The Way of Heaven Rewards Diligence in Film and Television

Chapter 58 Red Bean's Heartfelt Words

Early in the morning, after Lin Yang got up and washed up, he saw Xu Hongdou dressed neatly and getting ready to go out.

"Going for a run?" Lin Yang couldn't help but ask as he saw Xu Hongdou wearing a slightly loose jacket and a hat, doing warm-up exercises.

"Yes! Want to run together?" Xu Hongdou asked with a smile.

"Okay, wait a moment," Lin Yang said, going back to his room to change his shoes and put on his coat before locking the door and preparing to set off with Xu Hongdou.

Listening to Xu Hongdou and Master Ma, who was preparing to meditate, discussing whether life lies in movement or stillness, Lin Yang chuckled and then jogged away from the courtyard with Xu Hongdou.

The two ran all the way out of the village and all the way to the town a few miles away. Then Lin Yang took Xu Hongdou to a rice noodle shop in the town for breakfast.

"Hmm, not bad! I didn't even know there was such a rice noodle shop in town. It's a real shame I haven't been here before," Xu Hongdou said, pleasantly surprised by the taste of the rice noodles.

Lin Yang laughed and said, "You don't know? That's because you never come out for breakfast!"

"It's really good," Xu Hongdou said repeatedly.

After finishing their meal, Xu Hongdou didn't rush back. Instead, she took Lin Yang to buy some groceries.

After returning to the courtyard, Xu Hongdou took a shower and then busied herself in the kitchen.

After finishing his morning stock trading, he went to the kitchen and saw Xu Hongdou chopping potatoes with a slightly clumsy expression, so he couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Do you need my help?"

"No need, it'll be ready soon," Xu Hongdou said with a smile. "You've been cooking lately, let me do it today!"

"Okay, then I'll wait to taste your cooking," Lin Yang nodded with a smile.

He didn't stay in the kitchen to get involved, but went out to stretch his body and watch Master Ma meditate, while Da Mai, who had gotten up at some point, was sitting under the eaves, taking a comfortable nap.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was really comfortable. Smelling the aroma of the food, Lin Yang smiled and looked at Xu Hongdou, who was busy in the kitchen.

Before long, Xu Hongdou came out to call Lin Yang to eat, and also called Da Mai and Ma Ye.

At first, Master Ma didn't react, but after Lin Yang and the others started eating, he hurriedly came in from outside and sat down to eat without any ceremony.

"Not bad! The red beans are quite delicious," Lin Yang said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ma, holding a large bowl, mixed the tomato and egg scrambled eggs sauce and ate with great satisfaction.

"Is this stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar? Why did you put dark soy sauce in it?" Da Mai couldn't help but ask after taking a bite of the shredded potatoes.

"My mom puts it in all her cooking," Xu Hongdou said.

"Mom is so righteous! It's delicious!" Master Ma said repeatedly, "This flavor is just right, not much worse than Lin Yang's."

"Master Ma, is it appropriate to praise someone like that?" Xu Hongdou chuckled.

"That's definitely a compliment," Lin Yang said with a smile. "If you think your cooking is better than mine, that's enough to prove you're a very good cook."

"Heh... I've never seen anyone praise themselves like this before," Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes at him.

"It's really delicious," Da Mai couldn't help but say.

"Oh dear! I'm begging for your food! It's so delicious! Mr. Ma, save some of this broth for me," Lin Yang said, arguing with Mr. Ma over the broth, leaving Xu Hongdou and Da Mai both amused and exasperated.

After finishing their meal, none of them wanted to move, so they sat at the table and chatted idly.

"Lin Yang, are you still going to the wood carving workshop this afternoon?" Xu Hongdou asked.

"Okay, I'll go help the craftsmen with the carving," Lin Yang nodded slightly. "What about you? What are you doing this afternoon? The restaurant isn't busy this afternoon either."

"Red Bean, have you been helping out at the restaurant lately?" Barley asked curiously.

"He's helping out for free, he's so kind!" Lin Yang joked.

Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes at Lin Yang before saying, "I'm thinking of going to the tie-dye workshop this afternoon. Da Mai, do you want to come along?"

"Ah... okay," Da Mai hesitated for a moment but nodded.

Lin Yang spent the afternoon working at the wood carving workshop, and by the time he returned to the village in the evening, it was already quite late.

Lin Yang, who was passing by the village intersection, saw Xu Hongdou eating barbecue alone. He couldn't help but smile and walk over to sit down opposite her: "Hongdou, what's wrong? You don't seem to be in a good mood?"

"It's nothing, I just want to be alone, quietly being a useless good-for-nothing," Xu Hongdou said.

"That's an extravagant ideal," Lin Yang said solemnly.

Xu Hongdou chuckled and nodded: "Indeed! Before starting work, it was all about studying, studying, and after starting work, it's all about working, working, working, and working harder, never giving up, never falling behind..."

"Let me tell you, when I graduated, I had enough money saved up to buy a few square meters in Beijing. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I've saved up some money, but when I open a real estate website, I can still only buy a few square meters."

"No house, no car, no partner... only illness," Xu Hongdou said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"What illness? A herniated disc?" Lin Yang's question made Xu Hongdou laugh.

"No, not at all," Xu Hongdou shook her head and smiled, lifting her foot slightly. "But standing all day like that will ruin your arches, they'll collapse!"

"I'm almost developing a herniated disc, sitting in the car all day..." Lin Yang said.

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Hongdou said irritably, "Lin Yang, if you had any compassion at all, you wouldn't have said such Versailles-like things when someone is talking about their sore spots."

"It's really not Versailles, and RV travel isn't as idyllic as you think. As the saying goes, 'Everything is difficult when you travel.' You'll never know what you'll encounter along the way until you go out for a trip..." Lin Yang shook his head.

"Oh, what happened to you? Tell this country bumpkin about it!" Xu Hongdou asked with a curious smile.

"That's quite a story," Lin Yang said, thinking for a moment before continuing, "I remember once, in the Northwest, there was no village or shop in sight. It was snowing, the roads were slippery, and I was too scared to drive. I found a place to park, but I was afraid of running out of gas, so I didn't dare turn on the air conditioning. As a result, I just covered myself with a blanket and watched the snowflakes outside..."

"You know what? I was all alone, it was pitch black outside, and the car lights weren't on either. Luckily, I'm brave, otherwise that feeling of quiet solitude... would have been so exhilarating!"

"Huh?" Xu Hongdou, who was engrossed in listening, couldn't help but widen her beautiful eyes at Lin Yang's sudden change of direction.

"Actually, I was still a little lonely and scared, but I have a good mindset," Lin Yang said with a smile. "But if it weren't just me, but two people, thinking back then, it really felt like we were going through life and death together, facing difficulties together, and it was quite romantic."

Xu Hongdou chuckled, and said with a touch of nostalgia, "Childhood was so much better! I looked forward to going to Grandma's house during holidays, raising chickens, climbing trees to pick wild mulberries, and fishing for shrimp in the stream..."

"Your childhood must have been quite interesting," Lin Yang said, shaking his head. "I grew up in an orphanage. Although there were many children there, it was still lonely. Everyone hoped to be adopted... Later, we started thinking about what to do in the future."

"I didn't find childhood particularly fun; I just always wanted things I didn't have. Later, when I started working and earning money, I didn't really have any big ambitions, or rather, many of my ideals seemed unrealistic as I grew up. Work was just something I had to do, simply for survival."

"So, when I had money, the first thing I thought of was to be myself and find more meaning in life. To travel to different places, see the scenery, learn a lot, and keep thinking and searching along the way..."

"Did you find it?" Xu Hongdou asked.

"I've found it," Lin Yang smiled and nodded at Xu Hongdou. "I want to find someone I like, build a warm home, and live my life the way I like."

Lin Yang's gentle, smiling gaze made Xu Hongdou's heart flutter, and her pretty face flushed. Perhaps it was because she had drunk too much wine, or perhaps it was because Lin Yang's gaze had burned her heart.

"Xu Hongdou, I like you."

Looking at Xu Hongdou, who was becoming even more beautiful, Lin Yang smiled and said.