Master Qin approached with a beaming smile, “Hello, qingtuan boss. I’ll pay for this order, but can you make qingtuan next time?” he asked, glancing at her.
Ye Qiuling looked at the overly familiar Master Qin. Now that she had moved to town, there was no way she could go back to the village to pick mugwort, so she refused, “No need to treat me, I’m not making qingtuan anymore.”
Hearing the refusal, Master Qin remembered how Old Zhou had falsely accused Ye Qiuling over the peach blossom pastries and felt a pang of guilt, it had all started because of him.
Dejected, he lowered his head. Seeing his disappointment, Ye Qiuling quickly added, “Do you like sweets? In a few days I might make a cake; it’s also sweet.”
At the mention of “cake,” Master Qin’s eyes lit up. Thinking it might be a novel creation from the boss, he could try it, regaining his cheerful, sunny demeanor, “Sure!”
“I sit down and eat with you? Consider it my treat,” he said, shoving Chen Xuanmo aside to grab a stool and turning to Chen Xuanmo, “Don’t mind if I sit here, right?”
Chen Xuanmo showed no displeasure, a small smile on his lips, “Sure, you can sit next to me.”
Master Qin glared at him in mock indignation and could only sit beside him.
When the dishes arrived, Master Qin, seeing they were light, ran to the kitchen and added a few more.
Upon returning, he saw Chen Xuanmo had already removed the fish bones before placing it into Ye Qiuling’s bowl. Squinting slightly, Master Qin noticed: Chen Xuanmo liked Ye Qiuling, and she, oblivious, received the fish with a polite, “Thank you,” her eyes clear, focused solely on the food.
Chen Xuanmo’s gaze overflowed with affection. Master Qin thought, if he could compete with Chen Xuanmo for Ye Qiuling, he’d get to enjoy her cooking every day—but failure was impossible; someone so perfect could never fail.
As they approached the table, Master Qin placed the fish into Ye Qiuling’s bowl. She tilted her head in confusion, as if to ask, “What are you doing?”
He added a piece of tofu, smiling, “Eat, Uncle Wang’s fish is delicious.”
Ye Qiuling found the fish truly tasty, tangy and sweet, tender like cotton candy in her mouth. The flavors stimulated her palate, and she unknowingly finished two large bowls.
Ye Dazhi, visiting a high-end restaurant for the first time, didn’t eat boldly like at home but cautiously picked a piece of tender tofu, letting it melt on his tongue like water.
Shen Wanru tried the vegetables; they were cooked perfectly, neither raw nor overdone. Delicious, it lived up to the reputation of Chain Hotpot Restaurant.
Ye Feng sampled the fish, savoring the perfectly balanced flavor with a slight char. He grabbed a piece of tofu; tender, it slid down his throat effortlessly.
Ye Qiuling, feeling full, patted her stomach, too stuffed to move.
Master Qin, watching her attentively, went out briefly. Soon, a bowl of sour soup was served to help digestion.
Chen Xuanmo’s gaze followed the bowl as he took a sip. Tangy, it mirrored his mood—his rival showing affection to his wife.
He couldn’t yield. Smiling again, he said, “Qiuling, let’s go out for a walk to aid digestion.”
Ye Qiuling, also stuffed, agreed.
Master Qin wanted to go too, but as he was about to speak, Chen Xuanmo gave a subtle signal. Chen Wu immediately understood, using a vegetable to block Master Qin’s mouth.
Master Qin glared, resentment clear, while Chen Xuanmo simply looked back.
Ye Dazhi, seeing his daughter and Chen Xuanmo, wanted to object, but Shen Wanru gently held him back. She shook her head; after these past few days, he realized Chen Xuanmo was a good person and suitable for his daughter.
Ye Feng tried to speak up to join, but Shen Wanru’s sharp glance silenced him.
The three excused themselves, claiming they were tired and would return home. Ye Qiuling paid them little mind, thinking they were simply fatigued.
Master Qin didn’t insist on the free meal either; he went to the counter to pay. The clerk kept insisting that the young master had covered it, but Ye Qiuling ignored him, tossing the money down and pulling Chen Xuanmo along.
Her hand brushed his softly—small, warm, and tender and he realized she was holding his hand, causing his ears to redden.
Ye Qiuling noticed his flushed face and touched his forehead, then her own, puzzled, “It’s not hot… why is it so red?”
Chen Xuanmo was amused by his silly wife and pretended to casually hold her hand, “Let’s go explore over there,” pointing to a street.
Ye Qiuling didn’t notice the subtle gesture and followed his direction. The street was lined with lanterns and small vendors energetically selling their wares.
Seeing her interest, Chen Xuanmo held her hand as they walked.
A beautiful girl was selling sugar figurines crafted by her father.
Ye Qiuling, curious, approached. Her hand naturally slipped from his, and he noted the lingering warmth in his palm, feeling a slight twinge of regret.
They pushed forward through a crowd, mostly men attracted to the seller’s beauty rather than the sweets.
Ye Qiuling squeezed to the front, watching as the sugar artist shaped a small piece of sugar into a ball, rolled it into a thin strip, pinched one end, and pulled the other into a tube.
He held the tube with one hand and quickly sculpted a cute rabbit head, then blew its long ears, added a tiny tail, and adjusted its shape by hand.
Once complete, he stuck it on a bamboo skewer and handed it to a little girl, who smiled, taking it sweetly, “Thank you, Uncle.”
The sugar maker smiled and nodded.
The little girl admired the rabbit, not eating it immediately.
Ye Qiuling asked, “How much for the sugar figurine?” The sugar maker smiled but didn’t answer.
A pretty girl nearby spoke up, “One coin per figurine. You can choose the shape. Bigger designs cost an extra coin.”
Ye Qiuling thought for a moment, “I’ll take a little dog.”
The sugar artist repeated the process: forming a round head, shaping ears, drawing a long tail, and gently blowing to finish.
Ye Qiuling handed over a coin, thanked him, and held her little dog-shaped sugar figurine.
Approaching Chen Xuanmo, she laughed, eyes sparkling, “Chen Xuanmo, this little dog looks like you, haha!”
He smiled helplessly at her mischievous playfulness.
Thinking of Ye Feng calling him brother-in-law, he asked, “Qiuling, Xiao Feng hasn’t gone to school yet, right?”
Ye Qiuling, licking the sugar figurine, replied, “Yes.”
Indeed, Xiao Feng hadn’t started school yet. At his age, in the modern world, he might already be in first grade, meaning she still needed to save up to send him.
The pink sugar coating on the figurine gleamed as she licked it, making her lips look shiny and tender. Chen Xuanmo’s mind couldn’t help but imagine kissing her.
He swallowed, hesitated briefly, and lightly kissed her lips.
Pulling away immediately, Ye Qiuling, still thinking of Xiao Feng, didn’t react. Chen Xuanmo explained, “There was something on your lips; I just removed it.”
Holding a small leaf in his hand, Ye Qiuling nodded in belief—after all, such a good brother wouldn’t deceive her and smiled up at him with curved eyes.
Seeing his innocent wife, a gust of wind blew, chilling her thin clothes. Chen Xuanmo took off his coat and draped it over her.
Ye Qiuling tried to refuse, but Chen Xuanmo said she wouldn’t feel cold.
She looked at his broad shoulders and narrow waist, smacking her lips, thinking what lucky girl would get him in the future.
Yawning repeatedly, Chen Xuanmo escorted her home.
The next morning, Ye Qiuling got up early, redeemed high-quality flour from the system space, poured it into a bowl, and added half the water, kneading until the surface became smooth.
She rolled the dough into a long strip, continuously stretching and folding it until fine strands formed, then placed them in an insulated bucket to boil.
In the kitchen, she used two large pots, just like at their rural home. Pouring in oil, she took three eggs from the system space, added a little water, and stirred until the color turned reddish, then poured it into the pan.
She let it set before flipping, then removed it.
Next, she washed the tomatoes, cutting some into small cubes and a few into four large pieces.
In the pan, she added oil, cooked the small cubes into a red sauce, added water, then the large pieces, and briefly stir-fried before adding the eggs.
Stirring the eggs, she coated them in the red sauce, producing vibrant, visually appealing tomato and egg stir-fry.
The noodles, delicate yet chewy, were scooped into four bowls, topped with generous portions of the tomato and egg mixture, completing the tomato and egg noodles.
Ye Dazhi and Shen Wanru had woken early. Shen Wanru initially wanted to help Ye Qiuling, but Ye Qiuling insisted, sending her out.
Ye Dazhi swept the floor, letting his daughter sit at the table in peace.
Awake, Ye Feng hurried downstairs, drawn by the rich aroma, and exclaimed, “It smells so good!”
Ye Qiuling served the noodles. Ye Feng, taking in the fragrance, murmured, “Mm, exactly the right smell,” looking utterly pleased.
Shen Wanru distributed chopsticks to everyone. Sitting together, each had a steaming bowl of tomato and egg noodles before them: the red tomato sauce and golden eggs were visually appetizing.
Ye Feng took a bite.