As adults, Chen Siyan naturally understood the hidden meaning in Tiantianquan's words. The smile on his face rippled with amorous intentions.
"I just love drinking red wine, especially at night. The taste is wonderfully rich."
Tiantianquan shot him a sideways glance, her eyelashes fluttering. Her eyes seemed to swirl with countless little hooks, tugging at Chen Siyan's heartstrings.
She picked up a sausage with her chopsticks, opened her rosy, round little mouth, and took it in. She sucked on it tightly, eating with great relish.
Chen Siyan watched her, his gaze lingering for a long time on her beautiful, bright red lips, the tongue that occasionally darted out to lick the corners of her mouth, and—
the sausage held in her mouth.
He stared at her, watching her eat the sausage bite by bite until it was gone.
Chen Siyan turned his head toward the cashier: "Boss, turn on the AC. It's such a hot day, why are you so stingy with the air conditioning?"
Boss: "The AC has been on this whole time."
Chen Siyan looked at the AC unit: "Then the temperature isn't turned down low enough."
Song Xinya: "Young people just have too much internal heat. Do you want me to order you a bowl of loofah soup to cool you down?"
This kind of heat couldn't be cooled down by just loofah soup.
Chen Siyan looked at Tiantianquan: "I want to turn you into loofah soup."
Tiantianquan: "Brother Yan, if you want to eat me, just say so. I like direct men."
Chen Siyan opened his mouth to say something dirty, but Song Xinya pulled out a tissue and stuffed it into his mouth.
"When you two go back, close the door and say whatever you want. Don't say it in front of me. I'm still young, just a two-decade-old baby."
Chen Siyan looked at Tiantianquan, his eyes surging with lust: "Alright then. After we go back and close the door, I'll be alone with Tiantianquan and say it all to her properly."
Tiantianquan's eyes curved upward at the corners. With a lazy and charming smile on her lips, she shot Chen Siyan a provocative glance.
Under the table, her soft, white little foot slowly crept up along the calf of the person opposite her, stepping onto their thigh. Her agile, round toes pressed down hard right in the middle.
Song Xinya suddenly stood up from her chair: "What are you doing!"
Tiantianquan was stunned for a moment: "No, why are you reacting so strongly?"
Song Xinya: "You stepped on me, how could I not react strongly!"
At this moment, Tiantianquan was the very definition of a bolded, capitalized awkward.
"Babe, I'm sorry, I stepped on the wrong person."
Chen Siyan still didn't quite understand and asked: "Did I miss something?"
Song Xinya: "You missed a foot massage on your balls."
Chen Siyan instantly understood: "Quanquan, since you stepped on the wrong person, do it again. Come on, step on me, hurry!"
Tiantianquan had lost her interest by now: "This kind of thing is only fun when the other person doesn't know it's coming."
She picked up a fish roe lucky bag with her chopsticks: "Let's eat, let's eat."
After the meal, Chen Siyan couldn't wait to say: "Quanquan, shall we go?"
Tiantianquan asked Song Xinya: "Babe, what about you? Are you heading back?"
Song Xinya: "No, I still have to keep watch at this wet market. I know Zhang Yingying; she won't let it go today. She probably has a next move."
Chen Siyan's mind was now completely occupied by dirty thoughts: "Quanquan, let's hurry up and go then. Let's go to your place and drink red wine."
Tiantianquan: "Why drink that cat pee? What's so good about cat pee? I really don't understand you men, why you like drinking cat pee so much."
Chen Siyan: "...Didn't you invite me to your place to drink red wine?"
Tiantianquan: "It's already dark now. How can I feel at ease leaving my bestie alone to keep watch in this pitch-black place? Drink red wine? Drink my ass."
Chen Siyan knew tonight's moment of spring romance was ruined. However, he also understood Tiantianquan's reasoning.
It was getting late, and it really wasn't appropriate to let Song Xinya keep watch here alone.
Chen Siyan: "I'll stay here and accompany Teacher Song."
Tiantianquan held Song Xinya's hand: "Bestie, I want to stay here with you tonight too, but I have an appointment with a client. I can only leave you here and let you be the left-behind baby."
Chen Siyan: "It's fine, go to work with peace of mind. I'll take good care of our baby."
Song Xinya felt like she had suddenly gained a pair of parents, and she was their kid.
After Tiantianquan left, Song Xinya and Chen Siyan continued to keep watch near the wet market.
Just as Song Xinya had expected, Zhang Yingying and Jin Ruizhi returned.
Song Xinya and Chen Siyan hid behind two trash cans, each with two lettuce leaves resting on their heads.
The trash can in front of Song Xinya read: Recyclable Waste; the trash can in front of Chen Siyan read: Hazardous Waste.
Chen Siyan: "Life is hard, so you need many skills. We tutoring center teachers are now doing the work of criminal detectives."
Song Xinya: "Running our legs off for a client. Even if our husbands ran away, we wouldn't bother chasing them."
Chen Siyan: "Really? Then I'll tell President Qin what you just said later."
Song Xinya: "Keep your little mouth shut. Don't sow discord in our marital relationship."
The two stopped talking and quietly observed the movements ahead.
...
At the entrance of the wet market, Jin Ruizhi gazed longingly toward the tofu stall.
Zhang Yingying felt contempt in her heart. He really was just a little kid. When he encountered a girl he liked, he only dared to watch from a distance, not even daring to step forward.
"Young Master Jin, with your method of chasing girls, you still won't catch her even when you're an eighty-year-old man."
Jin Ruizhi: "That's why I had you come over, isn't it? If you have a good idea, say it. If you can help me win over Jian Yiyi, I'll sign the tutoring contract with you."
Zhang Yingying: "Since I came today, of course I brought a solution to the problem."
"If you do as I say, I guarantee you'll get the girl you like."
Jin Ruizhi looked back at her: "What's your great idea?"
Zhang Yingying: "The best way to solve a problem is to create an even bigger problem for the other person. When they are pushed into a corner, isolated and helpless, and you extend a helping hand like offering charcoal in a snowy winter, they will realize your value, and their heart will naturally lean toward you."
Jin Ruizhi: "How exactly do I do that?"
Zhang Yingying: "I've already arranged it. At eight o'clock tonight, the market closes. Once Jian Yiyi and her grandmother come out, you'll see."
...
Eight o'clock in the evening.
Jian Yiyi and her grandmother came out of the wet market.
The night was like a veil, and the moonlight flowed like water, washing over the grandmother and granddaughter.
Jian Yiyi pedaled the tricycle, and her grandmother sat in the carriage in the back.
The evening breeze, wrapped in the coolness of the summer night, brushed past her shoulders and stroked the young girl's high ponytail. Fine strands of hair drifted in the silvery-white night, floating like silk.
Jian Yiyi hummed a little tune as she rode, while her grandmother sat behind her, peeling chestnuts for her to eat.
From time to time, her grandmother would reach over from behind and feed a peeled chestnut into her mouth.
Every time her grandmother's hand reached over, she would obediently open her mouth: "Ah—"
After riding for a long distance along a spacious road lined with streetlights, the tricycle turned into an alley.
Grandmother: "Yiyi, are you tired? If you're tired, Grandma can pedal for you."
Jian Yiyi: "I'm not tired at all! I have so much strength in my legs, I could swallow mountains and rivers, pull up mountains, and lift cauldrons."
Grandma smiled affectionately. Look at your skinny little arms and legs. People might think your grandma starves you every day.
Jian Yiyi replied, If anyone ever said that about you, I would talk to them for two days and two nights straight. I would tell them every single good thing you have ever done for me, piece by piece, and righteously declare that my grandma is the best grandma in the whole world.
Grandma smiled in comfort, yet at the same time, she felt a pang of guilt in her heart.
She was just an ordinary old woman. She had not received much education and had no great skills; her only trade was making tofu.
She had made tofu her entire life, raising a son and a granddaughter on it.
Her son had never married.
And this granddaughter...
It was her ultimate blessing to have met this granddaughter.
The girl was well-behaved and sensible, but by staying with her, she had never enjoyed a good life.
Grandma sighed and lowered her head to continue peeling chestnuts.
Two jars of peeled chestnuts already sat beside her, but her hands never stopped moving. Her granddaughter loved eating them, so she wanted to peel a few more for her.
Suddenly, the tricycle jerked to a halt. The glass jars toppled over, and the peeled chestnuts rolled out one by one, their clean surfaces getting covered in dirt.
Grandma reached out to pick up the chestnuts. Yiyi, what is wrong?
Jian Yiyi stared straight ahead. Someone is blocking our way.
Grandma looked up and saw three men in floral shirts. They stood there slouching lazily, cigarettes clamped in their hands, staring directly at the grandmother and granddaughter.
In the dead of night, an old lady and an underage girl facing three sleazy men, it was a chilling scene.
This area was full of old residential compounds. The neighbors were all acquaintances, and the local customs were simple and honest.
How could three young, strong, and thuggish men suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Grandma whispered, Yiyi, turn around. Let us head back quickly.
Jian Yiyi jumped down from the tricycle and yanked the handlebars around.
Grandma also jumped down to help push the cart.
The three men in floral shirts swarmed them in a flash. One grabbed the handlebars, one grabbed the back of the cart, and the third grabbed the old grandma.
Why are you leaving as soon as you see us?
We are not monsters. What are you so afraid of?
Such a pretty little girl. Come play with your big brothers.
Grandma stepped in front of Jian Yiyi to shield her. You want money, right? I will give you money. I will give you however much you want, just do not touch my granddaughter.
One of the men grabbed Grandma and casually flung her aside.
Thud, Grandma slammed her head against the tricycle. Her head was busted open, and blood streamed down her face.
