Chen Yunqi solemnly praised, "Yes, San San is really beautiful."
San San blushed upon hearing this. He quickly lowered his head, rubbing the back of his head, and stammered, "No...no, Teacher Chen is the really handsome one..."
Li Hui put Li Yan down, then looked at the three of them with a cold and helpless expression: "You're all handsome guys, and I'm the ugliest in the entire universe, okay? Are you done praising me? Can we leave now? Aren't you hungry? Can being handsome put food on the table?"
After leaving the school gate, Li Hui chased after Li Yan and Li Xue, playfully walking ahead. Tang Yutao walked while reading a novel on his phone. Chen Yunqi whispered to San San from behind, "Do you want to come with us?"
San San explained to him in a low voice that although they were all neighbors, Li Yan's father was an elder, and he was a junior. Without an adult to accompany him, it was not appropriate for him to go to other people's homes for meals and visits without permission.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi had no choice but to give up. San San then said, "Teacher Chen, Uncle Li has a very high alcohol tolerance. You will inevitably have to drink with him tonight. The wine here is not very good, so drink less and take care of your health."
Chen Yunqi hummed in agreement, then thought for a moment and said to San San, "You don't need to call me Teacher Chen. You're not my student. Just call me Xiao Qi."
San San smiled and nodded.
When they reached the fork in the road, San San was heading home. He waved goodbye to Chen Yunqi and said softly, "Brother Xiaoqi, I'm going back."
After watching San San leave, Chen Yunqi quickly caught up with Tang Yutao and his group. Although the dirt road in the village wasn't very steep, it wasn't easy to walk on either. Tang Yutao was severely nearsighted, yet he could still walk while staring intently at his phone, his nose almost touching the screen, completely oblivious to where he was going. Chen Yunqi secretly admired him.
The sheep at Li Yan's house had already been slaughtered and cooked. The slaughter site in the yard was still littered with sheep limbs, fur, and internal organs. There were water basins and knives on the ground, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
The pot was simmering with mutton and potatoes, along with some Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies. Yi families also have kitchens, with large mud-brick stoves and three pots of different sizes arranged from left to right. The largest pot is used to cook sweet potatoes, rice bran, and vegetable leaves for feeding pigs. The other two pots are used for cooking, but the family usually cooks their own meals over the hearth in the main room, only using them to entertain guests at weddings or funerals.
The mutton was cooking in the middle pot. Chen Yunqi watched as Tang Yutao lifted the largest lid, picked out two sweet potatoes the size of two fingers, and handed one to him. Chen Yunqi frowned, hesitating whether to take it or not, when Tang Yutao reassured him, "It's clean. These animals eat better than we do." With that, he stuffed the sweet potato into his mouth without even peeling it.
Apart from Chen Yunqi, Tang Yutao and Li Hui acted as if they were at home when they arrived at someone else's house, showing no politeness whatsoever. They even pretended to help in the kitchen, but were chased away by Li Yan's mother like chickens. With a cigarette in her mouth and her eyes squinting from the rising smoke, she held a spatula in one hand and shouted loudly for Li Yan's father to entertain the teachers with tea.
As darkness fell, the house grew as cold as an icebox, and the fire in the hearth was quickly lit.
Several people sat on the ground by the fire pit. Li Yan's father filled a small, dark earthenware pot with tea leaves and water, then buried half of the pot in the ashes in the pit. Soon, the tea was boiling and bubbling. He then scooped some greasy white lard into a long ladle and held it over the fire to heat it. The oil melted quickly, sizzling. Once the oil was hot, he threw in some shelled melon seeds and broken walnuts, instantly releasing a nutty aroma from the hot oil.
The cooked oil mixed with nuts was poured into the earthenware pot, and the oil tea was ready. Tang Yutao refused to drink it because he found it too bitter, so only Li Hui and Chen Yunqi took the small porcelain cups.
The tea in the porcelain cup was covered with a thick layer of oil and crushed nuts. The tea leaves at the bottom of the cup were black and very hot. Chen Yunqi blew on them and took a sip. His lips were immediately coated with oil. The tea was indeed very bitter. The initial taste made Chen Yunqi frown. However, the crushed nuts that entered his mouth along with the tea were chewed up, and the slightly sweet, caramelized flavor relieved the bitterness. The more he ate, the more fragrant it became, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. By the second cup, Chen Yunqi had come to like this oil tea.
Li Hui went to the inner room to watch Li Yan and Li Xue do their homework. Tang Yutao was leaning against the wall, still staring at his phone reading a novel. Li Yan's father handed Chen Yunqi a cigarette, leaning halfway over the fire pit to light it for him. Chen Yunqi shielded the flame with one hand, lowered his head, and leaned closer to smoke.
Li Yan's father lit a cigarette for himself, then brewed a pot of fresh tea. He praised Chen Yunqi, saying, "Teacher Chen is amazing! We don't usually drink this oil tea much because we find it too bitter. Adding some melon seeds and walnuts makes it taste better. Old people don't add these to their tea; it's terribly bitter, but it's good for their eyes. Look at the old people here; they're so old, yet their eyesight is still excellent."
“My grandfather also drinks tea, although it’s not as bitter as this, I can get used to it,” Chen Yunqi said with a smile.
"Sure, sure! If you like our tea, why don't you stay? We'll build you a house and help you find a wife!" Li Yan's father laughed heartily, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. His dark face was covered with wrinkles, and his triangular eyes were so narrowed that they were almost invisible.
Although it was a joke, Chen Yunqi felt a strange warmth in his heart. These strangers, whom he had just met, did not ask where he came from, but treated him with tea and meals, and even offered to build him a house. They treated him with the solemnity of a rare guest, yet with the casualness of an old friend.
Everything and everyone in the mountains was new and familiar to him. He had never visited so many houses before, not even when he was a child at his maternal grandparents' house. When Chen Yunqi was little, he would play in the yard and then follow other children home to eat braised pork. His grandmother would catch him and scold him for being unambitious and enjoying other people's food. His maternal grandparents were honest and upright people who always reciprocated any kindness they received and didn't like to cause trouble for others. They only allowed Chen Yunqi to play with other children in the yard and forbade him from going to other people's houses to freeload.
They chatted and joked, and after three cups of tea, dinner was ready.
The square table wasn't big, and it was a bit crowded even with several adults sitting around it. Li Yan and Li Xue sat by the fire pit with their rice bowls. Li Yan's mother brought out several large bowls of stewed mutton and a bowl of mixed houttuynia cordata. Chen Yunqi wasn't used to the taste of houttuynia cordata; people in his hometown called it fish mint, and aptly named, it tasted fishy and strange. However, it was a common side dish in the southwest region, and Li Yan and Li Xue both loved it, vying to grab a large mouthful and stuffing it into their mouths.
The stewed goat meat with radish and potatoes was also very gamey. The goat meat could only be eaten with dried chili powder. Chen Yunqi sighed inwardly, "What a simple and crude dish."
Li Yan's mother kept putting food into the teachers' bowls, chattering on and on. Her non-standard Mandarin was occasionally mixed with a few words of Yi language. She kept repeating the same thing over and over again: there was nothing good in the mountains, and she was sorry that the guests had made a fool of themselves. She told them to eat more.
Li Yan's father carried a large white plastic bucket out of the inner room, unscrewed the lid, and a strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the entire room.
Li Yan's mother wiped several glasses with colorful advertising words on them with a cloth again and again, but she couldn't get rid of the greasy stains. She filled a glass with white wine and handed it to Chen Yunqi.
In the past, Chen Yunqi would never have touched such an unclean glass when dining out, but this time he didn't care at all. He raised his glass and clinked it with Li Yan's father's. Li Yan's father chewed his meat heartily and said, "Deep feelings, bottoms up! Cheers, Teacher Chen!" After saying that, he tilted his head back and gulped down more than half a glass of wine, grinned and smacked his lips, and then quickly picked up a piece of radish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth to suppress the spicy taste of the wine.
Tang Yutao and Li Hui also downed their drinks. Chen Yunqi wasn't much of a drinker and drank slowly, only managing to down half a glass. The cheap, diluted alcohol burned his throat and stomach instantly. He felt he couldn't drink any more, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the others staring at him with eager eyes. He hesitated, then steeled himself, tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing, and forced himself to finish the remaining half glass.
After one cup, his face turned red, a rosy blush, and his chest felt so hot that he could hardly breathe. His reddened eyes looked like they were about to overflow with tears.
Li Yan's father and Li Hui laughed at Chen Yunqi without any mercy. Chen Yunqi was not annoyed. He rubbed his eyes and just smiled and lowered his head. Tang Yutao knocked on the table and scolded the two of them: "What are you laughing at? Do you think everyone is as rough as you two?" After saying that, he considerately put food on Chen Yunqi's plate and told him to eat more food before drinking alcohol, so as not to hurt his stomach if he drank too much on an empty stomach.
Over drinks, everyone chatted about their families. Li Yan's father and mother seemed to be native mountain dwellers who had never traveled far from home or worked outside. They asked Chen Yunqi's family a lot of questions with great interest, such as whether they raised pigs, how they made a living, and what his parents did for a living.
Upon hearing that Chen Yunqi's mother had started her own business after retiring from her job, although they didn't understand what early retirement meant or how difficult it was to start a business, they firmly believed that doing business would definitely make them rich.
"Teacher Chen must be a rich man's son. It's not easy for him to come to our place and suffer like this," Li Yan's mother said exaggeratedly, her eyes wide like saucers.
"What do you know?" Li Yan's father interrupted his wife rudely, only to be hit hard on the head with a chopstick by her. He rubbed the spot where he was hit and continued, "Now city people live a comfortable life, so they want to come to places like ours to experience poverty. It's popular, you know!" After saying that, the couple looked at Chen Yunqi as if seeking confirmation.
Chen Yunqi didn't know how to explain it to them, so he just smiled and said, "My parents are divorced, and my mother earns money to support me by herself. It's very hard for her. It's not easy for women to do business. They have to work much harder than men."
As soon as Chen Yunqi finished speaking, the people at the table looked at each other in bewilderment.
People in the mountains have little concept of divorce. In their area, there are many single men and widows; divorce is rare. Marriage is often seen as a partnership, mostly arranged by neighbors or parents, with few stories of mutual love and affection. Furthermore, due to the remoteness and lack of central authority, many mountain couples don't even have legal marriage certificates, let alone divorce. Marital discord is resolved very simply here—either the couple fights, or the woman unilaterally tolerates and endures the situation.
Tang Yutao broke the silence, saying in a comforting tone, "My parents also got divorced, and my mom remarried and gave birth to a younger sister. I have to say, my sister and I have a pretty good relationship."
Li Hui immediately chimed in, "My parents aren't divorced, but they fight every day. It would be better if they were divorced."
At this point, even Li Yan's parents seemed to understand, and quickly chimed in, trying to change the subject. They recounted which couple in the village fought the most fiercely and had the worst relationship, as if it were no troublesome to get a divorce and no one knew where to go to handle the procedures, there might not be any complete families in the village.
As they talked, the two started blaming each other again, and it looked like they were about to shout that they should just get a divorce. Li Hui quickly picked up his wine glass to stop them, glanced at the two young girls sitting by the fire who seemed to understand what everyone was saying, and complained, "Alright, alright, let's drink, let's drink. What nonsense are you talking about? The children are right here."
Chen Yunqi found everything in front of him somewhat amusing, understanding that everyone was being considerate of his feelings. He raised his glass and clinked it with everyone's, then, after organizing his thoughts, said, "Let me toast everyone, thank you for your care." After a few seconds of hesitation, he rarely revealed his true feelings, and added somewhat shyly in a low voice, "I'm very happy to be here and meet everyone."
After downing a glass of wine, everyone grimaced, their expressions a mix of enjoyment and displeasure. Li Yan's father even winked at his wife, as if to say, "I told you so, city folks come here to experience life and have a great time!"
Chen Yunqi's alcohol tolerance was unusually high tonight, and his mood was also unusually good. Even he himself was a little surprised. He thought that his good mood would also improve his alcohol tolerance. He actually sat and drank one glass after another until the very end.
Li Hui had passed out on the straw mat by the hearth, drunk at some point, his glasses lying to the side, the lenses filthy. Li Yan's father occasionally looked up and muttered about building a house for Teacher Chen. Li Yan's mother, before becoming completely unconscious, had left the table to busy herself with getting the children washed and put to bed. Tang Yutao, a man of good drinking manners and moderation, stopped midway through, citing his low alcohol tolerance. Only when the room gradually quieted down, the fire in the hearth extinguished, and the oil lamp nearly burned out, did Chen Yunqi realize in the dim light that he too was quite drunk.
Tang Yutao poured Chen Yunqi a glass of water and asked him, "Can you walk by yourself?"
Chen Yunqi was extremely dizzy, and Tang Yutao's image in front of him was already blurry. He nodded blankly, put down his cup, and slowly stood up while supporting himself on the table. The feeling of walking on cotton wool came over him, and before he could stand up, he slumped back onto the stool. He had no choice but to hold onto the wall with one hand, rub his temples, and look at Tang Yutao with a helpless yet honest expression, shaking his head apologetically.
Just as Tang Yutao was about to say something, he heard Li Hui on the ground vomit. He cursed and slapped his forehead, then strode over, grabbed Li Hui by the collar, dragged him to the fire pit, turned him over, and made him vomit headfirst into the fire.
Chen Yunqi's stomach churned at the sudden stench of alcohol that hit him. He forced himself to stay awake and staggered outside, plopping down on the threshold. He buried his face in his arms, rested his head on his knees, and took deep breaths. He felt himself swaying from side to side and struggled to maintain his balance. His mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and sounds, all running through his head in a chaotic blur.
Tang Yutao went to the door to check on him. Seeing that he hadn't run far, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to him, "Don't move around, just sit here. I'll call San San to help." After saying that, he hurriedly went back inside to take care of Li Hui. Li Yan's mother lifted her unconscious husband off the table, said, "Be careful yourselves, come back for dinner another day," and carried him back inside.
Upon hearing the name San San, Chen Yunqi's drowsy mind instantly cleared, and he found himself uncontrollably repeating the two words over and over. Not long after, a flashlight beam shone into the yard.
As San San approached, a fresh, grassy scent wafted into Chen Yunqi's nostrils. When he looked up, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making him feel lightheaded and disoriented, and the nerves on his temples throbbed violently.
Dizzy and lightheaded, he heard Tang Yutao carrying Li Hui past him, complaining as he went, "Damn, he's so heavy! I'll carry Teacher Li down first, can you manage?"
San San replied softly as always, "Okay, don't worry, you guys go first, I'll help Teacher Chen back right away."
Tang Yutao walked away, muttering to himself, leaving only San San and Chen Yunqi sitting with his head down by the door in the courtyard. Chen Yunqi couldn't control his body; he seemed to be slowed down, becoming sluggish. He felt San San squat down in front of him, seemingly very close. If he looked up now, he might brush against her nose.
San San was contemplating whether to simply carry Chen Yunqi away when Chen Yunqi suddenly said in a muffled voice, "San San, don't carry me. I'm much taller than you. Just help me up; I can walk."
San San was taken aback by this. He wasn't worried at all about not being able to carry Teacher Chen. Children from the mountains were known for their strong carrying abilities; they could carry loads several times their own weight uphill. He was just a little embarrassed. Teacher Chen was particular and might not want anyone to touch him, and he was afraid of offending him. Besides, Teacher Chen had previously said he didn't want San San to take care of him, and now that he was going to carry him back, San San wasn't sure if Teacher Chen would be unhappy once he sobered up.
Seeing Chen Yunqi's discomfort, San San couldn't care less. Teacher Chen had never acted superior, and besides, he had held Teacher Chen's hand on the day they went up the mountain. So he helped Chen Yunqi up by placing one arm on his shoulder, then wrapped his other arm around Chen Yunqi's back and under his other armpit, using his strength to lift Chen Yunqi to his feet. He then bent down to the side, letting Chen Yunqi lie on his back.
Chen Yunqi felt the strength emanating from San San's somewhat thin body. He effortlessly straightened his legs, slightly hunching over, and carried him on his back. He wanted to refuse, but San San tightened his grip on his legs, bouncing him up a little before carrying him steadily. He was so tall that his upper body reached over San San's shoulders, his head drooping beside his ear, his breath reeking of alcohol, which flushed San San's cheeks in the darkness.
San San carried Chen Yunqi slowly, patiently listening to Chen Yunqi's constant apologies in his ear. Taking advantage of a moment when Chen Yunqi could catch his breath, San San turned his head slightly and said to him, "Brother Xiao Qi, don't move around. There's a downhill slope ahead. Hold on tight, and I'll carry you back."
Chapter Seven: Surname Lan
Chen Yunqi felt somewhat annoyed.
He had only been on the mountain for two days, and apart from eating at someone else's house, he hadn't done much of a proper job. He even got completely drunk and had to be carried back to school by San San.
The consequence of consuming excessive amounts of inferior liquor is a splitting headache the next day. Chen Yunqi vomited when he woke up in the morning, vomiting violently. He didn't eat much for dinner, and what he vomited was bile.
San San brought over a pot of noodles early in the morning, but Chen Yunqi only managed to drink a little of the broth. He didn't want to smoke either. After forcing himself to wash up, he wrapped himself in a down jacket and sat by the playground, listening to the uneven reading voices from the classrooms while being chilled by the cold wind.
Li Hui hadn't gotten up yet; apparently, he vomited all the way on Tang Yutao's back last night, and collapsed onto his bed at school, not moving an inch. Tang Yutao ate half a pot of noodles by himself and wandered back and forth between the two classrooms while attending his Chinese class.
Chen Yunqi didn't completely forget. He vaguely remembered San San holding a small flashlight in her mouth, steadily carrying him on her back from Li Yan's house to school. Li Yan's house was on higher ground, and the road back to school was all downhill. San San walked very steadily, but Chen Yunqi couldn't withstand even the slightest bump; the slightest sway made him feel dizzy and nauseous. He didn't care about saving face anymore, hugging San San tightly, resting his head against her cheek, and repeatedly saying, "San San, I'm so sorry, San San..."
Thinking of this, Chen Yunqi really wanted to find a wall and bang his head against it right away.
Why do I always feel so embarrassed in front of San San? The thing I said to San San that day, "I am a man much older than you," was like a slap in the face from Buddha, burning hot.
Last night, San San carried Chen Yunqi back to the room and helped him sit up on the bed. Knowing that Chen Yunqi was a clean person, she thoughtfully poured him a basin of hot water. Chen Yunqi washed his face haphazardly, rinsed his mouth with mouthwash, took off his clothes haphazardly, and fell asleep.
When I woke up in the morning, there was a thermos of warm water on my pillow, the water in the basin had been emptied and put back behind the door, the towel was neatly hung out to dry in front of the window, and even the clothes I had taken off were folded and placed at the foot of the bed.
Chen Yunqi finally regained his energy after taking a nap. In the afternoon, he distributed the stationery he had brought to the children. The stationery was decorated with cartoon characters that were currently popular among students. However, he realized that the children in the mountains had never seen cartoons and did not recognize them at all. So, as he distributed the stationery, he introduced it to each child one by one.
The children in the small class all really like their new teacher, Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen is tall and handsome, doesn't scold them harshly, and is also very good at drawing. They rarely had art classes before; neither Ms. Li nor Ms. Tang could draw, and Ms. Sheng certainly couldn't.
Besides Chinese, math, and physical education, everyone's favorite class is Song Feifei's music class. Song Feifei graduated from a preschool teacher training program and brought a small accordion with her when she came to the mountains, so she can teach the children to sing.
The school has plenty of supplies, with a good supply of colored pencils and watercolors. In this class, Chen Yunqi is guiding the students to draw "My Family".
Children in mountainous areas have very limited access to information, few possess natural talents, and they haven't developed good study habits from a young age. As a result, these children have difficulty concentrating in class and have poor comprehension abilities. Classroom discipline is practically nonexistent.
After a chaotic class, Tang Yutao manually rang the dismissal bell outside the door. The children handed in their artwork and scattered. Chen Yunqi sorted through their drawings; some papers were crumpled and wrinkled, while others were simply lines and shapes drawn with a pen. A couple of younger, well-behaved children stayed in the classroom, holding up their papers and crowding around him, eager to have him look at them.
Chen Yunqi noticed one of the drawings among a pile of paper. Although it was clumsy, he could clearly see the meaning that the whole painting was trying to express. He could see the white clouds and the sun in the sky, the small house in front of the mountain, and four people holding hands in front of the house. They were of different sizes, and one of them had his hands folded in front of his chest with a yellow thing in his arms.
The young author's name, Huang Yemu, was written crookedly in the lower right corner of the drawing paper.
Chen Yunqi pulled out the painting and set it aside, continuing to look through the other works. Tang Yutao peeked in through the doorway, saw Chen Yunqi sitting at the lectern, and walked in, followed by a short man.
Tang Yutao pointed to the short man and introduced him to Chen Yunqi: "Xiaoqi, this is Village Chief Sheng from Tianyun Village. He went to the county yesterday, but he came back this morning and said he wanted to come and see you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi put down the drawing paper in his hand, stood up, and shook hands with Village Chief Sheng.
Village Chief Sheng was so short that he had to look up to meet Chen Yunqi's gaze. He looked to be in his forties, with a pointed face and monkey-like features. He was wearing a clean-looking black leather jacket with a thick layer of wool on the collar.
After shaking hands, he took out a cigarette case from his pocket and handed one to Chen Yunqi. Chen Yunqi took the cigarette and said with a smile, "Let's go outside to smoke." Village Chief Sheng quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, it's not good to smoke in the classroom. Let's go outside, let's go outside."
Standing outside the classroom, Chen Yunqi exchanged pleasantries with Village Chief Sheng while smoking. He sincerely told the village chief that he was not a formal volunteer teacher, but just happened to have time to stay for a while. The village chief didn't take it seriously and formally expressed his gratitude for Chen Yunqi's volunteer teaching and introduced him to the situation in the village.
Tianyun Village has a population of over 500, scattered across several hilltops in six groups. Tianyun Primary School is located in Group 3. The majority of the villagers are Yi people with the surname Sheng, with some also belonging to the Li family. In addition to Sheng and Li, there are also Huang and Lan surnames. Among them, the Huang family is Han Chinese. Intermarriage exists among the four surnames.
The only way for the villagers of Tianyun Village to communicate with the outside world is a nearly 5-kilometer-long mule track, carved out of the cliff face five years ago, with a vertical drop of almost 1,000 meters. Before the mule track was built, villagers used wooden ladders and vine ladders to go up and down the mountain, swinging back and forth on the cliff like monkeys while carrying heavy goods.
On the way up the mountain, you'll pass a place called "Old Crow's Beak," which is where Group 1 is located. Old Crow's Beak is very small, so Group 1 only has three households, and Teacher Sheng's family is one of them.
Chen Yunqi didn't ask the foolish question, "Why not choose to live down the mountain?" The Yi people are an ancient ethnic group. They worship mountain gods and rely on the mountains for their livelihood. Generations have lived here. If they left the mountains, they would lose their support, and their survival skills would be useless. Moreover, there was nowhere outside the mountains to settle them, no land for them to cultivate. They were already familiar with and integrated into these harsh natural conditions.
But today, the mountains can no longer provide enough for the younger generation of Yi people, who yearn for the outside world. Many adults and young people in the village choose to go out to find work, and their limited options are limited to finding jobs at the nearest canyon water conservancy project construction site. Most of the young people will learn some skills to operate construction vehicles.
A very small minority choose to work in more distant cities, where they toil and sweat to earn meager wages to supplement their family income in the mountains. Because of their lack of education and language barriers, they can only struggle at the very bottom of urban society. But no matter how long or far they go, or what kind of life they ultimately lead, these mountains are the true and only home for the Yi people.
After chatting for a long time, Village Chief Sheng invited Chen Yunqi to his home for dinner. Remembering his promise to visit San San's house the day before, Chen Yunqi reluctantly declined after much effort. He then pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes and stuffed it into Chen Yunqi's hand, repeatedly assuring him that he would visit as soon as possible before finally seeing the village chief off.
After afternoon classes, Chen Yunqi tidied up the classroom and remembered that Li Hui hadn't gotten up yet. He went to Li Hui's room and found him still fast asleep. He was a little worried that Li Hui sleeping like this might cause some problems, but Tang Yutao said it was fine; he was always like this, with a low alcohol tolerance but a love of drinking, and every time he got drunk he would sleep for a whole day and night. Chen Yunqi could only take the two thermos flasks from their room, thinking he would fetch some hot water after dinner so Li Hui could wash up or make instant noodles when he woke up.
On the way to San San's house, Chen Yunqi asked Tang Yutao about Huang Yemu. Tang Yutao was taken aback for a moment before saying, "Huang Yemu? Huang Yelin?"