The two returned from the beach to the pedestrian street of the ancient city. Lu Xiaoqiao took Zhou Qizhen to check in all the delicious snacks that she had told him about before.
Grilled cold noodles, chicken fillets, cold noodles, spicy hot pot, and even the ten-dollar lunch boxes and hot and sour noodles at the back of the department store were tried as well.
"We have a delicious 'Guo's Candied Hawthorns' here, made with pure rock sugar. They've been selling it since I was a kid. After all these years, the taste is still the same as before, and it doesn't stick to your teeth. Do you want to try it?"
"Okay." Zhou Qizhen nodded with a smile.
He turned his head and glanced at Lu Xiaoqiao, who was now holding his arm tightly. Because it was cold, her hands were hidden in his coat pockets, holding his hand tightly.
Her sparkling eyes seemed to be filled with stars, her smile was as beautiful as a flower, and she looked as bright as a naive and lively child.
The cost of the whole day was not even as expensive as a cup of tea that Zhou Qizhen usually drank, but having her by his side brought him a sense of happiness that could not be replaced by anything else.
It gets dark early in winter, and at almost four o'clock the two of them prepared to go home.
When they were almost at the intersection, Zhou Qizheng said, "What does Jiaqi like to eat? Let's buy some and take it back!"
Lu Xiaoqiao didn't expect him to be so thoughtful. After thinking for a moment, she said, "He really likes the squid at the intersection. As for fruit, he likes strawberries just like me!"
"Well, let's buy some more strawberries later."
Lu Xiaoqiao said "hmm" sweetly.
The two first went to a vendor selling grilled squid, ordered some squid tentacles and a few whole squids, paid the money and asked the boss to cook it first, and the two went to the fruit supermarket next door to buy fruit.
When we got to the fruit shop, we saw two kinds of strawberries on display, one local and the other a very famous Jiujiu strawberry.
When Lu Xiaoqiao was hesitating, the lady boss of the fruit shop came over.
"Girl, just trust your aunt and buy this Dandong Jiujiu, it's the sweetest and tastiest."
The strawberries are supported by green artificial leaves and placed one by one in foam boxes. There are only about a dozen in a box.
"Then I'd like two boxes of this Dandong Jiujiu!"
"Okay! Auntie will pick out the red ones for you."
The lady who was selling fruits was picking them up when Zhou Qizhen, who had been standing beside her, suddenly said,
"Madam, please help us pick out ten boxes."
Lu Xiaoqiao: “…”
Lady boss: “…”
"Why do you need so much? Two boxes will be enough!"
"Don't you like eating strawberries? There aren't many in this box, and there are uncles, aunts, big brother and sister-in-law here too. Don't worry, we can finish them all."
After listening to what Zhou Qizhen said, the lady boss of the fruit shop couldn't help but look at him a few more times. Just by looking at his clothes, she could tell that he was not an ordinary person, not to mention his demeanor and conversation.
Fruits like strawberries are at their most expensive when they first hit the market, which is during the Chinese New Year. People buy them for their children to taste the freshness of the fruit, but adults are reluctant to eat them.
But the guy in front of me, because his girlfriend loves it and he was afraid that she wouldn't be willing to eat it, he also bought some for the adults at home, and bought ten boxes at a time.
I’ve seen people pamper their girlfriends, but I’ve never seen anyone pamper his girlfriend like this.
The lady boss enthusiastically picked out ten boxes of strawberries and placed them on the side: "Auntie will help you two tie them up with ropes so that it will be easier for you two to carry them."
Lu Xiaoqiao smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, auntie."
"Don't be polite to Auntie. You two bought so many strawberries. Auntie has to thank you two."
The lady boss tied up a bunch of buns and said as she tied the knot, "You two look so good-looking. I can't even imagine how good-looking your future children will be."
Lu Xiaoqiao's cheeks felt a little hot, and she whispered, "We haven't gotten married yet."
"What's the big deal? Getting married is a matter of time! Okay, now it's easy!"
Zhou Qizhen glanced at the blushing Lu Xiaoqiao, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.
Coming out of the fruit shop, Zhou Qi was carrying ten boxes of strawberries, and Lu Xiaoqiao wanted to help.
"You take the squid later, I'll carry this."
"Um."
The two of them didn't get home until almost five o'clock, and it was already getting dark!
As soon as I got out of the car, I saw Father Lu standing on the concrete steps of the house waiting for me.
"Why did you come back so late? I was waiting for you two to have dinner."
The words were directed to Lu Xiaoqiao, but Zhou Qizhen answered Lu's father's question: "Sorry, uncle, I kept you waiting for a long time!"
"It's okay, it's okay, come inside quickly!"
Several people entered the house, and Lu Xiaoqiao and Zhou Qi were placing strawberries and squid on the coffee table.
"Jiaqi, look what your uncle bought for you?"
When Lu Jiaqi walked over and took a look, his eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed in surprise: "Strawberries! Aunt, you bought me strawberries! Aunt, you are so kind."
"My uncle bought it."
Lu Jiaqi quickly turned to Zhou Qizheng and said, "Thank you, uncle. It's great that you're here. I told my mom this morning that I wanted to eat strawberries, but she not only refused to buy any for me, but also said that she looked like a strawberry and asked if I wanted to eat any."
Zhou Qi couldn't help laughing, and suddenly felt that this little kid's speaking style was exactly the same as her aunt's.
Liu Man laughed and scolded Lu Jiaqi: "This kid talks nonsense all day long."
Lu Jiaqi whispered back, "I'm not talking nonsense, that's what you said."
When Lu's mother came in, she was stunned when she saw the ten boxes of strawberries on the coffee table.
He looked at Lu Xiaoqiao and said, "Why did you buy so much?"
"There are many of us, we can finish it." Lu Xiaoqiao imitated Zhou Qizhen's original words and said it again.
At this time, Father Lu urged Mother Lu, "Okay, the children have been bought, let's eat! Hurry up and cook. Qi Zheng and I have to go out after dinner."
Lu Xiaoqiao followed her mother to the kitchen: "My father just told me that you had finished cooking and were waiting for us. How did Comrade Lu learn to lie?"
"Humph, he was anxious to play cards. He had been waiting for you at home all day. Someone asked him to play cards during the day, but he didn't go. He said he would bring an expert with him in the evening. He was just bragging all day."
"Ah? How much did Zhou Qizheng win for my dad last night?"
"Your dad said it depends on his mood."
Lu Xiaoqiao: “…”
…
For dinner, Lu's mother specially prepared a stew that is very common in rural areas, because she always felt that she had difficulty digesting the greasy food she ate during the Chinese New Year.
I originally wanted to eat it with Mr. Lu, but I didn't expect it to be loved by Zhou Qizhen.
"Auntie, what is this? I think it tastes delicious."
Mother Lu said with some amusement, "You like to eat this? It's the stewed squash that is very common in the countryside."
"Nested melon? I don't think there's any in Hangzhou. I've never eaten it."
Lu Xiaoqiao glanced at him and said, "It's pumpkin. How come you haven't eaten it before? Have you never eaten pumpkin before?"
Zhou Qizheng thought for a moment and said, "There should be a difference. I think it's not as delicious as the one made by Auntie."
As the cook, what makes Lu's mother happiest is undoubtedly being praised by the diners. She happily went to the gatehouse and brought a raw squash to show Zhou Qizhen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
