Zhao Qingyun's flight was in the evening. Ms. Yingqiu originally asked him to leave the next day, but he had already been delayed for several days and had told her that he would be back in a couple of days.
He arrived home in the early hours of the morning. He hadn't eaten much dinner and was quite hungry after rushing back.
Just as he was about to make himself something to eat, his grandmother came out of the room and turned on the light. His eyes were so bright that he instinctively covered them with his hand.
Grandma Jiang smiled and said, "You're back. Why didn't you stay a few more days?"
Zhao Qingyun opened the refrigerator and said, "I'll come back naturally once things are settled."
The next second, looking at the empty refrigerator, he laughed in exasperation: "Grandma, so you really didn't buy any groceries while I was away?"
Grandma Jiang knew she was in the wrong, so she ate the rest of the food and went out to play for two days, naturally forgetting to buy groceries.
Zhao Qingyun put her hands on her hips and said, "Your grandson is starving."
Grandma Jiang remembered there was still soup on the table. She had only drunk one bowl today and there was still quite a bit left, so she said, "Xiao Lai brought some soup today, and there's still some left. You can heat it up and drink it."
While heating the soup, Zhao Qingyun said, "You should go to sleep. I'll go upstairs to rest after I finish eating."
Grandma Jiang asked, "Are you going to work tomorrow?"
Zhao Qingyun pushed the spatula away and said, "I'm not going for now. I told the company I was going on a business trip for ten days to half a month, and it's still early."
...
The next morning, Xu Lai woke Xia Ning up on time, asking, "Are you still going to pick lotus flowers?"
She got up listlessly and followed Xu Lai out. The lotus pond at her third uncle's house was very large, and it was the season for lotus flowers to bloom. The entire pond was covered with pink and white lotus flowers, which swayed in the wind.
Most of the high-quality lotus pods grow deep inside, with tall and prickly lotus stems, so Xu Lai borrowed the small boat that her third uncle usually used to harvest lotus tips and pods.
When Xia Ning saw the vast expanse of lotus flowers, she became excited, completely unlike her sleepy appearance just moments before.
Xu Lai handed the camera to Xia Ning, "Ningning, help me film a video later."
Xia Ning took it, somewhat surprised, and said, "Why did you suddenly buy a camera?"
It's funny, Xu Lai explained: "I had an advertisement with an advertiser before, and they thought the photos taken with my phone weren't clear enough, so they gave me some money. I paid for a camera myself, and I've been using the camera ever since."
Xia Ning nodded and then said, "This advertiser has pretty high requirements."
Xu Lai used the oar to propel the boat, stepped off the shore, and landed on the boat. Once she was steady, she took Xia Ning's hand and pulled her aboard.
The two stood swaying on the boat, Xia Ning a little flustered, "Xiao Lai, are we not going to capsize?"
After regaining her composure, Xu Lai rowed the boat and said, "It shouldn't be. You have to believe that our friendship boat, which has lasted for so many years, won't capsize so easily."
Xia Ning was amused by her and started filming. When they arrived at a place with many lotus pods, Xu Lai stopped the boat and began picking lotus pods. She broke off a tender one, peeled off the outer shell of the lotus seed, and held it to Xia Ning's mouth: "Try it."
Xia Ning accepted it without worry, but the next second, a bitter expression appeared on her face. "Ptooey, ptooey, Xu Lai, why is it so bitter? It tastes awful."
Xu Lai laughed out loud at her joke. She peeled a lotus seed, removed the lotus core, tossed it into the air, and caught it as it landed steadily in her mouth.
Xu Lai chewed it, tilted her head and said, "It doesn't taste bitter to me, it's crisp and sweet."
She peeled another lotus seed, removed the core, and handed it to Xia Ning, saying, "This time it's not bitter."
Xia Ning tasted it and found it to be true. She found it amazing how removing the green core made it less bitter.
Although she is from the countryside, she has lived in the county since she was a child, and this is her first time picking lotus seeds in a lotus pond.
Xu Lai stood on the boat and picked the lotus pods from that patch, then continued rowing further in. Before long, the cabin was filled with lotus pods. Just when Xia Ning thought they were going back, Xu Lai pulled out a snakeskin bag from somewhere.
"Fill this up and then go home. I promised my third uncle I'd pick a whole sackful for him." Xu Lai shook the sack.
Xia Ning sighed, "Alright, you've taken enough pictures. I'll help you pick them."
As she picked the fruit, she started to get restless and began to move around on the boat. Xu Lai quickly steadied her and called out with a smile, "Ningning, stop fooling around, or we'll all fall in."
As Xia Ning picked the fruit, she said, "If it falls, we're doomed."
Xu Lai tried to scare her: "There might be big spicy strips in the water."
Xia Ning was indeed frightened and became much more docile, even hiding in the center of the boat. Xu Lai almost burst out laughing when she saw her like that: "I was just kidding you."
Before leaving, Xu Lai picked more than a dozen lotus leaves and a large bunch of lotus flowers. Xia Ning also gave her a large lotus leaf to cover her head, saying it would shield her from the sun.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I emerged from the lotus pond, I saw Zhao Qingyun running. He was wearing a sleeveless vest and a pair of sports pants, and his body was covered in sweat, so he must have been exercising for a while.
Xu Lai looked at his arm, and as he moved, the muscles became faintly visible. She couldn't help but look away.
As Zhao Qingyun ran past the lotus pond, he noticed the sound coming from inside. He thought the sound was familiar, and after listening carefully for a while, he guessed that it was Xu Lai.
It seemed she wouldn't be out anytime soon, but he really wanted to see her, so he ran around in circles until she finally came out.
He pulled up his collar and fanned himself, then pretended to be surprised when he saw her, saying, "What a coincidence, you were picking lotus flowers and lotus pods?"
Xu Lai gave him a knowing look, then nodded. The two hadn't seen each other for two days, and Xu Lai felt a little awkward.
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