Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty-Nine: Cooking

Outside the window, the cold wind howled, mingling with wisps of fragmented sunlight.

Slanted light streamed into the room, gently draping a golden veil over her face.

Her slender eyelashes trembled slightly a few times, then slowly unfurled, revealing the violet, clear heart within.

January 20, 2074, 17:30

Xida stared blankly at the familiar ceiling, lost in a daze, letting the golden veil on her face be gradually stripped away by the night.

"Cough..."

The dry, astringent sensation in her throat recalled her somewhat wandering consciousness.

Rubbing her disheveled silver hair, Xida slowly sat up, casually glancing toward the bedside, only to spot a cup of hot water prepared in advance.

A gentle curve rose at the corner of her mouth; she reached out, lightly grasping the still-warm glass handle, took a small sip, and a warmth flowed down her esophagus, settling into the depths of her heart.

"Suddenly, I really want to eat pears."

Xida gazed out the window at the slowly setting sun, voicing her whimsical request to the empty room.

"Brother-in-law, why did you buy so many pears?" David curiously peeked into the shopping cart.

"Night City's winter is dry; I thought your sister might suddenly crave some pears," Yahweh shrugged, continuing to push the shopping cart along, "You take some pears too later, share them with your mother; it's good for your health."

In Night City, fresh fruits and vegetables are always scarce commodities.

"Okay." David wasn't pretentious; mainly for Gloria, who had been complaining lately about her dry throat.

"By the way... David, do you know how to cook pears to make them delicious?"

"Gloria used to buy quite a few recipe books..." David grabbed a few bags of snacks, placed them in the shopping cart, and answered while thinking, "Like Rock Candy Snow Pear Silver Ear Soup, Pear Porridge, Red Wine Snow Pear, and the like."

"Wow..." Yahweh nodded lightly, making up his mind to cook personally tonight, "David, can you cook?"

"Gloria knows a little; as for me... I can't at all."

"If you get a girlfriend in the future, won't you consider learning?"

"It's enough just to have something to eat..." David gave a bitter smile, "As for dating... it's a bit too early for me."

"I need to improve myself in advance; otherwise, when I meet a girl I like, I won't have the ability to love her properly."

"Did you and Sister have a recent conflict? It feels like you've been thinking a lot about this..."

"Not really... I just can't help but keep thinking about the future, thinking far ahead."

Yahweh smiled slightly; a torrent of data obeyed his command, carrying the search results into his view.

Following the various recipes presented, he slowly selected different dishes.

"Sister Heda definitely loves you very much, so..."

"I understand." Yahweh gently interrupted David's words, merely making a solemn promise.

In Night City, the happiest thing is nothing more than sleeping in until one wakes naturally.

Xida threw off the warm quilt; her jade-white legs moved lazily, her toes lightly touching the cold floor, then recoiling as if struck by electricity.

She lay on the bed, poking her head out slightly, searching for the position of her slippers.

No matter how flawless one appears in public, at home, one always can't help but expose some small flaws.

Xida was no exception; every time she got into bed, she always liked to kick her slippers flying everywhere.

This caused Yahweh to have to reposition her slippers every time.

Although he enjoyed it himself, of course.

Recalling the countless sweet memories of the two of them, she found the pink slippers neatly arranged at the foot of the bed.

Her toes lightly hooked them on; wearing her slippers, Xida ambled slowly to the washstand.

It was almost evening; she was too lazy to put on makeup, simply cleaning and washing up briefly.

Where did Yahweh go?

She thought while facing the mirror, playfully blowing pure white bubbles.

"Big liar, you said you wouldn't leave me too far."

Xida mumbled indistinctly, forcefully spitting out the last bit of foam, placed her index finger on her nose, and made a cute pig nose at the sleepy-eyed girl in the mirror.

Just then, the door opened; the man she had been thinking about stood there, carrying large and small bags, smiling gently at her.

The sky had already turned dark; outside, it was dim and gloomy, but in her eyes, his smile was the only light.

"You're back?" She wiped her mouth, tilted her head, and asked softly.

"Mm..." Yahweh closed the door, gently placing the plastic bags of various sizes on the floor, "Hungry?"

"I just got up; it's fine."

Xida pouted slightly, quietly rubbing her somewhat empty stomach.

"Let me cook tonight?"

Yahweh pointed to the kitchen that had just been renovated a few days ago, bent down, and intended to rummage through the plastic bags.

"You can cook?" Xida raised an eyebrow, lightly wrinkled her nose, "I almost forgot you're an all-powerful AI..."

"Are you angry?" Yahweh hurried to her side, rubbed her disheveled hair, and smoothed out the few stray hairs that had secretly stuck up.

"No way!" Xida looked up, lightly leaving another pink mark on Yahweh's neck as he leaned in.

"Go cook quickly! I'm going to wash my hair!" After enjoying her boyfriend's gentle and meticulous caresses, Xida gradually calmed down and pushed him into the kitchen.

"Do you dislike me so much? You even want to wash your hair specifically?" Yahweh covered his chest, feigning a heartbroken expression.

"Tch... Since you like touching so much, I'll wash it clean so you can touch your fill!" Xida made a face at him, lowered her head, and gently bumped her head against his chest.

"Okay, okay... Be careful not to catch a cold; in this weather, it's especially easy to get chilled."

"I'm not a child!"

Xida pretended to be angry, stamped her foot, and pressed firmly on his lips as punishment.

"Alright, alright... I'm going to cook now... What do you want to eat tonight? The theme is pears."

"Pears!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows lifting in delight; the feigned anger she had just worked so hard to maintain instantly crumbled. "I was just thinking about wanting to eat pears!"

Xida's eyes curved into smiles as she held his warm hand, swaying it back and forth.

"Don't I know you well enough?" Yahweh quietly rolled his eyes and tapped her forehead lightly. "Do you want Rock Candy Snow Pear Silver Ear Soup or Pear Porridge? Red Wine Snow Pear is also an option; I've prepared a little of each."

"Pear Porridge, I'd like something lighter." Xida tapped her chin with her fingertip, pondering for a few seconds.

"Alright." Yahweh nodded, walked into the living room, and carried the large and small plastic bags into the kitchen.

"I should learn to cook in the future... I can't let a busy person like you keep cooking forever..." Xida watched his busy figure and said softly.

"I'll just do it myself; after all, I'm cooking for you."

"That won't do... love must be mutual to last!" Xida crossed her arms, placing them before her chest, and refuted him word by word.

Yahweh turned back and smiled at her. "I'll teach you to cook later; I feel that would be quite romantic."

Following his words, Xida imagined the scene of being held in his arms while he guided her hand by hand on how to cook, and she couldn't help but break into a brilliant smile.

"Alright..."

Her joyful smile was the most brilliant starlight of the night.