Fireworks-grilled barbecue (Part 2)
Jiang Yichun quickly received a reply from Sister Xixi.
Guan Shuoxi: [Wow! This looks delicious! Which barbecue place is this?]
[I'm still stuck with Stata, Xiaochun, you're tempting me with food all night!]
Everything was easy: [It was at Grandma Tian's BBQ at the Tianxing Road Night Market~]
[XiXi, you can come over and have barbecue with me sometime!]
"Xiaochun, the barbecue is ready." Grandma Tian placed the grilled skewers on a plate to the side and waved to Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun put down her lit-up phone, smiled, and took the plate: "Thank you, Grandma."
She carried the steaming plate, strode over to He Yinxin, and plopped down on the plastic stool.
He Yinxin was still holding his phone, tapping and clicking on it, his lips pursed and his brows furrowed.
"Senior He, your mother-in-law will make the next one for you." She picked up the palm-sized pastry, took a small bite, and asked, "Are you still dealing with things?"
"Judging from your expression, it seems like your mentor gave you some strange task?"
He Yinxin pushed up his glasses, glanced up at her, then lowered his head again:
"Well, it's not a strange task. My advisor sent me some guidelines for the thesis, and I'm looking at them."
"And there's my student organization stuff. I've been quite busy lately."
"By the way, Yang Fei is your roommate, right?"
His fingertips paused on the phone, and he looked up at her again.
Jiang Yichun had a piece of meat stuffed in her mouth. She swallowed it in big gulps and nodded, "Yes, what's wrong?"
He Yinxin shook her head and continued typing on her phone screen: "It's nothing, I just think it's a bit of a coincidence that she happens to be my department head."
Jiang Yichun blinked: "I know, Feifei told me. She said you are very responsible and a good director."
Her mind raced, and she showered him with compliments: "She said you work incredibly fast and are a role model for them."
He Yinxin's lips curled up as her fingertips continued tapping on her phone screen: "So it seems Yang Fei isn't that unhappy with me after all. She's complained about me quite a bit in the department. But she is indeed efficient in her work."
"I know I may look dull, but... I can actually sense a lot of things."
"Jiang Yichun, actually I..."
He took a deep breath and gripped his phone tightly.
"Xiaochun's senior, your kebabs are ready!" He Yinxin was about to say this when Granny Tian's shout interrupted his "spell".
He put his phone in his pocket and strode towards the plate of grilled and fried skewers that had already been prepared, leaving Jiang Yichun alone sitting cross-legged on the plastic stool.
Jiang Yichun watched his retreating figure, tilted his head, and wondered to himself: What was he going to say? Was he not actually a "machine"? Did he actually have "emotions" just like ordinary people?
She shrugged: Since they're not willing to talk about it, let's not force them.
After finishing the chicken cartilage, Jiang Yichun picked up a small grilled meat skewer. The skewers were skewered with bamboo sticks, each one oozing oil, and the aroma of meat mixed with spices filled her nostrils.
She took a big bite, the rich fat of the meat skewer bursting between her teeth, the unique milky aroma of the fat filling her taste buds.
Jiang Yichun squinted, casually took out his phone, and saw Xi Xi's message.
Guan Shuoxi: [Okay, okay, let's do it later. I've been too busy lately.]
However, feel free to contact me anytime if you need to group order.
She grinned as she looked at the bunny emoji that the other person had sent, the one that had stolen her.
Everything is easy: [Okay, looking forward to it!]
"Jiang Yichun, my barbecue and fried skewers are ready too." He Yinxin stood behind her, her voice ringing out above her head.
Jiang Yichun looked up and his gaze immediately locked onto the plate that was full of grilled and fried skewers.
The skewers are stuffed with chicken legs, oysters, chives, and shiitake mushrooms, each glistening with oil under the light.
Not wanting his senior to fall silent, Jiang Yichun tactfully pulled out a wooden chair and smiled at him, "Then let's start replenishing our protein, senior."
He Yinxin nodded in agreement, sat down next to her, and turned to look at the things on her plate.
He grabbed a bunch of chives and flicked his wrist in mid-air.
After all, the calories in vegetables... He found that he still couldn't see the calories in chives, only the intuition that "vegetables are low in calories".
The bright green vegetable leaves flashed before his eyes, and he put them back on the plate.
He Yinxin reached out and picked up the sizzling, oily roasted chicken leg, taking a big bite of the skin sprinkled with salt and pepper.
The crispy chicken skin crackled open between his teeth with a "crunch," releasing delicious broth from the chicken inside.
His pupils contracted slightly as he turned to look at Jiang Yichun to the side.
Jiang Yichun's face was flushed as he ate large mouthfuls of fried cabbage and enoki mushrooms covered in sauce, with some bright red sauce stains on the corners of his mouth.
Her eyes were as bright as when he first saw her.
Freedom, happiness, and the ability to fully enjoy the food without caring about what others think.
He Yinxin's cheeks flushed, and her heart stirred with emotion.
I don't know if it's because of the chicken leg or something else.
He turned back, taking bites of the kebab, his eyes glancing at her profile.
Before I knew it, only a few bamboo skewers and a lonely oyster shell remained on the plate.
Have I... finished eating again?
He Yinxin's fingertips curled slightly as she looked up at Jiang Yichun sitting to the side.
Jiang Yichun rubbed his swollen belly, slumped on the plastic stool, squinted his eyes, and smacked his lips contentedly.
She smiled at him and said, "Senior, congratulations! It seems my second job was a great success."
He Yinxin coughed lightly a few times: "Yes. That's right."
"Thank you, Jiang Yichun."
Jiang Yichun met his gaze, turned away as if burned, and waved his hand: "Oh, we've already signed the agreement, no need for thanks, this is an obligation I have to fulfill."
"The Western spirit of contract, right, Senior He?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
He Yinxin smiled, took out a small bag of tissues from her pocket, and placed it face down on the table: "I think it's the Eastern saying, 'A promise made is a promise kept.'"
"You have sauce on your lips, wipe it off, you look just like a cat."
"Oh, it all means keeping your word... Oh, I see." Jiang Yichun snapped out of her rambling reverie, picked up the pack of tissues on the table, and wiped the sauce stains from the corner of her mouth.
"Thank you... senior." She turned her face away, lowered her head and started playing with her phone, pushing the package of tissues back to him with one hand.
"You're welcome."
He Yinxin's official response was to take back the package of tissues, prop her face up with one hand, and look around at her surroundings.
The atmosphere between the two froze for a moment. Jiang Yichun looked at Xixi's chat box on his phone and then turned to look at He Yinxin sitting to the side.
Since Senior He knows Fei Fei, does that mean he also knows Sister Xi Xi?
This way, the ice can be broken again.
She cleared her throat: "Senior He, do you know Xixi from the Management Master's Class 223?"
He Yinxin's gaze fell on the slowly falling leaves of the camphor tree not far away. He trembled and turned to look at Jiang Yichun: "Jiang Yichun, who are you talking about?"
Do you know a girl named Xixi from the Management Master's Class 223?
"I met her by selling pig's trotters. Oh, by the way, senior, the pig's trotters sold by the uncle at the school gate are delicious. I'll take you to try them next time." Jiang Yichun's eyes lit up again when he talked about food, and he started counting on his fingers.
He Yinxin's lips stiffened, and he nodded hesitantly, "Okay, I'll try it next time."
His fingertips rubbed against his trouser leg as he looked away from the camphor tree: "As for that Sister Xi Xi you mentioned... well, she's from the Management Master's Class 223..."
"She is indeed my friend. Her real name is... Yang Xuexi. I met her when I was tutoring her in running Stata code."
"She has a cheerful and enthusiastic personality, and she also told me that you have anxiety about applying for graduate school. I can understand your confusion better, so I tried to help you."
"Our cooperation was probably thanks to her as the intermediary."
He looked at Jiang Yichun again, observing the subtle changes in her face.
His knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white.
Jiang Yichun blinked and smiled, "Oh, I see. So it seems that the image of Sister Xixi we have in our eyes is also one of reality."
"Cheerful, enthusiastic, and understanding."
"By the way, senior, what does Sister Xixi look like? Do you have a picture of her?"
He Yinxin frowned: "She...she should have posted selfies on her WeChat Moments, right? Why would I...why would I save her photos for no reason?"
"My relationship with her is just a business partnership."
“That’s true, only a pervert would save girls’ photos. You’re right, senior.” Jiang Yichun stood up, raised an eyebrow at him, and said, “Alright, it’s getting late. Shall we pay the bill and head back to school?”
He Yinxin stood up and followed behind her, walking towards Granny Tian, who was still selling skewers.
The two paid one after the other, and Jiang Yichun's eyes were once again fixed on Granny Tian's wrist.
Last semester, Grandma Tian wore a bright jade pendant on her wrist, but now her wrist is bare and has several new scars.
Her gaze paused for a moment, and then He Yinxin's voice rang in her ears: "Jiang Yichun, what's wrong?"
Grandma Tian in front of her also looked up at her: "Xiaochun, is there anything you're not happy with about today's grilled skewers?"
Jiang Yichun shook his head, his gaze fixed on Granny Tian's bloodshot eyes: "Granny, I forgot to ask you some questions."
Grandma Tian's wrinkles deepened: "Xiao Chun, what do you want to ask?"
"Grandma, I want to know why the barbecue skewer shop is being sold? And Grandma, where are the older brothers and sisters who were always helping you skewer the food?" Jiang Yichun rubbed the corner of her clothes.
"And I feel like there are far fewer people around."
Grandma Tian's hand, which was resting on her apron, trembled slightly. She chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, Xiaochun, don't be so nervous. It's just that the rent has gone up recently, and business isn't very good. You know, in Huaxing City, very few people can hold out for four or five years at this rent."
"I'm not running the shop anymore, so people don't come to me anymore, and fewer people are eating barbecue skewers."
"Is it really just because rent has gone up recently and business is bad? And Grandma, your hand... was it also injured by those thorns?"
Her words transformed into a pair of scissors, severing the illusion the woman before her was desperately trying to create.
Grandma Tian turned her face away and muttered softly, "Xiao Chun, don't meddle in other people's business, it's really just..."
Granny Tian's repeated attempts to change the subject completely ignited the stubborn streak deep within Jiang Yichun's soul.
She placed her hands on the counter and said firmly, "Mother-in-law, I can help you in any way I can."
"Because your skewers are really cheap and delicious, I'm so happy to eat your skewers - and the senior next to me is happy too."
"I don't want my mother-in-law, who brings me happiness, to be hurt."
"Grandma, I really love your grilled skewers. I wish you continued success in your business."
Her stubborn spirit made her words flow freely, but the rational mind in her head immediately brought her to a halt.
Jiang Yichun touched her neck, her ears burning. She immediately buried her head in her hands: What I just said was so childish!
Grandma Tian and Senior He won't think I'm crazy, will they?
Her fingertips trembled slightly until she heard Granny Tian's voice.
Grandma Tian's voice trembled slightly: "Xiao Chun, thank you, thank you for remembering my barbecue stall."
"Okay, let me tell you. It's not just about the rent, but also about my colleagues and my family."
"Even though you probably can't solve it, it makes me feel better to talk about it."
Jiang Yichun raised his head again and looked into Granny Tian's weathered but still bright eyes: "Granny, please speak, I'm listening."
She turned around and looked at He Yinxin: "Senior He, if you have something to do, why don't you go first? This period of time wasn't included in the contract."
He Yinxin, clutching her scarf, shook her head: "I'm not busy right now, I'll keep you company first."
"Grandma Tian's barbecue... is really delicious. I don't want her to go out of business."
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