xiaowan.

After a while, Lin Xiaowan took out a birthday hat from somewhere and put it on his head.

After breakfast, she led him to the studio and showed him his present.

The majestic lion in the painting was dressed in a black suit, but his pants were switched to Hawaiian floral shorts. A golden flower brooch could be seen on the jacket pocket, and the lion held a bouquet of flowers.

The background of the painting was inspired by the garden in the Huo family’s old residence. Lin Xiaowan made many changes to it.

The lion’s expression was serious like that of Huo Zheng. It took a long time for her to draw the eyes. She found it difficult to draw Huo Zheng’s deep eyes so she could only focus on using colors to add depth to them. She had asked Hong Minhua for advice as well when she painted this.

After she completed the painting, she carefully framed it.

“Is that supposed to be me?” Huo Zheng asked as he held her in his arms.

Lin Xiaowan nodded. “Doesn’t it look like you?”

Huo Zheng and the lion stared at each other. After a while, he nodded and said with a laugh, “Yes, it does.”

When the couple returned home from dinner, Lin Xiaowan saw that her painting had been hung above the counter in the dining room. Its spot was very conspicuous, and the painting could be seen as soon as one entered the room. Obviously, Huo Zheng had instructed someone to hang it here.

Lin Xiaowan was very satisfied. After admiring it for a long time, she said to

Huo Zheng confidently, “I’ll paint you a better one in the future.”

Before going to bed, Lin Xiaowan said, looking a little embarrassed, “Since it’s your birthday, I’d like to announce that you’re now officially my boyfriend.”

Huo Zheng kissed her and whispered, “Okay.”

It did not really matter to Huo Zheng, to be honest. In his opinion, they had never broken up and had always been together.

After Huo Zheng’s birthday, Lin Xiaowan agreed to go hiking with Gu Yuwu.

The weather was just nice and not too hot, about 25 degrees Celcius. Just hiking seemed boring so they decided to have a picnic during the day.

They decided to have a picnic in a farmhouse in the western suburbs of Shengjing. This place was also not open to the public, and it was also recommended by Gu Yuwu.

The owner of the farmhouse was a couple from the entertainment industry. The mistress of the house liked flowers so there were many flowers around.

The scenery was different each season. There was also a large lake where they could fish. All in all, it was a very suitable place to relax.

The couple rarely came to the farmhouse so they would allow close friends to come over to relax. Although they were rarely around, they hired people to clean and maintain the place.

When Gu Yuwu first mentioned hiking to Lin Xiaowan, she also told the latter about filming a vlog. After all, she was worried that it would make Lin Xiaowan uncomfortable. She assured Lin Xiaowan that she would not film her face.

Lin Xiaowan did not think much of it. In fact, she felt that it was meaningful to record her life.

Gu Yuwu’s vlog started with the two of them preparing food for the picnic in Lin Xiaowan and Huo Zheng’s house. To be precise, they were only helping the chef prepare the food.

Ever since Lin Xiaowan decided to open a dessert shop with Zhu Yingyue, she had been learning to make desserts with the chef. Although she could not be considered very good, the desserts she made were considered presentable.

After the Huo family’s chef made the food, he would pack it up for them as well to be eaten tomorrow. They decided to prepare the food at Lin Xiaowan’s house because the kitchen here was very complete.

Gu Yuwu pointed the camera at the chef and said, “This is the chef in charge of our picnic food…”

The chef had participated in many prestigious competitions before so he was even more natural in front of the camera than Lin Xiaowan. He was very amiable and waved at the camera before he lowered his head to prep the ingredients.

“When the time comes, I’ll add an introduction for you,” Gu Yuwu said. After all, she still needed to edit the video.

“Then I’ll be famous at that time,” the chef said with a smile.

Lin Xiaowan rolled up her sleeves and washed her hands, ready to help the chef. She was in high spirits. She said confidently, “I can do simple work. I can definitely do it!”

When learning to make desserts from Zhu Yingyue, Zhu Yingyue would always praise Lin Xiaowan.

However, the chef had seen Lin Xiaowan’s ‘skills’ before so he could not help but feel skeptical when he heard Lin Xiaowan’s words. Fortunately, they were cooking with semi-finished food products today. After taking everyone’s skills into consideration, he chose a few simple dishes.

The chef gave Lin Xiaowan the broccoli and asked her to cut it into small pieces.

Lin Xiaowan had to take care of herself in the past. After so many years, she still knew how to cut broccoli. She cut off the root with a sharp knife before cutting it into small pieces.

The chef, who was deboning the chicken at the side, praised Lin Xiaowan when he saw her. “Miss Lin, you’re doing quite well this time.”

Lin Xiaowan said earnestly, “Actually, I really know how to cook. It’s just that the food I make isn’t very delicious or professional.”

For ordinary people, they would cut vegetables and meat at will. Most people would not care if they were cutting against the grain of the meat or not, and they also would not deliberately learn how to cut cucumbers into diamond-shaped slices.

The chef liked Lin Xiaowan’s passion for learning and her indomitable spirit.

As such, he was very willing to teach her. He said, “Let me teach you the secret to cutting onions without tearing up…”

The chef brought the onions that had been cut in half out of the fridge and said, “All you have to do is freeze it in advance. With that, your eyes won’t tear up when you cut the onion.”

Gu Yuwu raised her camera and said, “I’ll include this scene in the video later…”

Upon hearing this, the chef said, “Actually, there’s also another way that everyone might be more familiar with. After all, very few people would keep onions in the refrigerator, right?”

The chef found a small basin and filled half of it with water. After putting the onions in, he said, “Just cut the onions in water. You have to use a basin that will allow you to cut the onions comfortably. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome to cut the onions.”

The chef cut the onions and continued to say, “Look. This basin is a little small so it’s harder to cut the onions.

Gu Yuwu exclaimed, “Wow! It doesn’t look hard for you at all. As expected of a chef.”

The chef said, “If you think this method is a waste of water, there’s another way.

“What is it?” Lin Xiaowan asked seriously.

“If you heat the onions in a microwave, the high temperature would destroy the alliinase in the onions. With that, your eyes won’t tear up when you’re cutting them.”

The chef continued, “There might be people who don’t have microwaves at home. They can choose the other methods instead.”

Lin Xiaowan’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, “Wow! You’re really knowledgeable!”

The chef did not think too much of it and said modestly, “It’s not a big deal. I’m a chef, after all. It’s natural to know these small things. The majority of chefs know these things as well.”

Lin Xiaowan rubbed her hands together and said excitedly, “I’m going to learn from you whenever 1 have time in the future! I’ll help you!”

The chef paused for a moment before he said tactfully, “There’s no need to trouble Miss Lin to help me.”

Gu Yuwu laughed when she heard the underlying meaning of the chef’s words.

“Alright then,” Lin Xiaowan said. This was the first time she discovered that the chef who came to cook every day was a little humorous..

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