Chapter 280 Osmanthus Fermented Rice Balls
Walking to the car, Jiang Chenyu gentlemanly opened the door for her and placed his palm on the edge of the roof to prevent her from accidentally bumping into it.
Cen Lian lowered his head and got into the passenger seat. The faint scent of cedar on his body brushed against his nose, and his heart skipped a beat for some reason.
As soon as she sat in, she hurriedly fastened her seat belt, fearing that the heart-pounding scene in the morning would be repeated.
When Jiang Chenyu walked around to the driver's seat, he happened to see her hurriedly fastening her seat belt, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose.
His slender fingers were placed on the steering wheel, with distinct joints.
"Are you so scared of me?" He tilted his head to look at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You can fasten your seatbelt faster than you can defuse a bomb."
Cen Lian'an's ears burned, "Who's scared? It's just... a habit."
Jiang Chenyu started the car with a low laugh, "I'll take you to a place I guarantee you'll like."
The car made many turns and finally stopped in front of an old house covered with wisteria flowers.
There was only a dim lantern hanging on the porch, and there was not even a sign.
"This is...?"
"Chef Du's homemade dishes." Jiang Chenyu unbuckled her seatbelt, his fingertips carelessly brushing her collarbone. "We only serve three tables a day, and reservations must be made six months in advance."
As soon as he pushed the door open, he was stopped by an old man in a cardigan. "No seats available today!"
"Uncle Du, it's me." Jiang Chenyu pulled out a yellowed card from the compartment of his wallet.
The old man squinted his eyes and suddenly patted him on the shoulder. "It's Xiao Jiang! How long has it been since you came here?"
His eyes lit up instantly when he saw Cen Li'an beside Jiang Chenyu, and he tentatively asked, "Girlfriend?"
"No!" Cen Lian waved his hands hurriedly.
Jiang Chenyu leaned close to the old man and whispered a few words. The old man showed a rare smile and personally led them through the bamboo forest path to the glass house by the water.
The moonlight shines through the mottled shadows of the bamboo onto the elm table, and each piece of tableware is reflected with fine silver light.
"What did you just say to Master Du?" Cen Lian asked curiously.
"Nothing, just asking for the interest on his grandson's tutoring." Jiang Chenyu pulled out a rattan chair for her. "The old man has a strange temper, but his crab meat lion's head is so delicious that it makes you swallow your tongue."
Only when the food came did Cen Lian understand what it meant to "swallow your tongue."
The stir-fried river shrimps on the table are crystal clear, the matsutake chicken soup is crystal clear, and even the most ordinary pickled pork with preserved vegetables is so delicious that it makes your scalp tingle.
As soon as she picked up a piece of jade fish fillet with chopsticks, she found that Jiang Chenyu was looking at her with his chin supported.
"What's wrong?"
"It's fun to watch you eat." He suddenly reached out and brushed his thumb across the corner of her mouth. "There's sauce on it."
Cen Lian froze in place, the temperature of his fingertips burning like sparks.
Just as he was about to dodge, the old man suddenly brought over two cups of rice dumplings in glutinous rice wine. "These are for you! This is Xiao Jiang's first time bringing a girl here."
Jiang Chenyu thanked him with a smile, but saw Cen Lian staring at the osmanthus flowers floating in the bowl in a trance.
"Why, you don't like sweets?"
"No..." She scooped up a dumpling, "I just remembered that my grandmother would sprinkle dried osmanthus flowers in her rice dumplings made with fermented glutinous rice."
The moonlight suddenly became gentle.
Jiang Chenyu pushed his bowl over and said, "Then this one is for you too."
It was almost ten o'clock when the two finished their meal and left.
The old man insisted on seeing her off to the door. Suddenly, he looked at Cen Li'an and said, "Girl, this kid is ten years old and this is his first time here. He didn't even panic when he smashed my store's blue and white porcelain. Just when he saw you accidentally choked, he almost knocked over the teapot."
Jiang Chenyu's ears turned red and he pulled her away.
The bluestone pavement in the alley was a bit slippery. Cen Lian was still thinking about the old man's words when he was suddenly bumped by a drunk running towards him and staggered.
"careful!"
The world was spinning around her, and she was embraced by an embrace that smelled of cedar.
Jiang Chenyu put his hands behind her head to protect her, and her back hit the wall heavily.
As their breaths intertwined, she heard his rapid heartbeat.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was unusually hoarse.
Cen Lian shook his head, and suddenly found that there was wall dust on his sleeves, and he subconsciously brushed it off.
When her fingertips touched his wrist, they both trembled.
She looked up and met his deep eyes, the emotions in them made her heart burn.
The night wind was cool, and the wisteria petals fell down, a few of which stuck to the ends of Cen Lian'an's hair.
Jiang Chenyu's hand was still firmly on her waist, his knuckles slightly tightened, as if he was afraid that she would be bumped again.
"You..." Cen Lian'an's voice trembled a little, "You can let go now."
Jiang Chenyu then withdrew his hand as if waking from a dream, but still stood half a step in front of her, blocking the cold wind blowing from the alley.
"I'm sorry." His voice was low and hoarse, but his eyes were still on her face, as if to make sure that she was really okay.
Cen Li'an lowered his head to straighten his clothes. When his fingertips touched his collarbone, he realized that the skin there was slightly hot.
"What the boss said..." she tried to change the subject, "Did you really smash his blue and white porcelain when you were a kid?"
Jiang Chenyu chuckled softly and reached out to brush the petals off her shoulders. "Well, when I was ten years old, I came to dinner with my dad and accidentally knocked over the antique shelf."
"He didn't ask you to pay?"
"I lost money." He paused, a mischievous smile in his eyes, "I tutored his grandson for three years."
Cen Li'an couldn't help but laugh out loud, "No wonder he looks at you like his own child."
The night wind blew by, and she subconsciously pulled her collar closer.
She saw every little movement of hers.
Jiang Chenyu immediately took off his coat and put it on her shoulders. The faint scent of cedar wrapped around her body temperature enveloped her.
"I'm not cold..."
"Wear it." His tone brooked no room for argument, and he gently pressed his slender fingers on her shoulder. "Your hands are cold."
Cen Lian pursed his lips and stopped refusing.
His coat was a little big for her, and the cuffs fell to her fingertips. She quietly grasped a corner, and his warmth still remained on the fabric.
At the end of the alley is a bustling night market street with colorful lanterns hanging high and bustling crowds of people.
Jiang Chenyu naturally took her hand, turned his head to look at her and said softly, "Follow closely, don't get lost."
Cen Lian's fingertips trembled, but he didn't break free.
His palms were broad and warm, with thin calluses on his fingertips, which brought a slight numbing sensation when he rubbed them.
"What do you want to eat?" Jiang Chenyu asked her with his head tilted to the side. The neon light fell on his well-defined profile, outlining a deep shadow.
"I've eaten a lot just now..." she answered in a low voice, but when she passed by a dessert shop, her eyes were unconsciously attracted by the sweet osmanthus wine dumplings in the window, and her voice stopped abruptly.
Jiang Chenyu followed her gaze, the corners of his lips raised slightly, "Another bowl?"
"But……"
"Boss, one serving of rice dumplings with glutinous rice wine and extra osmanthus flowers." After saying that, he let go of her hand and walked towards the stall.
Cen Lian stood in place, his fingertips curled up unconsciously, as if he could still feel the warmth of his palm.
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