Accidentally Picked Up a Rich and Amnesiac Alpha (GL) - Chapter 25
The next day, after delivering her takeout, Yan Qingqi rushed home and started learning how to make wontons.
She followed a video online. After a flurry of activity, she cooked a test batch. Yan Qingqi tried one and immediately shook her head. They weren’t the tiny, bite-sized wontons she wanted. Although the taste was acceptable, it was far from stunning.
She switched to a different video. The resulting test batch looked even stranger.
Frustrated, she suddenly thought of Jing Michu.
Jing Michu was in the middle of a meeting when she received a call from her cousin, and she couldn’t have been more delighted.
“Alright, today’s meeting is adjourned here. You are all dismissed.”
The company executives exchanged puzzled looks. The meeting ended halfway through a presentation. This… It seemed the call Jing Michu received was very important.
The executives looked at each other, closed their laptops, and filed out of the room.
Left alone in the conference room, Jing Michu continued talking into her phone. “Cousin, why did you think of calling me? Did you remember who you are? Should I come pick you up?”
“Sorry, I still haven’t remembered that I’m Wen Shuyan. Didn’t you say the Wen family is very powerful and very rich?”
“That’s right. It is. Cousin, did you see something you want to buy? Or did someone bully you? Tell me who it is, and I’ll settle the score for you.”
“Neither,” Yan Qingqi sounded unusually flustered on the other end. “I want to learn how to make small wontons. The miniature, bite-sized kind, with filling about the size of a pinky fingernail. Can you get me a master chef to teach me? I need to learn by tomorrow!”
Jing Michu: “…”
What a strange request! Is my cousin getting addicted to cooking?
“Sure, no problem. You want to learn how to make wontons, right? I’ll immediately find the best master pastry chef in the white-flour industry to teach you one-on-one.”
Yan Qingqi finally breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of one-on-one instruction from a top master chef.
After hanging up, she looked at the table full of her test products.
What should I do with all these? They won’t fit in the fridge.
Yan Qingqi quickly thought of something. She called Qiao An. “Are you home?”
“Yes.”
“Wait there. I’m bringing you something.”
Ten minutes later, Qiao An stared in shock at four plates of objects that looked like a cross between dumplings and wontons.
“Here. You can put them in the fridge and eat them slowly. Cook a few for breakfast, a few for dinner. You’ll finish them in three or four days.”
Yan Qingqi was about to leave after dropping off the food, but Qiao An pulled on her sleeve and whispered, “Sister Yanyan, I don’t know how to cook them.”
Yan Qingqi: “…I’ll cook a batch for you. You’ll know how to do it just by watching.”
Qiao An: “Then I want them pan-fried.”
Yan Qingqi: “…”
After pan-frying a plate of wonton-shaped dumplings for Qiao An, Yan Qingqi rushed back home in a panic to make dinner for Songsong.
That evening, Yan Qingqi was busy making dinner in the kitchen when she received a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Is this Miss Yan?”
“It is.”
“My name is Sun. Sun Simao. I heard you want to learn how to make small wontons?”
“Yes, the kind that are very, very small, bite-sized, with filling about the size of a pinky fingernail.”
“I understand. No problem. Please send me your address. Let me know what time is convenient for me to come over tomorrow.”
“Anytime after 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, I’ll be free.”
“Alright. See you at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.”
That night, Movie Queen Song came out of the shower and saw Yan Qingqi hunched over her phone again, typing furiously.
Song Tingxue frowned. Ever since dinner, Yan Qingqi had been glancing at her phone frequently. It seemed like she was chatting with someone. But when asked, she would say nothing was wrong.
Song Tingxue spoke again, asking casually, “Who are you chatting with and what are you talking about?”
Talking about what? Naturally, her private kitchen takeout.
Because Yan Qingqi had seen people in the group chat pre-ordering lunch for the next day, and realizing she wouldn’t have time to cook because she was learning how to make wontons, she had sent a message to the group: [Sorry, the shop has an urgent matter tomorrow and will be closed for the day.]
The group chat immediately blew up.
[Ah! Boss, what are we going to eat for lunch tomorrow? crying.jpg.]
[Boss, this isn’t good. You’ve only been open for a few days, and you’re closing?]
Yan Qingqi: [I’m truly sorry. I really have an urgent matter tomorrow. We’ll resume regular cooking the day after tomorrow.]
[What urgent matter? I really want to eat that braised duck. How about you deliver lunch a little later tomorrow? I can wait.]
[I can wait too! Today’s seafood porridge was so good. Tomorrow’s braised duck is definitely going to be great!]
[That stir-fried mantis shrimp was fantastic. Truly master chef quality.]
Miss Wu from building 24 chimed in with a wailing face: [Boss, can’t you cook for us before you go take care of your urgent matter?]
Yan Qingqi was a little proud that her private kitchen was so popular. [I’m really sorry. I have an urgent matter all day tomorrow. My deepest apologies!]
[Well, fine. We’ll just have to order takeout from somewhere else tomorrow.]
[Boss, you absolutely can’t close the day after tomorrow.]
Yan Qingqi: [I won’t. I’m only closing for tomorrow.]
[Boss, I want a portion of the sliced pork neck for the day after tomorrow.]
[Sliced pork neck +1.]
[I want a portion of the fresh meatball soup the day after tomorrow. Can you add glass noodles?]
[That’s a good idea! I want glass noodles in mine too.]
Yan Qingqi was busy tallying the orders for the day after tomorrow.
Then, someone in the group chat, out of the blue, said, [Boss, can you cook something like stir-fried pork intestines?]
Yan Qingqi thought for a moment. She could cook the dish, but cleaning the intestines took time, and she would inevitably have a faint smell on her afterward. She didn’t want to stink up her Songsong.
Yan Qingqi: [Sorry, I don’t cook that.]
The person replied: [Well, you could learn.]
Yan Qingqi: “…”
The person persisted: [Since you opened a private kitchen takeout, you should cook a wider variety of dishes. It’s boring eating the same things over and over. You need more variety to be competitive.]
Yan Qingqi hadn’t replied yet, but the words “eating the same things over and over” stung her a little. She had been open for less than a week and changed the menu daily. It shouldn’t be boring so quickly.
As Yan Qingqi was figuring out how to respond, “A Mouthful of Jing” (Jing Michu) jumped in: [@JustSaying, a chef has the freedom to choose what they cook. We can’t demand that a chef cook every single dish, can we?]
The person immediately argued with Jing Michu: [@A Mouthful of Jing, I’m asking the boss to learn. How is that any of your business?]
Jing Michu: [Who are you to demand that someone learn something? If you want to eat it, go learn to cook it yourself. If you’re tired of the food, why don’t you order takeout from another place?]
[I want to order from here, and you can’t tell me otherwise.]
Jing Michu: [Can you tell the boss what to learn or not learn?]
Yan Qingqi, headache returning: [I don’t cook pork intestines, and I don’t plan to learn.]
Just as she typed that, she heard Song Tingxue ask again, “Who are you chatting with, and what are you talking about?”
“Nothing, just… talking to a few friends about cooking.” Yan Qingqi quickly set the group chat to mute notifications and put her phone on the bedside table.
“Cooking, huh? You’re a very good cook,” Song Tingxue said as she went to pour herself a glass of water. A memory suddenly surfaced—that very pretty girl with the striking profile who was talking to Yan Qingqi at the door that morning. “Which friends are these? You never mentioned them.”
“They’re residents in the community. I run into them sometimes when I go out to buy groceries, and we chat. That’s how we met. There are about ten of them.”
Counting Qiao An and Jing Michu, the takeout group chat had exactly ten customers.
Song Tingxue was a little surprised. Yan Qingqi had only moved in a few days ago and already knew so many residents.
She looked at A-Yan again. Such a beautiful, elegant, and refined Alpha must make a strong impression on many Omegas at first sight.
“I didn’t realize you had such strong social skills.”
Yan Qingqi gave a wry smile. “Maybe it’s just that I can cook, and those people happen to really enjoy eating.”
More than this, Yan Qingqi was worried about her wife’s dinner engagement tomorrow.
“Wife, approximately when will your dinner engagement end tomorrow?”
“The dinner is at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow. It’s hard to say when it will end, but probably by 11 p.m. at the latest. I booked a flight for 1:30 a.m.”
Yan Qingqi checked. The flight from Z City to L City was about two hours, plus the drive from the airport to home. That meant Songsong wouldn’t be home until 4-5 a.m.
“That’s not a late-night snack anymore. It’s almost breakfast. I’ll prepare an early breakfast for you—small wontons.”
“That sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”
Yan Qingqi smiled and invited Songsong. “Wife, come to bed. Get some extra sleep today, since you’ll be staying up late tomorrow.”
Song Tingxue lifted the blanket and lay down. Yan Qingqi immediately hugged her from behind, enveloping her completely.
Separated only by thin pajamas, soft bodies pressed against each other. Song Tingxue relaxed in her arms, leaning her back even closer, intimately resting in A-Yan’s embrace.
“Wife, are you tired from filming?”
“Not very tired. The weather is nice right now, not too hot.”
“What about when it’s really hot?”
“It’s okay indoors. If it’s outdoors, I just drink more chrysanthemum tea or something to cool down after filming.”
“What about winter? I see actors’ costumes aren’t very thick.”
“We use body warmers. I put on a few of them.”
Yan Qingqi pursed her lips. A strange idea suddenly occurred to her. If she really was Miss Wen of the wealthy Wen family, would her wife still have to work so hard to support the family?
“Wife, do you like acting?”
Song Tingxue paused slightly. She had never considered that question. She had only thought about acting, about producing good work that was popular with the public. Whether she personally liked it or not was something she had never thought deeply about.
“I’m used to acting. If I didn’t act, I wouldn’t know what else I could do.”
Yan Qingqi was silent for a few seconds before asking, “Wouldn’t you be disappointed if you didn’t act?”
“No, I wouldn’t be disappointed,” Song Tingxue said, smiling in her arms. “I’ve already let you see me.”
She turned and let her gaze sweep over Yan Qingqi’s eyebrows, eyes, nose, and chin inch by inch. “I love you, A-Yan.”
Yan Qingqi was deeply touched. She even felt that Songsong was acting just so she could see her on screen.
How did I deserve such deep affection?
“I love you too, Songsong. I love you very, very much.”
At 8:30 a.m., Yan Qingqi had just seen Song Tingxue off and tidied up the kitchen when Sun Simao, the master chef she had contacted yesterday, arrived.
Master Sun was in his 40s. He had inherited his skill from his father, who was a famous master chef now retired and enjoying his old age. Master Sun’s visit for a private lesson was undoubtedly facilitated by the Wen family’s wealth.
Yan Qingqi saw that Master Sun had brought everything: pork, chicken, flour, and various ingredients. He even brought his own knife, cutting board, and rolling pin.
Master Sun changed into his chef’s uniform and hat, washed his hands, and smiled. “Shall we start the lesson now?”
“Yes.”
“Miss Yan, are you a complete beginner, or do you have some basic skills in working with dough?”
“I can make handmade noodles, steamed buns, and dumplings.”
“Then your foundation is quite good.”
Yan Qingqi spent the entire morning learning how to make small wontons. She learned everything from kneading the dough to rolling out the wrappers, chopping and seasoning the meat filling, and making the chicken broth.
Yan Qingqi truly hadn’t realized that a tiny wonton had so many secrets and delicate steps. No wonder the dumplings she had made yesterday hadn’t tasted good.
The lesson lasted until 1 p.m.
“Excellent. This batch is good. You’re ready to make them on your own.”
Yan Qingqi was covered in flour. After countless failed attempts, she finally produced a batch of perfect small wontons.
“Thank you, Master Sun.” Yan Qingqi looked at the dozens of failed wontons on the table with shame.
Master Sun cooked a bowl of wontons and poured a ladle of the prepared chicken broth over them.
Yan Qingqi lowered her head and smelled the aroma. Just the scent of the chicken broth alone was miles ahead of her wonton soup from yesterday.
She scooped up a wonton with her spoon. The shape was impeccable. The skin was incredibly thin, yet it hadn’t broken during cooking. Encased in the translucent wrapper, the small meat filling looked clearly visible and adorable. Yan Qingqi thought of the phrase “a jewel in the palm.” She blew on it, carefully placing the wonton in her mouth. The flavor of the meat juice, mixed with the shepherd’s purse, burst in her mouth. The fresh scent of the shepherd’s purse perfectly balanced the slight greasiness of the pork, and the chicken broth elevated it to an indescribable delicacy.
Yan Qingqi ate them one after another. The hot soup slid down her throat and into her stomach. This tiny wonton brought Yan Qingqi a sense of satisfaction she had never felt before.
“This is amazing. It’s too delicious! This is the best wonton I’ve ever eaten!”
Although, in Yan Qingqi’s current memory, this was only the second bowl of wontons she had ever eaten.
Master Sun smiled faintly. What was there for a chef to be prouder of than the affirmation of their diner?
“Shepherd’s purse is not in season right now, so we used frozen ones. The taste would be even better if we used fresh cabbage or corn kernels instead.”
“Really?” Yan Qingqi said. “I have corn at home. I just bought it yesterday.”
So, she independently made some pork and corn-filled wontons. She cooked a few to taste, and the flavor was indeed better. Besides the freshness, there was a natural sweetness from the corn.
With Master Sun’s affirmation of this batch, Yan Qingqi had successfully graduated.
Master Sun asked, “Should I leave the chicken for you?”
“Yes, please.”
“What about the rolling pin, flour, and pork?”
“I’ll take it all.”
After seeing Master Sun off, Yan Qingqi, who had been standing for most of the day, rubbed her aching back and stretched her stiff arms.
It was already 3 p.m. Although it was tiring, Yan Qingqi was very happy. She had finally learned how to make small wontons. Now she could make them for Songsong and watch her enjoy them.
After resting for a while, Yan Qingqi continued to wrap wontons. By almost 6 p.m., she was finished. She had used up all the pork Master Sun left behind and most of the flour. The finished wontons were neatly arranged in rows, and Yan Qingqi stored them in the refrigerator.
Now, all she had to do was wait for Songsong to return.
She looked out the window. The sun was setting. It was evening.
She wondered what the sky looked like in Z City. Was Songsong already off the plane and on her way to the dinner engagement?
The chicken broth was simmering over low heat. A long commercial was playing quietly on the living room TV, sounding more like a lullaby. Yan Qingqi wrapped herself in a throw pillow on the sofa, her head nodding like a pecking chick. Suddenly, her head snapped to the side, and Yan Qingqi woke with a start.
Had she fallen asleep?!
She picked up her phone and looked at the time: 2 a.m.
There were no missed calls. It seemed Songsong’s dinner engagement hadn’t run into any trouble.
The dinner tonight was indeed smoother. There was no rude, lecherous man like the fat Mr. Jin who disregarded all etiquette. With Ji Yun there, Song Tingxue’s pressure was significantly reduced, both in terms of drinking and conversation topics.
The investor, however, was a talkative one, engaging in endless, passionate discourse. Time passed quickly. At 11:30 p.m., the dinner finally ended. Song Tingxue rushed to the airport without delay, even declining Ji Yun’s kind offer to stay the night in Z City.
There was a new message on her phone, sent half an hour ago: “I’m boarding the plane. Are you asleep? Don’t wait for me. Go to sleep, be a good girl.”
Yan Qingqi smiled faintly. Sometimes, Songsong treated her like a child.
Yan Qingqi stretched, turned off the TV, and walked to the kitchen. The moment she opened the kitchen door, the aroma of chicken broth greeted her.
Yan Qingqi lifted the lid and looked at the simmering chicken broth. She sniffed the air, imagining Songsong’s smiling eyes as she ate the hot wontons. Yan Qingqi smiled in satisfaction.
But it was only 2 a.m. now. Songsong wouldn’t be home for at least another two hours.
But Yan Qingqi was already impatient to see her wife.
Closer to 4:30 a.m., Yan Qingqi heard a car stop outside, followed by Song Tingxue’s soft voice. “Come pick me up at 11 a.m. tomorrow.”
Then, the sound of the car driving away.
Yan Qingqi opened the door and welcomed the fully masked Movie Queen Song inside. “Wife, you’re back.”
The door closed. Song Tingxue took off her hat and mask. “It’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I took a nap and woke up already. Wife, you rest. I’ll go make your wontons.”
Song Tingxue had a long day of filming and had consumed a good amount of alcohol. She had been half-asleep on the plane and was now extremely tired. She really wanted to go straight to sleep, but seeing Yan Qingqi’s expectant face, she nodded. “That sounds great. Wontons. I’m going to take a quick rinse first.”
“You can eat as soon as you come down after your shower.”
When Song Tingxue came downstairs in a nightgown, a bowl of cooked small wontons was already on the table, with chopsticks and a spoon laid beside it.
Yan Qingqi sat at the table and smiled at her. “Come down and eat.”
Song Tingxue felt a little better after her quick shower. She sat down with a smile and took a sip of the soup first. It had a rich chicken broth flavor. It wasn’t too hot, but just right.
Under Yan Qingqi’s watchful eye, she used her spoon to scoop up a small wonton.
It was indeed the small, tiny wonton she had requested, wrapped in a nearly transparent skin. Each one was perfectly formed, translucent, and adorable.
“Did you make these?”
“Yes, I made them this afternoon. No, yesterday afternoon, I mean. They’re pork and corn-filled. Try one.”
Song Tingxue smiled. “Just by the look of it, I can tell you’re very skilled.”
“Taste is more important than appearance, though. It’s no good if it looks nice but tastes bad,” Yan Qingqi said confidently. “Hurry and try it.”
Song Tingxue blew on it, took a gentle bite, and her eyes lit up with surprise. She ate the whole wonton in one gulp.
“Is it good?”
“It’s very good! Exceptionally good!” Song Tingxue praised it profusely. “I’ve had wontons from high-end restaurants before. This is the most amazing wonton I’ve ever tasted.”
Yan Qingqi’s lips curved in a smile. Seeing how much Songsong liked it, all the effort she put into learning how to make wontons was worth it.
Song Tingxue hadn’t felt hungry before, but after one hot wonton in chicken broth, she was suddenly starving. She ate them one after another, her eyes curved with pleasure, her head buried in the bowl.
Yan Qingqi watched her with a gentle smile, feeling immensely satisfied at that moment. But gradually, she thought she saw someone else also burying her head in a bowl, showing only the back of her head, eating contentedly like a kitten.
Before she knew it, the bowl of wontons was empty. Song Tingxue reacted, staring at the empty bottom of the bowl in shock. She had eaten the entire bowl of small wontons.
How many calories is that?!
It’s all A-Yan’s fault. Her wontons are just too delicious. No one could resist them.
“A-Yan.” Song Tingxue looked up, only to find Yan Qingqi was spacing out.
“A-Yan?” Song Tingxue called again.
“Hmm?” Yan Qingqi snapped back to attention, her gaze refocusing. “What’s wrong, Songsong?”
“What am I going to do? I ate all the wontons.”
“It’s good that you ate them all. It means my wontons were good, and Songsong liked them.”
“But that’s so many carbs. I’m going to get fat.” As soon as the words left her mouth, the cool, snow-like Movie Queen Song was shocked by herself.
When did I start talking like that?
And saying “I’m going to get fat?”
Song Tingxue’s face and ear tips were red. She nervously lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at Yan Qingqi.
Yan Qingqi, however, didn’t find anything strange about the words. “It’s fine. You won’t get fat. The wontons are very small. I only put a few in that bowl. You won’t get fat.”
Her voice was gentle, her smile was warm, and her eyes were full of affection. Song Tingxue looked up and gave a soft “mhm” with a smile, thinking to herself, A-Yan doesn’t seem to mind me being so clingy at all.
After finishing the wontons, Song Tingxue went upstairs first. Yan Qingqi washed the bowl, cleaned the kitchen, and went upstairs too.
It was 5 a.m. by now. The sky was faintly beginning to brighten.
The curtains were half-drawn. Song Tingxue was doing some simple stretching exercises by the window, trying to burn off the calories she had consumed today.
Yan Qingqi shook her head. If she had to worry so much about gaining weight from a few extra bites that she couldn’t even enjoy a good meal, she would rather die than be a celebrity.
When she came out of the shower, Songsong was already in bed. The curtains were completely closed, with only a floor lamp on, casting a soft, romantic glow.
Yan Qingqi quietly got into bed. As soon as she got under the covers, Songsong hugged her.
A seductive breath fell on her face and neck, followed by soft lips on her neck.
Yan Qingqi’s heart pounded. “Wife, you weren’t asleep?”
“I don’t want to sleep. I need to burn off that bowl of wontons first,” Song Tingxue said with a slight smile. She hugged her neck, her eyes burning as she invited her. “Let’s do some exercise.”
“But, weren’t you very tired?”
“I’m not tired anymore. I feel energized now.”
This…
Eat wontons, consume calories, gain energy, then burn calories by exercising, get hungry and tired, eat wontons again, and then exercise again…
How did all this come back to the wontons?
Song Tingxue saw her looking dazed. She smiled, raising her eyebrows at her. “Didn’t you just say that taste is more important than appearance, and it’s no good if it looks nice but tastes bad?”
Yan Qingqi: “…”
As Song Tingxue leaned in to kiss her, Yan Qingqi turned over, pinning her beneath her, and kissed her fiercely. “Songsong, you are both beautiful and delicious.”
Song Tingxue covered her mouth and chuckled, both shy and seductive. Her pale arms hugged A-Yan even tighter.
Heat surged through the room. The sounds of intimate kissing and ragged breathing pulsed around them, tracing the rhythm of their pounding hearts.
Yan Qingqi leaned in again. In the height of their passion, a soft moan escaped Song Tingxue’s throat. She tightly embraced A-Yan.
Tonight, Yan Qingqi failed to preserve her energy once again.
Author’s Note:
Yan Qingqi: It’s the wontons’ fault that I couldn’t preserve my energy this time.
Small wontons: I didn’t do it!!!
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