Chapter 17 Jiang Yi's Call
"Ling Shen, look." The twilight was like an overturned ink bottle, staining the sky into varying shades of gray-purple. The two of them walked back carrying the ingredients they had just purchased.
When passing by the flower shop on the corner, Su Nian suddenly stopped - the wintersweet in the window slanted out, the golden petals trembled gently in the cold wind, and the cold fragrance mixed with the moist evening breeze blew in her face, which reminded her of the morning after the snow.
Ling Shen looked at the stubborn bright yellow, and suddenly a line from Bai Juyi's poem flashed through his mind, "The sky is about to snow in the evening, can I have a drink?"
His Adam's apple moved unconsciously, and he heard himself say, "Buy two." As soon as he finished speaking, he realized his abruptness, and the tip of his ear instantly turned a light red. Fortunately, the twilight covered up this unnatural feeling.
Su Nian turned back in surprise, only to see Ling Shen's back as he hurriedly pushed the door open. As the glass door swung, warm yellow light streamed in, outlining his tall figure.
Ling Shen lowered his eyes to pick a branch of flowers. His slender fingers brushed across the frosty petals. His eyelashes cast tiny shadows under his eyes. His focused look made Su Nian's breath stop.
Back in the cozy bookstore, the warm air, scented with the scent of ink, filled her face. Su Nian couldn't wait to take off her camel coat. As her cashmere scarf slipped off, her hair shone softly in the light.
He poured a cup of warm water and handed it to Ling Shen, "Quick, warm your hands. I'll cook right away, it will be ready soon."
Ling Shen took off his scarf and draped it over a chair. His hands were already red from the cold. Seeing Su Nian's self-blaming expression, Ling Shen smiled and shook his head, "No, I'm very happy. I haven't been this happy in a long time."
The soft clink of porcelain clattered in the kitchen. Su Nian hummed a tuneless song as he prepared the ingredients. Ling Shen leaned against the doorway, watching Su Nian methodically prepare the ingredients. The warm yellow light cast a halo on him.
Su Nian worked quickly, and in less than an hour, four dishes and a soup were served on the table.
In the blue and white porcelain plate, the braised spare ribs are emitting an amber sheen, and the sweet and sour sauce has condensed into a translucent syrup at the bottom of the plate; the emerald-like stir-fried kale is garnished with minced garlic and is still sizzling with steam; the lotus root and pork ribs soup stewed in a casserole is bubbling, with wolfberries floating in the milky white broth, and the steaming heat creates a layer of mist on the glass window.
Ling Shen stared at the food in front of him in amazement, his knuckles unconsciously rubbing the wood grain on the table.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that Su Nian could make so many dishes in such a short time like magic.
"Come, try my cooking." Su Nian held the bowl and greeted Ling Shen who was still standing there in a daze. The steaming dish made Ling Shen a little unsure where to start.
"You, how do you know how to cook?" Ling Shen looked at him placing the amber wine bottle on the solid wooden placemat, and couldn't help but ask curiously.
There are a few dried flowers on the hemp rope wrapped around the bottle. The sweet aroma of rice wine wafting from the bottle mouth is mixed with the aroma of food, creating a gentle atmosphere under the warm yellow chandelier.
Su Nian paused, her fingertips turning the bottle cap slightly pale. A sudden north wind whistled across the eaves outside the window, picking up a few dead leaves and slapping them against the glass. "After living alone for so long, you naturally learn everything." The porcelain cups clinked together with a crisp sound, and the beige wine shimmered in the warm light. "This is the osmanthus rice wine I brewed last fall. It's not too strong, perfect with the braised pork."
The two exchanged a smile. Just as the rim of the cup touched their lips, Ling Shen's phone suddenly buzzed in the silence. The name that popped up on the screen made his face change slightly. He subconsciously reached out to press the call, but his fingertips lingered on the hang-up button for two seconds longer.
But the person on the other end of the phone obviously didn't intend to give up. The shrill ringtone was like a sharp ice pick, piercing the warm atmosphere again and again.
Su Nian looked at Ling Shen's clenched fist, his knuckles turning pale from the force. He put down the wine glass, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the lotus pattern on the glass wall. "Go and take it. Don't delay the important matter."
Ling Shen stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "Wait for me, I'll be back soon." As he turned, a gust of wind blew the napkin from the corner of the table to the ground.
Su Nian looked at his hurriedly leaving back and listened to the hurried footsteps in the corridor. Suddenly, she felt that the heating in the restaurant became dull, and the food on the table seemed to lose its temperature in an instant.
The rice wine was still warm when it entered her throat, but the aftereffects were stronger than she'd imagined. Su Nian leaned back in her chair, her head tilted, her gaze following the halo of light cast by the ceiling lamp. The chandelier reflected tiny specks of light, flickering on her flushed cheeks.
"He is not after all..." Su Nian sighed lightly, holding the bottle of wine, staggered to his feet, and no longer cared about the food on the table that had become completely cold.
The twilight outside the window had crept in at some point, casting a grayish glow on the food on the table.
Today was like a dream to Su Nian, but the time came and the dream finally came to an end.
The north wind howled outside the shop, like the sound of midnight. The mist on the glass condensed into water droplets, sliding down the window lattice. In a trance, it was like the carriage in the fairy tale that turned into a pumpkin, carrying illusory sweetness and speeding through life.
Ling Shen walked to the first floor with his phone in hand, his breath condensing into white mist in the cold air. The streetlights at the alley entrance dyed the snow a warm yellow, reflecting tiny specks of light.
He stared at the words "Jiang Yi" that kept jumping on the screen, his fingertips hovering over the answer button for three seconds. Finally, his Adam's apple moved, as if swallowing some sour emotion, and he slowly scrolled down the screen.
"Ling Shen, Happy New Year!"
Jiang Yi's voice, wrapped in deafening electronic music, exploded in the background, accompanied by the clink of glasses and the cacophony of laughter. Ling Shen couldn't help but hold the phone further away.
"Happy New Year, why did you think of calling?" Ling Shen sat on the recliner, looking at the snow in the alley reflecting the lights, with no expression on his face.
The rattan on the recliner was slightly warmed by his body temperature. He curled his fingers and stroked the raised lines on the chair handle, his nails making a small rustling sound as they scraped against the rattan.
There was shoving and laughing on the other end of the line. Jiang Yi seemed to have been bumped into, and he spoke with a running breath: "It's almost New Year's Day, of course I have to call you!"
Before he finished speaking, he was drowned out by several anxious female voices - "Come quickly, Jiang Yi!" "That's right, why are you still calling!"
Ling Shen stared at the swaying lanterns at the end of the alley, the red silk swirling in the wind into blurry blocks of color. He suddenly remembered that at this time that year, Jiang Yi had also abruptly ended his video call, saying he was going to spend New Year's Eve with a new friend.
A familiar dull pain rose in his chest, and he tucked his frozen toes back into his boots. "Go ahead." His voice was as if cut by the cold wind, with a certain cold and hard calmness.
Jiang Yi didn't notice anything unusual at all, instead he smiled even brighter: "Ling Shen, Happy New Year! Let's talk later--"
A busy tone suddenly sounded. Ling Shen gripped the gradually cooling phone, his knuckles turning white from the strain. An icicle on the eaves suddenly broke, crashing onto the snow with a soft thud, startling the orange cat napping against the wall.
He was never Jiang Yi's only choice, just like when he quietly left. Jiang Yi didn't like Ling Shen having other friends around him, but he was surrounded by all kinds of people.
Ling Shen looked up with a bitter look on his face. He knew that what Lucas said was right. He had indeed been trapped by this so-called favor for too long, so long that he no longer knew how to refuse.
The snow in the alley reflected the street lights, making his eyes sore. He reached out and rubbed his eyes, and felt the damp coolness with his fingertips.
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