Food Expo (Part 1)
Jiang Yichun returned to the dormitory and tightly clutched He Yinxin's cotton and linen coat.
She was soaked to the bone, like a little duckling that had just come back from the rain.
She had finished the scallion pancake in her hand, and there was still seafood sauce on the corner of her mouth.
Jiang Yichun casually tossed the plastic bag into the trash can and plopped down in a chair.
She left the umbrella to dry in the corridor, while she kept the dress that belonged to He Yinxin draped over her shoulders.
For some reason, as she walked, she took off the garment and held it in her arms.
A dry and familiar scent replaced the damp rain.
She rubbed the fabric, as if the coat still carried a trace of the wearer's body heat.
Why is He Yinxin, that annoying liar, being so gentle with me today?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yichun's tears welled up in her eyes again.
The frustration of her internship, the pressure of applying for graduate school, and the deception from that person all left her feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Jiang Yichun took out his phone, wanting to temporarily escape reality and immerse himself in the internet.
But she couldn't resist clicking on WeChat and opening her mother's chat window.
She stared at the chat messages stuck on the transfer record, and finally tried typing a few words into the chat box: "Mom, I'm so tired."
Her finger hovered over the send button, but she ultimately deleted the message she had typed.
"Beep beep beep—" The ringing of the phone drowned out the words she typed.
Jiang Yichun's eyes were filled with tears. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his grandmother calling.
She held back her tears and answered the phone.
"Xiaochun, how have you been lately?"
The old woman's familiar voice, though hoarse, flowed into her ears like a gently flowing stream carrying sand and stones.
Jiang Yichun's tears finally fell.
"Grandma, I'm fine, don't worry."
"Xiaochun, you're being stubborn again. I could clearly hear you crying. Come on, tell Grandma what's wrong?"
"It's alright, Grandma, I'm just under a lot of pressure. It's really not easy in a big city." Jiang Yichun covered her mouth, trying her best to hide her sobs.
The other person was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Xiaochun, so you don't want to come back, do you?"
"Our purple clover has bloomed; we can pick it and stir-fry it with rice cakes."
“Although you often say you don’t want to go home, if you’re tired, come back. Grandma will make you some stir-fried rice cakes.”
"Add one more egg."
Jiang Yichun burst into tears. She wiped her eyes and nodded, "Okay, Grandma, I'll go home as soon as summer camp is over."
"Can I buy you some of your favorite cream cakes too, with my internship salary?"
"Great, great! My little girl has grown up and can earn her own money now. Hey, I want more cream, please." The old lady on the other end of the phone chuckled. "Okay, that'll do for now. Potato is calling again; those old women are probably telling me to go out for some exercise."
"Okay, goodbye Grandma." Jiang Yichun cried and laughed at the same time as she hung up the phone.
She let out a sigh of relief, put down his coat, and glanced at her backpack full of study materials.
Jiang Yichun stretched out his hand, then immediately withdrew it.
She should give herself some time to catch her breath, so she'll skip the study room today and get a good night's sleep.
Everything will be alright once you wake up.
Jiang Yichun stood up, picked up the toiletries, and walked towards the bathroom with her sticky body.
A short while later, she returned to her dormitory wearing soft pajamas and smelling of rose-scented shower gel.
The dormitory was still empty. She had just stepped out of the warm steam and casually drank a cup of rose tea.
After drinking a cup of hot water, she felt completely relaxed.
Jiang Yichun stretched and climbed onto the bed. Halfway up, she stopped and turned to look at the coat she had folded on the chair.
He appeared before her eyes again, standing behind her.
He had a high, straight nose, clear eyes, and full lips.
During the passionate kiss, he embraced her warmly and touched her soft chest.
Those fantasies were like crackling sparks, rubbing against the dry tinder in her heart.
Jiang Yichun climbed down the stairs, quickly grabbed the coat from the chair, wrapped it in his arms, and climbed back into bed.
She quickly pulled the bed curtains shut and leaned against her pillow.
The faint scent of roses mingled with the scent of cotton on his clothes.
Jiang Yichun's heart was pounding and his ears were burning red. He muttered a curse under his breath:
"fraud……"
"You stinky robot!"
Jiang Yichun pulled the garment into his arms, feeling its soft texture with his fingertips, and then gently tugged at it a few times.
It felt like pinching his arm.
Her body slid down slowly until she lay flat on the small bed.
Jiang Yichun hugged the clothes tightly to his chest, turned to the side, buried his whole body in the quilt, and only his head was exposed.
That spark ignited the dry wood without anyone noticing.
The flames burning within him spread from his heart to every part of his body, and her fragrance gradually consumed the scent that was uniquely his on the coat.
Jiang Yichun muttered to himself, "I hate you, I hate you the most."
Why am I just a data point in your eyes?
"That's why I don't like you. I'm happy without you."
She buried her head in the dress, greedily inhaling and smelling it.
Her lips pressed against the thin fabric, rubbing up and down, as the crazy memories of that day surged back.
She pursed her lips and gently bit her coat.
Jiang Yichun closed his eyes, and all he could see were his clear almond-shaped eyes and his hands with distinct knuckles and occasional bulging veins.
Those eyes were captivated by the rose-colored fragrance, lost in the aromatic mist.
Those hands were gradually swallowed by the rainwater overflowing from the window, soaking in the warm pool.
The fragrance of roses overpowered the scent of kapok, and sticky sweat mixed with her tears stained her cotton-linen coat.
Her teeth chattered slightly as she ate, bite by bite, savoring the flavors that belonged to him.
She was thrown onto a small boat in the Jiangnan water town, holding his hand, and they swayed along in the misty rain. The river water beside the boat reached her ankles and soaked her dress.
The dormitory was quiet, with only the rustling of fabric and her soft sobs.
"Damn it, He Yinxin."
"Old He..."
The mist over the water town dissipated, leaving only the white sunlight.
The person holding her hand also disappeared along with the vast mist.
She let out a long breath and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.
She exuded an aura of kapok and roses.
Jiang Yichun looked at his hands, which were covered in tears, and his face burned even redder.
It's not shameful to break down in tears, but the fact that it was because I was thinking of him...
How could I possibly think of him and cry like this?
She was still crying while clutching his coat?
Jiang Yichun flung the coat off and buried his head in the pillow.
She gasped for breath until her breathing calmed down.
Jiang Yichun got up, grabbed the coat, and crawled off the bed, looking at the tear stains she had left on it.
She took another deep breath, inhaling the damp, cottony scent emanating from it.
His words echoed in my ears: "If you want to throw it away, then throw it away."
She looked at the clothes, shook her head, and the stubborn spirit within her awakened once more.
You tell me to throw it away? I won't!
But I won't give it back to you!
Jiang Yichun walked to the balcony, threw the clothes into the basin, and was about to turn on the tap.
She looked at her rose-scented laundry detergent.
If you actually pour it down, its smell will be completely covered by the laundry detergent.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she raised her hand to close the bottle cap, took the coat out of the basin, and hugged it to her chest.
"I'm not your nanny, why should I wash your clothes with such a cold face? You don't deserve me washing your clothes." Jiang Yichun strode back to the room and spread the clothes out on the table.
She carefully folded the coat and hugged it to her arms again.
Jiang Yichun opened the wardrobe and placed the coat at the very bottom.
She looked at the light blue dress and thought again of the water town that had just appeared before her eyes.
"Smack!"
Jiang Yichun shook his head, immediately closed the wardrobe door, covered his face, picked up his phone, and climbed onto the bed.
She ultimately left the coat in her closet.
"Xiaochun?" Jiang Yichun had just plopped down on the bed in the dormitory when the dormitory door was opened.
Yang Fei walked into the dormitory carrying a large bag of newly bought dance costumes. She looked up and met Jiang Yichun's gaze as he sat on the edge of the bed.
From her perspective, Jiang Yichun's cheeks were flushed, and tears were still hanging in the corners of her eyes, making her look pitiful.
"Xiaochun, who bullied you?" Yang Fei asked, her eyes wide.
Jiang Yichun blushed even more: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired from work."
"Sigh, being an intern is just so demanding."
"Yeah! Going to work is so annoying!" Yang Fei shoved her clothes onto the table. "They already said interns get low pay, and now they make me do this and that, what a load of crap."
"And those colleagues, I only stayed for a few days, and they still had those little schemes."
"And my classmate from the same period, he was such an idiot, always causing trouble."
Jiang Yichun nodded fiercely, trying to shake off the other messy thoughts in his mind.
Yang Fei raised her eyebrows: "Speaking of which, it seems our city is going to hold a food exhibition."
"Xiaochun, I plan to go to the food expo this weekend. I heard online that you can eat lots of delicious food for free."
Jiang Yichun's eyes immediately lit up: "Really? I'll sign up right away!"
Yang Fei smiled and said, "Of course it's true. But I plan to go with my boyfriend—Xiao Chun, why don't you invite Director He along too?"
Jiang Yichun froze, then hurriedly shook her head: "No, no need, I'll go with you."
“He Yinxin...he's been very busy lately, he doesn't have time, yes, that's right.”
"Oh, is that so? Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen that guy Lao He. Xiao Chun, you haven't been sitting with him for tutoring lately either?" Yang Fei started tidying up the clothes on the table.
Jiang Yichun smoothed her hair: "Uh, because he's been very busy lately and hasn't had much free time, so I've been studying by myself. Okay, okay, Feifei, you don't need to worry."
"Well, so, Xiaochun, if the three of us go together, won't you be like a third wheel? I was thinking Lao He could help balance things out a bit." Yang Fei looked up at her again. "You probably don't want to be a third wheel, do you?"
"After all, Yanzi and I are so inseparable."
Jiang Yichun waved his hand with a smile: "It's okay, we'll take a taxi together and then go sightseeing separately."
"Okay, that'll save on transportation costs."
After talking with Yang Fei, Jiang Yichun retreated behind the bed curtains, clicked on the food exhibition link, and reserved a spot.
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