Chapter 21: Raw Mulberries
Sang Fu felt embarrassed to just stand there, so she helped very hard, washing this and that. After they finished washing, she went to cut fruit while Zhuang Mowen was cooking.
His movements were smooth and steady, without any unnecessary steps. It was obvious that he was someone who often went into the kitchen.
Before long, all the dishes were ready.
In a trance, Sang Fu suddenly remembered that Rong Qingqiu seemed to have told her that Zhuang Mowen was a good cook.
Sitting down, Zhuang Mowen placed the rice in front of her and asked her casually, "If I'm not coming today, what are you going to eat for lunch?"
Sanfu said, "Noodles."
"What about next?"
Sanfu: “I haven’t thought about it yet.”
"Then let's change the taste today." Zhuang Mowen gestured for her to try it.
Sang Fu took a bite and felt ashamed of herself: "It's delicious."
The lotus root is crispy, all the flavors are just right, and he didn’t add any chili peppers, so it’s completely Sangfu’s taste.
The same goes for other dishes. Even if there are chilies, the spiciness is very low, just enhancing the flavor and not being too bland.
Zhuang Mowen smiled and said gently, "Then eat more."
…
From that day on, during the days when Aunt Zhao was on leave, Zhuang Mowen inexplicably took care of all three meals a day for Sang Fu.
He prepared breakfast early in the morning, and asked her in advance what she wanted to eat for lunch and dinner, and then he cooked them himself when he got home. Sang Fu felt that her life was no different from what it was before Aunt Zhao took leave.
There are subtle differences, however.
"Ah, go home?" Sheng Weiyao pulled her arm, "No... I finally have no classes this morning, so I want to see you. Why don't we have a meal together?"
"It will be fine in two days," Sang Fu said. "Aunt Zhao has taken leave and she is not at home."
Sheng Weiyao was puzzled: "Then you can eat wherever you want, right?"
Sang Fu shook her head: "Professor Zhuang cooks now."
She couldn't help much anyway, so if she didn't go back to eat, wouldn't that be too pretentious?
Moreover, unless she was having dinner with Sheng Weiyao, she rarely ate out.
Sheng Weiyao frowned, "Wait."
"Let me see..." Sheng Weiyao clicked on the calendar on her phone, "Today is a workday, right?"
"Um."
"It's almost lunchtime, right?"
Sanfu bit the straw and nodded.
Sheng Weiyao: "Oh my god."
Sanfu was used to her good friend's surprise, but she still asked eagerly, "What are you relying on this time?"
Afraid of being overheard, Sheng Weiyao lowered her voice desperately: "You said Professor Zhuang cooks for you?"
"I didn't say I made it just for me," Sanfu said seriously, correcting the ambiguity in her words, "He eats it too."
"No, no, no, no," Sheng Weiyao raised her hand to give her a "stop" gesture. She had a headache and held her forehead with one hand in thought. "There's definitely something wrong. Let me think it through."
Sang Fu remained silent. She drank her fruit tea silently, looking out the window at the traffic. After an unknown amount of time, Sheng Weiyao suddenly realized something and snapped her fingers, pulling herself back to her senses. "I know what's wrong!"
"What?"
"Professor Zhuang used to eat in the cafeteria," Sheng Weiyao winked. "You're already a grown-up. Even if he doesn't come back, can't you take care of yourself? Order takeout, right? You'll definitely go hungry, right?"
Sang Fu looked at her. After Sheng Weiyao's speech, her eyebrows did not move at all, and she kept the same expression as at the beginning: "So..."
"Isn't it just for you that I go back to cook?" Sheng Weiyao concluded confidently.
Sang Fu sighed. Her fruit tea was almost finished, and Sheng Weiyao's cup was barely touched. It was obvious that all their time was spent on these gossips.
"I asked Professor Zhuang, and he said he was tired of eating in the cafeteria, so he wanted to change his diet with me." Sang Fu said expressionlessly, "Weiyao, you should read less romance novels."
"Oh my god, God knows, I've been so busy for a whole month that I haven't had time to read novels." Sheng Weiyao's face was wrinkled. She took a sip of milk tea angrily and waved her hand, "Okay, just treat me as crazy and talking nonsense."
Sanfu pursed her lips and smiled. She packed her bag and said softly to her, "Then I'll leave first?"
"Let's go." Sheng Weiyao was holding the milk tea and looked depressed. She looked at Sang Fu who was standing up and reminded her: "By the way, we agreed to have dinner with me in two days. Just two days. Remember."
Sang Fu turned around and gestured "OK" to her: "Yes, sir."
She was wearing an oatmeal-colored long horn-button coat today and a round hat on her head. The dark gray color made her cheeks look even more rosy, and she looked like she had walked out of a comic book.
It was a simple and casual action, but it was so cute that Sheng Weiyao's anger disappeared in an instant. She chuckled and said, "Hurry up and go."
Seeing Sang Fu's figure disappear outside the window, Sheng Weiyao held her cheek and whispered happily: "If I were Professor Zhuang and met little Sang Fu, I would give in."
…
In late November, after the Minor Snow solar term, the cold air became increasingly stronger, sweeping across the city of Lincheng with great force, leaving no chance for people to react.
The next unit of the new book mentioned a historical relic. In order to make it more realistic, Sangfu took a day to visit the museum in the city.
She occasionally took photos and wrote down the background information she learned from the tour guide in the notebook she brought. She had also checked in advance and remembered that these were the aspects she had missed. There were still some parts that she had questions about, but she could only put them aside and look up the information later.
Two hours later, Sang Fu looked at the photos on her phone and prepared to go home when she heard a strange, youthful male voice: "Hello."
At first, Sangfu didn't know that someone was talking to her, and she continued walking on her own until someone blocked her way and she stopped.
"Excuse me, are you talking to me?"
The boy nodded. He was about her age, tall and thin, with a youthful vigor. "I've been observing you for a long time, and you look familiar. Are you the model from the last photoshoot at Jiada?"
Sang Fu didn't deny it. She didn't stop, but just slowed down a little and asked politely, "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
Although Lincheng is big, there are countless students from Jiajing University. This is the most famous museum in Lincheng, so it is not surprising to come across it.
It's strange that anyone still remembers her.
"I'm a history major at Jia University, a junior this year. My name is Chen Jiawen." The boy followed her blindly, almost bumping into a pedestrian. "Are you interested in these cultural relics? I see you've been taking notes."
Sangfu said "hmm".
“That’s great!”
Sang Fu was frightened, and the people passing by were also frightened.
Chen Jiawen felt awkward and calmed down: "This is my specialty. I know this very well. If you have any questions, you can ask me."
Near the door, Sangfu put the notebook into the canvas bag. She stopped at the elevator door and still politely declined: "No, thank you."
Chen Jiawen's heart was pounding, and he was too embarrassed to look at Sang Fu. He said, "You're welcome. Can you tell me which school you are from? Are you also studying in Lincheng..."
After a long while without receiving any response, he turned around and saw that Sangfu had entered the elevator without him noticing. When he looked over, the elevator door had already begun to close slowly.
In the elevator, Sangfu reached out and pressed the door close button.
Chen Jiawen frantically searched his pockets and finally stopped beating around the bush: "Well, actually, I wanted to ask, can I add..."
By the time he pulled out his phone, the elevator doors had already formed an inseparable line.
Her expression was extremely calm. Just before the elevator door completely closed, Chen Jiawen met her gaze. He could still see her nod slightly at him and say to him softly and distantly, "Goodbye."
But this indifferent attitude clearly means we will never see each other again.
Chen Jiawen stared at the elevator going down in amazement, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, as if he heard the sound of his own heart breaking.
"Wow, that's too fast."
…
Sang Fu drove back home. As soon as the car stopped, she saw Chuyi playing nearby coming to greet her.
It's really too warm.
From her initial fear, to not actively touching, Sang Fu now can get close to Chuyi without any burden.
She squatted down and let Chuyi jump into her arms. Two months later, Sangfu was knocked down by it again. She sat on the lawn and played with it for a long time before taking Chuyi home.
After Aunt Zhao came back, Zhuang Mowen started traveling back and forth between cities again. Although he returned to Lincheng today, he had to attend a very long group meeting, so he didn't go home for dinner.
During this period, Sang Fu secretly put a leash on Chuyi and walked him around the yard, slowly getting used to the leash. She found that Chuyi only walked a little faster, and as long as she stopped, Chuyi would stop too.
So these days, whenever she has free time, she takes Chuyi for a walk.
Before I knew it, I had reached the park again and sat on a bench near Sanfu for a while.
Chuyi sniffed around the chair, not knowing if she smelled something of the same kind, and she didn't pay much attention to it.
Despite the cold wave, the weather was unexpectedly good today with clear skies, so she took Chuyi out an hour earlier than usual so they could enjoy the scenery before it got dark.
Sang Fu raised her head and looked at the bare branches intertwined above her head. They were embedded in the darkening sky, and from a distance, they looked like veins born in the sky.
The rope in her hand tightened and loosened, wondering what Chuyi had seen that made him so excited. Sang Fu was about to look at Chuyi, but her gaze stopped when she turned her head.
"What are you looking at?"
She raised her eyelashes and met Zhuang Mowen's gaze.
"Nothing." Sang Fu said. She didn't know why Zhuang Mowen was here. "Did I take Chuyi out for too long?"
"No." Zhuang Mowen glanced at Chuyi. "I just got home and ran into Aunt Zhao who was about to leave. She said you and Chuyi were also out, so I walked around to see if I could run into you."
The water surface is sparkling, and all things are hibernating. There are many evergreen trees planted in the park, so even in early winter, it does not look too desolate, but rather has a kind of quiet beauty.
Zhuang Mowen lowered his eyes and asked, "Can I sit down?"
Sanfu moved to the edge of the bench to make room for him: "Of course."
He had been walking all the way and his body was full of cold air, which scraped across her cheek when he sat down. Sangfu let out Chuyi's rope a little longer so that it could reach farther.
Zhuang Mowen watched her movements, and for a long time, no one said anything.
Until Sang Fu turned around with all her heart, their eyes met in the air. Zhuang Mowen's eyes flickered and he looked away first.
Sang Fu looked at his profile. She fell into deep thought for a moment, then asked him, "Is your grandpa feeling better?"
Her new book can be officially submitted after New Year's Day, and then the proofreading and publishing, as well as various other matters, it is unknown how long it will take.
Although Lin Guanghua is still in the rehabilitation center, his good spirits are a good sign. Perhaps in the near future he will be able to be discharged from the hospital and return home to recuperate.
How long is the near future?
Sanfu didn't know.
She didn't know what Zhuang Mowen was thinking, but after she finished speaking, he was silent for a long time, and then he answered in a normal tone: "Much better. What's wrong?"
Sanfu shook her head.
"That's good."
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The author has something to say: Xiao Fu is so cute, she dresses carefully and lives her life seriously every day [pat on the head]
Zhuang: I don’t want to leave, I really don’t want to.
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