Grocery shopping
"What's wrong?" Wen Xubai touched his face, wondering if he had accidentally gotten something on his face while playing the game.
"It's nothing." Qi Zui smiled and looked away. "I just didn't expect you to have such a... lively side."
Upon hearing this, Wen Xubai frowned and asked with a serious expression, "Am I not usually lively?"
Qi Zui: Isn't it written all over their faces...?
But she didn't dare to actually say it. Seeing the other person's determined expression, she quickly replied, "Lively! Lively!"
Having said that, fearing he might give himself away, he quickly grabbed the other person's shoulder and pushed them forward, changing the subject by saying, "Didn't you want to buy groceries? Hurry up, hurry up, or they'll all be closing up shop!"
Wen Xubai took a few steps forward, puzzled, and wondered: Do supermarkets close at noon too?
But when he actually stood at the entrance of the vegetable market, he finally realized what Qi Zui had meant.
The market is a mixed bag, and a smell that is a mixture of earthy odor and fresh fruit and vegetable fragrance hits you.
Wen Xubai rarely visits the market; the Wen family's ingredients are all air-freighted, fresh, and of the highest quality, so they don't need to buy them themselves.
Even if something really needs to be purchased, there are dedicated staff to handle it, so that the boss doesn't have to worry.
Following Qi Zui all the way, Wen Xubai was curious about everything he saw.
The wet ground was soaked with the juice of rotten vegetable leaves, and the cucumbers on the stall were neatly arranged, still green with their blossoms on top.
The fishy smell of seafood from the neighboring stall wafted in again, mingling with the savory aroma of spices and star anise wafting from the braised food stall diagonally across the street...
Wen Xubai couldn't help but cover his nose, and when he turned around, he saw that Qi Zui had already disappeared.
Wen Xubai: "???"
Where are they?
With so many people coming and going at the market, Wen Xubai quickly lost his bearings and became somewhat flustered.
"I'm here."
Just as I was getting anxious, a warm breath suddenly sprayed near my ear.
Wen Xubai quickly turned around, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar face. He frowned and asked, "Where did you go?"
Qi Zui could tell he was a little angry, so he quickly raised the bag in his hand and explained, "I saw that the peaches over there looked pretty, so I bought some... Don't be angry, don't be angry, I was wrong. I was thinking of coming over quickly, but I was delayed while getting change!"
Wen Xubai's expression softened a little, and he said softly, "I'm not familiar with this place..."
Qi Zui was stunned for a moment before realizing that Wen Xubai was explaining why he was angry. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, I promise I will never go far again, I swear!"
Looking at the other person's serious expression as they pointed two fingers to the sky, Wen Xubai suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had never been this panicked before, even when he was lost in a foreign land in England, where he knew no one...
He seems... a little too dependent on the person next to him... even though they've only met three times...
Upon realizing this, Wen Xubai was startled, but quickly regained his composure, restored his normal expression, and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing."
Qi Zui scratched his head, puzzled and unable to understand. He simply stopped thinking about it, grabbed Qi Zui's hand, placed it on his own arm, and looked up with a smile, saying, "Hold on tight to me, and I won't go far away."
Wen Xubai paused, looking at the wheat-colored arm under his hand, and slowly tightened his grip.
Then, as if punishing someone, they were suddenly pulled forward and forced to continue walking.
A cacophony of voices filled the air: "Local cherry tomatoes, so sweet they're practically dripping with juice!" The vendors' shouts, thick with spittle, exploded around them!
The electronic scale had barely finished its beep when the sound of a fish-cleaning knife slamming against the wooden board began again, interspersed with the rustling of plastic bags and the jingling of a bicycle bell...
Just as I was engrossed in looking at it, the stall owner next to me suddenly handed me a bright red cherry and said with a smile, "Young man, have a taste!"
Wen Xubai was startled and was about to wave his hand when he saw Qi Zui raise an eyebrow at him and say, "It's okay, you can eat it."
"Oh, don't be so polite, take it!" With that, the stall owner shoved a handful of cherries into Wen Xubai's hand!
Wen Xubai hesitated for a moment, then put the cherry into his mouth. The moment he bit down, the crisp, soft flesh split open between his teeth, and the sweet juice gushed out, instantly filling his entire mouth!
Wen Xubai's eyes lit up immediately, and he replied to the stall owner, "It's very sweet."
The stall owner slapped his thigh and laughed, "Right? If it's not sweet, you don't have to pay!"
"Give me half a jin!" Qi Zui shouted.
"OK!"
The stall owner beamed, took a bag, and let the two of them choose for themselves.
Qi carefully selected each cherry, ensuring they were all intact and undamaged, before handing the bag of cherries to the stall owner.
The two paid and then walked towards the vegetable section.
Halfway there, Qi Zui suddenly remembered a very important question and turned to ask Wen Xubai, "Hey? What dish are you going to make?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Xubai subconsciously replied, "Cabbie Claw."
"Huh? What the hell?" Qi Zui immediately looked completely bewildered.
Wen Xubai was stunned for a moment before finally finding its Chinese name in his mind and slowly said, "Creamy Asparagus Soup".
"Cream? With asparagus?" Qi Zui looked shocked.
"How can that taste good? It's neither sweet nor salty..." he couldn't help but mutter.
Seeing that Wen Xubai still looked indifferent, he didn't know what to say. He just chuckled and led him to a stall in the corner: "Asparagus! Didn't you want to buy asparagus? Here it is!"
Hearing the sound, Wen Xubai looked over and indeed saw a row of lush green trees.
I couldn't resist reaching out and picking one up. The stiff asparagus was still covered in water droplets, and it felt cool to the touch.
"Boss, how much is this?" Wen Xubai asked.
"Eleven yuan and fifty-eight cents a bag!"
Wen Xubai nodded, took out his phone, and prepared to pay.
But then Qi Zui suddenly said in his ear, "Eleven yuan and fifty-eight cents? Boss, are you robbing me? Aunt Liu next door is only selling them for ten yuan a bunch!"
The shopkeeper, who hadn't seen Qi Zui before, couldn't help but shrink back when he saw him, muttering a complaint in a low voice, "Oh, what are you doing here...?"
"What? You think you can raise prices just because I'm not around? You can't afford to rip off regular customers anymore, so you're trying to rip off new ones now, huh?"
Upon hearing this, the boss lowered his head somewhat guiltily. Listening to the other party's endless "accusations," he realized he was in the wrong and couldn't possibly retaliate.
Seeing the increasing stares from those around him, he could only raise his hand impatiently and say, "Hey, really, ten yuan is ten yuan, why are you shouting like that!"
As she spoke, she shoved the asparagus into Wen Xubai's arms and said irritably, "Here, here, ten yuan for you!"
Wen Xubai was startled by the sudden push of asparagus, instinctively hugging it. His mind was blank; he didn't quite understand why Qi Zui was so agitated. After all, eleven yuan or ten yuan made little difference—it was just one yuan more…
It was clear that Qi Zui was unwilling to let the matter rest. With his hands on his hips, he angrily said, "That won't do! If you dare to cheat my friend today, you'll dare to cheat others tomorrow! Boss, this isn't a fair way to do business!"
The shopkeeper glared at him and said, "So what do you want?! I've already given you the asparagus!"
Qi Zui rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, then suddenly stretched out a finger and waved it in front of his eyes.
"Give me another bunch of scallions."
"Hey, here you go! Hurry up and go, honestly, how did I end up with such a troublesome person?!" The stall owner quickly stuffed the scallions into Qi Zui's arms, and after trying to calm things down, he started waving people away.
Having achieved his goal, Qi Zui had no intention of lingering with him any longer. He turned his head toward Wen Xubai and smiled, "Let's go."
Halfway there, the person beside him suddenly stopped. Qi Zui looked over, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wen Xubai asked in confusion, "Was that stall owner angry just now?"
"Huh?" Qi Zui didn't expect him to ask that. He was stunned for a long time before he reacted and replied, "No...no, I don't think so."
“But he looked very angry just now,” Wen Xubai continued.
"Oh, that's just their usual tactic, they're just putting on an act!" Qi Zui explained.
Wen Xubai still frowned. He didn't understand why they had to argue over a single yuan.
Just as I was about to speak, a sharp voice suddenly rang out from the side:
"Two yuan and fifty cents?! No way, that's outrageous!"
Hearing the sound, Xu Bai looked in the direction and saw a middle-aged woman with short hair haggling with a vendor.
"Two yuan and fifty cents is not enough??? Don't give me any more than that! Go ask around in the neighborhood yourself, we're already offering the cheapest price! We're just a small business, if you keep charging like this, I won't make any profit!"
The stall owner was also arguing heatedly.
But the middle-aged woman persisted, saying, "No, no, it has to be two yuan and twenty cents! Otherwise, I won't buy it!"
The stall owner retorted angrily, "No way! How about this, two yuan and fifty cents, and I'll throw in two cloves of garlic, okay?"
The two continued arguing, and Wen Xubai had no idea what the final outcome would be.
Even on his way home, Wen Xubai was still lost in thought about this matter...
"What's wrong? Why do you seem so distracted?" Qi Xiao had been observing him carefully the whole way, and finally couldn't help but ask.
Wen Xubai paused, suddenly remembering that his second meeting with Qi Zui was also when he was "buying groceries"...
Then he suddenly turned to look at the other person and asked seriously, "Qi Zui, do you need to argue with others every day?"
"No need..." Qi replied instinctively. But when he saw Wen Xubai's serious expression, he realized that the other party's question was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
After thinking for a while, Qi Zui suddenly realized and said, "Oh, you mean what happened just now?"
Wen Xubai nodded.
But Qi Zui said helplessly, "Ancestor, we weren't really arguing, it was just a 'strategy,' nothing more than a 'strategy'..."
Seeing that Wen Xubai still looked puzzled, Qi Zui sighed and pulled him aside to change the subject, saying, "Come on, come on, if we don't go home and cook soon, we'll only have dinner to eat!"
He didn't see the silent, dimming gazes of everyone behind him...
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