Enjoy it
Terroir Western Restaurant.
It was Jiang Zhizhi's first time to come to such a place. As soon as she entered the restaurant, she heard the soft and gentle piano music flowing slowly.
There is a faint fragrance floating in the air, which is cool and comfortable, making people feel as if they have escaped from the hot weather and relaxed their minds.
The retro oil paintings on the wall are illuminated by the sunlight, giving off a hazy holy glow, adding a touch of elegance to the restaurant.
Xu Honghan was familiar with the place and took Jiang Zhizhi to a seat by the window. The snow-white curtains blocked some of the scorching sunlight, which gently fell on the white linen tablecloth.
The waiter came over and Xu Honghan asked him to pass the menu to Jiang Zhizhi, "Order whatever you like."
Jiang Zhizhi looked at the various dishes on the menu and was dazzled for a moment. She had never been to a Western restaurant, so naturally she didn't know what was delicious.
Fortunately, there was a brief description under each dish on the menu, which could help her guess roughly.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then I'll order a steak, medium rare."
If you go to a Western restaurant, you can’t go wrong with steak.
After ordering, Jiang Zhizhi handed the menu to Xu Honghan.
"Pair her steak with some blackberry sauce." Xu Honghan took it and said to Jiang Zhizhi with a smile, "The blackberry sauce here is very flavorful. You can try it. It will taste better."
Then he said to the waiter, "I'd like a seafood pasta dish, a pan-fried foie gras with fig jam as an appetizer, and a crème brûlée and a small cheesecake for dessert. And two glasses of mint iced tea."
After a while, the waiter brought two glasses of mint iced tea, and Xu Honghan asked Jiang Zhizhi to try it.
Jiang Zhizhi took a sip. It was icy cool with a minty aroma, refreshing and cooling.
"Is it delicious?"
"Mm, delicious."
Xu Honghan smiled gently, "As long as you like it."
Jiang Zhizhi looked at Xu Honghan opposite her and felt that he was gentle and elegant, and seemed to be extremely strong inside.
Her heart moved, and she asked, "Brother, I heard from Xu Qingbo that you skipped grades in junior high school, high school, and college?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Do you feel lonely?"
"alone?"
"If you skip a grade, you will have to separate from your old friends. You will definitely feel unfamiliar when entering a new class, right? Your old friends will also drift further and further away." Jiang Zhizhi said.
Xu Honghan pondered for a moment and chuckled, "Come to think of it, I didn't seem to have many friends in school, so I never had this kind of worry. Actually, I was quite aloof back then. I was hailed as a genius from a very young age, and I always felt I was special. This specialness seemed innate, so I had no interest in making friends with ordinary classmates. I just kept moving forward, working hard towards my goals."
Jiang Zhizhi blinked. When Xu Honghan talked about this, she subconsciously thought of Xu Qingbo.
This uncle and nephew really look alike.
"We had dinner at Qingbo's house yesterday, and they also brought up the issue of skipping grades. He seems to have made up his mind. What about you? Are you hesitating?" Xu Honghan asked.
Jiang Zhizhi lowered her eyes, "I don't know yet."
Xu Honghan smiled and said, "Hesitation means not wanting to do it."
"I don't know what's the right thing to do. If I skip a grade, I can graduate earlier and do what I can for the world like you do. But I can't bear to leave my friends around me. I don't want to be alone anymore..."
"Don't worry." Xu Honghan suddenly reached out and gently held her hand. "Zhizhi, you're just a child, don't think too much. Running forward all the time is hard, and studying step by step is not a bad thing. After all, you only have one life, all you have to do is enjoy it."
"Enjoy it?" Jiang Zhizhi pursed her lips. "But if you possess extraordinary talent, wouldn't it be a waste to do this?"
Xu Honghan was amused by her and jokingly asked, "What is an extraordinary talent? If you graduate two years early, can you send humanity into the space age?"
"Who knows." Jiang Zhizhi also made a little joke.
As they were talking, the waiter brought over the appetizers. Xu Honghan finely cut the foie gras with a knife and pushed it in front of Jiang Zhizhi, saying, "Zhizhi, you're still young and may not understand yet. Life is actually very short. A tiny speck of dust can hardly shake the entire universe. Even the most talented person can only accomplish one or two things in their lifetime. Don't rush to grow up. Just follow your heart and don't regret it."
"You mean, I shouldn't skip a grade, right?" Jiang Zhizhi asked.
"I hope you can be happy." Xu Honghan said with a smile.
Xu Honghan's words reminded her of the gentle voice that had always accompanied her.
The man had said something similar to her.
"Don't worry about it, eat something delicious, try this." Xu Honghan gestured for her to eat the foie gras he had cut.
After talking to Xu Honghan, Jiang Zhizhi felt a lot more relaxed. She picked up the fork and took a bite.
The rich taste of foie gras and the aroma of jam intertwined and attacked her taste buds all at once, like a beautiful symphony performed between her lips and teeth, making people instantly intoxicated.
"It's delicious." She squinted her eyes and showed satisfaction in her eyes.
No wonder some people like Western food so much, it’s really delicious!
There wasn't much foie gras to eat, so Xu Honghan pushed it all to Jiang Zhizhi. When the main course was served, he helped Jiang Zhizhi cut the steak into pieces, looking serious, gentlemanly and elegant.
"Would you like to try my seafood pasta?" Xu Honghan asked with a smile.
Jiang Zhizhi quickly shook her head, "No, I'm allergic to seafood."
"Allergic to seafood?" Xu Honghan looked regretful for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'll remember that."
Jiang Zhizhi didn't have a big appetite, and she was very full after eating foie gras and steak.
Seeing that she really couldn't eat anymore, Xu Honghan chose to pack up the two desserts.
He drove Jiang Zhizhi downstairs in the residential complex and said, "The next time we meet, it might be around the end of the year. The teacher should be back in two months. Remember to send me a message then."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Zhizhi said obediently.
"That's right."
Suddenly, Xu Honghan remembered something and asked Jiang Zhizhi to come over, "Did Shen Li contact you again?"
"not yet."
"I know you agreed to help him with research, but I still have to remind you not to take risks with him. If anything happens, you must contact me first, okay?" Xu Honghan said seriously.
Jiang Zhizhi nodded, "I understand. I know my limits."
After watching Xu Honghan drive away, Jiang Zhizhi turned and walked back into the community.
As soon as she entered the community, her phone rang.
"Jiang Zhizhi, why did I see you getting out of a man's car?"
When she looked up, she saw Lu Xiye leaning on the railing on the sixth-floor terrace, looking at her with his cell phone.
"It's my senior brother. We happened to meet and he sent me back."
"What have you been doing?"
"I signed up for a Go class."
"Learning Go? You seem quite free. You seem to have changed since returning from K City."
"How did it change?"
“I’ve become less interested in studying.”
In the past, Jiang Zhizhi would read books whenever she had free time. Every time she went to the library, she would borrow six books and return them every few days.
But when she came out of the library yesterday, she didn't borrow any books and came out empty-handed.
And these days, she went to the water park, went shopping, and now she has started learning Go.
"What? Are you anxious to start studying?" Jiang Zhizhi raised the corner of her lips. "Don't worry, I'll start tutoring you this afternoon. I've already made a tutoring plan for you."
"ah?"
On the terrace, Lu Xiye suddenly became petrified.
Help!
Why did he ask that question?
Jiang Zhizhi was in a good mood and said leisurely, "But, do you want to eat cake before tutoring?"
When he got home, Lu Xiye ate up all the two desserts she brought back.
Just when I was about to ask Jiang Zhizhi where she bought it, I heard Jiang Zhizhi say, "We're going to the library for tutoring later. Bring your summer homework with you."
“…”
*
I studied in the library all afternoon.
Jiang Zhizhi spent an hour browsing more than five bookshelves and felt a little dizzy, as if her brain capacity was not enough.
In the remaining time, after absorbing the English dictionary, she began to listen to English texts and some test papers on her Walkman.
Although speaking is difficult to practice, she needs to improve her listening skills as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to communicate normally with Pu Yu when playing chess.
Fortunately, after memorizing all the contents of the English dictionary, there are almost no new words for her. She can understand the meaning of most articles, but sometimes her reaction speed may be a little slow.
On the way back, Lu Xiye rode an electric motorcycle and Jiang Zhizhi sat on the back seat.
The wind blew across her cheeks, and she felt her originally confused mind gradually become clearer, and her whole body relaxed.
"Lu Xiye, are you okay now?"
"Huh? What's wrong with me?"
"It's your...depression."
Lu Xiye was silent for a moment, then snorted stubbornly, "I'm fine, that's just nonsense from the doctor."
"Really? That's good."
"Why are you asking this?" Lu Xiye said dissatisfiedly.
Jiang Zhizhi smiled. "It's nothing. I just feel that the relationship between our two families is quite strange now. My mom lives with you, and I have to go upstairs to your place for dinner every day. It's as if she's not my mom, but your mom. However, my mom seems to be very happy recently. Thank you."
"Thank me?" Lu Xiye didn't understand her train of thought.
Although he never said it out loud, he should be the one to say thank you.
"Lu Xiye, I've decided. I don't plan to skip a grade."
"Really?!" Lu Xiye's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't hide his joy on his face.
"Sure enough, you overheard my conversation with Xu Qingbo that day, right?" Jiang Zhizhi was completely certain after seeing his reaction.
Lu Xiye was exposed and looked a little embarrassed, but soon he said confidently: "I... I didn't eavesdrop, I was just passing by, okay? It's you who were talking too loudly!"
"Forget it. Whether or not I was eavesdropping, you already know."
Jiang Zhizhi looked at the sky in the distance and took a long, deep breath.
At this moment, she was facing east.
The moon has risen, thin and faint, hanging in the sky.
The electric motorcycle kept moving forward, and the moon seemed to be getting farther and farther away from her.
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