128: A meal ferry

On a winter afternoon, the sunlight was as thin as a layer of washed-out gauze.

It wasn't easy to sneak out of the side door of Yiyuan Building.

Just as they turned past the flower bed, a familiar booming voice drifted over with the wind: "Which class are you from? What are you doing there!"

Ye Xi's back stiffened; it was a conditioned reflex etched into her bones by years of stage training, and she subconsciously straightened her chest and head to maintain her posture.

Lin Que was quick-witted; he grabbed her conspicuous beige coat and pressed her behind the evergreen bushes in a blind spot of the surveillance camera.

"Shh, it's the guy from logistics. Don't make a sound."

The two huddled in the narrow shadow, and Ye Xi could smell the faint scent of laundry detergent on Lin Que's school uniform; her heartbeat was so fast it was like she was playing "Flight of the Bumblebee."

Only after the footsteps faded did the two of them, like thieves, crouch down and sneak through two alleys.

Ye Xi pulled the collar of her expensive beige coat up high, covering most of her face, leaving only a pair of vigilant yet excited eyes exposed, looking exactly like a bad student skipping class for the first time.

"Is it safe?"

Ye Xi lowered her voice and glanced back at the alley entrance where there were no pursuers.

"Don't worry, unless Director Fei leads a team to chase us personally, no one will be able to find us here."

Lin Que, one hand in his pocket, led her through the gate of Xisheng Mansion.

The elevator ascended, the numbers ticking upward slowly.

Ye Xi smoothed out her bangs, which had been messed up by the wind, in the mirror, then looked down at her expensive coat that wasn't really suitable for a visit, and nervously pinched the hem of her clothes.

She looked at the boy beside her through the mirror.

The sharp, piercing aura he had on stage just a moment ago had completely faded; he had returned to being that lazy, casual, and even slightly slothful high school student.

"Ding."

The door opened.

Before Lin Que could take out his keys, the heavy security door was pushed open from the inside.

"Oh! I heard the elevator, and I thought it was you coming back!"

Wang Xiulian was wearing an apron, holding a spatula in her hand, her face beaming with the kind of festive joy usually seen only during the Lunar New Year.

A rich, overpowering aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs seemed to grow feet as it wafted through the door crack, instantly filling the entire hallway.

"Mom."

Lin Que stepped aside, revealing Ye Xi behind him.

"This is..."

Wang Xiulian's gaze passed over her son and landed on Ye Xi; her eyes widened instantly, and she forgot to put down the spatula in her hand.

Although the girl in front of her was bundled up tightly, her temperament and features clearly showed she wasn't from an ordinary family.

Especially those eyes peeking out; they were as bright and lively as if she had walked right off the television.

"Hello, Auntie!"

Ye Xi hurriedly took off her scarf, revealing her small, palm-sized face.

Perhaps because she had just come out of the cold wind, her fair nose and cheeks were tinged with a faint pink, and her eyes, now curved like crescent moons, bowed politely.

"I'm Lin Que's classmate. There was a school event today, and I'm sorry to intrude."

"Oh! Not at all, not at all!"

Wang Xiulian smiled until the wrinkles on her face blossomed, and she wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron.

"Come in quickly! It's cold outside, right? This girl is so pretty! Are you that... that what's-it-called..."

Wang Xiulian didn't usually pay attention to the art world and didn't recognize this as the internationally renowned pianist; she just thought the girl was excessively beautiful, even better-looking than the stars on TV.

"Mom, her name is Ye Xi."

Lin Que introduced her casually while changing his shoes. "She's a guest for the exchange event this time."

"Oh, oh, oh! A guest! That must be a distinguished guest!"

Wang Xiulian replied, but her eyes darted back and forth between Lin Que and Ye Xi, and not knowing what she was thinking, her gaze became meaningful.

She hurriedly took out a pair of brand-new pink cotton slippers from the shoe cabinet.

"Come, come, girl, you wear this pair. These are new, no one has worn them."

Lin Jianguo was sitting on the sofa, staring at the noon news on TV, and upon hearing the commotion, he lowered his legs as if electrocuted.

Seeing the impossibly beautiful young girl following his son, Old Lin's face, which was usually stern, visibly stiffened, and he quickly took off his reading glasses and straightened his back.

"A classmate is here? Sit down, sit down."

"Hello, Uncle."

Ye Xi smiled and bowed politely again.

Lin Jianguo nodded, then turned to Lin Que, who was about to sit down. "Lin Que, don't just stand there, go pour the classmate a glass of water and get some fruit."

"Don't bother, Uncle, I've already had water."

Ye Xi said, walking into this home filled with the warmth of life.

In her eyes, the place wasn't big, but every inch of space was filled with traces of life.

There were washed fruits on the coffee table, the noon news was playing on the TV, the sound of soup simmering came from the kitchen, and the air was filled with a faint scent of cooking.

"Girl, can you eat spicy food? Auntie stir-fried some artemisia with dried tofu and put in some dried chili."

Wang Xiulian shouted from the kitchen.

Ye Xi's eyes lit up, and she was just about to say "I can, the spicier the better," but she suddenly remembered her public image, swallowed the words, and switched to a gentle tone: "Auntie, anything is fine, just make whatever you like."

Lin Que sat nearby peeling an orange, and upon hearing the "anything is fine," the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

This was the person who could handle extreme spice when eating duck blood vermicelli soup.

Less than ten minutes later, the dishes were all served.

The sweet and sour pork ribs were a bright red color, coated in a thick sauce.

The stir-fried artemisia and dried tofu were bright green and refreshing, emitting a unique, fresh fragrance.

There was also a pot of old duck soup, stewed until it was milky white, with a few bright red goji berries floating on top.

"Come, come, girl, don't be polite at all, just treat it like your own home."

Wang Xiulian enthusiastically picked up the largest rib for Ye Xi. "Try Auntie's cooking. I specifically stewed these ribs in a clay pot for an hour; they're very tender!"

Ye Xi looked at the steaming rib in her bowl, the rich sauce aroma drifting into her nostrils.

Her throat moved involuntarily.

In her home, eating was a serious ritual.

The recipes were calculated for calories by a nutritionist, and the plating was exquisite.

Such a "carbohydrate bomb" with heavy oil and sugar would absolutely never be seen on her own dining table.

But at this moment, the sweet and sour aroma of the meat was aggressively attacking her line of rational defense.

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Ye Xi picked up the rib and took a light bite.

The tender, falling-off-the-bone meat melted on her tongue, and the perfectly sweet and sour sauce instantly activated all her taste buds.

In that moment, she felt that her stomach, which had been tortured for so long by whole-wheat bread and vegetable salads, finally came back to life.

Forget about the pianist's figure management, forget about elegant dining etiquette; at this moment, let them all go to hell.

"Mmm (✧◡✧)!"

Ye Xi looked up, her eyes amazingly bright, her cheeks puffed out.

"Auntie, this is too delicious! It's better than a five-star hotel!"

"Oh, really! Hahaha, if it's good, eat more!"

"Little Que didn't tell me in advance, otherwise I would have made a few more dishes."

Wang Xiulian was overjoyed by the praise and picked up another chopstick of artemisia for her.

"Try this artemisia too; it's a specialty of our Jiangcheng. It's the most tender in this season, and you can't eat it this fresh elsewhere."

Lin Que held his bowl, shaking his head as he watched his mother, who had completely ignored him, and then looked at the "Beethoven" opposite him who had just been trying to maintain a goddess image but was now eating until her mouth was oily, and said slowly: "Mom, take it easy with the serving. She's in the arts and needs to maintain her figure at all times. If she gets fat and gets scolded by her teacher when she goes back, we can't take the blame for that."

Ye Xi's chopsticks paused, and she shot a dagger-like glare at him.

In the shadow blocked by the tablecloth, her foot, wearing the pink cotton slipper, struck accurately and ground down on the top of Lin Que's foot, not too lightly, not too heavily.

"Oh, don't talk nonsense. The child is still growing, what fat!"

Wang Xiulian rolled her eyes at her son and turned to look at Ye Xi lovingly: "Girl, don't listen to him. Look how thin you are, your wrists are almost like the stems of the artemisia. Eat more; only when you're full will you have the strength to play the piano!"

Ye Xi's heart warmed, and her nose suddenly felt a bit sore.

"Mhm!"

She nodded vigorously and took a large mouthful of rice. "Auntie, I want another bowl of soup!"

Steam rose, and bowls and chopsticks clattered.

There were no rules about not talking while eating, no cautious probing.

There was only Wang Xiulian's chattering urging her to eat, Lin Jianguo occasionally interjecting with questions about school, and Ye Xi's heartfelt exclamations of praise.

In this spacious and bright dining room, which Wang Xiulian had filled with the trivialities of life, this genius girl, surrounded by flowers and applause, finally took off the heavy armor called "perfection" and returned to being an ordinary, gluttonous seventeen-year-old girl.

And Lin Que, sitting on the side watching this scene, felt that the concept of "ferrying" in his heart seemed to become a little clearer.

For her, a hot, home-cooked meal seemed to be a kind of ferry as well.