Chapter 9 Whole Grain Powder He suddenly looked up, with unwavering determination…
Gu Qingyan paused, the words that echoed in her ear accompanied by heavy, disordered breathing: "Hmm?...Is this the place?"
Good heavens, he'd been stringing her along for ages, and Lin Yuwei thought Gu Qingyan had finally figured it out and understood how to play hard to get. Turns out, it was him who didn't know how! Lin Yuwei almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
But now an even bigger problem has arisen. She doesn't know how to do this either. Although she has a bunch of ex-boyfriends, she has always felt that things should develop naturally. All her previous relationships ended prematurely, and she didn't have time to delve into this level of communication.
Then again, aren't all those guys supposed to have an terabyte of cloud storage each, and be seasoned veterans who've watched countless movies? Even if Gu Qingyan is so honest that he's never eaten pork, hasn't he at least seen pigs run?
Lin Yuwei blushed and angrily retorted, "Probably... I don't know either." Gu Qingyan was clearly stunned when she heard her words: "You don't know either?" She felt that the restraints on her hands above her head were loosening a bit.
Lin Yuwei saw that the madness on his face seemed to be fading, and she was afraid that he would turn back into the quiet and obedient Gu Qingyan at the last minute. But now that the arrow was on the bowstring, there was no reason not to release it. She couldn't care less about that. She looked up and kissed Gu Qingyan's lips back. His lips were thin and soft, with the refreshing fragrance of summer mint, which reminded her of the thin chocolate ice cream she ate while shopping the other day.
The clarity that had returned to Gu Qingyan's eyes vanished again because of her enthusiastic response. Lin Yuwei also felt relieved, closed her eyes again, and immersed herself in the lively and exciting activity.
Having regained control of the situation, Lin Yuwei had a kind of illusion that she was in control again. She was the beast tamer that everyone was watching, her small leather whip cracking as she and the lion in front of her began to test each other. She bravely stepped forward, and the lion bravely met her challenge. The lion was ferocious by nature and came at her with a fierce fighting spirit. Lin Yuwei engaged in close combat with it. After all, it was her first time taming a beast, and at first, she inevitably bumped into things and suffered a lot of pain. However, although she had many flaws, she had one advantage: she never gave up easily.
Lin Yuwei gritted her teeth and endured the pain in her body, exchanging blows with the lion. Gradually, she became more adept at the fight. After warming up, Lin Yuwei was no longer injured, and the pain in her body dissipated. The battle then became lighter and more enjoyable, and the enormous lion also fought to its heart's content.
The crimson lion roared, its terrifyingly large body swelling once more. Lin Yuwei, who thought she had the battle under control, was instantly horrified by this turn of events and screamed in agony…
The two sides fought fiercely for half a day, and the battle was still evenly matched. Sweat dripped from her forehead into Lin Yuwei's eyes, but she had no time to wipe it away. The sweat dripped into her eyes and made them feel sour and astringent, blurring her vision.
She shook her head, and the sweat finally flowed down to her temples. The lion opposite her was also drenched in sweat, its saliva splattering with every movement. The battle had reached its climax, and Lin Yuwei finally collapsed from exhaustion, convulsing as the giant beast pounced on her.
Gu Qingyan seemed amused by her reaction, chuckled softly, and pulled her up. Lin Yuwei slumped on the sofa like overcooked noodles, vaguely feeling something following her. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality: "If you need... remember to use..."
But she didn't finish her sentence because she realized that there probably wasn't such a thing at home. After all, no one had needed to use it before. Oh well, it didn't matter. With the advancement of medicine, there were plenty of remedies available. Focusing on the immediate battle was more urgent.
"I know, don't worry," Gu Qingyan said in a deep voice.
Lin Yuwei turned around in confusion. If there's no one, there isn't one. What's the use of just knowing? Can you conjure one up on the spot? Gu Qingyan bent down and reached into the coffee table drawer, rummaging around for a bit. As he moved slightly away, she was caught off guard and gasped.
Gu Qingyan returned, a small package in his hand. Lin Yuwei's heart skipped a beat. When did he buy this? Did he foresee this day all along? Good heavens, this man usually seems quiet and honest, what kind of conspiracy is he hiding in his heart?
Before she could think it through, the fully armed behemoth had already regrouped and returned to the battlefield. Lin Yuwei gasped again, because the behemoth seemed to have upgraded again, far exceeding her understanding in every aspect. Fortunately, there had been a warm-up battle, and the rain had made the roads slippery, preventing the behemoth from rushing forward. She had time to adapt, so it wasn't too bad. However, before the behemoth's towering body had even reached halfway into the battlefield, she already understood what physical fullness meant.
Lin Yuwei sighed. No wonder everyone in modern society is pursuing a sense of fulfillment, because only a life full of fulfillment can drive away emptiness and loneliness and bring forth flowers called happiness and excitement.
Lin Yuwei turned to look at Gu Qingyan and sighed that he truly deserved to be called a top student. He loved what he did and excelled at it. Over the years, he could quickly grasp the knack of whatever he learned. Today was no exception. Every push he made was outstanding, accurately delivering resources to the places on this land that needed irrigation the most. The depth of his impact left Lin Yuwei amazed.
She suddenly remembered the days when she was always sick in elementary school. The doctor said that her picky eating had led to a weak immune system and suggested that she eat more whole grains. This arduous task eventually fell to Gu Qingyan's mother—that skilled cook Gu did indeed have a way of getting the picky Lin Yuwei to accept her specially made whole grain yogurt rice cakes.
That summer vacation, Aunt Gu took little Gu Qingyan back to the countryside. When they returned, their suitcases were filled with organic grains, along with an old stone scoop and pestle. Aunt Gu said that only powder ground with this would be fine and fragrant enough. From that day on, Gu Qingyan would finish his homework early every day and then squat in the yard to grind the grains. Lin Yuwei curiously snatched the pestle and tried it twice.
The pestle felt heavy in her hand. Lin Yuwei imitated Gu Qingyan, gripping the handle with both hands and forcefully smashing the beans into the stone ladle. However, the smooth pestle tip slid away with a "whoosh" as soon as it touched the hard beans, making a crisp sound against the edge of the ladle. Unconvinced, she raised the pestle high again and smashed it down with even more force. But the beans seemed to be playing tricks on her. The moment the tip of the pestle touched the round surface, it slid away at an angle, leaving only a shallow white mark on the bean shell.
"No, I'll do it," Gu Qingyan said softly. Lin Yuwei looked at the boy who was a year younger than her and thought, "Do you really think you can do it?" She snorted and handed the stone pestle back to him.
He took the pestle, but instead of using force immediately, he gently tapped the pile of beans with the tip, as if testing the waters. He tapped a few beans, and they rolled slightly but didn't break. Lin Yuwei pouted, about to say that he wasn't much better, when she saw Gu Qingyan flick his wrist, and the tip of the pestle suddenly and accurately struck the waistline of a soybean. With a very soft, crisp sound, the bean shell cracked open.
He continued to use the same force, striking lightly and quickly, each strike landing on the most vulnerable part of the bean. Soon, the beans in the stone scoop began to crack, the bean shells shattered into small pieces, revealing the pale yellow and tender bean inside. Lin Yuwei then realized that he was not using force randomly at all, but rather like using a small hammer to chisel a stone, first finding the most fragile crack, and then gradually widening the crack.
As the beans gradually loosened, Gu Qingyan added small amounts of water to the stone ladle several times. The heated stone wall was covered with water mist, and the clear water droplets seeped into the bean residue. The originally dry fragments became slightly sticky and no longer splashed around.
He adjusted his posture, no longer just smashing it vertically, but began to press and rotate the rounded end of the pestle against the inner wall of the stone ladle, grinding the bean dregs into a finer and finer paste.
As the pestle stirred the paste, it made a gurgling sound, like stepping on damp mud. Gu Qingyan's forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, but her hands didn't stop. The pestle repeatedly struck the paste, bringing up sticky bean paste. Lin Yuwei had been watching intently, but the rhythmic gurgling sound was like a lullaby, making her eyelids heavy.
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Qingyan finally stopped and said, "It's done." She snapped back to reality, looked down, and saw that the bean paste in the stone ladle was as smooth as melted sesame paste, with a slight sheen on the surface. He took out some yogurt, and slowly poured the snow-white liquid into it, blending it with the warm bean paste, like clouds sinking into dark brown mud.
Lin Yuwei snapped out of her reverie, half-opening her eyes. Moonlight streamed in through the window, turning the white walls of the living room into a shimmering lake. The person on the sofa looked even more like someone boating on the lake, their shadow reflected on the wall, swaying with the ripples—quite amusing.
She loved the atmosphere and feeling here; it was incredibly pleasant, like ascending to heaven, and she was incomparably happy…
Gu Qingyan kissed her face tenderly and coaxed her softly, "Are you very sleepy? Hang in there a little longer, it'll be over soon."
But as it turns out, a man's words are deceitful. Gu Qingyan was also a man, so his words about "a while" seemed to be just a pretense to appease her.
Time ticked by, and Lin Yuwei was startled by Gu Qingyan's sudden dive. She saw the sky beginning to lighten, and it was almost dawn! Exhausted, Lin Yuwei was covered in goosebumps from the heat, and she closed her eyes in a daze.
It felt like an eternity before Lin Yuwei slowly awoke from her coma. She found herself lying on her bed in her bedroom, covered with a thin blanket. Her body under the blanket was clean and tidy, clearly having been carefully "cleaned up" by the kind-hearted person, Xiao Gu.
She tilted her head and looked at the bedside. Gu Qingyan, who had done the good deed anonymously, was dressing with his back to her. His shoulder blades were covered with red scratches from her, crisscrossing and shocking. She only had time to glance at them before all the marks were covered by his large T-shirt.
"Where are you going?" Her voice was still hoarse from the ordeal. She didn't want Gu Qingyan to leave because once a person has experienced excitement and fulfillment, they never want to be alone again.
At the bedside, Gu Qingyan tidied her clothes: "I'm going back to my room to sleep."
Lin Yuwei frowned unhappily. The beast-like Gu Qingyan from just now seemed like an illusion. Now he had reverted to his submissive self. This contrast irritated her inexplicably. She grabbed the pajamas next to her and threw them at him: "Did I say you could leave?"
Gu Qingyan turned around, her eyes now calm, only her slightly disheveled hair hinting at what had just happened: "You need to rest."
"I don't care, let's do it again." Lin Yuwei deliberately lifted the blanket, revealing her fair skin as white as a midnight epiphyllum.
A note from the author:
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Xiao Gu's heart and self-esteem were shattered...
Sigh, there's always a time difference between people falling in love. Let's be patient and adjust to the time difference; there will always be a chance to meet the right opportunity. [Pat on head]
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