Chapter 33: Heartbeatism: Looking forward to every second, because I always want to be with you...

After the professor finished his lecture, Bai Ying stayed behind to discuss homework with her classmates before leaving the classroom. When she looked up, she saw a tall figure standing in the corridor waiting.

Qin Yonglian changed back into his campus outfit of a gray hoodie and jeans, with his Yankees retro baseball cap pulled down slightly, covering up his clear eyes.

However, the girl could tell from the crescent shape of his mouth that he was in a good mood.

"Leon!"

Bai Ying jumped a few steps like a little deer and appeared in front of Qin Yonglian with a bang.

The man just smiled without saying a word, the girl's bright face reflected in his eyes.

"Leon?"

Bai Ying paused. Why didn’t this person respond to her?

Just like a small stone thrown into a clear lake, causing ripples, the man's smile widened.

Bai Ying understood instantly, quickly looked around, and said sweetly and softly, "Hi~boyfriend."

"Well, be good." The warm big hand gently pressed on her head and rubbed it a few times with satisfaction.

Bai Ying squinted her eyes happily, enjoying this moment so much that she almost made a purring sound like Coffee.

"I thought you wouldn't finish work so soon. Dinner time is around 9 o'clock."

As the leader of the Foodie Knights, Bai Ying found that he had been obsessed with love recently and had missed several food-hunting activities organized by the group.

Tonight is the first dinner party of the new year. As the organizer, she must be there and also wants to take this opportunity to introduce Qin Yonglian to her good friends.

Qin Yonglian looked at his watch. "It's 5:30 p.m. now. We still have three and a half hours left."

The man emphasized the word "only".

Bai Ying calculated the time in her mind. If she walked 20 minutes to Tianqiao Food Street at this time, she could have some freshly baked egg waffles.

If I eat egg waffles, I probably won’t be able to finish the carefully prepared dinner tonight.

Seeing through his girlfriend's thoughts, Qin Yonglian suggested, "Why don't we just skip eating and go for a walk?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he naturally held hands with Bai Ying.

"Hmm?" Bai Ying looked up at him.

The palm of his hand felt warm, wrapping her small hand tightly.

She met those lively and elegant eyes and saw expectation in them.

Then I understood that her boyfriend just wanted to hold her hand. It didn’t matter where they went or what they did. The important thing was to walk hand in hand with each other.

Qin Yonglian didn't drive. The two of them walked around the campus, slowly walked to the subway station, and took the subway to the restaurant where they had agreed to have dinner.

When we arrived at Hung Hom MTR station, it was already rush hour and the station was crowded with people.

The man took advantage of the situation and held Bai Ying in his arms, blocking her in front of him, using his physique to create a little space for her.

Bai Ying placed one hand on Qin Yonglian's palm and the other hand on his arm, pulling him towards herself with a little force.

The man looked at him in confusion.

"Listen, listen to the subway announcement." Bai Ying shook his arm, her face focused and calm.

A clear female voice announced from the platform: "Please queue up and be careful of the gap between the train and the platform."

"Please hold your boyfriend's hand."

Bai Ying held back her laughter and cleverly added a sentence at the end of the broadcast.

"Hmm." Qin Yonglian indulged helplessly, whispering softly in her ear, "I'm not the Princess and the Pea. I know how to take the subway."

"Yeah!" Bai Ying answered him with a nasal voice, and said playfully, "But today I am the prince's knight."

*** ***

From North Point MTR station, it's just a few minutes' walk to North Point Market.

As night falls, the cooked food stalls at the Java Road Municipal Building prepare to start their bustling day.

The food center is located on the second floor of the Municipal Building. The hundreds of meters long corridor lobby is home to many independently run small restaurants.

Food stalls with different flavors, authentic delicacies you can think of and those you can't, are all available here. Inspiration can strike at any time, and you no longer need Michelin or any travel guide recommendations.

The night market has an exciting atmosphere, with noisy sounds and mouth-watering aromas.

A very common round wooden table, surrounded by a few ordinary red or blue plastic stools, forms a leisurely and comfortable little society.

Bai Ying took Qin Yonglian's hand and walked in, passing the round tables full of people as if they were familiar with the place.

There were more than ten people attending the Knights' New Year's Eve dinner. When Qin Yonglian and Bai Ying arrived, they saw a familiar face in the crowd.

The man with curly chestnut hair sitting next to Zhang Caiyi was waving at them enthusiastically, "Captain Bai! Junior Qin!"

Su Jiahao took off his suit jacket and wore only a slim-fitting shirt, looking like an elite from the financial street.

"I didn't expect that we would meet again, Junior Brother Qin, we are truly destined to meet."

Qin Yonglian nodded slightly in response.

Zhang Caiyi hadn't seen Bai Ying for a long time. She raised her glass towards her and winked secretly, "Long time no see!"

The TV station was busy with work at the end of the year, and she had just returned from a business trip when the cutest female single flower in the group was picked and taken home.

Everyone naturally turned their attention to the only unfamiliar mixed-race man on the scene.

Bai Ying was more excited than shy, and couldn't help but raise the ten fingers that she and Qin Yonglian were holding and wave them.

She introduced him generously: "Hello everyone! This is my boyfriend Leon."

Immediately, there was applause and congratulations. "Congratulations, Captain! May you have a happy marriage and a baby soon!"

Everyone present laughed heartily.

"They're all my good friends. They're actually very nice. Don't be scared by them while I'm here."

Before sitting down, Bai Ying patted the back of her boyfriend's hand and leaned slightly to emphasize the matter to him.

"Okay, I'm not afraid with you here." Qin Yonglian tried hard to suppress the curve of his lips.

Su Jiahao arrived early and had already become familiar with everyone.

"Brother Qin, long time no see. Today is the Knights' New Year's Eve dinner and the day Captain Bai invited me to officially join the order."

Qin Yonglian raised the corners of his lips and smiled: "As a family member, welcome to join our warm family."

Su Jiahao: “…”

Huh? Where's that cool persona? Someone's secretly showing off their affection again.

At the turn of winter and spring, the gourmets of the Knights choose to have a meal of "Zhezhe Pot" that echoes the lively atmosphere.

The jelly pot originated in the local market. "Jie zi" ("zi zi") is pronounced the same as "je je" in Cantonese, or "jue jue," and is a unique Cantonese cooking method. It was once popular in coastal food stalls in the 1980s.

Place the ingredients and seasoning sauces in a high-temperature clay pot and use the temperature to cook the entire pot of ingredients evenly at the same time. It seems simple, but it actually requires very strict control of the heat.

As soon as all the guests arrived, the waiter immediately brought out the steaming clay pot.

The sizzling sound of food on the table was endless, and the overbearing aroma immediately hit my nose, making me salivate with anticipation.

The dinner started with a light-hearted discussion about food.

Group member A commented: "The hard stuff was simmered for a full six hours, and the flower mushrooms were meaty and plump. The abalone was springy, and the sauce was rich, with every piece of meat coated in the thick broth."

Group member B added: "High heat and quick attack make the meat crispy and tender."

Group member C highlighted the key point: "The raw intestines have an incredibly crisp texture, which is really delicious."

Zhang Caiyi summed up the theme: "The soul of Zhezhe Pot lies in the sauce, which contains Chu Hou sauce, peanut butter and the restaurant's secret recipe. It is simmered over low heat for several hours, allowing it to penetrate thoroughly and achieve the ultimate flavor."

Bai Ying also took good care of the new member, Su Jiahao. "We love talking about all kinds of food. If you join us a few times, you'll appreciate the fun."

Su Jiahao nodded in agreement, "I like it too. Exploring the color, aroma, and flavor of ingredients is the only justice of gourmet food."

"By the way, there's an Easter egg here that only regular customers know about, the wok flavor." Zhang Caiyi said.

Su Jiahao: "Oh? Wok gas?"

Bai Ying smiled and slowly said, "It can be described as a powerful and mysterious Eastern force."

Zhang Caiyi explains: "The cooking is quick, delicious and authentic, with a strong wok aroma! Wok aroma is the unique, indescribable, earthy flavor of cooking that penetrates the soul of the ingredients."

Su Jiahao was still confused: "Colorless and invisible?"

"Yes, as the saying goes, 'frying with ironware will make the food taste like the wok'. It can elevate any dish."

Zhang Caiyi looked at the chef on the street who was holding a large iron wok weighing dozens of kilograms and stir-frying with ease over a high fire.

Qin Yonglian said: "It's actually very easy to understand. From a chemical perspective, wok aroma is a kind of burnt aroma, which comes from the Maillard reaction."

Facing Bai Ying's admiring eyes, Qin Yonglian knew that his girlfriend was in the curious baby phase again.

So he added another spoonful of food to her without making a sound, and let her eat while listening:

The Maillard reaction was first discovered in 1912 by French chemist Maillard, who heated a mixture of glycine and glucose. When food is cooked at high temperatures, melanoidins are produced. These high-molecular-weight polymers, through hundreds of intermediate molecules with different odors, create the unique flavor of food.

"I understand! This is simple. The wok energy is equivalent to an infinite buff." Su Jiahao clapped his hands and suddenly realized.

*** ***

After the meal, everyone said goodbye one by one on the roadside.

"Yinn, Mr. Rabbit's interview will probably be scheduled after the Spring Festival special. You have to help me this time!"

Zhang Caiyi rubbed her hands together and acted coquettishly, "Please! Please!"

Bai Ying readily agreed, "Don't worry, I will definitely do what I promised."

Last year, we originally planned to do a special feature on molecular cuisine and wanted to interview the mysterious chef of the popular molecular cuisine restaurant "Island Forest", but the filming team was turned away several times.

Mr. Longlong, who always appears in a rabbit mask, is like a dragon that can only be seen from head to tail.

After disappearing for a few months, his popularity has not decreased but increased. The number of views and likes of his work short videos on YouTube even exceeds that of many big Vs.

Bai Ying understands Zhang Caiyi's work pressures, and she's actually been keeping up with them. The first time she took Qin Yonglian racing last year, she wanted to try her luck in the "Island Forest."

On the side, Su Jiahao and Qin Yonglian were standing a few steps away chatting.

"It turns out that everyone is aware of the team leader's cooking skills." Su Jiahao recalled the Bai family cuisine he had eaten in South Cowes Island before.

Everyone close to him knows that Bo Ying is a great gourmet and an amazing Master Chef.

Su Jiahao lowered his voice, "You scheming boy, I didn't expect you to have your eyes on our leader at that time."

"Yingying's cooking skills have a unique charm, and I am speaking sincerely of this." Qin Yonglian was very frank.

"Anyway, it's okay as long as I don't have a taste disorder." Su Jiahao touched his chest, shook his head and laughed.

"Listen, the team is going to the 'Island Forest' to eat molecular gastronomy next time."

Qin Yonglian remained noncommittal, "I'm looking forward to it."

"What are you looking forward to?" Bai Ying came over to the voice and habitually put her hand into her boyfriend's palm.

Qin Yonglian skillfully clasped his girlfriend's hand and said, "I look forward to the next second, every second, because there are always things I want to share with you."

Su Jiahao wanted to beat his chest: "......"

Men in love are so sweet that it's outrageous.

Thinking that he actually had someone he wanted to share his experience with today, but he miscalculated the time and missed the opportunity, Su Jiahao was furious. Not willing to waste the earth's resources like a 500-watt light bulb, he contacted his family driver to pick him up quickly.

*** ***

Back to the time when only the two of them were alone.

"Leon, why don't we take a walk home?" Bai Ying looked up at the night sky. "There are many stars tonight. Which one is your favorite?"

The stars are dotted like fireflies flying in the mountains. The moonlight shines on the girl's delicate face. Qin Yonglian smiles and begins to reminisce.

After a few seconds of silence, he stroked the top of the other person's head and said, "This one."

Bai Ying's heart was pounding like a girl, and she snuggled into her boyfriend's arms, "Yingying Star has arrived, and my wish has come true!"

Heart-throbism probably means wanting to pick the stars in the night sky and give them to your lover.

Qin Yonglian held the brightest wish star in the universe in his arms, looking very satisfied.

"Yingying, do you remember seeing a similar starry sky before?"

"Eh???" Bai Ying began to search the memories in his mind.

The man had already changed the subject: "Actually, Deng Yuqian is not my biological mother. My mother's name is Anna. I left her when I was 6 years old. I reunited with her last summer."

Bai Ying didn't move. This was the first time she heard Qin Yonglian tell his story.

Qin Yonglian whispered, "I never thought that the most ordinary goodbye between mother and son would only happen 20 years later."

"You've been looking for her for... twenty years?"

Twenty years, seven thousand three hundred days, were narrated by Qin Yonglian in a relaxed tone. Time was as light as a feather, floating leisurely in the air.

"Until I was six years old, Anna and I lived in a small city on the Rhine Bay. Later, we were brought back to Hong Kong. Anna promised to visit me and celebrate my birthday with me. When I returned here, I realized that I had no freedom to leave, and she had no right to come in. It wasn't until things started to change that I finally got my chance."

"What happens after we meet?" Bai Ying asked.

Qin Yonglian lowered his head, buried it in the girl's neck, and took a deep breath.

Feeling the warm breath approaching, Bai Ying unconsciously tightened her arms and wrapped her arms around the man's waist.

"That reunion was also filled with stars. But..."

Qin Yonglian paused, then said calmly: "But she didn't recognize me. She seemed like the most familiar stranger."

The small colored lights strung together in the branches of a large roadside tree suddenly flashed and lit up, illuminating the entire tree.

Bai Ying stared blankly at the fallen leaves under the tree: "..."

She had imagined many possibilities from the gossip stories she had read online, but she never expected the situation to be like this.

Compared with him, she was like a flower that had been growing in a greenhouse for a long time, with a harmonious family and loving relatives.

She didn't know how to comfort Qin Yonglian, and she didn't know how to say to the weathered grass in the wild: The world is warm and everything is beautiful.

The man whispered in her ear, "But, seeing Anna living a very good life, free, happy, chasing her dreams. I am really happy."

Bai Ying rubbed her body lightly in his arms, wanting to share more love with him.

Qin Yonglian lowered his head and lightly kissed the girl's brow. "Tonight's dinner made me realize that getting to know someone and saying hello is actually the simplest thing. I'm looking forward to seeing her next time, and I will definitely take the initiative to say hello to her then."

Say "Hi Mum, long time no see! I'm your son, Leon Schmid."

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The author has something to say: Today is Lantern Festival, and I would like to share a blessing: "Take two ounces of moonlight, crush the stars and moon, and make them into Lantern Festival dumplings."

My dear friends, a love as sweet as the Yuanxiao (Chinese lantern festival) will surely pop into your bowl.

【Notes】

① Milad reaction, the introduction comes from Baidu Encyclopedia.