After Nachen left, An He sat in the room for a long time. He didn't know whether he was in a daze or thinking about something.
In the kitchen, all kinds of seasonings bought by Nachen were neatly placed on the shelves, as if the owner of this house was a person who loved life and was very organized.
He washed the thermos, boiled water, and planned to make thermos rice according to Na Chen's method.
To be honest, he has hardly ever seen anyone cook. The dish his mother cooks the most is fried rice. When she occasionally cooks, she cooks a pot of rice and stir-fries a dish at noon, and saves some extra rice for fried rice in the evening.
Probably because she doesn't practice enough, the meals her mother cooks are terrible, and any noodles Nachen cooks are better than these. An He hopes that she cooks just to eat "home-cooked meals".
There were vegetables bought by Na Chen in the refrigerator, including bacon, sausages, radishes, cabbages and so on. An He held the refrigerator door and thought about the vegetables inside for several minutes, then took out potatoes, carrots, and a piece of bacon.
He washed the rice and put it into the thermos. He didn't know how much water to put in it, so he estimated that he put in half a pot of water. Then he cut the vegetables and meat into odd-shaped cubes and strips and threw them in together, and then added some light soy sauce, MSG, salt and so on in a very abstract way.
He was a little skeptical about whether he could cook rice and vegetables with half a pot of boiling water. To be on the safe side, he found a towel to wrap up the pot, took it to the bedroom, and stuffed it into the closet.
The two quilts on the bed were spread out in a mess. Na Chen was a person who didn't fold the quilts in the morning. An He went over to tidy them up. He pulled the quilt and shook it twice, and something fell onto the bed.
It was a chain. An He picked it up and looked at it. The pendant looked like a small dark red stone, polished very smoothly, but the material could not be seen. It was Na Chen's. An He put the chain on the table and planned to give it to him during dinner.
Less than an hour after he folded the quilt, he spread it out again. It was too boring and he might as well go to sleep.
He slept until about seven in the evening. When he got up, his head felt heavy and his whole body felt weak. The room was very dark. When he got up and turned on the lights one by one, his feet were still a little shaky.
He slept too long and often could not wake up after falling asleep. The worst time was when he slept for two days. When he got up, he rushed into the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. If it wasn't so difficult, he felt that his intestines were about to be vomited out.
After the lights in the room were turned on, An He felt much more comfortable. He washed his face and went into the bedroom.
According to the time provided by Na Chen, the rice in the thermos pot in the closet should be almost ready, so he took out the pot wrapped tightly in a towel.
When I opened the lid of the pot, a scent of bacon wafted out.
He was so excited, as if he had kicked a stone while walking and then looked down and found a hundred yuan.
He took a large bowl and poured out the steaming rice in the pot. Because too much water was added, the rice was a little soft, but it still looked quite decent.
An He picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. He tasted it carefully and found that the rice was unexpectedly delicious.
"Chef An, you are amazing," he laughed, put the bowl on the table, sat down at the table formally and started to eat. After eating a few chopsticks, he couldn't help but say again, "Amazing. ﹎＞>雅>文吧﹎w`w·w=.=y`"
This rice is better than the instant rice he usually buys, and most importantly, you can put any vegetables in it. An He decided to go out and buy some chicken wings later.
The next day, when An He met with Lin Ruoxue and others, he introduced the thermos rice stew recipe to Lin Ruoxue, but was despised.
"Handsome guy, you don't know this?" Lin Ruoxue sighed for a long time, "When I was a child, my mother used this to cook porridge. She would pour boiling water into the thermos and put a handful of rice in it. In the morning, it would be porridge. She could also cook mung bean porridge, red bean porridge, etc..."
"Ah?" An He was stunned.
"He doesn't know what's normal," Song Zhibin threw a cigarette to An He, "Doesn't his mother not cook?"
"Oh, yes, your mother probably doesn't know either," Lin Ruoxue smiled and whispered in his ear, "Tell me, who taught you?"
An He hesitated for a while, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said vaguely: "Then Chen."
"That... kid?" Lin Ruoxue seemed a little surprised. "How close are you two?"
"It's not serious." An He didn't tell Lin Ruoxue about Na Chen in detail. He just mentioned it a few times before. Even if he was facing Lin Ruoxue, he didn't know how to say it. "That's it."
Lin Ruoxue saw that he didn't want to talk more, so she didn't ask any more questions and quickly changed the subject: "Hey, where's Liu Jiang? I called him to urge him. He was late for a dinner with his wife! He's simply forcing us to show no mercy to his wife!"
"I'll call him. His girlfriend is three years older than him. I'm still waiting to learn how to hold a gold brick," Song Zhibin slammed the table and took out his phone. "He simply doesn't take us seriously!"
An He laughed foolishly for a while with the others, and then he noticed that Lin Ruoxue was looking at him, so he mouthed, "What are you doing?"
"Teacher An," Lin Ruoxue smiled and patted his shoulder, hooking her arm around his neck and lowering her voice, "Don't you think it's particularly scary that you have been lying on the ground half-dead in the past few years while appearing to be positive and optimistic on the surface?"
"Get out." An He smiled at her.
"I met Lao Mo's daughter yesterday. She said he was discharged from the hospital and is recovering well," Lin Ruoxue said. "Do you want to go see him?"
"Go." An He nodded.
"You won't come with us?"
"I will go by myself."
Lin Ruoxue smiled: "I knew you had to go alone."
Lao Mo is the head teacher of Anhe High School. For Anhe, this little old man was once a lamp with warm yellow light during his most confused days.
Before An He's high school entrance exam, his mom said that since he was always messing around, he should just go to a technical secondary school and start working early so that I don't have to support him for nothing. I don't owe you anything.
But he still insisted on applying for a regular high school despite his mother's slaps, a month's worth of nagging, and all kinds of words that sounded more unpleasant than a slap in the face. It's not that he is stubborn, nor does he have great potential and want to work hard. His only reason is fear.
He was afraid that after graduating from junior college, he would be kicked out by his mother and lose the last connection between him and "home".
He spent his entire freshman year in high school in a state of chaos, smoking, fighting, skipping classes, and squatting at the gates of other schools, devoting himself to video games. Until one day, he got into a fight with someone at the back door of a video game arcade. When he was staggering through the alley with a cigarette in his mouth, Lao Mo stopped him. ＿ ﹏雅＞文吧w·ww.
"I've been looking for you all night." said Lao Mo.
"Why are you looking for me? If you're full, just go for a walk and don't bother me." An He brushed him and wanted to keep walking.
"I'm just taking a walk," Lao Mo grabbed his arm, "Want to walk together?"
"Scatter your claws!" An He looked at him, "Believe it or not, I will beat you up."
"A young man hits an old man?" Lao Mo laughed and shook his head, "I don't believe it."
"Believe it soon." An He pulled his arm away, but Lao Mo held it tightly. The old man had white hair, but he was very strong.
"If you were such a person, you wouldn't have let that guy go after the fight just now." Lao Mo continued with a smile.
"I'm telling you," An He pointed a cigarette at his face, "don't fucking analyze me. I don't buy it."
But Lao Mo probably thought he would never lay a hand on an old man who was only as tall as his shoulders, so he dragged him from the video game arcade to the moat. For almost an hour, Lao Mo didn't say a few words, but just held his arm tightly. In the end, An He couldn't walk anymore, but Lao Mo was still walking briskly.
"You lack exercise," Lao Mo said. "If you fight with your physique, you will be beaten sooner or later."
"Fuck you." An He was very unhappy.
"I got to know your situation from the side..."
"Side your uncle."
"Anhe, you are quite smart..."
"Cong your uncle."
“Parents have a great influence on everyone, but parents are parents and you are you…”
"Shut up!" An He finally got angry and swung his arms fiercely.
Lao Mo stumbled after being thrown by him, but he still finished the rest of his words: "To punish yourself with the mistakes of others is the most stupid behavior."
An He didn't say anything. Lao Mo pointed at his nose and said, "An He, you are an idiot."
That was the first time that An He was pointed at and called an idiot, and it was also the first time that he did not get angry or fight after being called an idiot.
He stood by the moat, where it was so dark that only Lao Mo's white hair could be seen, as if he had been acupunctured.
When the wind blew, Lao Mo's 19% white hair, which was used to cover his bald head, was blown in the dark night. An He said, "You are bald, Mr. Mo."
"I've been bald for many years. If you want to talk to me about something, maybe I can grow a few more if I'm happy." Lao Mo took out a cigarette box, took out a cigarette and handed it to him. "Want to talk?"
An He could no longer remember how much of his change was due to Lao Mo. He only knew that he would slowly tell Lao Mo about everything, including his home, his parents, his fear, his anger, his confusion...
Now it seems that Lao Mo does not have any profound skills, nor does he know much about psychology. He just relies on patience and willingness to listen, and he will never easily deny a person's attitude.
After graduation, An He never went to see Lao Mo with his classmates. He preferred to go alone and chat with Lao Mo over the tea tray.
Lao Mo was hospitalized for gallstones last year and refused to let anyone see him. Now he is finally discharged. An He took out his cell phone to check the date and planned to find a weekend after school starts to visit him.
Lao Mo is very important to An He.
Because of Lao Mo, he was admitted to the Normal University.
Lao Mo said, never let your unhappy mood affect the people around you, no one will always tolerate you.
He did this, though perhaps in a way that was a little...wrong.
When Liu Jiang brought a girl into the box, a group of people raised their hands and applauded enthusiastically. The applause brought An He back from his memories, and he clapped along in a daze.
"My girlfriend, Lu Ye." Liu Jiang introduced the girl to everyone with a sunny face.
However, the name Lu Ye made An He stunned. When he looked up, Lu Ye was also looking at him. Two seconds later, Lu Ye pointed at An He and smiled: "Teacher An?"
"Teacher Lu." An He stood up and nodded. Lu Ye was a teaching and research fellow at the Institute of Education and Science. An He was not familiar with her and had only met her a few times.
"Know him?" Song Zhibin was quite surprised.
Lu Ye smiled and sat down: "I went to participate in the evaluation of An He's open class last semester. The class was very good. Didn't he win the first prize in the district before?"
"Oh, I didn't realize that!" Lin Ruoxue patted An He's shoulder.
An He smiled and said nothing more.
Lu Ye's appearance suddenly made him feel very uneasy, and he glanced at Liu Jiang.
Liu Jiang had played with him for so many years, so he immediately understood what he meant by his look. He smiled as he looked at the menu and said, "If I had known that you two knew each other, I should have asked An He about you first."
"Come on," Lu Ye also laughed, "If I had known you were An He's friend, I would have asked him about you."
An He breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Jiang had never mentioned him to Lu Ye before, so he would not talk about anything else about him.
The meal was quite enjoyable. Lu Ye had a cheerful personality and was able to chat with everyone. Most importantly, he gave Liu Jiang special face.
Lin Ruoxue raised her glass towards Liu Jiang: "You have really good taste this time!"
After dinner, An He, the only one who didn't drink, sent everyone home one by one, then slowly drove back via a long detour.
Every time after such a lively party, he would feel a little empty.
Liu Jiang was very sweet. He drank the most that night and he did it voluntarily. Many of the people in the group brought their friends with them and they all enjoyed themselves.
An He also laughed, happy for his friend and mourning for himself.
Anhe, what can you do
When we entered the community, the security guard leaned out half of his body, holding a plastic bag in his hand: "Teacher An, try it!"
"What is it?" An He took the bag.
"The sausages my mother brought from her hometown and my wife made them. They are much better than those sold outside. You should try them!" The security guard smiled happily.
"Thank you," An He opened it and took a look. It smelled good and the color was bright. "I happened to be learning how to cook these two days."
"Just put one in the rice when you cook it and steam it together. You can eat it when the rice is cooked. Just add some rice sauce or something. That's how I eat it." The security guard was probably in a particularly good mood because he mentioned his wife, and he talked more than usual.
An He used his mobile phone to write down several methods of making sausages that he taught, and then he walked in waving a fly swatter.
Even the security guard can eat the sausages made by his wife.
Anhe, what can you do
It was only after dinner that Nachen discovered that the chain around his neck was missing.
"Did you pull it off for me?" He looked at Lei Bo.
"Bullshit," Lei Bo said unhappily, "I was just pulling at the clothes, I didn't even bother to use any strength."
"Why is it gone?" Na Chen patted himself.
"What chain? I'll buy you the same one." Lei Bo still had half a glass of wine left to drink. Chen Man was walking back and forth in the box, patting his clothes. He couldn't eat at all.
"You can't buy the same one," Na Chen frowned, "I found the red stone in the river last time I went back to my mother's hometown."
"Red stone?" Lei Bo didn't understand what was so special about a red stone.
"Hmm, red stone." Na Chen drew his hand horizontally across his neck, "It's the same color as venous blood."
Lei Bo had just picked up the wine glass, but after hearing this, he put the glass back on the table and glanced at Na Chen.
"Brother Lei," Na Chen smiled and leaned close to his ear, lowering his voice, "I'm out of blood..."
"Can you just let me finish my meal in peace?" Lei Bo picked up a piece of broccoli and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. "What red stone? Tell me, tomorrow I'll ask someone to fish it out for you from the river in your mother's hometown!"
"No need," Na Chen waved his hand, sat back in his chair, and poured himself a bowl of soup, "Maybe it fell into someone else's house."
"The home of the person who answered the phone for you?" Lei Bo glanced at him.
"Yes," Na Chen nodded, "Lend me your phone."
"Freshly brewed?" Lei Bo finished the half glass of wine and handed over his cell phone.
Na Chen didn't answer and dialed An He's number. Although he didn't like answering the phone, he remembered the number very clearly.
An He was probably playing with his phone over there, so he quickly answered the call: "Hello? Who is this?"
"That Chen."
"Did you change your number?"
"No, my phone was broken, so I used someone else's," Na Chen stood up and walked to the window to lean against it. There was a lake outside the window. "You answered the phone so quickly."
"I was just about to make a phone call and pressed the button."
"Will you call me?"
"Don't you dislike answering the phone?" An He smiled.
Who was that for? Na Chen suddenly wanted to ask, but he suppressed it: "Did I leave my chain at your house?"
"Well, is that the red stone? I said I would bring it to you tomorrow." An He said.
"Okay." After Na Chen finished speaking, An He didn't say anything. He waited for a while and didn't know what to say, so he just hung up the phone.
"I'm going to sing later. I have an appointment." Lei Bo lit a cigarette. "I haven't heard you sing for a long time."
"No." Na Chen answered simply.
"These are all people you've met. Just sing a few songs and leave." Lei Bo threw the cigarette in front of him.
"I'm not going." Na Chen looked up at him and threw the cigarette in front of him into the soup can.
"What's the meaning?".
"It's nothing."
"Na Chen," Lei Bo held a cigarette between his legs and stared at him from behind the smoke, "Did you take the wrong medicine recently? Don't think I can tolerate anything you do..."
Na Chen didn't say anything.
"If I weren't there, what do you think you would be like now? Huh?" Lei Bo put out his cigarette.
The author has something to say: See you on Friday. It's almost the New Year, and I'm really depressed that my manuscripts are still so thin.