After Being Scummed – Chapter 23

by Little Panda

How About It, Surprised!

Zuo Jingyou took Yin Bai to a nearby hot pot restaurant. She, plus Yin Bai, Zhang Yu, and the driver, four people in total, ordered a mandarin duck hot pot¹.

After the soup base came to a boil, Zhang Yu and Zuo Jingyou started to shuan² beef. Zhang Yu threw a whole load of beef into the red broth, occasionally picking out a small portion and tossing it into the clear broth.

Zuo Jingyou looked a little surprised: “Meat tastes better if it’s cooked in the spicy broth, right? Vegetables can just be cooked in the clear broth.”

Zhang Yu then explained to Zuo Jingyou: “BOSS’s tongue is a waiguoren³‘s tongue; she loves spicy food but can’t handle too much spice.”

Zuo Jingyou understood: “No wonder you ordered the mandarin duck hot pot. I thought it was you who couldn’t eat spicy food.”

Zhang Yu laughed heartily, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: “How could that be? Speaking of which, I’m actually a fellow townsman of yours! Of course I can eat spicy food!”

Sitting beside Zhang Yu, Yin Bai glanced at Zhang Yu and said stubbornly: “Yuncheng⁴ is so amazing, huh? Being able to eat spicy food is so amazing, huh!”

These words were so sour and jealous that Zhang Yu couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s nothing amazing, it just means I can eat lots of delicious Chuancai⁵!”

Seeing her so pleased with herself, Yin Bai snorted coldly, extended her cane, and tapped Zhang Yu’s instep under the table, threatening: “If you keep being so smug, believe it or not, I’ll go home and have Ayi⁶ make you sweet and sour pork ribs for a month?”

Apart from cakes and pastries, Zhang Yu actually didn’t like sweet dishes much, let alone a cloyingly sweet food like sweet and sour pork ribs. She immediately begged for mercy: “I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have gotten carried away⁷, Boss, please spare me.”

Yin Bai snorted, and only then did she retract her cane.

Sitting opposite them, Zuo Jingyou watched the interaction between these two clowns and couldn’t help but laugh. Zuo Jingyou fished out some cooked beef, blew on it gently by her lips, and asked while eating, “Where in Yuncheng are you from?”

Zhang Yu replied: “I’m from Jiangwan District⁸. What about you, Teacher Zuo?”

Zuo Jingyou smiled, her eyes curving: “What a coincidence, I’m also from Jiangwan District.”

As the saying goes, when fellow townsmen meet, their eyes brim with tears⁹. The two opened the floodgates of conversation, starting from the famous snacks in Jiangwan District, to the schools they attended as children…

Yin Bai wasn’t from Yuncheng and couldn’t join the conversation, so she could only watch the two fellow townsmen reminisce. After listening for a while, she actually felt quite happy. Because Zhang Yu was from Yuncheng and had common topics with Zuo Jingyou, she learned a little more about this friend of hers.

After the two finished talking about Yuncheng matters, Zuo Jingyou sighed: “But when I went to university, I moved out. Later, when my mother retired, she settled in Haicheng¹⁰.”

Yin Bai, who had been listening quietly for a long time, interjected: “Isn’t Haicheng pretty good too? Warm all year round, fresh air, and a pleasant climate.”

Zuo Jingyou strongly agreed with this point: “En, that’s true. But Haicheng has one drawback…”

Yin Bai was puzzled: “What drawback?”

Zuo Jingyou smiled: “The hot pot base isn’t spicy enough!”

Yin Bai exclaimed in surprise: “Still not spicy enough ah!” She was almost dying from the spiciness, okay!

Zhang Yu also chimed in agreeably: “Indeed, it’s not spicy enough. Every time I go eat, I feel it’s not satisfying enough.”

Yin Bai picked up some beef from the clear broth, glanced sideways at Zhang Yu, and muttered in her heart: I don’t believe you for a second! You’re clearly the one who eats the most every time!

Zuo Jingyou smiled, then turned her gaze to Yin Bai: “What about you? Teacher Yin Bai, were you born and raised in Haicheng?”

Yin Bai, who was suddenly addressed by name, looked up at Zuo Jingyou. She was taken aback for a good moment before replying, “Ah… not exactly…”

“I was born in Haicheng, and when I was a few years old, I started traveling around Europe with my parents…”

Zuo Jingyou was somewhat surprised: “Traveling around Europe means?”

Yin Bai explained to her: “It means living in France for a few months, then Italy for a few months, and then going to Spain and so on… In my memory, the two of them were always moving me around.”

Yin Bai paused, then said to Zuo Jingyou: “My father is a painter, and my mother is a photographer. They were already quite old when they got together. My paternal grandmother didn’t manage my father much… The two of them raised me with a ‘happy education’ philosophy…”

Zhang Yu, sitting beside Yin Bai, was also hearing Yin Bai talk about her family for the first time and turned to look at her in great surprise: “Then what about your studies?”

Yin Bai shrugged and explained to them: “My paternal grandmother really couldn’t stand it anymore, so she found me a private tutor who followed me around. I muddled along like that until I was twelve, then I returned to China for middle school.”

“You know, after I came back to school, my happy times ended.”

Actually, it wasn’t entirely like that. She remembered that day, on the way back from the airport, when they were passing through a tunnel, a car accident happened.

Her father and the driver in the front seat died on the spot. Her mother protected her, but due to the explosion, she suffered extensive burns all over her body and eventually died in the hospital after treatment failed, in a very painful way.

As for her… besides injuring her foot, which couldn’t fully heal, making her a disabled person with a limp, she also had many scars left on her body.

This sudden accident erased all the joy of her childhood. Since who knows when, she could no longer find her childhood.

But she had never told anyone about this matter. And she decided that she would not tell anyone about such things in the future. Because apart from receiving sympathy and pity, nothing could go back to the past; it would only add to the sorrow.

When Zhang Yu heard Yin Bai say this, she tutted lightly: “Ah, those accursed rich people! You actually attended private tutoring!” Comparing people to people is truly infuriating¹¹!

Yin Bai glanced at her and said nonchalantly, “I just happened to have a good paternal grandmother. Actually…”

Yin Bai paused, sighed, and said: “If I could, I would also like to grow up like you all, ordinarily, like a normal person.”

With both parents alive, happy and harmonious.

Zhang Yu sighed with deep feeling: “But you’ve already grown up. The joys of our xiaokang¹² families are something you’ll never get to experience in this lifetime.”

Yin Bai glanced at her, extended her cane and tapped her on the calf, saying resentfully, “Shut up! With so much food, how come it can’t stuff your mouth shut!”

Zhang Yu cried out “Aiyo!” and looked at her with teary eyes: “Boss, if you have something to say, say it nicely! Don’t get physical!”

Yin Bai made a gesture as if to raise her cane, threatening: “Hurry up and eat yours!”

Zhang Yu snorted and buried her head, eating with gusto.

Zuo Jingyou, on the opposite side, could see it clearly: Yin Bai and her little assistant were like Zhou Yu and Huang Gai—one was willing to dish it out, and the other was willing to take it¹³!

Zuo Jingyou scooped up the naohua¹⁴ with a slotted spoon, placed it in the spicy pot to cook, and while cooking, asked Yin Bai: “So you learned your eight languages back then?”

What the heck, ‘eight languages’? That sounds so strange!

Yin Bai nodded, not refuting: “Sort of… but I haven’t slacked off on them since; I’ve been practicing hard.”

Yin Bai paused, then said mysteriously to Zuo Jingyou: “Let me tell you, when I was little, I even wanted to be a diplomat.”

Zuo Jingyou chuckled in amusement and asked her: “Then why didn’t you become a diplomat? You’re so smart, it wouldn’t be hard for you to pass the civil servant exam, right?”

Yin Bai sighed: “I was rebellious during puberty, a bit withdrawn, unsociable, didn’t want to deal with people, too troublesome.” Yin Bai paused, then said something that made Zhang Yu very jealous¹⁵: “Besides, when I grow up, I have to inherit tens of yi¹⁶ in family assets, no time.”

Zhang Yu clenched her fists: “Boss, if you keep this up, I’m going to develop hatred for the rich!”

Yin Bai glanced at her and tutted lightly.

Zuo Jingyou smiled, chatted with Yin Bai about some other topics, and when the naohua was almost cooked, she scooped it out and gave a quarter of it to Yin Bai: “Can you eat this? After you push aside the huajiao¹⁷ and chili peppers, it won’t be too spicy.”

Yin Bai pursed her lips, looking at the naohua which looked fragrant and delicious from being cooked, and nodded: “I can eat it.”

Zuo Jingyou then placed the naohua into her bowl. Yin Bai picked up a piece with her chopsticks, ate it with some warm boiled water, and while hissing from the spiciness, she finished it with relish.

It was a very pleasant meal. Yin Bai felt she understood her friend a little more. On the way back, Yin Bai said to Zuo Jingyou: “I thought female celebrities like you were very particular about managing your figures, so you wouldn’t eat at night, let alone eat such stimulating food.”

For example, Xiao Nian was like that, always on a weight-loss set meal, vegetables and boiled chicken breast, things like that.

Zuo Jingyou smiled, pondered for a moment, and then answered Yin Bai: “Actually… it’s like this during filming, because being on camera has requirements for weight, you need to be thinner. But… usually, I work out to burn off the extra calories.”

Yin Bai carefully sized up Zuo Jingyou, suddenly remembering that Zuo Jingyou was a woman who could do a high jump wearing high heels. How to put it… she was indeed someone who had trained.

Thinking this, Yin Bai said dejectedly: “I used to work out too. But these past two years… I’ve slacked off…”

Careless, careless, Yin Bai reached into her pocket, pinched her soft belly through her clothes, and wondered in her mind if she should consider resuming her fitness routine.

After all, being healthy is truly very important!

For the next few days, Yin Bai took Zhang Yu to visit the crew members, and also sent over a few chefs and pastry shifus¹⁸ to improve the crew’s meals.

By the time Zuo Jingyou finished filming her last scene and officially wrapped up¹⁹, it was already January 7th. On the day of the wrap-up, Jincheng²⁰ once again experienced heavy snowfall.

In the dark night, countless snowflakes drifted down from the sky, following the direction of the lights, landing on the camera’s waterproof cover, on Zuo Jingyou’s clothes, on her black down jacket…

In no time, everyone in the crew was covered in fine white snow, blending into the snowy night scene.

Following Zuo Jingyou’s call of “cut,” all the scenes for the entire movie were completed, and the crew erupted in cheers. Everyone gathered around Zuo Jingyou, excitedly saying things about wrapping up filming.

Zuo Jingyou stood under the lights, surrounded by the crowd, her eyes glistening with tears of excitement. Just then, Yin Bai came to Zuo Jingyou with a bouquet of arranged flowers and handed it to her: “Congratulations on wrapping up.”

“Thank you!” Zuo Jingyou accepted the flowers personally arranged by Yin Bai and sincerely thanked her.

Then, many other people from the crew presented Zuo Jingyou with flowers. On this severely cold winter day, with snowflakes filling the sky, the lively atmosphere created a sense of warmth and harmony.

Yin Bai saw that Zuo Jingyou had received most of the flowers, turned her head and smiled at her: “By the way, as encouragement for you finishing your first movie as a director, let me give you another gift.”

Zuo Jingyou was puzzled and turned to look at Yin Bai.

Yin Bai snapped her fingers and called out to Zhang Yu beside her: “Zhang Yu, get ready.”

“Okay, BOSS.” Zhang Yu made an OK gesture and took out her phone to make a call. Not long after the call ended, a firework suddenly shot up into the distant dark night sky.

With a bang, countless fireworks exploded in the dark night sky. Under the illumination of the splendid fireworks, snowflakes danced, breathtakingly beautiful.

Zuo Jingyou looked up at the incredibly brilliant sky in the distance, and it seemed as if fireworks had fallen into her eyes too, gradually brightening.

Yin Bai turned to look at her expression and said triumphantly: “How about it, surprised! I had Zhang Yu buy up all the fireworks in the city; you can watch them for a long time tonight!”

Hearing this, Zuo Jingyou turned her head and looked at Yin Bai’s side profile.

She saw Yin Bai’s already fair skin appearing even colder in such weather. Falling snowflakes landed on her hair, her temples, and the tip of her nose.

Zuo Jingyou gazed at the smile on Yin Bai’s lips, held the flowers in her hands, looked at the snowflakes in the sky, then at the fireworks exploding in the distance, and for a moment felt that such a magnificent scene seemed entirely less beautiful than the person beside her.

Zuo Jingyou turned her head again, earnestly engraving Yin Bai into her eyes, and finally came to a conclusion: Yes, Yin Bai… could be called an otherworldly beauty²¹.

LP: So cute! I was smiling and felt giddy while reading this (≧◡≦)

Re-translated on May 20, 2025

Footnotes

鴛鴦鍋 | yuānyang guō | A type of hot pot divided into two sections, typically one spicy and one mild broth.
涮 | shuàn | To cook by quickly dipping thin slices of food into boiling broth, typically in a hot pot.
歪果仁 | wāiguǒrén | Slang for foreigner (外國人 | wàiguórén). Lit. “crooked nut person,” a pun on the sound.
雲城 | Yúnchéng | Cloud City.
川菜 | Chuāncài | Sichuan cuisine, a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province, known for its bold, pungent, and spicy flavors.
阿姨 | āyí | Auntie; also a common term for a domestic helper or nanny.
得意忘形 | déyì wàngxíng | Lit. “pleased with oneself and forget one’s proper bearings” | Fig. to get carried away by success, to become cocky.
江灣區 | Jiāngwān Qū | Jiangwan District. Qu (區) means district.
老鄉見老鄉，兩眼淚汪汪 | lǎoxiāng jiàn lǎoxiāng, liǎng yǎn lèi wāngwāng | Lit. “When fellow townsmen meet fellow townsmen, both eyes are brimming with tears.” | Fig. Expresses the strong emotion and instant camaraderie felt when people from the same hometown meet far away from home.
海城 | Hǎichéng | Sea City.
人比人，氣死人 | rén bǐ rén, qì sǐ rén | Lit. “person compared to person, angers one to death” | Fig. Comparisons are odious; comparing oneself to others can be infuriating or make one feel inadequate.
小康 | xiǎokāng | A term referring to a society where people are moderately well-off, or a family that is comfortably prosperous.
周瑜打黃蓋——一個願打一個願挨 | Zhōu Yú dǎ Huáng Gài — yī ge yuàn dǎ yī ge yuàn ái | Lit. “Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai—one is willing to beat, and the other is willing to be beaten.” | Fig. A situation where both parties are complicit in a dynamic, often where one feigns injury or submission for a larger plan, or simply a mutually accepted dynamic of teasing and feigned complaint. Derived from a story in “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”
腦花 | nǎohuā | Brain, typically pork brain, a delicacy in some Chinese cuisines, often eaten in hot pot.
檸檬 | níngméng | Lit. “lemon.” Internet slang for feeling jealous or envious.
億 | yì | Unit of number. 1 yi = 100 million.
花椒 | huājiāo | Sichuan peppercorn; a spice from the Zanthoxylum genus, known for its numbing sensation.
師傅 | shīfu | Master; polite term for skilled worker/artisan/teacher. Here referring to pastry chefs.
殺青 | shāqīng | To “kill the green”; refers to the completion of filming for a movie or TV show, derived from the ancient process of treating bamboo strips for writing.
錦城 | Jǐnchéng | Brocade City.
人間絕色 | rénjiān juésè | Lit. “human world peerless beauty/color.” | Fig. A beauty unparalleled in the mortal world; an otherworldly beauty.

4 Comments

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Apr 21, '24 at 7:31 PM

YAHHHHH THEY’RE IN LOVE YOUR HONOR

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sig

Apr 21, '24 at 7:31 AM

YAHHHHH THEY’RE IN LOVE YOUR HONOR

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Ry

Oct 10, '23 at 8:39 AM

Awwwswwwwwwwwwwwwww that ending is too romantic 😆❤️

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Ry

Oct 9, '23 at 8:39 PM

Awwwswwwwwwwwwwwwww that ending is too romantic 😆❤️

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