My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Xia Xingye chuckled awkwardly: “It says it’s willing.”

Jiang Yingyue glanced at the potted plant and conceded, “Don’t break it.”

Likely out of gratitude for Xia Xingye helping her, Jiang Yingyue didn’t object any further.

Xia Xingye quickly agreed, carefully picked up the potted plant, and seeing the mess on that side, asked Jiang Yingyue, “Go to my place?”

Jiang Yingyue nodded and let Xia Xingye go first.

Taking the potted plant back, Xia Xingye placed it on the table and stared intently at it. After staring for a long time, the potted plant didn’t speak again.

“Why aren’t you talking?”

If it wouldn’t speak, how was she supposed to settle the score?

The potted plant let out a soft whimper (嘤 – yīng).

Xia Xingye: “…?”

It looks stupid and doesn’t seem to have any bad intentions.

“What’s your name?”

“Little Jiang.”

Xia Xingye turned to look for Jiang Yingyue, but Jiang Yingyue was on the other side and out of sight.

“Did she name you?”

Little Jiang choked out: “I named myself.”

Its voice sounded so aggrieved. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Jiang Yingyue had bullied it.

“It’s just a name.”

“Yīng.”

The plant’s whimpering grew louder, on the verge of crying out loud. Concerned for her own ears, Xia Xingye reached out and covered it.

The instant it was covered, Little Jiang went silent.

Xia Xingye sighed in relief, then threatened: “No loud noises. Speak if you have something to say, otherwise, shut up.”

Little Jiang meekly agreed and genuinely went silent. It was so agreeable that Xia Xingye suspected Little Jiang was just humoring her.

If it was really that easygoing, why was it constantly wailing before? Could it be that Jiang Yingyue ignored it?

Jiang Yingyue seemed a bit quiet but was a gentle person. She was so kind to Xia Xingye, a complete stranger, so there was no reason she would treat her own belongings badly.

If Little Jiang knew what Xia Xingye was thinking, it would definitely cry until its voice was hoarse.

Jiang Yingyue totally ignores it! She’s terribly cold to it!

With peace restored to her ears, Xia Xingye went to find Jiang Yingyue. Jiang Yingyue was tidying her room. Her movements were not fast, but she was very meticulous, organizing everything one by one, very systematically.

Xia Xingye leaned against the wall. Just as she was about to speak, she felt the wall slightly wobble. Xia Xingye immediately straightened up, afraid to lean on the wall again, and asked worriedly, “Don’t we need to worry about the wall?”

Jiang Yingyue said without raising her head, “It’s fine. If you’re worried, we can find someone to inspect it tomorrow.”

Xia Xingye inexplicably trusted Jiang Yingyue’s words. If Jiang Yingyue said it was fine, she didn’t bother to find an inspector.

However, after a final thought, she decided someone still needed to check. This wasn’t just their apartment. They weren’t the only two living in this building. For safety, they still needed to follow the procedure.

As for the property management, Xia Xingye looked at the wall connecting the two apartments. They shared the same wall. She didn’t know if Jiang Yingyue had talked to the management; they hadn’t mentioned anything to her today when she called.

Thinking of the property management, Xia Xingye remembered the manager telling her that Jiang Yingyue didn’t use WeChat, and Jiang Yingyue hadn’t replied to her text message.

“Is your phone broken?”

“What phone?”

Xia Xingye: “…Your mobile phone. I sent you a text, but you didn’t reply.”

Jiang Yingyue paused, got up, and walked toward Xia Xingye. Xia Xingye stepped aside. When Jiang Yingyue passed, she carried a faint scent of dust. Upon reaching Xia Xingye’s side, Jiang Yingyue walked straight into the living room.

Xia Xingye followed curiously. In the living room, Jiang Yingyue searched through her backpack for a long time but couldn’t find her phone, so she returned to her side of the apartment.

“Looking for your phone? Is your phone broken?”

“No, it’s not broken.”

Xia Xingye: “I can call you, and you can follow the sound to find it.”

Jiang Yingyue said calmly, “No need to call. My phone is on silent.”

Returning to the rubble, Jiang Yingyue searched haphazardly here and there, seemingly without a fixed goal.

Hearing Jiang Yingyue say her phone was on silent, Xia Xingye put down her own phone and couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t remember where you put your phone?”

“Yes.”

Xia Xingye looked at Jiang Yingyue, who was searching for her phone, in shock. Before this, Xia Xingye had never believed that someone living in a big city wouldn’t use a phone. Electronic payment was everywhere now; not using a phone would be very inconvenient.

But Jiang Yingyue couldn’t even remember where she put her phone and couldn’t find it after a long search. Xia Xingye had to suspect that Jiang Yingyue truly didn’t use her phone much.

Xia Xingye wanted to help but didn’t know where to start. Little Jiang, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke in a low voice: “It’s by the kitchen.”

The voice was tiny, but Xia Xingye barely caught it. She chuckled and said, “You did know where it was!”

Little Jiang replied sweetly, “I know just a little bit.”

Xia Xingye: “…”

Did she sound like she was complimenting it? Why is it blushing? (Implied by the tone).

Xia Xingye wasn’t sure what Little Jiang was and took its words with a grain of salt, but she had nothing else to do, so there was no harm in going to look.

There weren’t many shards of pots and pans in the kitchen, and with few things around, it was easy to search. Soon, Xia Xingye found an old-fashioned phone in a corner of the kitchen. It was like a brick. Xia Xingye stared at it for a long time before confirming it was a phone, not a model, and certainly not a black brick that had fallen from the wall.

With a phone this old, it was normal that it didn’t have WeChat.

The old phone didn’t have a password. It could be used immediately upon booting up. Xia Xingye asked Jiang Yingyue, “Can I use your phone for a bit?”

Jiang Yingyue agreed without even looking up: “Go ahead.”

She has absolutely no sense of precaution.

Xia Xingye wanted to save her number. She powered the phone on, but it took a long time to respond. After patiently waiting, it finally reached the home screen.

The screen had cracks and was constantly lagging. Xia Xingye struggled for a long time to save her number, then tentatively asked, “Don’t you plan to get a new phone?”

Jiang Yingyue looked up. She was currently fiddling with a coffee table that had broken into two halves. Hearing the question, she asked confusedly, “Why should I change my phone?”

“Your phone looks like it’s about to break.”

“But it hasn’t broken yet?” Jiang Yingyue grew more confused.

Xia Xingye: “…”

“Don’t you change it until it breaks?”

“Why change it if it’s not broken?”

The more they talked, the more bewildered they became. Xia Xingye instantly realized they were not on the same wavelength and changed the subject: “Phones aren’t expensive now.”

“Mmm.”

Xia Xingye: “…Can I buy you one?”

Jiang Yingyue paused: “No need.”

“Alright then.” Xia Xingye returned the phone, which looked like it would break at any second, to Jiang Yingyue. “I might need to contact you sometimes. Don’t forget to answer the phone.”

Jiang Yingyue: “Okay.”

“Remember, though,” seeing Jiang Yingyue agree so readily, Xia Xingye couldn’t help but be suspicious, “You really must remember.”

Jiang Yingyue, however, was very patient and agreed once more.

Xia Xingye returned Little Jiang to Jiang Yingyue, then brought out the late-night snack and invited Jiang Yingyue to eat with her. Jiang Yingyue didn’t stand on ceremony but, after finishing, pulled out a bill and handed it to Xia Xingye.

Looking at the money pushed towards her, Xia Xingye felt wronged: “Isn’t that too formal?”

Jiang Yingyue said calmly, “The closer you are, the clearer you should settle accounts.”

Xia Xingye froze. Did Jiang Yingyue mean that they were very close, so she wanted to settle the account clearly with her?

Feeling inexplicably happy, Xia Xingye accepted the money willingly.

…

In the following days, Jiang Yingyue was very busy. Xia Xingye didn’t see her at the new apartment, and Jiang Yingyue didn’t answer her calls.

Jiang Yingyue not answering the phone was expected by Xia Xingye, but Little Jiang was also gone. Xia Xingye was a little worried and couldn’t sleep peacefully at night, constantly worrying that Jiang Yingyue would come back and she wouldn’t hear the noise, leaving her locked outside.

The lock on Jiang Yingyue’s door was somehow stuck and couldn’t be opened. To get home, she had to come through Xia Xingye’s apartment.

After not seeing her for three consecutive days, Xia Xingye anxiously called the property management. The manager sighed after hearing her out: “Why do you keep asking what your neighbor is doing? She has her own life.”

Xia Xingye was startled: “I’m worried about her safety.”

“No need to worry. She’s doing well.”

“She contacted you?”

“No.”

“? Then why do you say she’s fine?”

“Well, it’s a long story.”

“Hurry up and tell me, or I’m calling the police.”

Property Manager: …I really got myself a demanding little ancestor this time.

“Wait two days. I guarantee she will get back to you.”

Xia Xingye was half-skeptical. The property manager guaranteed it, emphasizing that Jiang Yingyue was a tenant, and they were more hopeful for her safety than Xia Xingye was.

Xia Xingye had no choice but to trust the manager for now. In two more days, if there was still no news from Jiang Yingyue, she really would call the police.

When she first saw Little Jiang, Xia Xingye found it amusing, but now she didn’t find it funny at all. A strange thing that could talk—could this be some kind of supernatural event?

Xia Xingye was on edge for two days, developing dark circles under her eyes. On the night of the second day, she didn’t even contact the property manager, ready to call the police with her phone in hand.

Just as she was about to press the dial button, a clicking sound came from outside the door. Xia Xingye walked to the door with her phone, pressing her ear to it, and suddenly heard a faint voice: “Hurry! We’re going to be too late!”

It was Little Jiang’s voice!

Xia Xingye grasped the doorknob. Before she could turn it, the door was unlocked, and she made eye contact with Jiang Yingyue outside the door.

Little Jiang sighed in relief: “Phew, we made it just in time. Otherwise, someone would have died.”

Xia Xingye: “?”

Jiang Yingyue took Little Jiang out of her bag and squeezed its head: “Who died?”

Little Jiang didn’t feel it was exaggerating at all and said self-righteously: “Calling the police is a waste of resources! What if someone else needed help?”

There was a kernel of truth to that.

Xia Xingye wondered, “How did you know I was going to call the police?”

If Little Jiang had eyes and a nose, it would probably look as smug as a little fox: “Of course, I know! Your business…”

Jiang Yingyue gently pressed Little Jiang, and it immediately went silent. Jiang Yingyue walked into the room nonchalantly: “I forgot to tell you I had to go out for a few days.”

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?” Xia Xingye hadn’t intended to stop Jiang Yingyue from going out, but Jiang Yingyue’s sudden disappearance and being unreachable had genuinely scared her.

“The phone?” Jiang Yingyue felt around on herself, didn’t find the phone, and walked into the room. She eventually found the dead phone in a corner.

Xia Xingye looked at Jiang Yingyue: “…”

Jiang Yingyue looked back at Xia Xingye innocently: “…I rarely carry my phone.”

“Did no one really contact you?” Xia Xingye didn’t believe it. “No one contacted you for work?”

Jiang Yingyue nodded: “I contact them.”

Xia Xingye hesitated: “What if they can’t reach you?”

Jiang Yingyue: “It’s fine. They’re used to it.”

Xia Xingye: “…”

What kind of job is this where you can leave your clients hanging?

“I have something to give you,” Xia Xingye pulled out a box and asked Jiang Yingyue, “Do you remember what day today is?”

Jiang Yingyue shook her head. Xia Xingye opened the box. It was a small smart watch: “It’s the tenth day of our friendship. This is a gift for you.”

As she spoke, she took Jiang Yingyue’s hand without warning and quickly put the watch on her before Jiang Yingyue could react, giving her no chance to refuse: “I’ve given you a gift, so you should give me one, too.”