Chapter 96: 78. Does this count as him kissing her? _2
This is also her promise to Dad. Even if not for herself, she has to protect Mom.
All of this is thanks to Dad’s colleagues in the police force, thanks to Dad’s direct superior Director Zheng who personally helped, so all the procedures for going abroad were handled so swiftly. But sitting on the plane, when Xiang Yuan held her hand, there was no trace of joy. Looking at the streaming clouds outside the window, she inexplicably felt a sense of melancholy and loss.
She thought, perhaps this sense of melancholy is the unwillingness to leave her homeland, the reluctance to let go of the past times, the reluctance to part with Dad and Mom’s former home, the unwillingness to say goodbye to those friends who came and went in her life?
.
A knock on the kitchen door came, she quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand.
She stepped away, the kitchen door opened. She hurried to the sink and splashed water on her face.
"What happened?" He stared at her back with dark eyes.
"Nothing." She smiled hard with the clear water on her face: "Just suddenly remembered some childhood things. Mr. Tang don’t mind."
Tang Yanqing squinted his eyes.
"What did you remember?"
Shi Nian tilted her head with a forlorn smile: "It’s all my personal business. Mr. Tang you wouldn’t understand. Sorry, let’s continue eating."
.
Tang Yanqing quietly gazed into her eyes.
He understood that she perhaps never wanted to bring up those past events again.
A family, three people, after a kidnapping incident, the daughter suffered severe mental trauma, the father lost his life as a result, and the mother—the mother went crazy. Such is the tragedy of the human world, he wouldn’t force her to recall—he preferred her forgot him.
He smiled gently, reached out and rubbed the top of her head: "Okay, then think of nothing, say nothing. I’ll accompany you to keep eating drunk snails, okay?"
"Okay." Shi Nian also tried to smile, turned and took out a small wine jar and two wine cups, along with a large bowl from the cupboard.
Tang Yanqing helped her hold them, raised his eyebrows seeing the label: "Shaoxing Jiafan? So you hid such a good thing."
The two of them walked back to the living room together, the warm light enveloped them, and the lively sounds from the television spread around. It was as if they had left behind the sad past and returned to the real world.
Shi Nian tilted her head and smiled: "Mm. Eating drunk snails with Shaoxing Jiafan is the most enjoyable."
.
Sitting back on the sofa.
He let one leg dangle on the ground, the other leg crossed on the sofa, turned sideways, his elbow against the sofa backrest, supporting his right brain with his palm, smiling gently as he watched her warm the wine.
Shi Nian busy with her hands, glanced back at him. Seeing his penetrating gaze focused on her, she quickly cleared her throat to explain.
"Warmed Shaoxing Jiafan is sweeter, and the temperature can help counteract the cold nature of drunk snails. I fear you might find it unaccustomed; eating them this way is better."
The wine was nearly warm, she first poured some into the small blue-and-white wine cup and took a sip.
The small red lips, against the clear blue-and-white pottery, collided yet looked so enchanting.
She held the wine on her lips to savor for a moment, with this action, small hidden dimples appeared near her mouth.
The taste seemed to please her, she closed her eyes to savor it, then smiled gently. Opening her eyes again to meet his gaze, her cheeks lightly flushed, she quickly turned her head away.
She placed a preserved plum into his wine cup, then pinched a piece of rock sugar and dropped it in, the surface of the wine rippled amber.
Like his heart.
She completed a small tweak, spreading her hands as if showing off a treasure, saying: "Here, you can drink now. Try it, drinking it like this is wonderful. With the snails together, there’s no fishy taste at all, it’s simply—supremely fresh."
Looking at her at this moment—uh-huh, like a little greedy kitten.
He couldn’t help but laugh joyfully, picked up the wine cup and took a sip.
The original Shaoxing Jiafan wine had a slightly sour taste, but after adding the preserved plum and rock sugar, it was indeed sweet and sour to the taste. With the wine flavor, taking a snail into the mouth and sucking on it—indeed delicious.
He raised an eyebrow in her direction, showing approval.
"Tastes good, huh!" She spread her hands joyously, with a hint of playful gesture: "5A-grade large snails, no sand, sweet and crisp. Paired with this warm yellow wine, absolutely delightful!"
He hummed, chewing a yellow snail, couldn’t help but reach out and rub her head again.
My little girl... no amount of pampering is enough.
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Shaoxing Jiafan is yellow wine, the marinated drunk snails are also yellow wine.
Yellow wine is smooth to taste, unlike the burning strength of white liquor. But this feeling is deceiving, the after-effect of yellow wine is indeed significant. As they drank and drank, Shi Nian felt a little lightheaded.