Chapter 30: Smoke

"A glass to my sister-in-law!"

The crowd raised their beers, screamed in joy, and threw their heads up and knocked them out. Ah Jiu looked at Taeyeon and grinned: "Oh, others drink you too......"

"Okay! Drink it! Fuck off!"

I couldn't stand it anymore, Ah Jiu burst into tears, and Park Canrong hurriedly led his little brother to the barbecue grill next to him, leaving this smaller barbecue grill for the two of them.

Ah Jiu cut the grilled pork belly into a suitable size, put it on the plate, and broke a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed it to Taeyeon: "Eat two mouthfuls of meat, you too, what to drink, I have to send you back in a while, if you get drunk, your roommates will have to think of me as someone......"

"I ...... I'm not going back today. Taeyeon smirked, her cheeks flushed. She was originally unable to drink alcohol, and when she heard that a sip of beer was the limit, she was already a little upset after drinking.

"But I have to go back. Ah Jiu picked up a beer depressedly, hesitated for a moment and put it down, changed a bottle of Coke, unscrewed it and took a sip.

"Why don't you drink?" Taeyeon looked at Ah Jiu steadily, her eyes a little straight.

"I decided to stop drinking and drink in the future...... Prone to accidents. A-Kyu explained awkwardly, Taeyeon bit her lip and suddenly let out a long 'oh' and blinked with a look of 'I know if you don't say it'.

"Why don't you eat meat?" Ah Jiu took a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, and spread a piece of pork belly on the grill net, and the grilled ziz was bubbling with oil. His barbecue skills are similar to those of pastry, because since his Wudang Tiyun was trained enough to jump over the wall of the Oolong Courtyard, the living creatures in the nearby mountains and forests have not been poisoned by him.

"I ...... It's a female singer, you have to manage your body, you can't eat it. ā€

"Oh?" Ah Jiu looked at Taeyeon, "I saw that you ate quite well last time?"

"I have one meal a day at most, and I have one meal with the members at noon, and I can't eat at night. Taeyeon explained, and in turn urged Ah Jiu: "It's okay, you eat, I'm not hungry." ā€

"You can't be hungry, but I can't eat it if you watch me eat by myself......" Ah Jiu thought for a moment and got up and walked to his car. In the back seat, he bought the ingredients for IU to cook in the evening, rummaged through them, took out two eggplants and an ear of corn, thought about it, took his coat again, and draped it over Taeyeon.

"It's cold at night, and you're wearing a little bit of it. ā€

Taeyeon obediently tied her two sleeves together and hung them around her neck, and asked with great interest, "What are you going to do?"

"This corn is an early-maturing variety, and one ear costs 3,000 won. Ah Jiu peeled off the corn leaves and pressed the corn kernels: "It's a little tender, it's best to eat it steamed, and it's okay to eat it roasted, depending on the heat." ā€

"What about these two eggplants?"

"Haven't you eaten it?" Ah Jiu laughed: "The eggplant is very delicious when roasted, much more delicious than fried and eaten, so I'll let you see it today." ā€

"Hmm. Hearing Ah Jiu say it so well, Taeyeon couldn't help but have a little anticipation, and watched him peel off the eggplant and sprinkle salt with his hands on his cheeks......

"You seem to have done this many times?"

"When I was in the temple before, I planted vegetable fields for two years, and there was nothing to eat on the mountain, so I found a way to ...... by myself" Ah Jiu said for a moment, looked at Taeyeon, and said, "Did I tell you about the Oolong Temple?"

This question confused Taeyeon, and she didn't know what she thought, so she nodded.

Ah Jiu showed a reassuring expression: "It's okay if you say it, in fact, there's nothing to hide, it's just that I haven't wanted to mention it...... I've told you, and I'll have someone to talk to later. Actually, it really doesn't matter, the year I left, Master Fat had already begun to plan to open the Oolong Courtyard as a scenic spot, maybe I will have to buy a ticket when I go back one day......"

Taeyeon couldn't understand what Ah Jiu was saying at all, but in order to listen to him, she still tried to pretend to understand, and Ah Jiu kept listening, and finally waited for him to breathe, and interjected, "Where are you...... I think there are a lot of memories. ā€

"Can you have it......" Ah Jiu smiled, put the roasted eggplant on the plate and motioned for Taeyeon to try it, and said, "I have lived there for twenty years, and I know where it is when I close my eyes, and I even thought that when I die, I must be buried there......"

"By the way, I've planted a lot of trees there, and I'm going to pick one and bury myself when I'm dying. Ah Jiu brushed the roasted corn with a layer of barbecue sauce, and handed it to Taeyeon with chopsticks: "How about tasting this, the corn is relatively tender and can't be roasted for too long, but it should be cooked." ā€

"Don't always say anything about death, death. Taeyeon frowned, "You're only 27, what are you talking about?"

The movement of Ah Jiu's hand stopped, and he looked up into Taeyeon's eyes: "...... How do you know I'm 27?"

"I, I'm ......" Taeyeon couldn't answer, and Ah Jiu asked, "You've read my letter, haven't you?"

"I ......" Taeyeon lowered her head: "I'm curious ......"

"You!" Ah Jiu clenched his fists suddenly, and Taeyeon subconsciously raised his hands to protect himself, looking at him timidly.

"It's fine. Ah Jiu took a deep breath, released his fist, held a clip in his left hand to pick up the roasted meat, and held scissors in his right hand to cut the meat into a suitable size. Suddenly there was silence, only the sound of the scissors snapping was very clear, and even the sound of breathing seemed to be inaudible.

Suddenly, A-Koo put down the scissors and looked at Taeyeon, "Can you swear you won't tell anyone about what you see?"

"I, I'm ......" Taeyeon suddenly felt that Ah Jiu's eyes were so terrifying, and she didn't dare to speak, and after a while, she said, "I don't actually know a few Chinese characters, and I don't know what is written on them, so I'll get to the photo, and the time in parentheses." I—I didn't mean to peek, I'm sorry......"

"If that's the case, that's okay. Ah Jiu grinned, but this smile was very ugly, and said, "It's okay, I believe you." ā€

"You believe me?"

"Yes, I believe you. Ah Jiu repeated, then he didn't mention it, and ate two more bites of meat, and suddenly he touched his pants pocket, got up and walked towards Park Canrong.

After a while, he came back with a cigarette in his mouth and one in his ear. Sit down, light a cigarette close to a charcoal fire, and take a deep breath.

Taeyeon was nibbling on corn when she saw Ah Jiu smoking and whispered, "Smoking is not good for your health." ā€

Ah Jiu smiled: "I know. ā€

"But there are many times when people need to hurt themselves in a way that is more painful. ā€

He took another puff and slowly exhaled it, and in the moonlight, the smoke he exhaled floated in the air into a lonely shape.