Chapter 1198: I’m Especially Fond of Cleanliness

Chapter 1198: Chapter 1198: I’m Especially Fond of Cleanliness

"You should be sober by now, right?" Li Xiaoyun asked, changing the subject.

"I’m okay," Zhao Dingli said with a smile.

Li Xiaoyun looked at him, thinking he seemed quite coherent and even had the energy to tease Wei Zhiqian, so he probably was sober.

"Then get some rest early. You drank so much tonight; you’ll definitely feel uncomfortable when you wake up tomorrow," Li Xiaoyun reminded him, "Don’t forget there’s another event in the afternoon."

Tomorrow is the meeting between both families, so it’s important to be in a good state.

Thinking about it, Li Xiaoyun found it quite peculiar.

How did they suddenly reach the stage of meeting each other’s families?

The pace was so fast that she felt a bit unable to adapt.

It prompted Zhao Dingli to take it seriously: "I’ll go to sleep now, need to rest well to leave a good impression on our parents."

Li Xiaoyun: "..."

Zhao Dingli got up, walked two steps, then stopped and said to Li Xiaoyun: "I’m feeling much clearer now, might as well take a shower. I really like staying clean."

Li Xiaoyun: "..."

You emphasizing the last part is quite odd.

"You should sleep early too, goodnight," Zhao Dingli said.

"I’m heading back now," Li Xiaoyun also got up and walked with Zhao Dingli to the bedroom door.

At the door, they wished each other goodnight before going to their rooms.

Zhao Dingli wanted to be affectionate with Li Xiaoyun.

But tonight’s circumstances really didn’t allow for it.

He drank a lot, and even if he was somewhat sober, he still smelled of alcohol and didn’t look his best.

So, Zhao Dingli had to give up on the idea, said goodnight to Li Xiaoyun sincerely, then went to shower and sleep.

The next day, as expected, Zhao Dingli was a bit hungover.

The hangover sweets and honey he had last night did help a little.

For breakfast, Li Xiaoyun made bone broth for him and took out pre-marinated side dishes from the fridge, ready to eat.

Zhao Dingli has a sensitive stomach, so Li Xiaoyun dared not make him spicy soup.

Otherwise, some spicy soup would really help with a hangover.

However, among the side dishes, the pickled cucumbers were slightly spicy, which helped stimulate the appetite.

Otherwise, after a hangover, one would feel quite full and not hungry at all.

Li Xiaoyun also ordered soup dumplings delivery.

Her culinary skills are still at a beginner’s level.

Making soup is already considered good.

Side dishes come naturally to her.

Stir-frying a few simple dishes isn’t hard.

But for more complicated items, like dumplings or buns, she struggles.

She still needs to learn from Ye Fei about balancing flavors in fillings and handling dumpling and bun skins.

Were it not for work commitments, she would have told Zhao Dingli she should go to Changping Academy to learn culinary skills.

But she soon dismissed the idea.

Even without work, with her zero foundation, she wouldn’t keep up at Changping Academy.

Others have a strong culinary foundation, they’re chefs when they graduate.

Li Xiaoyun considered enrolling in a cooking interest class.

But her free time is occupied by Zhao Dingli outside of work.

Zhao Dingli thinks she doesn’t spend enough time with him, so there’s no way to let her learn more culinary skills.

Moreover, Zhao Dingli is also diligently practicing his cooking skills, determined to ensure he’d cover all meals daily, not making Li Xiaoyun cook.

He wouldn’t agree to Li Xiaoyun enrolling in a cooking class, it’s too exhausting.

So, Li Xiaoyun had to let go of this idea.

For what she can’t manage herself, they rely on deliveries.

Fortunately, the bone broth is rich and naturally sweet and delicious.

The side dishes are crisp and refreshing.

Li Xiaoyun ordered not the usual boiled dumplings but fermented dough ones.

They’re essentially regular buns but smaller in size.

The bun skins are fluffy and soft, with a few spots soaked in filling juices, revealing the colors inside, making them even more appetizing and tempting.

"I ordered eggplant with braised pork and mushroom bok choy." Li Xiaoyun said, "Mixing a meaty and a vegetarian one keeps it from getting greasy. And since you’re hungover without much appetite, something more flavorful like eggplant and pork should help stimulate your appetite."

"Turns out this place is a popular bun shop online." Li Xiaoyun didn’t expect it to be within the delivery range.

They usually had meals sent from Changlin’s restaurant, rarely using delivery services; hence Li Xiaoyun didn’t know what local delivery restaurants were available.

Who knew, while using the app for deliveries this morning, she found this shop.

Li Xiaoyun hasn’t tried it before but heard of its reputation.

Without saying much, Li Xiaoyun took advantage of the buns being hot and took a bite of the eggplant and pork one.

The eggplant and pork juices seeped through the bun skins, making her fingers oily.

Even before biting, the rich aroma of meat sauce was apparent.

When Li Xiaoyun bit in, the caramel-like filling was diced eggplants and pork.

Marinated to one color, it’s hard to distinguish between eggplant and meat without tasting.

It’s only when you chew you find out.

The steamed eggplant is soft and slippery, dissolving as you chew, the pork belly chosen has lean meat with traces of white fat edges, creating distinct textures when bitten, the fatty parts are chewy, and bursts of meat juices are absorbed by the eggplant, forming a delightful taste.

Despite Zhao Dingli feeling low appetite from the hangover, biting into it stirred up his appetite.

After finishing the eggplant pork bun, he ate a mushroom bok choy one to balance out the flavors.

After the rich oily flavor of eggplant and pork, the mushroom bok choy brought a refreshing taste.

Taking another bite of the crispy and slightly spicy cucumber strip felt just right.

"It’s a pity there’s no congee," Li Xiaoyun regretted saying.

Zhao Dingli nodded, "I thought the same."

"I worried about your lack of appetite, so I switched to bone broth. If I knew your appetite was this good, I would have made congee with the broth," Li Xiaoyun laughed.

Thinking about it, Zhao Dingli felt he couldn’t resist.

There’s still time; they would meet at Shengyue for lunch.

Zhao Dingli straightforwardly said, "I’ll make some congee."

"Now?" Li Xiaoyun was surprised.

Zhao Dingli nodded, "Rinsing the rice is quick. For cooking congee, thirty minutes should be enough. It might not be extremely soft and sticky, but it should still be good."

Seeing how knowledgeable he sounded, Li Xiaoyun was amazed, "When did you learn that?"

Li Xiaoyun remembered Zhao Dingli could only handle very basic stuff before.

Even cooking noodles was a tough challenge for him.

"I asked Gu Xian," Zhao Dingli said with a smile, "I’ve wanted to make it for you; who knew I’d wake up later due to the hangover today."