Hearts Will Remember

Chapter 14

"Lei,  I hope you had a good flight.  Xian is already there.  You should see him with a sign once you get out of customs.  I hope you're not too jetlagged and are up for the dinner that Shancai insisted on having here for you."  

Lei called to tell him his plane has landed right after he get off the phone with Xian who informed him he was already inside the airport.

"Thanks Ah Si.  Hopefully customs will be quick so Xian doesn't have to wait too long.   And I feel fine.  I slept during most of the flight.  I asked not to be disturbed even for meals.  So tell Shancai, I will arrive hungry for her food,"  Lei said, sounding quite awake.

He smiled in amusement.  He should have known that even on a cramped plane full of strangers, Lei would still be able to sleep.    He was looking forward to seeing Lei since he had not seen him in the flesh for close to a year now.  Shancai was also excited to see him after all these years.  She had been busy for the past few hours preparing dishes for the dinner.  He told her they could just order some food from the Oak Room so she didn't have to cook, but she insisted she wanted to do it herself.  Having tasted her food these past few days, he couldn't complain.

After saying goodbye to Lei, he walked out of the bedroom and trekked downstairs to check on Shancai.

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The dining room was already smelling good when he came down.  Shancai came out of the kitchen bearing another dish.  She was wearing a black apron with "Shandian Catering" written on the front.

"I didn't realize the best catering service in the city made a house call to my home.  I am quite honored."  He made a beeline for her then waited until she put the dish on the table before pulling her for a hug. 

"Only for clients who give me special hugs like this."

He pulled away slightly to look at her face.  "I better be the only one who gets hugs like this from the chef." 

She gave him a stilted smile then looked away and placed her head back on his chest before muttering, "Of course, you are the only one."

He looked down at the top of her head with knitted brows, trying to stop himself from reading too much into that.  Since she told him that she decided to stay at his place so they can spend more time together, he had been on cloud nine.  They still kept to their work schedule, but being their own bosses certainly had their advantages.  They definitely liked being able to go to lunch together or go home early and decide together whether they eat out or stay home for dinner.  They've only gone out once.  Shancai insisted on whipping up "quick dinners" as she put it, but they still end up being better than most restaurant dinners he'd been to since he moved to New York.  He can't wait until this arrangement is more permanent.  He already started the ball rolling to make this happen.

The doorbell suddenly rang and Shancai pulled out of their embrace to look towards the door.  "That must be Julie.  She wanted to come early so she can help and she called just a few minutes ago to tell me she was downstairs.  I told her to just give the doorman her name since I already informed him who to expect to come today."  She gave him a quick kiss then walked towards the door.

He watched her retreating back until she disappeared to turn towards the foyer.  Looking at the dining table, his eyes went wide when he saw all the food displayed in beautiful presentations. His mind went back to that time she was showing off what she learned  while preparing for the cooking competition.  He remembered how she recited their ridiculously long names and how he bungled some of them when he tried to repeat them.  The dishes looked like some of the familiar Chinese cuisine, but they looked different at the same time.  She had obviously improved her cooking skills and he couldn't be more proud.  One day he will ask her to make her signature "Eight Treasures Spicy Noodle" and tell her how it helped him find her.