Upon hearing that Cheng Che was going to cook, Su Miaoyin turned around and ran into her room.
"I'm going to change my clothes! Wait for me!"
The slippers made a clattering sound as I ran to the door, almost tripping, and I had to hold onto the doorframe to steady myself.
Cheng Che stood in the courtyard, watching her hurried figure, and smiled.
He picked up the trash bag from the ground, threw it into the trash can at the entrance of the courtyard, and then leaned against the old locust tree to wait for her.
When Su Miaoyin came out, she had changed into a light green knitted sweater, retied her hair, tucked the stray hairs behind her ears, and applied a very light layer of lipstick.
She jogged up to Cheng Che, looked up at him, her eyes bright, and the corners of her mouth turned up.
Let's go.
"Is the farmers' market still open at this hour?"
Cheng Che glanced at the time on his phone.
"It's open until nine o'clock." Su Miaoyin reached out and tugged at his sleeve. "There's one nearby, a five-minute walk."
The two left the alley and headed towards the vegetable market.
The market at around 8 p. m. was much quieter than during the day. The stalls were still lit up, but there weren't many customers left.
The vegetable vendor was packing up her stall when she saw Su Miaoyin and called out with a smile:
" Little Su, you're late today."
Su Miaoyin leaned closer, resting her head on the edge of the stall, and asked in a slightly coquettish voice, "Auntie, do you still have spare ribs?"
Yes, I saved it for you.
The older woman rummaged through the freezer and pulled out a box of pork ribs. As she handed it over, her gaze shifted to the side, and she saw Cheng Che standing behind Su Miaoyin.
Although she was wearing a mask and hat, her figure and demeanor were still evident.
The older woman looked Su Miaoyin up and down, then leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
Su Miaoyin's face flushed red, and she whispered, "No," then added, "Auntie, please don't talk nonsense."
The woman chuckled twice, waved her hand, and didn't ask any more questions.
Cheng Che stood to the side, watching Su Miaoyin squatting in front of the stall picking out vegetables.
She examined the vegetables very carefully, leaf by leaf, occasionally glancing back at him and asking, "Is this okay?"
Cheng Che nodded.
"Would you like to buy some tofu?" she asked again.
"Buy one."
After buying groceries, Su Miaoyin went into the nearby grain and oil shop and bought a small bag of rice.
Cheng Che reached out and took the rice bag, while Su Miaoyin carried the bag of vegetables. The two of them walked back.
"Do you usually cook for yourself?" Cheng Che asked.
"Occasionally," Su Miaoyin pouted, "Living alone, cooking is too much trouble. Sometimes I just cook noodles or order takeout."
After she finished speaking, she turned her head and glanced at him, her tone slightly probing.
"I wish you could keep making these for me."
What are you thinking about?
Cheng Che tapped Su Miaoyin's head speechlessly, and as she clutched her head, he walked forward, saying, "But I can cook you a nice meal today."
Su Miaoyin's lips curled up slightly, but she didn't reply, though her steps became noticeably lighter.
Back in the courtyard, Su Miaoyin pushed open the door to the side room, Cheng Che followed her in.
It's similar to the last time I came, except it looks a bit messy, with pants and clothes scattered everywhere.
"... It's a bit messy."
Su Miaoyin blushed and quickly gathered the clothes scattered on the chair, stuffing them into the closet. She was in such a hurry that she couldn't get them in after a couple of tries.
"It's not messy." Cheng Che placed the dishes on the table and glanced around the room. "Much cleaner than my dorm."
He went into the kitchen and started cooking.
So as not to disturb Su Miaoyin's grand tidying up of the house.
Su Miaoyin breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and hurriedly stuffed the things in haphazardly. Once she felt it was almost done, she followed him into the kitchen.
Su Miaoyin's kitchen is very small; two people standing inside would not be able to turn around properly.
While Cheng Che was chopping vegetables, Su Miaoyin stood by and watched, occasionally handing him a seasoning or a plate.
After the pork ribs were stewed, Cheng Che stir-fried a plate of green vegetables and a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Su Miaoyin sat at the dining table waiting, her chin resting on her hand, her eyes following him constantly.
What are you looking at?
"Look at you," she said bluntly, "After all, you're a feast for the eyes."
Cheng Che smiled and leaned out to flick her forehead.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Su Miaoyin covered her forehead and glared fiercely at Cheng Che.
"You're acting like a female hooligan; I have to teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents."
Su Miaoyin pouted and ignored Cheng Che. She picked up a piece of pork rib, took a bite, chewed it twice, and then her eyes widened.
"It tastes pretty good. Don't you not make it often?"
Cheng Che smiled without saying a word; of course, he couldn't tell her that he had just cooked lunch for another woman.
As she ate, a little soup got on the corner of her mouth.
Cheng Che glanced at it, reached for a tissue on the table, and handed it over.
Su Miaoyin took the tissue and was about to wipe her mouth when Cheng Che reached out and took the tissue back, folded it, and wiped her mouth himself.
Su Miaoyin froze, her hand hovering in mid-air, her face slowly turning red.
Cheng Che placed the tissue on the table, his expression natural. "It's wiped off."
Su Miaoyin lowered her head, ate a few mouthfuls of rice in silence, her ears turning bright red, and tried to pick up anything from the bowl with her chopsticks.
After the meal, Cheng Che helped her clear the dishes.
Su Miaoyin stood at the kitchen doorway, watching him wash the dishes, her expression a little reluctant.
"Are you staying here tonight?" she asked.
"Okay. I'm going to school tomorrow."
"So... will you come back to stay often in the future?"
"Probably." Cheng Che put the bowl on the drainer and wiped his hands. "It's close to school here, so I can come stay here when I don't have classes."
Su Miaoyin nodded, then suddenly remembered something, her tone brightening immediately. "Tomorrow is Monday, the music club has an event. Are you coming?"
Cheng Che glanced at her, then deliberately paused for a beat:
"You're the president, you make the decisions."
Su Miaoyin's eyes lit up, and she took half a step forward. "Then I'll decide. You do it."
"Okay." Cheng Che picked up his coat and walked to the door. "See you tomorrow."
Su Miaoyin stood at the door, watching him put on his shoes, and pursed her lips with a hint of reluctance.
He pushed open the door and left.
Su Miaoyin stood at the door, watching his figure disappear into the alleyway, then went back inside, closed the door, leaned against it, and smiled until her eyes curved into crescent moons.
That evening, Cheng Che attended a staff gathering. The next day, he officially returned to Peking University to begin his classes.
When he walked into the classroom, the previously noisy classroom fell silent for a moment.
Dozens of eyes turned to look at them simultaneously, and someone whispered, "He's here," before the whispers spread like a tide.
Cheng Che found a seat by the window, put his textbook on the table, and took out his pen and notebook, as calmly as if he were having morning self-study at Spring City No. 13 Middle School.
But during the break, some people still gathered around.
A boy is holding a printed copy of "Annals of Mathematics," and he looks a little nervous.
"Cheng, could you sign this for me? I study number theory, and I've read your paper three times."
Cheng Che took the pen, signed his name, and then asked, "Which part didn't you understand?"
The boy paused for a moment, then opened the paper and pointed to a passage.
Cheng Che glanced at it, drew two lines on the Scratch Paper, and said a few words.
The boy's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he nodded.
More and more people gathered around; some wanted autographs, some asked about the paper, and some just watched from afar.
Cheng Che responded to each question calmly and patiently.
When the weekend came, Cheng Che invited Guo Xin, Zhou Mingxuan, Lin Xiao, Su Qingyue, and the three adopted sons from dormitory 302 to go to Quanjude to eat Peking duck.
The atmosphere at the dinner was lively.
As Guo Xin rolled up his pancake, he talked about how he had been getting a severe scolding from his teachers at school recently, while Lin Xiao laughed beside him.
Wang Zheng, Zhou Hao, Li Yuan, the three adopted sons, got together to play mobile games and only put down their phones when the roast duck was served.
Halfway through the meal, Cheng Che took a small bag from under the table and handed it to Su Qingyue.
"Brought from Europe."
Su Qingyue took it, opened it, and saw that it was a hand-woven silk scarf, light gray-blue in color, and very soft.
She paused for a moment, then looked up at Cheng Che.
"Is this for me?"
"Hmm. I saw it at a flea market in Paris, and I think the color suits you."
Su Qingyue blushed. She folded the scarf and put it back in the bag, whispering "thank you" in a very soft voice, but her fingers rubbed the bag a couple of times.
Cheng Che glanced at her.
Seeing that the intimacy level in [ Red Sleeves Add Fragrance ] had risen to 85, she smiled and then turned back to continue pouring drinks for Guo Xin.
Since neither of you intends to give up, let's start running it.
Learn from the King of Asia Dance, become Master time management!