Chapter 99
"Boss Hong, what are you talking to the beautiful sister about?" The waiter opened the door and Zhou Li walked in and said with a smile.
Hong Sicong had just taken his phone back when he heard this and said unhappily, "What sister? Being your aunt is enough."
Zhou Li looked at Zhou Wenhua in surprise and said, "I really can't tell."
Several people took their seats one by one. Zhou Wenhua was smiling brightly. She felt relieved by Zhou Li's praise. She said with a smile, "You have such a sweet mouth." Then she turned to look at Shan Jia and said, "Old Hong has made appointments with you for me several times, but you never showed up."
Zhou Li felt bad in his heart, this was a case of settling scores after the event.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Pretty sister, Shan Jia is shy! Don't be fooled by her crazy and demanding behavior on stage. In fact, she is very socially anxious in private. She doesn't dare to say hello to people she meets. Many people misunderstand her!"
Zhou Wenhua then turned his gaze to Zhou Li, "Your name?"
"I'm Zhou Li, the captain of the Rebirth Band." Zhou Li smiled sheepishly, "Although we've only been around for a short time, I believe with our strength, we'll soon become famous!"
The young man's energetic words made Zhou Wenhua smile continuously.
"Oh, we are from the same family."
"What a coincidence! I was wondering why I felt so friendly the moment I walked in. How about I call you Sister Zhou?"
Zhou Wenhua nodded.
Seeing tea on the table, Zhou Li poured more tea for Zhou Wenhua and said, "Sister Zhou."
Zhou Wenhua took it with a smile.
After lightly glancing over the past, Zhou Wenhua said, "I saw your application form. Originally, my new band's resume was going to be rejected, but it was Old Hong who guaranteed me with our long-standing friendship that allowed me to stay. I hope you won't let me down."
Zhou Li stood up to offer tea. Shan Jia and Zhu Le were not the kind of people who didn't know how to behave. The three of them offered tea together. Zhou Li said loudly, "We will try our best!"
"Sit down, everyone, sit down. I won't play that game." Zhou Wenhua waved her hand. After seeing Zhou Li and the others sit down, she said earnestly, "Being a band is actually not a easy path to take. Lao Hong and I both started out as bands. Otherwise, I wouldn't have planned this program. I just want to introduce good musicians to everyone."
Zhou Li didn't expect that Zhou Wenhua, who looked gentle and had a temperament that had nothing to do with a band, had actually been in a band with Boss Hong.
Zhou Wenhua laughed and said, "You don't believe me? The band that Lao Hong and I used to form was quite famous. It was called Xian'er."
"Are you the lead singer of the Xian'er band? Zhou Xian?" Shan Jia suddenly spoke. Zhou Li was not as familiar with the band as Shan Jia and Zhu Le. Zhu Le and Shan Jia became excited at almost the same time, especially Zhu Le, who did not hide his expression as if he had met his idol.
In the days when great gods emerged in droves, everyone would say, "Xian'er is awesome!" Unexpectedly, a living immortal was sitting right in front of them. Zhu Le wanted an autograph, but he didn't dare. He sat there timidly, listening to them talk.
"You know our band?" Zhou Wenhua looked surprised. She smiled and said, "Zhou Xian is my stage name." She opened her phone and said, "I still have some videos of our past performances here. I'll show you."
As she searched, she urged Boss Hong, "How come the kids don't know?"
Boss Hong looked very vicissitudes of life: "It's all in the past, there's nothing to say." We were young and frivolous at that time, and it's not worth mentioning.
Zhou Wenhua found a video of a past performance on his mobile phone and played it for Zhou Li. Zhou Li looked at the avant-garde and trendy music in it in surprise, especially Boss Hong's flowing long hair, which was punk and did not match his current uncle image at all.
Zhou Wenhua lamented, "Young people today don't have the courage to form bands, unlike us in the past who dared to try anything."
"You said it was in the past," Boss Hong said sullenly, "If you dared to try, you would be beaten to death on the beach."
"You're still so harsh." Zhou Wenhua glared. "I haven't loved you for so many years. You're such a good young man, but you just love working in bars. You played electric guitar just as well as anyone back then, but you refused to go when a band invited you. What a waste."
"Hmph, the band has disbanded, why do you still care about me! I do whatever I want!" Boss Hong glared and argued with Zhou Wenhua, the two of them determined to determine who was right.
Zhou Li was amazed. The two people, whose combined age was almost fifty, were bickering like little kids. While paying attention, she secretly gestured to Shan Jia and Zhu Le to let them eat. The three young people happily ate while the two adults were furious.
Zhou Wenhua was convinced by Hong Sicong's bad temper, and Hong Sicong also hated her cleverness and materialism. The two of them disliked each other, but their musical tastes were extremely similar. It was no exaggeration to say that they were a pair of bickering lovers.
Boss Hong couldn't win the argument with Zhou Wenhua, so he moved his chair to the side and started eating silently. Only Zhou Wenhua was left sitting there alone. Fortunately, Zhou Li was very good at handling things, calling her "Sister Zhou" and picking up food for her. She took good care of Zhou Wenhua, and both the host and the guests enjoyed the meal. Before Zhou Wenhua left, she even took the initiative to add Zhou Li on WeChat and asked Zhou Li to send her more band works.
Zhu Le was convinced. He had never been able to get a word in at such dinners, but he didn't expect Zhou Li to be so eloquent. He felt that he had learned a lot.
Although Boss Hong had just had an argument with Zhou Wenhua, he still had to send his old friend home after dinner, leaving the three of them alone.
Shan Jia walked over silently and stood behind Zhou Li and asked, "Have you finished eating?"
Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, then listened to Shan Jia say: "I see you didn't eat much at the table."
Zhu Le came over and asked, "How are we going to get back? I'll take you home first."
"Well, let's go to my house." Shan Jia said.
"Where is Zhou Li?" Zhu Le asked.
Before Zhou Li could say anything, Shan Jia interrupted her, "She's coming back with me."
"Hey! Are you two close enough to sleep in the same bed?" Zhu Le joked, "I've called a taxi, let's go."
"Why should I go back with you?" Zhou Li and Shan Jia whispered as they walked behind Zhu Le. "I can just go back and cook something for myself. It won't delay tomorrow's rehearsal."
"Didn't you post on your Moments today saying that the refrigerator was empty and there was still food at home?" Shan Jia asked.
Zhou Li laughed awkwardly, "You looked really closely."
"I have some at home."
Seeing Zhou Li's disbelief, perhaps because the expired milk and spoiled oats from last time had hit her confidence, Shan Jia said, "I just bought a box of food, and we also bought some new pasta at home. I'll cook it for you."
Zhu Le suddenly turned around with a greedy look.
"Boss! Are you going to cook some pasta? Can I stay at your house and try some too? You can't be partial! If I wanted to have a bite of yours before, I had to wait until the performance was over!"
Zhou Li realized belatedly, "Is the pasta she cooked delicious?" Zhu Le obviously ate a lot at the table. He ate the most among everyone sitting at the table.
Zhu Le's mouth was watering as he nodded repeatedly, "Don't be fooled by the fact that the boss looks like she can't cook, the pasta she cooks is so delicious that you'll want to lick the plate. Our band was so poor back then that we had to pawn our pants, but the boss bought a lot of pasta and cooked it in different ways every day. No one in the team could cook as delicious as hers. Unfortunately, as things got better, the boss stopped cooking."
Zhu Le looked at Shan Jia with a resentful look on his face. Shan Jia pushed his head away and said, "Don't you know how much you guys can eat? I feed you like pigs every day, cooking a big pot of noodles. Now that you have money, you can find a restaurant to eat at."
"You gave the captain special treatment!" Zhu Le accused like a child.
Shan Jia knocked on his empty head and said, "Didn't you see that Zhou Li didn't eat much just now? He was just busy taking care of your idol. I raised you to this age, but you can't do anything. It's useless."
Shan Jia was disgusted and Zhu Le burst into tears.
Zhou Li covered his mouth.
Zhu Le said dejectedly, "Okay." This meant he couldn't get a free meal, so he had to do his duty and send the two ladies back first, and then he would go home.
Shan Jia walked in and turned on the light. The cold white light made the room look very desolate. Shan Jia said, "Sit down first. If you feel uncomfortable, go wash your face. I'll cook noodles for you."
After walking a few steps forward, she turned around and said, "It's getting late. You won't go back tonight, right?"
Zhou Li had already collapsed on the sofa, waving his hand lazily and saying okay.
Although she seemed to be dancing gracefully at the dinner table just now, she was actually a little worried. Fortunately, Zhou Wenhua gave face to Boss Hong and was not the kind of person who was difficult to talk to or arrogant.
Zhou Li was really afraid that the person she would meet today would be a man, but fortunately, she was a woman, and they didn't have to drink alcohol at the dinner table, but tea.
She was lying drowsy on Shan Jia's sofa, with her head resting on the big bear arms that Shan Jia had taken out last time. This half of the sofa basically became Zhou Li's seat. She loved resting her head on the big bear arms. The soft touch and envelopment gave her a full sense of security.
The air was still filled with the scent of Shan Jia's clean, soapy wash, which was indescribably reassuring. Half asleep, Zhou Li caught a whiff of the aroma. She dazedly opened her eyes and walked towards it. Shan Jia was frying beef sauce in an electric rice cooker, one hand on the counter, stirring with chopsticks. A few strands of hair fell by his cheek. The smoke and the aroma were so alluring that Zhou Li couldn't help but ask, "Is it done?"
Shan Jia tilted his head and smiled.
The smile on his lips faded into the dimples on his cheeks. "It's almost healed."
Zhou Li stood next to Shan Jia, looking around like a very curious child.
"What a nice smell! I was woken up by the smell!"
Shan Jia opened a box of tomato sauce and added it into the pot. With a click, the aroma became stronger. She then added black pepper, poured the cooked pasta into the pot, stirred it evenly, and turned off the heat.
Picking up a noodle, Shan Jia said, "Try it?"
Zhou Li's stomach was empty. The little bit of food she had eaten had been digested while she was socializing with others. She shamelessly opened her mouth and Shan Jia fed it directly into her mouth. Zhou Li's pupils contracted instantly. It was so delicious!
She gave Shan Jiabi a thumbs up and said, "You can open a restaurant now."
Shan Jia smiled: "I have thought about it."
She bent down and took out a white plate from the basement counter. She scooped up the pasta with chopsticks, rolled it into a shape, and placed it on the plate. She sprinkled some cheese powder on it and finally placed a small tomato on the noodles. Shan Jia said, "It's done."
Zhou Li was stunned, and followed Shan Jia closely, like a little animal begging for food.
Shan Jia put the noodles on the table, turned around and handed the chopsticks to Zhou Li, ruffled her hair, and untied her apron. Zhou Li sat at the table, biting her chopsticks and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"I made it just for you. I'm full."
Shan Jia asked, "Can you wear my pajamas? Do you want to sleep with me tonight or on the sofa? We don't have any extra rooms at home."
The house she lived in had two bedrooms and a living room. One small bedroom was converted into a studio, leaving only the master bedroom and the living room.
Zhou Li lowered his head to eat, mumbling as he ate, "Sofa."
"Let me get you your pajamas."
Shan Jia went back to the room to get something, and Zhou Li ate heartily.
Shan Jia’s cooking skills were really good, and Zhou Li ate so much that he was so full that he collapsed on the chair.
"You wear this." Shan Jia put the clothes on the bed, untied her hair and said, "I'm going to take a shower. I got you a clean towel."
Zhou Li made an OK gesture and heard the sound of water in the bathroom, so she went to wash the dishes.
While washing the dishes, I was thinking, I didn’t expect Shan Jia to be so virtuous. It seems that the bowl of spoiled milk oatmeal rings last time was just a misunderstanding.
Zhou Li often came to Shan Jia's house and knew her habits.
Shan Jia is actually very picky. She wants to put things back in their place after use and keep the house clean, but she doesn't say it.
Zhou Li wiped the dining table clean, put everything back in place according to her habit, and cleaned the kitchen before washing her hands. She went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water, changed into Shan Jia's pajamas, and continued to lie on the sofa.
By the time Shan Jia came out of the shower, it was already past midnight. Zhou Li was called up from his half-sleep to wash up. A toothbrush was handed to him. Zhou Li put it in his mouth, then looked at the toothbrush and then looked at Shan Jia.
She was wiping her hair with one hand. She was wearing a gray nightgown and her hair was tied messily at her neck. The black and white colors made her look vaguely sexy.
Zhou Li swallowed and swallowed a mouthful of foam.
Zhou Li: ...
She quickly lowered her head and spit it out. Shan Jia didn't see it, so she took off the towel and asked, "The air conditioner is still on for you. I've turned up the temperature. If you want to take a shower, there's hot water on the left. There's shampoo and shower gel in the alcove. I'm going to bed first."
Zhou Li nodded randomly and rinsed his mouth with a cup.
"By the way," Shan Jia suddenly said, "You can sleep a little longer tomorrow. Good night." A smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Zhou Li's heart skipped a beat and she spat out the mouthwash in her mouth.
"Good night," she said.
Shan Jia returned to the room and the bathroom was filled with the fresh scent of soapberries.
Zhou Li turned on the water to take a shower. When she applied the shower gel, she found out where the smell on Shan Jia's body came from. It turned out that the shower gel she used smelled like soapberry. Zhou Li put down the bottle, closed her eyes and rinsed with water. Shan Jia's smile just now was all in her head.
She shook her head, turned off the water, dried her body with a towel, put on her clothes, sat on the sofa and casually wiped her hair twice. She was really sleepy, so she fell on the sofa, rolled up the quilt that Dan Jia had laid on, and lost consciousness.
Zhou Li was woken up by Shan Jia in the morning. It was the first time he slept so soundly.
Seeing Shan Jia, Zhou Li thought he was still dreaming, "Shan Jia? Why are you in my house?"
"Drowsy?" Shan Jia laughed. "Get up and have breakfast. You've been craving that spicy soup from downstairs for a long time. It's always sold out every time you come. You finally caught up today."
Zhou Li grabbed two handfuls of hair, sat up, looked at the surrounding environment, and his memory came back and he woke up.
"Oh, I stayed over at your house yesterday."
"Yes." Shan Jia chuckled, lowered his head and kissed Zhou Li on the lips, "Is Sleeping Beauty awake now?"
Zhou Li woke up with a start.
The quilt fell to the ground and the air conditioner was still running. Zhou Li looked up and saw a red sun rising. It turned out that she was dreaming.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
