Chapter 11

If he could live a life of idleness and still get paid, Zhen Fan would definitely think it was a good idea. Every morning, he would run along the streets to the river, then take a comfortable bath, cook a sumptuous breakfast, lie on the sofa to watch TV, and surf the internet and play games in his study.

This kind of life, though a bit monotonous and seemingly meaningless, is the greatest meaning for ordinary people.

Zhen Fan had already run about four miles along the river. He had a towel draped around his neck, wearing a tank top that accentuated his well-built muscles. His thighs, visible under his shorts, were taut, and in the morning light, they glistened with sweat.

A few girls with cell phones whistled at him, and he responded with a flirtatious gesture, followed by a series of unrestrained giggles, like little hens.

"Hi!"

Taking advantage of the pleasure of being flirted with by beautiful women, Zhen Fan greeted a tall white girl running towards him.

"Hi!"

The girl, realizing his presence, smiled and waved at Zhen Fan, and then they passed each other.

Zhen Fan subconsciously turned his head to glance at her tight, firm buttocks.

He stopped at a bridge, sat down on a stone bench by the river, and rested for a moment, wiping the sweat from his body with the towel.

The air was indeed fresh. In such a small city, the air is usually cleaner than in big cities, making one feel refreshed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hi... Can I sit down?"

A voice came from behind, definitely a woman, and quite young.

Zhen Fan moved his buttocks to make room for her.

A chestnut-haired white beauty sat down. It was the girl who had just passed him and greeted him.

"I often run this way, but I rarely see you!" The girl wiped her sweat and smiled at Zhen Fan.

"Uh, I just moved to the U.S. recently, in the 12th district nearby."

"Oh, what a coincidence, I have a house there too." The girl extended her hand towards Zhen Fan, "Christine!"

"Oh!" Zhen Fan extended his hand in realization, "Fan Zhen, just immigrated from China. We'll meet every morning, won't we?"

"Maybe, I don't live here permanently, but occasionally... I might come to stay for a while. So... see you later, Zhen!" Christine stood up, holding the towel that hung from her neck, and started running, her ponytail bouncing like a dance.

When Zhen Fan returned home, Claire was already waiting for him at the door. She looked very happy, with a smile on her face, quite different from her usual self.

"Uncle—"

Seeing Zhen Fan walk onto the lawn, Claire pounced over.

"Sweetheart, how long have you been waiting?"

"Only just now, Mom insisted I eat breakfast before coming, so..."

"Um, this jade pendant, you must always wear it. It's a gift from Uncle, and no one else can take it!"

"Even Mom?"

Claire asked in a low voice.

"Um, well... tell Mom that if she wants a gift, Uncle will give her one, but she can't take Claire's treasure!"

Claire nodded vigorously. At the door, she slipped down and waited for Zhen Fan to open it, then ran in, cheering, and plopped onto the sofa.

The little girl, well-rested and full of energy, played on the sofa for a while. Seeing Zhen Fan making breakfast, she ran over to turn on the TV and watch cartoons!

"Zhen—Claire—"

Annie's voice came from the door, light and playful, as if playing hide-and-seek with someone.

"The door is open, come in, Claire is watching TV!"

Zhen Fan continued cooking, having already peeled and washed the potatoes.

"Am I causing you any trouble?"

Annie walked over to greet Zhen Fan, then sat on a high chair at the bar next to the dining table, watching Zhen Fan wash the potatoes, with a gentle smile on her face.

"I think your cooking skills must be excellent."

"I won the cooking competition in China!" Zhen Fan glanced at her and smiled, "It was a community competition, part of the neighborhood, of course, I could surpass those housewives, and I'm quite proud of it!"

"Wow!" Annie was surprised, then exclaimed, "No wonder Claire ate so much last night."

At this moment, Zhen Fan scooped up the potatoes, placed them on the cutting board, and drew out a Chinese-style cleaver, not the kind Americans use.

Zhen Fan's hands moved quickly, and the potatoes were soon sliced into thin pieces, and the beef was cut into strips.

"Chinese-style cooking?"

Annie watched, completely different from her own methods, and her eyes widened.

"Yes, Chinese cooking techniques. Do you want to try it when it's done?"

Zhen Fan's eyes twinkled at Annie, making her cheeks turn slightly red.

But soon the aroma wafted over, making her unable to resist.

"If... okay!" She couldn't refuse.

In fact, it proved a point: Zhen Fan's cooking skills were indeed excellent.

Annie had eaten Chinese food several times, but none of it compared to Zhen Fan's beef stew with potatoes, plus a bowl of seafood soup, which instantly made her taste buds explode, and she ate without much regard for her image.

"Uncle, I want some too!"

At some point, the aroma had lured Claire, the little glutton, over. She smiled cutely at Zhen Fan, her pink tongue licking her lips, her big eyes twinkling. If he really didn't give her any, it would be a crime.

"Okay, Claire just had breakfast, so a small bowl should be enough!"

Annie carried Claire to a seat at the dining table and instructed her.

"Uncle—"

Claire looked at Zhen Fan pitifully.

"Claire, Mom is right. How about I make you something fresh in the evening, guaranteed to be even better, okay?"

"Great!" Claire sat up straight, then leaned on the table, starting to fight with the small plate of beef stew Zhen Fan brought over.

"This... I'm really sorry!" Annie shrugged helplessly at Zhen Fan. She now knew that Zhen Fan genuinely cared for Claire and truly liked her.

"Don't worry, I was planning to invite your whole family anyway. How about you and Thomas come over for dinner tonight? This was part of my plan."

Zhen Fan reassured her.

"Then... thank you, we'll be there on time!"

Annie nodded, her face beaming with a warm smile.

Since he was planning to invite the whole family for dinner, the ingredients he had were clearly not enough. Zhen Fan decided to walk to the store to buy some more. After Annie left, he let Claire play or watch TV in the living room.

This time, Zhen Fan didn't get lost and directly found the supermarket where Kelly Wiley worked. Although it was a bit further, the supermarket had a more complete selection of ingredients for Chinese cooking.

"Hi, Kelly!"

Zhen Fan greeted Kelly Wiley at the door.

"Hi, I don't even know your name yet!" Kelly Wiley was interested in this Chinese boy, a smile on her freckled face. Since there weren't many people in the supermarket and no one was checking out, she decided to chat with Zhen Fan for a bit.

"Fan Zhen!" Zhen Fan walked in and stood next to her, talking to her.

"Zhen, the bastards were caught. I didn't expect the new police officer to be so efficient. You can now shop here with peace of mind; they probably won't dare to act rashly!"

She was referring to the gang of thugs.

"What do you usually do? I rarely see you around, and you've only appeared recently. Let me guess?"

Kelly batted her eyes, a customer came in, and she checked out while talking to Zhen Fan.

"Okay, if you guess right, I'll treat you to Chinese food. If you guess wrong, I'll cook Chinese food for you!"

Zhen Fan winked and smiled.

"Thirty-five dollars and twenty-one cents!" Kelly quoted the price, collected the money, and said to Zhen Fan, "Go get your stuff, you sly guy, it's a deal!"

"Hey, you haven't guessed yet!"

"I'll tell you when you check out!"

"Okay!" Zhen Fan shrugged and went to select the ingredients.

In fact, Kelly only guessed half right. Zhen Fan had indeed just immigrated, but he wasn't a student; he was there to inherit an estate.

"Don't forget to treat me to Chinese food."

Watching Zhen Fan leave, Kelly called out loudly.

"Sure, I'll call you tomorrow, and I'll pick you up after you finish work!"

"See you, Zhen!"

"See you, beautiful lady!" Zhen Fan walked back, and this time he didn't run into Eddie.

When he got home, Claire was already asleep on the sofa, her little bottom arched, her face buried in the sofa, lying on her side, looking very cute.

Zhen Fan covered her with a thin blanket and started preparing the ingredients for the evening meal.

Dinner included Kung Pao Chicken, Salt and Pepper Beef, Braised Fish, and Braised Steak, plus a large bowl of fish soup.

Thomas and Annie arrived promptly at five, bringing a fruit salad and other desserts for after dinner.

"Wow!" Thomas couldn't stop eating the Salt and Pepper Beef, his mouth full, mumbling, "Zhen, you're a true gourmet, an outstanding chef, no, an outstanding artist. This is pure art."

Although Annie had tasted the delicious beef stew, the dinner had a different flavor. Though she ate very politely, her knife, fork, and spoon never stopped moving.

Zhen Fan wasn't foolish enough to teach them to use chopsticks, so he stuck with the Western custom of using knives and forks. Although it wasn't very convenient, it was better than using chopsticks for them.

While they were eating, Zhen Fan's phone rang!

"Sorry!" Zhen Fan apologized and walked to the side.

"Zhen, those incidents are indeed related. Four people have died at that coffee shop, all performers. Three of them died in the lake, and one jumped from a building, the one you sent flowers to..."

Sarah started talking non-stop as soon as she answered the call.