bioinnovel Chapter 260 Slacking off!
Chapter 260 Slacking off!
Zhang Yan followed behind him, nodding occasionally.
This feeling isn't bad.
When he was in the orphanage, he often ran around wildly with the younger children on the small hill behind the yard.
Back then, there were no systems, no mechs, and no threat from the Ruins.
It was just a lively atmosphere.
Liuxi Town is not large.
A main street, two rows of old houses, and a few shops.
Wang Hao went straight to a roadside stall.
"Here it comes! Uncle Li! Two bowls of rice noodles! Extra spicy! Extra pickled bamboo shoots!"
A dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man looked up.
"Xiao Haozi is back? Who's this?"
"My college classmate! Zhang Yan!"
"From the city?" Uncle Li glanced at Zhang Yan. "Fair-skinned. Have a seat."
Two bowls of rice noodles were served.
The broth is made from bones, with chili oil and scallions floating on top. The pickled bamboo shoots have a pungent but not overpowering flavor.
Zhang Yan took a bite.
good to eat.
It's not the kind of refined deliciousness; it's the rough, hearty, and satisfying kind of deliciousness that makes you want to dig the bowl clean.
"How is it?" Wang Hao asked, his mouth full of soup.
"good."
"That's right, I've been eating it since I was a child."
After finishing their rice noodles, Wang Hao led Zhang Yan for a stroll around the town.
A grocery store, a tailor shop, and a barbershop with a faded sign.
When passing by a braised food shop, Wang Hao bought half a pound of braised duck feet and a bag of braised dried tofu, which he carried away in a plastic bag.
"Save it for later, we'll eat it this afternoon."
Zhang Yan didn't stop him.
We went back to the village for lunch.
My second aunt prepared a table full of dishes, all of which were from the mountains.
Stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, wild vegetable soup, and steamed rice with cured pork.
After dinner, Wang Hao insisted on taking Zhang Yan to the riverbank.
Below the village is a small river with clear water, so clear that you can see the stones at the bottom and the occasional small fish swimming by.
Wang Hao rolled up his trousers and went into the water.
"Come on! Let's slack off!"
Zhang Yan stood on the shore watching him.
"You touch it."
"Aren't you coming down?"
"Just watching you touch it is enough."
Wang Hao struggled for a long time, getting soaked to the bone, but didn't catch a single fish.
I slipped twice, and ended up sitting hard on my bottom in the water.
Zhang Yan stood on the shore, hands in his pockets, watching his disheveled appearance.
The curve of her lips never went down.
in the afternoon.
The two sat on a large rock at the entrance of the village, eating braised duck feet.
Wang Hao spat the bones all over the floor.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um."
"What do you think we'll do after graduation?"
Zhang Yan looked at the distant mountains.
"have no idea."
"I want to go back to town and open a small shop," Wang Hao said, munching on a duck foot. "Selling snacks and drinks, and maybe even setting up a table next door for playing mahjong. How cozy!"
Zhang Yan glanced at him sideways.
"Do your parents agree?"
"My dad said he'd do anything as long as I graduate from university," Wang Hao chuckled. "His requirements aren't high."
Zhang Yan remained silent.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at the distant ridge of Qinglong Ridge.
Behind that mountain, there was a granite ground shattered by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a stone wall that had been smashed through.
His "post-graduation plans" are probably a little different from opening a small shop.
My phone vibrated.
News about Nie Qingcheng.
"What are you doing?"
Zhang Yan took a picture of the scenery in front of him—distant mountains, a small river, and the profile of Wang Hao, who was gnawing on a duck's foot.
Send it over.
"Slacking off".
A voice message came back. Three seconds later.
"Looks good, get one for me too."
Zhang Yan typed: "Didn't touch it, your husband's skills are limited."
Wang Hao leaned over and glanced at the screen.
"Are you chatting with your sister-in-law?"
"Um."
"Let your sister-in-law come and play too!"
Zhang Yan thought about the image of Nie Qingcheng standing on the big rock at the entrance of the village, wearing a haute couture cheongsam.
"never mind."
For some reason, Wang Hao burst into laughter like a pig.
The sun slowly sank in the west.
The mountain breeze cooled down.
The two returned to the village.
Dinner was another big meal.
Second Uncle opened a bottle of homemade rice wine and insisted on toasting with Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan drank two bowls.
Rice wine is not strong, but it has a strong aftereffect.
Wang Hao was already slumped over the table.
Zhang Yan helped him back to his room and threw him onto the bed.
He turned around and went back to his room.
I called Nie Qingcheng.
I answered it after it rang twice.
"Have you been drinking?" she asked.
How did you know?
"Your voice sounds different than usual; you sound a little lazy."
Zhang Yan leaned against the window.
"The rice wine was forced down my throat by my second uncle."
"Drink less."
"Um."
There was a few seconds of silence.
"I'll come back after Dazhuang's wedding the day after tomorrow."
"Mmm." Her voice was very soft. "Be careful on the road."
Another silence followed.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um?"
"Instant noodles don't taste good."
"……I see."
She smiled.
hang up.
Zhang Yan looked at the end-of-call screen on his phone.
Twenty-three seconds.
It took five seconds longer than last time.
He put his phone away, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
The sky outside the window was still full of stars.
And even further away than last night, a firecracker exploded.
Dazhuang is practicing the final round of salutes.
The wedding is the day after tomorrow.
……
The next two days.
The entire Wangjia'ao was bustling with activity that Zhang Yan had never seen before.
The open space in front of my second uncle's house was cleared out, and a simple shed was built there.
It has a red canvas top and is supported by four iron pipes.
Under the shed were six folding round tables, covered with disposable tablecloths.
My second aunt was busy from morning till night.
Kill the chicken, chop the meat, soak the rice noodles, and roll the meatballs.
The steam in the kitchen hadn't dissipated since morning.
The aunts and sisters-in-law from the neighboring houses all came to help, their chattering could be heard even through two walls.
Wang Hao was treated as free labor.
Moving tables, chairs, drinks, beer crates, hanging lanterns, unfurling banners, and pasting up "double happiness" characters.
He was howling as he worked.
"Second Aunt! My back! My back is broken!"
"It's good that it's broken, I'll eat one less bowl of rice." Second Aunt said without turning her head.
Zhang Yan was a guest and did not need help.
But he can't stay idle.
After looking around, I noticed the banner was crooked, so I went up and straightened it, tying a tight knot.
My second uncle passed by and saw it, and repeatedly said "good".
"Little Zhang is so skillful."
"good."
Wang Hao walked by, carrying a case of beer in his arms.
"Of course you're good at that," he muttered in a low voice, "You can even make that... you know..."
Zhang Yan glanced at him.
Wang Hao shrank back, grabbed his beer, and ran away.
All he knew was about Nie Qingcheng keeping Zhang Yan as her lover.
As for mechs, systems, and the Mo family's legacy—I know absolutely nothing about them.
We cannot know.
Zhang Yan helped with the work until noon.
The phone rang.
News about Nie Qingcheng.
a photo.
She sat in the leather chair in the office, holding a bowl of white porridge in her hand, with a plate of pickled vegetables next to her.
The caption read: "Didn't eat instant noodles today."
Zhang Yan looked at the dish of pickled vegetables.
Typing: "That's it?"
"Otherwise what?"
"Does your company not have a cafeteria?"
"I don't want to go to the cafeteria. It's too crowded."
Zhang Yan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
He understands her.
In front of outsiders, Nie Qingcheng is always the decisive and ruthless "Bamboo Leaf Green".
Eating must be done in a dignified manner, one's posture must be perfect, and even the way one holds chopsticks is particular.
I only eat porridge when I'm alone.
Because nobody watches it.
Also because I'm too lazy to do it myself.
Zhang Yan typed: "Going back the day after tomorrow."
"Isn't the wedding the day after tomorrow?"
"The wedding is tomorrow, I'll be back the day after tomorrow."
"...Then you go ahead and get busy."