Morning sunlight filtered through the balcony's security bars, twisting and turning before finally resting on Zhou Qin's tightly shut eyes. This had already happened hours ago.
Even with the sunlight glaring, and the stuffed rabbit in his arms smeared with drool at the corners of his mouth, Zhou Qin still slept soundly. Such sleep quality could make countless insomniacs green with envy.
And remember, this new home had a stranger—a time-traveler—living in it. Not to mention the fact that he had been dead tired after cleaning yesterday. Still, Zhou Qin's courage—or recklessness—was admirable.
Then again… Salena couldn't exactly escape.
As long as she didn't decide to sabotage herself, there was nothing to worry about. ┓(′?`)┏
Half-awake, Zhou Qin rolled over on the lazy sofa again. Instinctively, he fished his phone from the floor, letting his eyelids flutter open slightly as he squinted at the lock screen.
The movement was cat-like—stretching lazily in its nest.
No rush! It's only ten o'clock—more sleep! But… since when did my lock screen become a pair of long, pale legs?
"You're awake?!"*
Soft, rich, warm—the voice brushed against his skin like spring breeze, startling Zhou Qin into a jolt.
He immediately sat up straight, sliding backward with his legs kicking like a nimble southern cockroach. Pressed against the wall, legs spread like lobster claws, his morning grumpiness vanished with a shout.
Looking up, he found Salena staring at him as if he were some kind of fool—maybe with a hint of admiration.
After all, that move of sliding backward on his butt… in a weird way, it looked kind of cool.
"Uh… good morning?"*
Salena leaned on her knees, half-squatting, looking down at Zhou Qin. Of course, she was mostly looking at the giant stuffed rabbit in his arms. So the landlord had to hug a stuffed animal to sleep… quite cute.
Neither spoke for a moment. Two strangers thrust into a house yesterday, now awkwardly reacquainted. To break the silence, Zhou Qin muttered a domestic greeting, still shaken.
"Uh… have you eaten yet?"*
"Huh? No."*
Zhou Qin got up from the wall, tossing the rabbit onto the sofa.
No dream… Looking at this girl, historically speaking over a hundred years old, he had to give up on thinking everything yesterday was a hallucination.
She still wore the exaggerated dress from yesterday, damp marks visible even after a whole night.
And she's already insisting on changing into my clothes? This girl's alertness is impressive.
After a sigh, Zhou Qin didn't scold her. If he were Salena, he wouldn't trust a stranger's goodwill either—especially after only knowing them a few hours.
Scratching his head, he decided not to overthink things. Zhou Qin walked to the kitchen, glancing at the sink.
Good… the fish is still alive!
Zhou Qin always thought that an old apartment's kitchen was its highlight.
Maybe older generations were practical. Spaces like the bathroom or balcony could be cramped, but the kitchen had to be convenient.
Spacious enough for two people to stand side by side, a reasonably arranged exhaust fan and cabinets, no unnecessary design—practicality first. Zhou Qin could swear he'd never cooked more comfortably than here, even back home.
"By the way… the fish you brought yesterday. Is it edible?"*
How should I know… Salena stared at the lively fish, utterly confused. She didn't even know how it got here, let alone whether it was edible.
"Probably… I accidentally brought it when I traveled here. I have no idea what kind of sea fish it is."*
Hearing that Salena wasn't sure either, Zhou Qin took out his phone, snapped a photo of the fish, and opened a browser.
Not bad… Even though this old apartment was a bit rundown, the internet speed was decent. The search circle barely spun, and the result popped up:
"No wonder it looked familiar… Sea bass."
I want to slice it and pour some scallion oil over it… Zhou Qin checked his condiments. No scallions. Holding the knife, he debated whether to pan-fry or steam it.
Five days ago, he'd never imagined that his first meal in a new apartment would be cooking a foreign girl's time-traveling sea fish. He glanced at the spices again. Haha…
No ginger, scallion, garlic, or chili!
Might as well just cook it plain!
Zhou Qin sighed, glancing at Salena, who stared dumbfounded at the fish.
"Do you think we can eat sea bass as sashimi?"
"What?"*
"Never mind."*
How to cook this? It's a sea fish—messing it up would be a shame. Looking back, Salena was staring at his phone in his pocket like it was magic.
Hmph… Industrial Revolution-era bumpkin! Modern superiority rising. Zhou Qin held up the phone, waving it at her.
"This is a phone. Kind of like a mini version of the computer you used yesterday, but it also has chat functions. Just now, I took a photo and instantly identified the fish."*
He handed the phone to Salena. She poked and turned it as if it were a crystal ball, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
After a moment, she asked a question that shocked Zhou Qin:
"Is this… like a telephone?"*
Zhou Qin had been holding the fish by the tail, ready to put it on the board.
Hearing "telephone," he startled, loosening his grip—the fish slipped back into the sink, splashing water on him. "Wait, you know what a telephone is? Was it invented that early? I thought your era still used telegraphs."*
Salena shook her head. "Not in Dundan, but when I went with my father to America, I saw prototypes. My father wanted to buy one, but the deal didn't go through."*
Impressive! Telephones would make business so convenient!
"I never thought prototypes existed that early. I assumed the spread was around 1890."*
Zhou Qin wiped water off his face, pressed the fish onto the cutting board, and gave its head a firm slap. Bong! Fish stunned (we assume).
With quick knife movements, he scaled, gutted, and filleted the fish. Minutes later, the sea bass became a pile of neat fish slices.
"Salt, soy sauce, pepper, starch."
He mixed each seasoning in a small bowl, coating every slice thoroughly.
The whole killing-and-prepping process left Salena wide-eyed. Not a proper noble girl, but used to merchant family life—she'd never cooked herself. This bloody scene was shocking.
"You've never killed a fish before?"*
"I've never been in a kitchen. It's too cruel."*
Zhou Qin glanced at her hands. He'd seen them while she played the piano yesterday—true delicate fingers, untouched by labor. Perfect for hand models.
"You don't eat meat?"*
Salena turned away, pouting. "I do."*
"When you eat meat, you're not cruel."*
She slapped her hands on the table, quite loudly. Zhou Qin wasn't startled. Salena, on the other hand, looked like a panicked hamster, gently patting the table where she'd hit it—maybe calming its feelings.
"I'm not fake. I just have no experience cooking…"*
"Then I'll teach you to wash dishes later."*
"What?!"*
"You can't just stay here doing nothing. Helping with chores as a cohabitant isn't too much, right?"*
Salena resisted, but she knew she had no room to bargain. Gritting her teeth, she agreed.
"Fine! I'll wash."*
Zhou Qin flipped the frying pan, cooking the fish slices quickly. Though lacking ginger, scallion, or garlic, the aroma was still mouthwatering.
Ding! The microwave beeped. Zhou Qin looked sadly at the remaining buns—yesterday there were two, today only half a bun for him.
Women… beauty and trouble, even stealing my bun.
"Make do. I just moved in; there's nothing else at home."*
Imagine this table anywhere—a strange scene: two similar-aged strangers, each holding half a meat bun, a stainless plate with fried fish slices on the suitcase as the dining table. Fish slices with buns… no one would imagine this combo.
For Salena, the bigger problem was the pair of chopsticks in her hands. Her eyes moved from the mysterious sticks to Zhou Qin's fingers.
Orientals are truly strange.
They even use sticks to eat. Don't they consider knives and forks when cutting meat?
With the pitiful, eager beauty staring, Zhou Qin felt eating fish was suddenly unenjoyable. Especially with the slight grievance in her gaze about the utensils.
Not my fault! I didn't expect a foreign guest. Having only chopsticks isn't my crime.
Zhou Qin shrugged, swallowing a bite. "Can't help it. I only have chopsticks at home. Learn to use them."*
Salena placed one aside, stabbing fish with the other—success!
Back in her fork comfort zone. The fish's texture held together—good quality.
She tasted the fish with chopsticks, enjoying the modern cooking method.
Simple seasoning, but delightful in a way she'd never experienced—a rare moment of modern joy since her time-travel.
Yes, from a simple plate of home-cooked fried fish slices.
The joy of a foodie is always this simple.
Salena quickly finished most of the fish, along with her bun. Washing her hands at the sink, she returned with a thought. "Ah… landlord. Why was the video you showed me yesterday… the people spoke English so roughly?"*
Zhou Qin recalled. "Probably American English? You said you'd been to America."*
"After independence, taking guns and robbing land… their infamy reached even the snow-covered mountains. Everyone knew."*
"Ahem… no need to go into so much detail."*
"So your accent… learned from them?"*
Seeing her serious expression, Zhou Qin hesitated. "Uh… can I say no?"*
This was probably the first time he saw Salena's small face so serious.
Her beautiful, celestial face now had the sternness of a high school teacher, as if he didn't study, she'd draw her sword. "That's not proper English. I must correct your tone, or I'll go mad. Consider this part of your rent offset!"
Wow… daughter of a merchant—offsetting rent right away.
This one can't stay… Wait, if the corridor doesn't work…
Zhou Qin gazed at the balcony window, thoughtful… Nonsense. Fifth floor—her climbing out safely would be a miracle.
Smooth jazz floated past Zhou Qin's side. He pulled out his phone, turning off the alarm.
"Landlord… your phone can play music?"*
"Ah, yes, it can. But that's the alarm."*
Already this time? Zhou Qin anxiously considered whether to skip class to watch her and make sure she didn't destroy the house.
Salena couldn't just grab things and run—the air wall blocked the corridor solidly. And having a hundred-year-old, clever girl guard the house? Scarier than a husky.
Nervous, Zhou Qin swiped the screen, deciding not to micromanage. Whatever comes, comes.
He had prepared last night—now it was up to Salena to understand his goodwill.
"I'm heading to class. Don't leave the house. Be careful alone; don't touch unfamiliar things. Hungry? Grab some snacks by the suitcase. I'll be back tonight."*
Listening to Zhou Qin's worried chatter, Salena couldn't help seeing him overlapping with someone familiar. He's like my mom.