There's an old saying among Chinese people: "Since you're already here."
Well, since they were already here, and the young lady was being so enthusiastic, Su Yunjin couldn't just turn around and leave.
Earlier in the car, Su Yunjin had planned to take her to a Japanese restaurant, but the girl had volunteered, saying there was delicious food nearby.
Since she recommended it, Su Yunjin thought she might as well give it a try.
But the place they ended up at was quite different from what she had imagined.
The place Jiang Mo brought her to was a food street not far behind her school, where the variety of dishes was as countless as fish in a river—you could eat here for two weeks without repeating a single dish.
"Madam, you can just park your car on the side of the road. It's fine—no one tickets here, no fines," Jiang Mo cheerfully reminded her.
Su Yunjin forced an awkward smile, touched her ear, and took hesitant steps toward Jiang Mo. "Where’s the restaurant you mentioned? Is it far from here?"
This environment didn’t look like it housed any gourmet food at all.
Jiang Mo waved her hand. "Not far, not far, just a couple of steps away."
Su Yunjin, wearing high heels, walked slowly, and the road was a bit rough with small potholes here and there. Electric scooters occasionally zipped past, honking. Jiang Mo offered her arm for support, nodding repeatedly in response to Su Yunjin’s questions. "Almost there, we’re almost there."
A few minutes later, Su Yunjin stared at a large red metal canopy, bustling with people. She carefully maneuvered through the crowd.
Inside, she found a spacious area divided into countless small stalls. "Jiang Mo, is this the food paradise you were talking about?"
Su Yunjin had always dined in high-end, luxurious restaurants and had never been to such a down-to-earth place.
She felt a bit out of place but also somewhat curious.
Could there really be good food here?
"Of course! The food here is so good you’ll want to come back. Look how crowded it is—let’s grab a seat before they’re all taken!" Jiang Mo’s eyes sparkled as she scanned for an empty spot.
It was lunchtime, and the food court was packed. Jiang Mo picked a prime spot—conveniently close to all the stalls—and wiped the table and chairs spotless.
"Madam, please sit. What would you like to eat? I’ll go buy it."
Su Yunjin stood to the side, her elegant and refined appearance starkly contrasting with the surroundings.
Noticing the curious glances from nearby diners, she cleared her throat, fiddled with her collar, and said uncomfortably, "Don’t call me 'Madam'—it sounds so awkward, like we’re acting in a short drama."
Jiang Mo didn’t hear her at all, still bustling about and even raising her voice. "Madam, what did you say?"
Never mind. Forget it.
How could someone so young have such bad hearing?
Su Yunjin sighed, not wanting to embarrass the girl, and perched on the edge of the stool. "I’m not hungry. Just buy whatever you like."
"Oh, and let’s add each other on WeChat."
As soon as they became WeChat friends, Jiang Mo received a transfer from Su Yunjin.
Two thousand yuan.
"Madam, the food here is super cheap! A meal only costs ten or twenty yuan, and the fruit tea from Mixue is just 2.9 yuan with a group buy. We don’t need this much!"
"It’s that cheap?!" Su Yunjin was shocked.
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Mo thought, You haven’t even discovered Pinduoduo’s group meals yet.
"I’ll transfer the money back to you."
"No need. Consider the rest a 'starting work' red envelope," Su Yunjin said dismissively, waving her hand.
Wow! Jiang Mo suppressed a giggle, feeling like a mouse that had stumbled into a rice bin—absolutely thrilled!
"Then, Madam, please rest. I’ll go get the food."
As someone who spent most of her money on food, Jiang Mo couldn’t understand how anyone could have no appetite.
If you told her to spend 200 yuan on clothes, she’d agonize over it for ages. But if you said 200 yuan for a meal? She’d start devouring it immediately.
She dashed expertly to her favorite stalls—grabbing luosifen from the east stall, roujiamo from the west, skewers from the south, and milk tea from the north.
After several trips, like an ant moving its nest, the table was piled high with food.
She even stopped by a nearby sundry shop to buy a foldable stool and some tissues.
Su Yunjin naturally switched to the stool, covering her nose. "Don’t you smell that? Something on the table stinks."
"Oh, that’s the fermented bamboo shoots in the luosifen. It’s part of the charm—super addictive once you try it!" Jiang Mo enthusiastically recommended.
"I can’t handle it. I’m not hungry anyway. You eat it."
No need for polite refusals when it came to food—Jiang Mo dug in with gusto.
The luosifen broth was rich, topped with a layer of enticing red chili oil. The rice noodles were soft yet springy, sliding smoothly over the tongue and wrapping around the taste buds.
The soup was a perfect balance of sour, spicy, and savory—complex and delicious.
Between bites, Jiang Mo marveled at how much better the food court was compared to takeout near her home—authentic and generous portions.
Su Yunjin watched Jiang Mo eat so heartily that her own mouth watered. Could this stuff really be that good?
Noticing Su Yunjin’s gaze and the faint hint of curiosity, Jiang Mo seized the moment. "Just give it a try. If you don’t like it, no pressure."
"But this food is so cheap—is it even sanitary?" Su Yunjin asked.
"Don’t worry, we college students aren’t pushovers. If it were too dirty, we’d boycott the place."
Jiang Mo couldn’t guarantee perfection, but overall, it was decent.
Su Yunjin hesitated—mostly because Jiang Mo’s eating was so contagious that she actually felt a little hungry now.
"Well… I suppose I’ll try a bite."
She picked up her chopsticks, carefully lifted a strand of noodles, and took a small bite, as if sampling a French gourmet dish.
It was soft and smooth, a bit sour and spicy—and not as stinky as it smelled.
She tried another bite.
Not bad, actually.
The more she ate, the more her appetite grew.
Jiang Mo watched her eat with refined slowness while she herself wolfed down food like a ravenous beast.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
The wealthy really are different.
So elegant. Unbelievably elegant!
"These other dishes are great too—you should try them."
If luosifen was a success, the rest would be easy.
But Su Yunjin’s appetite was small, and after sampling a bit of everything, she couldn’t eat much more.
Jiang Mo ended up finishing it all.
Youth really does mean a bottomless stomach, Su Yunjin mused. It was her first time seeing someone with such an impressive appetite.
She took a sip of milk tea and held up the cup. "What’s this called? It’s quite good."
"Hehe, it’s called 'Fresh Orange Smash.' Since you usually drink coffee or tea, it’s nice to switch things up sometimes."
Su Yunjin didn’t comment, but the milk tea disappeared rapidly.
By the time she finished, she was almost craving more.
Who knew this sweet drink would be so tasty?
Midway through, Su Yunjin took a call. Jiang Mo noticed her frown at her phone at first, but her tone during the conversation was cheerful.
The moment she hung up, though, her expression darkened.
"Jiang Mo, are you done eating? Let’s go—we’re heading to Splendor Mansion."
"Got it!" Jiang Mo sprang into action, gathering the unused tissues and folding the stool.
Su Yunjin had already taken a few steps when she realized Jiang Mo wasn’t following. Her expression clearly said, Why are you taking this junk? Do we look like we’re short on money?
"They’re still new and perfectly good. No point wasting them, hehe."
Once she got in the car, Jiang Mo immediately turned to her strategist for intel.
"Mom, do you know who Old Jiang is?"
That was how Su Yunjin had referred to the person on the phone earlier.
Before long, Wang Xia’s message came through: "The wife’s nemesis. They’ve never gotten along—she can’t stand her. The way the wife looks at her? Pure fight energy. Don’t back down. If there’s trouble, throw the first punch."
