"Yes. New Year's Day is tomorrow, and it's actually a little late to start preparing now."
Naoko continued to be busy, and Naruse came closer. There were some black beans simmering in the pot, and it looked like they had been cooking for a while.
There were two paint boxes placed next to them, and he understood that one of them was for his family.
"I'm here to help."
"No need."
"Can you handle this alone?"
Shangzi hesitated for a moment, "It shouldn't be a big problem..."
Naruse went directly to the side to pick out the ingredients.
"What should I prepare for Osechi cuisine?"
I eat Osechi cuisine every year—in recent years, I buy it at the mall—but this is the first time he helped prepare it.
Shangzi came closer and said, "The ingredients have been sorted, that's it."
She introduced that some of them were cooking items that were to be placed on the third level of the food box, some were main dishes that needed to be cooked and were placed on the second level, and there were also a bunch of ingredients that were New Year dishes that were to be placed on the first level of the food box.
, including the black beans that are being cooked in the pot at this time...
Naruse looked at it and started with the nearest one, "Let's start with the amberjack. Is the teriyaki sauce ready?"
"No, I plan to cook the food first. I'm going to prepare now..."
"No, I'll do it."
Naruse was not familiar with the kitchen of Naoko's house, so he looked around and took out a small bowl from the cabinet.
Making the sauce requires miso, soy sauce, ginger and sugar, but he only found the first few, "Where is the sugar?"
"Over there." Shangzi pointed toward Haixing.
Starfish looked for it, picked up the sugar bowl, and brought it to him.
Naruse glanced at her without looking at her, "Just leave it alone."
"Well..." Haixing responded, still standing beside him.
Naruse took a deep breath and forced himself not to be distracted.
After adding several seasonings into a small bowl, he scooped out a few spoonfuls of sugar and started mixing them.
The tiny crystals melt into the soy sauce and miso, coloring with the finely chopped ginger, and become part of the sauce.
After preparing the sauce, Naruse lit the fire and started cooking.
On the other side, the black beans that have been stewed with soy sauce and sugar for half an afternoon are almost cooked.
Shangzi stirred it gently for a few times, then picked up a black bean and tested its hardness.
Naruse glanced at it and said, "It's probably overcooked."
"Yeah."
She picked up two more and gave them to him and Starfish to taste respectively.
"It seems a little too sweet." Naruse said while chewing black beans.
Shangzi put the black beans on the chopsticks into his mouth and rolled his eyes, "I feel pretty good..."
Starfish chewed the beans and said nothing.
"Taste is a personal issue, but it is almost cooked. Take it out."
"Yeah."
Shangzi put out the fire, took out the black beans, and set them aside to drain.
While waiting, she glanced at the amberjack that was cooking in the pot next to her and reminded Naruse to add a little more sauce.
"What... um." He picked up the small bowl.
She looked at him and felt that he seemed a little absent-minded.
And the equally absent-minded person is the starfish behind him.
"Starfish."
"..."
"Starfish——"
"Ah?" She finally came to her senses, "What's wrong?"
Shangzi stared at her for a few seconds and smiled.
"Bring me the box of Osechi cuisine. The black beans are cooked and ready to be put in."
"Okay..."
Haixing held the lacquer box, and Shangzi poured the drained black beans into the small grid, followed by another lacquer box.
"Okay."
Haixing looked down for a while and put the paint box back to its original place.
Looking at the ingredients on hand, Naoko said: "Next, it's time to cook Kamaboko."
After cleaning the cooking pot, filling the water again, and cutting the red and white fish cakes into pieces, she got busy again.
"——If you're fine, just go back first." Naruse suddenly said, still staring at the bubbling sauce in the pot.
Shangzi turned to look at him, and then at Haixing behind him. This sentence was obviously meant for her.
And she was obviously reluctant.
Staring at his back, her eyes were so frank that Shang Zi felt uneasy.
She looked at her again.
"..."
After briefly looking at each other, Haixing first looked away and then pursed his lower lip.
"Then I'll go back first."
"Well...be careful on the road."
She glanced at Naruse again, but he didn't look back and said the same thing as Naoko.
Haixing then left the kitchen, and then she heard the sound of saying goodbye to Matsu Qianqiu and Shangzi's parents from outside.
"The door over there is not closed, Haixing remember to take your things back."
"Okay..."
Naoko looked at Naruse, "Haixing seems to have something on his mind."
"Really... maybe I'm not satisfied with the birthday gift my mother gave me."
"What did Auntie give me?"
"A set of shabby clothes that can't even cover the shoulders, paired with a necklace inlaid with fake gemstones."
"..."
Shangzi opened his mouth.
Naruse took a deep breath and moved closer to her, "I'm just kidding...don't let my mother hear what you just said."
Feeling the warmth on her shoulders, she pursed her lips and smiled, "Yeah."
"Isn't it almost done after it's been burned like this?"
"Let me see..."
On the other side, the Naruse family.
After taking the dress on the sofa, Haixing stood in the living room without leaving directly, and looked at the party decorations on the wall.
Song Qianqiu said that since it looked festive, he would keep it for now and wait until after the New Year.
She looked back at the room where she had just changed clothes, still clearly remembering everything that had just happened in her mind.
His approach, his gaze, and...his command.
"..."
His heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and Haixing touched his lips.
She already has a plan.
After chatting for a long time with Zuihua and his wife, whom he had not seen for a long time, Song Qianqiu got up and walked around Zuihua's house, then quietly came to the kitchen.
Naoko and Naruse are still busy preparing Osechi dishes.
"It's too slow to cook like this, so just take some of it and prepare it in my kitchen."
"Is it okay for Harumi to be alone?"
"I don't think there's any problem. I can handle these ingredients. If you're worried, just tell me what you need to pay attention to."
"Let me see..."
While Naoko was distributing the ingredients he was given to take back for cooking, he explained the precautions. Occasionally, when he glanced at them, he found Matsu Qianqiu leaning against the door of the kitchen, looking at them with a smile.
Naruse also noticed it quickly, turned around and glanced, "Are you done talking?"
"Oh, there are so many more topics to talk about, I can't finish them all." Song Qianqiu said with a smile.
"Then you can continue chatting, I'll go back and prepare the Osechi cuisine first."
"Mom is going to welcome the New Year together at Shangzi's house in the evening, is that okay?"
Naruse was stunned for a moment, then looked at Naoko again.
"Anything is fine."
"Then it's decided."
Song Qianqiu smiled and said, "The more people there are, the more lively it will be. Otherwise, it would be too lonely if it was just me and Chun Hai."