The broken glass on the ground was swept clean. After the commotion, everyone continued eating barbecue.
The guests at the original table had all left, the tabletop was cleared, and new guests took their seats.
The tense scene was replaced by a fresh wave of excitement, as if it had never happened.
A new platter of skewers was brought over. Chen Siyan took them from the waiter, picked up some lamb skewers, and handed them to Tiantianquan and Song Xinya.
“Ladies first, you two eat first.”
The restaurant was so busy that the skewers couldn’t keep up with demand. The owner spread his attention evenly, taking care of every table, which meant each table only got a limited number of skewers.
Chen Siyan hadn’t eaten much earlier, saving most of it for the two women at his table.
Song Xinya said, “Teacher Chen, you should eat too.”
Chen Siyan replied, “I’m not hungry. I’ll just drink beer.”
Song Xinya split her lamb skewers in half, stuffed them into Tiantianquan’s hands, and nudged her elbow.
Tiantianquan held the skewers out to Chen Siyan. “For you.”
Chen Siyan chuckled. “I know your appetite. If it doesn’t taste good, you won’t touch it; if it’s delicious, you’ll eat until you’re stuffed. These few skewers aren’t even enough to fill the gap between your teeth. Don’t give them to me, keep them for yourself.”
Tiantianquan insisted, holding out her arm. “Are you going to eat them or not? If you don’t, then I won’t either.”
As she said this, her tone carried a playful pout, like she was acting spoiled with a boyfriend.
Chen Siyan’s smile was bright and handsome. “Better to obey than to be polite. I have to listen to a fairy’s words. I’ll take one.”
He restrained himself, grabbing just one skewer, leaving the rest for Tiantianquan and Song Xinya.
Tiantianquan raised her beer. “Chen Siyan, thanks for helping me out earlier. I’ll toast you.”
Chen Siyan clinked his beer against hers. “No problem. I’m just a loyal buddy who’s always got your back, like a wolf that howls at any injustice, making passing dogs tremble.”
Tiantianquan laughed at his joke. As she lifted her beer to drink, she heard him say, “Wait.”
She looked at him questioningly. “What’s up?”
Chen Siyan looped his arm around hers in the pose of drinking a wedding cross-cup toast. “Let’s drink it like this.”
Tiantianquan shot him a playful glare. “A cross-cup toast is for the bridal chamber.”
Chen Siyan asked, “How about we get married right here and now?”
Tiantianquan retorted, “I’ll beat you until you ascend to heaven on the spot!”
Chen Siyan sighed, “Baby, so fierce.”
Tiantianquan couldn’t stand him. He couldn’t be serious for three seconds before he started talking nonsense again.
“You can’t just call someone ‘baby’ casually. That’s what a boyfriend calls his girlfriend.”
Chen Siyan said, “Ah, I want to get promoted to that position, but I don’t have the chance.”
Tiantianquan pushed his arm back. “Are we drinking or not? If not, I’m leaving.”
Chen Siyan replied, “Drink.”
The two each drank their beers.
After toasting Chen Siyan, Tiantianquan turned to Song Xinya. “Guigui, let me toast you too. Thanks for treating me to barbecue.”
Song Xinya said, “I can’t drink alcohol. I’ll toast with water instead.”
Tiantianquan looked puzzled. “But you can drink. We used to hit the bars occasionally for a drink, and you’re not allergic to alcohol.”
Song Xinya replied, “I’m not feeling quite up to it right now…”
Tiantianquan said, “Oh, I get it. Your period’s here.”
Chen Siyan jumped in, “I’ll get Teacher Song a cup of warm water. Don’t drink cold stuff, or your stomach will hurt later.”
Tiantianquan shot him a glance. “You know a lot. How many women have trained you?”
Chen Siyan teased, “Are you jealous?”
Tiantianquan took a big bite of a lamb skewer. “I’m not jealous.”
Chen Siyan stood up to get some warm water.
Since he knew the barbecue restaurant owner, Chen Siyan took the chance to ask him to favor their table with a few more skewers.
It pays to know people, and the owner agreed.
Handing the thermal carafe to Chen Siyan, the owner asked, “You’re usually so easygoing, but why did you lose your temper so badly today?”
Chen Siyan replied, “What era is this? The Qing dynasty fell ages ago. A young girl just wearing a short skirt gets talked down to. That man was bullying her, and I couldn’t stand it.”
The owner said, “I think you just like her, don’t you?”
Chen Siyan didn’t hide it. “Yeah, I do like her.”
The owner pressed, “What do you like about that girl?”
Chen Siyan said, “She’s got this wild, gritty vibe. Really intense.”
The owner remarked, “That girl doesn’t seem easy to win over.”
Chen Siyan said, “Easy or not, I’m going for it. If I meet a girl I like and don’t go for it, then when would I? When I’m old and crippled in a hospital bed? Would I even be able to make a move then?”
The owner patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck, man.”
Chen Siyan said, “Help me out too, buddy. Give us more skewers. Can’t you see the ladies at my table have run out of snacks?”
The owner laughed. “Those two ladies sure can eat.”
Chen Siyan said, “Eating well is a blessing. I like women who don’t hold back.”
The owner grabbed a whole rack of freshly grilled skewers from the grill and handed them all to Chen Siyan. “Take them all.”
Chen Siyan grinned, “That’s generous, man.”
The owner said, “You’re chasing a girl with fire, so I can’t hold you back. I’ll do what I can to help.”
Chen Siyan said, “Thanks. If we get together, I’ll invite you to our wedding.”
With a carafe of hot water and a full tray of skewers in hand, Chen Siyan returned to the table with a triumph-like air.
No longer hungry, he joined the two ladies in eating the skewers with gusto.
Eat meat without garlic, and the flavor’s half lost.
He called out to the owner, “Hey, buddy, get me a head of garlic.”
The owner asked, “Eating garlic in front of lovely ladies?”
Chen Siyan gave a wistful glance at Tiantianquan. “Hey, no one’s planning to kiss me anyway.”
The group chatted, joked, and ate barbecue for three hours.
When it was time to leave, Chen Siyan flagged down a taxi.
Tiantianquan and Song Xinya chatted on the sidewalk.
“How are things with your husband lately?”
Song Xinya said, “Pretty good. We’re preparing to have a baby.”
Tiantianquan recalled Song Xinya not drinking earlier and finally understood.
Suddenly, something felt off. “You need to be together to prepare for a baby. Your husband is away on a business trip. How can you prepare alone? Conceive via long-distance?”
Song Xinya laughed. “You single people don’t get it. Before conception, you have to get both bodies in top condition. Right now, we’re in the phase of adjusting our health.”
Tiantianquan said, “Ah, so it’s like building up reserves first, then going all out with a wild reunion.”
Crude but not wrong—basically.
Chen Siyan hailed a taxi, dropped off Tiantianquan, and went home.
Song Xinya drove herself back to Purple Forbidden Mansion.
It was late, and the Four Little Ones were asleep, so she went straight to the bedroom.
Pushing open the door, she noticed the camera installed on the table.
When Qin Yuhe was home, they saw each other every day and basically ignored the camera, never thinking it mattered.
Now that he's away on business, the camera feels like an umbilical cord, a connection that ties two people together.
Wondering what Qin Yuhe is up to right now?
Song Xinya looked at the camera and waved. "Hello, Qin Yuhe, this is Song Xinya."
Assuming no one was on the other end, she was about to leave after greeting him.
A low, magnetic voice came through: "Hello, Song Xinya, this is Qin Yuhe."
