Chapter 235: Master of Hall and Kitchen
The kiss on her temple was fleeting, but its searing heat still made Shi Lan’s face flush an even deeper red.
He Hanshi didn’t laugh at her. Instead, he had her raise the gun again and helped readjust her posture, correcting a few issues he’d noticed while watching from the side.
"Try to hold your breath when you fire. You’re just starting out, and breathing can cause the sight to drift. Holding your breath helps you concentrate. Just hold it for the instant you pull the trigger; you don’t need to hold it for a long time."
"Watch the height you’re holding the gun, too. Your eye, the sight, and the target all need to be in a straight line. Since this is a Light Energy Gun, you don’t have to account for air resistance, but you do need to be mindful of the light. Depending on its effect, you might want to aim a little below the bullseye to make it easier to hit."
"And, Lanlan, your hand is getting a little unsteady from holding the gun so long. Try using two hands for now instead of one. Do your best to stay relaxed. Once you get the hang of it, you can use any stance you like..."
"Okay."
Shi Lan listened to He Hanshi’s instructions, diligently adjusting her stance as he directed.
After a moment, when she felt ready, she fired another shot.
This time, she hit the seventh ring. It was clear she was making significant progress.
"Amazing, Lanlan."
He Hanshi readily praised her.
Shi Lan’s confidence grew. She fired several more shots in quick succession. Her best was the ninth ring, and her worst was the seventh.
"Excellent."
A smile in his eyes, He Hanshi walked over, leaned in slightly, and took her hand.
He Hanshi’s hand was large and warm. As he held hers, Shi Lan could clearly feel how steady he was—unlike her, whose hands trembled slightly even when holding the gun with both of them.
There wasn’t the slightest tremor in him; both his fingers and his arm were perfectly steady.
"Remember this feeling and this height. It’s the perfect position for you to hit the center, Lanlan."
He made a minute adjustment, then guided her hand as she pulled the trigger.
THWACK!
The sound of impact echoed from the target again. A hole from the Light Energy Gun was seared right into the bullseye.
Shi Lan’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. He Hanshi released her hand. "Lanlan, try again on your own."
"Mm-hmm."
Shi Lan readjusted her stance and grip height, then slowly pulled the trigger. This time, she actually hit the tenth ring! It wasn’t dead center like when He Hanshi had guided her, but she was already thrilled.
"This is great! I hit the tenth ring!"
She looked at him, beaming, her eyes curving into crescents. Her entire being seemed to radiate with life. She finally looked as vibrant and alive as a young woman her age should, the image seared indelibly into his vision.
The look in He Hanshi’s eyes grew even softer.
The two of them spent almost the entire morning in the training room.
Shi Lan slowly got the hang of it. Out of every ten shots, she could hit the tenth ring five times. Her performance wasn’t consistent, but for a beginner, she was more than satisfied.
’As expected, holding a gun felt different. It gave her a deeper sense of security.’
She found herself liking He Hanshi’s gift more and more.
When lunchtime arrived, He Hanshi once again took the initiative to cook.
He seemed to find the household robot a nuisance, so he turned it off again while he cooked.
Shi Lan went to give him a hand and, seeing this, asked with some confusion, "He Hanshi, why don’t you use the robot?"
He Hanshi’s lips curved into a smile. "While the robot is convenient, I find it more fulfilling to do things myself. I’m happy to let it handle the cleaning and tidying up."
"Besides, with you here, Lanlan... you went through so much trouble to cook for me all those times. How could I bear to let you eat robot-made food? It’s my turn now."
Thinking of his culinary skills, Shi Lan couldn’t find a single word of protest.
’He Hanshi’s cooking was truly delicious. He was skilled in both literature and combat, a gentleman in the drawing-room and a chef in the kitchen. To think she’d actually met such an all-around perfect man... This is pure bliss!!’
She was sighing with emotion inwardly once again when a shadow fell over her.
When she came to her senses, she saw He Hanshi holding out another one of his aprons and carefully helping her put it on.
"Be careful not to get your clothes wet."
He stood behind her, his gentle, low, magnetic voice whispering right by her ear. Shi Lan felt a tingling itch in her earlobe, and she couldn’t help but pinch it. "Oh," she murmured, obediently letting him tie the apron strings around her waist.
’But as she looked at their reflections on the glossy tiles opposite them, she was once again struck by their height difference.’
’Come to think of it, Jiang Xia and the others were all so tall. Standing next to them... was the height difference really that significant?’
’Perhaps it was because Jiang Xia and the others always unconsciously leaned in when they spoke to her, bending down slightly, that Shi Lan had never noticed it so clearly before.’
She zoned out for a moment, only snapping out of it when He Hanshi patted her on the head and said warmly, "All done."
She pulled her gaze away, walked over to the sink, and started washing the vegetables.
He Hanshi didn’t let her do much. When it came to vegetables that needed peeling, he took care of them himself. He seemed to treasure her so much that he even worried a simple kitchen peeler might hurt her.
’In fact, this world already had automatic peelers that could adjust to the size and shape of any ingredient, get the job done in three seconds with the press of a button, and even process several items at once.’
’But He Hanshi seemed to prefer doing things by hand. Many of the utensils in his kitchen were simple, without a lot of complicated functions.’
With the vegetables washed and nothing else to do, Shi Lan simply stood to the side and watched him.
He Hanshi was completely focused when he worked. With his gaze lowered and fixed on the task at hand, his movements were deft and clean. Even the way he chopped vegetables was so fluid, it was like watching a master chef at work.
’Shi Lan couldn’t tear her eyes away. When she chopped vegetables, she sometimes lacked the strength and would get sloppy toward the end. The pieces would always end up in different shapes and sizes. She cared more about the flavor, anyway.’
’Her stir-fries almost always looked fine, but they were never as refined or uniform as He Hanshi’s.’
She watched, mesmerized, for a good ten minutes. It was only when He Hanshi finished simmering the Gugu Pork that he spoke. "Want some dessert? How about I make you some strawberry tarts?"
"Yes!"
Shi Lan’s eyes lit up; she wasn’t about to say no.
He Hanshi led her to the refrigerator and took out the fruit they had washed after their grocery trip that morning.
"The kitchen might get a bit smoky. Why don’t you go watch TV and have some fruit, Lanlan? Everything should be ready in about twenty minutes."
As he spoke, he untied her apron and turned on the holographic TV in the living room. This particular model was convenient; it just required a simple pair of holographic glasses, not like some of the other, bulkier holographic devices.
"You can adjust the mode on the right side of the glasses," he explained. "You can choose between full-holo, semi-holo, and normal mode."
Shi Lan tried it out after he explained. Semi-holo was something like a real-life 4D experience, and normal mode was like 3D. But full-holo was astonishing. Her entire surroundings, right down to the floor beneath her feet, transformed into the scene from the show. It was as if she were an NPC bystander who had actually been dropped into the drama.
’Thinking of all the dramatic catfights in those shows, she was ready to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. She happily selected ’full-holo’ mode.’
He Hanshi watched her put on the glasses and get absorbed in the show, then glanced helplessly at the screen. Two men were fighting violently over a woman. One was shouting that the woman was his alone and no one else could touch her, while cursing the other man for being a shameless seducer.
The scene was utter chaos. The crowd of onlookers was pointing at the two men, whispering amongst themselves...
He Hanshi felt a complicated mix of emotions. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. ’What is this nonsense?’
He didn’t disturb her again. He just pushed the bowl of fruit closer to her before returning to the kitchen.