Chapter 53 ☆ Xie Zhao

As they were talking, two bowls of hot Yangchun noodles and a plate of fragrant stir-fried pork with green peppers were served.

Cheng Yaoyao picked up a piece of noodle with chopsticks and ate it. The noodles were smooth and chewy and tasted good.

Lin Jiajun couldn’t help but ask again, “Do you really want to join the art troupe?”

Wu Man and Lin Lulu stared at Cheng Yaoyao. Cheng Yaoyao slowly bit off a noodle and smiled, “Yes.”

She didn’t miss Wu Man’s worried and nervous look. She smiled secretly and said deliberately, “I didn’t intend to sign up, but since they invited me so kindly, I can’t refuse.”

Lin Jiajun was full of pride. “That’s right, Cheng Zhiqing, you have such good qualifications. You will definitely be selected!”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled nonchalantly, turned around, and whispered to Xie San, “This noodle isn’t as delicious as mine. I’ll make it for you when we get home.”

There was a hint of gloom between Xie San’s brows, as if he hadn’t heard what she said.

That bit of arrogance hurt Wu Man’s eyes. She lost her appetite and anxiously calculated her chances of winning.

Lin Lulu was also dissatisfied with Cheng Yaoyao and supported her friend by saying, “Wu Man is also participating in the selection. She has been dancing since she was a child, so she will definitely be selected!”

Lin Jiajun didn’t hear her and was busy pushing the meat dishes in front of Cheng Yaoyao, saying attentively, “This braised pork is delicious. Try it!”

Wu Man felt embarrassed, but Lin Jiaqi said calmly, “The cultural troupe pays well, and the household registration can be transferred to the city. It’s a good unit.”

“By the way, brother, you are also in the city, so we can take care of each other in the future,” Lin Jiajun said.

Lin Jiaqi was momentarily stunned. His eyes quickly scanned Cheng Yaoyao’s face, and he responded with a “Hmm.” Wu Man almost couldn’t hold back her smile and said jokingly, “Brother Jiaqi, we’ll all be in the city from now on. You can’t favor one over the other.”

Lin Jiaqi smiled faintly and said, “No. Let’s eat quickly. The food is getting cold because we’ve been talking. Cheng Zhiqing, Xie San—we’ve ordered a lot of dishes. Don’t be polite; let’s eat together.”

“Yes.” Lin Lulu finally found a topic to discuss with Xie San. She mustered up her courage and put a piece of braised pork into Xie San’s bowl, saying, “Brother Xie San, you have a big appetite. Eat more…”

The chopsticks were intercepted halfway.

Cheng Yaoyao used her chopsticks to block Lin Lulu’s, and the thick braised pork sauce dripped onto the table. She said, “He doesn’t eat braised pork.”

In this era, men and women had very strict separation. Lin Lulu’s girlish intentions were interrupted, making her feel exposed and embarrassed. Her face instantly turned red. She relied on her brother’s presence and felt a little jealous, saying, “How do you know he doesn’t eat? Brother Xie San, look at her…”

The girl spoke in a low voice with a sense of grievance, shy and resentful, which seemed truly pitiful.

Cheng Yaoyao’s frustration peaked. She squinted at Xie San with her peach blossom eyes and smiled, “Do you want to eat?”

“…” Xie San put down his chopsticks. The bowl was empty. He said calmly, “I’m full.”

Lin Lulu’s eyes immediately turned red. Lin Jiajun, catching on, quickly stretched out his bowl to take the piece of braised pork, laughing as he said, “I’ll eat it. I love braised pork the most.”

Lin Jiaqi picked up a piece of green vegetables with chopsticks and put it into his sister’s bowl, saying, “Eat quickly, and I’ll take you back to work after you finish eating.”

The atmosphere during the meal was awkward. Only Wu Man and Lin Jiajun chatted animatedly, while the others remained silent.

Cheng Yaoyao didn’t have a big appetite and couldn’t finish more than half a bowl of noodles. If Xie San usually took care of her leftovers at home, she had to force herself to eat them in front of these people. She made a bitter face and swallowed the noodles in small bites.

Seeing this, Xie San stood up and poured her a glass of water. Lin Lulu, witnessing this, even smashed the food in her bowl in frustration.

After lunch, it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. The sun was at its peak, and the cicadas’ chirping and the scorching sun enveloped Lin’an City. Cheng Yaoyao covered her belly and walked angrily in the alley with her head down.

Xie San followed her silently. When they passed through the third alley, Xie San finally called out to her, “Don’t walk too far after eating. You’ll get a stomachache.”

“I’m fine!” Cheng Yaoyao was like a tractor that had finally found its target and started venting on Xie San. “What do you care about me? Go take care of your little baldy!”

Xie San’s eyebrows were furrowed with depression, and he showed a trace of confusion. “…Who?”

Cheng Yaoyao stamped her foot and said angrily, “Who the hell is she? Why does she call you Brother Xie San?” Thinking of the way Lin Lulu addressed Xie San, Cheng Yaoyao was furious. “Does she think she’s a hen, clucking all day long?”

Xie San finally realized she was referring to Lin Lulu and said, “She is the youngest daughter of the Party Secretary.”

Cheng Yaoyao crossed her arms and asked, “Are you familiar with her?”

Xie San admitted, “I saved her once when I went hunting in the mountains.”

Cheng Yaoyao dragged out her words, “So you’re a hero saving a beautiful girl~ No wonder she’s so obsessed with you and talks and laughs with you every day.”

“I didn’t.” Xie San looked at her tense little face and defended himself, “I didn’t pay attention to her. She’s a girl. I didn’t talk or laugh with her.”

Cheng Yaoyao really didn’t want to show jealousy, so she tried to control it, but couldn’t hold back her anger and said, “You even asked her to call you Brother Xie San!”

Xie San subconsciously said, “I’m older than her. … I won’t let her call me that anymore.”

Receiving Cheng Yaoyao’s fiery gaze, Xie San abruptly added a sentence.

Cheng Yaoyao still refused to turn around and sulked at the wall. The scorching sun beat down without any shelter, and soon her fair cheeks were covered with fine beads of sweat.

Cheng Yaoyao’s skin was white, and the sweat made it look even clearer, like a porcelain figure with glaze. Xie San stood in front of her to block the sunlight, and Cheng Yaoyao turned her head away from him.

Cheng Yaoyao rarely got so angry with him. When she did, she was like a cat—making a lot of noise but doing little harm. She would meow and scratch his face with her harmless little claws. Cheng Yaoyao’s behavior at this time made Xie San feel even more distressed.

It seemed like he had really wronged her.

Xie San was like a big dog who had done something wrong. “I really didn’t joke with her. She works in the city and rarely comes back to the village. She only talked to me once last month.”

“…She looked for me these past few days, but I didn’t see her.”

Conquer the enemy without fighting. Cheng Yaoyao said nothing, and Xie San had already revealed everything about himself, wanting to show his sincerity.

“I’ve been looking for you these days!” Cheng Yaoyao turned around suddenly, her eyes blazing with anger.

Xie San broke out in a sweat.

The sound of someone selling popsicles came from not far away, and he grabbed at the opportunity like a lifeline. “Sister, I’ll buy you a popsicle.”

Cheng Yaoyao bit her lower lip and said fiercely, “I want two! The taro-flavored one and the sugar one!”

Even if she wanted to buy all the popsicles at the stand, Xie San didn’t say anything and ran over immediately. After a while, he came back with popsicles: a paper box of taro ice cream and a white sugar popsicle, both of which were still frozen and hadn’t melted at all.

Xie San’s head was covered in beads of sweat, and his sun-kissed muscles were glistening.

Cheng Yaoyao lifted the paper covering the ice cream to reveal the lavender taro ice cream. It was frozen solid. She used a small wooden stick to scoop out a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The rich taro flavor melted on the tip of her tongue, and the cream was smooth, more authentic than in later generations.

Xie San held the ice cream in one hand and the popsicle in the other. Seeing that the anger in her eyes had faded a little, he whispered, “From now on, don’t let her call me Brother Xie San. Only you can call me that.”

“I don’t care!” Cheng Yaoyao became fierce again, her face wrinkling like a cat protecting its food. “If she called me that, I don’t want to respond to her anymore!”

“…” It was truly an unexpected disaster. Xie San looked at her cherry lips, which were becoming even redder due to the cold. “Then what should I do?”

Cheng Yaoyao held the small piece of wood in her mouth and thought for a moment. “I will call you Xie Zhao from now on. Xie Zhao!”

“Okay.” Xie San’s heart was moved, and he responded gently.

Cheng Yaoyao tilted her head and called out tentatively, “Thank you, Zhao.”

She had a very pleasant voice, speaking Mandarin with a soft accent. Her lips and teeth touched as she uttered his name: “Xie Zhao.”

Cheng Yaoyao called out fluently, “Xie Zhao, Xie Zhao, Xie Zhao.”

Xie San responded seriously, “I’m here.”

The dimples on Cheng Yaoyao’s lips seemed to be filled with honey, and she finally smiled sweetly. “Xie Zhao, I will call you this from now on.”

Xie San, no, it was Xie Zhao who thought for a moment and said, “Don’t you want to call me brother?”

“Brother Xie Zhao? You wish.” Cheng Yaoyao snorted. “I’ll just have a bite of the popsicle.”

Xie Zhao tore off the wax paper from the popsicle for her. The sugar popsicle had already melted a little, dripping down his big hands.

Cheng Yaoyao came over and took a bite of the popsicle from Xie Zhao’s hand. It was sweet and cool. These days, popsicles don’t contain saccharin but real white sugar. Although it’s not as sweet as saccharin, the light sweetness is more thirst-quenching.

“This is better than ice cream.” Cheng Yaoyao took the popsicle, licked it, and said generously, “The ice cream is for you.”

She held the popsicle in her rosy lips and licked it repeatedly. Her mouth was small, so she didn’t eat much of the popsicle after holding it in her mouth for a long time.

Xie Zhao’s eyes fell on her rosy lips. His Adam’s apple moved with difficulty, and he felt anxious as if fire was about to burst out.

He put the half-melted ice cream in his mouth. It had a rich and sweet taro flavor, but Xie Zhao could also taste a hint of rose fragrance.

The cold ice cream fell into his stomach but ignited another hot fire within him.

Cheng Yaoyao finished eating the popsicle but saw Xie Zhao sweating profusely, looking even hotter than before. She asked curiously, “Why are you so hot? Here’s a handkerchief.”

She took out a small handkerchief and pressed it on Xie Zhao’s forehead. The strong Yang Qi rushed towards her, and the small lotus leaf trembled. Cheng Yaoyao bit the tip of her tongue to resist the urge to get closer.

Fortunately, Xie Zhao didn’t notice it. He took the handkerchief and wiped his sweat himself. “It’s dirty.”

“What are you afraid of? Handkerchiefs are meant to be used.” Cheng Yaoyao stared at him as he wiped the sweat off his face. Then she snatched the handkerchief back, folded it carefully, and stuffed it into her bag like a treasure.

Cheng Yaoyao’s action made Xie Zhao even hotter. He looked at the sun and finally said, “It’s getting late. I should go back.”

“Ah?” Cheng Yaoyao glanced at her watch. It was almost two o’clock. She said reluctantly, “Okay. I have to go find Han Yin and the others, or they’ll be worried.”

Xie Zhao nodded, looked at Cheng Yaoyao deeply, moved his lips, and finally asked, “Do you want to join the art troupe?”

“Ah, that.” Cheng Yaoyao laughed, with a hint of cunning. “I’m not going.”

Seeing Xie Zhao’s puzzled gaze, she blinked and added, “Who made Wu Man so annoying? I deliberately frightened her. There are only three spots available, and she thought I took one. She must be scared to death.”

Xie Zhao felt relieved but was also ashamed of his secret thoughts. He said, “The art troupe is a good opportunity. You…”

Cheng Yaoyao looked at him strangely. “Do you want me to go?”