Chapter 3:
After parting ways with Yang Lianyi and the others, Mi Hongdou stood alone on the street, finally having some free time, but her heart felt empty. The year she fell from the wires, Mi Hongdou was thirty years old. In those ten years, she had fame and fortune.
Returning to ten years ago, to do it all over again, what was the point?
And now, signing with Mengguan, she would act in the same dramas she had acted in before, do the same things she had done before, and then have fame and fortune, living all the way to thirty? She felt listless, and the thought brought no excitement. Mi Hongdou walked along, thinking, and couldn’t help but mock herself for not appreciating her blessings. Even if there were no major changes, being able to enjoy youth again was a good thing.
With her mind a jumbled mess of memories and thoughts, she didn’t know how long she had walked. When Mi Hongdou finally snapped out of it, she was almost home.
Looking at the newly built residential complex in front of her, Mi Hongdou regretfully patted her head. In her previous life, she bought a house here after filming the two dramas. Right now, she and her mother should still be living in the old neighborhood in the other direction. Indeed, habits were hard to break. After slapping herself a few times, Mi Hongdou became more clear-headed. It had only been two months since she graduated, and she had just started sending out resumes for job hunting. Today, she was supposed to be out buying some professional attire to prepare for interviews.
But she didn’t buy any clothes, and instead saved someone. After all the delays, it was almost dark. Mi Hongdou decided to hurry home to avoid getting scolded. Even though her mother was only in her early forties, these past two years she seemed to be going through menopause, and her temper was quite volatile.
When her parents divorced, the small snack shop had already grown from a two-burner stove to a large storefront. Her father wanted the shop and the child. To gain custody of Mi Hongdou, her mother took a step back and only took the house and a portion of their savings. Later, her father’s business grew even better, from a small snack shop to a chain of fast-food restaurants, and he even opened a few restaurants. He wasn’t super-rich, but he was living quite comfortably.
As for her mother, who gave up most of their assets to gain custody of her daughter, she now only had this old house. But it didn’t matter. Mi Hongdou knew she could change this situation, and soon.
Before going home, Mi Hongdou stopped by a small newsstand at the entrance of the neighborhood and bought a few entertainment magazines. Her intention was to understand the current state of the entertainment industry, but she didn’t expect that two of them had Ji Junxin on the cover.
Seeing that it was already dark, Mi Hongdou didn’t look closely. She bought them and then went to the pastry shop next door to buy a bag of egg rolls.
The dim hallway had touch-activated lights. Mi Hongdou went up to the fifth floor, felt the keys in her pocket, and suddenly felt a sense of trepidation about returning home.
Inside, was not the mother from ten years later who had finally let go of the past and found peace. The mother at this time should still be carrying resentment in her heart, right?
Fortunately, her mother was in a good mood today. She didn’t scold Mi Hongdou for coming back late and missing dinner. She just said there was some food left in the kitchen and told her to go eat.
Opening the large steamer on the stove, there was a bowl of rice and a plate of braised pork on the top layer, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables with mushrooms and a whole bowl of steamed egg on the bottom layer. It was supposed to be leftovers, but every time it was freshly made. The richly seasoned, fatty and lean pork belly, just the smell of it made her mouth water. Ever since Mi Hongdou started acting, she had to control her figure and rarely ate braised pork. Now, deceiving herself that she hadn’t signed the contract yet and could eat one more time, Mi Hongdou’s first chopstick went straight for the meat bowl.
Her mother only used soy sauce and no salt when braising pork, and she also added soybeans to the pot. The meat was stewed until it was very tender, almost melting in the mouth. This bite was a mix of meat and bean flavors, the texture was soft and glutinous. She barely chewed twice before the piece of meat was gone. If she was just a little hungry before starting, after the first bite, it was so delicious she couldn’t stop. One bite of meat, then one bite of vegetables. The freshness of the latter relieved the greasiness of the former, bringing out a different kind of sweetness. This cycle was simply a perfect match.
The rice was deliberately cooked a little dry, making it perfect with the meat sauce, soybeans, or steamed egg. The dry rice grains highlighted the smoothness of the meat sauce and steamed egg. After finishing the bowl of rice, the bottom of the bowl was scraped clean. Twenty years old, it was a time of good appetite. Mi Hongdou couldn’t remember the last time she had such a satisfying meal.
After clearing the four bowls and plates in front of her, she suddenly felt that this rebirth was really good!
While Mi Hongdou was finishing her meal, her mother had also finished half a bag of egg rolls. If someone said that some things weren’t inherited, it would be hard to believe.
In her previous life, Mi Hongdou was apprehensive and didn’t immediately agree to Yang Lianyi’s offer, saying she needed to discuss it with her mother. Unexpectedly, her mother didn’t object at all, but rather supported her, giving Mi Hongdou a great deal of reassurance. So now, even though Mi Hongdou had already made the decision herself, her mother, as in her previous life, didn’t stop her but encouraged her. Mother and daughter chatted about it for a while, then ran out of things to say. Mi Hongdou retreated to her room, glancing at the remaining egg rolls on the table before leaving. Her mother had a natural talent for cooking. As the older generation would say, she was born to do this.
Back then, her father’s snack shop thrived because of her mother’s pastry skills. But after the divorce, her mother never made Chinese pastries again, and she wouldn’t even eat them. It wasn’t until two years before Mi Hongdou’s rebirth in her previous life that her mother slowly let go and showed off her skills, surprising Mi Hongdou quite a bit.
And she was partly responsible for her mother taking so long to let go, Mi Hongdou thought, feeling a little heavy-hearted.
Her mood, which had been lifted by the food, was brought down again by thoughts of her mother. It wasn’t until she returned to her room and picked up the newly bought magazines that she was replaced by another indescribable feeling.
The top magazine had Ji Junxin on the cover. Her makeup was light, her smile appropriate, her shoulder-length hair slightly curled inwards at the ends, giving her a refined, scholarly air. She was wearing a low-cut white dress that showed off her figure. But those high heels, Mi Hongdou frowned slightly, the heels seemed too high, she wondered if it would be tiring to shoot in them. But soon, her mood was smoothed out by the gentle eyes on the cover. A pool of autumn water, warm and lovely. Ten years later, she still looked the same, as if time had not brought her any change.
No, there was a change. At this time, she had an innocent air of detachment from the world. Ten years later, she had a gentle look of someone who had seen through the world.
Should she really try to change that incident? Looking at the person in the picture, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt a little timid. Her eyes darted away, but she suddenly saw a headline on the cover: “Ji Junxin Withdraws.”
Mi Hongdou was shocked. In her previous life, Ji Junxin starred in this movie. The film had a high investment and a good script, making Ji Junxin even more famous. Why was there news of her withdrawal now?
Something that didn’t happen in her previous life was happening now. Mi Hongdou’s inner turmoil couldn’t be calmed by any amount of braised pork.
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