"Who are you! Let go of Yun Zheng!" Chen Jun became anxious when he saw it, thinking that this man wanted to do something to Yun Zheng. He rushed over with the schoolbag on his shoulders.
As a result, when I ran closer, I suddenly realized that things seemed to be different from what I thought.
It wasn't the man who was holding Yun Zheng tight, but Yun Zheng holding onto his wrist and not letting go. It's just that this man has a vicious face and doesn't look like a good person. That's why Chen Jun thought it was him who bullied Yun Zheng in the first place.
"Yun Zheng, this is..." Chen Jun was also a little embarrassed.
"Acquaintance, you pick up his bag and talk about it when you go back."
"Oh." Chen Jun looked at the man for a long time, although he felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he saw him. But he saw that Yun Zheng knew him, so he didn't ask any more.
Anyway, Yun Zheng is smart and reliable, he knows it well, and he just follows.
"Let's go now." Yun Zheng raised his chin towards the man.
"Uh..." The man glanced at the bag in Chen Jun's hand, a little hesitant.
Yun Zheng narrowed his eyes, and raised the corners of his lips in a half-smile. The man trembled immediately, like a frightened Tibetan mastiff, he was dragged back to the orphanage by Yun Zheng.
When I went out, I was alone, but when I came back, I picked up two more, and one of them didn't look like a good person. Yun Zheng was afraid of offending others, so he went to the old dean first.
After tossing and tossing for a long time, Yun Zheng can be regarded as a good place for the two of them. He first assigned Chen Jun homework, then turned around and knocked on the door of the man's room.
"Tell me about Zhao Yang, what happened?" Yun Zheng's tone was also a little helpless. This man is none other than one of those punks under Cousin Cao Ming's back then.
At that time, Cousin Cao Ming troubled Yunzheng, but Yunzheng taught him a lesson, and even played a guest role as a bandit, robbing a few gangsters. And this Zhao Yang in front of him was the one who forcibly followed Yunzheng's buttocks and helped Yunzheng set up a noodle stall in the morning because he had no money and was afraid that Yunzheng would beat him up.
But after that, Yun Zheng hadn't seen him again. But today, I unexpectedly discovered that this person followed me secretly, as if he had something to say, but he seemed unable to speak.
"What's the matter?" Seeing that he was silent for a while, Yun Zheng asked again.
"No, it's okay." Zhao Yang lowered his head, his voice was too low to hear, and his face was flushed with shame. But Yun Zheng could guess that it was impossible for him to be fine with his appearance, but he just didn't want to talk about it.
Seeing this, Yun Zheng didn't press the question at all, and changed the subject: "I haven't eaten yet! Let's go downstairs to eat some food together."
After finishing speaking, Yun Zheng poured him a glass of water and left first.
However, Zhao Yang, who was left alone, held the cup dully, without changing his movements for a long time.
In fact, Zhao Yang escaped back. At the beginning, he took a few brothers to the provincial capital with a lot of vigor, hoping to make a career. It was only after I went there that I realized how naive my original thoughts were.
It is said that every inch of land in the provincial capital is expensive, but without education and qualifications, the gold will not fall into one's pocket at all. As for jobs, it's even harder to find. A group of young people who haven't graduated from vocational high schools and have no serious work experience before, even if they go to serve a plate, they will hesitate.
Therefore, in the first month in the provincial capital, Zhao Yang's brothers couldn't take it anymore, and ran back to Xingcheng without even saying hello to Zhao Yang.
Zhao Yang would think, these spineless grandsons, he must make a career for them to see. As a result, he broke his head and found a job moving bricks at a construction site in the outskirts of the province.
The construction site is in charge of food and lodging, Zhao Yang thinks it is not bad. But never expected that the foreman ran away with the money when the construction period was over. In other words, he didn't even earn a penny during the three months of hard work.
Now Zhao Yang is stupid.
Standing on the street of the provincial capital with his broken bag in hand, he felt like an idiot. The vigor he had before was completely wiped out. He is like a trapped wild animal, feeling that the future is dark, and even in a certain moment, there will be some thoughts of death.
But when he was most desperate, he suddenly thought of Yun Zheng.
He really wanted to meet the boy who brought him great warmth back then. Therefore, Zhao Yang went back to Xingcheng overnight and hid outside the orphanage. Originally, he just wanted to sneak a glance at Yunzheng and leave, but he was accidentally discovered.
Then, Yun Zheng picked it up.
Yun Zheng is still so gentle.
After gulping down the water in the cup, Zhao Yang numbly walked to the bathroom and took a shower. Then, just as he had changed his clothes, he heard someone knocking on the door outside. Zhao Yang opened the door silently, and several little radish heads that were not as high as his thighs jumped in one after another, and some of them who were brave opened their arms to hug.
"Uncle, do you want to make dumplings?" The pretty little girl with shofar braids rubbed Zhao Yang's cheek affectionately.
"What?" Zhao Yang was a little dazed, and the hand holding the child suddenly became stiff.
The boy on the other side saw that he was a little dazed, so he explained loudly again: "Tiantian asked if you would go downstairs to make dumplings. Brother Yunzheng said that there are many people here today, so let's eat dumplings tonight."
"Oh, I'll go." Zhao Yang was dragged out of the room by the children in a daze, and immediately after entering the kitchen, he was surrounded by the warm atmosphere in the kitchen.
Almost all the children and teachers in the orphanage gathered here, and everyone had a job to do, Yun Zheng made stuffing, the old director kneaded the dough, and someone in charge of rolling the dumpling wrappers. Even Chen Jun was waived by Yun Zheng, who allowed him to move a bench and join in the fun while doing homework at the kitchen door.
At this moment, seeing Zhao Yang coming, Yun Zheng didn't specifically greet him, and just let him do whatever he wanted. It was the old dean who asked him a few words with special concern.
For northerners, dumplings are not only the most popular delicacy in daily life, but also carry some special sustenance. Many people who are away from home look forward to the dumpling meal with their parents when they return home.
Zhao Yang's voice suddenly became hoarse as he watched everyone busy. An indescribable feeling ran wildly in his chest, extremely sour. And Yun Zheng also seemed not to regard him as an outsider, and supported him in his work on his own.
"Go and wash all the dishes over there, and then come to me to help."
"Okay." Zhao Yang responded quickly, rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
Originally the old dean saw that he was tired and wanted to stop him, but seeing him circling Yun Zheng like a tail, he simply stopped talking.
People are divided into grades, and there are many kinds of dumplings. In Yunzheng's hands, the variety is reflected in the more affordable fillings.
Three-point fat and seven-point lean meat is best paired with celery, while 50-50 with sauerkraut can make it extra fat and juicy. Yellow, orange, and soft eggs, together with leek and shrimp, are the most delicious and sweet in one bite. And with fennel, what can be tasted is the freshest feedback of nature.
The small dough has a great measure, and the taste of the white flour seems bland, but it happens to be able to coincide with any filling. No matter the taste is heavy or clear, fresh or sweet, it can be the most tacit and perfect match with it.
As for dumplings, there are many ways to eat them, such as steaming, boiling, frying, and deep-frying, but Yunzheng's favorite is boiled. The clear water in the pot has already boiled, and the tender white dumplings just came out of the pot, and the unique mellow smell of white noodles came to the nostrils.
The white water vapor diffuses from the stove, like a natural soft light filter, making the already lively and warm kitchen even warmer. Among them, the most intriguing one is Yun Zheng who is cooking dumplings. The forehead that was slightly stained with moisture made him look extraordinarily real, but the overly warm and beautiful eyebrows and eyes seemed to be in a trance like in a painting.
I haven't seen him for a few months, Yun Zheng seems to be even more beautiful than before, Zhao Yang is a little dumbfounded.
However, Yun Zheng tilted his head towards him and raised the corners of his lips, asking seemingly casually, "Can you cook dumplings?"
"...No." Zhao Yang came back to his senses and bowed his head in embarrassment. When he was a child, no one cared about him at all, and now he is alone, and it is not bad if he can eat instant noodles. He has never cooked dumplings before.
Yun Zheng didn't mind either, and simply handed him the chopsticks in his hand, as if he wanted to teach him how to cook.
"This dumpling sinks to the bottom of the pot at the beginning, but after it is cooked, it floats up." Yun Zheng's voice was very soft, with a natural sense of tranquility.
"Yeah." Zhao Yang nodded in a daze, mechanically following the strength of Yun Zheng's grip on his wrist, stirring the dumplings in the pot. In fact, he could hear that there was something in Yun Zheng's words, but now his whole mind was muddled, so he seemed a little dazed.
Yun Zheng was also helpless, and picked up the handle of the spoon and knocked him on the head: "Being a man is the same as cooking dumplings. Even if it starts at the end, as long as you work hard, you can achieve your own success."
Seeing that Zhao Yang didn't reply, Yun Zheng picked up the dumplings that were almost cooked in the pot and put them in his bowl, "Taste it and see if it's done?"
"En." Zhao Yang took a bite. First, I was scalded, and then I was shocked by the delicious taste bursting out from the tip of my tongue. It's a dumpling stuffed with fennel. The freshness of the eggs perfectly sets off the unique aroma of the fennel itself. After entering the mouth, the small and fresh taste makes people feel like they are in the wilderness.
Seeing this, Yun Zheng took another pot from another pot and put it in his bowl, "Try this again."
"Okay." Zhao Yang blew on the cool air this time before entering the mouth. But in a blink of an eye, I was immersed in another experience. If the fennel eggs just now are fresh, then the sauerkraut this time is thick and thick. The relatively rich fat gets rid of the greasiness under the combination of sauerkraut and becomes mellow. One bite, the soup flowing naturally between the lips and teeth is a kind of moving in itself.
"It's cooked, it's all delicious." Zhao Yang put down his chopsticks, feeling a little unsatisfied.
"Yeah." Yun Zheng responded, turned off the fire, and asked him to bring over the plates containing the dumplings.
The cooked dumplings become round and plump. Through the skin, you can vaguely guess what stuffing is inside.
Zhao Yang stared curiously.
Seeing this, Yunzheng added a few more words slowly: "In fact, eating dumplings is like living a life. Fennel is cheap and meat stuffing is expensive, but as long as it is cooked and delicious, there is no distinction between high and low. Food is like this, and so is life. .It may be a little bit harder now, but no effort will be let down. There is always an opportunity that can be used. Are you right?"
"..." Zhao Yang was stunned after hearing this, holding the plate without moving for a long while. It wasn't until Chen Jun came over to push him that he turned around and followed him to the hall a little dully.
—
The orphanage is always bustling, and time seems to pass quickly. It wasn't until after ten o'clock that Zhao Yang suddenly realized that it was time to sleep.
He went back to the guest room and lay on his back on the bed. The fluffy quilt perfectly sets off the exhaustion accumulated in these days. But his extraordinarily active spirit made him suddenly unable to fall asleep.
Yun Zheng's words before the meal made him feel a lot. And before returning to the room, the three thousand dollars that Yun Zheng forced into his pocket also made him feel uncomfortable.
"This is a loan from you," Yun Zheng's tone remained the same as usual, and he even made a small joke: "I will borrow from you for half a year at most, and if I dare not repay the money when the time comes, I will be more powerful than those who helped usury to collect debts back then. "
After finishing speaking, Yun Zheng turned around quickly and went back to his room. Zhao Yang, who wanted to cry or not, was left standing alone in a daze.
Zhao Yang has heard people say before that language is not only a bridge to communicate emotions, but also contains great power. But he always felt that this statement was too exaggerated.
Just like in the drama, Zhuge Liang's three armies scolded Wang Lang to death in the first few words, that's all a made-up story. But now, he unexpectedly found strength from Yun Zheng's words.
Yun Zheng said that there are ups and downs in life, and hard work will not be let down.
But in reality, this is indeed the truth. He worked hard before, so he found a job. Although the result was not satisfactory, he actually stayed in the provincial capital for three months. Compared with those brothers who gave up halfway, they are hundreds of times stronger. Thinking about it this way, those grievances seem to be nothing.
After all, if you want to eat a dumpling, you have to chop the stuffing, roll out the skin, turn on the fire, and boil the water! Isn't it more difficult to cook dumplings than to cook dumplings in this lifetime
Zhao Yang's originally heavy heart suddenly became clear, and he decided to buy a ticket to go back to the provincial capital tonight and continue looking for a new job tomorrow morning.
They are all men who pee standing up. Yun Zheng, a fifteen-year-old boy, can support the children of the orphanage. Zhao Yang, a twenty-five-year-old man, has no right to feel that he is not good enough
Finding a pen, Zhao Yang crookedly wrote a line of thank you and farewell, and then quietly left the orphanage with his ragged schoolbag. For fear of alarming others, he didn't leave through the gate, but over the wall.
However, his seemingly careful actions did not escape Yun Zheng's eyes. Standing on the second floor, Yun Zheng watched his leaving back and sighed lowly.
"You are very soft-hearted." Gu Yan's clear voice came from Yun Zheng's cell phone.
Since the incident on the raccoon platform last time, Yun Zheng took the initiative to exchange cell phone numbers with Gu Yan. But for some reason, after coming and going, it became inexplicably that the two of them would talk on the phone every day before going to bed.
"Actually not." Yun Zheng smiled and shook his head, "It's just that I feel the same way."
In his previous life, when Yun Zheng first went to the provincial capital, his situation was very similar to that of Zhao Yang. However, although he was tired at that time, he did not suffer too much, and there were noble people to help him along the way. In the end, if it wasn't for Lu Ran, he would have achieved success all his life.
Therefore, every time Yun Zheng sees someone like Zhao Yang, as long as the other party is still motivated, he can't help but want to give him a hand.
However, when he heard such a simple sentence in Gu Yan's ears, his taste changed again. Gu Yan felt that the child must have suffered a lot of grievances and suffered countless hardships during the time he didn't see it. Otherwise, how could he empathize with Zhao Yang
As soon as such a thought came out, Gu Yan's chest was aching and stuffy. And the guilt that had been suppressed for a long time also gradually fermented, like a bone-eating poison, which made him unable to breathe.
"I'm sorry. Gu Yan wanted to apologize, but when the words came to his lips, he stopped again. Because he remembered that Yun Zheng had lost his memory, and he couldn't remember anything about the past. Even if he apologized, Yun Zheng would not understand why. It will even affect the relatively harmonious relationship between the two of them now.
But at this moment, Yun Zheng's words on the other end instantly dispelled all his discomfort.
Gu Yan heard Yun Zheng say, "Actually, I am luckier than Zhao Yang, because I met you very early."
"Really?" Gu Yan couldn't believe his ears.
"Well. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yun Zheng's tone was gentle and satisfying, which made Gu Yan feel that he had been truly redeemed at this moment. There was hot emotion gushing out from his chest, he couldn't hold it back, and it took him a long time to reply: "Yun Zheng, I'm also very happy."
—
After sending Zhao Yang away, Yun Zheng's life returned to its former calm. If there is any difference, the relationship between him and Gu Yan has become closer again. Now even during breaks between classes, they would send messages and chat for a few words.
But it's strange to say that the relationship is already so close, but Yun Zheng and Gu Yan have never met each other. It stands to reason that Xingcheng is not big, even if you are walking on the road, you may meet by chance. But Yunzheng felt that the subtle distance at the moment seemed to be intentional by Gu Yan.
"Maybe he's ugly!" Chen Jun also learned some new words recently: "Isn't everyone on the Internet saying that he died after seeing the light? Maybe he has tens of billions of banquets, and he has money and leisure, but he just doesn't have good looks."
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm not a little girl. We're all friends. What does it matter what I look like?"
"..." Chen Jun was speechless for a moment, seeing Yun Zheng's more and more beautiful eyebrows, he suddenly became worried. So dull and dull, what can I do in the future.
After entering the teaching building, Yun Zheng and Chen Jun walked all the way to the door of Class 5 before leaving to go to their own classes. However, as soon as Yun Zheng opened the door and entered the class, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit wrong. He found that the classmates in the class looked at him with very subtle expressions, and all of them were hesitant to speak.
"What's the matter?" Yun Zheng asked, but got ridiculed by a group of boys winking.
In the end, it was probably because he really couldn’t react, a girl who had a good relationship with Yunzheng jumped up in front of him, and excitedly said to Yunzheng: "A girl from Class 3 came to you crying in the morning, tell me quickly. Didn’t I tell you that you rejected him?”
"What rejection? Who is looking for me?" Yun Zheng was puzzled. There were no classmates he knew in the third class of junior high school.
"Lu Xining, the only girl in the third class, the one who can dance with a smile and two dimples." The girl's eyes were full of curiosity and eagerness: "Brother Yunzheng, tell me quickly! How did you know each other!"
"Don't talk nonsense, I don't know you at all." Yun Zheng bent his fingers helplessly and tapped the girl's forehead: "Little girl, she is not very old, and she is quite gossipy!"
They are all the same age, but this kind of frivolous action, which was done by Yun Zheng, unexpectedly carried a hint of pampering and teasing from his elder brother.
"Cut, if you don't say it, don't say it." The girl was not angry either, her eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles, as if she was enjoying herself a little bit. As for the other students in the class, there was no special reaction. On the other hand, the boys next to her saw her leave, and they all came over to talk to Yun Zheng one after another.
The morning class ended soon, and the lunch break came on time. Yun Zheng had just packed up his things and planned to ask Chen Jun to have dinner with him, when a girl stopped him at the door of the class.
"Excuse me, you are Yun Zheng."
"Well, do you need something from me?" Yun Zheng looked at the smiling bright girl in front of him, and roughly guessed her name, most likely it was Lu Xining who came to him in the morning.
For girls, Yun Zheng will naturally be more patient. Therefore, even though Lu Xining was vague, Yun Zheng still agreed to her request to talk alone.
Next to the sports equipment room at the back of the school, Yun Zheng saw that there was no one around, and stopped Lu Xining who was still walking forward.
"Here it is, what do you want to tell me?"
"I..." Lu Xining stood still, raised her head and looked at Yun Zheng. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he couldn't help laughing. She tilted her head and looked at Yun Zheng, as if she was very interested, until she saw Yun Zheng was about to ask, and then suddenly said: "I want to chase you, can I?"
"What?" Yun Zheng was stunned after hearing this. Yun Zheng came back from rebirth, looking at these little girls in front of him was like looking at children. As a result, he never expected that he would be confessed unexpectedly.
Now it's a little troublesome. Yun Zheng considered how to refuse. However, at this moment, someone came over and grabbed his arm, his clear voice was full of dissatisfaction: "No, he has a boyfriend!"