Chapter 134: Dumplings
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
“Let's eat." Ruan Yesheng answered with a smile.
But she felt strange. Xi Mo was very self-disciplined, and she almost never ate late-night snacks. Now she actually came and asked if she wanted dumplings.
She knew that asking Xi Mo if she was hungry was just an excuse to hide herself. But she could not see Xi Mo's thoughts, and she did not even think in the way of "maybe asking to eat dumplings is also Xi Mo's excuse." She had many romantic thoughts in her heart, but she did not dare to think that far and be self-sentimental.
Ruan Yesheng thought for a while. She felt that Xi Mo must be tired from the journey, used too much energy, and did not eat anything after coming home. It made sense that she was hungry now.
The two of them went downstairs.
Xi Mo's villa was big. The first floor had a design with two kitchens. One was enclosed. Usually Auntie Lan would use the enclosed kitchen when she needed to cook dishes with oil smoke.
One was open. It was connected to the living room and was mainly used to make Western food without oil smoke, fruit, and vegetable salads, and so on.
The dining table in the open kitchen was very spacious, and Xi Mo liked a simple style. On the table, there was only a bottle with flowers in water and a delicate wine rack holding a bottle of red wine. Such a big table had only these two small things that did not take up space. The rest of the table was empty enough for someone to lie down and roll once.
There was an oval sink dug on the edge of the table. Next to it lay a light gray simple dolphin. Water sprayed from its back and curved into the sink. In fact, it was a faucet.
Touch its back, and water would flow out from the outlet shaped like water spray. When eating at the table, people could wash their hands here. It was very convenient and more fun.
The dolphin was round. Ruan Yesheng walked over and touched its back with her hand. It felt very smooth. And that touch triggered the sensor, and water rushed out.
"So cute." Ruan Yesheng's eyes lit up.
Usually Xi Mo looked serious, and her decoration style was cold. She did not expect that many designs in her villa were uniquely cute.
Obviously, Ruan Yesheng was praising the dolphin faucet design. But Xi Mo secretly turned her face to the side. Some subtle joy appeared on the corner of her lips. She felt as if Ruan Yesheng had praised her too.
"Do you like dolphins?" Xi Mo asked Ruan Yesheng.
"Of course I like them." Ruan Yesheng said, "When we were in college, I asked you to go to the aquarium with me. You did not want to go. Actually, I wanted to go see dolphins with you at that time."
Xi Mo was speechless for a moment. "I..."
She remembered this, and she remembered even more the scene when she refused Ruan Yesheng.
Xi Mo thought Ruan Yesheng invited her to see animal shows at the aquarium, so she coldly said a lot of things at that time: "I will not go. Many animal shows in aquariums look joyful, but in fact they are cruel. Do you not know how those animals came? Humans build their joy on watching animal shows. Animals lose their nature and become tools for laughter. Many aquarium animals show stereotyped behavior. And because this industry chain exists, businessmen chase profit and catch more marine animals. No trade, no killing. Is this truth hard to understand?"
Ruan Yesheng looked at her then. She heard Xi Mo say so many words to her for once, but they were all like this. Her eyes dimmed for a moment, and she said softly: "...Sorry."
This matter quickly passed. Xi Mo felt regret at that time and thought she spoke too harshly. But the next day when she saw Ruan Yesheng in class, Ruan Yesheng still smiled at her brightly as if she had already forgotten this matter.
"Sorry, I spoke too harshly back then." Xi Mo recalled those years and felt even more regret.
"I didn't think you remembered it so clearly." Ruan Yesheng leaned on the table to rest and instead felt very happy. "No need to be sorry. What you said was very right. I have always thought the same as you."
Xi Mo was a little stunned and looked at her. "Always?"
She faintly felt that she had wrongly blamed Ruan Yesheng back then.
Yes, at that time Ruan Yesheng only mentioned going to the aquarium. She did not say anything about animal shows. Instead, Xi Mo assumed it herself and misunderstood.
After many years, Ruan Yesheng slowly explained, "I like dolphins, so since I was little I hated watching animal shows. In college, the aquarium I wanted to invite you to was not the kind with animal shows. It was a public welfare one. Because many aquariums do animal shows, many dolphins are caught. The businessmen pick dolphins that look good and are healthy for shows. What about the rest? The catchers do not place them well, and in the end they can only face death."
Xi Mo understood and felt even more regret.
She had indeed misunderstood Ruan Yesheng.
Ruan Yesheng's voice was full of pity and soft as she continued, "So in this case, volunteers would go to contact them and spend money to buy those weak dolphins. When the catchers see they can get money, they will not kill the rest. Volunteers bring them back, take them to the aquarium, and care for them. Because they are all injured, it is hard for them to return to the ocean. They can only stay in that aquarium. That aquarium has no animal shows. The dolphins live in a huge tank that simulates the ocean. Even though in terms of freedom it is not as good as the real ocean, at least they can live safely and will not die in the catchers' hands anymore."
Xi Mo looked at her, her eyes complicated.
"To keep such an aquarium needs a lot of money. The ticket fee is part of the income, and another part can only rely on people's donations." Ruan Yesheng smiled and said, "Luckily the people who go there really love marine animals. They will donate more or less. The director is also very nice. Every time they make a detailed list showing how the donations are used. It lets people know where their money went. For big donations, the director even asks for an email address and will send a detailed report to the private email every half a year, never stopping."
"Why didn't you explain to me back then?" Xi Mo's voice softened a lot as she asked her gently.
Ruan Yesheng left the table, walked to the fridge, looked back at her, and said with a smile, "You were already angry then. I was scared, so scared that I didn’t dare to speak."
Xi Mo: "…"
Ruan Yesheng opened the fridge door. Auntie Lan had left many dumplings she made inside. Ruan Yesheng asked, "How many dumplings do you want to eat?"
"What about you?" Xi Mo asked back.
Ruan Yesheng wasn’t very hungry. She said, "I'll eat four."
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Then I'll be the same as you," Xi Mo said.
"Wait, I'll eat three." Ruan Yesheng started to count seriously. "I have to keep in shape. Eating at night is not proper."
"I'll eat three too," Xi Mo changed her words. "I also need to control my diet."
"What, are you afraid my figure will be better than yours?" Ruan Yesheng carried a plate, took dumplings from the fridge, and said with a laugh, "Then I'll eat two."
"I'll eat two too." Xi Mo refused to lose.
Between actresses, it was about who ate less.
Ruan Yesheng almost laughed to death. She took four dumplings out of the fridge, and the number looked pitiful. "Will you cook or should I?"
"I will." Xi Mo put the plate on the counter, filled a pot with water, turned on the fire, and waited for the water to heat.
Ruan Yesheng stood by her with great interest, her eyes full of expectation, and said, "You said you can cook dumplings. Let me see how good you are."
"Just so-so," Xi Mo said lightly. "It's edible."
"Just cooking four dumplings, don’t you think it’s troublesome?" Ruan Yesheng had nothing to do and kept chatting with Xi Mo.
Anyway, she wasn’t there for the dumplings. She just wanted to stay with Xi Mo. With this kind of atmosphere now, she felt it was enough.
"It's not troublesome," Xi Mo said. "When I used to cook dumplings alone, I also cooked only a small amount."
"I’ll tell you some gossip about eating dumplings." Ruan Yesheng pressed her lips and held back a laugh.
The water boiled. Xi Mo picked up the dumplings and gently put them into the water one by one. "What gossip?"
Ruan Yesheng didn’t say clearly who it was. She only said, "It was when I attended an event with a few actresses. We were busy for a long time. When we were resting, an actress’ manager was afraid we’d be hungry, so they brought us a plate of steaming dumplings."
The white dumplings rolled in the hot water. Xi Mo glanced at them. "And then?"
"Then everyone said, ‘You eat, you eat, don’t be shy,’ but in fact, when they ate, they were more polite than anyone."
"Were you polite?" Xi Mo noticed that when Ruan Yesheng said this, her eyes were full of lively light. She knew this wasn’t really gossip but rather a funny story Ruan Yesheng experienced. She just wanted to tell it to her.
"I was the most polite." Ruan Yesheng didn’t hide it. "I only ate two. And I was afraid they’d rush me, so I ate very slowly on purpose. I made it look like I had been eating for a long time and had eaten a lot."
"Sly," Xi Mo said softly.
But that "sly" clearly sounded almost like saying "cute."
"Can’t help it." Ruan Yesheng spread her hands. "I still had to dance. How could I dare eat a lot? But there was one person who was really honest. Others told her not to be shy, and she really wasn’t. She ate thirteen in one go."
Xi Mo: "…"
For female celebrities who cared about their figure, eating thirteen dumplings was like a huge number, as if it had flown out of the solar system and circled around the Milky Way.
Ruan Yesheng didn’t tell Xi Mo that this person was actually Shen Qingbie.
At that time, Yu An was busy and wasn’t by Shen Qingbie’s side. Shen Qingbie was like a wild horse with its reins cut off. A dumpling came, and she ate one. There was no way around it. Yu An always watched her closely—this she couldn’t eat, that she couldn’t bite. Finally, she could eat dumplings without worry. Shen Qingbie felt a mix of bitterness and joy, like getting fresh air after leaving prison. Thirteen dumplings were still too few.
Back then, Shen Qingbie and Ruan Yesheng weren’t as close as they were now. Others didn’t dare eat more, but Shen Qingbie’s worry was that if others ate the dumplings, she would go hungry.
Ruan Yesheng noticed Shen Qingbie was anxious, afraid she wouldn’t get enough. Her eyes were locked on the dumpling plate, and her mouth chewed quickly. So Ruan Yesheng quietly gave her own dumplings to Shen Qingbie without saying a word.
Shen Qingbie was very touched. Her look at Ruan Yesheng changed right away. In that moment, she felt that Ruan Yesheng was like a god who came down to save her. From then on, their friendship reached another level.
While cooking the dumplings, Xi Mo also knew to add cold water several times. Seeing her so skilled, Ruan Yesheng laughed even more happily.
When the dumplings were done, Xi Mo took out four, put them on a white porcelain plate, washed two small bowls, and prepared two small dishes of vinegar. She set them on the table.
Ruan Yesheng stared at the two identical bowls, her brows lifting with joy. "Aren’t these the bowls you won in the supermarket lottery? You used them so soon?"
"Just testing if the quality is okay." Xi Mo spoke casually. "Come eat while they’re hot."
Ruan Yesheng picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and took a small bite.
If dumplings weren’t cooked long enough, they would be raw and the skin would be hard. If they were overcooked, the skin would break easily and become too soft. Xi Mo’s control over the heat was very good. The skin was thin, the meat was fragrant, and it wasn’t greasy at all.
"It's delicious," Ruan Yesheng praised her.
Xi Mo lowered her head when praised, tasted a dumpling, and said calmly, "Auntie Lan taught me."
Each had only two dumplings, and they finished them quickly. Ruan Yesheng tasted Xi Mo’s cooking, felt satisfied, and had no burden of overeating. For her, this was truly a wonderful night.
Ruan Yesheng stood up, tidied the table, and washed the bowls. The two of them chatted for a while, using the time to digest. After that, they went upstairs.
"Are you still hungry?" Xi Mo asked at the door as Ruan Yesheng was going back to her room.
The hallway light fell into Ruan Yesheng’s eyes. She looked at Xi Mo, with a hidden, hard-to-see longing in her gaze, and said with a bright smile, "Not hungry anymore. Thank you for the dumplings."
Her stomach wasn’t hungry.
It was her heart that was hungry.
Only when her heart was full would she truly not feel hungry.
They separated at the door. Ruan Yesheng went back to bed to continue sleeping. Maybe because she was happy, she didn’t toss and turn this time and slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, cold wind blew outside, and freezing rain fell. But in Xi Mo’s home, the temperature was as pleasant as spring. Ruan Yesheng had a good sleep. She felt weak all over, rubbed against the blanket for a while, and only came out at eight o’clock.
After washing up and getting ready, she felt much more awake.
Ruan Yesheng walked out and saw Xi Mo’s door open. Xi Mo was already up. She went downstairs, looked around, but didn’t see Xi Mo anywhere.
Author's Note:
Anyway, you two don’t really want to eat dumplings, so eating two just for show is enough.
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