Li Feng wasted no time. He pulled everything he needed from the refrigerator, set it on the counter and tied his apron on. Black gloves snapped into place.
Xian looked up at him with wide eyes. "Daddy looks so cool."
Li Feng glanced down at her. "Thank you, Xian."
"So cool," she repeated, nodding to herself like she was confirming something important.
He crouched down. "How about we make the best dish for Mummy and Aunty Mei together?"
Xian's eyes went wide. "Together?"
He lifted her up and set her on the counter, then disappeared for a moment and came back with a small matching apron. He tied it around her carefully, gently gathered her hair back, then pulled a pair of small gloves onto her hands one finger at a time. Xian looked down at herself. Then up at Li Feng. The two of them stood there in matching aprons and black gloves, ready for business.
*A father and daughter duo.*
In the living room Zhao Lihua was in full concentration mode, eyes fixed on the screen. Mei had settled in beside her, arms still crossed at first. Then slowly, without realising it, she had uncrossed them. The show was a classic. A man completely in love with a woman, no idea if she felt the same. The woman completely in love with him, too shy to say a word. The two of them dancing around each other episode after episode in a way that made it obvious to absolutely everyone except themselves. Even a passing stranger could have told them. The show leaned into it, squeezing every drop of comedy out of two people being spectacularly oblivious about something the entire audience had figured out in the first episode.
Mei found herself watching.
She would not be admitting that to anyone.
Li Feng knew exactly what he wanted to make. Kung Pao Chicken. Steamed white rice. He rolled his sleeves up and got to work.
He started with the chicken. Cut it clean into even pieces, nothing rushed, each cut deliberate. He seasoned it carefully — soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, a little cornstarch — and set it aside to marinate. Xian watched him from the counter, gloves on, completely serious. He moved to the dried chilies next, trimming and cutting them into sections. The Sichuan peppercorns went beside them. Garlic and ginger came after, sliced with the same quiet efficiency.
"Xian help," Xian announced.
Li Feng looked at her. He slid the bowl of peanuts across the counter. "Hold this."
She gripped it with both hands immediately, expression grave. Very important task.
He mixed the sauce separately. Soy sauce, dark vinegar, a little sugar, cornstarch and water. He stirred it slowly until it came together clean. The rice cooker clicked on quietly in the corner. Water measured, rice rinsed twice, lid down. It would take care of itself from here. He heated the wok. Oil went in, and the moment it was ready the chilies and peppercorns followed. The smell hit the air immediately — sharp, warm, the kind that travels.
"Smells good," Xian said from the counter.
"It will taste better," Li Feng replied.
The chicken went in next, spreading across the wok in one smooth motion. He moved it steadily, letting the heat do its work, watching the colour change and the edges crisp. Garlic and ginger followed, then the sauce, folding everything together until it thickened and coated every piece evenly. He added the peanuts last. Xian held the bowl out toward him with both hands like she was presenting something sacred.
"Thank you, Xian."
She nodded. Very professional.
In the kitchen the duo were moving like a well oiled machine. Ronaldo and Messi in their prime could not have looked more in sync. Xian was doing the heavy lifting. It was heavy to her. Both hands wrapped around whatever Li Feng passed her way, tongue slightly out, completely locked in. Li Feng moved around her in a steady flow. No wasted motion. Every step landing exactly where it needed to. The main chef and his very serious assistant.
A while later the aroma had filled the entire apartment. Warm, rich, layered. It drifted through the living room quietly and settled there. Mei lifted her head from the screen. She glanced toward the window. "Jiejie." She tilted her head slightly. "Is there a restaurant nearby? Outside?" She breathed it in again. Something in her shoulders loosened without her noticing. "Whatever place that is out there—" another breath — "whoever is behind that stove has no business cooking in a small area like this. Five star. Easily."
Zhao Lihua looked at the screen.
*Telling her will absolutely ruin her mood.*
She said nothing. Mei would find out herself.
A while later he plated the Kung Pao Chicken carefully, spooning the sauce over evenly until every piece was coated. The colour was deep and rich, the peanuts sitting through it, the dried chilies resting on top. The rice cooker clicked off. He lifted the lid, let the steam rise and settle, then scooped it out clean into bowls. White, fluffy, each grain separate. He set everything on the dining table and stepped back.
*Not bad.* Li Feng looked at his daughter and laughed softly.
He carried her to the living room. Xian spotted her mother and Mei immediately. She sat up straight on Li Feng's arm, cleared her throat and announced at full volume — "Mummy! Aunty Mei! Daddy and Xian made the best food in the whole world!"
Mei tilted her head toward the two of them. Still in matching aprons. Still in matching gloves. She looked back at Zhao Lihua.
*It can't be.*
The aroma that had been floating through the apartment for the past hour. The smell she had breathed in deeply and called five star. The cook she had said had no business working anywhere small. That was Li Feng.
*Since when could he cook.*
And worst of all.
*I complimented it.*
Zhao Lihua caught the shock on her sister's face. She shook her head slowly. *Wait until she actually tastes it.* She reached over and took Mei's hand. "Let's go eat," she said simply, with a smile. Mei hesitated. Then she moved.
They settled at the dining table. Mei sat down and looked at the plate in front of her. She picked up her chopsticks and held them there for a moment, just looking at the food. Zhao Lihua did not wait. She took the first bite and her face lit up immediately.
"Mummy how does it taste?" Xian leaned forward from Li Feng's arm, completely invested.
"Xian helped make it so of course it's delicious," Zhao Lihua said.
Xian sat up straight, very satisfied with this answer.
Li Feng stood still, Xian on his arm, gaze fixed on Mei. *Is this his last attempt to win me over.* Mei looked at the plate. *Li Feng you really think I'll be moved by this.* She turned her chopsticks slowly. *I bet it just smells good.*
She took the first bite.
The flavour hit immediately. Sweet and savoury all at once, warm and deep, the sauce coating every piece cleanly. The chicken tender through the middle, the edges carrying just enough char, the peanuts adding a subtle crunch underneath it all. It settled on the tongue slowly, one layer after another.
Mei stopped chewing for just a moment.
Xian turned from her mother to Mei, eyes wide and waiting. "Aunty Mei." She leaned forward on Li Feng's arm. "How does it taste?"
Mei looked at her niece's face. Completely open. Completely earnest. Waiting for an answer with her whole heart.
She looked down at her plate.
She looked back at Xian.
*Don't you dare,* she told herself.