Ji Xia heard it clearly, and her impression of them improved somewhat.
With a smile, she waved and introduced her three roommates to the two men.
Liu Yujuan asked in a low voice, "Who are these people? Are they all your friends?"
“My boyfriend has many friends and brothers; he has brothers everywhere.”
Ji Xia smiled at her, knowing she was a little nervous, and then held her hand tightly as they strolled together.
Jiang Qingci was very easygoing, and Xie An was eager to please her, so the two chatted quite happily along the way.
As for the other three boys, Xie Xun and Jiang Yizhi quickly realized Xie An's intentions. The two secretly teased Xie An, and at his request, they split up and bothered Lin Chen and Rong Ruoshi. The group of eight divided into pairs and managed to get along peacefully.
Ji Xia and Liu Yujuan were indeed looking for inspiration in the market. Although the national policies had not yet been officially released, the private economy was already very active.
In the early stages of economic liberalization, clothing and food flourished everywhere, and within a few months, clothing stalls and street food stalls could be seen everywhere.
There aren't many legitimate shops, since private individuals can't legally obtain licenses right now.
The shops remained closed, but looking around, several more shops had opened one after another, while the sidewalks on both sides of the long street were densely packed with shops stretching from one end to the other.
Ji Xia and Liu Yujuan strolled through each stall, whispering about the various styles and element combinations, while also figuring out how to handle the different shops.
Ji Xia and Chen Jing own four shops, two of which are on Xiushui Street. I heard that the area will be developed into a pedestrian street next year, and the construction of the pedestrian street market has already begun.
The Wangfujing shop is in the best location and is currently being renovated by Master Lin, with Senior Brother Liu following up on the design.
The last one was in Xidan Market. Now that I think about it, after the shops in Wangfujing were tidied up, the other shops should have started their renovations as well.
The night in Beijing is bustling and lively. The streets are brightly lit, and the night markets are full of ordinary people strolling and wandering around. It's a lively and bustling place.
As the two walked, they looked back and realized that their two roommates and the other men were gone.
Ji Xia was startled. Had they gotten separated, or had the boys taken Jiang Qingci and Rong Ruoshi somewhere?
The two exchanged a glance, then quickly turned around to look for the group. After circling around for a while, they finally spotted the six of them near a street food stall.
Under the bright streetlights, Xie An's eyes shone like stars as he looked at Jiang Qingci with a smile on his lips. The two were gazing at each other with deep affection.
Xie An held a finished phoenix flying sugar figurine in his hand, which shimmered with an intoxicating luster under the streetlights.
Rong Ruoshi and Jiang Yizhi were standing behind them in front of a small mutton roasting stall, chatting and laughing while holding a handful of mutton skewers.
Upon seeing Ji Xia and Liu Yujuan, Rong Ruoshi waved the barbecue skewers in her hand at them, saying, "Come here, there's something delicious."
Across the crowd, Ji Xia and Liu Yujuan exchanged a relieved smile. Well, she had been overthinking things.
She strode over to Rong Ruoshi and unceremoniously tore off five or six skewers, giving half to Liu Yujuan.
Why are you running so fast? I tried to call you but couldn't.
Rong Ruoshi complained and glanced at her watch: "How long are you planning to shop? I'm thinking of going home."
"Well, let's head back now. This roasted lamb is pretty good, quite tender and fragrant."
Ji Xia gave a thumbs up, then looked at the lamb roasting stall in front of her. Dozens of skewers of lamb were roasting on the stall, sizzling and releasing the unique aroma of cumin into the air, its rich fragrance carrying far and wide.
She sniffed the meat a few times, then smiled contentedly: "This roasted lamb smells delicious! How much is a skewer?"
The stall selling roasted mutton was run by a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a thin shirt and a blue apron around his neck. Although the late autumn night was already chilly, he still rolled up his sleeves and kept wiping away sweat as he worked.
He smiled slightly at Ji Xia upon hearing this: "Five cents a skewer, one dollar for two skewers, two dollars and fifty cents for two skewers."
"You're quite shrewd," Ji Xia thought to herself, then pointed to the slip of paper on the table: "It's late at night, there are fewer people around. Can I buy more and get a discount? They won't be fresh by tomorrow night."
The boy looked at the remaining lamb skewers: "How many do you want?"
"Ten yuan, three skewers for one yuan, thirty skewers for ten yuan, is that okay?"
Liu Yujuan was startled and instinctively tugged at her: "Why did you buy so much? Can you eat all of this?"
If you want to eat mutton, you might as well go to a store and buy a serving. That would only cost two or three yuan. There's not much meat in thirty mutton skewers, so ten yuan is too expensive.
Upon hearing this, Ji Xia turned around and smiled: "There are still several people in the family. Eating alone is not a good habit."
Liu Yujuan clicked her tongue in surprise, while Rong Ruoshi laughed and said, "She's not short of money, let's not worry about her."
Upon hearing this, the young stall owner counted the lamb skewers and readily agreed: "Alright, there are thirty-two skewers here in total, I'll give them all to you."
Ji Xia happily paid the money, packed the lamb skewers into a leather bag, and then mentioned going back to her companions.
Hearing that she was planning to go home, Jiang Qingci was also determined to go back. However, she and Liu Yujuan declined Ji Xia's invitation and insisted on returning to school.
Refusing Lin Chen's offer of a car ride, the four girls got into Xie An's jeep, and he drove them home one by one.
Ji Xia walked last, and after Jiang Qingci and Liu Yujuan got out of the car, she asked curiously, "Brother Xie, how did it go? Did you confess tonight?"
Xie An thanked Ji Xia for her help, then rubbed his forehead sheepishly: "I didn't confess, but I had a very pleasant chat with her. She's so funny."
"The two have common topics, which is a good start, not bad at all."
Ji Xia echoed her sentiments, and Xie An couldn't help but smile, feeling even happier.
After escorting Ji Xia back to the alley, Xie An suddenly asked, "You and she are roommates, do you know what she likes? Should I buy her something?"
"Don't rush things at first, or you'll scare her off. But you can ask her out a few more times, and I'll ask her what she likes another day."
Thanks. I'll treat you two to dinner another day.
Xie An waved happily, watching her return to the courtyard house, before humming a tune and driving away from the alley.
Ji Xia returned to the courtyard with a large bag of roasted mutton and handed it to Chen Qiuyu.
Chen Qiuyu took the roasted mutton and exclaimed excitedly, "Roasted mutton, it smells so good! I love it! Thank you, Sister Xia!"
Ji Xia looked around the dark courtyard: "Where's your brother? Why are you alone? Is he asleep?"
"Third Brother took Hou Fang out, I don't know what he's doing, Xiao Lian is busy inside!" Chen Qiuyu pointed to the room, grabbed the roasted mutton and went to the kitchen.
Ji Xia couldn't help but wonder, why did Chen Jing go out so late at night? What happened?
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