Chapter 12 Boiled Fish
◎Cut off that rotten peach blossom with one knife◎
No one answered, and Zhao Yan didn't rush them. He waited patiently for everyone's answer.
Yue Huan and Li Chuan beside him also seemed to feel something was wrong, casting different glances at each other. Jiang Siyue's mind was tense, and she quickly smiled and said, "Yue Huan, Teacher Zhao is treating us, what would you like to eat?"
Yue Huan pointed at himself and Jiang Siyue nodded heavily.
"Boiled fish?" Yue Huan said blankly. Jiang Siyue quickly replied, "Sure!" Then she looked at Zhao Yan, her eyes full of pitiful pleading. Zhao Yan looked at her for a moment, thought for a few seconds, and nodded.
"I'll contact you when the time comes." After saying this, Zhao Yan turned around and left again.
The three of them stood side by side, like elementary school students being lectured. After watching Zhao Yan's figure disappear, Yue Huan instantly collapsed and grabbed Jiang Siyue's arm, about to cry, "I feel like my good days are coming to an end."
Jiang Siyue was puzzled and looked at Li Chuan. She found that his expression was not very good either.
"Teacher Zhao usually doesn't invite us to dinner, nor does he get involved in our private lives. If something is out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong." Li Chuan smiled helplessly.
"This is like a weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken. It has no good intentions." Yue Huan, who was a math cross-examination student, chose words as imprecise as ever. Jiang Siyue's expression twitched as she looked at the direction where Zhao Yan disappeared. "Teacher Zhao, it can't be a weasel, right?"
"Oh!" Yue Huan was immersed in sadness and sighed, "We stood at the door of the library and talked about this for fun. It must have angered him."
Jiang Siyue opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but gave up. Academically, she had only been Zhao Yan's student for a short time, so she certainly didn't understand his style as well as Zhao Yan and Li Chuan did. And in terms of personal life... she didn't understand Zhao Yan either.
"Forget it, forget it. I need to eat more at noon." Yue Huan clenched his fist and encouraged himself, "I believe the weasel will not come empty-handed."
Jiang Siyue hesitated to speak, looked at Li Chuan, and gave up on correcting Yue Huan's horrible ability of description.
After putting down the book, Jiang Siyue felt a little thirsty, so she picked up the cup and went outside the study room to get some water.
The water room is in the reading area, separated from the study room by a long corridor. Jiang Siyue was walking in the empty corridor, and her eyes inadvertently glanced at the entrance of the library on the first floor. She took out her mobile phone and sent a message to Zhao Yan.
Jiang Siyue: Yue Huan and Li Chuan were here just now. If you said something ambiguous, they might misunderstand you.
Zhao Yan: It's normal for a mentor to treat students to a meal. You don't need to be so cautious.
Jiang Siyue stopped and looked at the line of words. She felt that Zhao Yan seemed to be making a double entendre, but she also felt that he was not someone who was interested in Yin and Yang, so she dismissed her association.
[Jiang Siyue: I remember you don't like spicy food, right? Is boiled fish okay?]
Zhao Yan, a native of Yunjing, had once asked himself if the stir-fried potatoes were spicy enough with bell peppers. Jiang Siyue expressed doubts about his ability to handle spicy food.
【Zhao Yan: Well, no.】
Jiang Siyue was stunned. She couldn't agree so readily. She tucked the cup under her arm and tapped the screen rapidly with her fingertips.
"Siyue!" Yue Huan caught up with her from behind and walked side by side with her. He then looked at her phone screen curiously and asked, "Who are you chatting with? You look so coquettish."
Jiang Siyue quickly threw the phone into her coat pocket and said calmly, "You still use the word coquettish."
The topic was successfully diverted. Yue Huan raised his eyebrows and talked about his feat of getting 90 points in Chinese in elementary school. Jiang Siyue breathed a sigh of relief, opened the empty water bottle, and took a sip of air.
*
At 11:30 am, Zhao Yan sent a message to Li Chuan to inform him to eat. Yue Huan immediately closed his book and began to pack up. After leaving the study room, Yue Huan had a sad face and said weakly, "Change, change, change! Change the black and white pictures to color ones! This is so troublesome. It's really ruining my youth and hindering my future. Let's just have the Hongmen Feast. I want the spiciest food!"
Jiang Siyue couldn't say the words that she wanted to eat something flavored like sauerkraut.
In the elevator, Li Chuan looked at his phone and notified the two of them, "Zhang Huai said that we're going to a tea trading market in Beichuan County for three days to conduct research."
Although this kind of research is hard work, it is also equivalent to a public-funded trip. Yue Huan was very excited and said hurriedly: "Siyue, you will sleep with me when the time comes!"
"Me too?" Jiang Siyue pointed at herself. This kind of thing usually came from the college, and since she wasn't from a finance department, it seemed impossible.
"Damn it!" Yue Huan cursed inwardly, and immediately changed his words: "Forget about it, it's better not to go. Things like this, talking during the day and attending meetings at night, are really tiring."
As they were talking, the elevator had already reached the first floor. Zhao Yan was sitting on the sofa, looking at a tablet in his hand, his lips moving as if he was talking to Li Rongbo next to him.
Jiang Siyue took a deep breath and was the last one to walk out of the elevator.
There is a snack street next to the University of Finance and Economics. The boiled fish in the fourth alley is very delicious and authentic. After learning that it was the one Zhao Yanding bought, Yue Huan's eyes lit up.
"Siyue, I remember you like spicy food too, right?" Li Chuan said with a smile, "When we went out to eat before, you always complained that it wasn't spicy enough."
"Really?" Jiang Siyue had no recollection at all. She should have eaten all her meals in college with Meng Zhuqing, and had never attended any class gatherings.
Li Chuan reminded: "The tennis club is having a dinner."
Zhao Yan, who was walking in front, turned around and asked, "How have you been adapting recently?"
Jiang Siyue said respectfully: "Not bad."
"You don't have to be so respectful to me."
"Teacher Zhao, please don't mind." Li Chuan stepped forward and stood beside Jiang Siyue, saying protectively, "Siyue is a little uncomfortable in such a good group all of a sudden."
Zhao Yan frowned and glanced at him. After a moment, he said casually, "You have a good relationship with your classmates."
Li Chuan scratched his head and smiled, "Siyue and I are college classmates, so we are quite familiar with each other."
"Yeah." Zhao Yan responded indifferently and no longer participated in the conversation.
Jiang Siyue looked at the two of them, and something seemed to suddenly jump out of her heart, but it disappeared without a trace in just a second.
Jiang Siyue lowered her eyelids, walked around Li Chuan calmly, and strode ahead with Yue Huan in tow.
*
It wasn't dinner time yet, so there weren't many people in the boiled fish restaurant. A few of us chose seats on the second floor. After we sat down, a waiter came over immediately to take our order.
"It's spicy!" Yue Huan couldn't wait to express his determination to eat spicy food. "I'm from Gancheng, so add as much as you can! It would be best if it could kill me!"
Jiang Siyue glanced at Zhao Yan who was sitting next to her. Zhao Yan was playing with his mobile phone with a calm expression, and seemed to have no idea what Yue Huan said.
She didn't know if the spicy food would kill Yue Huan, but this amount would probably make Zhao Yan faint. Jiang Siyue swallowed quietly, coughed twice, and said to the waiter, "I want something less spicy. Let's order a medium portion of pickled fish."
Li Chuan had a puzzled look on his face, and the waiter was about to confirm the menu, so he had to suppress his doubts.
While waiting for the food to be served, Yue Huan asked about the research in Beichuan County.
"Yeah." Zhao Yan nodded. "About three days. I'll let you know the specific time when the time comes."
"Are we the only ones here?" Yue Huan continued to ask. She had just felt that Jiang Siyue really wanted to go.
Zhao Yan nodded, and Jiang Siyue beside him lowered her head and began to unpack the bowls.
The waiter brought in boiled fish, and the hot and spicy smell penetrated everyone's nostrils. Zhao Yan covered his mouth and nose with his hands and coughed lightly. Everyone was busy feasting, and no one noticed this subtle movement.
After a while, the sauerkraut flavor was also served and placed in front of Jiang Siyue.
The boiled fish here is really good. The aroma alone makes people drool. Jiang Siyue restrained herself from reaching her chopsticks towards the spicy pot and ate the sauerkraut in front of her as if to vent her anger.
Li Rongbo noticed that Zhao Yan's bowl was plain and thought he couldn't get any, so he said, "Teacher Zhao, do you want to ask the waiter to give us some spicy food?"
"No need." Zhao Yan picked up some pickled vegetables for himself and said, "I don't eat spicy food."
Li Rongbo didn't think much of it. Li Chuan, standing beside him, paused when he heard this, then looked at Jiang Siyue and then at Zhao Yan. They each picked up some food, and there was nothing unusual about it.
After the meal, Zhao Yan paid the bill at the counter while several people waited at the door. Yue Huan yawned lazily and said that he would go back to the dormitory to sleep later.
Jiang Siyue nodded in agreement. She was also a little sleepy, but going home was too much trouble, so she decided to wait until Zhao Yan's class was over before going back together.
"Siyue, do you have time to go to the amusement park I just mentioned to you?" Li Chuan said, looking at Jiang Siyue nervously and expectantly.
At this point, Jiang Siyue was completely certain of her guess.
Li Chuan likes himself.
She has always been decisive and would not give herself any hope for anything that is impossible.
"I'm sorry." Jiang Siyue smiled and refused, "My husband and I have an appointment to go to his house for dinner this weekend."
Yue Huan was no longer sleepy. He opened his eyes wide and shouted in a loud voice: "Are you married?!" There are graduate students who get married, but they are still a minority.
Li Chuan's smile froze on his face and his complexion turned pale.
"Yeah." Jiang Siyue glanced at Zhao Yan as he walked out after paying the bill, her smile unchanged. "Doesn't the country encourage marriage? I'll listen to your advice."
Yue Huan didn't say anything else, and there was a hint of sympathy in his eyes when he looked at Li Chuan.
Zhao Yan came out, ignoring the strange atmosphere among the crowd and walking forward. Li Rongbo thought for a moment and quickly followed Zhao Yan's footsteps.
Yue Huan thought about it and stepped forward, leaving the space for Li Chuan.
"When did you get married?" Li Chuan tried hard to find his voice.
"It's been more than two months now." Jiang Siyue's expression was generous, her eyes looking straight ahead, and she kept smiling. "It's a pity that I didn't buy you wedding candy, otherwise I would definitely give you a bag."
Li Chuan felt that he couldn't laugh anymore. "Is it Xu Chu?"
When I suddenly heard this name, a strange yet familiar feeling came over me.
"He returned to China?" Li Chuan only thought of this possibility.
After a while, Jiang Siyue had returned to normal. She shook her head and said, "I met him through a blind date. I thought he was a good match, so I got married."
Li Chuan looked up in disbelief, wanting to ask her why she was so reckless, but then he realized he had no right to do so, and in the end said nothing.
Silence fell between the two.
Li Chuan didn't go to the library again. I didn't see him the whole afternoon. Yue Huan came instead, still struggling to revise her thesis. At six o'clock, I got into Zhao Yan's car a hundred meters from the school gate.
After fastening her seatbelt, Jiang Siyue smiled and said impatiently, "Auntie, are you going to buy groceries today? I really want to eat boiled fish, the spicier the better."
"I'm afraid that won't work." Zhao Yan smiled and started the car.
"Why?" Jiang Siyue complained. The pickled fish at lunch was indeed good, but the spicy food was served but she didn't get to eat it. It was really annoying.
"Auntie is already cooking."
Jiang Siyue leaned back in her seat and sighed. After a while, she sent a message to Meng Zhuqing asking her out for dinner this weekend.
Jiang Siyue was extremely tired today. After getting off the car, she followed Zhao Yan listlessly. When he opened the door, she leaned against the wall and looked up the boiled fish restaurant they were going to this weekend.
With a "ding" sound, the electronic door lock opened, and a spicy aroma hit her face, exactly the same as the boiled fish she had at noon! Jiang Siyue trotted to the dining table, and after discovering the plate of steaming boiled fish, Jiang Siyue swept away her previous dejection.
"Why did you lie to me!" Jiang Siyue quickly put down her bag and ran straight to the kitchen to get some rice.
"I didn't know Auntie made it either." Zhao Yan looked lazy and didn't admit it. He saw Jiang Siyue's greedy look today and had already reminded Auntie to cook fish tonight.
Jiang Siyue chewed the rain in her mouth and thought for a while before she realized that what he said was not wrong. She was finally late for the spicy food she wanted to eat. Her stomach was full and she sat in a chair after dinner, too lazy to move.
"I'll be out later. Do you want to come with me?" Zhao Yan put down his chopsticks and took a tissue.
Jiang Siyue leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. "Where are you going?"
"My friend organized a party."
Jiang Siyue readily agreed. If it was possible to play without him, Zhao Yan wouldn't have asked that question. It must be that his friend specifically asked to meet him.
Since it was an introduction meeting, Jiang Siyue felt she had to dress up. She chose a white coat that matched him and matched it with a brown bag. When changing shoes, her hand had already reached for flat sneakers, but then she seemed to remember something and took out a brand new pair of nude high heels from the shoe cabinet and put them on.
The author has something to say:
Isn't it updated? Where's my red flower?
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