Chapter 332: , Indescribable Temptation

The school gate on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year seemed exceptionally quiet compared to usual, but the nearby vegetable market was still bustling with people coming and going, very lively.

He specifically chose to buy some dishes that Zhou Shihe loved to eat, especially winter bamboo shoots; they couldn't be missing.

It seemed that girl was particularly fond of this.

Mai Sui said: "We need food for a few more people, maybe Shihe's parents will personally bring her over."

Li Heng thought that made sense: "Since that's the case, we have to prepare a few dishes without chili, Cantonese cuisine will do."

Mai Sui asked: "You also know Cantonese cuisine?"

Li Heng thought to himself, *In my past life, I worked in Yangcheng for most of my life; as a foodie, how could I not learn a few Cantonese dishes? *

Subsequently, he bought dried bean curd sticks and preserved mustard greens, planning to make stir-fried pork with bean curd sticks and steamed pork with preserved mustard greens.

After buying the last side dish, Li Heng urged: "Let's go, let's go home, two of these dishes are quite time-consuming, we need to prepare early."

"Mm."

Mai Sui hummed, helped share some of the groceries, and the two walked across the road one after another, returning to Lushan Village.

In the kitchen, Li Heng had intended to tie his apron, but seeing that Mai Sui had already taken the apron off the wall, he immediately opened his arms and stood still obediently.

Mai Sui gave a tender smile, bent halfway, and helped him tie it on thoughtfully.

Looking at the bright face so close at hand, and the occasional physical friction, Li Heng felt a sense of inadequacy every time; a wave of desire soared upward, making him restless.

When facing Yu Shuheng's teasing, he sometimes wouldn't have strange emotions, but it was far from the close contact with Mai Sui.

Being with this girl in front of him, it was as if every cell was constantly being tempted, as if the air was full of charming aura, and one sniff was enough to be seduced.

*Damn it! *

Is this the effect of the inner allure attribute exploding? No man could handle this!

Just as he was cursing to himself to steady his mind, Mai Sui seemed to sense his abnormality, but she lowered her head and didn't dare look at him, still helping to tie the apron, only her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her hands weren't as obedient as usual.

Attraction is mutual, not to mention her heart was completely full of him.

With the intense fusion of male and female emotions, the kitchen was unusually quiet for a time.

The two, caught in a strange atmosphere, didn't even dare to breathe loudly, fearing that if something went wrong, they wouldn't be able to control themselves from crossing that red line.

At a certain moment, Li Heng's right hand involuntarily crossed over her waist and abdomen.

Mai Sui's body stiffened, scared to make any movement, her eyelids drooping, and in the ambiguous atmosphere, she was almost dripping with water.

"Look at me."

A magical voice drilled into her ears.

Mai Sui struggled a bit, her eyes dodged weakly a few times, but finally, as if obeying a summons, she slowly raised her head.

The moment their eyes met, Li Heng's heart swayed, mesmerized by the charming eyes in front of him. In an instant, his breathing became heavier and more rapid.

Just as he couldn't control himself and lowered his head to kiss her, Mai Sui reached out in time to seal his mouth. A moment later, she leaned forward and fell into his arms, her eyes seemingly saying softly: *Just hold me for a while, okay? *

With their eyes meeting, Li Heng stood still, his hands also not moving, not holding her.

He was clear about his physical state; as long as he held her, under the infection of such extreme desire, he might push his luck and carry her to the bed.

Mai Sui seemed to read him. After a while, she took the initiative to withdraw her right hand that was sealing his lips, then stood slightly on tiptoe and kissed him.

This kiss was a shallow taste and then she retreated.

Then she turned around with difficulty, squatted down to peel garlic cloves, and after a long time said: "Time to cook...!"

"Mm."

Li Heng hummed, but walked out of the kitchen, wandered back and forth in the alley outside, and took a breath to dispel his desire before returning to the kitchen.

Next, the two did their own things; one helped as a sous-chef, the other held a kitchen knife to cut and chop vegetables, preparing lunch. There was little communication throughout.

Afraid of stimulating him, Mai Sui didn't even let her eyes meet his.

Because she was clear about where her physical characteristics were: first, these eyes; second, her chest; third, the base of her thighs. Even if she didn't want to admit it, these three places had great lethality to the opposite sex.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Having been with him for a long time, Mai Sui slowly figured out the experience: as long as there was no eye contact, he could often control himself well.

If they looked at each other for too long in a confined space, he would gradually lose his balance, and his Adam's apple would begin to move frequently. At this time, as long as there was physical contact, or she indulged herself, the outcome for the two basically didn't need to be thought about; it would definitely collapse.

Regarding this innate inner allure attribute, Mai Sui had once felt troubled; she also wanted to be low-key like a normal girl.

But ever since she sensed that he seemed to like her special constitution, she slowly adjusted her mindset and calmly accepted all of this.

She understood that this was the greatest gift God had given her, and her advantage in staying by his side, distinguishing her from other women.

Around 12:30 PM, a sound came from outside. Not long after, the gate was pushed open, and a gentle voice spread through the house.

"Mai Sui, Li Heng, are you home?"

The voice wasn't very loud, carrying a bit of weakness and delicacy, but it was very pleasant, with a special temperament.

"Shihe is here."

This was the first sentence between the two after the dragonfly-touch kiss.

"Mm, I know, let's go outside and see." The steamed pork with preserved mustard greens in the pot was just about ready, so Li Heng turned off the fire and walked out.

Mai Sui washed her hands simply and followed behind.

Sure enough, she hadn't heard wrong; outside was Zhou Shihe, wearing a light brown wool sweater. Her teeth were white like melon seeds, her eyebrows were like delicate moth wings, her face was white with a pinkish hue like a blooming lotus, and her skin was like congealed fat. In the halo of the sun, she seemed like someone who had walked out of an ancient painting.

*Stunning! Absolutely beautiful! *

This was the thought that surfaced in Li Heng and Mai Sui's minds simultaneously.

Besides Zhou Shihe, there were two women and one man beside her.

Mai Sui had seen one of the women before; it was Shihe's aunt, who had invited her and Ye Ning to dinner last semester.

While Li Heng and Mai Sui were sizing up the other party, the other party was also secretly sizing them up.

Especially Li Heng, who had been on the Spring Festival Gala, was the focus of attention for the two women and one man.

"Happy New Year! Comrade Shihe."

Li Heng's mouth was sweet, and he walked over to greet them.

Mai Sui was not to be outdone, familiarly pouring tea for the four.

"Happy New Year!"

Zhou Shihe gave a knowing smile, then introduced both sides: "This is my mother, this is my aunt, and this is my uncle."

Then she added: "Mom, Aunt, this is Li Heng, whom I've mentioned to you on the phone; this is Mai Sui, my best friend in college."

"Happy New Year! Auntie, Aunt, Uncle..."

Calling her "Aunt" seemed a bit wrong, but calling "Auntie" twice felt strange. *Forget it, forget it, let's just leave it at that. * Li Heng's thoughts flashed like lightning, and then he enthusiastically invited them: "It's windy outside, please come in and sit."

"Okay."

This was the voice of Zhou's mother. She and Zhou Shihe looked 70% similar. Her first impression was that she was very noble and had great cultivation.

How to describe this temperament? Li Heng had felt it from Aunt Shen Xin.

Once Zhou's mother spoke, the aunt and uncle also stepped through the door.

Zhou's mother first looked around at the layout of the house, then her gaze fell on Mai Sui, and after a few seconds, it returned to Li Heng. She was a bit curious at this moment: *How did Li Heng, from the countryside of Xiangnan, manage to live in this 26th small building? *

One had to know that for the 27th small building next door, the Zhou family had spent a lot of favors to get it for their daughter. Could this Li Heng rely solely on his identity as the creator who appeared on the Spring Festival Gala?

Analyzing with Zhou's mother's experience, this possibility was almost non-existent. After all, this was Fudan University; the professors who could live in Lushan Village were all outstanding people who had made a name for themselves in different fields.

For the 26th small building, Fudan University wouldn't have given it to him just based on his identity as the creator of *Scenery of the Hometown*.

Suddenly, she felt that the few words of explanation in her daughter's phone call didn't seem enough. If she had known this, she should have deeply understood Li Heng's background before coming.

Zhou's mother pondered idly.

After Mai Sui finished pouring tea for everyone, she asked Zhou Shihe: "Shihe, are you hungry?"

"Mm, a little." Since their relationship was so good, Zhou Shihe said what was on her mind without being pretentious.

They had set off after 8:00 AM, and were delayed on the road for a while, so they were indeed a bit hungry.

"Shihe, Auntie, you sit for a while, I'll go make the last dish, and we'll eat right away." Seeing this, Li Heng exchanged pleasantries and then returned to the kitchen without stopping.

The uncle asked casually: "He also knows how to cook?"

Because Li Heng gave people a feeling like glaze, bright and clean, very refreshing, he didn't expect him to know how to cook.

Zhou Shihe said warmly: "His cooking is quite delicious, Uncle, you'll be able to taste it in a while."

The uncle laughed: "No wonder you said not to eat outside, Shihe, then I must have a good taste later."

When they were close to Fudan University, the somewhat hungry uncle had originally wanted to find an old-fashioned restaurant to have lunch before coming over. But Zhou Shihe said it wasn't necessary for now, saying there should be food to eat back at Lushan Village.

The reason Zhou Shihe said this was because Li Heng's impression on her was that of a very credible person; basically, he would do what he promised.

When they parted in Beijing, Li Heng had repeatedly said he would cook at home on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year to wait for her, and in the absence of special circumstances, he wouldn't break his word.

The aunt interjected at this time, teasing: "The fragrance smells like it was made by a master chef, I'm a bit expectant."

Mai Sui said to the group: "Auntie, let's go to the second floor, it's warmer to eat on the second floor."

Zhou Shihe was a frequent visitor here, so she naturally understood that it was much more comfortable to stay on the second floor, so she didn't stand on ceremony and took her family to the second floor.

Upon reaching the second floor, Zhou Shihe pointed to the candies and peanuts on the coffee table and said to the three: "Mom, Aunt, Uncle, you sit there for a while, I'll go help."

After saying this, without waiting for the three to answer, she accompanied Mai Sui downstairs to the first floor.

Noticing this scene, the aunt said to Zhou's mother: "Sister-in-law, did you see that? Shihe treats this place like her own home, without any sense of restraint."

Zhou's mother naturally saw it. With her understanding of her daughter's character, if the relationship wasn't good to a certain degree, she wouldn't be so enthusiastic and at ease.

There was no TV at home. Yu Laoshi had once said before the New Year that she would get a color TV, but later, because she was busy with the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal in Beijing, it was delayed.

Zhou's mother and the two sat on the sofa, drinking tea and chatting to pass the time. Suddenly, the aunt had sharp eyes and spotted the manuscript of *Bai Luyuan* on the coffee table.

This was what Mai Sui had left on the coffee table after finishing reading last night.

When Mai Sui finished reading it, she had originally wanted to put it back in the study immediately, but she opened the door and saw the scene of Yu Laoshi staring blankly at Li Heng, and the rest didn't need to be said. Because of the fluctuations in her heart, she forgot about this matter for a while.

Staring at the three characters *Bai Luyuan* on the title page, the aunt put down her teacup and picked up the manuscript to flip through it simply.

As a result!

*Whoa! * As a result, this flip didn't matter, but she was directly lost in it, soon becoming immersed in the world of the book, to the point that her husband called her from the side and she had no reaction.

The uncle was surprised and leaned his head over, wanting to see what it was that made his wife so engaged.

Then, then there was no then.

The uncle stopped talking, his eyes reading the words on the manuscript line by line, slowly shielding the outside world.

Seeing the selfless appearance of her sister-in-law and her husband, Zhou's mother was a bit puzzled, but she didn't join in the fun, instead getting up to go to the attic outside to watch the wind.

No one was chatting with her, so if she didn't come outside to breathe fresh air, what else could she do?

The last dish was stir-fried pork with bean curd sticks. Li Heng finished cooking it in one go, "Okay, serve the dishes to the table, let's eat."

Hearing this, Mai Sui lifted the thermal steamer and, together with Zhou Shihe, sent the bowls of dishes inside to the second floor one by one.

It took a little effort to make a total of six dishes and one soup, which were: dog meat stewed with winter bamboo shoot slices, stir-fried pork liver and kidney, stinky mandarin fish with moldy tofu, cured wild rabbit, steamed pork with preserved mustard greens, and stir-fried pork with bean curd sticks.

The soup was a light and delicious three-fresh soup, containing small egg dumplings, green vegetables, mushrooms, and shrimp, focusing on being low-oil and fresh.

Looking at the table of dishes with excellent appearance, Zhou's mother believed a bit of what her daughter said, that Li Heng was a good cook.

Li Heng asked Zhou's mother: "Auntie, do you want to drink some wine?"

Zhou's mother turned back to the sister-in-law and her husband who were still reading books selflessly on the sofa and asked: "Do you want to drink wine?"

The couple didn't respond, their eyes fixed on the manuscript without blinking.

Zhou's mother walked two steps closer: "Huiqin, didn't you say you were hungry on the road? Time to eat."

The aunt, Huiqin, said: "Okay, coming right away."

Verbally saying she was coming right away, but still there was no movement.

Zhou's mother was helpless and asked the three of Li Heng: "What is written on that stack of paper? So attractive?"

Mai Sui exchanged a glance with Li Heng and said tenderly: "I forgot to put it away."

"It's okay." Li Heng knew clearly why she had forgotten.

After the question and answer, the two looked at Zhou Shihe together.

Zhou Shihe, who understood, then explained to her mother: "This is the new book Li Heng is writing."

"New book? You also write books?" Zhou's mother was slightly surprised.

Zhou Shihe introduced it again: "Mom, it wasn't convenient to tell you before, he is the author of *To Live* and *Cultural Bitter Travel*."

Zhou's mother was stunned, thinking she had heard wrong, stared at Li Heng for a long time before slowly speaking: "December?"

Li Heng revealed his neat, clean teeth and smiled very brightly, tacitly agreeing.

*Whew! * Zhou's mother breathed a sigh of relief, and the gaze she looked at Li Heng with gradually changed, changing again and again.

At this moment, she finally understood why her daughter would delay so much time to rehearse the Spring Festival Gala program?

Understood why the Yu family's daughter would be so attentive to him?

Also understood why Fudan University would arrange for him to live in Lushan Village?

It turned out there was such an identity. If it were true, then he was indeed very capable at a young age; amazing!

Zhou's mother walked over and spoke for the third time: "Huiqin, time to eat, don't keep people waiting for a long time."

"Oh, okay, coming, coming!"

The aunt closed the manuscript and said with unfinished meaning: "Hey, sister-in-law, you have to take a look later, it's much more flavorful than the *To Live* that eldest sister recommended before the New Year."

Li Heng: "..."

Mai Sui: "..."

Zhou Shihe smiled helplessly. How could one praise one book while stepping on another in front of the author?

Zhou's mother looked at Li Heng, just smiled, and urged: "The two of you, did your ears go to swat flies? Did you not hear a word of our conversation just now? Hurry and wash your hands to eat, the dishes will be cold in a while."

The uncle stood up and couldn't help but ask: "Who wrote this? Talented! If it were published, maybe it would be an instant hit."

Li Heng, Mai Sui, Zhou Shihe, and Zhou's mother were collectively speechless.

Forced, Zhou Shihe repeated what she had just said to her mother.

After listening, the couple, the aunt and uncle, stopped their steps together, staring fixedly at Li Heng, and it took a long time before they spoke:

"No wonder! No wonder!"

"That's it, I said how could an ordinary person write such a masterpiece."

The couple said one sentence each, almost simultaneously.

After speaking, the couple looked at each other. The aunt took out the camera necessary for long-distance travel from her bag and handed it to Zhou's mother, saying:

"Sister-in-law, take a picture of me and Li Heng."

The uncle also quietly stood over, standing on the other side of Li Heng, and the couple sandwiched Li Heng in the middle, one on the left and one on the right.

When it was time to take the picture, the aunt called to stop again and asked Li Heng: "Do you have a study?"

Li Heng: "..."

He almost understood the other party's meaning in seconds, but still answered: "Yes."

"Can we take a group photo in the study? It has more of a scholarly atmosphere and is more commemorative." The aunt's eyes were bright.

It had already come to this; if you don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face. For the sake of Comrade Zhou Shihe, how could he refuse?

So the group entered the study.

"Whoa! It really is the writer December." Entering the study, the aunt saw the single volumes of *To Live* and *Cultural Bitter Travel* on the bookshelf at a glance and exclaimed immediately.

These were samples sent by *Harvest* magazine, all of which had Li Heng's autograph.

Especially the three newest *Cultural Bitter Travel* books, he hadn't sent them to Xiao Han, Song Yu, and Zijin yet, wanting to wait until school started to send them together, but the signatures on them were already done, and even the serial numbers were the same: No. 1.

The aunt held a copy of *To Live* in her left hand and picked up a copy of *Cultural Bitter Travel* in her right hand, then stood beside Li Heng facing the camera lens: "Sister-in-law, how is my pose?"

"Very good." Zhou's mother and the other two stood still, and with a *click*, took two group photos for this aunt who hadn't completely "grown up."

Saying she hadn't grown up, in fact, the aunt was only 36 years old this year. Except for being relatively rigorous at work, she was used to doing whatever she wanted in her daily life and was very lazy.

After taking the photos, the group returned to the dining table.

This made Li Heng breathe a sigh of relief. If they had asked for one of his books just now, how awkward would that be? They were all signed and belonged to someone else. If he wanted to give them away, he would have to go to the Xinhua Bookstore to buy new ones.

Fortunately, they were born into a big family, knew how to advance and retreat, and didn't make this request. Even because Zhou's mother urged them to eat, they didn't even flip through the pages much.

"Mm, the heat of this pork kidney is just right, sister-in-law, you try it too, it's no worse than what you make." Once the chopsticks started moving, the aunt tried the dishes one after another: "Mm, this stinky mandarin fish is also not bad, it's made with moldy tofu, right?"

Li Heng nodded, "Yes, over in our Xiangnan, we all use moldy tofu, which is considered a characteristic way of making Xiang cuisine."

After tasting them, the aunt said: "They are all quite delicious, but I love the winter bamboo shoot slices and the cured wild rabbit the most. How did you make these two dishes? Teach me."

Seeing everyone looking over, Li Heng didn't hide anything and talked about the way of making Jianghu cuisine.

After speaking, he pointed to the dog meat with winter bamboo shoots, stir-fried pork kidney, and cured wild rabbit, and asked: "These three dishes all have some chili, are you used to it?"

The uncle laughed and said: "You are already taking care of us, right? The chili should be much less than usual. Although it's a bit spicy, I'm a bit hooked now, the more I eat, the more I want to eat, I can't stop at all."

With wine and dishes, the slight spiciness was even more enjoyable, and the table of people ate happily.

Don't look at how Zhou's mother didn't speak much, but from the frequency of her chopsticks, it could be seen that she still recognized her daughter's statement. Li Heng was very good at cooking. Although these dishes couldn't be counted as big or famous dishes, they were very appetizing and delicious.

The aunt reminded her husband: "We still have to drive in the afternoon, drink less wine."

"It's okay, I know what I'm doing." The uncle said it was okay, but his mouth reduced the amount of wine he drank, instead accelerating the speed of eating.

This meal had good food and good wine, and chatting while eating lasted for about an hour before it ended.

After the meal, the couple, the aunt and uncle, hurriedly washed their hands and huddled on the sofa again, not mentioning going home at all, which made it hard for Zhou's mother to urge them.

Zhou's mother said to her daughter: "Take Mom to your place to see."

Zhou Shihe said okay.

As the mother and daughter left, Mai Sui thoughtfully said to Li Heng: "You go to the study to do your work, I'll wash the dishes, I'll take good care of Shihe's family."

"Mm, okay." Li Heng entered the study and got busy with today's task.

Writing is like pounding rice cakes; you have to keep pounding and pounding, you have to pound in one go, otherwise, if you stop in the middle, you will develop a sense of slackness for a long time, and then you won't be able to persist, and you will become impotent early.

Li Heng had too much experience with this kind of thing; he didn't dare not touch the book all day long, because if he did, he would definitely want to play the next day, and if he played and played, he would be ruined.

Next door, the 26th small building.

Zhou's mother went around every room on the first and second floors, and suddenly asked: "Are Mai Sui and Li Heng dating?"

Zhou Shihe replied: "No."

Zhou's mother turned her head, "Oh? Did Mom see it wrong?"

Zhou Shihe said: "Li Heng has someone else."

Zhou's mother asked: "Yu Laoshi?"

Zhou Shihe was between laughter and tears: "Why did you guess Yu Laoshi?"

Zhou's mother said: "During the winter vacation, fearing that you would have an accident, the family did a little investigation on Yu Laoshi and found that Yu Laoshi seems to rarely be so attentive to the opposite sex."

Zhou Shihe smiled, "The Yu family should have taken a fancy to Li Heng, but Li Heng's partner is studying at Shanghai Medical College."

Zhou's mother was stunned: "The Yu family took a fancy to Li Heng?"

"Mm, specifically speaking, it should be Yu Laoshi's mother." Zhou Shihe told her everything.

The reason for doing this was so that she didn't want her mother to think too much.

Women love gossip, regardless of wealth or status; they are born with a heart for gossip. Zhou's mother became interested: "Tell Mom in detail."

Zhou Shihe pondered for a while and briefly described Shen Xin's performance when she came to Lushan Village.

After listening patiently, Zhou's mother pondered and said: "In that case, it explains it."

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 333 =====