Chapter 58: "Commoner" Date (Part 2)
Next, Zhao Chen seemed to have transformed into the most experienced food tour guide, taking Yu Ling to "conquer the city" in the bustling night market.
The "Waterloo" of Teppanyaki Tofu.
"Boss, two servings of grilled tofu! One slightly spicy, and one..." Zhao Chen looked at Yu Ling.
"I want it slightly spicy too!" Yu Ling answered quickly, excitedly.
The golden tofu cubes are fried on both sides on a hot iron plate until crispy, sprinkled with chopped green onions, coriander, pickled mustard tubers, and drizzled with a special sauce, which is fragrant.
The two stood in front of the stall, eating from their food with simple bamboo skewers. Yu Ling was enjoying her meal, but Zhao Chen was a little slow, and a piece of crispy fried tofu suddenly "jumped" from the iron plate and landed precisely on the chest of his brand new gray sweatshirt, leaving a greasy, eye-catching mark.
"Pfft!" Yu Ling looked at his expression that was frozen in an instant, a little confused and embarrassed, and then looked at the funny oil stain on his chest, and couldn't help laughing out loud!
Zhao Chen looked down at his "medal", then at Yu Ling, who was smiling with her eyes curved. He shrugged helplessly, a look of confusion on his face. He joined the stall owner's good-natured laughter and said self-deprecatingly:
"It seems this tofu is also discriminating against newcomers!" He casually picked up a tissue from the stall and wiped it carelessly. His movements were clumsy and boyish, completely different from his usual meticulous and elite demeanor. Yu Ling saw his "down and out" look and laughed even more happily.
The roasted brain flower is so spicy that it makes you cry.
"Lingling, do you dare to challenge this?" Zhao Chen pointed at a stall with a sign that read "Abnormal Spicy Roasted Brain Flower" with a provocative and eager look in his eyes.
Yu Ling looked at the dark red chili oil and the brain soaked in it, swallowed her saliva, and her desire to win was aroused: "Why are you afraid? Boss! Two servings!"
As a result, the two of them were so choked by the spiciness that was beyond their imagination that they were crying and snotting. They kept drinking iced sour plum soup, breathing on each other, pointing at each other's red lips and tearful eyes, and laughing so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs.
The diners around them also smiled kindly at this pair of "brothers and sisters" who were both good-looking but had no image at all.
The childlike innocence of sugar painting.
Passing by an elderly man's sugar painting stall, the lifelike dragons, phoenixes, and bunnies attracted many children. Zhao Chen pulled Yu Ling over and said, "Boss, draw two for us! I want a dragon! Lingling, what do you want?"
Yu Ling watched the old man skillfully scoop up the boiling hot syrup, his wrists twirling as he sketched lines on the cold stone slab. Like a curious child, she said, "I want a little rabbit!"
When the crystal clear and lifelike little rabbit sugar painting was handed to Yu Ling, she held it carefully as if she was holding a treasure, with pure, childlike joy on her face.
.
Zhao Chen looked at her sparkling eyes and satisfied smile, his eyes so gentle that tears could drip out of them. He took out his cell phone and, ignoring her scolding, took several photos of her and the sugar-painted rabbit.
They were like an ordinary couple, huddled at a greasy little table, sharing a bowl of steaming duck blood and vermicelli soup; standing by a trash can, unconcernedly munching on sesame-covered grilled chicken wings; childishly playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would take the last bite of a skewer of grilled gluten; and repeatedly failing at the ring-tossing booth, Zhao Chen finally managed to land a cute, ugly stuffed bear for her with his amazing touch and "luck," drawing exclamations of envy from those around him...
The bright lights of the night market flashed in Yu Ling's eyes, and the noisy voices seemed to become the most beautiful background music.
The smoky aroma of the barbecued skewers, the coolness of the iced drinks, the surprise of the cheap toys, Zhao Chen's face stained when he clumsily wiped the sweat...all of these carried a rough but extremely real vitality, like a warm tide, washing away the coldness and defensiveness in her heart.
She forgot the elite aura of Stanford, the lingering presence of Gu Qianqian, the flickering light in the study, and the oppressive phone call urging her to give birth. She simply followed Zhao Chen, weaving through the crowds, lingering over the delicious food, laughing heartily, like a child finally freed from her constraints, savoring her freedom.
Zhao Chen held her hand tightly, protecting her in the crowded crowd. He looked at her bright smile without any haze on her face, listened to her crisp laughter, and the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowed.
At that moment, her pure joy was his world. He clumsily matched her childish behavior, unfazed by the greasy stains. He even made exaggerated expressions to elicit laughter when she jumped from the spiciness. The mask of "ordinariness" he maintained seemed to become more genuine in the presence of her unreserved smile.
It was late at night, and the night market was still bustling with people, but there was a hint of weariness amid the hustle and bustle.
In one hand, Zhao Chen held the plush bear that Yu Ling had "won" and a few bags of leftover snacks, and in the other hand, he held Yu Ling's hand tightly. Yu Ling was full, her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were still bright. They walked slowly towards the exit with the crowd.
Yu Ling burped contentedly, rubbed her slightly bloated stomach, and turned her head to look at Zhao Chen beside her.
The warm yellow light fell on his sharply defined profile. A light sweat stained his forehead, and the greasy stain on the chest of his gray sweatshirt stood out against the light. He was clutching a comically ugly teddy bear. He looked nothing like a wealthy or tech-savvy person. He was just an ordinary boy, content to accompany his girlfriend to the night market and get messed up.
An unprecedented warmth, a mixture of sweetness, peace of mind, and a hint of bitterness, surged through Yu Ling's heart. She subconsciously tightened her grip on his hand and moved closer to him.
"Are you happy?" Zhao Chen noticed her approaching, turned his head, and asked in a low voice with his amber eyes flowing with intoxicating tenderness under the light.
"Yeah!" Yu Ling nodded vigorously, with an unconcealed bright smile on her face, and the bright lights reflected in her eyes, so bright, "Super happy! I've never been so happy!" Her voice was crisp, with heartfelt happiness and satisfaction.
Zhao Chen looked at her unreserved smile, and his heart felt as if it were filled with something, soft and messy. He stopped and gently embraced her in his arms, his chin resting on the top of her head. His voice was low and tender, with a sense of cherishment as if he had lost and regained her:
"Lingling, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters." He paused, his arms tightening around her, as if wanting to hold onto this ordinary joy forever. "Remember how you feel tonight. Remember this... real, simple happiness. No matter what happens in the future, no matter... who I am," he said the last three words so softly, like a feather brushing against the tip of his heart, carrying a barely perceptible heaviness. "I'll do everything I can to keep you smiling like this."
His promise was low and powerful, like a magical spell, which cast a seed called "eternity" into Yu Ling's heart filled with happiness at the edge of the night market where the hustle and bustle had faded.
Yu Ling leaned on his warm chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and feeling the strength of his embrace.
The bustling sounds of the night market seemed to fade away, leaving only their embraced figures and the city sky overhead, illuminated by the lights—not dazzling but incredibly real. The cold reef in his heart seemed to sink even deeper in this warm tide.
She closed her eyes, hugged him back tightly, and buried her face deeply in his neck, which smelled of the night market fireworks and a faint smell of sweat, greedily absorbing the reassuring warmth and this stolen, precious "ordinary" happiness.
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