I talk about the love flower with tears, and I say love is bitter or sweet.
Qiu Nian's heart was so nervous that it reached his throat, but Lin Yiyi's words "My mom!" made everything disappear.
The game continued, and it was finally Ke Yike's turn. To liven things up, the two boys chose the dare. They'd already pulled out all sorts of tricks, including handstands and somersaults. This time, Zhou Ying was chosen to pose the question.
Zhou Ying's cheeks flushed, her brows furrowed slightly, and then she smiled, as beautiful as a flower and the moon. "You said 'I love you' to Qiu Nian with deep affection! If it's not affectionate enough, it won't pass the test."
"Ahem..." Ke Yike coughed in fear, "Isn't this too difficult?!"
"You can close your eyes!" Zhou Ying added sweetly.
"No, I object. Why don't you consider my feelings?" Qiu Nian objected loudly, but to no avail.
Ke Yike and Zhou Ying drank a glass of wine first, and then Qiu Nian quickly filled his glass and persuaded him, "Look, it's easy to drink three more glasses."
Little did he know that it would have been better if he hadn't persuaded her. Thinking of the three more glasses of wine, Ke Yike, who was already drunk, made up his mind and said, "I won't drink anymore. I say!"
Ke Yike took the initiative and said to Qiu Nian, "I love you!"
“Not really!”
"Not affectionate enough!" The two girls expressed their opinions.
There was no other way, Ke Yike could only close his eyes, abandon all senses, and concentrate on thinking about Xue Jiuyue. After about a minute or two of preparation and quiet meditation, Ke Yike seemed to be sitting at the opposite ends of the dining table with Xue Jiuyue. The candlelight reddened Xue Jiuyue's fair cheeks, causing her to lower her head slightly, but she couldn't bear to look away. Ke Yike stared at her clear eyes, and his heart naturally revealed, "I, love! You..."
"Well, I didn't miss the level!" Zhou Ying, who had just opened her eyes, said with a smile.
Strictly speaking, this was Xue Jiuyue's first time chatting with Liu Che on the phone. Voice messages flowed back and forth between them, not quite as real-time as a face-to-face conversation, but with a tinge of anticipation. Distance grew, then grew closer! The air was icy and sweet, refreshing and comfortable, as if there were endless things to say...
Fate always plays tricks on him. Qiu Nian, who had just been the recipient of a confession, was now the one taking the plunge. And the one making the request was none other than Ke Yike, the one who had just confessed her love to him.
The warm atmosphere and alcohol had already burned Ke Yike's delicate face red, making his behavior and words even more unscrupulous.
Looking at Qiu Nian, who had exaggeratedly vomited after he confessed his love to her, Ke Yike smiled slyly and said slowly, "Kiss the person you like!"
Ke Yike actually expressed Qiu Nian's ultimate dream, but there is always a long way to go between dreams and reality.
Qiu Niangang took a quick glance at Lin Yiyi, and it was as if he saw a furious Vajra, dispelling all illusions.
Qiu Nian quickly made a choice, "I drink!"
Ke Yike was very enthusiastic and followed Qiu Nian's example by pouring wine for him. After Qiu Nian finished four glasses in one breath, Ke Yike said slowly with a pinched throat: "You have no conscience. I just confessed to you, but you don't like me!"
His words and tone made the two girls laugh out loud.
Qiu Nian, who had just been about to take revenge on Ke Yike, saw Lin Yiyi laughing happily and started to laugh too.
The game continued. The dice rolled, and Zhou Ying also chose truth.
Lin Yiyi became the questioner. "What do you think love is?"
"Love?" Zhou Ying's large, blinking eyes drooped, and she hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I remember a celebrity once said that only secret love is true love. I agree with this statement. Sister Yue agrees, too, and she also told me a story. Someone asked Zen Master Hong Jian, 'What is the mystery?' The Zen Master replied, 'Before you ask.' This conversation illustrates the same principle: the feelings of secret love are pure and spotless, the purest love. But once expressed, it implies the hope for a response, a return, and it is no longer pure. Therefore, only secret love is free of any other thoughts, unconcerned with one's own gains and losses, happy with his happiness and sad with his sadness. Even if you know he likes someone else, you are still willing to support him, stand by him, and help him without reservation, simply wishing him happiness."
Perhaps because she was tired or drunk, Zhou Ying's right hand, which was supporting her chin, could no longer hold back her voice which was gradually fading away. It was like a bird with broken wings drawing a sad arc in the sky.
Ke Yike's eyes were hazy with drunkenness, still clinging to his own thoughts, not paying attention to anything else. "If there's no expression, is it still love? Then love becomes a matter of one person."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, let's toast!" Lin Yiyi's thorns not only pricked Qiu Nian, but also forced Ke Yike to hide.
"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses together, and Zhou Ying's face was filled with smiles again.
The drinking party outside had been dispelled by the night, the occasional laughter gone, only the lonely chirping of insects urging the lights to fade. Mutual care and consideration led Xue Jiuyue and the others to say goodnight. Doubt faded, sweetness increased, and they could even fall asleep with a smile on their face. This kind of joy is perhaps what so many people strive for but cannot achieve.
Qiu Nian and Ke Yike were still tossing and turning.
"Ahem? You can't sleep?" Qiu Nian started the conversation first.
"Yeah, you too?"
"Well, I was just wondering whether Yiyi likes me or not."
"I shouldn't hate it."
"Really? How do you know?" Qiu Nian sat up and looked at Ke Yike in the dim light of the night light.
"I guessed it! You see, cows hate flies, so they keep swishing their tails to drive them away. Didn't Yiyi chase you away yet?"
Unfulfilled hopes hurt more than harsh words. Qiu Nian lay down again before slowly saying, "I thought you knew something."
Ke Yike replied lazily, "What should I know? I don't even know if the person I like likes me back."
"I don't think I hate you. I didn't chase you away, haha..." The pleasure of revenge made Qiu Nian temporarily put aside the questions he couldn't figure out. Then he added to comfort himself, "Actually, it's a bit of a lie."
"That's right, believe in Keke and you will have eternal life! It's a rough statement, but the truth is true!"
One sentence soothes the night of two people...
Maybe it was the effect of alcohol, but even after lying down, Lin Yiyi and Zhou Ying were still in high spirits to talk.
"Do you like coughing?"
Zhou Ying didn't answer, but asked, "Don't you hate Qiu Nian as much as you act?"
Lin Yiyi didn't answer, "Little girl, why do you have so many secrets that you don't want to tell me?"
"Why am I unwilling to say it? Is it because you didn't ask?"
"Then let me ask you, what's the special meaning of your name? I know your real name is Chen Zhouying, but you usually introduce yourself as Zhou Ying, and when you said your full name today, you were obviously in a bad mood." Lin Yiyi rarely explained in detail.
"Really? Am I in a bad mood?" Zhou Ying asked with a smile.
"Look, you're avoiding the topic again! It's okay, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it. I've never been very curious, so I haven't asked about it in all these years."
"Okay! There's nothing I can't tell you. My father's last name is Zhou, and I take my mother's last name, Chen. My mother got sick after giving birth to me and can't have any more children, so my grandfather has always hoped that I would marry a son-in-law in the future."
"Why? Is your mother's family a wealthy family?"
"My hometown runs a time-honored winery that makes a famous local liquor. It has a secret recipe that's passed down to sons, not daughters. Unfortunately, my mom is the only one left in her generation. My dad was a scholar who repeated his studies for eight years but never got into his ideal university. He and my mom were high school classmates, and she always supported him in his retake. In the end, my mom went to work, but my dad still hadn't passed. Then, an accident took my grandparents away, leaving my dad no longer able to take the exam. My mom then arranged for my dad to work at my grandfather's factory, and their relationship gradually blossomed."
"Isn't this very loving?"
"Yes, my parents have a good relationship, but my grandparents are too domineering. They always think that my dad is a poor scholar, good for nothing, and that he married my mom just for their wealth. Even when my mom couldn't have children after giving birth to me, my grandparents blamed my dad and even disliked the fact that I was a girl." Zhou Ying's voice was no longer as bright as before when she recalled, but she continued to talk. "People say that grandparents are closer, but my impression of my grandparents is that they are strict. My parents are still children in front of them. So sometimes it's funny to think about it. I feel like a toy hidden by two children, secretly spoiled by my parents despite their strict discipline. Since I was a child, any toys or pocket money I wanted were given by my parents secretly without my grandparents' knowledge."
"So you keep introducing yourself as Zhou Ying as a rebellion against your grandparents? Then why don't you just change your household registration?"
"My dad has put up with it, so what else can I say? He said he wasn't putting up with it, he was just doing it out of love! He loves my mom, so he loves her parents too! So when my dad got married, he agreed to the condition that my grandparents marry into the family, and he also agreed that the child would have the surname Chen. He said as long as my mom is around, he doesn't care about anything else. I don't like being called Chen Zhouying because I hate the word Chen. It tarnishes my parents' love and it also wants to put shackles on me. So after graduating from college, I didn't go back to my hometown. As for whether to take my dad's or mom's surname, I actually don't care."
After listening to Zhou Ying's story, Lin Yiyi was also moved by the love. "What an unwavering love! Is your father always so loyal? He spent eight years trying to get into the university he wanted to attend."
"He wants to apply to Shuimu Academy of Fine Arts to study sculpture! He said that life is limited and appearance will change, but a good sculpture can freeze the things you love forever."
"So romantic?"
"Yeah, he often shows off his love with my mom." After answering affirmatively, Zhou Ying's sweet voice returned from a flood of memories, "Don't just talk about me. Tell me why you rarely mention your parents, too?"
"Me? You want to know?"
"Um!"
"I'm sleepy!"
"You're annoying, are you going to tell me? If you don't, you won't be able to sleep tonight!"
…
The crisp chirping of birds, accompanied by the rising sun, knocks on the door, and the moist fragrance of growing plants fills the air.
A bowl of freshly ground soy milk not only brings the freshest aroma, but the milky white liquid also shakes the years of the millstone rolling.
The steaming hot steamed buns, their fillings filled with wild vegetables, are sweet as dew. Deep-fried golden slices of steamed bread, paired with a dollop of homemade fermented bean curd, create a magical brew that blossoms on your tongue.
A simple yet not simplistic breakfast writes a line of human life in the natural poetry of the early morning.
I originally thought that the absence of latte and horns would create a sense of incomplete beauty, but Ke Yike magically brought out a dinner plate.
"Ahem, Sister Yue, would you like to try some steamed horns and latte?"
"You made this right away?" Xue Jiuyue looked at Ke Yike in surprise. The morning light shone diagonally on his delicate face, and fine beads of sweat were like dewdrops, remembering the busy time just now.
"Well, try it!"
I took a sip of the coffee first, and it had the familiar, freshly ground taste. I guess they have a coffee machine and Ke Yi Ke made it. As for the croissants, I guess they didn't have an oven, so Ke Yi Ke steamed them instead.
The same sweetness, the same softness, but with a hint of cool bitterness that instantly twists the reality of memory and the dreamlike feeling together.
He closed his eyes and took in the feeling for a long time before calming down. He had often eaten bread made by Ke Yike before, and it never tasted like this.
"What special seasoning did you add?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
