Upon hearing Xue Xing’s words, Si Wen imdiately chid in, "I’ve seen that before."
She was relieved there was sothing she recognized, otherwise she’d seem completely inexperienced.
"Where did you see it?" Xue Xing asked.
Si Wen thought for a mont before replying, "At... my house, and... hotels, and... lots of other places."
"Your house? Does your family sell beef balls?"
In Xue Xing’s mind, if a family made beef balls, it was either for themselves or to sell. But making them for personal consumption was a huge hassle, so it was more likely they were for sale.
"No, I hire soone to make them at my house."
"You can do that?!"
Si Wen lifted her chin proudly. "Of course."
"Well, they can’t be as delicious as the ones here. Go on, try one and see for yourself."
Si Wen took a bite of a beef ball and imdiately exclaid, "You’re right! The ones here are so wonderfully chewy."
So all the ones I’ve had before weren’t the real deal.
"You bet. And the truly authentic beef balls aren’t even from here. They’re from another city, but it’s too far. Maybe you’ll get a chance to try them soday."
"And these aren’t even the most authentic ones!"
Si Wen felt like her horizons had been broadened.
After that, Xue Xing continued leading Si Wen on a food tour. They tried a little bit of everything, but even so, she was full by the ti they were only halfway down the street.
"I can’t, I can’t eat another bite. Any more and I’ll burst."
Aside from als at Xue Yang’s ho, Si Wen had never been this stuffed. She couldn’t believe she had eaten her fill on a single snack street.
Xue Xing couldn’t have been happier. "Then I’ll take you back to your hotel."
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Xue Xing stopped in his tracks.
"Um, miss, can I go ho now?"
Si Wen wasn’t a truly unreasonable person. Xue Xing had spent a good while with her today, and if she didn’t let him leave, he’d probably start dodging her from now on.
"You can go ho, but first, tell this young miss who all is in your family."
"Huh?"
"I promised your uncle and aunt I’d pay a formal visit. I can’t show up empty-handed, can I?"
"At my brother’s house? It’s just my uncle and aunt."
"And?"
"That’s everyone. You’re visiting my uncle and aunt’s ho, so you don’t need to bring gifts for anyone else."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. If you did, we’d never dare to invite you over again."
Hearing this, Si Wen didn’t insist. "Alright. Then what do you think I should bring?"
"Sothing like fruit should be fine."
"That simple?" Si Wen was a little skeptical.
"It was never a complicated affair. It’s the thought that counts. My uncle and aunt would welco you warmly even if you ca with nothing."
"Okay, I get it. I’ll have soone drive you back."
Xue Xing quickly waved his hands. "No need, I can grab a taxi myself."
"That won’t do. You’re still young. If sothing were to happen to you on the road, how would I explain it to your brother?"
Si Wen had the hotel staff arrange a car to take Xue Xing ho.
Just as Xue Xing settled into the car, another ssage from his good friend popped up.
"I asked around, and they said to coax a girl, you should buy her things she likes. For example, lipstick, skincare products, or a handbag. You can’t go wrong buying any of those three."
It was clear his friend had gone to great lengths to ask around about how to appease a girl.
However...
Xue Xing replied, "I bought her so candied haws, and she stopped crying. She even treated to food afterward."
"? That simple? And she treated *you*?"
"It wasn’t a big deal to begin with."
"..."
His friend was lost in thought.
His own older brother had clearly told him that you can’t reason with a girl when she’s crying. The best thod is money, and it can’t be sothing cheap. And you could forget about them treating you in return. That would basically never happen. Unless... the girl has no interest in you. Looks like my buddy has no chance.
Still basking in the joy of heading ho, Xue Xing had no idea what his friend was thinking.
It’s not like I’m trying to date her. Besides, even if I were, it definitely wouldn’t be with soone like Si Wen. She’s too much drama. She ca charging all this way just for a ga. I can’t even imagine what kind of earth-shattering stunt she’d pull if sothing more serious happened in the future.
「About an hour later」
Xue Xing finally arrived ho. The first thing he did was run over to Xue Yang’s ho.
"Uncle, Auntie, where are my brother and sister-in-law?"
"They’re resting upstairs."
"Oh. In that case, I won’t disturb them."
Dejectedly, Xue Xing turned to leave. Suddenly, a sweet, charming voice called out from behind him.
"Xue Xing."
Hearing the voice, Xue Xing imdiately spun around. He saw the stunningly beautiful Lin Xi standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at him.
Xue Xing was so nervous he didn’t know what to do with his hands. "H-Hello, Sister-in-law."
"Hello. Have you eaten?"
"Yes, Sister-in-law. That older sister treated ."
"Her na is Si Wen," Lin Xi said gently.
"Right, Sister Si Wen treated ."
What a sweet kid, Lin Xi thought. He seems to really enjoy being around Xue Yang. It’s a sha I don’t have a younger brother or sister. They’d probably love to stick close to , too.
"Sister-in-law, where’s my brother?"
"He’s upstairs dealing with so work. I was a bit bored, so I ca down."
"I see. Well, I won’t disturb my brother then. I’ll co find him later. Goodbye, Sister-in-law."
Xue Xing waved to Lin Xi and cheerfully headed back to his own house.
Once he was gone, Lin Xi felt bored again. Maybe I should go write for a bit.
Just as Lin Xi was about to go upstairs, she saw Zhong Hailan erge with two buckets.
"Auntie, where are you going?"
"We ate all the greens at lunch, so I’m going to the vegetable garden to pick so more. I’ll give the plants a good watering while I’m there. It’s so hot these days; if they go one day without water, they’ll shrivel up and die."
The vegetable garden?
Lin Xi’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her. "Auntie, can I go with you?"
"There’s no need. That’s not a suitable place for you."
"But Auntie, I’m so bored at ho! Please let co along, can I?"
Who could refuse such an adorable, charming girl?
"Alright, you can co. Wait, let get you another pair of shoes so you don’t ruin yours."
Zhong Hailan set down the buckets and went back inside. She quickly returned with a new pair of cloth shoes.
"Xiao Xi, see if these fit. They’re new; I haven’t even worn them yet. I hope you don’t mind. The vegetable garden isn’t like other places. It’s all muddy and slippery. These shoes might not be pretty, but they’re resistant to dirt and non-slip."
"I don’t mind at all, Auntie."
Lin Xi found a stool, sat down, slipped off her princess shoes, and put on the cloth shoes Zhong Hailan had prepared for her.
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