Xu Lai sighed and replied, "It's alright, this can't become an instant hit, let's take it slow."
Grandma Jiang next door was scrolling through local videos when she came across Xu Lai's account. Because no one was showing their face, she didn't recognize Xu Lai at first. But then she heard a voice in the video, and the voice sounded increasingly familiar. She held the phone up to her reading glasses and said with a smile, "Isn't this Xiao Lai?"
She promptly shared the video on WeChat Moments. Jiang Yingqiu, seeing the video, was somewhat confused and even called to ask, "Mom, what video did you share? Who is Xu Lai?"
Grandma Jiang chuckled, "Go ask your son. That girl is very skillful. She sent me a portion of all those green rice dumplings and mung bean cakes in the video." The old lady proudly held up the items for her daughter to see.
Jiang Yingqiu smiled helplessly and said, "She seems like a good girl. Although I haven't seen her face, I can tell from her voice that she's not bad."
Xu Lai is going to the mountain to pick bracken today. She saw someone in the village bring back a big bag of bracken last time, and she has been itching to pick it ever since.
She put on a hat, changed into clothes suitable for hiking, and headed out with her bag.
She had asked her grandmother this morning which hilltops had ferns. Xu Lai went out and headed straight for her destination, which wasn't far, just on the hill behind the house.
There is also a large bamboo forest on the mountain, with many bamboo shoots sprouting. Xu Lai remembers that her grandmother used to cut some tender bamboo shoots, dry them, and make them into bamboo shoot shreds, which were then used to steam cured meat in winter.
The further into the mountains she went, the cooler it became. Because she was recording a video, she walked rather slowly.
After climbing for about ten minutes, Xu Lai found some bracken fern. She recorded a video of herself picking it on her phone, put the phone away, and focused on picking it.
After some time, the burlap sack was almost full. She also saw the water bamboo shoots, which were long and thin and could be used to make hand-peeled bamboo shoots. However, she couldn't carry any more today, so Xu Lai made a mark and said she would invite her grandmother to come and pick them next time.
She dragged a bag of ferns down the mountain by herself. Her grandfather saw her in the field, put down his hoe and came over to help. Xu Lai was finally able to catch her breath; heaven knows she was exhausted.
When Zhao Qingyun returned, he saw this scene: Xu Lai had some leaves stuck in her hair, her hat was hanging around her neck by a rope, her face was covered in sweat, her cheeks were flushed, and she was covered in mud.
Xu Lai was unaware of her disheveled appearance. She wiped her sweat and met Zhao Qingyun, greeting him listlessly, "Good afternoon."
"You went on a wilderness survival adventure?" Zhao Qingyun asked with a hint of amusement.
Xu Lai shook her head: "No, I went up the mountain to pick ferns." She pointed to the figure of her grandfather carrying a bag in front of her.
"I'm not talking to you anymore, it's so hot, I'm going back to take a shower." Xu Lai walked straight past and waved.
Zhao Qingyun thought to himself, this is really an unusual woman. Most of the girls he has met are delicate and love beauty. It is rare to see someone like her who is covered in sweat and mud.
When Xu Lai got home, he went into the bathroom and realized he was covered in leaves and mud. No wonder he said that strange thing.
She rinsed herself off and did a skincare treatment before changing into her loungewear.
As Xu Lai dried her hair, she secretly rejoiced that she was wrapped up tightly today, otherwise those branches would have left many cuts on her body.
When she came downstairs, her grandmother was already washing ferns. She wanted to go over and help, but her grandmother told her to sit down: "You've finished your bath, so don't touch these things anymore, there's a lot of dust."
Xu Lai had no choice but to give up. She cooked two dishes and served them with the porridge she had made before leaving that afternoon. That made up her dinner.
After dinner, Xu Lai still went to get some bracken fern; she needed to collect video material.
Xu Lai scooped the bracken out of the pot, turned her back to the camera, and said, "First, wash off the fuzz from the bracken, then blanch it, rinse it several times with cold water, and then you can stir-fry it. It's especially delicious when paired with scallions or cured meat."
Xu Lai set aside some to stir-fry, and took the rest to a winnowing basket, intending to spread the bracken fern out to dry in the sun.
Because there was so much bracken, she filled a large basin and took it to the neighbor's house.
They were eating over there. When Grandma Jiang saw her coming, she stood up and asked, "Xiao Lai, have you eaten yet?"
Xu Lai nodded: "We've already eaten. I picked a lot of bracken this afternoon and brought some over for you."
Grandma Jiang pulled her hand again, making her sit down, and said to Zhao Qingyun, "Aren't you going to pour some tea?"
Xu Lai quickly replied, "No need to trouble yourself."
Zhao Qingyun put down the bowl and chopsticks, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Xu Lai. Xu Lai looked up at him and realized that he was wearing a shirt today.
She hadn't looked closely in the afternoon, but it turned out he always wore a suit to work. It has to be said that Zhao Qingyun had a very different temperament when he wore a suit; he had a noble air about him, and also an air of asceticism.
Xu Lai's inner thoughts: Is this even conceivable? Xu Lai, that's enough, stop fantasizing about others.
Grandma Jiang said in a tone as if she had discovered something extraordinary, "Xiao Lai, I came across your short video today."
Xu Lai exclaimed, "Grandma, you're so fast! I just posted this last night!"
Grandma Jiang smiled and said, "Even though you didn't take a picture of my face, I could tell it was your voice as soon as I heard it."
Xu Lai exclaimed in surprise, "Really? It's so obvious!"
Grandma Jiang hummed in agreement: "Xiao Lai, your voice is so nice, so soft and gentle."
Zhao Qingyun remained silent, quietly eating his meal, but a closer look revealed that he didn't pick up any food.
Having finished their conversation, Xu Lai said goodbye. Zhao Qingyun snapped out of his reverie, stood up, and said, "I'll see you to the door."
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