Chapter 34
Lin Li's hands are beautiful, soft and slender; anyone who sees them would exclaim that they are the hands of a pianist. Her hand brushes across the piano lid, then lightly leaps onto the black and white keys.
She turned her head, her tone full of surprise, "Was the piano specially prepared for me?"
Zong Linhan: "I also wanted to claim the credit, but unfortunately, it should belong to the original owner of this house."
“Then I can’t give you a high score.” Lin Li smiled, turned to look at the windowsill, where a gentle breeze rustled the green leaves. “The green plants are nice. I also like to keep some flowers and plants at home. When I get up in the morning, I look at them and am infected by their vitality, which helps me start a new day.”
Lin Li strolled around the study, offering the same praise she would give to anyone else. Wen Zhiling waited for Zong Linhan to reveal his secret weapon, but he simply stayed by Lin Li's side, responding to her questions as needed.
Lin Li cleared her throat, "It's going to be scored, right? I have about..."
The director reminded her, "Teacher Lin, there's another scoring point later, which is also for the third group's work."
The group went downstairs and through the back door to the glass conservatory.
Wen Zhiling whispered to Zong Linhan, "Stop hiding it, take out whatever good stuff you have."
Zong Linhan said in a low voice, "Don't rush."
Sunlight streamed through the glass, filtering out a bright ambiance. The glass greenhouse smelled less of earth and more of the crisp, clean scent of grass. The layers of leaves, with their clearly defined veins, formed unique silhouettes. The unnamed flowers, delicate as cicada wings, glistened with dewdrops.
The moment Lin Li stepped into the greenhouse, she was captivated. She wandered around, looking at this bunch of grass and exploring the flowers over there, exclaiming repeatedly, "Wow, really nice! Who cut these?"
Lu Siyi immediately pointed at Wen Zhiling, feeling proud of her friend.
Lin Li didn't hesitate at all, as if she had expected it. She exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "The little girl's hands are so skillful. My family used to have an old gardener who helped take care of the garden, but later the old man went home to take care of his grandson. The new gardener we hired is also good, but compared to the old gardener, his technique is still a bit rigid. I haven't seen such beautiful pruning in a long time."
When asked by the photographer who she would give a high score to, she hesitated for a moment, then admitted, "Originally, I thought everyone's level was about the same, so I would be biased and give the score to Xiaowan and Xiaoxu. But this garden is too beautiful, so I'll give it to the third group."
Lin Li has a beautiful smile and a natural, approachable charm.
This was the first time Wen Zhiling had seen her smile so gently at her. Her facial muscles stiffened, and she managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Teacher Lin."
To liven up the show, Li Wan feigned cuteness before letting go of Lin Li's arm and then playfully attacked Zong Linhan, saying, "When we were little, I used to take you to play in the river, take you hiking, and even taught my sister a secret skill to win by sneaking around..."
Zong Linhan was used to it and smiled along, "Zhi Ling is too amazing, there's nothing I can do about it."
The director noticed Zong Linhan's hand gesture behind her and stopped Lin Li, who was walking out, saying, "Teacher Lin, there's a little gift here!"
Zong Linhan then took out the mysterious gift he had prepared for the guest.
A record with a hazy, retro style; Lin Li on the cover looks like she's eighteen years old, with a sweet smile.
"This is..." Lin Li was stunned as she took the record. "This is my first record when I first debuted, right? How did I get this?"
Zong Linhan slowly took out a letter, "And this letter, it was written by Teacher Lin's first batch of fans."
“There’s a record store at the seaside market. I chatted with the owner for a while and learned that he was a fan of yours. I mentioned that you would be coming, and he got very excited. He took out this early record and hurriedly wrote this letter, asking me to make sure to bring it to you.”
"It's all thanks to Zhi Ling's reminder. When we passed by this store that day, she said that the owner of the store must be your fan."
Li Wan asked curiously, "Are there records hanging outside?"
Zong Linhan shook his head: "It's the name of the shop, it's called 'North of the Clouds'."
Li Wan didn't understand.
Li Xu explained, "The lyrics of a song should say 'South of the Clouds,' but my mom often sings it wrong. Longtime fans joke that this song should have been changed to 'North of the Clouds' a long time ago."
Everyone suddenly realized.
Wen Zhiling swears that she just said it casually at the time, but Zong Linhan insisted on putting on a different show effect, full of drama.
Lin Li's gaze towards Wen Zhiling changed. Unlike the superficial concern and approval she had shown before, there was now surprise and disbelief in her eyes, and her gaze softened.
"Are you making dumplings for lunch?"
After the morning activities ended, everyone walked back through the narrow path. Lu Siyi stretched and asked.
Wen Zhiling, who was standing next to her, nodded. "The production team was already preparing when we came out."
Lu Siyi exclaimed happily, "Okay, okay, I want chocolate filling!"
Wen Zhiling looked up, utterly bewildered.
Lu Siyi chuckled, "I'll wrap one up for you later."
Wen Zhiling: "..."
Wen Zhiling: "I'll politely decline."
Wen Zhiling's gaze passed over the laughing and joking Lu Siyi, and she tilted her head slightly back to look at Zong Linhan.
He was talking to Lu Qin when a few words drifted over, discussing points to note when pruning flowers. Sunlight fell on his jet-black hair, like golden rays dancing and tracing the delicate outline of his smile. He was someone bathed in bright sunlight, someone thoughtful and attentive to her feelings.
He deliberately placed the biggest surprise at the end of the rating to give her a chance to be recognized. Wen Zhiling could guess that if Lin Li gave a low score, Zong Linhan would insist that it was Lin Li targeting her, but if he gave a high score, he would tell her that this was recognition she had earned herself, not to prove anything to anyone, but simply to tell the Wen Zhiling of the past that the people and things around her had changed, that she was no longer the little girl who struggled to make ends meet and could only depend on others, and that no one could easily hurt her.
Whether Lin Li's friendliness stemmed from being in front of the camera or from her new identity as a member of the Wen family, Zong Linhan's actions gave her a boost of confidence. Like a blade of grass, its branches bent low by rusted steel and concrete, lying desolate beneath the ruins, receiving a drop of sweet spring water.
Perhaps noticing Wen Zhiling's gaze, Zong Linhan took a few quick steps forward and walked to her side.
The two stepped across the threshold side by side, whispering to each other. Wen Zhiling looked up at Zong Linhan with a faint smile on her lips.
Li Xu stood at the back of the line, his hands clenched tightly in his hoodie pocket. He couldn't stand Wen Zhiling's expression; her gaze seemed to linger only on Zong Linhan. Frustrated, he zipped up his hoodie all the way, until it was stuck, causing a sharp pain in his chin, but he didn't even blink.
Do not act impulsively, absolutely do not act impulsively at this time.
The program was very tightly scheduled. After a short break, it was time to make dumplings. The open kitchen was as lively as a pot of boiling water.
In the center of the cutting board, an iron basin was filled with minced meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, emitting the aroma of soy sauce, sesame oil, and fresh scallions and ginger.
Lin Li rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and taught deftly: "Look, don't be greedy with the filling, put it in the middle of the dough, and then pinch it like this..." With a nimble pinch and squeeze, a round, three-dimensional dumpling was formed under her hands and placed on a plate sprinkled with flour.
Li Wan and Lu Siyi, who had little experience in the kitchen, exclaimed in surprise. Lu Qin, who seemed to be bad at cooking, learned very quickly and soon made several, which received praise from Lin Li.
Zong Linhan was in charge of rolling out the dough, and his posture was very handsome. However, the result was unbearable to look at. The dough was either too thick or became weirdly shaped. Wen Zhiling watched from the side with great fear, worried that it would cause a large number of fans to drop after it was broadcast.
She leaned closer and taught him step by step: "Make your wrist more flexible, apply the force outwards, yes, like that..."
Her slender hand covered Zong Linhan's hand, her body leaning slightly towards him, the ends of her long hair almost brushing against his arm, falling to her wrist. Zong Linhan studied very diligently, and the results were remarkable; a dough sheet, thick in the middle and thin at the edges, was rolled into shape under the rolling pin.
Wen Zhiling raised her face: "You've got it?"
Zong Linhan lowered his eyes: "If you can't control the force well, demonstrate it again."
Just as Wen Zhiling withdrew her hand and put it back on, Li Xu, who was standing opposite the two of them, couldn't help but ask, "Lin Han, I remember you played a blind child in your second drama, right?"
Zong Linhan lifted his eyelids slightly.
Li Xu gave a forced smile, "Back then, I could roll out dough and make dumplings with my eyes closed. How many years has it been? You've forgotten everything?"
Zong Linhan smiled easily, "Xiao Xu, don't think too highly of me, I've forgotten everything."
Wen Zhiling: "..."
Understanding the unspoken meaning, she tossed the rolling pin to Zong Linhan. Zong Linhan calmly picked it up and put it back in her hand, resolutely playing the role of someone who had forgotten how to roll out dough.
To complete the performance, Zong Linhan dutifully played many other roles in the following segments. He forgot how to make dumplings, how much filling to put in, and how to shape them into pretty ingots. Forced onto the stage, Wen Zhiling could only teach him step by step, one by one.
Li Xu held a handful of washed chives, his gaze occasionally lingering on the brother and sister opposite him. Wen Zhiling was both helpless and patient, while Zong Linhan shamelessly and openly forgot, demanding to be taught again.
There was a tacit understanding between the two that was difficult for outsiders to penetrate.
Wen Zhiling also taught him how to make dumplings. In fact, their interactions to get Wen Zhiling's attention were no less than Zong Linhan's. He even knew Wen Zhiling much earlier.
"Brother Li Xu! The chives are so wet they're sap-filled!" Lu Siyi screamed.
Li Xu snapped back to reality and forced a smile, "I didn't control my strength well."
Lin Li handed over a kitchen paper, "Wipe it up."
Li Xu put down the chives and stepped aside, saying, "No need, I'll go wash them."
In the dumpling-making competition at noon, Wen Zhiling and Zong Linhan emerged victorious once again. Wen Zhiling's speed in making dumplings deeply impressed everyone, and she won the points without any suspense.
The afternoon activities were relatively relaxed. A song recognition game was held to match Lin Li's identity. While she was listening to the song with her eyes closed, the record store owner secretly appeared as a surprise, bringing tears to Lin Li's eyes. The old fan expressed his love for her for many years, determined to make the audience cry.
After six o'clock, the sun wasn't so strong anymore, and the group went to the beach to complete their last challenge: fishing.
While the production team was preparing, everyone was called into the room one by one for interviews. Wen Zhiling was the first to finish. When she came out, she saw Tao Tao standing by the back door, away from the cameras, looking worried. She turned off her equipment and went over to ask what was wrong.
Tao Tao was so anxious she was about to cry. "I remember the number of fishing rods was correct. I don't know what happened. I just counted them again and one was missing."
This was originally the props department's job, but the staff member wasn't feeling well, and Tao Tao was the unlucky one who was randomly chosen. "The director hates these kinds of last-minute problems the most. I asked a colleague to go and buy some, but now it's been an hour and the person still hasn't come back, and we can't contact them. It should only take ten minutes to go back and forth!"
Tao Tao is often called upon by the director and cannot leave at will. Wen Zhiling calculated the time, took down the equipment and gave it to her, "I'll go buy it. The others haven't finished yet, so there's at least half an hour free. During this time, just say I'm not feeling well and I'm going upstairs to sleep."
Wen Zhiling tried to avoid being seen by others by leaving through the back door, but bumped into someone as soon as she stepped out.
Li Xu stood under the tree, a cigarette dangling from his lips, hands in his pockets, watching the ants moving their nest on the ground.
Hearing the noise, he looked up, a lingering restlessness in his eyes. The moment he saw Wen Zhiling, his expression softened. "Where are you going?"
Wen Zhiling didn't answer and walked straight out. Li Xu stretched out his long legs, blocking Wen Zhiling's way like a door god.
Time was limited, and Wen Zhiling didn't want to dwell on it too much, so she simply explained the ins and outs of the matter.
Li Xu threw the cigarette into the trash can. "I'll go with you."
Li Xu is the type of person who doesn't listen to advice; he has his own legs. Wen Zhiling didn't say much and could only let him follow.
Little did they know that their brief interaction was precisely observed by a lady in the study on the second floor.
"Teacher Lin, this is the vinyl record. I found it at the market. I'm sure you'll like it. Luckily, there's a record player in the study."
As Lu Qin was speaking, he turned around and saw Lin Li standing by the window, saying nothing.
He walked over and immediately saw the two people who had finished their conversation and were walking out together.
Lu Qin smiled and said, "The young people have a very good relationship."
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Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay! Got up early this morning and chug down coffee to write...write...write...write...
Are all the babies on holiday? Happy National Day!! [Clapping][Clapping][Clapping]
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