Deep in Nanguo Alley, Quzhou, there is a small shop with a sign at the door with a blue background and red edges, on which is written a big traditional Chinese character "鱼".
The weather was cold now, and gusts of heat could be seen wafting out from the wooden door. Two young men were walking slowly down the green cobblestone path. They were Chu Beichen and Su Nian.
When they reached the door, Chu Beichen lifted the curtain and motioned Su Nian to go in first. "The fish soup here is the most delicious. It's a pity that the owner has been guarding the old shop and refused to move to the commercial street in front. In fact, the business is not as good as those new shops!"
The floor of the house was paved with green bricks, and in the middle stood a small red clay stove on which rice wine was boiling. The whole house was filled with the aroma of wine.
Chu Beichen pulled out a heavy, old-fashioned wooden stool and asked Su Nian to sit down. Then he shouted to the boss behind the counter, "Two servings of mandarin fish soup and two bowls of rice wine!"
Su Nian hurriedly shook his head, "I don't drink!"
"Rock sugar and red dates are added to the yellow wine, which is good for the body," Chu Beichen brought over two small plates, which contained large, plump red-skinned peanuts and five-spice water chestnuts.
Su Nian chewed the peanuts and felt the crispy aroma. "This restaurant is great. They even have snacks while you wait for the food!"
"Yeah," Chu Beichen said with a nostalgic look on his face, "I used to come here often to drink fish soup when I was a kid!"
Chu Beichen is still on vacation now, and no one knows how much time is left. "Beichen, when will you return to the team?" Su Nian handed Chu Beichen a peeled water chestnut.
"I've applied for annual leave this time, which is 35 days. I will spend the New Year in Quzhou before reporting back to the army!" Chu Beichen saw Su Nian handing him water chestnuts. He still had peanuts in his hand, but he didn't reach out to take them. Instead, he opened his mouth and bit them.
When their fingertips and lips touched lightly, both of them trembled all over, and an electric current ran up from their tail vertebrae. Su Nian hurriedly lowered her head, but Chu Beichen raised his head with a chuckle. He had something in his mouth and didn't say anything, just looking at Su Nian.
Even with her head lowered, Su Nian could feel the other person's burning gaze. Just when she was feeling awkward, the fish soup was served on the table. Shredded ham floated on the snow-white soup, emitting an enticing aroma.
Chu Beichen quickly put down the peanuts in his hand and handed a ceramic spoon to Su Nian, "Drink it while it's hot!"
The fish soup tasted sour, fragrant and refreshing. Su Nian had just eaten shrimp noodles, and now her appetite was aroused. She drank several mouthfuls in a row and felt that her internal organs were warmed by the soup.
Chu Beichen drank even faster, with beads of sweat already appearing on his forehead. "How does it taste?" he asked Su Nian with a smile.
After drinking the sour and fragrant fish soup and then taking a sip of the mellow rice wine with red dates and wolfberries floating on it, Su Nian felt warmth in her limbs that had been soaked in coldness. Only then did she understand Chu Beichen's intention in ordering the rice wine.
"You are about to have winter vacation. How are you going to plan your vacation?" Chu Beichen knew that Su Nian's family didn't treat her well, so he rarely brought it up on his own initiative. But now the Medical College is about to have vacation. If Su Nian wants to go back to her hometown, it means that the two of them will have less time together.
Su Nian has also been thinking about this. Since she has already made her relationship with Chu Beichen clear, she should not hide the fact of going to Shanghai from him.
Su Nian took a sip of rice wine and thought about how to start the conversation. "Beichen, I want to go to Shanghai as soon as the holiday comes, and I will be back around early February." After all, she couldn't hide her whereabouts from Chu Beichen.
This round of stock subscription certificates took about half a month from issuance to a sharp rise. Su Nian did not have the ability to hoard them further, so he could only make some quick money first.
Chu Beichen showed a look of surprise on his face, but did not immediately ask Su Nian what she was going to do. Instead, he fell silent.
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