Part 2
Yu Li felt a little melancholy.
He walked out of the community and got into Yan Shiting's car, remaining silent all the way to the hotel.
After getting off the car, Yan Shiting took him to a small private room in the hotel restaurant.
Yu Li came back to his senses.
He frowned and said, "Older Brother Yan, I can't eat anything right now."
Yan Shiting looked at him coolly and said, "Sit down."
Yu Li bit his lip, not daring to refuse again, and sat down as he was told.
Soon, a waitress came in carrying two bowls of porridge and some side dishes.
The waitress smiled and said, "Sir, the porridge you cooked is ready. These are the small dishes our chef sent over. Please enjoy."
As she spoke, Yan Shiting involuntarily furrowed his brows.
He hadn't expected the waitress to casually mention that the porridge was cooked by him.
Yu Li was startled, looking at the minced meat porridge in front of him, then looking up at Yan Shiting, their gazes meeting.
The waitress put down the porridge and side dishes and left. The private room was silent.
Yu Li lowered his head and looked at the porridge again, murmuring, "This is... you made it?"
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you borrow their kitchen?"
Yan Shiting didn't answer, just said, "Eat."
Yu Li felt his hands trembling a bit.
He picked up the spoon and took a sip. Immediately, he was stunned.
The taste of this minced meat porridge... is very similar to the one made by the private chef in Y City.
Most chefs' minced meat porridge will highlight the flavor of the minced meat, seasoned with a bit of salt, producing a thick and creamy porridge.
But the one made by the private chef in Y City, the taste of the minced meat was very light, with little salt, and a small amount of ginger added, making the texture light and delicate, very suitable for Yu Li's current appetite.
Yu Li took another sip of the porridge, discreetly glancing up at Yan Shiting.
He couldn't help but feel that something was starting to sprout in his heart.
Yu Li lowered his gaze and gently bit on the porcelain spoon.
-
After breakfast and resting for a while, Yu Li went online to look up the tourist attraction that had caught fire in the county.
It was a maple forest on the east mountain in the county. The fiery red maple leaves, combined with the nearby temple, created a very poetic atmosphere.
After being discovered by a travel blogger during the National Day holiday, it had become a hotspot.
Yu Li and Yan Shiting went to the East Mountain.
Today was the weekend, and several tour groups had come from out of town, so the East Mountain was very crowded, and there were no more parking spots at the foot of the mountain.
Yu Li and Yan Shiting got out of the car and climbed up to the temple.
Standing at the main gate of the temple, Yu Li was a little lost in thought.
He recalled that when he was little, every year on the 19th of the 6th lunar month - supposedly Guanyin's birthday, his parents would take him and his sister to this temple to burn incense.
At that time, the temple was not very crowded, and there were not even any formal monks or nuns, just a few old people who believed in Buddhism and took care of the temple.
When leaving the temple, he and his sister would each be given a red cloth strap, which the elders said could bring good luck and safety.
Now, the temple that Yu Li remembered as being cold and empty was different. The temple was bustling with worshippers, there were formal monks, and several large incense burners were shrouded in swirling smoke.
Yu Li felt somewhat nostalgic.
The smell in the temple was a bit pungent, and Yu Li couldn't help but sneeze.
Yan Shiting glanced at him sideways, leading the way towards the maple forest.
After a few steps, Yu Li's peripheral vision caught sight of three familiar people.
It was his mother, sister, and Wang Jianfeng.
He paused in his steps, instinctively pulling Yan Shiting into a nearby shop selling incense and candles, watching the three of them.
His mother and sister were walking in front, and Wang Jianfeng was silently following a few steps behind.
Yu Li carefully observed his sister's expression, and found that she only seemed a bit uncomfortable, not as rejecting as she was during the National Day holiday.
He didn't know what had happened at home after he left.
But from the looks of it, it seems they were heading in a new direction.
Yu Li silently withdrew his gaze.
He turned to look at Yan Shiting and softly said, "Let's go."
Yan Shiting looked deeply at Yu Li.
But he didn't say anything, just reaching out and taking Yu Li's hand, leading him out of the incense shop.
The maple forest was vast, and there was a small stream not far away.
Apart from that, there wasn't much else to see.
Yu Li was very careful, not wanting his mother and sister to discover him, so he didn't even notice that he and Yan Shiting were holding hands.
They walked from the maple forest to the stream pavilion.
Suddenly, it started raining. Yan Shiting frowned at the sky and said, "I'll go to the convenience store over there to buy an umbrella, wait for me here."
Before Yu Li could react, Yan Shiting released his hand and ran towards the convenience store.
Yu Li stared dumbly at his retreating back, then lowered his eyelashes and looked at his own hand.
That's when he realized that just now, he and Yan Shiting had held hands and walked a long distance together.
Yu Li looked at his palm, his gaze blank, his thoughts in turmoil.
After a while, he saw Yan Shiting striding back towards the pavilion with an umbrella.
Yu Li took a few steps towards him, but as it was raining, the tourists were all crowding into the pavilion.
The ground was slippery, and Yu Li was gradually pushed into the corner by the crowd.
He backed up a little, but accidentally stepped on the edge of the pavilion.
About three meters away, Yan Shiting frowned and tried to make his way through the crowd towards Yu Li.
However, as soon as he entered the pavilion, he suddenly heard a familiar short cry:
"Ah—"
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