When Tang Ning heard Shao Mingxuan's question, she suddenly realized that her wording was not very precise: "There is one thing I don't know about, I don't cook."
Qi Yun seems to have never cooked before.
Shao Mingxuan did not speak. He lowered his eyes, and his long and thick eyelashes hid the surging emotions in his eyes. He picked up a piece of pork ribs and put it into his mouth. Clear crunching sounds continued to be heard, which was the sound of bones being crushed.
Tang Ning also picked up a piece of pork ribs, paired with some plump white rice. His cheeks were bulging with food, and he seemed to be bubbling with happiness.
Lin Yun was eating without any appetite. Although Shao Mingxun opposite him looked normal, he felt inexplicably stressed, especially when he saw Shao Mingxun eat the whole piece of ribs without spitting out the bones like a normal person. Lin Yun touched his forehead and found a thin layer of sweat.
"It may sound a bit abrupt to ask this question, but I am really curious." Shao Mingxuan said calmly but with a hint of curiosity: "How would my cooking skills rank among your boyfriends?"
Tangning bit the tip of her chopsticks and went through a fierce mental struggle before she announced in a serious tone, "Tied for first place!"
Lin Yun looked at Tang Ning with awe, as if she was looking at a rising star! She was really afraid that Tang Ning would say that Shao Mingxuan was ranked last, but after thinking about it, the answer of being tied for first place seemed to be no different from being the last one.
For some people, not being able to tell what comes first is actually a greater stimulation.
Shao Mingxuan stretched out his thin and sharp lips into a nonchalant smile, picked up a piece of braised pork as if he didn't care, and chewed and tasted it slowly.
The table was silent except for the sounds of chewing.
The cold light on the lens was like a python crawling out of the black eyes, crawling along the viewer's trembling nerves. Lin Yun's mind was buzzing, and he wanted to take Tang Ning away who was concentrating on eating, but Tang Ning was busy eating and couldn't receive the eye signals at all.
Lin Yun's upper body was not as strong as a mountain. She gently raised her foot under the table and touched Tang Ning with her toes.
Tang Ning, who was about to bury his face in the rice bowl, raised his eyes quickly, and looked at Lin Yun with his black pupils obediently but puzzledly, with a grain of white rice on the corner of his lips.
They looked at each other.
Tang Ning blinked and suddenly remembered that he had come here at the right time. He had just had a very pleasant chat with Shao Mingxuan, so now would be a good time to ask Shao Mingxuan questions.
"By the way, Shao Mingxun." Tang Ning called out affectionately. As the saying goes, a man who eats someone's food is soft in the mouth. His tone softened a lot. His foul voice completely conveyed his good mood at the moment to Shao Mingxun. It seemed that he was born with the ability to easily stir up other people's emotions, which made people feel itchy, but also reluctant to do so.
Shao Mingxuan looked at Tang Ning, and the invisible brutality in his face was smoothed out a little, like a ferocious beast hiding its claws and fangs.
Tang Ning asked cautiously, "Do you know any information about the river god in this town?"
"Why are you asking this suddenly?" Shao Mingxuan asked back.
"A little curious." Tang Ning felt that Shao Mingxuan's eyes were very deep at the moment, as deep as a pool of bottomless spring water.
"What are you curious about?" Shao Mingxuan asked again.
"Why don't people in this town believe in the river god anymore? Why are the hands of the river god statue incomplete?" Tang Ning recited the questions Lin Yun had given him, answering them like a student being crammed.
Shao Mingxuan slowly shifted his gaze away from Tang Ning's face and fixed his eyes on the dish, as if the dishes were more attractive to him. "How do I know this?" he asked calmly.
Tangning could sense Shao Mingxuan's tone suddenly turned cold, and she said in a daze, "You just told me something about making a wish, I thought you knew..."
"I just went to an old man to learn a little bit." Shao Mingxuan said calmly: "When traveling to a place, you always have to ask the local elderly where to visit and ask about some stories related to the attractions. Isn't this normal?"
This made a lot of sense, so Tangning remained silent.
I felt that Shao Mingxuan was not in a good mood. There was no smile on his face and his voice was cold. He sat on the chair with his back straight and the lines of his shoulders and neck were also stretched straight. It seemed that this person should be holding a knife and fork in his hand, cutting something while talking.
He was a little afraid to talk to Shao Mingxun, as if he had suddenly become a fish on the chopping board, and the other party licked him and took a bite.
Tang Ning felt a little uneasy because of her strange associations and looked to Lin Yun for help.
Lin Yun asked stubbornly, "Shao Mingxuan, do you know what the etiquette is for making a wish? Do you have to go through a series of procedures like an old man by the wishing well in order to make a successful wish?"
Shao Mingxuan didn't even look at Lin Yun, but at Tangning. The contrast between Tangning's current performance and that of the past was too obvious. Shao Mingxuan adjusted his glasses with his hand, smiled slightly, and said in a gentlemanly manner, "I do know a little about making wishes. For a long time, the people in this town communicated with the river god by throwing divination blocks. Do you know what throwing divination blocks is?"
Shao Mingxuan's expression was very gentle now. Tang Ning also relaxed a little and shook his head.
"There are two pieces of divination blocks, usually made of wood or bamboo, cut into a crescent shape with a convex outer edge and a flat inner edge. Whenever people want to communicate with the gods, they throw the divination blocks to ask the gods. When the knot of the divination blocks is one flat and one convex, it means that the gods have agreed."
"But this method is a little inconvenient. What should I do if I don't have the divination blocks with me but want to ask the gods for advice?" Shao Mingxuan asked with a smile.
"With coins?"
Shao Mingxuan nodded slightly, "Yes, the method of asking the gods for instructions by inserting coins was originally intended to communicate with the gods. These complicated rituals were just added by humans to please the gods."
"If the gods like you very much, even without any ceremony, or even without the need for mediums such as cups and coins, as long as you call out their names and tell them your wishes, they will respond to you."
Tangning couldn't help but sigh, "Does a god also like a mortal?"
This time, the man sitting in front of him finally smiled genuinely, like an elder looking down at a child who spoke innocently, "Of course."
Tang Ning and Lin Yun left the yard where Shao Mingxun lived. When they looked back, they saw Shao Mingxun bending over to clean up the dishes, looking very at home.
"Making a wish to the river god can be a backup plan when we are in danger." Lin Yun whispered beside him, "But don't use this method unless it is absolutely necessary."
Tangning nodded nervously. She usually chose to type on her phone when communicating with Lin Yun because Lin Yun reacted loudly to voices. "What should we do next? Should we stop them from building the temple? I think building a temple will enhance the power of the river god."
Lin Yun shook his head.
"Our mission is to survive in this copy for seven days. Right now, the most dangerous thing for you and me is the boys and girls who are being attacked. Apart from Luo Chuxue, you and I are the only ones who will be attacked." Lin Yun mentioned this with a gloomy look in his eyes.
"Our situation is already very bad. It would be great if the Taoist's method is really useful and can suppress the little ghost." Lin Yun said calmly: "As for the impact of building a temple on the river god, it is secondary. Because if a river god kills people at will for no reason, this is not a B-level difficulty, but an S-level difficulty."
"Find the pattern of the river god's killing and avoid the rule of death. This is what we should and can do."
Tangning nodded vigorously.
"Don't just nod. Don't you remember everything I taught you?" Lin Yun asked seriously.
Tangning: “?”
Tang Ning opened his eyes wide and tried hard to think about what he had forgotten. Didn't he repeat to Shao Mingxuan all the questions that Lin Yun had told him
"You're playing both sides, and when necessary, you can kick one of them off." Lin Yun patted Tangning's shoulder, "Next time, don't mention your boyfriends in front of Shao Mingxuan. They'll capsize before you even kick them off."
Tangning humbly asked, "What should I do?"
"Praise, flatter, look at with admiration, and flirt with people in a vague way. It can be a little bit of a trick to seduce people, but don't really let them take advantage of you. Those who can't get what they want will always be "sexy." Lin Yun helped with all her heart: "For example, when Shao Mingxuan asked you just now, 'Does your criterion for choosing a boyfriend depend on cooking skills?' What do you think you should say?"
Tangning frowned and thought for a moment before typing back, "It doesn't depend entirely on who you are. It mainly depends on how you feel about each other and how you get along with each other. I feel comfortable getting along with you."
Lin Yun subconsciously looked at Tang Ning's current demeanor when they were together. She seemed quite relaxed.
"Well, compared to your previous answer, this answer is acceptable."
"What's a better answer?" Tangning asked curiously.
Lin Yun groaned for a moment and said, "Yes, but you've already eaten my mouth with this meal. If I can't find a boyfriend in the future, I'll blame you."
Tangning opened her mouth slightly and uttered a soft and sweet "Wow". She looked at Lin Yun with her clear black eyes full of admiration. She held her phone in both hands and quickly typed notes in the memo.
After Lin Yun finished speaking, Tangning gave Lin Yun a thumbs up and showed her her phone screen. In addition to Lin Yun's words, there was also a sentence at the end: "You are awesome!"
Although it was just text, Lin Yun could imagine Tangning saying this in a foul voice. Her imagination was so tempting that she even wanted Tangning to speak to her right now. It wouldn't be a big deal to just listen to a sentence from time to time.
Just when she couldn't help but open her mouth to say this, Tangning put away her phone and walked away. After a few steps, she looked back in confusion, as if wondering why she wasn't following.
The bleak wind blew on Lin Yun's face, diluting the enthusiasm that had risen to her head.
Why do I always feel like I finished the theoretical teaching one second, and Tang Ning started a series of practices the next
Thinking back carefully, every time I was under Tang Ning's admiring gaze, my desire to express myself was fully satisfied, and I couldn't help but say more.
How can this mother be called a stupid beauty? She is clearly a fishing genius!!!