Without waiting for Cheng Yaoyao to speak, Xie Zhao took another bag from the handlebars and said, "Grandma asked me to bring this for you."

The package with small white flowers on a blue background felt soft to the touch. Cheng Yaoyao said happily, "This is the sweater my grandma knitted for me!"

Xie Zhao looked at her joyful expression and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

The light in the concierge was on, and the window reflected the shadow of the concierge lying on a recliner listening to the phonograph. Cheng Yaoyao leaned on the iron railing and handed his hand to Xie Zhao: "Xie Zhao."

Xie Zhao reached out and held her slender, white fingertips, his eyes softened: "Be good, I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Cheng Yaoyao's face fell, and he began to hum in a dramatic tone: "Please save me, I don't want to stay here alone, you must come and save me!"

"..." Xie Zhao pinched her fingers, the smile on his lips deepened, and he sighed in his heart. If this continued, he would really be reluctant to leave.

The two quarreled for a long time, and Xie Zhao finally left. If it got darker and the dew fell, it would be unsafe to ride a bike. Cheng Yaoyao stared at the direction where Xie Zhao went for a long time, and finally turned around and ran into Liu Yue and his group who were returning from the cafeteria.

"It's late at night, and you don't even try to avoid suspicion."

After what happened yesterday, Liu Yue didn't dare to openly provoke Cheng Yaoyao, but her weird words happened to be heard by Cheng Yaoyao.

Cheng Yaoyao was in a good mood and didn't bother with her. He walked away with his leather shoes and sweater in his arms. Liu Yue thought she was frightened when a voice came from behind:

"The thing in her hand is so rustic. ... Country girl..."

Cheng Yaoyao turned around suddenly: "Who said that? Stand up!"

When she wasn't smiling, she was extremely cold and domineering. Liu Yue and the others were caught off guard by her sudden change of attitude, so they looked at each other and pretended nothing had happened before leaving.

Cheng Yaoyao stood in front of them and said, "No one can leave until we make things clear! Who said you were a country bumpkin? Did the bag in my hand provoke you? Are you pretending to be dead? Let's go find the director!"

Liu Yue insisted, "Do you think you can be so domineering just because the director protects you? What did we say to you?"

Cheng Yaoyao sneered: "You said country people. What's wrong with country people? Are you openly looking down on the proletariat? I think people like you should receive re-education as poor and middle peasants!"

A big hat was put on them, and the group of young girls panicked: "You...you are putting too much blame on me! Who are you trying to scare?"

Cheng Yaoyao said angrily: "If you are not afraid, come with me to find the director, and we will confront him face to face!"

Liu Yue's face turned red, but she couldn't say a word. The whole crew knew that the director favored Cheng Yaoyao. If she offended the director, what good would happen to her?

Ding Ling, the third female lead, finally admitted: "We were wrong. Yaoyao, please don't bother with us."

Cheng Yaoyao then stopped talking, took a few steps, and suddenly opened the package and took out a snow-white sweater: "What kind of country boy stuff is this? Can you find such a thing after searching through your closet?"

The sweater was white in color and was obviously made of cashmere. The pattern of the knitted sweater was very delicate. Women all loved beautiful clothes and could not take their eyes off it.

Liu Yue's voice became even more hushed. The sweater she had just bought at the department store and had been wearing for several days looked like street stall merchandise compared to this one.

Ding Ling couldn't help asking, "Where did you buy this sweater?"

"This was made for me by my grandma! You can't buy it here!" Cheng Yaoyao folded the sweater carefully and stuffed it back into the package, then walked away with his head held high, his back looking like a proud swan.

When she walked away, Liu Yue immediately said to the people around her: "Look at how arrogant she is. Isn't she just relying on the director to support her?"

The other girls looked weird: "Why don't you say it to her face?"

"If it weren't for what you said about country folk, would you have gotten into this trouble?"

They saw the scene clearly, Cheng Yaoyao clearly didn't want to pay attention to them, it was Liu Yue who desperately provoked her. Cheng Yaoyao was the leading actress and was valued by the director, so it would be of no benefit to them to offend Cheng Yaoyao. Thinking of this, the others stopped paying attention to Liu Yue and walked away.

In the small dormitory, the bed was covered with a uniform white quilt, which was not enough to resist the damp and cold winter night in Suzhou. Fortunately, Cheng Yaoyao had a cashmere blanket. She wrapped herself in the cashmere blanket and lay in the quilt. I don’t know if it was the effect of the cashmere blanket or the sufficient yang energy, but she slept very well that night.

When the first rays of dawn appeared, a series of crisp bicycle rings could be heard on the road outside the crew, and the hem of Xie Zhao's coat was blown up by the wind.

Xie Zhao stepped on the brakes and propped up his long legs on the ground: "Morning, Master."

The doorman held up a toothbrush cup and said cheerfully, "Xiao Xie, you came so early. Yaoyao is still asleep."

Cheng Yaoyao loves to sleep with her husband, and the whole crew knows it. Xie Zhao smiled and said, "I'll wait for her."

The doorman got the director's greeting and let Xie Zhao in.

The pavilions, pools, rockeries and strange rocks are all shrouded in a light mist. The ground in the garden is wet, with dewdrops hanging on the tips of the grass. The morning air is moist and cool, mixed with the fragrance of flowers, which makes people feel refreshed.

Some people were already walking downstairs in the girls' dormitory, washing up or doing morning exercises. Xie Zhaoyuan stood waiting under a sycamore tree, not looking away.

The girls couldn't help but secretly look at him. Several actresses whispered to each other: "Who is that? From the crew next door?"

Xie Zhao had a handsome face, wearing a well-made coat, with broad shoulders, a tight waist and long legs. Just standing there with a cold face, he had the aura to make girls blush and their hearts beat faster.

There were so many pretty girls walking around, but he didn't even look at them. The girls would walk past him in twos or threes, pretending to run or pass by, and then they would jump up and down excitedly when they turned their backs: "I saw it, I saw it! She's so pretty!"

The insider mercilessly shattered their fantasy: "Don't look at it, that's Cheng Yaoyao's girlfriend!"

Someone was surprised and asked, "Isn't Cheng Yaoyao's partner a country bumpkin?"

"Hush! You want to die! If Cheng Yaoyao hears the word 'country bumpkin', you'll be in trouble!"

One girl kept glancing at Xie Zhao and said, "He doesn't look like a country boy at all."

As soon as the words fell, Xie Zhao, who had a cold face just now, suddenly softened his expression and walked forward: "Yaoyao."

Everyone couldn't help but follow his gaze, wondering who could make him look like that.

A slender figure jumped into my eyes. Cheng Yaoyao was wearing a thick-knitted off-white sweater, a dark blue knitted skirt, and small leather shoes. Her long black hair was scattered on her shoulders. She trotted down the stairs, her hair and skirt fluttering. In the morning light, she was as bright as a pearl.

This is an absolute crush of beauty, making everyone around her pale in comparison in an instant.

Cheng Yaoyao ran to Xie Zhao with a smile and looked up at him: "Didn't you expect me to be up so early?"

Xie Zhao smiled and said, "Be good, I'll take you to have breakfast."

The girls around were all stunned. Ding Ling tried to talk to him: "Yaoyao, who is this..."

Cheng Yaoyao raised his chin and said, "This is my target! Xie Zhao!"

Xie Zhaoyi nodded to them gracefully, and then said to Cheng Yaoyao: "I'll go find the director."

Cheng Yaoyao nodded: "Okay."

As soon as Xie Zhao left, the girls were furious and surrounded Cheng Yaoyao, asking him questions. Cheng Yaoyao was relatively young in the crew, but he was the first to have a date!

Girls of this age have a natural curiosity about this kind of thing, and they are often in the filming crew, so they don't shy away from love. When the discussion got heated, Liu Yue poured cold water on them again: "The crew forbids romance! I am the leading actress and I have special privileges. Do you want to be fired?"

This made everyone very disappointed. No one paid any attention to her and everyone walked away.

Liu Yue was ignored by everyone for the first time, and she was so angry that her hands and feet were shaking. Cheng Yaoyao is nothing, she got the leading female role through backdoor. Now she has found a country bumpkin as her partner, who is inferior to her in every way! Why is she so arrogant?

There were osmanthus trees planted beside the avenue in the suburbs. The rice-sized flowers were hidden in the leaves. Although not as fragrant as the sea of ​​fragrant snow in early autumn, the fragrance was still pleasant. As the bicycle rushed down the slope, Cheng Yaoyao shouted, "Faster!"

Xie Zhao let go of the handlebars, and the wind blew up Cheng Yaoyao's skirt and long hair. She hugged Xie Zhao's waist tightly and laughed happily.

Thirty-six thousand is easy to live on, life is only suitable to live in Suzhou.

Suzhou in the late 1970s was not much different from a hundred years ago. White walls and black tiles stood quietly along the river, and early-rising women were washing clothes and vegetables by the river. Small boats carrying shrimps, crabs and water chestnuts slowly floated along the river.

The breakfast shops along the street were emitting steam, with sweet and salty baked cakes, rice cakes, fried dough sticks, and soy milk all stimulating people's appetite. The residents nearby lined up in their pajamas, holding their rice bowls, to buy breakfast.

A bicycle bell rang, and the skirt of the girl on the back seat flew up. It made people's eyes light up and they praised: "How pretty!"

Cheng Yaoyao, with her fair skin and red lips, would stand by the breakfast stall and ask the stall owner to add a spoonful of red bean paste to the sweet porridge she gave him.

On the long bluestone-paved street, shops on both sides were closing down, but this small stall was the only one that was steaming with a few customers around. Everyone bought some sugar porridge and stood aside to eat it while it was steaming, which was a bit like a misty mountain.

Cheng Yaoyao scooped a spoonful of glutinous rice porridge into his mouth. The glutinous rice porridge was cooked until the rice grains were melted, and it was topped with thick red bean paste and a little osmanthus. It was sweet and soft, making people feel warm all over in this early winter morning. Cheng Yaoyao picked up the red bean paste and ate it, and his eyebrows were curved with sweetness.

The stall owner was a kind old man, carrying a camel-shaped shoulder pole, with a large pot of porridge in front and a stove in the back, the water in the pot boiling. This stall only sold a few breakfasts: wine-brewed dumplings, red bean dumplings, and sugar porridge. He opened the lid of the pot, scooped up a dozen snow-white dumplings with a colander and poured them into a bowl, then neatly added a few spoonfuls of wine-brewed and osmanthus flowers.

"The wine-brewed dumplings are ready!"

Xie Zhao took it and passed it to Cheng Yaoyao first. Cheng Yaoyao scooped a small dumpling and ate it. It was sweet and soft. She immediately stopped eating the glutinous rice porridge and exchanged it with Xie Zhao: "This small dumpling is so sticky."

The stall owner laughed and picked up the bamboo stick and started knocking again, making a clattering sound. People came one after another to eat the sugar porridge, and there was even a fat child who pulled his grandfather and begged for a bowl of red bean dumplings in a coquettish and naughty way.

Don't be fooled by the unprepossessing appearance of this stall, the prices are not cheap: a bowl of sugar porridge costs 1 tael of grain coupons and 5 cents, 2 taels of grain coupons for rice dumplings with wine costs 25 cents, and a bowl of red bean dumplings costs 2 taels of grain coupons and 12 cents. Children who are not pampered cannot eat sugar porridge.

The grandfather was so obsessed with his fat grandson that he took out a few coins from his pocket and said, "Give me a bowl of wine and some dumplings."

The fat grandson corrected in a baby voice: "I want red beans!"

“It will be ready right away!” The stall owner smiled and continued to serve the dumplings.

Grandpa is an old acquaintance of the stall owner, and he exclaimed: "I haven't had this in years!"

The stall owner smiled and said, "The inspection team hasn't arrested anyone recently. I'm still in this area. Come if you want to eat!"

Cheng Yaoyao looked at the fat child and laughed, pointing to Xie Zhao: "That child is so cute."

Xie Zhao scooped a spoonful of red bean paste into her bowl: "Let's have a baby ourselves."

Cheng Yaoyao blushed and said, "Ahem...you are shameless!"

Xie Zhaoteng gently helped her to calm down, and he was very confident. Cheng Yaoyao changed the subject: "How did you find this stall?"

Xie Zhao just smiled: "Is it delicious?"

"Delicious!" Cheng Yaoyao nodded vigorously. This Pan's sugar porridge stall is very famous. When she came to Suzhou in her previous life, she had eaten the sugar porridge cooked by the stall owner's grandson, but it was not as good as what she ate today. This sugar porridge is made from real porridge, unlike the sugar porridge of later generations, which adds a lot of sweeteners and thickeners. Moreover, the heat of the porridge and the taste of the wine are impossible to replicate.

Xie Zhaoming was also in Suzhou for the first time. I don't know how he managed to find such delicious food. After eating the sugar porridge, they took a small boat and slowly went out of the city along the river.

The water was as smooth as a mirror. The old boatman stood alone at the bow, rowing. Cheng Yaoyao rested his hands in a relaxed manner, admiring the scenery along the river, and pointed out to Xie Zhao from time to time: "Suzhou has the most bridges. Look at these bridges, they are not very impressive, but they may have a history of hundreds of years. However, Maple Bridge is the most famous. It's a pity that Hanshan Temple is closed, otherwise I must go and see it."

The bell of Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou City reaches the passenger ship at midnight. This poem "Mooring at Maple Bridge at Night" is completely tied to Suzhou, making many people yearn for it.

Xie Zhao looked at Cheng Yaoyao and asked, "How did you know that Hanshan Temple was closed?"

Cheng Yaoyao said that he had never left the crew. Cheng Yaoyao was startled and said with trembling eyes: "Mooring at Maple Bridge overnight, isn't Maple Bridge near Hanshan Temple?"

Xie Zhao did not comment, but did not ask any further questions.

Cheng Yaoyao felt guilty, so she staggered to the bedside and wanted to learn how to row a boat from the old boatman. She smiled sweetly, and the old boatman was persuaded. He gave her a boat pole and explained the essentials in detail.

Cheng Yaoyao nodded repeatedly, grabbed the oar, and pushed the boat back and forth, nearly falling off the boat. He was immediately driven back by the old boatman.

Cheng Yaoyao sat down with a sullen look on his face. Xie Zhao tried to hold back his laughter, but just as he was about to speak, ripples appeared on the water surface: "It's raining."

Suzhou was full of mist and rain. A gust of wind blew, and the rain was fine and connected into pieces. The old boatman put on his hat and straw raincoat. The people on the shore were also in a hurry and ran under the eaves to take shelter from the rain.

Cheng Yaoyao spread his hands to catch the rain, raised his head and let the cold raindrops fall on his face: "Why is it raining!"

Xie Zhao pulled her into the cabin to take shelter from the rain and said, "It will stop soon."

"Really?" There was a damp smell in the cabin. Cheng Yaoyao lifted the small curtain of the cabin and looked out, and immediately forgot his anger.

The Suzhou city in the rain is like an ink painting, and the quaint buildings instantly bring people back to a thousand years ago. The sound of rain hitting the boat awning, the two held hands quietly, listening to the sound of rain, and felt infinite beauty and tranquility.

When they passed a river bank, Xie Zhao bought a bag of hot boiled water chestnuts for Cheng Yaoyao. She carefully broke them apart and ate them one by one, throwing the black water chestnut shells into the water, which made a small splash.

There was some black on Cheng Yaoyao's slender fingers. He spread his fingers to show Xie Zhao: "It's all dirty!"

Xie Zhao used a handkerchief to wipe her wound carefully, and suddenly looked at it carefully: "How did you get hurt?"

There are several light pink scars on Cheng Yaoyao's fingers. They have healed but not completely faded. "They were caused when I was making abalone butter. I peeled crabs for a long time."

Xie Zhao kissed the scar and said, "It will hurt your hand, don't do it again."

"But it's delicious." Cheng Yaoyao's fingertips were kissed, and her cheeks blossomed into a rosy color. "Crabs are cheap this season. I plan to make more crab butter. It will definitely sell well."

She didn't care about this little scar. Now that she has enough Yang energy, she can use more Lingquan to avoid scars.

Xie Zhao looked Cheng Yaoyao in the eye seriously: "As long as I am here, I will make money."

Cheng Yaoyao said sweetly: "I can help too. Please don't do those dangerous businesses, okay? Once we get into college, everything will be fine."

After hearing this, Xie Zhao hesitated for a moment, but the boat finally docked.

I don't know when the rain stopped.

After sitting on the boat for so long, they were still a little shaky when they walked on the ground. Cheng Yaoyao held up the hem of her skirt with one hand, held Xie Zhao's hand with the other, and jumped briskly onto the wet river bank.

Xie Zhao said: "Be careful."

Cheng Yaoyao turned around in a show, her skirt spreading out like a flower. She showed off her slapped leather shoes: "Very stable!"

This gesture was really sweet. Xie Zhao laughed softly. He rarely laughed, and this laugh made Cheng Yaoyao blush. She turned her head away to cover up: "The dumplings I had in the morning are not enough to satisfy my hunger. It's time to have lunch now!"

You just ate four or five water chestnuts on the boat. Xie Zhao swallowed the words and said, "Okay."

This street is bustling with people. There is a very famous century-old restaurant. It is now state-owned and still has a constant flow of customers. The two of them went to the second floor of the restaurant and found an empty seat by the window. It had just rained, so the air was very cool.

The restaurant was bustling at this time. As soon as the two sat down, the table across from them suddenly became quiet for a moment. Cheng Yaoyao turned around and saw a menu in front of him.

Xie Zhao said: "Sister, please order the dishes."

"Okay." Cheng Yaoyao's attention was diverted and he looked at the simple menu carefully.

Xie Zhao then looked at the people at the table. The man at the head raised his glass to him and gestured to drink together. Xie Zhao shook his head slightly. The man smiled and winked at Cheng Yaoyao, indicating that he understood. Several men looked at Cheng Yaoyao and whispered to each other, with a rather obscene meaning in their smiles.

Xie Zhao's eyes suddenly turned cold.

Cheng Yaoyao was looking at the menu seriously when Xie Zhao suddenly called him, "Let's change seats. It's too windy here."

"Okay." Cheng Yaoyao followed Xie Zhao to a table behind the screen and noticed that Xie Zhao looked unhappy. "What's wrong with you? Who made you angry?"

"No." Xie Zhao shook his head, "I just have a headache because of the wind."

Cheng Yaoyao quickly reached out his hand to feel the temperature of his forehead: "It's not hot. Then I'll order you a pot of osmanthus wine to drive away the cold."

Xie Zhao's expression softened: "Okay."

The menu is full of classic Suzhou dishes, but I don't know how they taste. Cheng Yaoyao ordered snow crab, honey sauce, fat lung soup, and of course steamed big crab. The price of big crab has doubled in the restaurant, and it costs 1.6 yuan per pound. Ordering these dishes, plus a pot of osmanthus wine, the price is more than 10 yuan.

Cheng Yaoyao said to Xie Zhao with great interest: "In autumn, we are blessed to eat spotted fish liver. We are lucky to have caught the last batch of spotted fish."

As they were talking, there was a sudden commotion in the restaurant.