After Xie Zhao finished speaking, he buried his head in his food. Cheng Yaoyao was still thinking: "Consumption? What consumption?"
"It's delicious." Xie Zhao showed the empty bowl, "Anything else?"
Cheng Yaoyao immediately said happily: "Yes! Wait!"
Cheng Yaoyao is very particular about cooking, and he cooks noodles one bowl at a time. Noodles cooked this way have the best texture, hot but not clumping. Another bowl of hot noodles was placed in front of Xie Zhao. Cheng Yaoyao scooped two tablespoons of butter and covered the noodles, and poured some shrimp roe soy sauce on it: "This shrimp roe soy sauce is made every year when shrimps are selected to lay their seeds. The shrimp seeds are washed and soaked in soy sauce. It is much more delicious than ordinary soy sauce. This is Lao Li's secret recipe. I would not trade it with him for butter, but he refused."
Xie Zhao mixed the hot noodles, and the butter melted a little bit, and the aroma filled his nose: "My sister made it herself?"
"You can actually taste it?" Cheng Yaoyao praised, "I thought you ate like a cow chewing a peony, and finished it in one gulp."
"..." Xie Zhao placed the mixed noodles in front of Cheng Yaoyao and took away Cheng Yaoyao's bowl of cold noodles. "Eat it while it's hot."
"It's too hot." Cheng Yaoyao looked at the steaming noodles in front of him in distress, not knowing where to start.
Xie Zhao said: "Should I feed you?"
Cheng Yaoyao raised her chin and said coquettishly, "If you insist on feeding me, I don't mind."
Xie Zhao picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks: "If you want to eat, come here yourself."
Cheng Yaoyao knelt on one knee on the stool, leaned over the table and opened his mouth: "Ah——"
Cheng Yaoyao bit nothing and was kissed on the lips by Xie Zhao, making a "pop" sound. Xie Zhao took advantage of the situation and said seriously: "How old is your sister? Do you still need someone to feed you?"
"..." Cheng Yaoyao sat at the corner of the table far away from Xie Zhao with her noodles. She would be a fool if she cared about Xie Zhao again!
Xie Zhao ate the noodles with her angry look, and his appetite was great. The crab roe was really delicious, and the crab roe grains burst out with an incomparable rich flavor in the mouth. It was indeed a delicacy that only Cheng Yaoyao could make. Eating it with the soft and hot noodles, his stomach felt warm and full.
Cheng Yaoyao was not so happy. The damn Xie Zhao didn't come to comfort her! She picked up the noodles one by one and ate them for a long time without stopping.
The chopsticks in his hand were suddenly taken away, and Cheng Yaoyao said without even looking up: "Sorry for bothering you! Go away!"
"Is this how you always eat on the set?" Xie Zhao pulled a stool over and sat in front of Cheng Yaoyao, looking at her seriously: "No wonder you've lost so much weight."
Cheng Yaoyao pinched his waist happily: "Am I really thin?... How dare you stare at me!"
"No." Xie Zhao mixed the noodles in the bowl and blew on them with a chopstick: "Don't boil them anymore. I'll feed you."
Cheng Yaoyao looked at Xie Zhao in disbelief: "I don't want you to feed me anymore."
Xie Zhao rolled the noodles on the chopsticks and brought them to Cheng Yaoyao's mouth: "I won't tease you this time, be good."
Cheng Yaoyao opened her mouth tentatively and took a mouthful of noodles. Cheng Yaoyao quickly closed her mouth. She ate very elegantly, with her mouth closed and her cheeks moving while chewing. Xie Zhao said with a smile: "Jianjian eats more than you."
Cheng Yaoyao still slowly finished his mouthful of noodles, and after swallowing it, he said, "Jianjian is not a cat, but a pig."
Xie Zhao fed her another bite: "My sister is a cat."
"Xie Zhao is..." Cheng Yaoyao pondered while holding a noodle in his mouth, "a great lion."
Xie Zhao wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth and asked casually, "Why?"
Cheng Yaoyao blushed and said fiercely, "Why so many whys! You are so annoying!"
Xie Zhao, who was evaluated as "very annoying", was very confused and grabbed Cheng Yaoyao and kissed him hard several times to make it even. Cheng Yaoyao refused to eat half of the bowl of noodles and even argued that he had eaten too much today!
Xie Zhao frowned as he looked at the noodles in the bowl. Only then did he realize why Cheng Yaoyao's face was so thin. He coaxed her, "Eat a little more."
Cheng Yaoyao reluctantly took another bite and played with Xie Zhao's shirt buttons with his fingers: "Is this shirt new?"
"Um."
Cheng Yaoyao said: "It looks very good."
Xie Zhao concentrated on feeding her: "Eat another bite."
Cheng Yaoyao opened his mouth and was stuffed with noodles. He was so angry that he stared blankly. He swallowed it with great difficulty and groaned, "Why do you suddenly dress up?"
Cheng Yaoyao asked casually, but he kept secretly glancing at Xie Zhao's face with his fingers clenched together.
Xie Zhao suddenly glanced at her, a smile flashing across his narrow eyes: "Xiao Fei picked it for me."
He paused for a moment, "When you come to see your wife, you must dress appropriately."
Xie Zhao's eyes seemed to see through Cheng Yaoyao's deepest thoughts. Xie Zhao was good-looking and had a good figure, but he was always casual in dressing. In the past, his family was poor and he wore a ragged coat every day. Later, he wore whatever Cheng Yaoyao bought for him. However, the coat and shirt he wore today were very crisp and made of exquisite materials, which was definitely not his own taste.
Cheng Yaoyao had been thinking about this matter since a while ago. Now that Xie Zhao had exposed him, his cheeks flushed and he said angrily, "Who is your wife? You have no shame!"
"Shameless, want a wife." Xie Zhao answered fluently, picking up a piece of noodles with chopsticks: "Just a few more bites."
Cheng Yaoyao kept shaking his head: "No, no, no. ... Don't you think this scene looks familiar?"
Xie Zhao and Cheng Yaoyao looked at each other and simultaneously recalled the scene of their grandmother feeding Jianjian.
One day, there was a lot of fish meat left at home, so Grandma Xie mixed a big bowl of fish meat soup with rice to feed Jianjian. Jianjian was just a kitten no matter how greedy he was, so he ate half of the bowl and stopped eating. Grandma Xie grabbed Jianjian by the back of the neck and fed him with a spoon, which made Jianjian shake his head anxiously when he smelled the fishy smell for several days.
Xie Zhao did not force her. He ate the remaining noodles in a few bites and said, "This will not be an example. You are not allowed to leave any leftovers in the future."
Xie Zhao washed the dishes and cleared the stove, and Cheng Yaoyao hung on his back like a large pendant. When they finished cleaning the kitchen, it was not yet twelve o'clock.
Xie Zhao asked, "Do you want to go back and rest?"
Cheng Yaoyao hung on Xie Zhao's back, very clingy: "No."
Xie Zhao wiped his hands, then held her knees and lifted them up: "You still have to shoot in the afternoon."
Cheng Yaoyao buried her head in Xie Zhao's shoulder, the long-lost yang energy slowly seeping into her body, making her feel sleepy. She just wanted to stay with Xie Zhao for a while longer: "It's just a few more shots in the afternoon, it's okay."
Cheng Yaoyao then remembered and said, "I haven't asked you yet, why did you come to Suzhou all of a sudden? How are grandma, Xiao Fei, and Jian Jian doing recently?"
"They are all fine." Xie Zhao walked slowly in the kitchen with Cheng Yaoyao on his back, and said, "Xiao Fei will go to the textile factory after the New Year. Grandma knitted a sweater for you and will bring it to you tomorrow. Jian Jian has gained weight again."
Cheng Yaoyao lay on the broad back that he hadn't seen for a long time, rubbed Xie Zhao's neck, and gradually felt sleepy: "What about you?"
Without waiting for Xie Zhao to answer, Cheng Yaoyao's breathing gradually became even and he fell asleep.
Xie Zhao stopped and said softly, "I miss you very much."
In the afternoon, the crew filmed a few more shots near the rockery. Cheng Yaoyao was wearing an indigo blue cheongsam and small leather shoes, dressed like a student. She came out from behind the rockery, holding a bunch of fresh osmanthus flowers.
It was early winter, and osmanthus flowers were scarce. The crew had to work hard to find such a large bunch from outside the city, and the fragrance was overwhelming. Cheng Yaoyao held the osmanthus flowers and walked briskly along the shore towards the camera.
Who knew that when he looked up, he saw Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao stood next to the director, looking at her quietly. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Cheng Yaoyao felt guilty when she passed by the rockery, and she felt that there was something else in Xie Zhao's eyes.
As a result of this distraction, his feet slipped and the osmanthus flowers in his hand flew out and scattered all over the ground.
"Yaoyao!" Everyone exclaimed. Xie Zhao rushed over quickly and held Cheng Yaoyao.
Director Rong shouted, "Yaoyao! Such a simple shot went wrong! Can you calm down for a moment?"
Cheng Yaoyao looked at the osmanthus flowers on the ground in shock. Those precious osmanthus flowers were scattered on the ground, and all the petals as big as rice grains had fallen off.
Xie Zhao frowned and asked gently, "Did you sprain your ankle?"
"No...no." Cheng Yaoyao shook his head, extremely frustrated.
This was the first time Xie Zhao came to watch her filming. Not only was she not dressed well today, but she also lost face.
Xie Zhao picked up the osmanthus flowers and handed them to Sister Meng who came over. Sister Meng arranged the osmanthus flowers and comforted her: "It's okay, you can still use it! Be careful and don't fall down!"
Xie Zhao frowned: "Always wrestling?"
"That's right. Yaoyao has slipped several times." Sister Meng stuffed the sorted osmanthus flowers back into Cheng Yaoyao's arms.
Xie Zhao wanted to ask more questions, but Director Rong shouted, "Xie Zhao, come here!"
Xie Zhao had no choice but to say to Cheng Yaoyao: "Be careful."
The assistant director took over the camera. Director Rong walked with Xie Zhao to a ginkgo tree and handed Xie Zhao a cigarette.
Xie Zhao declined: "Yaoyao doesn't like the smell of cigarettes."
"Tsk." Director Rong shook his head unbearably, put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it.
Xie Zhao looked towards the rockery. From this angle, he could see Cheng Yaoyao, but Cheng Yaoyao could not see him. Cheng Yaoyao ran out from behind the rockery with Guihua in her arms, her steps brisk and joyful. Her dark hair was braided into two exquisite pigtails, and she was wearing a blue shirt and black skirt, a rare student outfit, so pure that people could not take their eyes away.
But she slipped again. Xie Zhao was about to rush over, but was stopped by Director Rong: "Yaoyao always walks like this. It's okay."
Xie Zhao frowned.
Director Rong exhaled a puff of smoke and shook his head, saying, "I spent so much effort to get her to change her mind, but you just stole her soul as soon as you came."
Xie Zhao retracted his gaze and looked at Director Rong and said, "You should have known this a long time ago."
Director Rong started coughing: "Ahem, you are not humble at all!"
In order to get Cheng Yaoyao to film, Director Rong coaxed her to take a set of photos to arouse her interest, but Cheng Yaoyao was not interested. Director Rong had no choice but to turn his attention to Xie Zhao, but Xie Zhao found him first.
Director Rong knew that Xie Zhao didn't like him, and didn't want Cheng Yaoyao to film. But Xie Zhao came straight to the point and was willing to let Cheng Yaoyao film.
Director Rong was surprised. He thought Xie Zhao was here to beat him up. Then he changed his mind and said with some contempt: "What are your conditions?"
Xie Zhao said: "The only condition is that you must protect her unconditionally and cannot let her leave the crew."
"What kind of conditions are these?"
Xie Zhao said: "This is my only condition."
Director Rong was really confused now: "I know you don't want Yaoyao to make a movie. Can you tell me why you changed your mind?"
Xie Zhao pursed his lips: "Because she likes it."
Director Rong is different from most people of this generation. He has made so many romance films and has seen many infatuated men and resentful women fall in love. He is not optimistic about the love between Xie Zhao and Cheng Yaoyao: Xie Zhao, a young man, does have a fatal attraction to the young lady from the city who is ignorant of the world. But the difference between their identities is so huge that they will be overwhelmed by reality sooner or later.
Regardless, Xie Zhao's decision moved Director Rong: "If you can really convince Yaoyao, it will completely change her future! With Yaoyao's qualifications, she will have a great career in the film industry. Yaoyao said she wants to go to college, and I can help her."
"No need." Xie Zhao said, "Yaoyao will be back after she finishes filming this movie."
Director Rong laughed. She was really a young person who was blinded by love. To make a movie and go back to Shanghai, what a huge temptation it was for a young girl. After seeing the new world, would Cheng Yaoyao be willing to go back?
It was not until today that Director Rong understood the tone of Xie Zhao's words when he said this. It was not blind enthusiasm, but determination and confidence.
Director Rong sighed: "What a pity, she is so suitable for the camera."
Xie Zhao said: "But she is not suitable for this circle."
Director Rong laughed out loud: "You do understand her. With Yaoyao's personality, she will definitely suffer a lot without my protection. Forget it, seeing the way Yaoyao looked at you today, I knew I couldn't keep her."
Xie Zhao raised his eyebrows: "What kind of look?"
Director Rong laughed and scolded: "Don't be so ungrateful after getting an advantage!"
Xie Zhao tightened his lips, but a smile spread from his eyes.
Director Rong patted Xie Zhao on the shoulder and said, "Alright! I'll give you a day off tomorrow so you two can have a good time together. But I have to say this beforehand, you have to behave yourself! You're not allowed to come here before we get married! You have to bring the person back to me before I lock the door at night!"
"Don't worry."
Cheng Yaoyao finally finished taking a shot by the lake, and the sky was already filled with fiery sunset glow.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Well, we can finally finish work! We can shoot indoors tonight!"
Everyone was busy packing up. Cheng Yaoyao stood there holding a bunch of osmanthus flowers, looking at Xie Zhao who was striding towards him, and shouted excitedly, "Xie Zhao!"
A warm coat fell on her body, and the osmanthus flowers in her arms were also taken away. Xie Zhao looked at her: "Are you cold?"
"It's cold." Cheng Yaoyao nodded, and her nose suddenly felt a little sour. She was wearing a thin dress and holding the sprinkled osmanthus flowers, so of course she was cold.
Xie Zhao put her hands into his sleeves and said, "I've asked the director for leave, and I can take you out to play tomorrow."
Cheng Yaoyao asked: "What about today?"
The sunset glowed in Xie Zhao's eyes, burning like fire: "It's late today."
Cheng Yaoyao looked at him eagerly: "Where are you staying tonight?"
"I'm staying at the guesthouse at the pier." Xie Zhao smiled, "I'll pick you up early tomorrow morning."
Cheng Yaoyao reluctantly asked, "Can't I stay with you tonight?"
Xie Zhao grabbed her hand tightly and quickly glanced around. Everyone was busy packing up and making a lot of noise, so no one noticed them.
Xie Zhao said in a hoarse voice: "Do you know what you are saying? Be sensible!"
Cheng Yaoyao said innocently, "What did I say? I just wanted to go out with you tonight, what are you thinking?"
"..." Xie Zhao closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing: "Not tonight, there are so many people in the crew, it will not be good for you."
The crew was full of eyes, and Xie Zhao was with her, and the eyes of others, openly or covertly, were almost tearing Xie Zhao apart. If Cheng Yaoyao didn't come home tonight, who knows what would happen.
Cheng Yaoyao nodded gloomily: "Anyway, I still have a scene to shoot tonight."
Xie Zhao suddenly said, "Give me your shoes."
Cheng Yaoyao blinked in confusion: "Huh?"
The sky was full of rosy clouds, which spread to the horizon, with dark blue dots appearing from the edge. After dinner, Cheng Yaoyao ran to the iron railing at the gate and lay down.
The doorman was bribed by Xie Zhao's big bag of cigarettes, and smiled at Cheng Yaoyao and said, "I will call you when Xiao Xie comes!"
Cheng Yaoyao looked out the railing eagerly and said, "I'm full and have nothing to do anyway, I'll wait for him."
The doorman shook his head and said, "Young man."
As the dark blue in the sky gradually swallowed up the sunset glow, a tall Phoenix brand bicycle slowly approached from the horizon. Xie Zhao's coat was blown up by the wind, and his short hair was messy. The bicycle rushed straight to the gate, and he stretched out his long legs and the bicycle stopped at the gate.
Without even taking a breath, Xie Zhao took a package from the back seat and handed it to Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao opened it and saw that it was her leather shoes: "Huh?"
Xie Zhao raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead, his eyes sparkling: "The soles of my shoes are slapped with palms, so I won't slip."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
