Chapter 26 Happy Lantern Festival! If making a fool of himself could make her laugh, he…
Chen Mian hesitated for a moment, looking at the wooden carving in the man's hand. She then declined, saying that she had other things in her hands and couldn't take them.
She glanced at Ji Yu out of the corner of her eye, thinking to herself that this guy was quite serious. In order to pursue other girls, he learned to cook and wood carving. Afraid that the first attempt wouldn't turn out well, he even knew to grab someone to ask beforehand.
Chen Mian felt a slight pang of sadness, which was fleeting. She wondered which girl was so lucky to have someone care about her so much.
The two walked in silence, following Li Cuiping back to the lakeside.
Ji Yu frowned slightly, looking somewhat dejected. He didn't understand why Chen Mian was unwilling to accept the gift he had carefully prepared. Did she think it wasn't exquisite enough?
But he had really tried his best to learn. After a while, he comforted himself, "It's okay. It's probably because it's my first time making it, so the details aren't good enough. I'll practice more when I get back, and then Mu Mian will definitely like it."
Ji Yu smiled and excitedly showed Chen Mian and Li Cuiping the food she had made, "This is something I just learned to cook. Come and try it and see how it tastes."
After saying that, he took out three large bowls, scooped a spoonful of topping for each person and poured it over the noodles. He first handed one bowl to Li Cuiping, and then helped Chen Mian mix it before handing it to her.
Li Cuiping was very supportive, saying, "It's really delicious! Officer Ji, you're amazing. You made it so well on your first try!"
Chen Mian took a delicate bite and praised it with a slight smile, "It's really quite good. The noodles are very chewy, and the potatoes are stewed until they are very soft and tender."
As Ji Yu listened to Chen Mian's praise, he spoke modestly, saying "not at all," but as he turned around, a huge smile spread across his face. He was overjoyed; Mianmian had finally praised him.
With limited space and no tables or chairs, the three of them ate lunch sitting on a blanket with their bowls in hand.
Chen Mian put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth contentedly. Suddenly, she remembered something and looked a little annoyed: "I forgot we also picked mushrooms. They're delicious when roasted."
"I can't eat anymore..."
Upon hearing this, Ji Yu quickly comforted him, "It's alright, we can grill it again this afternoon. I'll take you to the other side later; the scenery here is beautiful."
Ji Yu added, "The weather is nice today, there should be lots of stars to see tonight." After saying that, she hesitated and glanced at Chen Mian, wondering if she would be willing to spend the night here.
If it were just the two of them out, he definitely wouldn't dare to have such a thought. But today, her friend is also there, so if Mianmian agrees, they can stay together a little longer.
Since Chen Mian moved out of her home, it has been very difficult for him to see her again. If he had known this would happen, he should not have agreed to meet her in the first place.
Everyone says, "Those who are near the water get the moon first," but he's the one who pushed his own moon away.
Ji Yu: Don't ask, the answer is regret. When you're young, you don't know how hard it is to win a wife's heart...
Chen Mian and Li Cuiping exchanged a glance, smiled, and held hands, saying in unison, "It's a rare opportunity to get out, so of course we have to have a great time!"
The two best friends got up from the blanket. Chen Mian pulled out a bunch of strawberries and handed them to the man, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Brother Ji, this is our bribe to you. Please protect our safety tonight."
Ji Yu was already completely captivated by the girl's sweet dimples, and was so charmed that she could only nod frantically and say "okay, okay, okay".
In the afternoon, Ji Yu took the lead and led the way to the mountains. There were two routes into the mountains, and they randomly chose one to set off.
He took out his military knife, cut off a few thin branches, sharpened the tips, and prepared to try his luck to see if he could catch a rabbit or two, which he could roast and eat that night.
After walking for a while, they still hadn't encountered any wild rabbits. However, Chen Mian, with her sharp eyes, spotted a long grapevine hanging from a withered tree. The vine was laden with fruit, full of deep purple wild grapes.
Chen Mian was a little tempted, so she leaned over, picked a fruit, and put it in her mouth. She was so sour that she shuddered and her face contorted. She quickly spat it out.
She stared at the bunch of unbearably sour grapes for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up. With a mischievous grin, she picked another grape and turned to hand it to Ji Yu, saying, "Brother Ji, try this one, it's so sweet."
Caught off guard, Ji Yu took a bite and was made to grimace by the sourness. However, he was too embarrassed to spit it out in front of the two of them, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and swallow it down. His originally handsome features were all scrunched up.
Seeing that her prank had succeeded, Chen Mian couldn't help but laugh so hard she was doubled over, her body shaking with laughter: "Hahaha, how could you be so silly, you actually fell for that, hahaha..."
Seeing this, Li Cuiping burst into laughter. This was a game they often played together when they were little. Every time, Chen Mian would lie, and with her innocent smiling face, she would win every time.
Surprisingly, even after growing up, she could still fool people with this trick.
Looking at Chen Mian's smile and the faint dimples on her face, Ji Yu felt a warmth in her heart. Not only was she not angry, but she also smiled back.
He liked seeing Chen Mian smile, because it meant she was living a comfortable and happy life, unlike when she was crying with red eyes like when they first met.
If making a fool of himself could make her laugh, he was willing to play the clown forever.
On the contrary, when Chen Mian saw the smile on Ji Yu's face, she lowered her head somewhat shyly, revealing her slender and fair neck, and kept playing with a few strands of hair in circles with her right index finger.
She was only thinking about teasing people and hadn't considered what would happen if the other person got angry. Luckily, Brother Ji had a good temper. Chen Mian hesitated for a few steps, then slowly walked to her friend's side, took her arm, and whispered, "Let's keep going and catch rabbits."
Li Cuiping, oblivious to the undercurrents between the two, was only thinking about the barbecue feast that evening. She immediately replied excitedly, "Let's go through this thicket over there. I bet there are rabbits behind it!"
However, they were indeed lucky. After trekking through the forest for an hour, they actually caught two wild rabbits. Their grayish-white fur hid in the weeds. If it weren't for Ji Yu's skill, they would have gone home empty-handed.
Ji Yu looked around, tore off a string of dry vines, pulled out the branches still stuck in the rabbits, did a quick clean-up, and then neatly tied the two rabbits together.
He picked them up and weighed them, nodding in satisfaction: "These two are quite plump. We're in for a treat tonight. I brought seasonings and honey with me."
Chen Mian was also a little tempted and chimed in, "We can have one grilled and the other stir-fried, but I wonder if you brought any chili peppers, Brother Ji?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Yu scratched his head in annoyance. He had told others that he could already cook, but in reality, he had only learned to cook one pre-made dish. He brought barbecue seasoning and honey because grilling meat did not require any additional cooking skills. He never expected that Chen Mian would want to eat stir-fried rabbit meat.
After thinking it over, he finally confessed honestly: "I didn't bring any chili peppers, only barbecue seasoning..."
Chen Mian stared at the man's worried face for a long time with curiosity, then chuckled and comforted him, "Brother Ji, you don't need to take it so seriously. I was just saying it casually. You've already prepared a lot of things in advance."
She was genuinely curious about why Ji Yu had changed so much. Before, when they were together, he seemed clueless, straightforward in his actions, saying whatever came to mind, and completely oblivious to the subtle thoughts and feelings of women.
Not to mention this autumn outing, he prepared so many things in advance. Could it be that he wanted to invite his favorite girl to play, but was afraid that something might happen, so he used the two girls as guinea pigs to practice on her first?
Chen Mian withdrew her gaze, glanced at the sky, and realized they had been out for a while. She then turned to ask Li Cuiping if they wanted to continue their stroll.
Li Cuiping shook her head: "Let's go back via another path; we might find something new and interesting there."
Chen Mian and Ji Yu: "Okay."
Ji Yu led the way, as he had grown up here and had been to this place several times before. Chen Mian and Li Cuiping followed behind, looking around.
Hiking in the mountains requires luck, but even more so, it requires keen eyesight. Only by paying attention to every single detail can you find treasures and return home with a full load.
This time, however, luck was not on her side. Chen Mian did not find the wild chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns she wanted and had to return disappointed.
In the evening, Ji Yu made some minor modifications to the makeshift stove he had used at noon, turning it into a brand new barbecue grill. He went to the lakeside, cleaned the wild rabbit, and prepared to cut it into pieces.
Chen Mian offered, "How about I do it? I can't let you keep doing all the work by yourself."
Ji Yu's face was serious as she refused, "I invited you out, how can I let you do the work? Go and rest."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and quickly added, "I meant that my mom invited you out, but she couldn't come because of something, so I had to take good care of you on her behalf."
Seeing this, Chen Mian had no choice but to turn back and lean against her friend, watching Ji Yu demonstrate his culinary skills. She picked up a plump, round grape and put it in her mouth, her red lips slightly pursed, her bright almond eyes narrowed, and she teased, "Brother Ji is really capable. I wish my future husband could be as virtuous as him, preferably someone who can cook and do housework, haha..."
Li Cuiping teased, "What's the use of just thinking about it? It's all ready-made, isn't it? Go and take him down right now!"
Chen Mian glanced at her and said coquettishly, "I don't want to get married so early."
All she wants now is to build a successful career in Xinjiang and then bring her parents over so that the whole family can stay together.
Men will only slow down the speed at which she makes money.
Not far away, Ji Yu raised her hand to beckon them, "You can come over now. The rabbit meat is almost done roasting. I'll start roasting the mushrooms and apples now."
Chen Mian responded, pulled her friend up, and lazily walked over. She could already smell the aroma of roasted rabbit meat; the air was filled with a sweet fragrance.
When Ji Yu saw her coming over, he whispered mysteriously, "I have something I want to tell you tonight..."
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Author's Note: Mini-Theater:
Crucian carp: Here, it's for you.
Little Cotton retorted: I don't want your practice stuff, hmph.
Random thoughts:
Waaaaah, I'm so sorry everyone. I'm only 1200 short of making it to the top of the charts this week. I'll post 1500 first, and then make up the remaining 3000 tomorrow. The main problem is that I really don't have time to write anymore.
Happy Lantern Festival to all the babies! May everyone who sees this get rich, get rich, and become very wealthy!
I've added it, but why hasn't anyone talked to me lately? Is it because they're not coming to see me anymore? QAQ
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