Chapter 9 Where Will We Meet Again? He only saw the gentle evening breeze blowing...
When the security door was knocked on a second time, there was a sound from inside. Zhu Liushuang smiled and obediently called out, "Aunt Qiu."
The other person was clearly not expecting it to be her, and paused for a moment before replying: "I thought it was Xiao Feng who came back early from his blind date, but I didn't expect it to be you, Liu Shuang."
As she spoke, Qiu Yan's gaze lingered on Zhu Liushuang's face, seemingly unintentionally. The security door opened from the inside, and although she smiled, her expression wasn't warm: "Look at me, I was so busy talking that I forgot to open the door."
Zhu Liushuang ignored the implication in Qiu Yan's words and raised the hand holding the insulated bag to explain, "Aunt Qiu, this is tiramisu I just made today. I'm grateful to Brother Xiaofeng for taking my mother to the hospital the other day, this is a thank you gift."
Qiu Yan took the bag without any sign of disgust: "Thank you. My Xiaofeng is just so kind-hearted. We've been neighbors for so many years, it's only right that we help each other out." She emphasized the last part of her sentence.
As perceptive as Zhu Liushuang was, she naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind Qiu Yan's words. She was implying that Lü Feng had only helped her family out of kindness.
Since things had come to this point, Zhu Liushuang wisely refrained from further bothering them.
When they first moved here, the two families were very close. Gu Chunling often worked overtime, and Liu Shuang had good grades, so Qiu Yan often invited her to go across the hall to do homework with Lü Feng and have dinner together.
At that time, she had just experienced the blow of her father's unexpected death and was plunged into endless panic when the families of the victims came to her door, making her gloomy and taciturn. It was Lü Feng who shamelessly stayed by her side all day long and helped her out of the gloom.
In retrospect, Lü Feng was the first good friend she made after moving. Unfortunately, some events that happened later caused obstacles in their friendship. Zhu Liushuang began to consciously distance herself from Lü Feng, and the two gradually drifted apart.
It wasn't until they started working that they became neighbors again, seeing each other all the time, and their interactions increased.
To her, Lü Feng was like an older brother.
But she also sensed, to some extent, that Lü Feng might be treating her differently. Therefore, for the past six months, she had been keeping her distance from him.
————
The sun had already disappeared into the clouds early in the daytime, leaving only a ring of light to gild the drifting clouds on the horizon.
Nightlife starts early in small cities; people who have finished dinner are already strolling along the sidewalks on both sides of the road.
A uniquely designed white tricycle was traveling on the motor vehicle lane at a slow speed, yet it attracted the attention of passersby.
The reason was simple: the driver was a petite young woman.
A hot summer evening breeze brushed past his face as Zhu Liushuang, wearing a white safety helmet, headed towards the night market as darkness fell.
The tricycle emitted a low rumble as she stared ahead, completely oblivious to the slightly probing looks on others' faces.
He even felt that he was pretty cool driving this car.
In order to legally drive on the road, Zhu Liushuang specifically took the time to get a Class D driver's license and registered the car. This was to avoid being stopped, fined, and having the car impounded by traffic police one day.
As they got closer to their destination, the surrounding noise grew increasingly louder. Zhu Liushuang drove all the way to the end of the night market and finally found her stall.
She has been rooted in this food street since she started her stall. However, since the stalls are free and she needs to apply in advance each time, her location is always changing.
Fortunately, she created a WeChat group for her regular customers. Whenever she sets up her stall on Sundays, she will announce the dishes in advance in the group and also post the location in the group so that customers can find it easily.
The tricycle pulled up to the side of the road, and Zhu Liushuang got off and carefully pushed the vehicle into the stall before starting preparations for the sale.
"You're quite strong, young lady!" A burly middle-aged man wearing a black apron praised her with a smile at a beef burger stall on the right.
Zhu Liushuang smiled shyly, but her eyes were fixed on the price tags on the other person's stall. She had been so busy today that she almost forgot to apply for a stall and missed out on a prime spot.
She was initially a little disappointed, but she felt relieved after seeing the price list of the stall next door.
Beef burgers aren't cheap, but people who can afford beef burgers can certainly afford tiramisu too.
Furthermore, there's a barbecue stall to her left. If she gets tired of barbecue, she can easily buy a serving of iced glutinous rice balls or a bottle of fruit tea. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
As dusk settled, the night market gradually filled with more and more pedestrians.
Zhu Liushuang turned on the light strip on the vehicle, and the twinkling star lights around the vehicle added a lot of atmosphere to the stall.
If passersby at the night market were to walk past this dessert stall, they would see a short-haired girl with a floral headscarf standing behind the refrigerated display case.
In the cabinet in front of her were beautifully decorated and tempting tiramisu, a large tub of smoothies and various toppings, and neatly arranged fruit teas.
Customers started tagging her in WeChat groups, and Zhu Liushuang bowed her head and replied to each one.
"Mommy, this panda is so cute! I want it..." a childish voice rang out.
She raised her head in response, her amber eyes filled with a gentle smile.
A little girl with braided pigtails was tugging at the outside of the freezer, clearly captivated by the panda decoration on the pistachio tiramisu. She was holding her mother's hand, her expression determined to buy it before leaving.
Zhu Liushuang glanced at the hesitant look on the woman's face and decided to start with the young girl: "Little sister, you have excellent taste. This pistachio tiramisu I made is especially delicious. We have a promotion today, buy two and get 5% off."
Hearing about the discount, the little girl's eyes lit up even more. She turned around and kept calling to her mother, "Mommy, Mommy! I want this panda! Buy two, one for you and one for me."
The mother couldn't resist her daughter's persistent pleading, and even though she wasn't entirely willing, she bought it anyway.
Zhu Liushuang used a spatula to scoop out two pieces, carefully packed them up, and handed them to the mother and daughter in front of her, her eyes crinkling as she said, "If you like it, come again next time. I come here every Sunday."
Her experience of setting up a stall for more than half a year has honed her ability to advertise herself at any time.
More and more people were walking around the food street, and in no time she had sold many more servings of tiramisu and iced glutinous rice balls.
This was her first time trying to sell shaved ice dumplings, and feeling uncertain, she only shoveled a bucket of shaved ice. Unexpectedly, it became surprisingly popular.
Perhaps because of the hot weather, many customers who finished their barbecue would also buy a bowl of iced glutinous rice balls from her stall to try. They ate it right away, and the customers gave positive feedback on the spot. With such a good response, the queue naturally grew longer.
Zhu Liushuang looked at the contents of the freezer, calculating when she would finish work that evening. Considering safety, she usually closed her stall earlier than others, preparing to go home around nine o'clock.
She estimated the closing time to be 9:30 today, but there wasn't much stock left in the store, so finishing early wouldn't be a problem.
With a "ding-dong" sound, a girl named "Gu Gu" contacted her in the WeChat group, saying that the three tiramisu she had ordered would be picked up later.
Zhu Liushuang agreed without hesitation, but also made it clear that she would close her stall no later than 9:30.
The clouds in the sky grew thicker, a gust of wind blew, and she looked up at the dark night sky, thinking that it might rain tonight.
All the frozen glutinous rice balls in the freezer were sold out, with only three reserved tiramisu pieces and a few bottles of fruit tea left.
At 9:10, she rubbed her sore neck and began to look around.
The girl named "Gu Gu" has still not appeared.
Two young men walked one after the other to a parking space in front of a private restaurant not far from the food street.
The man in front had fair skin and a slightly tipsy expression, suggesting he had been drinking. The man behind him was shorter and was on the phone.
"Brother! Did you have a dinner party at Wan Jia Private Kitchen? Is it over now?" Gu Xuting's anxious voice came through the phone.
"Just finished, what's wrong?" Gu Xufeng pulled the receiver a little further away.
"Great! Bro, could you please pick up some takeout from the Wanghu Road food street for me? Please, please!"
"Why don't you come yourself? Just call a delivery person..." Gu Xufeng refused without hesitation.
"Waaaah... The monthly exam is coming up soon, and Mom won't let me go out." Gu Xuting started to play the victim. "Brother, you're the best! Please do me a favor. The lady who sells tiramisu is so pretty, she might even be able to help you have a romantic encounter. She closes up shop at 9:30, so remember to hurry!"
Before Gu Xufeng could answer, Gu Xuting immediately hung up the phone and sent the address over right away.
Gu Xufeng couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the series of emojis his sister had sent.
"What's wrong?" He Ming asked in a deep voice when he saw that he hadn't moved for a while.
"Tingting asked me to pick up a tiramisu from the food street for her. You don't mind, do you? The little girl is really craving it."
He Ming knew that Gu Xufeng had a younger sister, and he had heard him mention her many times. He nodded and said, "Anyway, you don't have to work overtime tonight, so do as you please."
The two attended a dinner that evening organized by the Transportation Bureau and the Urban Construction Department. A railway project was about to be built in Gucheng, and their firm had won the bid.
"Those guys are really good drinkers. Luckily, you were there to shield me." Gu Xufeng got into the driver's seat and started the car while complaining. He had been drinking too much recently and had even had a stomach hemorrhage, so he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol tonight.
He Ming drank a few glasses of baijiu. Although there was no visible abnormality on his face, he had a headache and felt unwell in his stomach. He only gave a soft "hmm" and then leaned towards the window, propping his head up with his hand.
Seeing that He Ming seemed unwilling to talk, Gu Xufeng said in a low voice, "Why don't you take a nap first? I'll take you home as soon as I get my things."
He was met with silence.
While waiting at the traffic light, Gu Xufeng turned his head to look at He Ming, only to see him leaning against the car window with his eyes closed. His eyelashes were black and thick, even longer than his sister's. His brows were slightly furrowed, and the absence of his frameless glasses on his high, straight nose gave him an inexplicable air of loneliness.
He's even prettier than a woman; no wonder all the young girls who come to intern in the group fall for him.
Gu Xufeng cursed under his breath, thank goodness he was a straight man!
The Wanghu Road food street was very close to where they started, only a few minutes' drive away. Following the address sent by Gu Xuting, he quickly found the stall.
There weren't many people on the street, and there were a few temporary parking spaces at the end of the road. Gu Xufeng parked his car and then got out.
From afar, you can see a petite girl jumping around next to a white tricycle.
As I got closer, I realized she was swatting away mosquitoes.
"Hello, I'm here to pick up my pre-ordered tiramisu." Gu Xufeng's voice was full of energy.
Zhu Liushuang glanced at the mosquito bite on her arm and sighed, "If you hadn't come soon, I would have fed all the mosquitoes!" She drew out the last syllable, sounding rather like she was complaining.
"Wait a minute. I remember Gu Gu is a girl, so who are you?" Zhu Liushuang asked, puzzled, as she climbed back into the car to pack her things.
“I’m her brother.” As he spoke, Gu Xufeng held up the WeChat chat history in front of Zhu Liushuang. “I’m sorry, my sister can’t come out tonight. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Seeing that Zhu Liushuang, a young girl, was still waiting for him late at night, he felt a little guilty. He glanced at the refrigerated display case out of the corner of his eye and said, "How about this, I'll buy the rest of the fruit tea too. How much is it in total?"
"Ninety, the QR code is over here." Hearing that the customer wanted to buy the remaining fruit tea, Zhu Liushuang smiled broadly, thinking to herself: Sure enough, playing the victim a little works!
Soon, four insulated bags were handed to Gu Xufeng: "Take care, come again next time if you like it."
When Zhu Liushuang smiled, her dimples appeared and disappeared. Gu Xufeng was stunned for a second before smiling and saying, "Yes."
On his way back to the car, he was still savoring the stall owner's sweet smile, so much so that he didn't even notice He Ming walking up to him.
A slightly hoarse voice sounded in his ear, and he snapped out of his daze, asking in surprise, "Why did you get off the bus?"
"It's a bit stuffy, so I came out for some fresh air." He Ming stood sideways on the street, with a smoky barbecue stall behind him. "Did your sister buy so much?"
“The other bag of fruit tea is for me. The girl who runs the stall looks…” Gu Xufeng stammered, then changed his words, “It’s not easy for a young girl to run a stall all by herself, so we bought them all for her.”
He Ming scoffed, "Your real intention is not what you think?" His eyes were slightly red and his gaze was unfocused, which made Gu Xufeng feel inexplicably guilty.
“I admit… that girl is really beautiful, you don’t believe me, look…” Gu Xufeng pulled He Ming halfway up his body to show him in order to prove his aesthetic sense.
Not quite lucid, He Ming looked in the direction Gu Xufeng was pointing and saw a white tricycle parked quietly across the street, but the stall owner was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, where is she? She was just here..." Gu Xufeng said anxiously. Seeing that Zhu Liushuang had not appeared for a long time, he had no choice but to turn around. "Never mind, I've never seen you interested in any woman before. Let's go back."
He Ming said "Oh," his mind slightly sluggish under the influence of alcohol, his gaze still fixed on the stall cart.
He has myopia of over 100 degrees and doesn't wear glasses when he's not working. His vision isn't very clear, especially when he's across the street.
A slender figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision. The twinkling fairy lights illuminated the girl's delicate face, but he couldn't see her expression; he only saw the evening breeze gently blowing through her hair.
He Ming felt a strange sense of déjà vu about this scene. But he only paused for a moment before coldly looking away and turning to walk alongside Gu Xufeng.
He rubbed his throbbing temples and said, "Give me a bottle of fruit tea."
Gu Xufeng took out a bottle of fruit tea, unscrewed it, and casually placed it in He Ming's hand. He Ming drank it as they walked, saying, "The taste is alright, not too sweet."
Gu Xufeng also grabbed a bottle of fruit tea, opened it, and took several sips: "You're so stingy! It's so delicious! That girl is not only beautiful but also a great cook..."
The two chatted idly as they walked back to the car, with the bustling streets and the increasingly noisy night wind behind them.
No one noticed that the beautiful and skillful girl Gu Xufeng had mentioned was weaving through the crowd and hurrying toward them.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Isn't the female protagonist riding a tricycle cool? We're absolutely serious about making money through street vending. (Whispering: Be careful with street vending, you might lose everything!)
Life is full of unexpected encounters, and Senior He finally met Shuangshuang! (Although he was a little out of his mind and couldn't see very clearly... but once you meet someone, there's more to the story.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
