【Translated】For the first time ever, he and she sat side by side to watch a movie. She was twenty, and he was twenty-two. He clearly remembered the large promotional poster in front of the cinema, with the film title "Dripping Blood Twilight" standing out prominently.
Before the movie started, he carefully selected two packets of beef jerky from the department store, one for each of them. Sitting shoulder to shoulder, she held her packet of beef jerky, unsure what to do. The plot of the movie was no longer important; it had all been forgotten. She was anxiously pondering how to eat the beef jerky in front of him. It was the first time that a girl sat beside a boy to watch a movie, feeling awkward and breathless, let alone eating! She feared she might embarrass herself by not being able to tear open the beef jerky packaging properly, or not having tissues to wipe her dirty hands, or even worse, him seeing her clumsy eating manner. She kept staring at the screen pretending to watch intently, but her mind was full of chaotic thoughts.
He whispered to her softly: "Why are you so serious when watching a movie? You look like you're listening to a professor's lecture, fully focused and never looking away." She lowered her head slightly and smiled faintly. In reality, only she could hear the rhythm of her own heartbeat.
He kept sneaking glances at her sitting next to him, observing her every move with his peripheral vision. However, throughout the entire movie, she remained still. With the dim light, he wanted so much to hold her small, delicate hand – the one holding the packet of beef jerky.
After a while, he cautiously asked again: "Do you not like the taste of beef jerky?"
"Um... No, it's pretty good," she nervously replied, answering inappropriately like a frightened fawn.
He felt sorry for her discomfort and compared himself to a hunter chasing a little deer. Thus, he gave up the idea of holding her hand, pretending to focus on the movie instead, avoiding direct eye contact with her nervous and shy self.
From that moment on, he secretly vowed in his heart to protect her, to wait for her, for the rest of his life.
"Do you think the beef jerky tastes nice? Shall I help you open it?" During the intermission, he asked her opinion, showcasing a chivalrous spirit of helping others.
"No, it's okay," she dodged, accidentally dropping the beef jerky on the ground. When bending down to pick it up, his big hand unintentionally touched her small hand. Her face turned red instantly, and she shyly leaned slightly away from him.
He quietly kept the unopened packet of beef jerky that fell on the ground for himself and handed over his pristine packet to her. Maybe she really didn't like the taste of beef jerky. He regretted not asking her opinion beforehand; perhaps she preferred dried fruits or sunflower seeds.
The smell of beef jerky mixed with his scent, swirling around her, making her feel dizzy yet mesmerized.
That packet of beef jerky remained tightly clutched in her hand for an hour and forty-five minutes. She didn't dare to eat it until the movie ended. In the cold winter, her hands were slightly sweaty. After returning home, she wrote a long diary entry, meticulously recording her feelings, staying up late into the night. Despite her mother repeatedly urging her to turn off the lights and rest, she reluctantly closed her thick diary and hugged it as she went to sleep.
From then on, she fell in love with beef jerky, with its taste.
Many years later, he and she took their ten-year-old daughter to a luxurious cinema to watch "Hero," reminiscing about that movie and that packet of beef jerky.
He curiously asked her: "Why didn't you eat the beef jerky back then?"
Even in her middle age, she still blushed, telling him: "My mom said, 'If you eat someone else's food, you owe them,' and that I shouldn't randomly accept things from boys."
He laughed uncontrollably...
[Note: URLs have been omitted in translation.]
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