The car almost wandered around the city, and finally stopped at a small intersection. After getting out of the car, the two held hands and walked aimlessly under the moonlight for a while. Slowly, he tucked her hand into his pocket.
"Does your family mind if you run out like this?" she asked.
"No, our family is very free. Grandparents will not ask the younger generation to sit at the table all the time."
She nodded, and began to chat with him about family affairs: "Does Dr. Cheng need to be on duty during the Chinese New Year?"
"She was on duty for three days."
"Sounds like hard work."
"Her boyfriend will accompany her."
"Doctor Cheng has a boyfriend?" She suddenly thought of Mu Zibei.
"It's a doctor in the laboratory department. They have known each other since college. They have always been ordinary friends. They just got together recently."
"Why did you wait so long to get together?"
"The time has not come." At this point, he added, "Do you think everyone is as efficient as us?"
After his reminder, she realized the fact that they had known each other for only a few months, it seemed to be very fast.
"I had good timing." He smiled.
"Me too." She followed up boldly.
The street melted under the moonlight was silent until it turned a corner, and suddenly smelled the smell of barbecue. At first glance, there was a charcoal oven at the door of a small shop. A young man was adding charcoal to the bottom of the oven. Ingredients covered with plastic wrap.
"Want to eat?" he asked her.
"Well, because it's very fragrant."
On weekdays, he wouldn't give her such unhealthy food, but today was an exception. After walking two streets, I could smell a little smoke and fire. It seemed difficult not to stop, and she looked hungry again. Looks like, just eat something.
It's a pity that the stall owner is a very young boy who is not skilled in grilling. After a chicken wing was burnt, he seemed a little embarrassed, and quickly explained that it was originally baked by his father, but he drank too much today and fell asleep. , Mom went to the neighbor next door to play mahjong, and he came out to set up a stall when he was idle and bored.
"I'm ready." Cheng Jingbo walked up to him, took two skewers of beef tongue and put them on the charcoal grill, waited until the edge of one side turned slightly golden, then turned them over and grilled for a while, sprinkled with cumin powder .
Bai Ziren smelled it on the side, he roasted it really fragrant.
Cheng Jingbo handed her the grilled beef tongue, and took a few bunches of green vegetables, mushrooms and potatoes, and put them on the charcoal grill one by one, reminding her: "Eat more vegetables to relieve greasy."
After everything was baked, Cheng Jingbo and Bai Ziren sat at the table together, and he watched her eat.
The young guy generously served cold beer, but Cheng Jingbo declined, saying that he would drive later.
"Is there any hot tea?" he asked.
"Yes, I'll get it." The young man ran to the back room.
Soon, a pot of hot chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea was served, Cheng Jingbo poured himself a cup, and gave Bai Ziren a cup as well.
"Are you brothers and sisters?" The young man didn't know which brain nerve was wrong, so he said such a sentence.
Bai Ziren bit the corn and looked at him puzzled.
Cheng Jingbo responded with a smile: "Why do you think so?"
"Just guess, I think you guys look a bit alike."
"After being together for a long time, we will naturally resemble each other." He said, "She is my girlfriend."
The young man smiled naively, and even said he was sorry, to express his apology, he brought a cold dish and snacks from the house for them to eat for free, then stood behind the charcoal grill, picked up a fan, and grilled lamb kebabs at the same time.
Bai Ziren asked Cheng Jingbo in a low voice, "Don't we look alike?"
Cheng Jingbo just drank tea, smiled without saying a word, then picked up a bunch of green vegetables, and fed her himself. After she ate half of it, he told her: "Be more intimate, and others won't have misunderstandings about it." .”
Bai Ziren rolled his eyes, felt that what he said made sense, and accepted his feeding.
Soon they were full, and they sat and rested in their original positions, admiring the view of the night sky by the way, while the charcoal fire beside them was still bright, and the blue flame was gentle, rustling with the wind.
Bai Ziren said: "I think of a plot in "The River of Momo". One winter, on a night in the Gobi Desert, He Mo was warming up by the bonfire while listening to his sweetheart play the guitar. Then she wrote a poem, roughly meaning It’s that she considers herself lucky to have a lot from before and now.”
Cheng Jingbo asked calmly, "Are you envious of her?"
"Well, she has family to support him, and no matter how far away she goes, there are people waiting for her to come back. She is very happy."
"Have you never been far away?"
Bai Ziren said: "When I was very young, my parents took me to Qingdao. After the college entrance examination, I went to Hainan alone, and there was nothing else."
"I'll take you out to have a look later."
"You are so busy, do you have time?"
"I have annual leave. I can take you to a small island with few people and teach you how to snorkel."
"Can you see coral?"
"Not only the corals, but also a lot of fish will come around and peck your feet, and you can also take out your underwater camera to take pictures of turtles."
"I haven't swam for many years, you will go into the water with me."
"Of course." He looked at her and slowed down his speech, "I won't let you go far away alone."
"Huh? I'm not a child anymore, like He Mo, she went to the desert before she was twenty."
He just stroked her hair quietly, the blue flames in his eyes gradually extinguished and returned to pure ink color.
"I'm afraid you don't want to come back."
She didn't realize that there was anything wrong with this sentence, she just felt that there was nothing missing with him by his side at the moment, so she couldn't help but leaned towards him, and leaned her head gently on his shoulder.
After a while, he said: "Unfortunately, I can't play the guitar, only this."
As she said that, she saw an extra coin in one of his palms. He tossed it lightly, and it fell back into the other palm. When he closed his fingers and spread them out again, the round coin turned into a heart shape.
Bai Ziren couldn't believe it was real, and asked to check whether the love was real or not, and he put it in her palm.
She stared at the love coin as if watching a wonder of the world, almost biting it.
"How did you do it?"
"You don't believe I have superpowers?"
"Tell me quickly, I'd love to know."
"Take it back and study it carefully, and find the answer by yourself." He thought it was a gift and gave it to her.
She already regarded it as a rare treasure, and put it in the inner pocket of the down jacket, just sticking it to her chest.
"What else do you give me?"
"Ok?"
He didn't say anything, and his dark and deep eyes were getting closer and closer. When she was a little bit inclined to hide, he lowered his head and kissed her cheek. Just such a kiss made her heart beat like thunder, and she moved away calmly. His eyes drifted back after a while, and he found that he was still looking at her, his eyes hadn't moved at all.
"I said you will be taken care of by me in the future."
"Ok."
"So kissing one's own person is a basic right."
"… Ok."
"Do you want me to turn my head and leave you alone for a while?"
Bai Ziren finally couldn't hold on, couldn't hide his nervousness, slowly buried his head in his arms, grabbed his clothes with both hands, and made a request: "Don't look at me, let me adjust my mood, at least slow down my heartbeat. "
In this regard, he is very understanding: "Yes."
She hid in his arms like this for a long time, she didn't look up until she recovered to normal, and soon realized that he was lying, he had been staring at her clearly.
"You still dare not face the fact that I am your boyfriend?"
"I'm dealing with it, but it might take a little while."
"Adaptation? No problem, but what are you going to call me during the adaptation period?"
She thought about this question for a while, and said clearly, "Brother Cheng."
Cheng Jingbo's complexion changed slightly, and he asked her seriously: "Aren't you going to change?"
"I think it's very appropriate and kind."
With a title like family, she can stay by his side with peace of mind.
After a long time, he said, "Since you like it, you can call me that in the future."
The world was quiet, and in this corner full of fireworks in the world, she had him by her side, and it seemed that all the gaps in her life were filled by his voice.
The title "Brother Cheng" means a lot to her, such as trust and attachment, admiration and liking, companionship and cuddling... It can't be summed up in just three words, boyfriend.
Until the faint sound of firecrackers came from a distance, they remembered that it was getting late and it was time for him to send her back.
Driving downstairs to her house, before leaving, she saw a book in the corner of the back seat of the car, wondering what it was.
He showed it to her: "It's an old book, take it if you want to read it."
Bai Ziren took it, said goodbye and got out of the car, and he waited until she returned upstairs and the lights came on before leaving.
Fortunately, Uncle Mu and the others hadn't come back yet, and the smell of food still remained in the living room. She changed her clothes, went into her room, and put the book he gave her by her pillow, planning to spend time reading it in the next few days.
In the early morning, Uncle Mu's family of four came back. The two children were so sleepy that they rubbed their eyes and climbed upstairs. Liu Xinyu put them to sleep silently and turned to go to her daughter's room.
Bai Ziren was studying Cheng Jingbo's little magic under the light. When he noticed his mother coming in, he immediately put the love coin aside, looked up at his mother's face, and vaguely saw tears on her face.
"Xiao Ren, I have wronged you."
"It's okay, I'm fine at home."
Liu Xin remained silent. Although her eyes stayed on her daughter's face, her thoughts were already a little wandering. She was tired after all. She wanted to say a lot at the moment, but she couldn't start. What happened at Mu's house just now made her feel down to the bottom. This is the first time I really realized my failure. As a daughter-in-law, she was never accepted by her mother-in-law. As Mu Mingrong’s wife, she owed him all the time. The most terrible thing was that as a mother, she knew very little about her eldest daughter. She didn't know such a big event as going to see a psychiatrist.
Psychiatrist, Liu Xinyu is still terrified when she thinks of these four words. Her daughter must have inherited the problems of her biological father, right
Thinking of her ex-husband's self-harm behavior when he was suffering from depression, she closed her eyes slightly.
"Mom, are you tired?"
"Somewhat."
"I'll help you warm up a glass of milk, and go to bed after you drink it."
Bai Ziren was about to get up, but Liu Xinyu quickly stopped her: "No need, I can't drink, I'll just rest after washing up."
Bai Ziren hesitated for a while, but still asked: "Did something happen at Mu's house?"
"Nothing happened, everything is just a formality, as in previous years, just complete the superficial etiquette, but it's a bit tiring when there are too many people." Liu Xinyu paused for a while and said, "Xiao Ren, you can go out to eat with Uncle Mu in a few days How about a meal?"
"Where to eat?"
Liu Xinyu chose to conceal the truth: "It's your Uncle Mu's friend's restaurant. It has recently reopened after renovation. Can you accompany him to cheer on it? If you want, your Uncle Mu will be very honorable."
After thinking for a moment, Bai Ziren agreed.
Liu Xinyu went back to the room and told Mu Mingrong that her daughter agreed.
"Have you told her the truth?" Uncle Mu asked.
"No, I'm afraid she won't go if I say so." Liu Xinyu looked at the vanity mirror, slowly took off the earrings, let go of her hair, and her voice became softer and softer, "You also know her character, if we don't push her , she can't find a boyfriend."
Uncle Mu nodded, feeling that it was more appropriate to do so.
Just at the end of the tasteless reunion dinner just now, his elder brother came over and patted him on the shoulder, and said softly: "Mingrong, I know you are kind-hearted, and you have always taken the matter of Xinyu's daughter to heart. It’s not convenient to mention too many things. I recently met a dear friend in the club. His surname is Zhou. He is in the catering business. His eldest son has just turned 29. He is an executive of an investment bank. Cheng, if you have no objection, I'll call right away."