Moonlight Left Behind chapter 3
Perhaps because he had returned to a familiar place, that night Lin Qinzhou slept well for the first time in a long while, from eleven at night until the alarm rang at nine-thirty the next morning.
For someone who has had sleep disorders for years, this was truly rare, especially since he hadn’t taken any medication.
Tang Jingyu had gotten downstairs before him. By the time Lin Qinzhou finished washing up and went down, the other was already having breakfast.
“Good morning, Lin Qinzhou! Come over quickly; Xiao Yao’s cooking is amazing! I swear this is the best seafood congee I’ve ever had! Can I have another bowl, Xiao Yao Jie?”
Lin Qinzhou: “……”
When did he even start calling her Jie? Seriously.
Tang Jingyu’s bowl was already empty, and there was a steamer with half-eaten taro buns on the table. As soon as Lin Qinzhou sat down, Xiao Yao brought him a full bowl of seafood congee.
“Good morning, Mr. Lin! Did you sleep well last night?”
She completely ignored the person next to her who was making faces.
“Yeah, I haven’t slept that well in a long time,” Lin Qinzhou replied.
Xiao Yao smiled: “That’s good.”
The seafood congee was rich in ingredients—dried and fresh shrimp, clams, squid, sea cucumbers… and two large abalones. With each bite, it was packed with flavor. The congee was also enhanced with sesame oil and cilantro, fragrant and smooth. No wonder Tang Jingyu couldn’t stop praising it and shamelessly wanted to eat more.
As Lin Qinzhou sipped the congee, he thought back to every morning in Coral Island when he was a child. He would have a bowl of seafood congee or satay noodles and then go play everywhere, up the mountain and down to the sea. It was a happiness he could hardly imagine now.
“Where’s your boss?” Lin Qinzhou had thought he would see him as soon as he went downstairs. He had spent a long time picking out his clothes and had ended up late. After finishing his bowl of congee, he hadn’t seen so much as a shadow of him, making him feel a bit disappointed. He held it in for a while but couldn’t resist asking casually.
Xiao Yao, completely unaware of his complicated thoughts, replied, “Oh, he went out early this morning.”
“Out?”
“Yes, yes, our boss has a habit of going for a walk in the morning. He walks a circle around the island road every day,” Xiao Yao explained.
Tang Jingyu laughed: “Your boss really has good spirits.”
By the time the two were ready to go out, the boss still hadn’t returned, and Lin Qinzhou’s hopes were dashed, leaving him feeling deflated and lacking enthusiasm.
Tang Jingyu noticed and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Are you still not feeling well?”
Lin Qinzhou shook his head: “I’m fine, let’s go.”
For the rest of the day, they wandered around the island visiting attractions. Because it was summer vacation, there were so many tourists, many of whom were students just finishing their college entrance exams, creating a sea of people wherever they went. Lin Qinzhou was bumped into several times, nearly falling over, and his newly bought white sneakers got stepped on multiple times, making it hard to distinguish their original color.
On the way back, the two were exhausted and took a tricycle.
Tang Jingyu couldn’t help but complain: “There are too many people! Why don’t we plan to go to some quieter attractions tomorrow? I can’t handle it like today, and that’s why I don’t like going out.”
“Hmm.” Lin Qinzhou felt sorry for him and didn’t want to tell him that the places they visited that day would have been considered quiet ten years ago.
Coral Island had developed too quickly, and he had been away for too long. Many things he thought he was familiar with had changed without him realizing.
As they stepped into the courtyard, Lin Qinzhou unexpectedly collided with a pair of dark eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and his palms were sweaty, gripping the doorframe a bit too tightly.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you walking?” Tang Jingyu, unaware of his inner turmoil, asked curiously.
Lin Qinzhou casually lied, “Just tripped a bit, I’m fine.”
Once he collected himself, he noticed the person he hadn’t seen all day was sitting under the banyan tree, peeling lotus seeds and eating. When they returned, the other person nodded slightly, appearing somewhat aloof, which counted as a greeting.
Surrounded by the sea, Coral Island surprisingly had fresh lotus pods. Tang Jingyu was curious and walked ahead before Lin Qinzhou could take a step.
“Good evening, Boss Qin! I didn’t expect you could grow lotus flowers here!”
“Hmm, there’s actually a freshwater lake on the island,” Boss Qin replied.
On the rattan small round table lay a square bamboo basket, filled with about five or six lotus pods, some still glistening with water droplets, looking freshly picked.
Boss Qin was also holding one, leisurely peeling it and putting a seed in his mouth, chewing slowly until he swallowed it before peeling another.
This man seemed to carry a calm and composed demeanor no matter what he was doing, whether talking or eating, giving the impression of savoring Michelin-star-level cuisine even when eating lotus seeds.
Lin Qinzhou used to not understand the online food broadcasts, wondering what was so interesting about watching others eat. Now, he got it. Watching Boss Qin eat was just so pleasing; he could keep watching indefinitely.
“Mr. Lin, would you like one?” Boss Qin lifted his eyelids, holding a snow-white, plump lotus seed that had just been peeled, pinching it with his attractive fingers and bringing it to Lin Qinzhou’s face.
“I do.” Lin Qinzhou didn’t use his hands to take it; instead, he bit the lotus seed directly from Boss Qin’s hand, maintaining that position.
His lips brushed lightly against the fingertips, feeling a surprising chill.
Finally, he woke up from that chill, his face turning red as he stepped back. He hastily swallowed the lotus seed.
“Is it good?” Boss Qin asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Lin Qinzhou swallowed hard, feeling sticky and messy, and replied, “It’s good.”
Boss Qin suddenly laughed and waved for the two to sit down, then pushed the bamboo basket forward, saying, “Then eat more. Mr. Tang might as well try it too.”
This was the first time he displayed such obvious emotions, a smile representing happiness, leaving Lin Qinzhou momentarily dazed.
Moreover, when he smiled, the small mole under his eye seemed to come alive, adding some of the energy one would expect at his age, making him seem less distant.
Before this, although he had been polite and considerate, it always felt like there was some barrier between them, as if he was removed from the crowd.
Lin Qinzhou averted his gaze, imitating the boss’s manner to peel a lotus seed, but upon chewing, his brows furrowed tightly.
—It’s too bitter; how can it be so bitter?
“Ugh! Ugh ugh!” Tang Jingyu reacted even more dramatically, “It’s so bitter, damn it!”
Lin Qinzhou couldn’t handle the bitterness and wanted to spit it out, but in front of Boss Qin, he couldn’t do that and forced himself to swallow it.
It was so strange; it was clearly the same thing, but why did the ones in Boss Qin’s hand have a sweet aftertaste, while the ones he peeled were so bitter?
“The lotus core is bitter; if you’re not used to this taste, you can peel it out.”
Boss Qin skillfully peeled a few lotus seeds, placing them on a nearby glazed plate, then carefully removed the thin green lotus cores from each seed and set them to one side of the plate. He then pushed the plate in front of Lin Qinzhou, saying, “Give it a try.”
Lin Qinzhou had noticed the empty plate before and found it strange, but now it turned out to be useful.
His face began to heat up again as he reached out to take one. The taste was mild and refreshing, and after swallowing, he felt a sweet aftertaste.
“Then I’ll try too.” Tang Jingyu grabbed three or four at once, “Hmm, this is definitely much better.”
Lin Qinzhou stared at the only remaining lotus seed on the plate in a daze, then turned to look at his friend.
Tang Jingyu noticed his gaze: “W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lin Qinzhou replied with a reproachful look, “Nothing.”
He just suddenly wanted to sweep him out and kick him into the sea.
After finishing the lotus seeds, it was almost 7:30. Boss Qin tidied up the table and then held the small plate with the lotus cores towards them, saying, “I’ll head in first; you two can make yourselves at home.”
“Um…” Lin Qinzhou called out to him before he turned around. The latter looked over, puzzled, “What is it, Mr. Lin?”
Lin Qinzhou pointed at the plate, saying, “Why not leave it here? We can take it in together later.”
Boss Qin seemed to smile again: “It’s fine; the lotus cores can be used to brew tea. I’ll take them out to dry.”
“Oh, I see.” Lin Qinzhou felt like a deflated balloon and nodded awkwardly, “Then… good night.”