A light rain fell last night, and the sky over Hangbei was decent that morning, with a faint dampness in the air carrying the fresh scent of earth.
Song Chan had a rough night thanks to her period cramps and hadn’t rested well. Her weary body still ached faintly here and there, and her face clearly showed signs of exhaustion. Having endured the worst first day of her period, she felt much better today, and her body was way more comfortable.
Su Yicen’s care last night had done the trick. She felt warm and cozy all over, especially her lower abdomen, which had been twisting in pain before. It still had some period discomfort, but it had clearly improved a lot.
At least she could finally uncurl her body and stretch out in a big lazy yawn.
The person beside her had already gotten up. Song Chan felt the lingering warmth on his side of the bed and sprawled out luxuriously, which chased away most of her fatigue.
A series of noisy sounds drifted in from outside the door—some familiar, some strange.
Song Chan tilted her head to listen carefully. A cheerful rhythm accompanied the host’s commentary, and it had already looped three or four times.
【Heard that ginger milk pudding can be made by hand. Is it really that simple? Let’s give it a try…】
“Ginger milk pudding?”
Repeating the keyword that had just wormed into her ears, Song Chan hadn’t quite processed it when she heard several moderate thumping sounds.
‘Thump—’ ‘Thump—’…
Hearing the commotion outside, Song Chan couldn’t help but furrow her brow and turned toward the closed bedroom door.
“Was Su Yicen demolishing the house?”
Unable to contain her curiosity, she returned to her bedroom, freshened up at top speed, and changed into a neat, professional outfit.
Song Chan looked like she was just getting up normally as she ‘casually’ stepped out of the room.
As soon as she entered the living room, she spotted Su Yicen in the open kitchen area, gripping a cleaver and forcefully smacking a peeled chunk of ginger.
Song Chan passed by nonchalantly and asked offhandedly.
“You’re making food?”
Su Yicen paused the video tutorial and set down the cleaver. He looked full of confidence, even a bit proud in his tone.
“Ginger milk pudding. Making you a little dessert.”
“Miss Song, go wait. It’ll be ready soon.”
With that, Su Yicen threw himself back into his grand mission of making Song Chan the ‘heartwarming dessert every boyfriend must make for his girlfriend during her period.’
Seeing his confident demeanor, Song Chan didn’t want to discourage him. She pretended not to notice the kitchen turned into a total mess.
As she turned away, she heard the video tutorial start over from the beginning again.
【Heard that ginger milk pudding can be made by hand. Is it really that simple? Let’s give it a try…】
Song Chan: “……”
Song Chan had to admit Su Yicen was great at ordering food. Their recent breakfasts together had all suited her taste perfectly, but that was probably the extent of it. This was the first time she’d seen him try to make anything.
Behind her, the guy she didn’t quite trust was staring intently at the video lesson—which he’d watched so many times it was practically memorized—and refused to give up.
【First, make the ginger juice. Peel a big chunk of ginger, cut it into small pieces, then smack it with the flat of a knife…】
The video paused again. Su Yicen smacked his lips and eyed the ginger on the cutting board, which he’d smashed into tiny bits.
He frowned and muttered seriously, “Too smashed. It’s not that crushed in the video. Will this affect the texture…?”
Su Yicen shook his head. As someone who obsessed over details, he couldn’t tolerate the discrepancy. He swept the pulverized ginger back into the nearly overflowing trash bin full of ginger scraps.
He washed the cutting board and cleaver clean again—everything he’d need.
He pulled another piece of ginger from the bag, rewound the video to the start, and decided to try again.
【Heard that ginger milk pudding can be made by hand. Is it really that simple? Let’s give it a try…】
When Song Chan had first seen that huge bag of ginger, she’d thought he was pickling some kind of salted veggies or something—why else buy so much?
But when she heard he was just making ginger milk pudding, it already stunned her.
With that quantity, if he actually pulled it off, it’d be enough for all the residents of Hermitage Splendor Residence to share.
After witnessing Su Yicen’s strict standards firsthand, though, she suddenly got why he’d bought so much ginger.
With still half a bag of unused ginger left in the plastic sack, Song Chan even started to worry if it’d be enough for him to finish one bowl, given his severe OCD-level restarts.
Seeing her stand there dazed for ages, Su Yicen paused the video and asked.
“Miss Song, something else?”
Song Chan sighed helplessly. Looking at his flustered yet earnest state, she really couldn’t bear to discourage him.
She gave him a thumbs-up, curved her lips into a sweet smile, and encouraged him.
“Mr. Su looks super professional. You’ve got this!”
Su Yicen nodded, clearly pleased. He peeled the ginger even faster.
“Thanks for the praise, Miss Song.”
As she turned away again, Song Chan unsurprisingly heard the video restart from the top once more.
【Heard that ginger milk pudding can be made by hand. Is it really that simple? Let’s give it a try…】
Song Chan smiled faintly, shook her head helplessly, and carried her laptop to the living room.
Yesterday had been brutally painful, and Lin Jinhe’s revisions to her speech were still pending. With her boss’s impatience, if she didn’t hand it in at work today, she’d definitely get chewed out.
Song Chan didn’t dare delay. Now that her body wasn’t as bad, she wanted to knock it out quick.
She sat on the living room rug by the coffee table, working away. When she looked up, she had a perfect view of Su Yicen in the open kitchen nearby, busy making her ginger milk pudding.
The cozy, reassuring vibe felt just like any ordinary married couple’s daily life. It was like a warm current swept through Song Chan’s heart, making her gradually fall for this stable, peaceful routine.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she wrapped up the speech revisions, but over in the kitchen, Su Yicen was still battling the ginger.
Just like before, he followed the video step by step with zero deviation.
【Put the smashed ginger chunks into a sturdy container and smash them with a rolling pin…】
He dug out a sturdy container, added the smashed ginger pieces, and pounded away with the rolling pin until it matched the video exactly.
【If you have a juicer at home, you can use that too. Juice the ginger chunks into a paste without adding water…】
Song Chan, who had just finished the speech, saw Su Yicen pause again to grab the juicer. Glancing at the ginger already mashed into a paste in his container, she couldn’t hold back.
“Mr. Su, hear me out: these are two different methods, but you only need one result.”
She pointed at the bowl of ginger. “You can move on to filtering the juice now.”
“Ah?” A spark lit up in Su Yicen’s dark eyes. “Miss Song, you know how to make ginger milk pudding too?”
Song Chan smiled wryly, not wanting to crush the top traffic idol whose IQ apparently tanked into the negatives when cooking.
She said tactfully, “Think it might be because you’ve looped this video so many times I’ve memorized it?”
“How about… I help you?”
She could tell Su Yicen looked thrilled at first, but then he seemed to remember something and raised a hand to refuse.
“You rest. I can do it alone.”
“Oh, right—I bought some stuff and left it in your room. See if it’s useful.”
Song Chan knew he was just worried about her overexerting herself.
And honestly, yesterday’s period pain had been scary even for her—her face had been deathly pale with no color at all.
No wonder it freaked out Su Yicen, seeing it for the first time.
At the thought, Song Chan’s heart warmed. She gazed at the top traffic idol who shone in everyone’s eyes.
He’d gotten up early just to cheer her up, making her a warming, stomach-soothing ginger milk pudding.
After hearing her, Su Yicen finally moved to the next step: filtering the ginger paste for juice. She didn’t disturb him and headed back to her room.
On the way, Song Chan puzzled over it—she hadn’t seen anything when she’d come to change earlier.
Her confusion cleared the moment she stepped inside.
Scanning the bedroom purposefully, her eyes landed on a massive, stuffed-full shopping bag next to the giant plush bear on her bed.
Song Chan went over and checked it out: a whole bag crammed with sanitary pads.
Daytime ones, overnight ones, extra-long, panty liners, period panties—every type, plus some heating pads and a cute pink cartoon hot water bottle.
There were so many pads it was ridiculous. Song Chan had no idea how long it’d take her to use them all.
Staring at the haul, she couldn’t help imagining Su Yicen—a grown man—standing in front of a shelf packed floor-to-ceiling with women’s products. What must that have felt like?
“Probably embarrassed…”
She pictured him flustered, not knowing what to pick.
Complex emotions bloomed in Song Chan’s heart. Su Yicen was just too good to her, willing to do things he wasn’t suited for or good at.
His feelings were so obvious—she could see them, feel them. The heart pounding in her chest seemed to be gradually accepting his affection.
When she emerged from the bedroom, Su Yicen was carefully doing the final step for the ginger milk pudding: pouring heated milk at the right temperature into the strained ginger juice.
Hot steam and milky fragrance wafted up as the milk poured from the pot.
Song Chan asked him, “Why’d you buy so many sanitary pads?”
He glanced at her, a smile tugging at his lips, his tone gentle. “You were asleep last night when I went out to buy them, so I didn’t ask.”
“I didn’t know what kind you like, so I got two packs of everything.”
“But if you have a favorite brand or style, just tell me. I’ll get it next time…”
Song Chan stood across from him, her red lips parting, but in the end, she said nothing.
He poured all the hot milk into the bowl and covered it.
“The video says to wait 15 minutes.”
“If the spoon stands up without sinking, it’s a success.”