Gu Yao, dressed in a well-tailored suit, seemed out of place here.
Follow Gu Yao into the small restaurant.
"Oh, Xiao Gu is here? Come on, sit down."
The familiar hometown accent caught Zhou Chunhua's attention.
The speaker was a boss with a round, chubby face and a very auspicious appearance.
When he smiles, his eyes squint into crescent-shaped slits, like a lucky cat figurine; it's very cute.
The boss nodded in greeting, then took a towel and wiped the table over there, gesturing for them to sit down.
She followed Gu Yao and sat down.
The boss would wink at Gu Yao every now and then.
Gu Yao seemed not to have seen it at all, his face expressionless.
After wiping the table, the boss chuckled and went into the kitchen.
They looked like they knew each other very well.
She couldn't help but glance at Gu Yao a few more times.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Gu Yao's slender fingers traced the sharp angles of his jawline.
"No, no." Zhou Chunhua awkwardly lowered her head and explained, "I was just curious why you would like to eat in a place like this."
"Everyone needs to eat, and the owner here is a very good cook."
After Gu Yao finished speaking, the boss came out carrying two bowls.
He placed it in front of them and said, "This is the first time in all these years that Xiao Gu has brought his girlfriend here! Come on, braised pig's trotters taste best when they're hot."
Zhou Chunhua was so startled she almost bit the stone, and quickly waved her hands: "Th-boss, I didn't..."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Yao handed her disposable gloves: "We're in a hurry, let's eat quickly. We're going somewhere else this afternoon."
The boss, with a knowing look on his face, said, "Then eat quickly, eat quickly. Remember, these pig's trotters have to be dipped in the vinegar from our hometown." Then he went back to the kitchen.
Zhou Chunhua said awkwardly to Gu Yao, "The boss's joke is not funny at all."
That's just how he is, you'll get used to it.
Hearing Gu Yao say that, she felt less embarrassed.
Although he didn't understand why Gu Yao hadn't explained himself or let her explain.
However, she felt a bit more favorably toward Gu Yao's tolerant personality.
This made Gu Yao seem less cold and unapproachable.
She smiled, put on her gloves, and was about to break off a pig's trotter when she realized that the pig's trotter in her bowl was gone.
Gu Yao suddenly handed over a bowl of shredded pig's feet.
"This is one of my favorite dishes. In Jiang City, this is considered the most authentic taste. I was worried that it would be troublesome for you to eat it, so I took the liberty of pre-cutting it for you. This way, you can just use your chopsticks to eat it without getting your hands dirty."
Zhou Chunhua gratefully accepted it and thanked her several times.
Gu Yao poured her another bowl of vinegar.
"It tastes even better with this."
The aroma of vinegar wafted over, and Zhou Chunhua was dumbfounded.
She leaned closer in disbelief and smelled it again. Her pupils widened in shock, and she immediately dipped her finger in it and put it in her mouth.
The next second, my eyes fogged up.
This is a unique type of vinegar from her hometown, called double flower vinegar.
Because the starter culture of Shuanghua vinegar contains more than a hundred kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs, it has a faint herbal aroma and a refreshing taste compared to regular vinegar.
In her hometown, every family makes double-flower vinegar. She grew up eating this kind of vinegar, so how could she possibly remember it wrong?
She picked up the pig's trotter and smelled it; it had a strong aroma of spices.
This method of braising is unique to my hometown.
Dipped in vinegar, it went into my mouth. The pig's trotter, with its rich aroma of spices and a hint of herbal fragrance, melted on my tongue.
The chewy and fragrant texture made Zhou Chunhua's eyes well up with tears.
For some reason, a scene from her childhood flashed before her misty eyes: her mother sweating profusely as she made braised dishes in front of the wood-fired stove during Chinese New Year.
My eyes felt like they had sand in them, sore and dry, and tears kept welling up uncontrollably.
Gu Yao was startled. He had been waiting for this day for almost twenty years, and although he had imagined all the scenarios, he never expected her to cry like this.
So, did she remember him?
He felt both hopeful and guilty; he wanted to go forward, yet he was also afraid.
All I could do was watch from the sidelines.
He only realized what was happening when he saw large tears streaming down Zhou Chunhua's face, and he quickly took out a tissue.
Resisting the urge to wipe away her tears myself, I placed the tissue in her hand.
Meeting Zhou Chunhua's slightly red eyes, Gu Yao's heart raced as he silently cried out: It's me! Gu Yao! You said you wouldn't forget me!
He had even begun to fantasize about the scene of their long-awaited reunion and embrace.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Attorney Gu." Zhou Chunhua, her face streaked with tears, shook her head and smiled bitterly.
When it came to home, Zhou Chunhua suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Gu Yao.
"Is Attorney Gu also from Lincheng?"
Zhou Chunhua's question was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all of Gu Yao's fantasies.
I forced myself to hide my disappointment and suppress my heartache. It's okay, if I can't remember, I'll start now!
He forced a smile: "You mean this pig's trotter? I only lived there for a while. Are you from Lincheng?"
Zhou Chunhua nodded: "Back then, I broke ties with my parents in order to marry Liao Nanxing. So when I married into Jiang City, I also transferred my household registration to Jiang City."
She smiled bitterly: "If I had known that in the end it would all depend on my conscience, I should have listened to my parents and not married someone from so far away. I gambled my entire life on a man's conscience, and I lost, I lost terribly."
"It's not too late to turn back now. Lincheng is a wonderful place; the mountains are beautiful, the water is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful."
Gu Yao handed her another tissue.
Zhou Chunhua was amused by this old slogan used to promote Lincheng.
Wiping away her tears, she smiled and said, "Attorney Gu, once I've sorted out all this mess and found my daughter, I'll go back to Lincheng."
If you ever come to Lincheng, I'll definitely make you the most authentic braised pig's feet.
"Okay." Gu Yao smiled and lowered his head, but his expression instantly turned painful.
so……
Has she forgotten him?
After that, the two didn't speak again and each ate the braised pork knuckle noodles in their bowls.
When they left the small shop, the owner of Lucky Cat also packed them another serving of braised pig's feet and double-flower vinegar.
Gu Yaoquan gave it to Zhou Chunhua.
Once in the car, she looked at the braised pig's trotter in her hand, took out her phone, and dialed a number.
But even after getting off the bus, she didn't have the courage to make the call.
...
Meanwhile, outside the intensive care unit of Jiangshi No. 1 Hospital at the same time, Su Mu was carefully editing a drawing.
The first picture shows the breakfast Liao Nanxing bought for her, and the second picture shows the lunch Liao Nanxing bought for her after traveling halfway around the city, along with her favorite milk tea.
The third picture shows the ring with the tag still on her ring finger, and the fourth picture shows her and Liao Nanxing's hands tightly clasped together.
The caption reads: Being cherished by you is a blessing I earned in my past life.
Before posting, she blocked her colleagues and Liao Nanxing.
Liao Nanxing didn't like her showing off how much he doted on her, so she wouldn't upset him.
But she was really looking forward to it, to seeing how furious Zhou Chunhua would be when she saw this post on her WeChat Moments.
"Are the family members of patient 47 here? Are they the family members of patient 47, Xu Xiuzhen?" the nurse called out at the door.
Su Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put away his phone and hurried over.
Could Xu Xiuzhen have been so weak that she'd actually kicked the bucket?
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