Chapter 45 Reluctance
Xiao Peiyin held the rabbit doll she had picked up and looked around, searching for Gu Cunxi. Because she was too focused on the doll machine in front of her, she didn't notice when Gu Cunxi left her side.
Just as she was thinking, a beautiful figure caught Xiao Peiyin's sight. She saw Gu Cunxi standing at the door of the game hall from a distance, looking at her. Her grey windbreaker made her figure look slender. Xiao Peiyin didn't know why she felt that Gu Cunxi looked a little lonely at the moment. She stood there quietly, neither coming towards her nor leaving. She just stood there alone, which made her feel distressed. The desire to hug her surged in her heart. Xiao Peiyin stood up and walked quickly towards the door.
Looking at the person walking towards her from a distance, Gu Cunxi tried to calm the bitterness in her heart, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth with difficulty. In a moment, her body fell into Xiao Peiyin's warm embrace, and she felt the strong hands around her waist tightly wrapped around her. In just a moment, Gu Cunxi felt her eyes sore and tears welled up in her heart. She felt powerless, reluctant, helpless and reluctant. All these feelings made her want to cry. Gu Cunxi didn't want Peiyin to notice her abnormality, so she tried hard to suppress the sadness that wanted to cry, holding back the pain! Her heart was trembling slightly...
"Cunxi! I did it! Look, it's a rabbit doll!" Xiao Peiyin let go of the hand that was hugging Gu Cunxi, handed the doll in front of her, and smiled happily.
"Wow! You caught the most beautiful one in the machine. That's amazing, Pei Pei. It's so cute! Just like you, I want to hold it while sleeping at night!" Gu Cunxi did not show any sadness or loss. He looked at Xiao Peiyin, took the doll and smiled happily, suppressing all negative emotions.
"Are you going to hold it while sleeping? What about me?" Xiao Peiyin frowned slightly and said in a feigned anger.
"Well! Then you hold me to sleep, and I'll hold it..."
Before Gu Cunxi could finish, Xiao Peiyin snatched the rabbit doll from her arms and said, "I shouldn't have caught it if I had known!"
Seeing Pei Yin pretending to be angry and jealous, Gu Cunxi chuckled softly, reached out and pulled her, pulling her into his arms, and said gently: "Then... I won't hold it when you are here. If you are not here... I will treat it as you, okay?"
"That's more like it! But I'll always be here, Gu Cunxi!"
Hearing Xiao Peiyin's words, Gu Cunxi's eyes dimmed, filled with loneliness.
Just wait a little longer, tell her later, let each other be happy for a while longer, please don’t let the separation come too quickly, give each other some more time! Just be selfish for once, stay with her for a while longer! Gu Cunxi thought secretly in his heart
"Pei Pei, what do you want to eat for lunch?" Gu Cunxi asked
"I'll listen to you. I think anything I eat with you is fine!"
"Then... shall we eat instant noodles?"
"Okay! But... I want you to cook it yourself and add an egg!"
Xiao Peiyin's tone was cheerful and full of smiles. Gu Cunxi saw this and sighed slightly, "Let's go! There's a pretty good Yunnan restaurant upstairs. I heard that the chefs and wait staff are all from Yunnan!"
After that, Gu Cunxi took Xiao Peiyin's hand, interlocked their fingers, and held it tightly. The two talked and laughed all the way. They took the elevator to the 13th floor of the mall and walked into the restaurant. The waiter came forward enthusiastically, wearing Dai costumes.
Gu Cunxi chose a quiet corner by the window, took the menu from the waiter, handed it to Xiao Peiyin and said, "Take a look! What do you want to eat?"
Xiao Peiyin pushed open the menu, looked at Gu Cunxi tenderly, and said softly, "Please help me order. I...have never eaten Yunnan cuisine!"
The waiter beside them looked at the two people's intimacy and smiled.
Gu Cunxi looked through the menu and asked Xiao Peiyin about her dietary restrictions while ordering. Every detail was thoughtful and considerate.
"That's all for now, and a cup of Terminalia chebula juice!"
After ordering the dishes, Gu Cunxi looked at the scenery outside the window. From the 13th floor, everything outside became small. Thinking of the arrival of Pei Yin's parents, his heart was filled with melancholy.
"Pei Pei...what kind of people are your parents?" Gu Cunxi asked casually, pretending to be indifferent.
Xiao Peiyin was a little surprised that Gu Cunxi would suddenly ask about her parents. She was momentarily distracted. She was silent for a moment and then slowly spoke, her tone full of helplessness: "They are very ordinary people, a little selfish, and a little biased towards boys. I have an older brother who is five years older than me. My parents have always favored him since I was a child. Although I am a girl, my parents have never treated me badly since I was a child. Back then, our family lived a simple and comfortable life until my brother died in a car accident eight years ago..."
At this point, Xiao Peiyin's eyes passed over Gu Cunxi's face and looked at the white wall behind her, as if she was recalling the past. After a long time, she continued: "The car accident was very serious... On the spot... People were gone. From that day on, the family was turned upside down. For a long time, they couldn't accept the fact that they had lost their son. People do change their personalities completely after experiencing certain things. My parents' selfishness and vanity also happened after this incident. Because they couldn't bear it and because their hearts were empty, they gradually wanted to fill it with vanity. I know they just want to use money to support their own face. Maybe they think that only in this way can they support the pain of losing their son and retain a trace of courage to live. Because in our place, families without sons are easily bullied and looked down upon. It's ridiculous, right..."
"From that year on, life at home was like a nightmare. My parents would occasionally vent their anger on me. I knew they were suffering, so I never said anything. I met Chen Feng that year, too. Life was too difficult, and I was too weak. I had to admit that my abilities were limited and I couldn't satisfy my parents' desires and vanity. But I couldn't bear to see them being laughed at, so I chose the rich and powerful Chen Feng. I was ridiculous too, wasn't I..."
Gu Cunxi shook his head and said nothing.
"Seven years after our marriage, thanks to Chen Feng's financial support, people around us began to envy my parents. They were polite to them and kept saying they had found a good son-in-law..."
"Gradually, they stopped being so lifeless, and their lives got better. No one laughed at them for losing their son anymore, at least not on the surface! In the past seven years, they never asked me if I was doing well or if I was happy. It was as if they had completely forgotten about other people's feelings and only cared about their own inner desires. My parents were like my weak spot. After losing my brother, everything in the family fell on me. Although it was tiring, they were still my parents after all, and I had a responsibility to them, including my brother's. So when it came to Chen Feng, I often endured and gave in. I think my parents will never be able to understand me the way I understand them!"
Gu Cunxi looked at Xiao Peiyin, his tone so calm that no emotion could be heard, but the words he spoke were like knives that pierced her heart...
It turns out she had endured so much... and he was completely unaware of it! Gu Cunxi suddenly felt very upset, angry that fate had brought them together so late, and also angry that he hadn't discovered the secret in her heart, leaving Pei Yin to bear such a heavy past alone...
The two of them were silent for a long time. As the dishes were gradually served, Gu Cunxi lost his appetite.
"Let's eat first, Pei Pei! This is steam pot chicken, try it!" Gu Cunxi picked up the soup bowl in front of Pei Yin and filled it for her.
"Steamed Pot Chicken is a famous dish in Yunnan cuisine. Yunnan cuisine is divided into Northeast Yunnan, West Yunnan, and Southwest Yunnan, each with its own unique characteristics. I ordered a few dishes from each. Please try them first to see how they taste!"
Xiao Peiyin took the bowl of soup handed to her by Cunxi, and felt a warm feeling in her heart.
"Cunxi...what is this dish?"
Gu Cunxi looked in the direction of Pei Yin's finger, chuckled slightly and said, "This dish is called Jingpo Ghost Chicken. It's made with black chicken and comes from the historical Jingpo people!"
"Isn't the name weird?" Gu Cunxi asked
"Hmm... Ghost Chicken, it's a little weird!"
"It's called ghost chicken because the Jingpo people at that time had the custom of killing animals to sacrifice to ghosts and gods."
"In the past, Yunnan cuisine was the most popular dish in Beicheng. I like the unique characteristics of each dish, which reflects the diverse ethnic cultures. The freshness and fragrance of Yunnan cuisine comes from the vegetables grown in many places, which is difficult to replicate in other regions."
"Then...what about this dish?" Xiao Peiyin pointed to the one next to it.
"This one is very interesting! It's called Tengchong's Great Rescue!"
Xiao Peiyin was completely confused. Unable to figure out the origin of the dish's name, she simply thought it was odd. Curious, she asked, "Why is it called 'Da Jiu Jia'? Could it be that this dish saved a certain emperor at the time?"
Gu Cunxi chuckled softly, and seeing Xiao Peiyin staring at her blankly, she nodded slightly and said, "This dish is actually fried bait!"
"It is said that the name originated from the fact that after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Li Ding, Liu Wenxiu and other members of the Dashi Army accompanied the Yongli Emperor Zhu Youlang to Kunming. At the same time, the Qing army entered the Forbidden City and would not let go of the "remnants" of the Ming Dynasty. After that, the Qing army entered Yunnan from three directions, and Wu Sangui led his army to attack Kunming, Yunnan."
"Unfortunately, the Yongli Emperor heard the news and fled westward with Generals Li Ding and Liu Wenxiu. When they arrived in Tengchong, they ran out of food several times and were in danger of losing their lives. The local people of Tengchong presented them with this fried pig's nest. After tasting it, the Yongli Emperor praised it as a lifesaver!"
This dish got its name from this, and Tengchong fried rice cakes became known as "The Great Rescue." Later, the Yongli Emperor fled all the way to Burma, where he was taken in by the then Burmese king. In the 15th year of the Yongli reign, Wu Sangui invaded Burma and demanded Zhu Youlang from the king. Unfortunately, a coup had just occurred in Myanmar at the time. Mangbai murdered his brother and proclaimed himself the King of Burma. Due to internal instability, Myanmar was unable to resist and had no choice but to accede to the Qing army's demands. Wu Sangui then tricked the Yongli Emperor into traveling all the way to the Curse Water and killed all of his guards. This is the Curse Water Disaster! After being captured, the Yongli Emperor was imprisoned in the Jinchan Temple at Bizipotou in Kunming. In the 16th year of the Yongli reign, he was strangled on the spot by Wu Sangui, marking the official end of the Ming Dynasty. This dish, known as the Great Rescue, has been passed down to this day and is one of Yunnan's specialties!
Xiao Peiyin watched Gu Cunxi introduce the names of the dishes and the origins behind them one by one, without getting tired of it. A warm current flowed through her heart and she couldn't help but smile. She liked Gu Cunxi's talkativeness. He was knowledgeable but not easily showing off. He was full of infinite charm.
Seeing Xiao Peiyin's faint smile, without the heaviness just now, Gu Cunxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had deliberately said so much, just to divert Peiyin's thoughts and let her not fall into the heavy mood. Now it seems that it still has some effect, at least! She smiled!
"Alright, come and eat. We still have two desserts, flower cake and pauloda. Try them both!"
"Flower cakes are made from roses. They're good for your skin. Eat more!"
Seeing Gu Cunxi constantly putting food into his bowl, a small hill was piled up in the middle of the plate. Xiao Peiyin laughed, every bit of it was filled with Gu Cunxi's care.
"Cunxi! I can do it myself, but you only serve it to me and you don't even eat it yourself!"
"What should I do, Pei Pei? Just watching you eat makes me feel satisfied and full!" Gu Cunxi's gentle and smiling tone was so captivating that Xiao Peiyin blushed.
After a meal, the previous haze was swept away. The two talked and laughed, joked with each other, and temporarily forgot all the unpleasant emotions in their hearts. The atmosphere around them also became lighter.
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