Chapter 5 During the nighttime visit, she always had the feeling of being caught doing something wrong. ...
After hanging up the phone, Mu Tingyu returned to her bicycle and looked down at her phone.
The messages on WeChat kept popping up and buzzing around, a jumbled mess. She ignored them all and painstakingly sifted through the red dots to find Jiang Chu's WeChat.
The most recent message she sent me last night was: "Where are you?!"
She quickly glanced through the messages and typed a reply: "Sorry, Chuchu, I went to bed really early last night and didn't check my phone again today."
The reply came instantly: "Miss, you finally decided to reply! I've been looking for you for ages! I thought you'd run off to some remote corner with no signal and been kidnapped to be a laborer!"
Mu Tingyu typed.
[Ignoring: Ahhh! I really just saw your message!]
[Ignoring: [The kitten is pitiful.]]
[A. Manye Art Studio: Tell me, where did you go this time?]
[Ignore: I'm playing with Patrick Star underwater.]
[A. Manye Art Studio: Hehe.]
[A. Manye Art Studio: Did you even see the message I posted above?! ...
Mu Tingyu shrank her neck.
[I didn't listen: I saw it!!! But I might not have time to draw lately...]
[A. Manye Art Studio: Are you on Mount Everest or in the Mariana Trench? Even if you're in Syria, you still have to paint! The client is waiting!]
[They won't listen: They're teaching in a rural area.]
Jiang Chu sent a series of question marks, followed by a long voice message.
She roared, "What did you go to do? Say it again—?! Teaching in a rural area?! Why did you go off to teach there?! I can understand you running around looking for inspiration all the time, but you have to get involved in something as thankless as teaching in a rural area?! I think you're just too idle!! Have I not been giving you enough work?! Look me in the eye, you little brat!!!"
Wow...
Mu Tingyu squinted one eye and rubbed her ear, which was being tormented by the demonic sound.
Before she could reply, another message came from the other end.
"Let me tell you, this client has been waiting in line for half a year just for one of your paintings. If you dare to stand me up, I'll never forgive you!!!!"
[Not listening: [The kitten fiddles with its fingers.]]
[He wouldn't listen: "Couldn't we talk to him about it? Maybe we could wait another two months or something..."]
[A. Manye Art Studio: Mu Tingyu!!!]
Jiang Chu used a long string of exclamation marks to express his anger.
Mu Tingyu touched her nose guiltily.
She deliberately didn't tell Jiang Chu about her trip; otherwise, given Jiang Chu's personality, she would have definitely come all the way from Hangzhou to beat her up...
As she was struggling with how to reply, she heard the sound of bicycle wheels rolling across the ground from the path ahead.
She looked up and saw a familiar figure.
Huh? So fast?
After all that commotion, it was getting dark, and the sun had mostly sunk behind the mountains, making the woods somewhat dim.
Xing Ze stopped in front of her, his long legs planted on the ground, without saying a word.
Mu Tingyu comfortably stuffed her phone into her pocket, took two steps forward, and said with a fawning smile, "Hehe, you came so quickly. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Xing Ze's gaze drifted to the cemetery not far away, then returned to Mu Tingyu's face. He silently looked at her for two seconds, seemingly observing her expression.
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu tilted her head.
Xing Ze abruptly looked away: "It's nothing, let's go."
Mu Tingyu thought Xing Ze had prepared dinner and was waiting for her at home, but when she got home, she found that the stove was on a very low flame, there were still vegetables on the cutting board that hadn't been cooked yet, and the kitchen utensils were a bit messy. It was obvious that he had been called away halfway through cooking.
Xing Ze washed his hands, picked up a spatula, and stirred the stew in the pot.
Feeling a little guilty, Mu Tingyu approached the stove and politely apologized, "I'm so sorry, I made you come to pick me up halfway through cooking. I'll help you wash the dishes tonight."
Xing Ze turned off the stove, grabbed a porcelain plate from the side, scooped the contents out of the pot, and said calmly, "It's nothing."
Mu Tingyu was about to say something more, but her gaze was drawn to the tempting food on the porcelain plate.
It was a plate of braised pork with a thick, glossy amber sauce, as if coated with a layer of glass sugar. Its sweet, oily appearance seemed to silently proclaim its melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.
She unconsciously took a breath, and a wonderful aroma, a blend of sweet and salty, filled her nostrils.
Xing Ze glanced at her expression, which seemed somewhat amused, and shoved the plate into her hands.
A trembling voice rang out: "Do you...do you have rice...?"
"Yes." Xing Ze rinsed the pot in the sink and put it back on the stove. Without turning his head, he said, "There's rice in the rice cooker. You eat first."
Overjoyed, Mu Tingyu placed the plate on the table, then reluctantly returned to the stove.
Seeing Xing Ze looking at her, she explained in a serious tone, "You can't start eating until the person who cooked the meal is at the table."
Xing Ze looked away, reached into the colander, and poured the loofah into the pot. The steam and oil sizzled as they met, and through the white mist, he subtly curved the corners of his mouth.
Soon, the remaining dish and soup were finally served. Xing Ze sat down, and in front of him were neatly arranged bowls of rice, chopsticks, and spoons.
He met the intense gaze and picked up a piece of water spinach with his chopsticks.
Seeing that he finally picked up his chopsticks, Mu Tingyu quickly picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it on the rice.
Braised pork belly! It's meant to be served with rice!
She nodded in satisfaction, stuffed a mouthful of rice soaked in broth into her mouth, and then took a bite of meat.
It was so delicious that she almost cried.
The braised pork lived up to expectations. Although it was a little cold, the skin became even softer and more chewy, the lean meat was tender but not dry, and the whole mouth was filled with rich meaty aroma.
She picked up the spoon and took a sip of the loofah and egg drop soup.
It also contains shrimp, the broth is rich and delicious, and the loofah is slightly charred, making it tender and crisp to bite into.
After a few mouthfuls of warm soup, Mu Tingyu closed her eyes contentedly.
"It's really delicious," she praised sincerely.
After this experience, she was completely convinced that her mediocre cooking skills were simply not good enough for this situation. All her previous thoughts of cooking for herself had been thrown to the back of her mind. Now she just wanted to keep her place as a freeloader.
She didn't expect Xing Ze to respond, but to her surprise, Xing Ze just hummed in agreement.
Hmm.
She looked up and saw that Xing Ze's eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, and he seemed to be in a good mood.
Praise is something Mu Tingyu excels at, and she pressed her advantage: "Did you used to be a chef? It tastes even better than what you get in restaurants."
"No, I learned it on my own."
She immediately said, "You're really talented! I'm self-taught, but I'm much worse than you."
Xing Ze said, "The food's getting cold, eat quickly."
"oh."
After a while, she looked up from her rice bowl again: "Why did you suddenly make braised pork today? Did the butcher come this afternoon?"
Xing Ze ate quickly, and his bowl was already empty. Hearing this, he glanced at Mu Tingyu indifferently and said, "No, I just bought some when I went to town."
Mu Tingyu watched his retreating figure as he got up to get more rice: "You went to town this afternoon? Is town far?"
"Not far."
Mu Tingyu pondered silently for a moment, and when Xing Ze returned after adding rice, she said, "Can you take me to town next time? I want to buy some flour."
Xing Ze raised his eyes.
"Hmm... I'd like to make some dumplings."
Actually, she felt embarrassed to keep eating for free. She wanted to pay the rent but couldn't, and she didn't know if Xing Ze would accept the money she transferred.
Mu Tingyu planned to check in the next couple of days to see what his family was missing and then go and get it.
Xing Ze didn't ask any further questions and simply said, "Okay."
After finishing her meal, Mu Tingyu forcefully snatched the bowl and chopsticks from Xing Ze's hands, expressing her determination to wash the dishes.
Xing Ze let her go and went to the door to pour dog food and milk for the puppy.
The puppy's tail wagged like a propeller as it happily bounced over to rub against Xing Ze's shoes, then opened its mouth and nibbled at the shoelaces.
Xing Ze moved slightly, used the clean surface of his shoe to lift the puppy, and whispered, "Eat."
The puppy whimpered and obediently went to its food bowl.
After adding the grain, Xing Ze neatly arranged the two bicycles parked at the entrance against the wall, then picked up a hoe and went to the backyard field to turn over the soil.
It was completely dark when the faint chirping of frogs and crickets came from the countryside. Xing Ze pulled up two weeds by the light of the kitchen lamp, stood up, and looked through the glass at the girl washing dishes by the sink.
Her movements were swift and skillful, and she seemed very experienced. There was a stack of clean bowls and chopsticks next to her, so she must have been washing the pot.
She wore a clean and crisp white T-shirt, and her loose braid on one side made her look very youthful and energetic. She was also happily swaying her head, as if she was humming a song.
He's happy when he eats something delicious, and he's happy even when he washes the dishes, just like a child.
Xing Ze recalled the way she squinted her eyes like a well-fed cat at the dinner table and chuckled.
He threw the weeds into the field and returned to the front door.
He was just about to bring the puppy, who had just finished its meal, inside when a voice suddenly rang out.
"Brother Xing."
Xing Ze turned his head and squinted at the person who had just arrived.
Zhuang Ren stood not far away. He didn't come to Xing Ze's house often, and his tone was clearly reserved: "Good evening, Brother Xing."
Xing Ze responded casually, "Yes, what is it?"
Zhuang Ren gestured to the large and small bags he was carrying: "My mom asked me to bring some things over. Thank you for helping me build the fence last time."
Xing Ze waved his hand: "No need."
"Yes, I'll take it." Zhuang Ren insisted. "Brother Xing, don't refuse. My mother said you must accept it. It's nothing special, just some seafood and a basket of eggs."
Xing Ze didn't like to argue, and seeing that he couldn't refuse, he reached out and took it, saying, "Please thank Auntie for me."
Zhuang Ren knew his temperament, smiled and hummed in agreement, then stood still, seemingly hesitant.
Seeing Xing Ze pick up the puppy to leave, he awkwardly asked, "Brother Xing, um... is Teacher Mu here?"
Xing Ze paused, then lifted his eyelids to look at him.
Zhuang Ren's face flushed slightly, and his eyes flashed with a shy light, which was not very noticeable in the night.
Xing Ze stood at the door, his back to the light, so his expression was not clear. He simply nodded.
Zhuang Ren smiled sheepishly, "Brother Xing, could you call her for me? I... I'm looking for her."
Xing Ze glanced at him, then left with a "wait a minute" and went inside.
Mu Tingyu had just finished washing the dishes and was wiping the table when she saw Xing Ze carrying something in. She asked curiously, "What's this?"
Xing Ze bent down and put the seafood into the freezer compartment at the bottom of the refrigerator. His voice came out calmly: "Zhuang Ren sent this."
Mu Tingyu said "Oh," and her gaze lingered on Xing Ze's superior back muscle lines.
Xing Ze straightened up and closed the refrigerator door. Mu Tingyu quickly lowered her head and continued wiping the table with undivided attention. She heard him say, "Zhuang Ren is looking for you at the door."
Why?
Mu Tingyu paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
She didn't know why Zhuang Ren wanted to see her, so she quickly finished wiping the table, washed her hands, and left the kitchen.
Xing Ze glanced at her back, picked up the dishcloth hanging on the faucet, wet it and wiped the table again, then wiped the water around the sink, and finally wiped the stove.
He turned off the kitchen light, leaving only the dim yellow light by the front door as the only source of light in the house. He could vaguely see Mu Tingyu standing outside the door talking to Zhuang Ren, but their voices were not loud and it was hard to hear what they were saying.
The puppy, which he had previously locked in a cage, was now restless, scratching at the iron bars with its paws and making a rattling sound.
Xing Ze walked over, squatted down, and whispered to it, "Don't make a fuss."
The puppy whimpered twice.
The two people outside the door seemed to be talking about something interesting, and Mu Tingyu's clear laughter came from outside.
Xing Ze watched the puppy fuss for a while, then reached out, opened the door, and let it out.
It hopped out, rolled around, rubbed against Xing Ze's trouser leg, and then ran towards the door.
A voice came from the doorway quickly: "Xiaoyu, why are you out here?...Hey...Don't bite my shoelaces!"
Mu Tingyu picked up the puppy, both amused and exasperated, and said to Zhuang Ren, "I understand the situation now. You can come to class tomorrow."
Zhuang Ren quickly waved his hand: "No rush, no rush, Teacher Mu, you can prepare some more..."
"Okay, actually I prepared some things before I came," Mu Tingyu said with a smile, "but the children's situation is a little different from what I imagined... Hey, don't bite my hand..."
The puppy rubbed its harmless canine teeth against Mu Tingyu's fingers, raised its wet eyes to look at her, and let out a soft "woof".
Mu Tingyu lowered her head to meet its gaze: "What's wrong? Is Xing Ze starving you?"
The puppy licked her hand again.
"Am I really hungry...?" Mu Tingyu muttered.
Zhuang Ren quickly said, "I should go back now, Teacher Mu, you should get some rest."
"Okay, be careful on the road in the dark."
Mu Tingyu smiled politely at him, then turned and went inside.
She looked up and met Xing Ze's gaze, who was standing next to the dog cage.
"......"
The room was dimly lit. Xing Ze stood in the darkness with his arms crossed. His tall stature and long legs gave him a commanding presence, and his expression was unreadable.
For some reason, Mu Tingyu suddenly had the feeling of being caught doing something wrong.
She quickly put on a smile and was about to speak when Zhuang Ren's slightly nervous voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Teacher Mu, can I add you on WeChat?"
Mu Tingyu paused for a moment.
Because the instant those words were spoken, she saw Xing Ze narrow his eyes almost imperceptibly.
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