Chapter 50
"Pack your luggage."
Zhou Yu's tone was calm, no different from his usual attitude, but Yao Yingmo still felt something was wrong.
But she knew Zhou Yu couldn't be forced. Rushing him out would only make his defenses thicker, so she pretended not to notice, opened the bag in her hand, and handed it to Zhou Yu. "Granny Yang gave me this just now. Smell it. What is this?"
"It's glutinous rice sausage." Zhou Yu answered with certainty.
The aroma of nostalgia spread, covering up the depression that was faintly wrapped around them. Zhou Yu stood up and took the bag, "I'll take the ice."
“Is the refrigerator plugged in?”
"Yes, I did."
Zhou Yu walked very fast, as if he was running away from something.
Yao Yingmo looked down and saw that everything in the suitcase was still in its original state, with no signs of being touched. So, while she was talking to Granny Yang, Zhou Yu had only completed the task of plugging in the refrigerator.
This was very unlike him.
The house had not been occupied for a long time. The wind from opening and closing the door and the noise from walking around stirred up the accumulated dust, making the space inside the house look like it was covered with a veil.
Yao Yingmo sneezed.
"Xiao Yu, put on a mask after you finish using the ice." Yao Yingmo squatted down and took out a box of masks from his suitcase and put them on.
Zhou Yu glanced back and raised an eyebrow, "Black?"
Yao Yingmo found that he could completely understand what Zhou Yu wanted to ask. "Yes, I just thought of buying masks yesterday. Since I was a bit late, I borrowed a box from Shi Xuze."
Wearing Shi Xuze's signature black mask, it was as if he had agreed to something, but the air in the room was so bad that Zhou Yu could only put on the mask reluctantly.
"I'll cover the trunk first to prevent dust from flying in. Then we'll wipe the surfaces of the furniture and sweep and mop the floor."
"good."
Zhou Yu consciously cleaned higher areas, like the tops of cabinets and wardrobes, while Yao Yingmo handled flat surfaces like the coffee table and dining table. The two of them worked together, and within an afternoon, they had the house in decent shape. At least they could take off their masks and breathe.
The only thing left to make it habitable is to take the daily necessities out of the suitcase.
"Take a break. I'll go steam the glutinous rice sausage."
Zhou Yu did not rest obediently. He found two sets of four-piece suitcases from Yao Yingmo's suitcase and made the beds in both rooms while Yao Yingmo was preparing dinner.
When she finished, Yao Yingmo was still in the kitchen, her cell phone on the coffee table still flashing.
Zhou Yu picked it up and saw an unread WeChat message and a missed call from the same person.
He tutted and took the phone into the kitchen, "Someone's looking for you."
Yao Yingmo washed and dried his hands, picked up the phone and called back immediately.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"I arrived just after noon. I'm sorry, I was so busy packing as soon as I got back that I forgot about it and didn't tell you."
"Yes, I'm cooking dinner. It's some glutinous rice sausage given by my neighbor's grandmother. She said she would bring some back for me and then make it for you."
"As for the time to go back, it's the last day of the Qingming Festival holiday, and we won't arrive until the evening."
"Okay, thank you in advance."
"Go have dinner. Don't forget to eat again."
"Bye."
Zhou Yu listened from the side, his face becoming increasingly darker.
After Yao Yingmo finished speaking, he almost snatched the phone away, turned around and left, turning the phone over and covering it on the dining table.
If you can't get rid of it, you can only turn a blind eye.
Yao Yingmo was just about to cut a small piece of glutinous rice sausage for him to try to see if it was soft enough, when she saw him leave the kitchen at a glance. She was puzzled, but she was used to Zhou Yu's occasional outbursts, so she stuffed the cut glutinous rice sausage into her own mouth.
When Zhou Yu figures it out or his emotions have subsided, he will talk to her himself.
However, his attacks have been quite frequent recently. Yao Yingmo thought while chewing that she might need to find a suitable opportunity to take the initiative to talk to him.
The glutinous rice sausage was just the right amount of hardness. Yao Yingmo took out the whole plate, cut it into slices, and poured two small dishes of soy sauce. "Xiao Yu, it's time to eat!"
After dinner, Zhou Yu washed the dishes and Yao Yingmo put out the daily necessities that he had prepared in advance. The house finally felt a bit lively.
Considering the long drive to the cemetery, they didn't delay and washed and rested early.
Shi Xuze, who was still in the capital, was inspired by Yao Yingmo and took advantage of the holiday to return to his parents' home.
Because the schedule often changed, he was afraid that his parents would be disappointed, so he did not inform them in advance that he was going home.
So when he opened the door and saw his parents sitting in the living room making tea, he was met with the comment, "What a rare visitor."
This sarcastic tone made Shi Xuze's scalp tighten, and he quickly begged for mercy: "Mom, please don't be like this. I was really busy recently and had a schedule every day. I really didn't mean to stay away for so long."
As he spoke, he closed the door and put the paper bag on the coffee table. "Didn't I come back as soon as I had time? I also brought you something."
"I was just joking." Lin Man waved her hand. "What delicious food did you bring?"
"The lemon tart from that cake shop has become popular recently. My colleagues in the studio said it's delicious."
Shi Xuze said as he opened the paper bag, took out three lemon tarts, placed them in front of his parents, and took one himself and sat down, "Try it."
Lin Man likes the sweet and sour taste of desserts. Once she takes a bite, she can no longer make a deliberately sarcastic expression.
Shi Xuze breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he thought of bringing dessert home in advance, otherwise Lin Man would not be able to stop once she started performing.
He knew very well that his parents were not angry.
Lin Man was just taking advantage of the situation to vent her desire to perform while trying to arouse his inner guilt.
He could still be fooled when he was a child, but as he grew older, he saw the same trick too many times and he would no longer be fooled. However, he still couldn't resist it, so he figured out a way to coax Lin Man.
Next to them, Shi Congyan and his wife finished their lemon tarts. He leisurely held his teacup, sipping tea while watching his wife and children fighting.
"This lemon tart is too sweet," he said.
Lin Man glanced at him and said, "Ze Ze, don't buy your dad's share next time."
Shi Xuze laughed dryly twice and didn't dare to reply.
Lin Man finished her lemon tart with great satisfaction. As she picked up her teacup, she suddenly realized, "Zeze, didn't you say last week that you had work during Qingming Festival? Why are you back?"
"Yes, I just came back from recording a commercial this morning. I have work the day after tomorrow, so I can come back and lie down for two days."
According to his habit, he would only choose to lie down at home when he had a free day. It was Yao Yingmo's schedule that made him feel that he should go home, and he borrowed Luo Jiayou's car for convenient transportation, so he went home today.
"Are you tired?" Shi Congyan put down the teacup and spoke suddenly.
Shi Xuze was stunned for a few seconds before pursing his lips and shaking his head, "Not tired."
Shi Congyan stared at him for a long time, then he picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly.
Shi Xuze blinked, waiting for Shi Congyan's next words.
A small round white porcelain cup with floral patterns painted on it was placed in front of him, and then filled with golden tea.
The aroma of tea is gentle and refreshing, making people relax unconsciously.
"Tea."
Shi Congyan waited until he brought the teacup to his lips before slowly speaking, "Your room... I had someone come over last month and installed some sound-absorbing cotton, and also replaced the speakers and microphone."
Shi Xuze initially moved out to live alone because he often had to make urgent recordings in the middle of the night or do various live broadcasts for promotions.
The soundproofing at home was not good, and he would often see dark circles under his parents' eyes the next day. He couldn't bear it, so he rented a house near the studio and just bought the house next to Yao Yingmo a while ago.
Hearing Shi Congyan's words, he was stunned for a moment, and finally said in a low voice, "Thank you."
"If you're tired, you can come back and stay." Shi Congyan said, "Drive my car to the recording."
If he had heard it two months earlier, Shi Xuze would have agreed on the spot. He still missed the life where someone was waiting for him.
But now…
There are people and things there that he doesn't want to leave.
Rolling his eyes, Shi Xuze politely declined: "I'm afraid that you and I will become trending topics together. I don't want to disrupt your peaceful life."
Shi Congyan scoffed at the words, "Stop it, you're always photographed wearing a hoodie and a mask, and it wasn't you who was photographed on the trending search this time."
Shi Xuze was immediately annoyed. He forgot that his parents had learned all the tricks of star-chasing for him, including using Weibo, Little Sweet Potato, Tadpole and the like. How could they not know the truth about the trending searches?
He moved his mouth, then closed it again, his mind working quickly, trying to find another good reason to refuse to move back.
Before he could make up his mind, Lin Man spoke up to ease the situation, "Old Shi, stop talking. There must be other reasons why the child doesn't want to go home."
Shi Xuze looked at Lin Man gratefully, but he felt uneasy about her tone.
As expected, Lin Man put on a mischievous expression and leaned closer. "Is it because of your neighbor? The writer who was trending on the Internet with you, the writer you moved all your books with?"
Shi Xuze raised his hand and slapped his forehead.
He knew that he couldn't keep any secrets from his parents.
He didn't say anything, his expression and movements were the answer.
"Is she the one you like?" Lin Man asked.
Shi Xuze covered his face and nodded.
"That's great." Lin Man clapped her hands in celebration. After clapping three times, she stopped and asked, "Are you secretly in love with her or are you pursuing her?"
Shi Congyan: "Why don't you ask him if he is your girlfriend?"
Lin Man slapped Shi Congyan's arm vigorously and said, "You really don't understand your son. If it was a girlfriend, he would have called to show off long ago. Why would he wait for us to ask?"
After hearing what Lin Man said, Shi Xuze felt like he was hit by several arrows in the knee. But what Lin Man said was the truth. Yao Yingmo was not his girlfriend. He did like to call home to show off any happy events, and falling in love was definitely a huge happy event.
"I'm still pursuing it," he said.
After saying that, he took out his phone and unlocked it. Looking at the empty notification bar, he couldn't help but frown.
Yao Yingmo did not report that he was safe, nor did he answer the phone.
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