Chapter 112: Overcooked

"Are there no toys made of gold?" Xiao Ya whispered.

Xiao Sizi shook her head, pulled Xiao Ya to a corner, and dumped out a box full of plastic building block parts.

"Gold and jade are too heavy; they hurt when they hit someone."

Xiao Sizi picked up a red eight-stud block and pressed it onto a green baseplate.

"This is fun; you can build a big house. Today, let's build a castle."

Xiao Ya sat down on the mat.

She carefully picked up a blue part, imitated Xiao Sizi's posture, found the slot, and pressed down hard. This book is first published on Tian Tian Kan Xiao Shuo, super useful, ttkk. tw awaits your reading, providing you with error-free chapters and non-misordered chapter reading experiences.

Click.

A crisp plastic snapping sound rang out.

The two lay on the carpet, rummaging through parts in their hands and checking positions against the blueprint.

Xiao Ya slowly opened up.

She began to tell about the various vegetables her grandmother planted in the backyard, and also about a stray orange cat she met on the road before.

Xiao Sizi listened quietly.

Occasionally, she would chime in with one or two of her own opinions.

After Lin Xuan finished cleaning the kitchen,

he walked to the TV cabinet, pressed the power switch on the television, and connected the game console.

He reached into the drawer and pulled out two white Bluetooth game controllers.

He stuffed the controllers into the hands of the two girls respectively.

"You've been looking down building blocks for so long; your neck must be sore. Come, move your fingers."

Lin Xuan picked up the Remote Control and brought up the game interface.

Four large characters appeared on the screen: "Overcooked".

Xiao Sizi placed her fingers on the joystick; she was not unfamiliar with this glowing machine.

Xiao Ya was holding a controller for the first time; her hands were still trembling a bit.

Lin Xuan pointed at the screen and explained the basic operation methods to them.

"This is a two-player cooperative cooking game. Button A picks up ingredients, Button X chops ingredients, holding it down speeds it up, and the left joystick controls direction."

"You must prepare the dishes ordered by the guests before the countdown runs out."

"Plate them and carry them to the serving counter; if you don't cooperate well, the kitchen will explode immediately."

The game started, and the countdown began to tick.

Two cartoon figures wearing tall chef hats jumped out on the screen.

The first level requires chopping onions and boiling stock.

Xiao Sizi pushed the joystick, controlled the blue-hat chef to run to the wooden crate, picked up an onion, and threw it quickly onto the cutting board.

She pressed Button X, and a rapid chopping sound of dong-dong-dong came from the screen.

"Xiao Ya! Get the pot! Put the onion in!"

Xiao Ya fumbled with the joystick.

The red-hat chef, holding an empty pot, spun around wildly on the screen, unable to align with the cutting board no matter what.

"Left! A bit more to the left!" Xiao Sizi stamped her feet anxiously.

Xiao Ya pushed too hard and shoved the joystick all the way to the bottom in one go.

The red-hat chef slipped on the floor and fell straight into the river separating the middle of the game interface.

"Mingda, I fell in!" Xiao Ya suddenly cried out.

"It's okay, it's okay, don't rush; just wait five seconds."

"It will respawn by falling from the sky on its own."

Xiao Sizi held the chopped onions and spun around in place in a panic.

By the second level, the scene changed to two trucks driving side by side forward; here, they had to make hamburgers.

The pace suddenly sped up.

Orders kept popping out like flowing water.

The frying pan sat on the stove cooking patties; the time bar raced forward like a flying thing.

A harsh red warning sound rang out.

"Meat! The meat is about to burn!" Xiao Ya jumped up on the sofa, kicking her legs nonstop.

Xiao Sizi controlled the blue-hat chef to rush over with a plate to save the situation.

Who knew the truck just happened to shake; the two game characters controlled by them collided in the narrow corridor.

Both got stuck and couldn't move.

Inside the screen, thick black smoke could be seen rising from the frying pan.

Bang!

A ball of flame shot up suddenly, igniting the cutting board nearby.

"Mingda, what do we do? The kitchen is on fire!"

"It's okay, find the fire extinguisher item; the teacher said in safety class that a fire extinguisher can put out fires."

Xiao Sizi ran frantically to find the fire extinguisher, acting in a panic and making mistakes one after another.

She even threw the lettuce leaves she had just chopped and was holding directly into the trash can nearby.

"Ah—my dish!"

Xiao Sizi tilted her head back and burst into unrestrained laughter.

The two girls slumped crookedly onto the fabric sofa.

They showed neither the "smile without revealing teeth" demanded by the Great Tang Imperial Family, nor the timid caution of ordinary commoner girls.

Xiao Sizi had completely discarded all the dignity and decorum carved into her bones.

Clutching her stomach, she rolled back and forth on the sofa cushion, laughing, with both feet kicked up in the air.

Xiao Ya laughed so hard she couldn't straighten her back, and the game controller dropped onto the carpet.

It was exactly the last second of the game's countdown.

Xiao Ya quickly picked up the controller, holding the half-finished dish containing only bread and lettuce.

She threw it onto the conveyor belt with a narrow escape.

The game settlement completed; they had narrowly cleared the passing line and earned a one-star clearance.

The screen exploded with a sky full of confetti.

Xiao Sizi knelt on the sofa, raising her right hand high.

Xiao Ya turned her body and raised her hand as well.

Clap!

The two small hands slammed together in mid-air, producing a crisp sound.

Encouraged by the first clearance, the two little girls' enthusiasm soared even higher.

They played all the way to the Cutting Master level, which required tacit cooperation.

Time flew swiftly amidst laughter and joy.

Unknowingly, the sunlight slanting in through the window had been dyed a warm orange-red.

They played until past five in the afternoon, when suddenly a knock on the door sounded.

Lin Xuan went to open the door.

Standing outside was an elderly grandmother with a head full of silver hair and a slightly hunched back.

The old grandmother's wrinkled face wore an apologetic and kind smile: "Young man, sorry to disturb you."

"I am Xiao Ya's grandmother. Seeing it's getting late, I've come to take this girl home for dinner."

"Today has truly been a trouble to you."

"Grandmother, you are too polite. Please come in and sit for a while."

Lin Xuan smiled gently, his tone sincere.

"Xiao Ya is especially well-behaved and gets along very well with Mingda."

"And thank you for the tangerines you sent; they were especially sweet."

Hearing the grandmother's voice, Xiao Ya and Xiao Sizi put down the game controllers in their hands, held hands, and ran to the doorway.

A layer of fine sweat, caused by excitement, glistened on the foreheads of the two little girls.

Their eyes sparkled, their hands were tightly clasped together, and their faces were full of reluctance to part.

After spending most of the day together, the awkwardness and inferiority that had been in Xiao Ya had quietly dissipated by more than half.

In this house without rules, filled with laughter.

She was no longer the girl who spoke with extreme caution when she first entered.

Xiao Ya summoned her courage and invited: "Mingda, I had a particularly wonderful time today.

"Next time—next time, could you come to my house to play?"

"Although my house doesn't have such a big TV or fun game consoles, there is a very cute little dog in the backyard, and I can also take you to pick fresh vegetables."

Xiao Sizi's eyes lit up, her small face filled with expectation.

But she did not agree immediately; instead, she turned her head, her big, watery eyes looking at Lin Xuan standing aside.

Lin Xuan keenly caught the inquiry in Xiao Sizi's gaze.

He simply nodded gently with a smile in his eyes, giving her a look full of encouragement and affirmation.

Having received approval, Xiao Sizi happily grabbed Xiao Ya's hand and shook it up and down: "Okay, okay! It's a deal. I love little dogs the most. Next time I will definitely come to your house as a guest!"

Xiao Ya nodded vigorously.

A boundlessly brilliant smile bloomed on her face.

Even the few small freckles at the corners of her eyes came alive.

Reluctantly, she changed out of those pink rabbit cotton slippers, bowed politely to Lin Xuan, and said: "Brother Lin Xuan, goodbye. Mingda, goodbye."

The old grandmother also smiled and thanked them again, took her granddaughter's small hand with her rough large hand, and turned to walk slowly toward the hallway.

Xiao Sizi leaned against the doorframe, watching the grandmother and granddaughter's elongated silhouettes under the sunset.

Her small hand waved continuously in the air.

Only when they turned the stair corner and disappeared from sight did she gently close the door.

The sunset outside the door gradually set.

While inside the house lingered the faint scent of sweet and sour pork tenderloin and the lingering echo of the girls' crisp laughter.

On this ordinary weekend dusk, everything appeared exceptionally warm and tranquil.