This time, Rosana was dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans, her curly hair wrapped in a cheerful, daisy-print headscarf. Simple, practical, but still with her own unique flair.
In her right hand, she was hauling a massive bamboo basket covered with a blue-and-white checkered cloth. You could tell from the strained lines of her arms, her heavy footsteps, and her constant puffing that the basket was incredibly heavy. She wobbled her way up the stairs, muttering complaints in Italian about the lack of an elevator.
Leclerc prayed that Rosana was too focused on the basket to have seen him.
Finally, Rosana reached the third floor, pausing at the landing to catch her breath before lifting the heavy basket again and continuing on.
Leclerc's entire back went rigid. She was walking in his direction.
No way.It can't be.
Leclerc rose onto his tiptoes, pressing himself flat against the wall like a gecko, trying to will himself into invisibility.
It seemed his prayers were answered; Rosana's footsteps stopped. He let out a silent sigh of relief, but before his heart could even settle, a sharp knock echoed down the hall. From that position—
"Zhizhou?"
Rosana's call confirmed Leclerc's fears.
"Zhizhou!"
Silence. The apartment was quiet.
Rosana didn't seem to mind. She began hammering on the door. BANG, BANG, BANG! Her hand, the size of a small paddle, struck the door with a force comparable to the Hulk's, making the fragile panel groan in pain.
Just as the door looked like it was about to give way, there was finally movement inside. Kai opened it, his hair a bird's nest, his eyes bleary with sleep.
"You were sleeping?"
"Don't tell me you slept the entire afternoon? What about dinner? Wait, what about lunch?"
"You poor child, you're still growing! You skip one meal, you're starving. You skip two, and you'll waste away to nothing!"
The questions came in a rapid-fire burst, but she gave Kai no time to answer, carrying on the entire conversation by herself.
Kai was in a total fog, half-dreaming. He'd slept so hard he had no idea what time or place it was. His brain was blank.
It took him a full second to reorient himself.
Right. Maranello.
He rubbed his face hard with both hands. "Sorry, Rosana…"
He was startled by the hoarse, deep sound of his own voice and let out a laugh. "Who is that? Oh, man… I completely lost track of time. To be honest, I don't remember what happened. So, remind me, why am I here again?"
"Haha," Rosana was charmed. The mature, sharp-witted young man from the morning was gone, his defenses down, revealing a more childish side.
"Dinner," she said. "I couldn't possibly let you get away with McDonald's for dinner…"
The fog in Kai's mind was finally clearing, but he was stunned that she had actually followed through. "I thought you were kidding."
Rosana's smile was radiant. She gestured to the basket. "We Sicilians love to joke. But we also have a habit of taking our jokes very seriously."
Kai let out a disbelieving laugh. "So, is Charles here to help? What on earth is in there? God, it looks like enough food for two days."
Rosana blinked. "Charles?"
Kai looked past her with a completely straight face. "Charles, what are you doing standing all the way over there? Don't worry, even though I'm hungry enough to eat a cow, I promise I won't swallow you whole."
Leclerc...
He silently peeled himself off the wall and took a step forward, right into Rosana's bewildered gaze. He gave an awkward tug on his collar. "Good evening…"
Before Rosana could ask, Kai had already taken on the role of host. "We shouldn't stand here talking in the doorway. It's rude. Come in, both of you."
He grabbed the basket with both hands.
Heavy. It was really heavy.
"Rosana, what did you bring? Are you sure you're not feeding livestock?"
He grunted, carrying the basket into the apartment. Rosana turned to Leclerc. "Come on, Charles, join us. I made plenty."
Leclerc didn't even have a chance to refuse. He just dumbly followed them inside, and before he could get his bearings, Kai was already giving him orders.
"Sorry, I haven't even looked around this place yet. Charles, all these apartments are laid out the same, right? Can you find the plates and forks?"
Leclerc: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Rosana was already bustling, unpacking the basket. A rich, warm aroma filled the room, steaming up the light fixture and making the light feel softer. The air was suddenly filled with the smell of home. As Kai and Leclerc fumbled around, Rosana's enthusiastic voice filled the space.
"This is Sicilian Caponata. Eggplant, celery, onions, olives, balsamic, a little sugar… no one can refuse this."
"Oh, right! Zhizhou, you're from China, aren't you? I know your staple food is rice, you must be missing it. So, I prepared a rice dish!"
"These are Arancini! Sicilian rice balls, stuffed with meat sauce and cheese, then fried. This is our street food. When I was a little girl in Catania, I'd run through the streets with one of these in my hand. It's not a main course, but every child who grew up in Sicily has eaten this."
"Aha! And the main event for tonight… Pasta alla Norma!"
At that, Kai froze, a look of utter despair on his face. Pasta? Seriously?
Rosana burst out laughing.
"Zhizhou, what is that look? Let me tell you, this is a legacy dish. It's the taste of home. It's passed from mother to daughter, to her daughter, for generations. Once you've eaten this, it's as if you've truly been to Sicily. This is how we show hospitality."
"You know, back when ingredients were scarce and we had almost nothing to eat, I would crouch in the yard and watch my grandmother make this. It was like magic. She always used to say, 'There is no trouble in this world that a little tomato sauce can't solve'…"
She rambled on, stirring the pasta and arranging the food, the hot, fragrant steam filling the small apartment.
Grrrrrrwl.
Kai instinctively looked down at his own stomach, but it was silent. He looked up, just in time to see Leclerc's mortified expression.
Kai showed no mercy. He burst out laughing. "Hahaha!"
The unrestrained laughter warmed the room, and Leclerc, caught off guard by how direct and genuine it was, found himself relaxing, a smile spreading across his own face.
Just then, through the open door, Kai saw a figure pass by in the hallway, peeking in but not daring to stop.
But he wasn't fast enough. "Zoo!" Kai called out.
Zhou Guanyu's hurried footsteps skidded to a halt. He peeked his head around the doorframe, a shy smile on his face.
"I... I was just passing by... really..."
"Have you eaten dinner?" Kai didn't wait for an answer. "Even if you have, you can manage a snack. I think you'll be fine."
Zhou hesitated, then stepped into the apartment. But when he saw the magnificent spread on the table, his steps quickened, and he leaned in for a closer look. "I've never seen any of these dishes in a restaurant…"
Rosana lifted her chin, her voice full of pride. "Of course not. This is home cooking."
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