Still Frame Chapter 7
byChapter 7 Isolated Island (2)
It was almost lunchtime. The two went downstairs and saw Tu Yier pulling out a foldable table, while Tu Huisha was bringing dishes out from the back kitchen.
Wen Jin walked over to help Tu Yier set up the table. Zhang Liuxin and Duofei took the bowls and chopsticks together.
Four dishes and one soup were laid out on the table. The portions were generous, and the aroma was enticing.
“These are all specialties of our Selin. Hurry and try them to see if they suit your taste.”
Zhang Liuxin smiled and said they looked wonderful.
They certainly suited his taste. The familiar flavor made him feel a little dazed until Duofei nudged his arm and asked what was wrong, big brother.
“Nothing,” Zhang Liuxin told Tu Huisha, “It’s delicious.”
Wen Jin, who was nearby, picked up a piece of tofu and tasted it. He paused, his expression subtly shifting.
Zhang Liuxin noticed and said, “Try this fish.”
“I know why you’re so thin.”
The remark was completely out of context. Wen Jin said only that one sentence and didn’t continue. He picked up a piece of meat from the fish belly and placed it on the small plate in front of Zhang Liuxin first.
Zhang Liuxin looked at the fish meat that had suddenly appeared on his plate, then glanced up at Wen Jin. Wen Jin’s expression was normal as he picked up another piece of fish for himself.
“You don’t have to do that here,” Zhang Liuxin reminded him quietly.
Wen Jin clearly heard him but ignored him. Zhang Liuxin retracted his gaze, poked the fish meat, picked it up, and ate it.
The Tu siblings saw their interaction and couldn’t help but gossip, asking how they met and commenting on how well-matched they looked.
Why do people from Bernlin always say such polite things, Zhang Liuxin thought. Even if Wen Jin was wearing old clothes now, judging by their appearance and temperament, they looked completely mismatched.
“Our two families are old family friends. We’ve known each other since we were children.”
To be precise, before university, he had unilaterally known Wen Jin, always secretly watching him from afar. But to Wen Jin, he was just an insignificant passerby child.
“Childhood sweethearts, that’s lovely,” Tu Huisha said. “My husband and I also knew each other since we were little. We lived next door.”
It was only then that Zhang Liuxin realized he hadn’t seen Tu Huisha’s husband, and even Duofei hadn’t been clamoring for her father.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should ask.
Tu Huisha, however, spoke up casually, “Duofei’s father passed away three years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Zhang Liuxin regretted.
Tu Yier patted his sister’s shoulder. “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s keep eating.”
“Yes,” Tu Huisha, seeing Zhang Liuxin’s solemn expression, proactively changed the subject. “What is Yinzhou like? Is it very convenient? Does every family have a signal and radio?”
“Yes, life is much more convenient there, but the population density is high, and the air isn’t as good as it is here.”
“That’s true. We’re surrounded by mountains and rainforests here, so the air is naturally good.”
Zhang Liuxin nodded. If his mother hadn’t passed away, he would have continued to grow up in Bernlin Province with her, living the same peaceful, imperfect, yet happy life as Tu Yier, Tu Huisha, and every local person.
After the meal, Zhang Liuxin volunteered to do the dishes. Just as he put a bowl into the sink, he saw Wen Jin follow him into the kitchen.
“What were you two talking about just now?” Wen Jin took the bowl from his hand, stared at his oil-stained hand for a moment, paused, and then turned on the faucet to rinse it.
Zhang Liuxin hadn’t even registered what he asked. What shocked him was that Wen Jin was actually washing dishes.
“Don’t you have mysophobia?”
Wen Jin looked at him as if he were an idiot and said, “I won’t just eat without helping.”
“You squeezed too much, Wen Jin,” Zhang Liuxin frowned and took the bowl back. “You squeezed so much, it won’t rinse clean later.”
“Now you’re calling me Wen Jin again?”
Zhang Liuxin couldn’t keep up with Wen Jin’s erratic thought process. He didn’t know how the conversation had jumped to his form of address, which he had used for many years.
“They don’t understand, so they won’t mind.”
After observing Zhang Liuxin wash the dishes once, Wen Jin seemed to think he had mastered it. He picked up a plate and rinsed it under clean water.
“They asked a little about Yinzhou just now.”
“And?”
“That’s all.”
Wen Jin placed the plate aside with a crisp sound. Zhang Liuxin looked over and indeed saw a subtle look of displeasure on his face.
“You talked to them about us. What did you say?”
Wen Jin could understand that? Zhang Liuxin felt a little annoyed.
“I said our two families are old family friends.”
It was the truth, after all.
Wen Jin, however, said, “Old family friends? Who told you that?”
Zhang Liuxin was stunned. “What do you mean? Isn’t it true?”
When he first came to the Zhang family as a child, he had heard of the Wen family’s reputation. His father and stepmother occasionally talked at home about the already outstanding Wen Jin.
Moreover, no one in Yinzhou would think otherwise. After all, during their wedding, the media and newspapers had dedicated large sections to analyzing the relationship between the two families and their future cooperation.
Wen Jin took the last plate from his hand. “No.”
Was that what Wen Jin truly thought?
Zhang Liuxin instinctively retorted, “It is, isn’t it? You and…”
He paused when mentioning a certain name, cutting himself off, and hoped Wen Jin wouldn’t bring it up either.
Fortunately, Wen Jin wasn’t really listening to him. He simply continued his own thought. “The Wen family and the Zhang family don’t have a deep relationship.”
Zhang Liuxin wasn’t sure what the relationship between the Wen and Zhang families was like, or if their friendship was deep. He only knew that after he and Wen Jin got married, the relationship between the two families became much closer, and the Zhang family had prospered considerably thanks to the Wen family.
“Zhang Liuxin, you seem to know nothing about your own family.”
In what capacity was he supposed to understand the Zhang family? In many people’s eyes, he was just an illegitimate child.
But Wen Jin shouldn’t care. All Wen Jin needed was a marriage partner.
“But you don’t need to know about the Zhang family,” Wen Jin slowly rinsed his hands clean. “It has nothing to do with you.”
Zhang Liuxin hummed in acknowledgment. “I know. It has nothing to do with me.”
Leaving the kitchen, Tu Huisha took Duofei home for a nap, leaving only Tu Yier in the shop.
“Brother Tu, what can we do to help?”
Tu Yier thought for a moment, sizing up Zhang Liuxin and Wen Jin. “You can help with the checkout counter. More people come to buy things in the afternoon.”
“You can also help with procurement. We have to go to the market every morning to buy fresh fruit and seasonings.”
Zhang Liuxin translated for Wen Jin, and Wen Jin said he could do it.
“I need to go fix a satellite phone. Could you two watch the shop? The price list is written on the blackboard.”
Tu Yier quickly explained the checkout procedures. “Oh, and you need to slice the large loaves of bread for customers. The bread knife is in the drawer.”
He spoke too quickly for Zhang Liuxin to catch every word, but he understood the general meaning. After Tu Yier left, he took out the bread knife and told Wen Jin, “If a customer buys a large loaf of bread later, they might ask for it to be sliced. Do you know how to slice bread?”
“You teach me.”
What was there to teach about slicing bread? This was probably Wen Jin’s only blind spot in knowledge.
“It’s a serrated knife. Just cut down slowly. I’ll demonstrate for you when someone comes.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Liuxin went to study the cash register. When he turned around, he saw Wen Jin handing him two aprons.
“Turn around.”
“Huh?”
Before he could react, Wen Jin was already standing behind him, tying the apron around his waist. Zhang Liuxin felt a slight tightening around his waist, a gentle constriction.
Unable to see Wen Jin’s movements behind him, he could only see Wen Jin looking down, tying the strings, reflected in the glass.
The process felt incredibly long. Zhang Liuxin was starting to wonder if Wen Jin was performing surgery back there.
“Too thin,” Wen Jin said calmly.
Zhang Liuxin subconsciously wanted to turn around and refute him, but he felt his waist tighten again, pulling him half a step backward until his back rested against the chest of the person behind him.
“Done.”
Wen Jin didn’t move, maintaining the distance as he reached out to tuck in the raised corners of the apron.
Zhang Liuxin slightly turned his body, pulling away from Wen Jin, and saw in the mirror that Wen Jin had tied a very beautiful bow.
Then Wen Jin handed him the other apron. Zhang Liuxin had no choice but to dutifully help him tie his apron.
This scene was too bizarre. They rarely cooked at home, yet here they were, role-playing in a bakery in a small town full of strangers, and their actions were so intimate.
“And… the ring,” Zhang Liuxin pointed to his hand. “You should take it off.”
Wen Jin looked puzzled.
“Customers won’t be happy.”
Wen Jin gave a slight scoff, probably thinking he was being too serious. He took off the ring, wrapped it in a nearby tissue, and put it in his pants pocket.
Wen Jin’s finger was bare. Zhang Liuxin looked down at the ring on his own ring finger, which was silently emitting a dazzling light.
He thought for a moment, then took it off as well, mimicking Wen Jin by putting it in his pocket.
Not long after, a customer arrived. It was a very young girl, looking to be college-aged. She skipped in and then exclaimed, “Hey? Where’s Auntie Hui?”
She looked curiously at the two people behind the display case, first glancing at Zhang Liuxin, then seeing Wen Jin. Her breath hitched slightly, but when Wen Jin looked up, she quickly averted her gaze.
“She’ll be back soon. Can we help you with anything?”
Zhang Liuxin’s accent revealed he was from out of state, but he had the green eyes only found in Bernlin natives. The girl couldn’t help but look at him a few more times.
She suppressed her confusion and selected some bread and a few egg tarts. Zhang Liuxin finally figured out how to use the cash register and checked her out, asking as a matter of routine if she wanted the bread sliced.
“Please slice it, into five pieces, thank you.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Liuxin took the bread knife from Wen Jin and sliced the loaf into five pieces for the girl.
While he was slicing the bread, the girl rested her chin on her hand and asked curiously, “Are you new staff? Not from Bernlin?”
“Yes.”
Seeing that Zhang Liuxin was friendly and easy to talk to, the girl continued to ask, “Our Selin is quite remote. We rarely get outsiders.”
Zhang Liuxin packed the bread for her and smiled. “The town is quiet. It’s nice.”
The girl seemed more interested in Zhang Liuxin. After taking the bag of bread, she smiled and said, “Then you must be mixed-race, from Bernlin and another province. Your eyes are so beautiful, olive green. Even locals rarely have that color.”
“Thank you. You’re very pretty too,” Zhang Liuxin replied politely.
The next second, a dissatisfied question came from beside him: “Zhang Liuxin, are you here to work or to chat?”