Find a Girlfriend Who Isn't Jealous (Revised)

An Nuan had visited Liu Chang'an's home back in her freshman year of high school while conducting a survey on families in need for the student council. She remembered coming with Bai Hui; back then, Liu Chang'an still liked Bai Hui... Pfft, he still liked her now, and would probably keep liking Bai Hui forever.

On the way back, they passed the vegetable market, and An Nuan followed Liu Chang'an to buy fresh ginger, garlic, and chili peppers.

"This ginger is a bit old; give it to us cheaper." An Nuan haggled like a pro, intending to save money for Liu Chang'an.

"I'm making dog meat sauce, I need old ginger." Liu Chang'an shook his head.

An Nuan glared at Liu Chang'an. When a girl tries to show off her domestic side, can't he at least give her some face?

The vendor smiled. "Take these ginger pieces, I'll throw in a handful of garlic. Do you want some green onions?"

"Yes, and give us some red chili peppers too."

An Nuan stopped talking, watching as Liu Chang'an deftly picked and chose the produce before packing it into a plastic bag to head home.

As they entered the residential complex, perhaps because both An Nuan and Liu Chang'an were wearing school uniforms, the elderly residents watching them increased in number. When they passed the small convenience store, Auntie Xie giggled and remarked that the young girl was truly pretty.

"Why do they keep staring at me?" An Nuan felt a bit shy, yet she also held a sliver of expectation that Liu Chang'an would reveal the real reason they were looking at her.

"They're bored."

An Nuan stomped her foot, wanting to beat Liu Chang'an up again. What an insensitive jerk. It wasn't without reason that he didn't have a girlfriend. Bai Hui must like boys who were humorous and witty, the kind who could say things that made one's heart flutter like a startled deer. Therefore, Bai Hui definitely wouldn't like Liu Chang'an, who only thought about how to choke you with his words.

Ever since Liu Chang'an started sitting next to Bai Hui, An Nuan had been helping Bai Hui find reasons why she shouldn't like him, and she was quite happy that she could find new ones every day.

"Brother Chang'an, did you bring your girlfriend home?" Zhou Dongdong was holding a ceramic rice bowl, squatting under the phoenix tree.

Children were always sharp and sensible. An Nuan blushed and shook her head vigorously, her ponytail swaying back and forth, as she gave Liu Chang'an a push.

"Why are you pushing me?"

"Aren't you going to explain? The child misunderstood."

"Her name is Zhou Dongdong, a very annoying kid. I don't want to talk to her," Liu Chang'an said.

"I don't like you either. You bully doggies," Zhou Dongdong said.

Liu Chang'an pointed at Zhou Dongdong's bowl. "What's in your bowl?"

Zhou Dongdong looked at her bowl, hid it behind her back, and rubbed her nose as she said, "Doggie meat."

Because noses grow longer when you lie, Zhou Dongdong was a bit worried, so she didn't lie.

"How many bowls have you eaten?"

"Three bowls."

"Then how can you say I bully doggies?"

"It's delicious... but you still killed the doggie..."

"Go cook." An Nuan shoved Liu Chang'an. Honestly, he was old enough, yet he could argue with a child for so long.

"Big Sister, you're so tall!" Zhou Dongdong looked up at An Nuan. "You're as huge as an elephant."

An Nuan finally understood why Liu Chang'an said Zhou Dongdong was an annoying kid. But it was fine; she was cute, and An Nuan wasn't petty enough to hold it against her.

"Big Sister, do you want to come see the ants with me? So many ants died here. It must be because Brother Chang'an peed here last night and drowned them all..."

"Zhou Dongdong, that wasn't me! You were the one who peed there yourself!"

An Nuan was just about to push Liu Chang'an back, but he had already walked to the tree, squatted down, and used a blade of grass to poke at the ant corpses.

Liu Chang'an picked one up, examined it carefully, and then looked back at the box truck parked nearby.

"I'm going to make a point of peeing here from now on, just to stink you out," Liu Chang'an told Zhou Dongdong.

"Stink you out, stink you out, stink you out!" Zhou Dongdong hugged her rice bowl and ran away.

An Nuan shook her head and followed Liu Chang'an into the house.

Liu Chang'an's room was very small, with a bathroom that was barely large enough to turn around in. The bed was in the center, and kitchen utensils and a small table were placed near the door. Liu Chang'an told An Nuan to find a seat, and he began to busy himself.

First, he stir-fried the dog fat, ginger, and garlic, then added chopped dog intestines to render the oil. He added red chili peppers and perilla, followed by the rest of the chopped dog offal and soy sauce, then added broth to simmer. In a short while, the fragrant dog meat sauce was ready.

When Liu Chang'an was cooking, An Nuan didn't disturb him, just sat to the side watching him work. She suddenly felt that besides the aroma filling the small room, there was a faint sense of warmth. How many boys Liu Chang'an's age knew how to cook? Just as Liu Chang'an had said, boys at this age had too many hormones. An Nuan knew exactly what their main goal was when they pursued girls. For a girl like Bai Hui, she couldn't possibly be unaware of what every boy thought of first when they saw her, could she? Even though there were many boys surrounding her, they were likely all just after her chest. The thought of being pursued like that made her uncomfortable.

Liu Chang'an finished the meal and invited An Nuan to dig in.

"Why is this so delicious?" An Nuan didn't hesitate to use her eating speed to praise Liu Chang'an's cooking. "It's much better than hot pot."

"This is a way of eating from some places in the north. Actually, if you have a turtle, using it to make a broth to cook the dog meat in is also quite good. That was passed down from Fan Kuai; Liu Bang quite liked eating it, though I don't really like Liu Bang as a person."

An Nuan wasn't like Liu Chang'an, who had to know the historical anecdotes behind everything he ate. She just ate until she was full and sighed at how delicious it was, warning him, "I don't care. Even if you find a girlfriend in the future, you have to remember to call me when you make something delicious. Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook. You are not allowed to prioritize romance over friendship."

"That's going to be difficult." Liu Chang'an thought about it seriously and frowned in a troubled manner. "Girls are all petty; it's impossible for them not to be jealous. If I find a girlfriend and you keep coming over to mooch meals, she will definitely tear you apart, calling you a 'green tea bitch' or a 'scheming girl'."

"Who's afraid of who!" An Nuan dismissed the idea with a scoff. She stretched out her long legs, kicked off her shoes, and stepped on Liu Chang'an's feet, declaring war on the "Liu Chang'an's girlfriend" who didn't even exist yet. "Unless she's prettier than me, has a bigger chest, longer legs, is smarter, and cuter than me..."

"Does such a girl exist?" Liu Chang'an expressed with firm conviction that it was completely impossible.

An Nuan let out a "pfft" of laughter, feeling slightly smug. She reached out to rub her stomach, feeling like she had overeaten, and couldn't help but want to act spoiled and ask Liu Chang'an to help rub her belly. The words reached her lips, but she stopped herself in time. She was being far too unreserved; Liu Chang'an had finally said something nice, and she was already floating away, losing her sense of reality.

"However, I have a way to solve this problem perfectly."

"Tell me." An Nuan eyed Liu Chang'an warily; her intuition told her that Liu Chang'an was looking for a beating again.

"Look, usually, mothers don't mind their daughters eating at their own homes..."

As expected! Even though An Nuan was stuffed to the point of bursting, she still couldn't help but jump up, run behind Liu Chang'an, and grab his head, trying to shove him to the ground.

"Can you be a little more reserved? Stop rubbing against me!" Liu Chang'an couldn't fathom what kind of mindset An Nuan had that made her love getting handsy with him. When a girl fought like this, wasn't she just actively pressing her waist, legs, and chest—places that were usually off-limits—against him?

"You provoked me..."

An Nuan used her legs to pin his arms so he couldn't resist. Her phone rang; speak of the devil, it was her mother calling to ask where she was.

After finishing the call and brushing her mother off, An Nuan stopped messing around with him and huffed, "Take me home, then walk back by yourself."

"Isn't the standard plot that you take me back, then I take you back, and finally we part reluctantly at the bridge, saying goodbye with every step, and once we can't see each other anymore, we immediately start texting?" Liu Chang'an said, acting as if he were quite the romantic.

An Nuan rolled her eyes at him. If that were really the case, a girl would certainly be happy and willing, but this annoying guy Liu Chang'an was definitely just all talk. When he actually intended to do something like that, he would never say it, and when he said things like this, he would absolutely never do them.

Of course, Liu Chang'an was just talking. He had something on his mind that he needed to take care of tonight, and it wasn't a mahjong date, nor was it to play Pao Hu Zi.