9. Italian food
She hit the nail on the head.
He touched her back, remembering how he used to pinch her waist and penetrate her from behind. They made love in the school study room, the floor covered with the water flowing down between her legs.
At that time, Yao Ling was holding onto the table, and he grasped her waist and penetrated her from behind, her school uniform lifted to the top, revealing her butterfly bones and shoulder straps. No matter how secret and stimulating, she rarely cried out, but she would shiver and bite her knuckles, turning her face, her hair hanging over her ears swaying, her cheeks as rosy as Roland.
She never played it safe, but instead showed him the curve of her waist and the soft, misty pink on her waist. He pinched her, but she didn't cry out in pain. She actually liked it, letting him leave fingerprints on her body. He always knew that the pinker her skin became, the more moisture she would shed and the more she would tremble.
Deng Shilang returned to his home in Hengfeng and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of ice water. He was hard, incredibly hard. The hollowed-out straps of hers today overlapped with the half-covered school uniform in his memory, triggering a familiar physiological reaction. He didn't know how many people had pinched her waist since then, but the Frenchman named Pierre must have tried it.
Deng Shilang didn't want to masturbate for her. He couldn't possibly do that against his conscience at this moment, so he immediately took off his clothes and went to the shower. His demeanor was reserved and self-possessed, not nostalgic. He maintained mutual respect and decency with his ex, so as not to make her seem like a mere object for his sexual pleasure. He was also decisive, not considering giving her the upper hand in such a matter.
Yao Ling returned to the B&B. Chen Yu had initially assumed she'd stay the night, and seeing her return was predictable. She offered her a peeled tangerine slice. She didn't take it with her hands, but lowered her head and took it into her mouth, concentrating on taking off her boots.
Chen Yu was sharing her recent recreational activities. Yao Ling noticed her parents were full of energy, having packed a tight schedule. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they'd go to the Avenue of Stars tomorrow to see Leslie Cheung's handprints, then take the ferry to Golden Bauhinia Square. The scenery there was beautiful, and she could bring her camera along.
After Yao Ling finished washing up, she lay on the bed and checked her phone. A bunch of messages came in.
Although she didn't open her work email, her personal Instagram was connected to clients, so she scrolled through the chat history and saw some work-related messages. After checking, she swiped into Deng Shilang's Instagram, and their chat history stopped at those four words. She accidentally clicked on the profile picture and went to his profile, but it was all black: "no post," which meant he had blacklisted her.
Yao Ling couldn't help but laugh, wondering if he was provoked by what had just happened in the elevator, or perhaps he was trying to clarify the boundaries between them. She ignored his actions, not even offering him the same response.
She admitted that he was a good kisser. In the past, he always took the initiative to bend down and kiss her. If it wasn't a French kiss, he would just lightly touch the corner of her mouth and then smile. Her eyes could hold his dimples, like her heartbeat during her school days. But they had grown up. He had just teased her in the elevator, and she was indeed dissatisfied. But after the night breeze blew, she felt that her dissatisfaction was unnecessary. She didn't need to care about his behavior in this short place, so she became generous and tolerant.
Early the next morning, there was no crowing of chickens or birds, only the freshly-baked morning news.
Yao Ling had breakfast with her parents, changed into casual clothes, and set off with a spare battery for her camera. Landscape photography requires minimal equipment; a flash and reflector aren't necessary; sometimes, a compact camera can be effective. They walked from the Avenue of Stars to Golden Bauhinia Square, snapping photos along the way. Afternoon tea consisted of chicken wings, fries, and drizzled French toast. As dusk fell, the misty haze shone brightly. She returned to her B&B with hundreds of negatives and began organizing them on her computer.
From the hundreds of photos, she would select five that best evoke Hong Kong characteristics, edit them, and then upload them to social media. After she was done, she turned off her computer. Chen Yu happened to ask her to go to a place like Harbour City, buy Italian seasonings at the supermarket, and cook a homemade Italian meal for Qiu Ping's family.
Having been immigrants for so long, they had already mastered the skills to cook authentic Italian dishes. After searching online, they went to a large supermarket, pushed a cart, and searched the shelves full of various products.
"Let's make tomato bruschetta for the appetizer and carbonara for the main course. These two are classics and I'm also good at them." Chen Yu already had a recipe idea.
"I want to eat garlic cream clams." Yao Ling was very frank and hoped that she would change the main course menu.
Shen Yu was undecided. She had to take Qiu Ping's family's taste into consideration, so she had to choose one of the two. She had no choice but to say, "Why don't you call and ask Li Tang what he wants to eat tonight."
Yao Ling made a WhatsApp call. When the call was answered, she got straight to the point: "Do you like seafood or bacon?"
Liang Litang didn't understand why she asked what they were doing, so he chose according to his own taste: "Seafood."
"Egg yolk and cheese, or light cream."
"Egg yolk and cheese."
Seafood and light cream make garlic cream clams, while bacon, egg yolk and cheese make Carbonara. You still can't just choose one from the other.
Shen Yu smiled kindly after hearing this, leaned over to the microphone, and said gently: "Litang, I'm your aunt. I want to cook Italian food for you, so I called to ask for your opinion. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you."
Liang Litang understood and immediately became polite and modest: "Rosalie, you choose. I have no problem with it."
Yao Ling held the phone and said, "Okay, that's it."
In the end, they chose Carbonara. Yao Ling knew it was the most classic Italian dish, while the garlic cream clams were just a standard classic. So after a while, she decided not to have her own say and should follow her mother's ideas and buy many ingredients together.
Liang Litang finished work and returned to his parents' home. Chen Yu also prepared Italian dishes. The six of them had dinner together. Qiu Ping and her husband were full of praise, especially the appetizer, a baguette garnished with diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, and cheese. Unfortunately, they couldn't find any cured salmon, which would have added a savory and fragrant flavor.
Liang Litong shared an Italian dish cooked by his aunt on Instagram, and ten minutes later he received a message.
[DChayden]: Looks good.
【LLT】：All that’s missing is the spritz you made.
【DChayden】Come to the bar next time.
[LLT]: Next time? Are you working overtime?
【DChayden】: OTfromhome, haven’t eaten yet.
Deng Shilang had just received an email from Tracy. Tracy was a friend of his who worked in planning in Central. A Shanghai diamond company had recently successfully listed in Hong Kong, and the company's president had invited all parties to a high-end cocktail reception in Central. Tracy was participating as a co-planner for the reception, and the exchange's listing department had also sent someone to follow up. The two of them were in discussions.
After an unknown amount of time, the doorbell to Deng Shilang's apartment rang. It was Chen Li'er, bringing him food. Coincidentally, it was also Italian food.
*
OT: Overtime
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
