CoP CH9

Ji Ling had truly planned to go for a hotpot alone. 

Just before work was about to end, Louis and Lin came by. They tried inviting Ji Ling along with them for dinner. Ji Ling declined after some consideration. Reason being Ji Ling was under the impression that Louis was romantically interested in Lin. Although Lin showed no signs of reciprocation; Ji Ling had still thought it best to avoid inserting himself between them. Delicate social situations such as these troubled him. 

Another reason was that Ji Ling wanted to eat hotpot. If he were to go with Lin and Louis, then they would likely be ordering barbecue. It was what he overheard Lin saying earlier in the day.

It was the scent of the boiled cabbage in the lab which enticed Ji Ling like so. He craved hotpot and carried within a healthy sense of self respect as in not to allow his preferences be compromised in face of others.

So he decided to treat himself to a hot pot dinner as a reward for the day.

Before Sui Canong arrived at his classroom, Ji Ling had already thought about what he wanted to eat tonight. Ji Ling loved mushrooms, so he wanted to order sauteed mushrooms. Along with it he wanted to order some pulled noodles. It was so that he could witness the chefs make it in front of him which was an experience he had wanted since long ago. And then he would buy two other dishes, one with meat and the other vegetarian. Lastly, if he had any appetite left, then he thought to enjoy a few pieces of ice skin mochi. 

Each pack of mochi contained four in a cluster. He would eat two right after purchase then save the other two as a midnight snack. This was what he had devised at the time. 

Now, circumstances have shifted. Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong who was sitting opposite him– 

Better take a rain check on that pulled noodles today, and instead of a full portion he’d order half a portion instead. Thinking about this carefully Ji Ling had come to the conclusion that he needed to avoid giving Sui Cannong the impression that he was some wasteful glutton. 

Ji Ling handed the ordering tablet in his hand to Sui Cannong.

“You choose, Mr. Sui.” Ji Ling chose to play it safe. He said, “I’m not so good at ordering.”

Sui Cannong, who had been munching away at a slice of watermelon, nodded after an initial moment of surprise. Sui Cannong was a self-proclaimed hot pot pro. He flipped through the menu first noticing what Ji Ling had selected. 

½ portion saute mushrooms

1 vegetable medley 

1 ice skin mochi set

Sui Cannong was suddenly at a loss. Somehow, even the vegetarian meals made modestly in the temples paled in contest of simplicity to this dish. Dining alone was not out of the ordinary, and yet when he stood under the doorframe of Ji Ling’s classroom, a nagging memory reminded Sui Cannong of one instance in which Ji Ling had eaten lunch alone in the cafeteria. 

Although it was well explained to him by Shirley and Cindy that at the time that their class with Ji Ling had been delayed due to the scientific conference held that day; Ji Ling’s every action now still had Sui Cannong on high alert. Unease diffused throughout his soul and he felt helpless not knowing the full truth about what Ji Ling had in mind. When their eyes met, his intuition told him that he absolutely must eat hot pot with Ji Ling. 

Furthermore it was adding on what had occurred today. Not only was it normal for colleagues to eat with each other, it was especially necessary when Ji Ling injured himself while helping him supervise the lab. Sui Cannong figured he must treat him to a meal. 

Thus, Sui Cannong ordered all the restaurant’s must-try delicacies along with a few new additions. He felt it within his own conscience that he must show Ji Ling the beauty of life.

“Have a look, what do you think of the ones I’ve ordered?” Sui Cannong double checked before handing off the tablet once more insisting, “If you want anything else, add it, and do feel free to delete the ones you dislike.”

Ji Ling took the tablet glancing at it, and said there was no problem. Sui Cannong swiftly placed their order. The service at River Bottom Scoop(Hedilao*) was first-rate. Every time Sui Cannong came to eat here, he felt that even his dear old mama could not hold a candle to their kindness. After placing the order, the waiter immediately brought a plate of sliced ​​watermelon. They each took a piece.

Sui Cannong had the tendency to inhale his food like a hippopotamus. One at a time, the watermelon on the plate was slowly devoured by him. When he looked back up at Ji Ling he found that he was chewing slowly, his head lowered, and the piece of watermelon in his hand only had its tip consumed. 

Sui Cannong retracted the sinful hand he was about to use to grab a third piece. 

“I’ll get some sauces for us.” Sui Cannong said following a moment’s hesitation. Standing up he continued, “tell me which ones you like. I’m taking some for you as well.” 

Ji Ling tilted his head up. He munched on his watermelon with a blank look in his eyes. Still halfway through a mouthful of food, he mumbled in a hurry to answer Sui Cannong. 

“Anyfiwing is fwine. I’d like somefiwing anyfiwing you……” 

Sui Cannong was about to burst out laughing. 

“I didn’t mean to rush you. Take your time.”

Ji Ling swallowed the watermelon strenuously and said, 

“… I’d like the same as what you choose.”

When Sui Cannong walked back with the sauces, he saw that Ji Ling had finally finished the small piece of watermelon in his hand. His head was inclined. His attention was directed toward the pulled noodles performance at the neighbouring table. The pulled noodles demo could be considered to be the most attractive performance of the entire hot pot restaurant. It was obvious to Sui Cannong how Ji Ling’s gaze followed in sync with the noodles being manipulated by the chef’s clever hands. He watched longingly with intent. 

After a while, he blinked and looked back at Sui Cannong. Sui Cannong also sat back in his seat. Putting the sauces on the table, he inquired: “Are you interested in the Lamian?”

“I’ve already ordered a lot,” Ji Ling shook his head.  

Sui Cannong affirmed with a simple ‘mn’ and thought nothing of it anymore. River Bottom Scoop had the true godly efficiency when it came time to serve dishes. It was astonishing.  The hot pot broth and dishes were delivered just as the two were still mixing the sauces with their chopsticks.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll get it boiling for you.” Sui Cannong picked up the serving chopsticks advising, “you’d better avoid contaminating the wound on your hand.” He watched Ji Ling’s eyes sweep over the dishes on the table, hesitated for a long time, and finally raised his eyes and said, “Mushrooms.”

Sui Cannong paused for a moment, confirmed, and plopped a few mushrooms in the hot pot. 

The round and plump mushrooms tumbed and bumbled around in the roiling water. Sui Cannong added some meat and shrimp paste. When he felt the time was about right; he scooped up a mushroom and placed it on Ji Ling’s plate.

“Thank you,” said Ji Ling.

Each mushroom Sui Cannong scooped up and gave him, Ji Ling would follow by eating that which he had given him. His dining habits appeared to him as ardent and polite despite how his cheeks would puff up when he ate. In the end, Sui Cannong had to take a large spoon and directly scoop a big spoonful of mushrooms into his bowl, unable to help but laugh and ask, 

“You really like mushrooms?”

Ji Ling paused for a moment and put down his chopsticks.

“It’s that mushrooms look adorable.” He thought for a while and slowly said to Sui Cannong, “They are round like umbrellas, and eating them can help prevent cancer.” Sui Cannong noticed that even for a small and casual question, Ji Ling would think seriously and then give a very detailed answer.

Perhaps to others, such answers might seem a bit strange, or they might feel this person lacked social awareness, but Sui Cannong found this personality quite rare.

“Right,” and Sui Cannong immediately nodded, “Mushrooms contain polysaccharides, which can indeed help resist viruses and tumours. There certainly is no harm to eating more.”

Ji Ling responded with an, “nm.”

They quickly finished the plate of mushrooms, but when it came to adding beef, Sui Cannong noticed a small detail. Whenever there was a pulled noodle making performance at a nearby table, Ji Ling’s hand holding the chopsticks would pause for a moment. Then, he would feign nonchalance, and turn his head discreetly in its direction. He would glance at them quickly.

Then he would immediately look away, lowering his eyes and slowly eating what was on his plate.

Sui Cannong was beginning to suspect. 

But this time he chose not to ask directly; instead, he held the sauce bowl and stood up, saying, “I’ll go get some more sauce, do you want any?” Ji Ling looked at him and shook his head. Sui Cannong walked towards the sauce station, but instead of ladling any more sauce, he turned around and looked at the table where they had just sat.

Sure enough, from a few seats away, he saw Ji Ling no longer hiding and directly putting down his chopsticks, his eyes intently watching the distant noodle-pulling performance.

Now, he really had a feeling of something being amiss. After returning to the table, Sui Cannong picked up the tablet and said he wasn’t full and wanted to order a few more dishes. Five minutes later, the cheerful pulled noodles chef stood in front of the two with the dough, and Ji Ling finally reacted, looking at Sui Cannong.

“I feel like something’s missing without their most notable dish,” Sui Cannong said nonchalantly, “so I ordered some noodles. Don’t mind me; I’m a serious foodie.”

Ji Ling paused and said, “No worries.”

The noodle-puller’s technique was very skilled, the soft noodles danced in the air like ribbons, and Ji Ling watched with great focus. Until the noodles were boiled, Ji Ling seemed to still be a bit dazed. Sui Cannong smiled and asked him, 

“What’s wrong? Do you want to learn how to do it too?”

Ji Ling shook his head and said, “I’m thinking about the forces acting on the noodles.”

Sui Cannong almost couldn’t hold back his laughter: “… So what have you figured out?”

“I can say that it is a profoundly complex art due to the shape of the noodles which change during the processes of pulling. Therefore mastering control over the forces of noodles must be difficult.” Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong and said, “Being able to make the noodles fly instead of dropping them on the ground, I think that the noodle master just now was really impressive; he must have practised many times.” Ji Ling spoke a lot in one breath, his eyes shone bright. The taste of the noodles was actually quite ordinary; whatever flavour the sauce was, that was the flavour of the noodles. But Sui Cannong knew that his order was definitely spot on.

Sui Cannong picked up the serving chopsticks, preparing to add the last round of dishes, when he saw Ji Ling lifting his phone, taking a photo of the bottom of the pot.

Sui Cannong was momentarily stunned; just as he was about to retract his hand to make it easier for him to take the photo, he heard Ji Ling say, “It’s okay, Mr. Sui, you can continue serving the dishes.”

“There’s not much left in this pot.” So Sui Cannong continued to add dishes while saying, “You should have taken the photo earlier.”

Ji Ling raised his eyes, and Sui Cannong noticed that his cheeks seemed a bit flushed from the steam.

“It’s fine,” he said, “I just wanted to keep a memento.”

The noise in the hot pot restaurant was loud, and Ji Ling’s voice was soft, almost making Sui Cannong unable to hear clearly.

Sui Cannong didn’t catch on: “Memento of what?”

Ji Ling seemed surprised that Sui Cannong would pursue the question so persistently; he was clearly taken aback for a moment.

“I just wanted to commemorate this hot pot meal,” Ji Ling averted his gaze and said somewhat vaguely, “because in the future… there may not be such opportunities again.”

Sui Cannong almost dropped the dishes he was holding into the pot.

“How could that be?” Sui Cannong became incoherent, “I mean, the school isn’t far from here, and this place just opened not long ago. How could there be no opportunities in the future…”

However, Ji Ling did not respond further; he remained silent for a long time, eventually just giving a soft “mm.”

Ji Ling couldn’t explain to Sui Cannong that “such opportunities” actually referred to the chance to eat hot pot together and watch the noodle-pulling performance with him.

Ji Ling knew that if his hand hadn’t been injured, although he could still enjoy the mushrooms and noodles he wanted, that night would have been a completely different story.

He lowered his head and looked at the photo he had just taken in his phone’s album.

— The steaming tomato broth, two bowls of sesame sauce mixed with chilli oil and crushed peanuts, and Sui Cannong’s right hand that happened to be in the frame while serving dishes.

Ji Ling carefully saved the photo first, then moved his finger to the bottom of the screen and lightly tapped the heart-shaped “favourite” button.

“Although there are a few more people in line,” Sui Cannong was still saying, “but new places are always like this. If you want to eat, just find a time on a weekday to come early and line up; you can come every day…”

Ji Ling put down his phone and raised his head.

He felt a warmth in his chest, probably because he had just eaten a lot of noodles.

“I know, Mr. Sui,” he said to Sui Cannong, “but for me, just eating here just this once is already enough.”

Note: 

Hedilao = 河底捞 ← this is a copyright free version on the following:

海底捞 = Haidilao, which is a real restaurant chain.