62. Photograph

At six in the morning, Er Tong went to wake up Qin Baike and Xiao Xie. “It’s a sunny day—perfect light for morning shots,” he said. Qin Baike moved quickly; within ten minutes he was ready, while Xiao Xie was still sitting on her bed in a daze, which made Er Tong want to scold her again.

Qin Baike stopped him. “Just the two of us will do. If you bring her hiking, won’t you be exhausted?”

Er Tong replied, “I need someone to hold the reflector board.”

“Never mind, let’s leave it at that.”

The two hurried out, just in time to see Tang Yiyi jogging out of the medical clinic. Er Tong shoved the reflector board into her arms and pulled her along.

Cuiwei Mountain was right on the edge of Yicheng, a ten-minute drive away, but climbing to the summit took at least twenty minutes. Er Tong said seven o’clock at the peak was just right.

The three rushed to the foot of the mountain, parked, and began their ascent. Er Tong, only a few days out from having stitches removed, had his camera bag slung over Qin Baike’s shoulder. But being chronically out of shape, Er Tong lagged behind, panting heavily, unable to keep up even with Tang Yiyi.

Qin Baike and Tang Yiyi each took an arm, helping him upward.

Er Tong said to Qin Baike, “Luckily we brought Little Yi. If Xiao Xie came, you’d be dragging two people today.”

Qin Baike replied, “Maybe I should just go up myself and take a few selfies; no need to enlarge them, just post them in the shop for people to see.”

Er Tong scoffed, “Do you even know how? Your selfies would make anyone cry from ugliness.”

“Not far now, hang in there,” Tang Yiyi encouraged.

“Brother Bai,” Er Tong asked, “when you were a firefighter, did you ever try to rescue someone too heavy to carry?”

“No,” Qin Baike said.

“If Xiao Xie fainted, could you move her?”

“Yes.”

“And if she gained another twenty pounds?”

“Try making her gain twenty more and see what happens.”

Er Tong burst out laughing, “I’m going to start a social media account for Xiao Xie, just posting videos of her eating all sorts of food. If she becomes famous, we’ll start advertising. Brother Bai, promotion for Qin’s Noodles will always be free. You can rest easy.”

“You want to feed her into a pig?”

“Brother Bai, just keep her exercising. I’ll shoot a series every week; she won’t turn into a pig. You worry about her more than her mother does. Why not worry about your own marriage?”

“Shut up!”

The summit was in sight. Er Tong quickly chose a spot for the photoshoot, opened the reflector board in Tang Yiyi’s hands, and instructed her where to stand and how to hold it.

Qin Baike was dressed in a navy quick-dry athletic T-shirt, matching camouflage sports pants, a light gray outdoor backpack, and sunglasses.

They took numerous photos as Er Tong directed: standing, walking, sitting. Er Tong then pulled a white sun-protection jacket from the bag and tied it around Qin Baike’s waist, moved to a new spot, and shot a few more.

Tang Yiyi asked, “Er Tong, what if someone recognizes this as Cuiwei Mountain? Isn’t that a bit embarrassing?”

Er Tong gave her a disdainful look. “How did you graduate from the Academy of Chinese Medicine with that brain? Brother Zhan could shoot you on your balcony and make it look like you’re vacationing in Greece—believe it?”

“You mean cut me out and paste me onto a Greek background?”

“No need for post-production; just use props on site.”

“You’re that good?”

Er Tong looked at her with pride and gave a confident nod.

When the photoshoot was finished, they descended and first stopped at Er Tong’s house for a printer, then returned to Huangjuelan Alley. Tang Yiyi got out at the entrance, saying she’d grab some noodles before returning to the clinic.

Qin Baike looked at her, “Try the ginger duck noodles.”

She nodded, “Alright.”

Business at Noodle King was a little slow. Tang Yiyi found a place to sit. Xiang Xiaoting came over to ask what she wanted. Tang Yiyi replied, “Ginger duck,” and Xiang Xiaoting nodded, went to the kitchen, and soon brought her the noodles, then sat opposite her.

“Sis, our shop got pushed out of the top ten. Lots of people say our noodles aren’t as good as Qin’s. What do you think?”

“They’re alright, just missing the aroma of chili oil.”

“I thought so. But Qin’s didn’t make the top ten because of taste—it’s because of that guy’s looks. Do you think he’s handsome?”

Tang Yiyi, amused and exasperated, said, “…he’s okay.”

“Way below TFboys, right?”

“Mm, TFboys are more handsome.”

“Dad doesn’t care about the competition at all. I can’t figure out these adults—such a great publicity opportunity and they let it slip by. What a pity.”

“Your ginger duck noodles are delicious. What’s this crunchy vegetable?” Tang Yiyi picked up a piece.

“Dried radish.”

“These noodles are tastier than Noodle King’s main dish. You should make this your signature.”

“Really?”

“Mm, you’re selling Noodle King, so customers barely notice this noodle dish.”

“Too bad Dad won’t listen. He only cares about Noodle King.”

“Then when you ask what people want, just recommend it especially. I bet at least half won’t refuse.”

“Alright, I’ll try.”

“And by the way, I think you’re better looking than any of the TFboys.”

“Really?” Xiang Xiaoting cupped her face and blushed.

That day, Mama Xiaoxiao arrived early, before Xu Mingtang finished work. After Xu Mingtang prepared her prescription, she pulled Tang Yiyi aside. “Yiyi, I really lost some weight. Look—my stomach is flat now. Most importantly, I don’t crave food anymore; a little fills me up.”

“Two more sessions and you can stop. Your weight is just right now. But make sure you keep exercising, or your skin will sag and look bad.”

“Okay, don’t worry. I’ve been exercising. My colleagues saw the results and want to try it too.”

“Great, bring them along,” Tang Yiyi said, proceeding to the treatment room to apply acupuncture. Outside, Fourth Uncle called her. When she went out, he whispered, “How did you think to help people lose weight?”

“They needed it themselves.”

“Silly girl, this is a huge business opportunity. So many people want to lose weight these days—it’s quicker money than bone-setting. I need to discuss it with Mingtang.” He started up the stairs, then paused and asked, “How did you charge before?”

“She’s Brother Xiaobin’s good friend’s mother. She was here for treatment, so I didn’t charge her.”

“Tell your friend’s mother not to bring anyone else yet. Say you don’t have a medical license and can’t treat openly. Wait until I talk to your master, then we’ll ask her to help bring people.”

“Oh.” Tang Yiyi watched Fourth Uncle’s retreating figure and quietly admired him. Were the Wu family really martial artists, not businesspeople? How were their minds so sharp?

Xu Bin came over. “What did Fourth Uncle say? He looked so pleased.”

“He discovered I’m worth more than you.”

“Tch, of course you’re worth more. You’re a thousand gold, worth a fortune.”

When Mama Xiaoxiao left, Tang Yiyi passed on Fourth Uncle’s instructions. Mama Xiaoxiao understood, “No problem, I’ll bring lots of people in the future.”

Near closing time, Er Tong arrived with several photos, asking for tape. Xu Bin took the photos and exclaimed, “Wow! Where’s this? Where did Brother Bai go?”

Tang Yiyi hurried over to look. In each photo, apart from Qin Baike, there was only a slanted patch of mountain underfoot, a pure, clean blue sky overhead, and distant, dazzling sunrise clouds.

There was a profile shot of Qin Baike sitting, a direct shot of his face as he turned during the climb, a blurred-background close-up, and one where he looked back, sunglasses off.

Tang Yiyi couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. In every photo, Qin Baike looked striking, cool, and hard-edged.

Xu Bin’s surprise came from the impossibility of believing such a pure blue sky existed in Yicheng.

“Where was this taken?” Xu Bin asked.

“Take a guess,” Er Tong raised his eyebrows smugly.

“Your expression tells me this was shot right here in Yicheng, nearby—was it on Cuiwei Mountain?”

Er Tong grinned and collected the photos, walking away with pride.