Weekend Gathering (Part 2)

The eight of them gathered in the small courtyard. They had pooled their money to buy it. Though it was not large, it was cozy and bright, with several clumps of green bamboo planted in the corners, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. The courtyard was already bustling. Tang Wulin and Le Zhengyu carried out the heavy round table, each lifting one side and setting it steadily in the middle of the yard. Tang Wulin fished a wet rag out of a bucket, wrung it out, and bent down to wipe the tabletop. Le Zhengyu grabbed a cloth as well and joined in. The wooden surface still bore grease stains and dust from their last gathering, and the wet rags left streaks of water behind.

"Look, all the liquor I bought is top-shelf stuff," Le Zhengyu said as he wiped the table, lifting his chin at the people entering through the gate. "There's also low-alcohol wine, perfect for Xu Xiaoyan and the others." There was a hint of smug pride in his voice, as if he had accomplished something tremendous. Xie Xie was carrying two huge bags in from outside. Hearing that, he immediately protested, "I bought meat too! The freshest kind. That's way more practical than your liquor." Le Zhengyu laughed and shook his head without responding, though his hands never stopped wiping the table.

Xu Lizhi, Yuanen, and Xu Xiaoyan carried several large bags of ingredients side by side and headed straight for the kitchen on one side. It was a semi-open kitchen with a large window facing the courtyard. The sound of running water and rustling activity already came from within. Ye Xinglan had tied on an apron and was standing at the sink preparing seafood. A basin of scallops sat before her, with several fresh shrimp beside it. Her movements were swift and efficient as she scrubbed mud and grit from the shells with a brush. Without looking up, she called out, "Hey, someone come help! What are you all standing around for?"

"Coming!" Tang Wulin answered. He tossed the rag onto the table, crossed to the kitchen window in a few strides, and took several scallops from Ye Xinglan's outstretched hand. "How do I do this? Just pry them open?" he asked. Ye Xinglan nodded. "Right. Take out the meat, but make sure you don't leave the sand sacs." Tang Wulin picked up a small knife and began imitating her with convincing seriousness.

After finishing the table and washing his hands, Le Zhengyu also drifted into the kitchen. He took out a salmon from one of the bags, laid it on the cutting board, found a sharp knife, and began slicing it. His knife skills were surprisingly practiced. The blade cut diagonally into the fish, producing even slices of orange-red salmon that he arranged neatly on a white porcelain plate. Xie Xie and Gu Yue were still standing in the courtyard, apparently unable to find anything to do. Xie Xie nudged Gu Yue with his elbow. "Hey, Gu Yue, what should we do? We can't just wait around to eat."

Gu Yue folded her arms and gave him a bland glance. "What else would we do?"

Xie Xie's eyes widened. "Gu Yue, you're seriously planning to just wait for the food?"

"Xie Xie, Gu Yue," Tang Wulin called, poking his head out through the kitchen window. "Go set out the tableware. It's on the second shelf of the cabinet." Xie Xie and Gu Yue exchanged a look, but neither objected before turning and heading inside. The tableware was a matching set of white porcelain they had bought together earlier—bowls, plates, chopsticks, and spoons, all complete. They counted out portions for eight and carried each item into the courtyard, arranging them around the round table. Xie Xie set his down rather casually, while Gu Yue methodically aligned every bowl with the edge of the table and placed the chopsticks neatly together.

The kitchen gradually filled with lively sounds. Xu Lizhi took charge of the wok. As soon as the ingredients hit the hot pan, a rich fragrance burst forth and drifted through the window to fill the entire courtyard. As Le Zhengyu sliced fish, he turned and grinned. "Lizhi, you're pretty good at this. You should just become a chef someday." Xu Lizhi smiled sheepishly, never stopping his stir-frying. A fine sheen of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

After finishing with the scallops, Ye Xinglan started washing the shrimp. Seeing that Le Zhengyu had already sliced more than half a plate of salmon, she called out, "Le Zhengyu, are you done with the salmon? Bring it over when you are. I'll make a dipping sauce."

"Coming, coming. It's all cut." Le Zhengyu arranged the last few slices, picked up the plate, and walked over to Ye Xinglan's side.

In the courtyard, Xie Xie and Gu Yue had finished laying out the tableware. Eight sets of bowls and chopsticks, eight cups, all neatly arranged around the round table. Xie Xie pulled out a chair and sat down, letting out a long breath. "At least I finally finished something." Gu Yue remained standing, her gaze settling on everyone busy in the kitchen. There seemed to be the faintest smile at the corner of her lips.

The sky gradually darkened toward evening, and the lingering rays of the setting sun coated the green bamboo in the courtyard with a warm golden hue. Waves of fragrance continued to waft from the kitchen window. Xu Lizhi was stir-frying the last vegetable dish, while Ye Xinglan carried out several small dishes of salmon dipping sauce. Le Zhengyu washed his hands and helped set several cold dishes on the table first. Tang Wulin handed the prepared scallop meat to Ye Xinglan, then went to help carry out the soup pot. Xie Xie got up and went into the kitchen, returning shortly afterward with a huge rice cooker full of rice. Gu Yue quietly set out the drinks and alcohol by the table: low-alcohol fruit wine, beer, and the few fancy liquor bottles Le Zhengyu proudly displayed.

By the time the last dish reached the table, all eight chairs around the round table were occupied. Xu Lizhi untied his apron, wiped his hands, and took the seat left for him. Le Zhengyu poured drinks or alcohol into everyone's cups. Tang Wulin raised his glass with a smile. "Come on, let's celebrate the whole group having dinner together this weekend."

Amid everyone's chatter and teasing, the atmosphere at dinner became especially lively. The round table was covered with dishes of every kind, steam and fragrance rising from them. Holding his chopsticks, Tang Wulin's gaze kept drifting involuntarily toward Gu Yue beside him. Seeing her quietly eating the few dishes in front of her without touching the plates farther away, he naturally stretched out his arm and gently transferred some stir-fried vegetables from a distant plate into Gu Yue's bowl.

Gu Yue was lowering her head and taking small bites of rice when a flash of green suddenly appeared in her bowl. She paused slightly, then looked up and met Tang Wulin's gaze before he could pull it back. His expression was perfectly natural, even carrying a hint of matter-of-factness, as though he had done this countless times before. Gu Yue felt the tips of her ears grow warm. Lowering her eyes, she spoke so softly that only the two of them could nearly hear. "Don't keep putting food in my bowl... You should eat too."

"It's fine." Tang Wulin withdrew his hand, his tone casual. "It's not like I can't reach it."

The moment he finished speaking, an exaggerated coughing fit came from across the table. Le Zhengyu grinned, mischief glinting in his eyes as he gestured vaguely toward Tang Wulin with his chopsticks. "Boss, you're pretty considerate! When did you learn that move? Tell your brothers so we can learn a thing or two!"

Xie Xie immediately joined in with a grin. "Exactly! Boss, you're absolutely our resident flower guardian! That awareness, wow."

Tang Wulin had just lifted his cup and taken a sip. Hearing that, he nearly choked. He hastily set down his cup and coughed for a while, his face reddening. "What nonsense are you talking about... I just saw that it was inconvenient for her to reach the food."

Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes curving into crescents. "Oh—is that so? Then why does Gu Yue's face look a little red too?"

Ye Xinglan calmly picked up a bite of food, her tone even but carrying an almost imperceptible amusement. "The evidence is conclusive. Both parties reacted the same way. Any defense is invalid."

Gu Yue's ears had only been warm before, but now even her cheeks were flushed a light red. She did not look up, merely silently putting the food Tang Wulin had served her into her mouth and chewing slowly, as if that could make her ignore the teasing around her. Beneath the table, however, her fingers curled slightly without her noticing.

Xu Lizhi smiled guilelessly, stuffed a meatball into his mouth, and said indistinctly, "Boss has always treated Gu Yue well, hasn't he?"

Yuanen gave everyone a faint glance. Though Yuanen did not join the teasing, there was a barely noticeable curve at the corner of Yuanen's mouth.

"Are you people going to eat or not?" Tang Wulin tried to put on the authority of the boss, but the blush had yet to fully fade from his face, weakening the effect considerably. He reached out to serve Gu Yue something else, but halfway through, he remembered everyone's teasing. His hand stiffened before he changed course, picked up a huge piece of ribs, dropped it into his own bowl, and lowered his head to gnaw on it, looking as if he were saying, I'm concentrating on eating, so don't disturb me.

Le Zhengyu was not about to let him off that easily and continued fanning the flames. "Boss, don't just focus on feeding yourself. That plate of fish is pretty far from Gu Yue too."

Xie Xie chimed in from the side. "Right, right, Boss! Follow through to the end!"

Tang Wulin had no answer for their antics, both annoyed and amused. He took a deep breath, then finally picked up his chopsticks again. With precision, he separated out a tender piece of fish and steadily placed it onto Gu Yue's plate. His face remained stern throughout the entire process as he tried his best to look serious, only making it all the more obvious.

Gu Yue looked at the extra piece of fish on her plate, and this time even her neck turned a faint pink. She whispered an extremely soft "Thank you," her voice nearly drowned out by the clatter of dishes and everyone's quiet laughter.

Ye Xinglan shook her head, her tone still calm but mercilessly accurate. "Hopeless."

The meal continued amid noise, laughter, and the occasional bout of bickering. Everyone competed for their favorite dishes and would casually place a bite into the bowl of someone beside them, but Tang Wulin clearly served Gu Yue food more often than anyone else—and it was always the dishes that required stretching his arm or turning the lazy Susan to reach. Gu Yue went from being shy at first to gradually growing accustomed to it. Every now and then, when no one was paying attention, she would quickly move the stir-fried pork with peppers that Tang Wulin had looked at a few extra times closer to him.

Le Zhengyu and Xie Xie seized every chance to exchange meaningful looks, while Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Lizhi snickered beside them.