Chapter 38
When Lin Qi came out of the bedroom carrying a small suitcase, he saw Chen Yan looking at the family photo from behind.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Chen Yan turned around and looked at her with a very gentle and understanding smile on his face.
"Nothing." He said, "I just feel that this place... looks a lot like you."
"Let's go," he took the bag from her naturally, "our mission is completed, it's time to go home."
Hearing the word "go home" naturally from his mouth, Lin Qi was slightly stunned at first, and then, a very soft arc with a smile spread across her lips.
She nodded without saying anything, but obediently followed him out of her home.
On the way back, the atmosphere was more relaxed and peaceful than when we came.
The small luggage bag lay quietly on the back seat, like a gentle declaration, indicating that she would have a formal and exclusive place in his life where she could stay overnight.
I returned to Chen Yan's home and opened the door again. In the familiar space, there was still the faint aroma of the preserved egg and lean meat porridge from that morning.
This time, Lin Qi was not at all reserved or polite. She changed into slippers naturally and sat down on the sofa like a hostess.
Chen Yan carried her luggage bag into the master bedroom and placed it on the space beside the bed.
When he came out again, he saw her curled up on the sofa with a pillow in her arms, looking at his bookshelf that took up an entire wall with some curiosity.
He smiled, walked over to her and sat down as well, but there was a comfortable distance between them.
"Alright," he leaned back on the sofa, relaxed, and began their "rest" agenda for the day in a gentle tone, "Guide Lin can now officially leave work."
He picked up the TV remote control from the coffee table and handed it to her.
"Look, do you want to find a movie or listen to some music?"
"Or," he pointed in the direction of the kitchen, "would you like something to drink? Tea, juice, or... a hot cup of milk?"
"All arrangements for this afternoon," he looked at her and handed all the decision-making power back to her, "are up to you."
"What kind of tea are available?" Lin Qi was obviously more interested in drinking tea, and curiously came to the bar next to the kitchen.
Seeing that she was more interested in tea than the movie remote control, Chen Yan couldn't help but smile.
He stood up and followed her to the bar. He opened a cabinet door under the bar, and inside were several tea cans of various sizes neatly arranged.
"My 'family assets' are basically all here." He half leaned on the bar, looked at her, and began to introduce like a tour guide.
"This is the white tea I drink most often, but you might think it's too bland."
"This," he pointed at the celadon jar again, a hint of mischief in his tone, "is the Longjing tea from my father's collection that you described as 'okay' last time."
When Lin Qi laughed a little embarrassedly because of his teasing, he took out a brand new, unlabeled tin can from the innermost part of the cabinet and placed it in front of her.
"But..." He paused, looked into her eyes, and said slowly, "After listening to Teacher Lin's comments last time, I happened to pass by a tea shop on the weekend."
He opened the jar, and a rich tea aroma mixed with the fragrance of pine smoke and dried longan instantly wafted out.
"This is Lapsang Souchong, a type of black tea." He pushed the open tea can toward her, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "It's much richer and more mellow. I wonder... if it will please our teacher Lin this time?"
"I forgot to mention last time that I've tried white tea before," Lin Qi explained earnestly. "But I prefer White Peony tea that's less than three years old. Anything older than that isn't my cup of tea. Tea under a year old is also quite good, like semi-fermented tea. I wonder how old yours is?" She then pointed to the tin can. "Let's have Lapsang Souchong today. It smells delicious."
Her well-reasoned comments on the age of white tea made Chen Yan stunned at first, and then a smile of complete appreciation and a little helplessness appeared on his face.
"Bai Mudan, within three years..." He repeated in a low voice, as if trying hard to remember this point of knowledge.
"Your question really stumps me," he admitted frankly. "When I drink tea, I always just drink it based on the taste of the moment. I've never really taken the age seriously."
"It seems," he looked at her and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "from now on, all the tea here will have to be reviewed by Teacher Lin first. Only after it passes the appraisal can it be put into storage."
Hearing the second half of her choice, the smile in Chen Yan's eyes deepened, a kind of satisfied joy after the plan succeeded.
"Okay." He replaced the lid on the small tin can and solemnly handed it to her, as if handing over a treasure. "It has fulfilled its mission to be personally blessed by our Teacher Lin."
The water boiled quickly.
Chen Yan first scalded the tea set with hot water before adding the tea leaves to the pot. As the boiling water poured in, the reddish-brown tea soup instantly began to rise, its rich pine smoke aroma even more intense than when the tea was dry.
He poured a cup for Lin Qi and one for himself, then carried the tea tray back to the living room.
Lin Qi imitated him the last time, first smelling the aroma, then observing the color, before carefully taking a sip. Immediately, her eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously: "Mm, delicious! Much more flavorful than Longjing."
After receiving her "highest level" affirmation, Chen Yan smiled completely, and a stone fell from his heart.
"As long as you like it."
They each held a cup of hot tea, curled up on the sofa, chatting idly. Lin Qi fiddled with the remote control in his hand, flipping aimlessly through the movie library.
"Do you have any recommendations?" She flipped through the books for a while and asked him with her head tilted.
Chen Yan thought for a moment and said, "How about a lighter comedy? Have you seen Ge You's If You Are the One?"
She shook her head.
"That's perfect," Chen Yan smiled, took the remote from her hand, and found the movie. "It's a classic movie, and the lines are very interesting."
He pressed the play button and turned off the floor lamp in the living room, leaving only the light from the TV screen flickering in the dark room.
The movie began, and Lin Qi was quickly captivated by the Beijing-style humor, tinged with witty banter and sly humor. At first, she pursed her lips, letting out a few small, uncontrollable laughs. But when she saw the scene where Ge You and the cemetery saleswoman went on a blind date and discussed death in a serious tone, she finally couldn't help herself. She leaned back on the sofa and let out a crisp, unguarded laugh.
Chen Yan didn't smile.
He just turned his head and looked at her quietly in the light and shadow of the movie.
She smiled so hard that her eyes curved into crescents and her body trembled. She was completely relaxed and unconcealedly happy.
He looked at her, and the curve of his mouth became wider and wider.
He felt that this movie, which he had seen many times, had never been as good as it was today. The lines and plot of the movie seemed to become background noise at this moment. The light in her eyes and her clear laughter were the most moving scenes of this afternoon.
When she was almost out of breath from laughing, he reached out and naturally held her hand, which was placed on the sofa pillow and slightly curled up because of laughing.
Her laughter paused and she turned to look at him.
He didn't say anything, just looked at her, and gently stroked the back of her warm hand with his thumb. Then, he turned his head and continued to look at the screen, as if the action just now was just an ordinary and subconscious action.
She didn't pull her hand away.
However, in the following time, when she smiled, she would subconsciously hold his hand a little tighter.
The movie's ending song sounded, the scrolling list of people slowly rose on the screen, and the room returned to silence.
An entire afternoon slipped away unnoticed in complete relaxation and laughter.
At some point, she had gone from sitting side by side to naturally resting her head on his shoulder. Their clasped hands never loosened.
He could smell the light fragrance of the same shampoo he used in her hair, and could also feel her even breathing that rose and fell with the plot.
He lowered his head and could only see the top of her soft hair.
At this moment, his heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility. He felt as if he had already spent many such ordinary and gentle weekend afternoons with her.
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