Chapter 365 Teaching You
Ashley was surprised to find the refrigerator stocked with fresh ingredients and fruits, as if someone had been living there for a long time.
"You... come here often?"
Damian replied nonchalantly, "Housekeeper."
Ashley clicked her tongue, "If no one lives here, isn't it a waste of resources to hire someone to clean and buy food, only to throw it away when it expires?"
In the past, Ashley wouldn't have thought much of it; the life of the wealthy was all about indulgence. But having experienced poverty, she now hated wasting even a single meal.
Leaning against the brand-new kitchen counter, Damian crossed his arms and sneered, "If you don't want to waste it, use all your skills to cook everything in there."
Ashley felt overwhelmed, "You know I'm not good at cooking."
Damian pulled a cookbook from the cabinet, "You can learn."
Holding a fresh cucumber, Ashley chose to ignore the cookbook, "Aren't you hungry? By the time I learn to cook any of these dishes, you'll be starving. My suggestion is to make do with a simple meal first."
You'll be able to deal with the rest however you want; I'm leaving after dinner.
Surprisingly, Damian agreed, "Fine, let's start. But we can't just have pancakes tonight."
"Okay."
Is he tired of them?
"Make some soup too."
Ashley turned pale, "What kind of soup? I don't know how."
"Tomato bisque, you can't even make that?"
Ashley wanted to confidently say she could, but the truth was she had never tried,she said, "I'm not sure."
Damian rolled up his sleeves, "Go mix your batter."
Ashley quickly went to get the flour. After several attempts, she had become quite skilled at mixing the batter to the right consistency and adding the seasonings. Soon, she was standing by the stove, ready to cook.
Then she turned and saw Damian chopping tomatoes, and she was stunned.
His right hand still couldn't exert much force, so he held the knife with his left hand, using his right hand to steady it. He sliced the tomato horizontally and then diced it vertically, quickly turning a ripe tomato into uniform red cubes, beautifully arranged on a plate.
What surprised Ashley even more was that Damian could crack an egg with one hand. With a light tap on the edge of the container and a flick of his fingers, the egg slid into the bowl.
The motion was smooth and elegant, like a close-up shot in a documentary.
As Damian whisked the eggs, he said without looking up, "Impressed?"
Ashley quickly turned away, turning on the stove's exhaust fan to drown out half her voice, "You seem to be quite good at cooking."
Damian replied, "Anyone can learn as long as they're not stupid."
Ashley gritted her teeth, "Not necessarily, everyone has their expertise."
"I've never heard of a housewife needing expertise to cook. If you're slow, admit it. Don't lower the standard for all women."
Ashley was convinced but wouldn't admit it, so she heated the oil and poured the batter, finally finding some confidence, "Not everyone can make pancakes as good as mine! Want to find someone to compare?"
Damian's lips curled into a quick smile, "Alright, I'll give you that."
She made pancakes on the left stove while Damian cooked soup on the right. They were so close that their arms occasionally brushed against each other.
Ashley moved aside, but Damian took up all the space she freed.
Finally, Ashley couldn't retreat any further and said, "You're just cooking tomatoes; do you need to make such a big deal out of it?"
Her face was slightly red from the heat, and her nose was a bit sweaty, which Damian found somewhat endearing.
He held a spatula, half-smiling, "You think you can do it? Go ahead."
Ashley bit her lip and conceded, "Move over a bit, I'm about to be pushed out of the kitchen."
Damian turned his head, his mouth curling up uncontrollably, and moved back to his original spot. He added water and covered the pot, "Are you planning to live off this one trick forever?"
Ashley, not confident in her cooking, kept a close eye on the pot to avoid burning it, "At least I haven't had enough yet."
"When you do, you'll have to learn new dishes, or you might starve."
Ashley flipped the pancake, satisfied with its golden color, "I'm not picky, I can eat takeout."
Damian snorted.
The pancakes weren't done yet, but the tomato bisque was ready.
Ashley smelled the rich aroma, and her stomach growled before she could say anything.
Damian held the pot, "Be nice, and I can teach you."
Ashley stiffly turned away, "No need to trouble you."
She had seen the steps and thought she could try it herself next time; it didn't seem that hard.
A simple yet meaningful dinner was served.
Ashley looked at the soup with floating scallions and tomatoes, suddenly feeling her pancakes were overshadowed.
Damian took a sip of the soup and a bite of the pancake, which was the perfect combination to enhance both dishes.
Ashley had to admit, it was the best tomato bisque she had ever tasted. Simple ingredients, cooked to an unexpectedly delicious flavor, "Are you really good at cooking? I saw you chopping with your left hand, and it was impressive."
If he used his right hand, wouldn't it be even better?
Damian enjoyed the compliment, "You think I'm like you, only knowing how to make ravioli and pancakes."
Ashley couldn't argue with that, "Actually, I can make one more thing."
She had once learned to make fish cakes from Joyce, failing several times before finally succeeding. She had been excited to let Damian try, but he hadn't come home that night. When he finally did the next day, he didn't even ask about it and threw the fish cakes and the plate into the trash.
After that, she never cooked again or thought about making food for him.
Damian swallowed his food, "Really? What else can you make?"
Ashley bit into her pancake, swallowing slowly, "Nothing."
After that, the atmosphere at the table wasn't as harmonious. Ashley was deliberately silent, while Damian wondered how he could taste Ashley's homemade fish cakes.
After cleaning up, Ashley dried her hands, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Damian sat on the couch, turned on the TV, and randomly picked a channel, "What about all those jars and bottles you bought? How long are you planning to leave them there?"
"You wouldn't throw them away, would you?"
"Leaving them there unused, someone might pick them up and make coffee or tea. Isn't Ms. Astor concerned about wasting resources?"
Ashley walked over and guarded the shelf of cups and saucers, "No way, these are my favorite styles. I haven't used them even once; they can't be thrown away."
Damian stared at the TV, "If you don't want to throw them away, put them to use. There's coffee in the drawer; don't tell me you can't even make coffee?"
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