Chapter 884: A Brave Confession
A bowl of chicken soup longevity noodles was not a luxurious dish. It was simple and was served in a blue and white porcelain bowl. However, it had a subtle taste of home, the simplest yet most beautiful taste in the world.
Lu Ke picked up the bowl and took a big sip of the hot chicken soup. The rich and mellow flavor seeped into his pores. All his troubles, pressure, and sadness slowly melted away in the rising steam. The warmth spread from his chest to his limbs, and he felt his entire body relax. A faint feeling of happiness lingered on his tongue.
Lu Ke knew that he had the strongest and most determined support system in the world. He could run wild and charge forward without any worries about what was behind him. Even if he failed or was injured or faced setbacks, he could still get back on his feet and make a comeback.
For some reason, his nose tingled, and his eyes filled with warm tears.
"What's wrong, Little Ke?" Jiang Younin stared at her son. She was the most sensitive and noticed her son's change right away. "Don't worry, I checked with Judy beforehand. I only put a few grains of salt in the chicken soup. I didn't add anything else, so it won't be a problem. I know you're on a nutritionist's diet now, but it's okay to taste something different once in a while."
Jiang Younin's wild imagination made Lu Ke laugh with tears. He put the porcelain bowl down, shook his head gently, and then looked up at his parents with slightly red eyes. The words of thanks came to his lips, but he still lacked a little courage.
In Eastern culture, people are not used to saying "thank you" and "I love you." They hide all their feelings deep in their hearts and prefer to show them through their actions.
Lu Ke had immigrated to the United States when he was a child. On one hand, he was influenced by Eastern culture. On the other hand, he experienced Western culture. This formed his unique way of thinking and was also why he had a unique status in the locker room. Even so, he rarely expressed his feelings directly.
But today, Lu Ke wanted to say it.
It wasn't easy, but he wanted to say it sincerely. "Dad. Mom." His voice paused slightly, and he mustered up a little courage. "I love you."
The moment he said it, he felt a little shy and awkward, but the happiness and satisfaction were beyond words. Lu Ke's smile bloomed again. Looking at his parents, who were slightly stunned, he said again, "I'm serious. I love you."
Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younin were not used to it.
Jiang Younin laughed awkwardly. "You, child, this... well... this isn't... this..." She raised her right hand stiffly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked down slightly, trying to hide her unnaturalness, but it was no use. "What's wrong? This... hurry, hurry, eat your noodles. If you don't eat them soon, they'll turn to mush."
After changing the subject, Jiang Younin stood up and quickly fled into the kitchen. Her frail back was bathed in the yellowish light. He could vaguely see her secretly wiping her eyes, trying her best to hide her emotions, but her trembling shoulders still revealed her turbulent feelings.
Lu Zhengze remained seated but awkwardly and clumsily shifted his gaze, pretending to look at the side. He still felt a little uncomfortable. He coughed lightly twice and looked at Lu Ke again, about to say something, but didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only change the subject. "I know, I know. Hurry up and go check on your mom."
Lu Ke couldn't help but laugh at his father's clumsy attempt to cover up his emotions, but he didn't call him out. He stood up obediently and walked into the kitchen, saying with a smile, "Mom, you've been here for more than a decade. Haven't you gotten used to the way people talk here yet? I'm just telling the truth."
"Of course, I know that," Jiang Younin quickly rubbed her eyes and pretended to be unbothered. She turned around and said stubbornly, "I'm sad because you never say it."
Lu Ke obediently raised his hands and made a gesture of surrender. "My apologies." Without any defense, he admitted his mistake outright. "Today is my birthday, but it is also my mother's 'suffering day.' So, this should be your holiday. How about it? Do you want to eat a bowl of chicken soup noodles with me? Let your son cook a bowl for you himself?"
Cook?
All the ingredients and key things were already prepared by Jiang Younin. Even if he were to make another bowl, Lu Ke would only need to boil the water, scoop up some plain noodles, and pour them into the chicken soup. There was no skill involved at all.
But what mattered was not the cooking skill, but the thought.
Jiang Younin's tears turned to laughter, but she still put on a serious face. "You talk too much. No, I don't care about your cooking skills. You're in the kitchen, and you'll accidentally have to call 911 for the fire department. I think we should forget it."
Lu Ke knew his mother was just being difficult. He walked behind her and pushed her back to the dining room. "It's a rare opportunity. Let your son do something so I can brag to my teammates that I've cooked for my mom before." The playful words made Jiang Younin burst into laughter.
Lu Ke nodded to Jiang Younin and then clenched his fist at Lu Zhengze to show his determination. He then turned around with a solemn face and walked into the kitchen.
Lu Zhengze looked at him with a worried face. "...Is he going to be okay?"
Jiang Younin couldn't answer either. A conflicted look appeared on her face. She was full of anticipation and worry. Then she turned her head and stared intently at Lu Ke's every move in the kitchen. If anything went wrong, she could save it in time. Lu Zhengze did the same.
"Dad, Mom, are you guys watching me?" Lu Ke could feel their burning gazes without even turning around. "Give me a little trust, will you? Otherwise, I might mess it up, even if I was going to do it right. Please, just wait quietly. It only takes three minutes to make a bowl of noodles, right?"
Jiang Younin wanted to say something but didn't. This is not instant noodles.
But in the end, she closed her mouth and turned to Lu Zhengze, who looked worried, and mouthed excitedly, "Let's see what our son can come up with."
Three minutes... or to be exact, five minutes later, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younin looked at the bowl of chicken soup longevity noodles in front of them and didn't know what to say.
All the noodles had turned into a lump of mush. The rich chicken soup had also become murky. The orange-yellow soup was now an unrecognizable color. A thick layer of grease floated on top, dotted with a few small black spots. Wait, why are there black spots in the soup?
What was even more bizarre was that a limp vegetable leaf was floating on the surface of the soup, like a super roach with a strong will to live swimming. It was impossible to tell how it was cooked.
Looking at the awkward expressions on Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younin's faces, Lu Ke raised his right hand. "No complaining. This is the best I can do in the kitchen!"
Jiang Younin looked at her kitchen with confusion. Her head was full of question marks. Can someone please explain how Lu Ke made this bowl of noodles? All he had to do was blanch them, but this bowl... what's with the lump of mush?
Lu Zhengze stirred the unidentifiable chicken soup noodles with a spoon. "I'm so glad you didn't dream of becoming a chef."
"Hahahaha," Jiang Younin laughed without holding back.
Lu Ke stood by, looking sad.
In the end, for the health of his parents, the two bowls of noodles were thrown away. Jiang Younin personally went into the kitchen, and in just a few minutes, a bowl of crystal-clear chicken soup noodles was back on the table. The family of three sat around the dining table, eating chicken soup noodles and chatting.
Although there was no birthday cake, this was the most heartwarming birthday party.
"You don't have to walk me out. I'm not a child anymore. I just called a taxi, and it will be here in three blocks. I can go back by myself," Lu Ke said, waving his hands at his parents, who were about to walk him out. "Oh, and the package that came today with my name on it is for Mom. You can open it."
After saying that, Lu Ke pushed the door open and disappeared into the night.
Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younin exchanged glances. Jiang Younin said hesitantly, "Is Little Ke talking about the package that came today? The one that arrived before we left that we didn't have time to open?"
"It should be," Lu Zhengze said, also unsure. He turned around and found the box in the corner of the kitchen. When he opened it, he found a large round disk, which looked like a magnified discus. "This is... a cleaning robot? Little Ke gave you a cleaning robot?"
So, Lu Ke was still thinking of Jiang Younin. He had prepared a gift early to thank his mother on his own birthday.
Jiang Younin leaned in curiously. "Is this the thing you told me about last time? The robot that can clean by itself? It's more convenient than a vacuum cleaner?"
"Yes. I saw one at the company. I don't know what brand or model this is," Lu Zhengze said as he started to study it. The two of them were like old children. They opened the manual and studied it together, and then... they completely forgot about their son.
At the same time, Lu Ke left the house and took out his phone to check the time. The surroundings were dark, and the faint light was not enough to fill the darkness of the night, but he could still feel the peace and comfort of the neighborhood. Then, a sudden shout came from the darkness next to him. "Bambi!"
Lu Ke was startled and looked up sharply, using the light from the house to find the source of the voice in the darkness. Then he saw Julia Newman standing not far away.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!