Chapter 129
After getting off the plane, Zhou Xiao took a taxi home just in time for dinner. As he stepped out of the elevator and reached his front door, he could already smell a fragrant aroma. As Zhou Xiao waited, took out his key, unlocked it, and turned the doorknob, ready to push it open, Ms. Zheng's urgent voice rang out from inside, "Hold on, Xiao! Wait until Mom picks up the coconuts!"
The clatter of slippers on the floor from inside grew louder and louder. The little cat behind the door seemed to sense something and meowed softly at Zhou Xiao outside. But after a few seconds, the meow suddenly became longer, and Zhou Xiao knew that the cat had probably been picked up by his mother.
As expected, the door opened the next second. Zheng Jinghua's face was filled with joy. She held the cat in one hand and, with the other, wrapped her arm around Zhou Xiao's shoulders, leading her into the house. The moment Zhou Xiao entered, a fresh fragrance lingered on her nose.
Zheng Jinghua closed the door and put the little Sanhua back on the ground. The smile on her face grew even wider. "Your dad knows you'll be home tonight, and he's making you salt and pepper shrimp in the kitchen!"
As if waiting for this echo, Zhou Chengdong, who was in the kitchen, emerged wearing the red apron with the gold logo that came with the peanut oil purchase, carrying a plate full of mantis shrimp. Seeing Zhou Xiao standing at the door, he kept urging her, "Go wash your hands!"
The aroma of salt and pepper blends beautifully with the freshness of the mantis shrimp on the plate. While September's mantis shrimp may not be as thick, juicy, and roe-rich as those of late spring and early summer, these shrimp, stored for the winter, are still quite meaty. While lacking roe, the lack of roe makes them a perfect match for the salt and pepper, effectively undermining their quality.
Zhou Xiao put down her bag and quickly washed her hands at the sink. Returning to the table, she found two large, peeled prawns in her bowl. Chef Zhou Chengdong, seated in a chair, beamed as he took a pair of chopsticks and pried open the mantis shrimp's shell, revealing the flesh within. Without wavering, he placed a freshly peeled prawn into Zheng Jinghua's bowl. Amidst the meowing of her pet, under the warm dining room lights, the family of three enjoyed a delicious dinner and a moment of reunion.
"Wow!" Zheng Jinghua, who sat on the sofa after dinner, was surprised when she saw the autographed photos her daughter handed to her. Especially when she knew that they were given to her by friends Zhou Xiao met while chasing stars, she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
Zheng Jinghua carefully placed the autographed photos back into the envelope, intending to put them together with the previous ones. Then she looked at her daughter and asked, "Are you going to Duwei Town this time?"
Zhou Xiao nodded and said, "I'll take a bus there tomorrow morning with Aunt Chen's daughter." The filming of this promotional video was still in the charge of Chen Yutong's editor, who had also told Zhou Xiao about the itinerary in advance.
"Are you coming back tomorrow night?" Zhou Chengdong asked casually, having just gone to the kitchen to load the dishes into the dishwasher, which his daughter had bought for them. Besides being incredibly convenient, it made it incredibly easy for the couple to clean up. He even casually showed off his daughter's purchase at work, seemingly nonchalantly.
Zhou Chengdong squatted down and poured a cup of cooled boiled water into the clean cat water bowl. Cats can't drink raw water, and they're worried that the hot water is too hot. This water was boiled by Zheng Jinghua in the afternoon.
Zhou Xiao shook her head, seemingly realizing her father might not see her shaking his head, and immediately responded, "Maybe we'll stay in a hotel for a night? But not necessarily. I just know that the TV station needs it urgently."
"You're not bad," Zheng Jinghua said, feeling pleased as she watched her daughter, her expression calm and composed. The Shanghai stock market was undoubtedly a great place for young people to venture out and hone their skills, but she and Lao Zhou had visited her. She'd only just realized that she'd probably spent more time on video calls with Ah Xiao than actually seeing him. Although she was at an age where she could endure hardships, she was truly exhausted, and leaving work late at night and in the early morning was common.
But ever since their daughter quit her job to pursue celebrity, her complexion and everything else have improved. Leaving a stable job inevitably leads to gossip from those close to them, but as parents, neither of them cares. They've worked hard their entire lives, isn't it all about giving their daughter a good life? They wouldn't insist on keeping their child home, though. It's best to let them pursue their passions while they're young. Even if they face setbacks, they still have their family to back them up.
When her daughter brought home an autographed photo, Zheng Jinghua felt a bit of a show-off. "Even if my daughter quits her job, she can still support herself. She can even bring me autographs from celebrities who appear on TV dramas. She's so much better off than the kids of neighbors and coworkers who gossip about her." Their attitudes took a complete turn after Zhou Xiao's Liyuan promotional video aired on local television.
The family of three chatted for a long time on the sofa in the living room. It was not until Coconut jumped onto Zheng Jinghua's knees and asked for a caress that Zhou Xiao realized that the clock on the living room had already reached ten o'clock.
"Go to bed early," Zheng Jinghua said, smiling as she pushed her daughter off the sofa. She stroked the little calico cat, which changed with each passing day. She sighed softly, her fingers caressing the fur on its back that hadn't completely fallen off. She exchanged glances with Old Zhou, who was standing beside her, and murmured, "It's just like a child."
…
Zhou Xiao was already feeling a bit exhausted after a day of flying, and after washing up, she quickly fell asleep. She had to get up earlier tomorrow; the TV station had suggested they try to capture the first rays of sunlight today.
At five in the morning, the alarm clock rang sharply. Zhou Xiao snoozed the alarm on his bedside table and quickly packed himself. The appointment with Chen Yutong the day before was for five-thirty. Zhou Xiao glanced at the bag he had just brought back yesterday, added a change of clothes, checked his camera and computer, and prepared to leave.
Zhou Xiao stood by the window and looked out at the five o'clock sky. It was a deep blue with a hint of predawn gloom. The morning dew and the temperature were quite low. Zhou Xiao put on the thin windproof coat her mother had prepared for her the night before, picked up the milk and bread that had been packed on the table, and as she passed through the living room, ready to leave, she was stopped by a small creature.
After petting the kitten a few times, Zhou Xiao realized it was still circling around her and meowing. When she squatted down and stumbled upon the empty food bowl at the foot of the wall, she realized something.
Zhou Xiao added a spoonful of cat food to the cat's bowl and, while waiting for the elevator, shared her experience in the family group chat. She also took last night's garbage with her as she went downstairs.
When Zhou Xiao finished throwing away his trash and arrived at the gate of the community, he saw a white electric bike parked near the security booth. Hearing footsteps behind him, the woman who was chatting with the security guard on the bike turned around and looked over, holding a white helmet.
"Hello?" Zhou Xiao vaguely saw the woman's face from under the pink helmet. It looked like Chen Yutong?
"Hey, here I come!" After the person made a sound, Zhou Xiao was sure that this person was Chen Yutong. Her voice was also uniquely heroic.
Taking the helmet from Chen Yutong, Zhou Xiao put it on in the back seat and asked, "Have you been here for a long time?" Although the two families lived in the same neighborhood, the main entrance was closer to them. They had previously agreed to start from home and then meet up with the others at the TV station.
Chen Yutong, who was driving an electric car in front, responded loudly, "No, I was less than a minute ahead of you!" She was a good driver, and it was really early, so the two of them started asking and answering each other in the quiet road.
The weather in September was already a bit chilly, especially with the sky still a dark blue at this time. The wind alone could cause goose bumps. Zhou Xiao, following his mother's wise clothing advice, wrapped himself in windproof clothing to brave the cold wind and arrived downstairs at Xingshi TV Station.
Zhou Xiao was still a little curious when looking at the white building in front of him that looked quite historical. The peeling wall paint and the blue and white interwoven wall tiles stained by steel rust all told the stories of the passage of time.
Chen Yutong had already parked his electric bike and took the white helmet Zhou Xiao was wearing. Just as he was about to put it in the trunk of his car, he saw her curious expression and couldn't help but say, "Our TV station has already built a new one. We're still purchasing office supplies over there. We'll move in soon."
Zhou Xiao turned around and looked at her, finding her quite interesting. The two of them stayed there chatting for a short while before a white car with an extended bench seat drove up. The Xingshi logo and the words "Xingshi Radio and Television Station" were printed on the car.
There were already three people in the car, and Zhou Xiao, following Chen Yutong's introduction, greeted them one by one. The driver was Chen Xiaojie, who was in charge of the drone filming. Seated in the last row were reporter Zheng Yongnuan and Huang Wentao, who was in charge of connecting with local fruit farmers.
Driving leisurely along the national highway, Xingshi is a hilly area, with each turn bringing a new mountain to view. It is in this unique environment, surrounded by mountains and hilly basins, that the pomelo trees thrive, making the pomelo they produce a local and national specialty.
Xing City had a high pomelo production last year, but due to this, it didn't fetch a good price. Many farmers were left watching the pomelo rot beneath the trees, fertilizing the trees to provide nutrients for the next year. This year, higher-ups showed their concern, and given the recent widespread publicity and strong traffic for Liyuan, they provided generous funding for the promotion of the pomelo.
"Let's kill a few grapefruits and try them later," Zheng Yongnuan turned around and said to Zhou Xiao in the car. Although she looked a bit serious, Zhou Xiao could feel her kindness towards him.
"Okay," Zhou Xiao accepted happily, "I haven't eaten it for a long time!" After she said that, she inadvertently saw that the sky outside the car window had turned pale. The speed of dawn was so fast that she didn't know whether she and her group could catch the sunrise.
As we approached our destination, the car's stability grew, a fact that local authorities were paying close attention to. The car followed the winding mountain road to the top, only to discover upon reaching the summit a vast plaza. According to Chen Yutong, this plaza was deliberately flattened and serves as the primary market for pomelo shipments.
As Zhou Xiao drove into Duwei Town, he saw pomelo trees lining the road. True to its reputation as a pomelo-producing town, Xingshi is also renowned for its lychees and longans, but the trees planted in front of every household here are essentially pomelo trees.
After getting off the bus, I looked down and saw several large trees on the hillside opposite, so large that it would take several adults to wrap their arms around them. My camera captured plump pomelo fruits beneath their lush, broad green leaves. Although slightly smaller than other pomeloes, this is also one of their unique characteristics.
The town's atmosphere was truly pleasant, and Zhou Xiao quickly pulled her camera from her bag. After Huang Wentao introduced the group to the local fruit farmers, Zhou Xiao, camera in hand, headed ahead of the others into the pomelo grove. Of course, since she wasn't a TV station employee, she didn't need to socialize much. For Zhou Xiao, filming was her primary priority.
The hills undulate, but it was the mountain scenery that particularly captivated her. Looking down from the top, a blue stream, like a gurgling dragon, meandered through the pomelo grove, its water reflecting the trees on both sides. The pomeloes, some green, some yellow, and some unripe, swayed gently in the strong wind through the forest.
Perhaps for the villagers who have lived here year-round, these mountains and rivers are commonplace, or perhaps they hinder their development and reclamation. But for city dwellers like Zhou Xiao or those from other provinces accustomed to the boundless plains, this truly offers a unique sense of tranquility, surrounded by small bridges and flowing water. Indeed, hidden deeper in the pomelo grove is a century-old stone bridge.
By mid-September, the pomelo trees were ripe. Zhou Xiao, squatting on the ground photographing the pomelo grove, could smell the unique aroma of the pomelo. Even from the top of the mountain, she was intoxicated by the breeze carrying the rich fruity fragrance.
Daybreak had already dawned, the sky filled with morning glow. A golden sun slowly rose beneath the shadow of another mountain. Its brilliant golden light shone on the pomelo fruits drifting in the wind in the grove. Zhou Xiao knew he had finally achieved the feeling he had been longing for.
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