Chapter 11 (Part 2)
Gan Ling put on very light makeup and changed into the apple green dress. When she went out to say hello to her father, she felt that his eyes lingered on her dress for two seconds longer. Gan Ling suddenly felt a little embarrassed, afraid that her father would smell something. After all, going out on a blind date was embarrassing. Fortunately, her father didn't say anything. At 6:20, Gan Ling arrived at Chuou Villa. The restaurant was decorated like an ancient garden with a dark style. Next to the gray-black wooden door was a large water tank with lotus leaves floating in it, and red fish were playing among the lotus leaves. Gan Ling stood by the tank and looked down for a while, and her mood unconsciously relaxed. The entrance was the front hall. After a waiter came to ask, he took her into a long corridor. On the right of the corridor was the room, and on the left was a pool, which must have fish. It was not yet dark, and under the reflection of the orange corridor lights, a red streak occasionally turned over the water surface. Arriving at the door of the reserved room, Gan Ling's heartbeat began to accelerate again. She adjusted her breathing before daring to step inside. Inside the room, a man in a white shirt stood up from the table and greeted her. "Miss Gan, right?" "Yes, you are Mr. Song?" "Song Yiping. Nice to meet you." Gan Ling glanced at him hurriedly, and Song Yiping happened to be looking at her as well. When their eyes met, they both felt a little awkward. "Sit down! Are you hungry? I ordered the classic set meal for two here, which saves me the trouble of choosing dishes. If you're hungry, I'll have them serve the food right away." Gan Ling instinctively wanted to say there was no rush, but suddenly thought of Wu Juan and nodded, "Okay." Song Yiping was obviously stunned for a moment, probably not expecting her to be so straightforward, so he said to the waiter waiting at the door, "Then please serve the food." The waiter said hello and turned back to his work. Song Yiping invited Gan Ling to sit down, and as if to give him a way out, he said, "Okay. The food here is quite authentic, but the service is very slow, like embroidery. We should ask them to start cooking earlier." He leaned over to pour Gan Ling some tea, closed the notebook spread out on the table, and stuffed it into his briefcase. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He made an apologetic gesture to Gan Ling, holding the phone while talking as he walked out. Seeing how busy he was, Gan Ling felt that she was not here for a blind date, but rather to discuss business. However, the psychological pressure caused by the first meeting also disappeared unconsciously. Gan Ling picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. It was chrysanthemum tea, and the cool taste lingered on the tip of her tongue. She savored it carefully, and at the same time, secretly digested her impression of Song Yiping. Song Yiping was not quite what she imagined, nor was he the same as Kong Yu introduced to her. Or perhaps these two differences were actually the same thing. Gan Ling thought...
Gan Ling put on light makeup and changed into her apple green dress. When she went out to greet her father, she felt his gaze linger on her dress for two seconds longer. Gan Ling suddenly felt a little embarrassed, worried that her father would notice something. After all, going on a blind date was always embarrassing. Fortunately, her father didn't say anything.
At 6:20, Gan Ling arrived at Chuou Villa. The restaurant was decorated like an ancient garden, with a somber atmosphere. Next to the gray-black wooden door stood a large water tank, filled with lotus leaves, and red fish frolicking among them. Gan Ling stood by the tank, looking down for a moment, and her mood subtly relaxed.
The entrance was to the lobby. A waiter came over to ask questions and then led her down a long corridor. To the right of the corridor were the rooms, and to the left was a pond, which must have fish. It was still dark, and under the orange corridor lights, a red streak occasionally crossed the surface of the water.
Arriving at the door of the reserved room, Gan Ling's heartbeat began to accelerate again. She adjusted her breathing before daring to step inside. In the room, a man in a white shirt stood up from the table and came towards her.
"Miss Gan, right?"
"Yes, you are Mr. Song?"
"Song Yiping. Nice to meet you."
Gan Ling glanced at the other person hurriedly, and Song Yiping happened to be looking at her as well. When their eyes met, they both felt a little awkward.
"Have a seat! Are you hungry? I ordered the classic meal for two, which saves me the trouble of choosing dishes. If you're hungry, I'll have them serve the food right away."
Gan Ling instinctively wanted to say there was no rush, but suddenly thought of Wu Juan and nodded, "Okay."
Song Yiping was obviously stunned for a moment, probably not expecting her to be so straightforward, so he said to the waiter waiting at the door: "Then please serve the food."
The waiter said hello and turned around to go back to work.
Song Yiping invited Gan Ling to sit down, and as if to give himself a chance, he said, "That's fine. The food here is quite authentic, but the service is very slow, like embroidery. They should start cooking sooner."
He leaned over to pour Gan Ling some tea, then closed the notebook spread out on the table and tucked it into his briefcase. Suddenly, his phone rang. He made an apologetic gesture to Gan Ling and walked out, still holding the phone. Seeing how busy he was, Gan Ling felt more like she was here for a business meeting than a blind date. But the psychological pressure of their first meeting vanished without her realizing it.
Gan Ling took a sip of the tea, which was chrysanthemum tea, and the refreshing taste lingered on her tongue. She savored it carefully, while also secretly digesting her impression of Song Yiping.
Song Yiping wasn't what she'd imagined, nor was he the same as Kong Yu had introduced him to her. Or perhaps those two differences were actually the same thing. Gan Ling had expected a Zhou Zhenchuan-like figure. Although both wore glasses and were polite, Zhou Zhenchuan was more refined, while Song Yiping appeared somewhat more muscular, tall and well-built.
It’s not that Song Yiping is a bad person, but Gan Ling is still a little disappointed. His eyes full of evaluation yet concealment, and his hurried movements, are inconsistent with the calm temperament she expected of him.
But maybe there was nothing wrong with him, it was just that Gan Ling's strong sense of rejection was at work again, and she couldn't help but want to close herself off like a river clam.
Gan Ling's first bout of self-isolation occurred around the time her mother passed away. She didn't want to talk or go out, and the only place she felt comfortable was her own room. She stayed there, thinking of nothing, living like a plant.
Gan Wenkang spent countless efforts taking her to seek medical advice and finally managed to pull her out of her shell. But the feeling of being enveloped in pure darkness could not be eradicated, buried deep in his heart like a seed, waiting for the opportunity to sprout again.
The second time was when her father interfered with her relationship with Cheng Zhao. She chose to obey, but also closed her heart. It was her studies that saved her then. Her grades were lagging behind, and to distract herself, she frantically crammed exercises. The significant improvement in her grades brought her a sense of accomplishment and security, and allowed her to quietly avoid a mental disaster.
Wei Chi's first harsh words to her, triggering Gan Ling's third period of isolation, happened just two years into their marriage. Gan Ling no longer remembers the reason, but she remembers that after that incident, Wei Chi's impatience with her grew, bordering on contempt. Finally, he expressed this dislike. Stunned and shocked, Gan Ling lost sleep, descending into a familiar, dark world, like the night itself. This time, however, her breakdown was subtle, hidden from everyone. In a conscious effort to protect herself, she quietly closed herself off, keeping even Kong Yu unaware of the deteriorating state of her marriage.
But it is not entirely without benefits. A year later, she accepted the divorce calmly. The world did not collapse, but she realized very clearly that marriage is not a shelter, but can also be a battlefield.
She appears calm and composed, seemingly living a carefree life, yet no one knows the storms raging within her. She has been striving to emerge from the rainforest, and while her path has been bumpy, she has made it safely to this day. The situation before her makes her uncertain whether she can handle the world she has chosen to enter again.
Song Yiping came back after answering the phone and immediately apologized to Gan Ling, "I left early today and didn't handle some things properly. I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting."
Gan Ling said: "It's okay, you must be very busy with work."
"Yeah! I work in after-sales service, and I'm a typical doormat. If a customer has a problem, they don't care whether you're on duty or off. They just call me and I have to flatter them."
Song Yiping sat down, sighed, and looked at Gan Ling, as if seeking comfort.
Gan Ling smiled at him and said, "I used to work in the after-sales service department. It was quite tiring and required a lot of patience to cope with it."
"Then can you teach me how to transfer departments smoothly?"
Gan Ling was stunned. "Uh...change company?"
Song Yiping laughed out loud, looking relaxed, and seemed to agree with Gan Ling's idea.
"You're right. I'll keep an eye out for new opportunities."
Gan Ling poured him more tea as a return gift. As she put the teapot down, she noticed Song Yiping was gazing at her intently, his eyes brimming with meaning. Gan Ling suddenly felt nervous, as if she were on a job interview.
"I heard from Kong Yu that you two were high school classmates and had a very good relationship."
Gan Ling nodded, "How did you get to know her?"
"He Linfeng is a client of our company, and I happen to be responsible for him. We've been working together for over a year, and he's quite impressed with me."
"You must have put a lot of thought into it."
"Of course! Big clients definitely require a lot of thought."
"Then you asked me out because you didn't want to offend Mr. He, right?"
Song Yiping was stunned. Gan Ling didn't expect that he would ask what was in his heart. It seemed to be natural. As he said it, he was no longer nervous.
"Haha. It's somewhat related." Song Yiping played with the teacup. "Mr. He is so kind to worry about me, I can't help but appreciate it, but it's also because I really have this intention... and Miss Gan is Kong Yu's friend, I trust Kong Yu's vision."
Two waiters each brought in a tray and served the dishes, four cold dishes and one hot dish. The hot dish was stewed shark fin with tofu and crab meat. After the waiter distributed the food, he reminded them to eat it while it was hot. The two dropped the topic and started to taste the food.
"Is it okay?" Song Yiping looked at Gan Ling with expectation.
"good."
Gan Ling doesn't praise a dish in layers like a food blogger might. She simply feels that the dish evokes a rich, even blissful, taste on her tongue. Perhaps the difference between a good meal and something that simply fills the stomach lies in this indescribable flavor.
Song Yiping could tell from Gan Ling's expression that she wasn't being perfunctory, and he smiled with satisfaction. He didn't brag about his good taste, but instead gave Gan Ling time to savor the food, which surprised her and also comforted her.
The set meal for two does not have many dishes, but each one is exquisite and luxurious, and great care is taken in preparing it, including house-roasted sea eel tendons, braised free-range chicken, stir-fried lotus root with seasonal vegetables, Suzhou-style noodles, and rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice.
With the delicious food as a backdrop, the conversation was no longer so serious and continued intermittently, with some tricky but seemingly necessary questions being answered smoothly.
"As for your divorce, I heard that your ex-husband cheated on you. Well, it's a bit similar to my situation."
Gan Ling's expression changed slightly, "You also..."
Song Yiping quickly waved his hands, "No, no, it wasn't me who cheated, it was my ex-wife. But I don't know if I should say that. We were married for ten years, and she ran into her ex-boyfriend. It was said that they were deeply in love, and they broke up for unavoidable reasons. That man was divorced at the time, and came back to her, and my ex-wife also wanted to be with him, haha, to rekindle their past relationship. So..."
"Do you hate her?"
"Who? My ex-wife?" Song Yiping shook his head. "I don't hate her. She's not a bad person, but I can sense that she's not very happy with me. Maybe compared to her ex-boyfriend, I'm just too boring."
He smiled apologetically, a little hard, and some wrinkles appeared at the corners of his mouth. It was not ugly, but added a sense of fragility and softness, which made Gan Ling's heart soften suddenly, and the clam shell deep in her heart opened a little bit.
"No matter what, I respect her decision. I hope she can be happy."
"Few people would wish their ex happiness." Gan Ling said softly, "You're not a bad person."
Most of the conversation was done by Song Yiping, with Gan Ling responding. But then she remembered what Kong Yu had said about taking the initiative, and she was willing to do so.
"It must be hard for you to take care of your daughter alone, right?"
"It's not hard. My daughter is easy to take care of." When talking about his daughter, Song Yiping looked a little excited.
"How old is she?"
"I just started the first grade this year."
"Does it look like you?"
"Ha! How should I put it? The facial features are quite similar, but she's much fatter than me. I'm worried!"
"It's better for children to be a little fatter."
"You're too fat! Let me show you a photo!"
Song Yiping picked up the wet wipes and wiped his hands, opened his phone to look through the photos, and then handed it to Gan Ling to see.
Gan Ling immediately imagined a cocky, tomboyish figure. She was indeed quite chubby, with a round face, narrowed eyes, and a cheerful smile. Song Yiping was also quite strong, but because of his tall stature, he didn't look fat.
"As for me, I don't have high expectations for her. I just hope she can be a quiet and gentle girl. I've really worked hard to help her lose weight. She started learning to swim in the second grade, and by the sixth grade, she had reached the level of a national second-level athlete and could swim 50 rounds in the pool without taking a breath."
“So amazing!”
"But swimming builds subcutaneous fat, and after a few years of swimming, people have become stronger. So this year I said I'd sign her up for volleyball class, because playing volleyball can help you grow taller! But I didn't expect her to drop out of volleyball and take cooking class instead. Cooking class is twice a week, and you have to eat the meals you cook yourself. Now, what's going on? She eats so much at school, and then when she comes home, she sits down at the table and eats another round. As a result, she's become even fatter!"
Gan Ling was amused. Song Yiping also laughed, a pure and harmless smile that was a little helpless and a little proud. Gan Ling felt her heart open a little more.
"My daughter has a straightforward personality and is easy to get along with. I hope to introduce her to you in the future."
Gan Ling thought about the sturdy little girl in the photo and nodded, "I think so."
The rice balls were filled with glutinous rice, a fragrant and soft glutinous dish that Gan Ling had always loved. It was the season for glutinous rice, and Gan Ling wanted to chat about it for a while, but Song Yiping's phone rang again. This time, he didn't go out to answer it. He put down his bowl and spoon and clicked to answer it.
Gan Ling ate the sweets slowly and listened quietly. When Song Yiping finished speaking, she had already guessed what he would say.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I have to go back to the office. There's a troublesome matter that my subordinates don't know how to handle."
Gan Ling recalled a joke about blind dates: someone was on a blind date, and if the other person was satisfied, he would suggest a new activity after dinner. If the other person was not satisfied, he would secretly tell his friends to call him and ask him to leave early.
"What are you laughing at?" Song Yiping looked at her. "Are you happy that the meal is over?"
"No!" Gan Ling still smiled, but the meaning had changed.
"That's good. I hope you enjoyed today's meal, otherwise I'm really afraid I'll be useless."
"How could that be? If Kong Yu asks, I will definitely tell her that you are very well prepared."
"That's not what I meant."
"I'm kidding."
"I'm so sorry..."
"Don't apologize anymore. I have something to do too. Even if you didn't tell me, I would have asked to end it early."
"That's good."
As they talked, they packed up their things.
"I'm going to pay the bill - how are you leaving? Maybe I can give you a ride." Song Yiping asked again.
"Take a taxi—don't worry about it, just do your thing."
Song Yiping walked to the door and then turned back, "Can we make another appointment?"
Gan Ling smiled and nodded. This meal was perfect in every way: the food, the topic, the timing. It was a rare opportunity, so why not give each other another chance?
Gan Ling took a taxi home. Gan Wenkang was still awake, hunched over his desk in his room, absorbed in studying something. Wu Juan was boiling water in the kitchen, looking distraught.
Gan Ling greeted her, "Sister Juan, are you leaving now?"
Wu Juan seemed to wake up and took off her apron. "Hey, I'll leave right away."
"You won't be back tonight?"
"Well, I'll come early tomorrow."
"It doesn't matter if it's a little late, take care of the family matters first."
"Oh, I know."
Gan Ling saw that she was worried and said, "If you need help, remember to call me."
Wu Juan finally managed to force a smile, "Xiao Ling, you are such a nice person."
After Gan Ling sent Wu Juan out, she returned to her father's room.
"Dad, you should go to bed."
Gan Wenkang flipped through the dictionary and waved at her with a trembling hand, "Give me two more minutes, I'll look up a definition."
"Then I'll go take a shower first."
After Gan Ling finished her shower, she went to see her father. Gan Wenkang was still lost in his dictionary, mumbling to himself. Gan Ling didn't try to stop him. Instead, she stood at the doorway and quietly observed her father. The incandescent light illuminated his graying hair and hunched back, revealing the true appearance of an old man. Although they saw each other every day, she rarely had the thought to observe her loved ones. This sudden realization made Gan Ling suddenly feel sad. She suddenly remembered when she was four or five years old, her father took her out to play, and she was wearing a new dress her mother had made for her. Acquaintances they met on the street would stop and compliment her beauty, and her father would smile proudly, as if showing off a treasure. He was still very young then, with handsome features and dark hair...
"Alright, alright! I finally figured it out!"
Gan Wenkang closed the dictionary and turned around with difficulty, a satisfied smile on his face, "Xiao Ling, come in and sit down."
Gan Ling wiped away the sad look on her face and walked towards her father with a smile, "Dad, what are you checking?"
"What exactly are the five vegetables in the Five Spicy Vegetables Plate? It's generally accepted that they are onions, ginger, garlic, leeks, and radishes. Yang Quan of the Western Jin Dynasty wrote in his Theory of Things that teeth represent age, the treasure of the body and the axe and chisel of the internal organs. Harmonizing these five elements calms the mind and qi..."
Gan Ling sat down next to her father and listened to him quoting from classics, as if he were still standing on the podium, enthusiastically imparting what he had learned to the children.
"Well, that's enough. What did you have for dinner tonight?"
Gan Wenkang suddenly turned around, catching Gan Ling off guard, "Uh, fusion cuisine, quite unique and exquisite. Of course, it's nothing more than chicken, duck, fish and meat."
"Who did you eat with?"
"friend."
Gan Ling looked at his father in surprise. There was a deep meaning in his eyes, as if he had understood something. After all, they were related by blood.
She thought about it and decided to tell her father the truth so that he wouldn't make wild guesses. She also believed that the news would make her father happy.
"Dad, I actually went on a blind date today."
Gan Wenkang nodded, as if he had expected this, but he didn't show any excitement. He asked calmly, "What kind of person is the other party?"
"Kong Yu introduced him to her husband's company. He's a supplier who does after-sales service. He's a pretty good person, quite calm..."
Gan Ling recounted Song Yiping's situation, embellishing it somewhat during the narration. Only after she finished did she realize that these subtle embellishments were perhaps because she had decided to move forward and develop her relationship with him.
After listening to this, Gan Wenkang remained silent.
Gan Ling pursed her lips and said, "Dad, didn't you say you wanted me to find someone else? I think this person is okay, we can try dating again."
"What's the difference between him and Wei Chi?"
Gan Ling was stunned and quickly compared the two of them in her mind. Putting aside the unbearable things that happened later, when she and Wei Chi went on a blind date, it had a similar opening, a similar feeling, and even the feedback she gave to her father was almost the same.
She suddenly felt despair, her confidence crumbling, as if no matter how much she walked, she couldn't escape the circle she had drawn. But she eventually calmed down. No two leaves are exactly alike, and neither are people. She had finally taken a step forward; if she pulled back this time, there might not be a next time.
She accepted the blind date not just to reassure her father, but also for herself. One can survive alone, and live well, but it's still lonely. If she could find someone to walk with, she'd give it a try.
She gritted her teeth and said, "There is a difference. Song Yiping already has a daughter and doesn't plan to have another one."
Gan Wenkang did not comment, but did not say anything else.
That night, Gan Ling had a dream. She dreamed that she was lying in a man's arms. She felt so sweet in her heart that she didn't want to leave. The man changed his position and wanted to kiss her. When she looked up, she saw his face clearly. It was Cheng Zhao.
She was startled and woke up.
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