Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Chapter 240 - 171. Who does Xu Qingfan like?

The alarm for the afternoon nap turned off and on again, and flocks of birds came and went from the branches, until almost six o’clock, when the sun was setting, he finally got up from the bed in a daze.

After sleeping for nearly four hours, Qingfan felt groggy, and after putting on his shoes, he yawned wearily, feeling even more tired the longer he slept.

He drew back the tightly closed curtains of his room, turned off the air conditioner that had been on all afternoon, and as darkness fell early in autumn and winter, it was already a dim twilight outside, making his bedroom even darker.

"What time is it," Qingfan murmured as he opened the door and left.

The hallway was still pitch-dark, and the door to the master bedroom opposite was still closed, with a chill breeze blowing from the gaps beneath, brushing against Qingfan’s feet.

He gently turned the doorknob and peeked inside, making out the silhouettes of five girls lying in bed, showing no signs of getting up.

[They really can sleep.] Qingfan thought with a shake of his head and light laugh.

Being able to sleep in and laze in bed on school days must be one of the supreme joys of student life.

Qingfan carefully closed the bedroom door again and tiptoed downstairs.

The scent of lotus root and pork rib soup wafted from the kitchen, while the spacious living room hosted only a cat, napping leisurely on the tatami mat.

He switched on the living room light, and the glaring beams made the little fellow change its position, placing its paw over its face to block the light.

Just past six o’clock in the evening, the living room clock chimed sonorously.

"Tsk, time to cook." Qingfan turned on the TV with the remote and headed straight for the kitchen.

He opened the pot that had been simmering the lotus root, which after an afternoon’s cooking looked like braised pork. He prodded it with chopsticks; it was quite tender already.

Green beans filled the holes in the lotus roots, so the soup even smelled refreshingly fragrant.

Qingfan added a dash of salt into the soup ladle, stirred it, and then sampled it with a spoon. The flavors of lotus root, green beans, peanuts, and dates mixed together, making the broth incredibly sweet.

The girls, who were quite demanding, wanted claypot rice for dinner, and what could Qingfan do but spoil them.

Two clean clay pots were placed on the gas stove. Once they were heated, he added lard to melt, both to add flavor and to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom.

Rice from Li City, soaked all afternoon, was spread evenly in the pots, and just enough hot water to cover the grains was added before it was left to cook slowly on a low heat.

Qingfan felt that this moment was perfect for playing the cooking BGM from the movie "Eat Drink Man Woman." The movie showed a father cooking for his three daughters, while in real life, he was cooking for five girls; he found a delightful similarity in that.

After eight minutes, the water in the clay pots had almost been absorbed. It was then time to spread the pre-marinated ribs, beef, and preserved sausages evenly over the rice, and make a few air holes with chopsticks through the layer of rice. After re-covering the pots with their lids, he drizzled a circle of peanut oil around the edge to seal it.

Cooking claypot rice requires patience, and to prevent scorching from overheating, he had to rotate each pot a quarter turn clockwise every thirty seconds.

Qingfan wrapped the pot handles with wet towels, and with both hands, he managed them.

"Brother Fan, that smells amazing!"

"Brother Qing Fan, what time did you get up, duck!"

"It smells so good!"

"Is it claypot rice? How much longer until it’s ready? I’m so hungry!"

"Brother Fan, let me help you."

While Qingfan was fully immersed in cooking, the five girls suddenly stood in a row at the kitchen doorway and spoke at the same time.

"You’re up, it will be ready soon, Yu, come help me wash the veggies, the rest of you take the bowls and cutlery out, the soup has been salted," Qingfan said, turning his head with a smile.

"Yay, time for soup!"

Hearing that, the girls sprang into action, grabbing chopsticks and bowls.

"What are you doing? You’re leaving the yellow leaves and tossing the good ones," Qingfan said, tapping Wu Lingyu on the head.

"Hee hee, I slept too long," Wu Lingyu sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

"How does it feel to skip class and sleep in," Qingfan laughed.

"Yeah!" Wu Lingyu’s eyes shone as she spoke enthusiastically, "When I was in primary school, I dreamed about not going to school in the afternoon and sleeping all day in the dormitory, but I was too scared."

"How come you’re brave enough now," Qingfan poked her forehead with a finger, "All right, go watch TV. I’ll handle the last dish of stir-fried veggies myself."

"Then I’ll help you take out the claypot rice!"

"Wait to take it out, it’s too hot right now. Hurry, hurry, go on," Qingfan said as he turned off the stove and pushed the girl away from the kitchen.

Back at the stove, Qingfan lifted the lids off the clay pots, and the delicious aroma hit him. After garnishing the rice with scallions and drizzling it with light soy sauce, the claypot rice was complete.

The last dish, saltwater bok choy, was also quickly finished, and dinner consisted simply of two portions of claypot rice, one portion of steamed bok choy, and one pot of lotus root and pork rib soup.

By the time Qingfan brought out the last plate of greens, the five girls had already washed their hands, served the rice, and were seated at the coffee table, each with a bowl of claypot rice, just waiting for him to sit down before starting the meal.

Unless it was for a big meal like hotpot, they usually sat at the coffee table facing the TV for their meals, as dining while watching TV felt more atmospheric than at the dining table.

Star TV displayed the anime "Home Tutor," and since the main characters in the anime were also first-year students like them, all five girls watched with great interest.