Entering the kitchen, Lynn reached into the nearby sink and used her right hand to lift out a large piece of ribs.
Hermione walked into the kitchen and saw this, her head leaning back slightly; she hadn't felt it as much before they were thawed.
Now that they were thawed, she truly felt the shock of seeing such a massive slab of ribs.
Looking up at the hanging knives, Lynn's movements paused for a moment.
There was no cleaver, Lynn concluded after scanning all the knives.
At the same time, her analysis of the knives was complete, concluding that none were suitable for chopping the ribs.
Looking down at the slab of ribs on the cutting board, Lynn reached out and grabbed both ends of one bone.
Hermione blinked and watched Lynn's actions in confusion. Wasn't Lynn supposed to chop the ribs into smaller pieces? What was she doing?
Crack... crack. As the slight sound of bone snapping rang out, Hermione's eyes gradually widened. No way, it couldn't be what she was thinking, right? That would be too incredible.
Yet in the next moment, what Hermione had imagined actually happened. With a crisp snap, the rib in Lynn's hands broke into two sections.
Reaching up to take a knife, Lynn easily sliced through the flesh still connecting the rib, and the bone was completely separated into two pieces.
Hermione swallowed hard, her gaze involuntarily moving to Lynn's slender, long hands. Was Lynn's strength... really that great?
You couldn't tell just by looking at her; after all, she was very thin. So what on earth did she usually do to have such fearsome grip strength and upper body power?
Thinking about this, for some reason, Hermione instinctively associated it with a behavior of Lynn's that she had previously discovered and forbidden.
Her grip strength... surely it wasn't developed back then, was it?
At that possibility, Hermione felt a wave of suffocation; her eyes began to burn as she looked at Lynn, and her heart started racing wildly.
Lynn was completely unaware of the turmoil in Hermione's heart. She simply placed her hands calmly on the ends of the next rib.
Her hands suddenly exerted force, slight muscles bulging on the backs of her hands, but the power within them was not to be underestimated.
Another crisp snap, and the sound of a rib breaking came again.
After slicing through the flesh, another rib became two sections. She repeated this process until all the ribs were in two pieces, and only then did Lynn put them into the pot.
Although they were much larger than the ribs she had stewed before, it would be fine as long as they were simmered a bit longer.
After mixing the sauce and pouring it in, then adding the scallions, ginger, and other ingredients, Lynn covered the pot.
Hermione raised a hand to rub her cheeks, and after calming her emotions, she stepped forward.
"Lynn, are you stewing the ribs first to eat them later?"
Lynn was placing the next dish to be prepared onto the cutting board. Hearing Hermione's voice, she looked back at her, yet the movement of her hands chopping vegetables didn't pause at all; she started immediately.
"No, Stewed Ribs need to simmer for a while to taste good, so we'll have the ribs for dinner tonight."
Hermione only felt Lynn's words ringing in her ears; as for what Lynn actually said, she didn't register it at all.
All of her attention was on the fact that Lynn was still chopping vegetables while looking back to talk to her.
"Turn your head back!" Hermione cried out in terror, waving her hands frantically at Lynn, signaling her to turn back and look at what she was cutting.
She had thought Lynn wouldn't start chopping so soon, which was why she had spoken up. Who knew Lynn would continue so quickly, and while looking back at her no less!
Lynn nodded and calmly turned her head back, looking at her hands as they chopped.
She naturally didn't see any problem with talking while looking away while chopping. She often mentally recited textbooks while cooking; multitasking was normal for her.
Besides, since Hermione was talking to her, shouldn't she look back at her to answer? Otherwise, it would be impolite.
Seeing Lynn turn back to her chopping, Hermione finally breathed a sigh of relief. She stepped forward to help Lynn wash the rice and do some prep work as usual.
Throughout the entire cooking process, Hermione didn't dare say another word to Lynn, fearing the girl might be doing something that required undivided attention.
If she turned her head to look at her again because she wanted to talk, it would be disastrous.
She didn't make any particularly labor-intensive dishes. Once the rice was ready, Lynn brought the food to the dining table.
Hermione smelled the aroma of the food and swallowed. Oriental cuisine she'd never had before; it looked very appetizing. It truly lived up to the delicacies described in books.
"Dinner's ready," Lynn called out toward the living room. The five people who were chatting stood up quickly and walked eagerly toward the table.
They really couldn't wait; they had smelled the aroma of the food just now!
The seven children sat down at the table. Since Penelope was the eldest present, Lynn sat next to Hermione, hands resting motionless on her lap, quietly watching Penelope.
Ron, who had already started eating eagerly, nudged Harry—who was also eating with gusto—with his elbow while chewing on some Braised Pork. "Why isn't Lynn eating?"
Harry swallowed his food, looked at Lynn, and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe she's not hungry?"
Hermione, sitting next to Lynn, knew exactly what the issue was. She sighed helplessly and looked at Penelope, who was currently arranging her napkin.
Penelope was the oldest among the children; Lynn was likely waiting for Penelope to start eating before she did.
Penelope felt Hermione's gaze and looked up. "What's wrong?"
Hermione shrugged and shook her head. "It's nothing."
It was a good habit for Senior Penelope to arrange her napkin before eating; she couldn't exactly tell Senior Penelope to hurry up and eat without finishing.
Besides, it wouldn't take Senior Penelope long to arrange a napkin. If Lynn wanted to wait, then let her wait.
With that thought, Hermione also sat quietly like Lynn, waiting.
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