Enter the house
That day, Yu Ran received a brief message: "Bring the prepared food to the studio, don't come to my house."
"Okay, what shall we eat?"
If you send it out and don’t get any response for a long time, then let him express himself freely.
Free propositions are the simplest and the most difficult. They are simple because they will not go off topic no matter what. They are difficult because there are too many ideas in the mind, and it is difficult to make a decision by introducing new ideas.
He flipped through the book of life and death. Jiang Liu had a good memory and was very picky about food. He never ordered the same dish twice. Even if the ingredients were the same, the cooking method would be different. This time, he had to pay attention to the trap in the self-proclaimed question: no repetition.
Yu Ran set out, first looking for food in the kitchen. Both women were eating at work, and Yu Ran hadn't cooked in ages, now that she and Jiang Liu were eating together. The kitchen was empty, its stove cold, akin to a cold palace. In the corner, a few potatoes had sprouted, a feeling of being forgotten and left to fend for themselves.
When he went out to buy groceries, he used to be very familiar with the three-story supermarket and had a 2D map of the terrain in his mind; now, the supermarket was like a giant Klein bottle, and Yu Ran felt dizzy and disoriented while walking around.
Fortunately, the idea came before the dizziness of hypoglycemia. "Sugar, sweet?" He suddenly remembered the familiar girl who delivered desserts to Jiang Liu on his first day at work! It seemed that Jiang Liu was a regular customer of "Yikoutian". If the customer didn't come for a long time, the staff would deliver the dessert to his home. Later, Jiang Liu hired himself to cook, and there was no time to change the appointment, which led to the coincidence that day.
It seems that Jiang Liu hasn't had a sweet dessert for a long time.
Okay! Let's make dessert! Yu Ran wasn't sure what ingredients he needed. Should he just buy a few, or go to Yikoutian to check it out before making a trip? Between spending more money and having to run around, he chose the latter.
The consequences of running around extra errands became apparent all at once: when Yu Ran passed the ticket inspector empty-handed, his suspicion of himself was no less than that of the ticket inspector and security guard.
…
Inside Yikou Sweet Shop, only a few pastries were displayed in the display case, but the aroma filled the room, foreshadowing the delicious treats from the oven in the kitchen. He referenced Jiang Liu's tastes and selected a few he might like. Hmm... As for the rest, Yu Ran made up his mind and chose them too, just in case they were delicious too.
When I went to the front desk to pay the bill, it was the girl who delivered the food that day.
The girl hesitated for a moment when she saw it was him, greeting him as a routine matter.
"Hello, the total is 260 yuan." Some of the items were weighed. After weighing, she carefully packed, sealed, and put a logo on the boxes. She scanned the money and didn't say goodbye for a long time, holding her breath.
"Thank you." Yu Ran turned around and took half a step forward, "Sir, wait!"
Yu Ran was confused and took inventory of the items he had bought. He found nothing missing, but he still put the shopping bag on the bar and looked at her.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you buying this for Mr. Jiang Liu? He really likes our cinnamon apple crepes. Would you like to wait a little longer? This batch is almost out of the oven."
Yu Ran smiled brightly and glanced at her name tag. She was the store manager, no wonder she was so attentive.
"Thank you. I'll do it for him now. Goodbye."
After the guests left, she picked up her phone, gnashed her teeth, and angrily typed on the keyboard.
"That person bought a cake for your brother today!"
"I see he's heading towards the studio!"
The girl only guessed the destination correctly. At this moment, Yu Ran arrived at an open-air cafe not far from Yikoutian. Like the people sitting next to him, drinking coffee and having breakfast, he was relaxed and happy.
The location was perfect, with the back against the wall, effectively shielding it from the view of passersby. Yu Ran laid out the boxes one by one. Each pastry was exceptionally exquisite. After taking a photo, he carefully took a bite, took it off, and examined it, carefully distinguishing the ingredients and seasonings, even the order in which the ingredients were layered. He wrote it down in his memo, while simultaneously assembling his ideas in his mind.
There isn't much to eat for 260 yuan, but the portion is generous and the ingredients are solid, making you feel very full after eating it.
After dissecting breakfast, he rushed back to the supermarket to buy ingredients and a pie pan over 20 centimeters in diameter, planning to make a candied almond pie. For a drink, he planned to copy the recipe and make a flower milk tea... an upgraded version! He didn't know much about tea, so he just asked for the most expensive and strong one. They thought he was giving him a gift, so they recommended a box of tea that cost half a month's salary. Yu Ran was intimidated by the exaggerated packaging and was extremely satisfied. Fortunately, the salesperson overheard him mumbling, "How can milk tea taste good?" Scared, they quickly replaced it with a more affordable tea, so they didn't feel bad about making milk tea.
As for the petals, Yu Ran didn't know much about them. He just heard the salesperson say that Pingyin roses were both medicinal and edible, so it didn't matter if they were a little more expensive, so he bought them when he felt assured. He regarded his work and Jiang Liu as one, and he treated them with care. It had nothing to do with currying favor or showing favor.
In addition, you can’t buy small clay pots in the mall, so you can only use the clay pot at home to cook it. A full pot is especially delicious.
The almond pie is out of the oven. There is no suitable take-out box in the kitchen at home, so I just put it in a sweet cake box, which is just right.
…
I don’t know how busy Jiang Liu is.
Jiang Liu deals with flowers, but his shop is no ordinary one. After all, ordinary flower shops cannot be defined as "studios." Yu Ran had only been in once in all this time, but he knew business was bleak. Probably, no other customer had come since him.
Yu Ran attributed the lack of visitors to the mysterious door. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what the place was for...
From the haunted forest to the tranquil treehouse, a single, smoldering step is all it takes. Wind chimes greet the empty storefront. On the first floor, there are many flowers, some untended, nestled in large bunches in the water, thirsty. Some are in the refrigerator, while others are strategically placed where the view falls, according to the terrain.
A high table is built among the flowers. When the two sit together and confess their true feelings and make vows, they will definitely include the phrase "until the warmth above my head is gone", using a nearby metaphor...
The stairs leading to the second floor are like a waterfall of green ivy cascading down from the handrail. As I go upstream, I feel uncomfortable holding the railing for fear of getting my hands wet.
It turned out that there were many vases and flower pots on the second floor, and the doors of the two rooms were closed. Yu Ran bent down to look at the crack in the door, identified the room with the light on, and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Jiang Liu's reply was followed by two rhythmic knocks on the door. He waited for someone to come in, not even looking up, and simply said, "Thank you. Leave it there."
Yu Ran put it down, but did not leave. He walked behind him to look at the work in his hands. It was a pink glazed water chestnut-shaped vessel with a lace opening on the tip of the water chestnut. Overall, it looked more like a tied purse. There were circles of shell patterns on the body of the water chestnut. Jiang Liu inserted the astragalus and butterfly peony that he bought that day into it - in fact, Yu Ran only had these two famous ones, and Jiang Liu of course also matched them with many complementary flowers.
Yu Ran guessed that there was an order.
"Mr. Jiang, if you're so focused, you won't even notice a stranger coming in."
"Bullshit, didn't I know you were banging on the stairs?" Jiang Liu didn't want to admit it. When he heard the sound of wind chimes, he immediately ran to the window to see if it was Yu Ran. He had been sitting on the floor, but only now did he pay attention to his image and sat on the chair, without even having time to warm his butt.
"Are you still busy? Eat it while it's hot."
Yu Ran opened the box while paying attention to the work in his hands.
He was so engrossed that he ignored Jiang Liu's open mouth until the boss made an unhappy "hmm".
Seeing his subordinates dumbfounded, he made another "tsk" sound.
Yu Ran hurriedly took out the brewed scented tea. As soon as he unscrewed the lid, he shuddered. In his haste to get out, he'd used a thermos, and the insulation was so good, several steaming hot mist snakes scrambled out—it was so hot it felt like ripping a bite of meat! It wasn't suitable for immediate drinking. Even worse, why did this thermos look so familiar?
Isn’t this Yu Ran’s own!
Guilty, he wrapped the cup around himself and blew on it, then said slowly, "It's too hot. I'll pour it out for you."
Jiang Liu always had his back facing him.
Yu Ran tiptoed downstairs and found a random cup on the tea table. He forgot to wash it and poured milk tea into it without hesitation. The ceramic cup pressed against his palm, making it seem even hotter. He blew along the edge for a long time before handing it over.
Yu Ran held the handle of the cup and fed the milk tea to Jiang Liu's mouth. Jiang Liu lowered his head and took a sip, but was reluctant to swallow it, and made a "hmm" sound from the depths of his throat.
Yu Ran thought he was burned and said anxiously, "He vomited!"
Jiang Liu's Adam's apple rolled down, the whites of his eyes rolled up, and he said resentfully, "This cup is for arranging flowers."
Yu Ran was heartbroken. Why were there so many careless things today?
"Sorry, I saw the cup on your tea table and thought it was yours. Sorry, are you okay? Or..."
Jiang Liu shrugged and laughed: "Silly, I'm just kidding you, don't believe everything."
Yu Ran's heart revived, and the matter of him putting the wrong thermos in seemed to have been covered up... He took out the candied almond pie at the right time, and Jiang Liu glanced at the box and immediately became displeased.
"Are you buying this, not making it?"
"This is a new product from Yikoutian. I woke up late and bought this in a hurry."
Jiang Liu was about to hit him, but Yu Ran quickly moved aside and begged for mercy, "Ah, I was just kidding you. How could you believe everything? I'm the one who's suffering!"
Jiang Liu was still a little worried. He held it in his hand and looked at it for a long time. He only gave up when he found it delicious in his mouth.
To fill his stomach, Jiang Liu picked up some large water chestnuts. His throat was squeezed when he lowered his head, and his tone was a little shy: "If you want to eat, sit down. If not, leave."
Yu Ran couldn't take his eyes off the flowers: "Who can possibly hire you?"
He was able to ask this question because he had read the interview with his sister. The interview was professional yet friendly, but it had nothing to do with Jiang Liu's personal life, which was very comforting.
It also gave him a deeper understanding of Jiang Liu's title and identity.
"Old customer, this time it's a friendly price."
"Oh, hiss, is this grass planted so sideways?"
Jiang Liu's face was tense, but he spoke calmly: "If you want to learn from me, you have to pay the tuition."
Yu Ran curled his lips. He didn't want to learn. He didn't have the temperament or patience. Working two jobs at the same time? Even if he was torn in half, he wouldn't be that maneuverable.
He knew what to do and kept silent, but he seemed to be speechless. Jiang Liu felt better and continued to work on the task at hand.
The work is completed. The crystal clear water chestnuts are like the surging spring tide that cannot be contained. Clusters of flower bouquets gush out from the narrow mouth, some hanging down and some standing upright. A large bunch of bridal ears benefit from the characteristic of gradually becoming fuller and denser from top to bottom. Unlike the red Polygonum and red Pennisetum, which nod and bow, they tilt their heads back, and the dark green branches are thin but not slender, like a woman with folded arms looking down on everything.
The flower shape of the butterfly peony is extremely flexible, just like a kindergarten child drawing a flower for the first time. He does not understand the three-dimensional structure and just paints the petals with flat and bright colors - it looks distorted.
The butterfly peony, along with the unknown green grass and leaves, kept falling from the bottle mouth.
As Yu Ranyuan took a look, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him: he finally understood why Jiang Liu had chosen this shape! The mouth of the vase was narrow, while the belly was wide. The narrow part was then blocked by the hanging flowers, and the remaining half of the belly, which was visible to the public, was like a second layer of the skirt!
As for the shell pattern on the bottle, it gives a sense of movement to this woman sculpted from flowers - doesn't the shell pattern look like the folds of a woman's skirt when she turns around?
Yu Ran guessed that this was a gift for a woman, and a successful woman at that.
Whether it's understanding abstract floral works or guessing the true identity of the guests... let alone right or wrong, it all proves his exquisite sensitivity.
"Do you want me to accompany you to deliver the goods?" Yu Ran said excitedly, but he was just a short-legged sparrow, jumping around a few times and looking timid, afraid that he could not go on stage.
Just like the day he accompanied them to the flower market, he realized belatedly that Jiang Liu was overwhelmed by the overly enthusiastic vendors, while he himself was timid and couldn't even offer a fart, unable to help or deal with the socializing. He even claimed to be on field work, but it would be better to be a driver who only knew how to drive.
"Uh--" Jiang Liu stretched lazily. The tone sounded like suspicion to Yu Ran. Suspicion about motives?
Yu Ran stood there in a daze, taking in the lazy look. He suddenly felt that it would be best for him to be a mirror, so that Jiang Liu could always look at himself in the mirror and know how beautiful he was. At the same time, he could also reflect on others and reflect on himself.
What was his motive? After all, he had been determined to maintain a boss-subordinate relationship with this person that would never cross the line, so why was he now taking the initiative to take on all the responsibilities besides cooking?
Maybe it is to facilitate the investigation of the cause and effect of the feud between the two?
Is this a mean reason?
mean!
Is it credible?
"Is it credible..." Yu Ran's heart was in turmoil and he asked himself.
"Okay." Jiang Liu actually felt a little guilty, and answered briefly, not giving the listener room to react, implying that this was the end of the conversation. After a while, he added, "You volunteered, don't say I'm exploiting you..."
"Hmm..." Yu Ran lowered his head and twisted the lid of the cup, doing his job well to hide his motives behind his extraordinarily attentiveness...
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