There aren’t many people in the supermarket at this moment, mostly elderly women and stay-at-home moms living nearby.
Jiang Lingxi pushes a shopping cart with Shen Yunqing as they walk in together, and she regrets it shortly after.
She should have given the person next to her a mask before going in.
She rummages through her pocket, finds a spare one, and quickly hands it over, "Wear this while we shop."
Shen Yunqing takes it, obediently tears open the packaging, and puts it on.
Jiang Lingxi finally feels that the gazes from around, from the aunties and sisters, aren’t so intense anymore.
Passing the snack section, Jiang Lingxi reaches out for the spicy strips hanging on the shelf.
This little snack she had seen Lu Zhengzheng eat before, and after sharing it once, she completely fell in love.
The two often sneakily eat it together behind Tong Yue’s back.
Two bags of spicy strips are tossed into the cart, and Jiang Lingxi pushes the cart forward, then suddenly pauses, glancing into the cart, "Where are my spicy strips?"
Shen Yunqing admits decisively, "I put them back."
Jiang Lingxi gives him a sharp look, "Did I tell you to put them back?"
"That stuff is junk food, it’s not good for your stomach."
"I’m not eating it as a meal, can’t I just have a taste occasionally?"
"It’s best not to eat it at all."
While the two are in a stubborn standoff, an elderly lady with graying hair passes by carrying a grocery basket, smiles kindly and says, "Young lady, your boyfriend cares about you, spicy strips aren’t very hygienic. If you really want some, let your boyfriend make them for you, haha!"
Jiang Lingxi’s face turns beet red from the laughter, but thankfully the mask helps to cover it up a bit.
The shopping cart in her hand is taken over by the person next to her, as Shen Yunqing’s voice follows in her ear, "Thank you for the reminder, ma’am."
Is there a need for this in front of the strangers?
They continue browsing until the vegetable, fruit, meat, and seafood section. Jiang Lingxi looks at the cart filled with a freshly prepared Mandarin fish and a variety of seafood, taken aback, just as an excited voice comes from ahead, "Sister Xixi, Mr. Shen!"
Jiang Lingxi looks up and sees Xu Lei in a large apron standing behind the meat counter, waving at her.
She walks over, giving him a once-over, "What a coincidence, do you work here?"
"Not really a job," Xu Lei relaxes as Jiang Lingxi approaches him in a straightforward manner. He was afraid the star’s sister might ignore his less than glamorous work, "Just picked up a part-time job for now, otherwise it’s boring staying at home. Sister Xixi, what brings you to shop personally at the supermarket?"
In his eyes, people like Mr. Shen and Sister Xixi should have assistants doing their shopping, right?
"My parents and Lingxu moved to live around here, just across the street. We’re here to buy some groceries, want to come over for a meal later?"
"No need, no need," Xu Lei waves his hand repeatedly, "I have a work meal here and can’t leave for long, so I won’t come over. Does Sister Xixi want some beef? It’s all very fresh."
Jiang Lingxi looks at the beef in the counter, with various cuts available. This is also her first time buying meat, and she really doesn’t know which kind to choose.
She is just about to ask Xu Lei for a recommendation when Shen Yunqing, standing beside her, speaks, "A pound of beef shoulder, a pound of beef brisket."
While Xu Lei is busy cutting and weighing the meat, Jiang Lingxi can’t help but turn to look at the person standing beside her.
It’s hard to imagine that this person knows how to buy meat, and so skillfully!
"Do you cook for yourself normally?"
Shen Yunqing shakes his head, "No."
It’s just because someone loves to eat!
Although Jiang Wenhu suggested taking their time shopping, seeing Shen Yunqing draw attention even with a mask on, Jiang Lingxi decides they’ve bought enough groceries and decisively checks out to leave.
When they get home and are told they came back too early, she just pretends not to hear.
He Zhu and Zhao Hu are also warmly invited by Jiang Wenhu to stay. Seeing their boss carrying large bags and being ordered to shell peas and corn, they barely resist the urge to take a photo for memories.
Busy as he is, Shen Yunqing glances over, and the two dare not crack sunflower seeds with Jiang’s father any longer. They quickly clap their hands and run over to help.
Many hands make light work, and by noon, a seemingly sumptuous lunch is ready.
Jiang Lingxi takes a bite of Jiang Wenhu’s stir-fried beef and suddenly understands why Jiang Lingxu didn’t insist on going home for dinner yesterday.
This meal, it’s not just bad in the literal sense, it’s genuinely hard to enjoy.
It takes over a minute of chewing before Jiang Lingxi can swallow the beef in her mouth. She then resolutely avoids the few dishes Jiang Wenhu cooked, even painfully giving up her favorite beef.
Looking up, she sees Shen Yunqing, who was similarly cared for by Jiang Wenhu, hasn’t moved his chopsticks for a while, his defined jawline still tensing subtly, and she can’t help but chuckle mischievously.
Although they didn’t drink wine, it took about an hour to finish the meal and finally get the food down.
"By the way, I made some salt-baked peas, perfect as a post-dinner snack."
Jiang Lingxi stands up, watching Jiang Wenhu hurry into the kitchen, shares a rare moment of understanding with Shen Yunqing with a glance.
The next second, they both speak, "Mom (aunt), Yunqing (Xixi) and I have something urgent to handle, we’ll be going now."
Jiang Lingxi glances at Jiang Lingxu, who hasn’t managed to stand yet, "Lingxu can have the post-dinner snacks."
Jiang Lingxu looks up sharply at his sister, in disbelief that he’s been sold out just like that.
As they both rise, He Zhu and Zhao Hu also stand up, decisively following their boss out.
Just as they reach the door, Jiang Wenhu catches up and hands over a bag of salt-baked peas, "Eat these on the way."
Out the door, she glances at the vibrant green peas in her hand, and, out of curiosity, decides to try one.
The moment it enters her mouth, barely a second passes before, "Pfft!"
Bitter and salty, it truly exceeded her taste expectations for it.
Then she shoves the remaining peas into Shen Yunqing’s hands, "It’s your turn, they’re freshly shelled, don’t waste them!"
Shen Yunqing looks at the handful of peas, speechless but amused.
Zhao Hu, unable to hold it in, lets out a chuckle on the side.
He Zhu discreetly moves a bit further away upon hearing.
Shen Yunqing turns to give Zhao Hu a look, transferring the peas to him once again, not forgetting to stress, "I shelled these myself."
Zhao Hu: "..." He maintains a forced smile, inwardly crying, promising, "Don’t worry boss, I won’t waste them."
Having seen his wife spit it out after one bite earlier, his only option may be to swallow them whole like pills!