nyslfriends Chapter 70 Chen Duo: Lao Liao, I want to eat fish.
Chapter 70 Chen Duo: Lao Liao, I want to eat fish.
Biyou City, backyard of an auto repair shop in the old town.
The dim light bulb hissed, and the narrow living room was filled with a strong smell of cooking oil.
A folding table with a missing corner, and two plastic stools.
Simple furniture, simple layout.
"Cough cough! Damn it, I bought the wrong chili peppers, why are they so pungent!"
Liao Zhong's rough cursing came from the kitchen, accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of a spatula scraping the bottom of a pot.
"Duo'er, wait a minute, the range hood isn't working well, I'll open the balcony window!"
A moment later, Liao Zhong came out carrying a large plate.
The plate contained a braised carp, but too much soy sauce had been added, making it dark in color, and a piece of the tail was burnt.
"eat!"
Liao Zhong slammed the plate on the table, grabbed his apron, and wiped the oil off his hands.
"Stop eating junk food outside! Just tell me what you want to eat! I was a top-notch cook back in the day!"
Chen Duo looked at the fish, which looked rather pathetic, but picked up her chopsticks and gently took a piece of the tenderest fish belly meat.
Put it in your mouth.
It's too salty, and a little bitter too.
"Is it good?" Liao Zhong lit a cigarette and asked casually, but his eyes kept glancing at Chen Duo's face.
"Um."
Chen Duo nodded and shoveled large mouthfuls of white rice into her mouth:
"It's delicious. Everything Dad makes is delicious."
Liao Zhong grinned, his chubby face contorting into a smile.
He picked up the fish head, sucked on it, and mumbled indistinctly:
"Eat more if you like it. Look how skinny you are, you look like a refugee."
"If others see this, they'll say your family is abusing you."
"Also, if anyone bullies you at school, don't hold it in. Whether it's a teacher or the principal, if they dare touch my daughter, I'll grab a wrench and smash their doors!"
"Did you hear me!"
Chen Duo ate with her head down, large tears falling into her bowl.
She didn't dare to look up.
She was afraid that if she looked up, this rough yet gentle man in front of her would disappear.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Liao Zhong panicked, not even caring that the cigarette ash in his hand had fallen onto his pants, and hurriedly grabbed a few rough tissues and handed them over:
"Is it too awful?"
"Is it a fishbone stuck in your throat? Quick! Open your mouth so I can see!"
Liao Zhong quickly pried open Chen Duo's mouth, looking her up and down...
"without......"
Chen Duo broke free from Liao Zhong's large hand, shook her head, forcefully wiped away her tears, and forced a smile:
"It's just...too hot."
"It's hot, eat slowly! Nobody's going to take it from you!"
Liao Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, sat down again, and his eyes became somewhat wistful:
"Duo'er, study hard."
"Go to university, find an office job, and enjoy air conditioning. Don't end up like your dad, fixing cars his whole life and smelling of engine oil."
"When you get married, Dad will save up a large dowry for you, so you can have a grand wedding..."
Chen Duo stopped using her chopsticks.
the University.
jobs.
marry.
These words, spoken by Liao Zhong, sounded so natural, yet so unattainable.
In reality, Liao Zhong died.
In reality, she has no future, only destruction or death as a "Gu-body Holy Child".
"dad."
Chen Duo suddenly spoke up, interrupting Liao Zhong's rambling.
"What's wrong?" Liao Zhongzheng asked, picking at the fish bones.
"if......"
Chen Duo looked at the gray hair at Liao Zhong's temples and said softly:
"If one day I'm gone, will you miss me?"
"Go? Where to?"
Liao Zhong glared with his bull-like eyes:
"Going to university is all local! Where do you want to go? Abroad? No way! Too far, I can't reach it!"
"I mean..."
Chen Duo put down her chopsticks and placed her hands on her knees, like a child who had done something wrong:
"If I misbehave and become a bad child, will you still... cook fish for me?"
Liao Zhong was stunned.
He looked into Chen Duo's dark green eyes and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.
He was silent for a moment, then reached out his large, calloused, and greasy hand and roughly ruffled Chen Duo's hair:
"Silly girl."
"No matter what you become, whether you kill and set fires or become a monster."
"You are all my daughters."
"If you want to eat fish, come back anytime. Dad will make it for you."
Chen Duo closed her eyes, letting the rough hand stroke her head.
enough.
Even if it's fake.
That sentence was enough to sustain her through the rest of her journey.
......
Outside the window, in the shadows of the corner.
"Waaaaah..."
Old Meng squatted on the ground, covering his mouth until it bled to stop himself from crying out.
Zhang Chulan leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky, trying not to let the tears in his eyes fall.
This damned familial treachery is even more ruthless than his grandfather's twice-cooked pork.
This is hardly a perfect dream.
This is what Chen Duo longs for most.
Even the carefree Feng Baobao stopped digging around and stared blankly at the light coming from the window:
"That fish... looks delicious."
Su Wuxian leaned against a telephone pole, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
He looked at the "father and daughter" inside the room with a deep gaze.
"Master..."
Zhang Chulan's voice was hoarse:
"Should we do it? The dream is starting to become unstable. If we don't wake her up soon, I'm afraid..."
As others awaken, cracks begin to appear on the edges of this "perfect world".
If the impasse is not resolved in time, Chen Duo's consciousness may be damaged as the world collapses.
Su Wuxian glanced inside the room.
Chen Duo picked up her chopsticks again and was shoveling the last mouthful of rice into her mouth.
That is a deep attachment to this "home".
"Wait a little longer."
Su Wuxian said softly:
"Wait until she finishes her meal."
"This is what Liao Zhong owes her, and what the world... owes her."
inside the house.
Chen Duo finished the last bite of her rice, even mixing the fish soup from her plate into it.
It was spotless, not a single grain of rice was left.
She put down her bowl, stood up, and bowed deeply to Liao Zhong:
"Dad, I'm full."
"Go home and do your homework after you've eaten!"
Liao Zhong was clearing away the dishes without turning around.
"Don't even think about slacking off! If you fail the test tomorrow, I'll beat you up!"
"Um."
Chen Duo responded.
She turned and walked towards the door.
With each step, cracks begin to appear in the surrounding scenery.
The calendar on the wall, the picture frames on the table, and even the smell of cooking oil in the air are slowly becoming transparent.
She walked to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob.
One last look back.
The figure washing dishes in the kitchen has become blurred.
Goodbye, Uncle Liao.
Chen Duo murmured softly.
Click.
The door opened.
Outside the door, Su Wuxian stood there, extending his hand to her:
"Girl, it's time to go home."
Chen Duo wiped away her tears and placed her hand in Su Wuxian's palm.
Warm, powerful.
"Yes, let's go home."