A trip to the flower market
Yu Ran's workday was practically non-stop. He'd already arrived at 8 a.m. to get his groceries in early, then mentally review the cooking process and finalize the ingredients for the day before heading straight to Jiang Liu's house. Ordering lunch and dinner together made things much easier for Yu Ran, as he could prep the food in advance. Bird shit dripping down his head, if things kept coming up, he'd have to make a few more trips to the supermarket.
Fortunately, January passed and payday arrived as expected. With base salary and food allowance, Yu Ran took home a little over 10,000 yuan.
Jiang Liu transferred the money readily.
The ten thousand is well worth it. This is a good chef who always puts the boss's stomach first. The work log is as follows:
Recipe for the seventh day of the first lunar month
Lunch: Avocado and Tomato Salad (Busan 88 Tomatoes, Kraft Salad Dressing), Stir-fried Black Tiger Prawns with Spicy Tomato Sauce (Super rave reviews), Coconut Stewed Peach Gum (they said they didn't wash the pot, but they finished it and looked like a schizophrenic)
Recipe for the eighth day of the first lunar month
Lunch: Braised Spare Ribs with Pumpkin and Black Bean Sauce (he said he couldn't pick up the pumpkin with chopsticks, so I gave him a spoon and he calmed down), Crab Meat and Egg (I thought it was just right, he thought it was bland, so he dipped it in black pepper sauce)
Dinner: Honey-glazed chicken wings with mixed rice (does this need black pepper sauce? I don't think it goes well with this, as long as he likes it), morel and bone soup, broth with choy sum (so-so reaction)
Recipe for the ninth day of the first lunar month...
Recipe for the tenth day of the first lunar month...
Dislikes:
Sugarcane (said it pricked his mouth and broke his teeth, making him look awkward), soda crackers, dark chocolate (he loves white chocolate), lettuce (said it tasted weird), romaine lettuce (said it was too crunchy and tasted weird), cauliflower (said it was bland and unappetizing, broccoli was okay), fish (can't stand the smell of fish), anything that swims in water (is he afraid of water?), pig offal, fatty meat (on February 20th, there was a mix of fat and lean meat in the stir-fried vegetables, he only bit the lean part and spit out the fat), anything cooked in lard (he has a keen palate and can really taste it, almost made me drink lard), any soup with shredded meat or oil...
Favorite food:
White chocolate (dark chocolate is not my favorite), fruit that won't get your hands dirty (I like mangoes but think they're messy to eat, so I'll just cut them up for him), peaches > freshly squeezed milkshakes > mixed salads > freshly squeezed juices > wax apples = guava, pan-fried pork cutlets that are dry and fragrant but not overcooked, shrimp (no heads or shells, especially no legs; he'd be scared if they were on).
…
It takes two pages to record a month's time. Such a heavy book with large blank pages obviously prepares for a long future.
It is true that he works diligently and pays attention to every detail, but the title page of his work diary clearly reads: "Book of Life and Death".
Like a schizophrenia.
After receiving his salary, Jiang Liu suddenly said that he didn't need to come to cook tomorrow.
Yu Ran had some money in his pocket and was very confident. He was thinking of showing off his skills to his boss tomorrow, but he didn't expect the business to come to a sudden halt.
"I have to go out for something, so you don't need to cook." Jiang Liu added.
Yu Ran hadn't been late, absent, or left early for the past month, and he almost treated Jiang Liu's house as his second home. Even though it was only a day's absence, he felt a little emotional. He changed the subject, turning his personal reluctance into concern for his boss:
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I want to give you a vacation, but you really can't stay idle?"
Yu Ran is really a person who cannot sit still, because he is used to it and is afraid of it. For him, idleness is no different from a sin. Having a job is like a deflated balloon that is suddenly inflated. Being busy and aimless is also a kind of floating ecstasy.
"Just think of it as going out on a mission tomorrow."
"Okay, you can drive, right? You drive during the day and I can sleep, and I'll drive at night."
"Where are you going?"
"Hengqing City, I'll take you to the flower market. Sleep well tonight."
It's still a good job.
…
Yu Ran hadn't driven a car in a long time. His car was wrecked in a car accident, and the only time he drove after recovering was during the first month of the Lunar New Year when he drove his sister's car to buy groceries. As soon as he touched the steering wheel, a long-lost passion rekindled in his heart, as if gradually reconnecting with past memories.
The car in front has slender and smooth body lines, and the silver-gray paint gradually turns into gold at the rear, which fits the owner's aesthetic taste.
Normally, leather interiors would have a faint strange smell in a confined space, but this car does not have that smell at all. The owner, Jiang Liu, is a person who loves fragrance very much, but he does not spray perfume. In the turbulent driving environment, every breath of fragrance feels like choking on water.
Jiang Liu placed a Buddha's hand melon in the central armrest.
Yu Ran weighed it with one hand. It had the scent of lemon, mint and citrus. The aroma was familiar and special. It was simply the MAX version of a good medicine for people who get carsick.
"It smells better when you break it open with your fingers."
Yu Ran did as he was told. The aroma had the astringency of a split grapefruit and the sweetness of a split watermelon. It made one sleepy yet alert.
Yu Ran was of course the one who perked up. He asked Jiang Liu, "Why don't you sleep in the back row?"
"When you see me, you remember that the passenger seat still has a life. If you sit in the back, you forget. What will happen in the ditch?"
Jiang Liu said jokingly, his tone, which had risen with a smile, was disturbed by a yawn and softened.
After saying that, he lowered the seat, covered his eyes with a mask, and his breathing became more even. Yu Ran tried harder to drive the car steadily so as not to shake his head so much.
"Listen to music if you like. Don't worry about disturbing me."
Although he agreed with his mouth, Yu Ran did not do it. He wanted to listen to Jiang Liu's breathing and the sound of clothes rubbing against the seat.
Yu Ran, who was reborn, often compares himself to an alien fetus - a giant baby that has been carried in the mortal world for more than 20 years. Now he is a human being for the first time. He sees the world as so familiar and strange, boring and curious.
Yes, the person in the passenger seat has a stable relationship with him that does not cross the line, which is exactly what Yu Ran needs most at this stage.
The most ideal time period for driving during the day is from 8 to 10 a.m. In two hours, you will drive from the rising sun to the sunny day, and time will pass gently and slowly. If you drive from 10 to 12 noon, you will become impatient when it is time for lunch.
Arriving at the navigation location, the car stopped for a long time. Yu Ran asked tentatively, "Jiang Liu, did you get enough sleep?"
The name had long been changed from Mr. Jiang to Jiang Liu - strangely enough, when Yu Ran was in school, he hated his two-character name, and felt that being called by both his full name and surname was unkind, and this idea lasted for many years; now he called Jiang Liu in person, but he no longer felt that way - Jiang Liu, the river meandered around the fragrant meadow, with endless thoughts in "Spring River Moon Night".
He shook the man's arm. He didn't wake up.
Yu Ran suddenly had an idea and put the Buddha's hand melon he had just broken off in front of his nose.
It's useless.
He broke off a small piece and, out of a chef's awareness, took a bite. It was crispy, sweet, juicy, and left a lingering fragrance on his teeth and cheeks. He broke off a little more and brought it to Jiang Liu's mouth, touching his lips.
Jiang Liu's head rolled off the pillow, his lips slightly opened, and the saliva on his lips was stained on the fruit pieces. Yu Ran was afraid that the fruit would fall on other people's clothes, so he caught it with his left hand from below and pushed his right index finger inward. When it touched the teeth, it could not go in, and the lips seemed to touch the finger.
"Hmm..." His lips moved suddenly, and Yu Ran flicked his finger inside. Jiang Liu immediately took off his blindfold and said, "Why don't you just let me hold the chayote and chew it?"
"It's not a whole one. I just broke off a small piece for you."
"Oh - I was wondering why I touched your fingers. You were feeding me... Is my hair messy?"
Jiang Liu changed the subject, forcing the other party to acknowledge the feeding.
My hair was neatly slept, except that my bangs got frizzy when I took off the eye mask just now.
Yu Ran reached out to push his hair out, but he didn't know whether to push it to the left or the right, and he didn't know where the hairline started and the bangs were included. He randomly pushed out a lot of loose hair, making the overall look even messier.
"You have long hair, so your hands shouldn't be so clumsy. Do your mom and sister comb your hair every morning?"
Yu Ran: I shouldn’t have done that!!!
After the episode, the two got off the car one after another. The fragrance of flowers was like wind and rain, hitting them in the face. People felt a little wet standing in the fragrance, because both "refreshing" and "thirsty" have three water drops, one is used to describe the fragrance of flowers, and the other is used to describe the desire to appreciate flowers.
"What flowers should we buy this time?"
"I didn't plan to."
"That's not like you."
"There are so many beautiful flowers here that even professionals may not be able to identify them all. Expectations are constantly being refreshed, so it's better to come without any purpose and just buy what you like."
This statement struck Yu Ran. In his heart, Jiang Liu's image was balanced between sensibility and rationality.
"Should I wear a mask? Maybe everyone will find it strange, but don't worry too much about it. Your health comes first."
Yu Ran thanked the offer and said no, he didn't care what others thought. He just instinctively felt that since he and the florist lived under the same roof, he couldn't exclude the flowers. Love the house and love the dog? He didn't love Jiang Liu, but the meaning applied. If he really was uncomfortable with the pollen, he had to overcome it.
Here, it's not people walking, but the flowers that flow, their vibrant colors constantly drawing you into the deepest frenzy of splendor. For the first time, words like "a hundred flowers blooming," "a riot of colour," "a riot of colour," and "a riot of colour" seem insufficient to describe the scene. The "flower market" in this context isn't about a market, but about a city.
"We arrived early, so there weren't that many people. The flower market usually lasts until late May or early June. The spring and summer flower markets are more famous, while the autumn and winter markets are smaller, but I think the quality of the flowers is just as good as during peak season."
Jiang Liu seems to be willing to tell everything he knows.
"Do you often come to the flower market?"
“They all come up on a spur of the moment, but usually before participating in a competition, I’ll come to the flower market to look for inspiration.”
The exotic flowers and vibrant scenery captivated passersby, slowing their pace. Yu Ran was no exception, deeply captivated. The people around him patiently accompanied him, stopping every few steps and occasionally chatting with the shopkeeper.
Of course, there were also shop owners who were familiar with Jiang Liu. When he walked to a stall, he waved and called out, "Mr. Jiang, my orchids are blooming, and you came!"
"Granny Chen, I haven't seen you for a year, and you are still so healthy!" Jiang Liu admired the orchids in front of her stall, including freesias, chiyoda orchids, and phalaenopsis, and his eyes lingered even more than the wings of a butterfly.
Granny Chen's joyful gaze jumped onto Yu Ran's face.
"Hello, Grandma. My name is Yu Ran, and I'm his friend."
"Hello, handsome boy."
Jiang Liu exchanged a few words with the old man from time to time. During the conversation, the old man took his hand and whispered, "Hey, why is the girl with you gone?"
"She is a senior this year and has gone on an internship."
People have the sharpest ears when listening to gossip. Yu Ran caught the key words. So, that girl is Jiang Liu’s girlfriend?
Following the principle of not listening to anything inappropriate, he turned his head to look at the flowers in another stall. However, he would not let down the name "Ran". His heart suddenly started to boil: What would Jiang Liu's girlfriend be like? He was already so handsome, where could he find a girl prettier than him?
Yu Ran had heard a saying, "Selling flowers in the previous life, beautiful in this life", and had also read what Lin Qingxuan said, "People who sell flowers, umbrellas and incense are blessed by their cultivation in the previous life." Combining the two, Jiang Liu must have been a flower seller in his previous life, and he must have cultivated a beautiful appearance and pure moral character, and even had his happiness in the next life booked in advance.
He was hypocritical for only a second, and then returned to the topic of his girlfriend:
Hiss, if any girl falls in love with him, the sewer in her house must be blocked.
He was so distracted by all sorts of thoughts that he shuddered all over. No, Jiang Liu was now his imaginary enemy. In order to find out the truth, maintaining a superior-subordinate relationship with him was already the limit. He must not have any second thoughts.
What's the difference between all the fantasies I had just now and "love is long, heroes are short-tempered"? Oh, although I don't have any deep feelings for Jiang Liu.
After a few polite words, we finished touring the stalls in this area. It was almost time for dinner. Here people not only grow flowers, appreciate flowers, and sell flowers, but eating flowers is also a trend.
Edible vegetable flowers are nothing new. Sophora japonica, lily, and jasmine, while classic, are as uninspired as scrambled eggs with tomatoes. They ordered Double Flower Stuffed Rice, Rose and Orange Curd, Tuberose Shrimp Balls, and Toona Sinensis Omelette. Suffering from social anxiety, they didn't dare to try to learn from the restaurant's chef. Fortunately, they overheard a conversation between a customer at the back table and the restaurant's owner, and learned a lot. It's time to update Jiang Liu's recipes.
The two of them went home before dinner time. On the way, they ate flower cakes and drank flower tea. They were so full that they smelled fragrant from the inside out. They were so full that they had to walk slowly, as if they were very careful to avoid attracting bees and butterflies.
Jiang Liu still bought some butterfly peonies and astilbe, and asked Yu Ran if he had any flowers he liked. He recommended several flowers suitable for giving on Women's Day, which could be given to his mother and sister. Yu Ran didn't express much opinion.
After getting in the car, the two switched positions, and Jiang Liu took out the blindfold from behind Yu Ran's waist.
"Sorry, I held it down."
"Don't keep apologizing. I was asking if you need to wear it to sleep for a while."
As an insomniac, the turbulent environment and unstable lighting in the car only increase my anxiety. "Thank you."
…
Before taking a nap, Yu Ran said that he wanted to accompany Jiang Liu back to the studio to deal with the flowers. Jiang Liu glanced at him, didn't answer, and walked him straight to the door.
"Your sister is here." This sentence worked better than anything else. Yu Ran pushed the blindfold to the top of his head, looked at the rearview mirror and did not dare to open the door.
…
Jiang Liu loosened his seat belt, unlocked the car door with a click, and ordered him to leave.
Yu Ran didn't forget to thank him, but he was actually trying to go upstairs as slowly as possible. His sister was just getting off work at this time. Sure enough, he ran into her at the elevator entrance.
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen him all day. It turns out someone has taken him in and is sleeping there now."
He was in a good mood today, so he didn't talk back. When the elevator door closed, he saw the reflection and realized that he had pushed the eye mask onto his forehead and forgot to take it off. The worst part was, it was a pink-purple color...
This is really hard to explain.
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