Fireworks-grilled barbecue (Part 4)
As dusk deepened, Jiang Yichun lay on his small bed in his dormitory, scrolling through his phone.
Her fingertips tapped on the campus forum, clicking into a post she had made a week ago.
Simple Spring: [Family, this barbecue stall on Tianxing Road is absolutely delicious! I have to rave about it! It's so good that even if someone died right next to it, they wouldn't know!]
She casually attached the photos she took at Grandma Tianfang's barbecue stall to the post, along with the address.
Kitty Kitty: [Save this, check-in, already swooning over the fragrance.]
Qiao Ke'ai's Clouds: [! I know this barbecue stall. I used to go there when I was stressed about final exams!]
Haha: [Yes, yes, yes! Me too! I went to eat there this semester but found the shop had changed hands, so I ate at another place. I didn't realize Grandma had moved her stall! I'll rush over after my exam tonight!]
Comments and photos of smiling faces and delicious food flashed past her in turn.
Compared to the campus forums where campus beauties and hunks are often chosen, as depicted in novels, Huaxing University's campus forums focus more on local food, course selection, and bizarre gossip.
Posting a handsome guy's selfie on a forum might only get you a few compliments, or even a few sarcastic remarks.
But if you post a picture of food or a kitten, the number of comments skyrockets.
Jiang Yichun then took advantage of the features of the Huaxing University forum and posted messages on it to promote himself.
Perhaps it was because the barbecue in her photos was too tempting, or perhaps it was because Grandma Tianfang's regular customers were all over the university, but this post was immediately pushed to the top of the forum's homepage.
Jiang Yichun raised the corners of his mouth and muttered softly, "That's nice."
Now Grandma Tianfang shouldn't have to worry about daily life and business issues anymore, right?
She logged out of the campus forum and opened the WeChat chat interface.
She opened her chat with Sister Xi Xi, and their chat history stopped a week ago, when they had barbecue.
Guan Shuoxi: [Meet up in person? Sure, sure! Thursday night, okay?]
Everything's easy: 【Great! I don't have class Thursday night!】
Jiang Yichun stared at the message, his mind beginning to conjure up images of Sister Xixi and Yang Xuexi.
Tall, fair-skinned, with black hair...
Perhaps she's the kind of girl who's highly intelligent?
Beautiful faces flashed through her mind, and gentle voices seemed to echo in her ears.
Jiang Yichun tightened her grip on her phone, yawned, and lay down on her pillow.
She was about to turn off her phone and go to sleep when she received a message.
Guan Shuoxi: [Xiaochun! I'm so sorry!]
The news exploded before her eyes, completely waking her up.
Everything is easy: [Sister Xixi, what's wrong? What happened?]
Guan Shuoxi: [Our advisor suddenly asked us to have a group meeting on Thursday night, so I probably won't be able to meet you in person.]
【It's okay, I'll still eat the barbecue. I'll have my boyfriend come and get it!】
Jiang Yichun's eyes widened: "Sister Xixi, you actually have a boyfriend?"
Guan Shuoxi: [Yes, we just met, and he seems pretty reliable.]
What about Xiaochun? Does Xiaochun have a boyfriend?
Jiang Yichun stared at the message, frowning. Although she was puzzled, she figured it might just be a casual joke from the woman on the other end, so she answered truthfully:
[Never! I don't like dating! It's too much trouble.]
The other party's message paused for a moment, then arrived belatedly.
Guan Shuoxi: [Oh, I see. So, Xiaochun is a staunch advocate of singlehood?]
Everything is easy: [I wouldn't call myself a staunch advocate of singlehood; I just don't believe in love.]
Guan Shuoxi: [Ah, I see. Okay.]
Xiaochun, I asked too many questions, I'm sorry.
Jiang Yichun sighed softly and replied with a smile: "No need to apologize for not asking Sister Duola Xixi."
But I really need to go to sleep now. Goodnight.
Guan Shuoxi: [Mmm. Goodnight, sweet dreams, Xiaochun.]
Everything is easy: [Goodnight, Sister Xixi.]
Jiang Yichun turned off his phone, took a deep breath, and crawled back into bed.
All she could hear was her roommate's rising and falling breathing, and the soft typing of Yang Fei, the "night owl."
The lights in girls' dormitory 306 were off, while the lights in suite A of boys' dormitory 6, 517, were still on.
He Yinxin let out a long breath while looking at his phone screen, his gaze falling on the post.
What does it mean to be so delicious that even if someone next to you dies, they won't know?
He knew that the post was made by Jiang Yichun, and at that time, the only people beside her, besides Grandma Tian Fang, were himself.
Am I dead? Did she curse herself to die?
Although the intention was good, this statement is a bit too crude.
Jiang Yichun... he speaks without thinking.
No wonder she was able to become roommates with Yang Fei.
But actually she...
He Yinxin could see again the bright smile on her face when she ate the food, and again the determined look in her eyes when she faced books and knowledge.
Her stubborn words echoed in his ears.
Those tiny fragments, like grains of sugar, melted into the ice in his heart, turning it into a bowl of sugar water.
He drank it down in one gulp, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face.
He opened his chat with Jiang Yichun and sent a message.
Jiang Yichun: Can I fulfill my contract to accompany you to dinner on Thursday night?
The location is still that barbecue stall; I want to see the results of our efforts.
After sending the message, he turned around and spoke to his roommate, Jia Shugui, who was browsing anime and manga.
"Old Jia, I need your help with something."
Jia Shugui turned around and raised an eyebrow at him: "Old He, what brings you here?"
"Do me a favor, and after it's done..."
"I'll give you a girlfriend as a reward."
He watched as Jia Shugui's droopy eyes gleamed, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
As expected, this person is still the same as before.
Sexual repression.
On Thursday night, Jiang Yichun and He Yinxin appeared again in front of Tian Fang's grandmother's barbecue stall.
The barbecue stall, as always, exuded a strong and unique aroma.
But the scene was no longer as quiet as it had been a week or so ago; the queue stretched from one end of the alley to the other.
The two stood at the end of the line and smiled at each other.
"Senior He, it's all thanks to you." Jiang Yichun looked up at the fragrant fireworks drifting in front of him.
She winked at the boy beside her: "If it weren't for your data analysis of the foot traffic here, and the calculation of costs based on rent and stall fees..."
"It would be impossible for an undergraduate like me, who doesn't even know much about mathematical analysis software, to find such a cost-effective location for setting up a stall."
She jokingly remarked, "He truly deserves to be called the 'God of the School of Management' who helped 20 undergraduates debug their empirical studies."
He Yinxin coughed a few times, the scarf still draped around his neck. He buried the lower half of his face in the scarf again and answered her in a muffled voice:
"It's not that exaggerated. They give me money, and I just do the job."
"Grandma Tianfang's business traffic analysis doesn't actually take much time; I did it on the spur of the moment."
Jiang Yichun glanced at his face and said reproachfully, "Don't be modest, Senior He. You've really done a lot."
"My dark circles have gotten worse."
"It's alright." He Yinxin pushed up her glasses, using the hem to cover the dark circles under her eyes. "I've been studying a lot lately, and I've been staying up late."
"But you, Jiang Yichun. If you hadn't promoted it on the forum, there probably wouldn't be so many people here with Granny Tianfang."
"I believe the success of this assistance program is the result of our mutually beneficial cooperation."
"Pfft." Jiang Yichun laughed out loud, "Senior He, we're all out for dinner, so let's not be so formal."
"Oh." He Yixin's lower face never came out of the scarf, and his eyes looked around through his glasses.
Until he saw a familiar figure on the street corner.
He Yinxin winked at the man, who then discreetly hid in the shadows behind the camphor tree.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Jiang Yichun stood in front of He Yinxin and turned around.
He Yinxin shook her head: "It's nothing. A dog just ran to that tree, and I took a look."
Jiang Yichun nodded, and the two continued to wait for the line ahead to gradually shrink.
The two finally got to Tian Fang's barbecue stall.
When Tian Fang saw the familiar face, her eyes lit up: "Xiao Chun, Xiao Chun's senior?"
“It’s us, Grandma.”
Jiang Yichun chuckled and pulled out his phone from the side: "Grandma, I need to order a lot of things today!"
The earlier gloom had long since dissipated from Tian Fang's face, and a faint smile always lingered on her lips.
He even hummed a cheerful tune while grilling skewers.
The melody, intertwined with the sizzling sound of grilled skewers hitting the charcoal fire, plays a unique symphony of happiness in this alley.
Jiang Yichun watched quietly as Tian Fang grilled the skewers of meat until they smelled delicious, and listened quietly as Tian Fang recounted her lucky week.
“My daughter is doing well now and has been discharged from the hospital. She’s really impressive; she managed to complete a big project while working online.”
"The barbecue stall business is getting better and better now, and that beast doesn't dare to cause trouble for my daughter and me anymore."
"Oh, and that jade too. Don't worry, I'll buy an even more expensive one next time I make some more money."
Tian Fang's smile spread across her face, though it was barely visible through the rising smoke. But Jiang Yichun could still feel the subtle happiness mixed in with the aroma of the grilled skewers.
She nodded: "That's wonderful, Grandma! May your business prosper!"
Tian Fang put the skewers aside and rubbed her hands on her apron: "Okay, okay, Xiao Chun."
"Thank you so much, you and your senior. If it weren't for you promoting it for me everywhere, and if it weren't for your senior finding me a better location to set up my stall, I really wouldn't know what to do."
She chuckled as she separated the two skewers, sprinkling chili powder and cumin on Jiang Yichun's skewers, while only sprinkling cumin on He Yinxin's, before plating them separately.
Finally, she sprinkled cumin and chili powder on "Sister Xixi's" skewers and put them into a paper bag.
She smiled at the two young men in front of her:
"Alright, Xiaochun, Senior Xiaochun!"
"No matter what, thank you so much."
She clasped her hands together and bowed to the two of them.
"You're welcome, Grandma Tianfang."
The two extended their hands at the same time and spoke in unison.
Their hands brushed against each other unintentionally, but quickly separated.
Both of them trembled slightly for a moment.
Tian Fang looked at the two young people in front of her and smiled even more: "Okay, okay, then enjoy your meal. You two have great chemistry."
Jiang Yichun subconsciously turned his head and met He Yinxin's gaze.
A very noticeable smile curved the corners of his mouth.
Jiang Yichun smiled, even though hot blood rushed to her ears and made her cheeks burn.
The two exchanged a smile, picked up their own plates of barbecue, walked side by side to the chairs at the stall, sat down, and began to enjoy their skewers.
Jiang Yichun ate the skewers with gusto, his eyes slightly narrowed.
The skewers still carried that familiar, unique aroma—the saltiness of cumin, the spiciness of chili powder, and the freshness of the meat itself—all spreading across her tongue at the same time.
There was also a sense of happiness mixed in—the happiness of keeping her beloved little stall, and the happiness of Grandma Tianfang being able to stay in Huaxing City.
He Yinxin sat opposite her, still looking very busy, her fingertips almost sparking on the screen.
But his other hands continued to eat grilled prawns without stopping.
That's normal, after all, they are busy graduate students.
Jiang Yichun looked at his miserable, student-like appearance, took a bite of meat, but accidentally brushed it against his tongue.
"Cough cough cough..."
She patted her chest lightly and looked down at her phone.
XiXi from the School of Management: [My boyfriend arrived, XiaoChun, where are you?]
Jiang Yichun quickly sent her a photo of the place where he was eating.
The other party immediately replied, "Received."
He Yinxin put down her phone and looked at her: "What's wrong, Jiang Yichun?"
Jiang Yichun smiled and waved the bag of barbecue in front of him: "This is Yang Xuexi's barbecue. Her boyfriend will be here soon. I'm contacting him."
"So that's how it is." He Yinxin lowered her head, stuffed the last bite of shrimp into her mouth, and then raised her head again to look at the camphor tree.
The familiar figure walked towards him step by step.
Jia Shugui stood behind Jiang Yichun, his bright, droopy eyes gradually losing their luster, revealing a confused expression.
Immediately, Jia Shugui's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open.
He Yinxin saw this scene clearly.
He shifted his gaze from Jia Shugui and casually looked to the side: "Jiang Yichun, I did see someone walking towards us."
"He must be Yang Xuexi's boyfriend."
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