Hmm... you're in good shape, just a little bit short at the end.
"Take a good rest, have something to eat, and we'll have a couple of bottles of baijiu later."
Su Yunting closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing rhythm.
"I don't like drinking bitter and spicy things. If I want to drink, I'll go downstairs to the bar and order a few bottles of fruit wine or a bucket of cola."
After venting her emotions, although she was physically exhausted, she felt much more relaxed. She could breathe deeply and make eye contact with people without ever looking away again. The 500,000 yuan was definitely worth it.
Alcohol emboldens even bears; drinking it always has some effect. Wu Song even got drunk while fighting the tiger.
Despite exercising, Su Yunting's alcohol tolerance remained unchanged. He became dizzy and lightheaded after drinking less than 500 milliliters, his face flushed as he stared blankly at Li Sheng.
Naituan was also there, happily enjoying a cup of 50-yuan Want Want Milk.
I gently stroked Li Sheng's face up and down with my index finger; it felt so real.
Li Sheng stepped back slightly and announced their parting.
"Yunting, I've booked a flight for tomorrow morning; I'm leaving soon."
So quickly, she learned that Li Sheng was here because Naituan needed eye treatment. He had originally planned to leave, but he stayed because of her.
I was very reluctant to leave, but there was no reason to ask me to stay.
"Time flies, thank you, I'm much better now, let's keep in touch when we have time."
"You're about to leave, and you've never invited me to your house before. Please invite me over for a meal, and we can chat all night long."
This is the primary purpose of everything he does.
Su Yunting's first reaction was to refuse. How could she take him to a place like that? She refused without even thinking.
"If you're not good at cooking, we can find a better place, like a street food stall."
But Li Sheng insisted on going.
"I'd be very sorry, but I won't force you if you really don't want to. But there's something I have to tell you: I'm a great cook, whether it's scrambled eggs with tomatoes or anything else."
The temptation was quite strong. She had always eaten out. Others had the taste of home that they missed, but she didn't, because no one had ever cooked for her. Even when she was a child, she could only eat steamed buns or compressed biscuits when she was hungry or thirsty. When she went to school, she ate in the school cafeteria.
Under Li Sheng's enticement, Su Yunting agreed.
"good".
The three left the bar and went to the market. Su Yunting held the baby girl in her arms, while Li Sheng picked out vegetables at the stalls.
I bought tomatoes, two eggs, cucumbers, and bell peppers. The vegetable stall owner was a tall, thin woman. Seeing that the young people in front of her were dressed smartly and were not short of money, she deliberately raised the prices of the vegetables.
"Tomatoes are five yuan a pound, eggs are two yuan each, cucumbers are eight yuan, bell peppers are twelve yuan... All these vegetables add up to forty yuan."
Li Sheng withdrew his hand from the vegetable stand and put it back in his pocket: "The tomatoes that person just bought were three yuan and fifty cents a pound, how come mine is five yuan? This is not how the proprietress does business. Even if the eggs are sold individually, they are one yuan each. Everyone sells cucumbers for six yuan. I can afford to pay these few yuan, but I am not a sucker."
This time they'd run into a tough customer, and the proprietress looked slightly embarrassed.
However, he wasn't going to dwell on this. Buying vegetables at the market is a matter of shrewd negotiation. It's common for vendors to price their vegetables based on the customer's price, and the prices aren't outrageous. At most, it's only a difference of two or three yuan per kilogram. Everyone is just trying to make a living.
"You've already weighed it, it's thirty yuan! If you like it, I'll take it; if not, forget it."
Mr. Li turned to leave, but was stopped by the proprietress.
"Okay, okay! I'll take a loss if I lose a little. I don't want to put it back. But my vegetables are super fresh, definitely worth the price."
After buying groceries, I also bought prawns, pork belly, and a few hairy crabs.
I took a taxi to Su Yunting's place.
I thought it was a detached villa, but it turned out to be an old neighborhood. There weren't many residents, mostly elderly people, and there were mahjong rooms downstairs in each building, with lots of clattering noises coming from inside.
Su Yunting walked ahead, his eyes drifting towards the mahjong room. Sure enough, he saw a familiar figure, and that fear returned, his palms sweating with nervousness.
Avoiding eye contact, I quickly walked past the window and went upstairs.
The old apartment building has ten floors but no elevator. Fortunately, the two of them are in good physical condition and can go up the stairs without even panting.
Su Yunting opened the door, and a foul smell of smoke and alcohol assaulted her nostrils. The room was a mess, with cigarette butts, sunflower seed shells, and liquor bottles scattered on the floor, along with phlegm spat on the ground and many signs of violent destruction: a smashed television, bloodstains on the yellowed walls, a blood-stained stick, a chair lying on the floor, and broken glass.
Su Yunting immediately noticed Li Sheng's reaction and lowered her head to try to keep her voice from trembling too much: "I'm sorry, it's a bit messy. Why don't you take the baby to my room?"
As Su Yunting entered her room, the lock on the door had been forcibly broken, and it opened with a push. The room was dark, with thick curtains blocking out the sunlight.
Su Yunting turned on the light. The room was sparsely furnished and tidy, but there were more than twenty blue pillows on the bed, and a lot of medicine and bandages were placed next to the broken computer.
Behind the door is an old-fashioned desk, with scratches on the floor indicating it was frequently moved to prop up the door.
"Please sit here for a while, I'll go and get all the dishes ready."
He was supposed to cook, so the kitchen was naturally his domain.
"No need, I'll go cook. You and Naituan can play in the room or tidy up the table."
The kitchen was a mess, and many things were moldy. I did a quick cleaning before starting to cook.
Less than half an hour later, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Su Yunting and Naituan were also busy, tidying up the house while helping Li Sheng.
Smelling the aroma of the food, she seemed to suddenly understand what home was. For the first time, she felt a sense of warmth, peace, relaxation, and comfort in this place.
It's simple, yet captivating.
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised prawns, smashed cucumber, braised pork belly, sweet and sour carp.
He doesn't like to waste food, so he doesn't serve small portions of any dish.
“This is enough for the three of us, and there will be no waste. I have also cooked all the remaining dishes and divided them into portions for you and put them in the refrigerator. When you want to eat them, just take them out and microwave them for two minutes.”
What should have been a heartwarming moment was interrupted by the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.
Su Yunting clenched his fist and looked at his father.
The Mediterranean man was somewhat surprised to see the house suddenly become clean, with delicious food and Mr. Li on the table.
However, it didn't last long.
"So you brought your boyfriend home? If you want to marry my daughter, give me a million. My daughter is an overseas returnee who studied abroad. It cost me more than this to raise her over the years. You're getting a bargain."
Su Yunting looked at Li Sheng nervously, but Li Sheng didn't even give the old man with a receding hairline a proper look, and continued to serve food to the baby girl with the small bowl.
The man got angry when he was ignored.
However, it wasn't directed at Li Sheng, but at Su Yunting.
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