When Ann Wan was a freshman, she participated in the student union’s difficult family assistance investigation and visited Liu Chang’an’s home together with Bai Rui. At that time, Liu Chang’an still liked Bai Rui… Ugh, he still likes her now, and probably will continue to like her.
On their way back, they walked through a vegetable market. Ann Wan followed Liu Chang’an to buy fresh ginger, garlic, and chili peppers.
“This ginger is a bit old, so let’s get a discount,” Ann Wan said, trying to help Liu Chang’an save money.
“I’m making dog meat paste, so I need old ginger,” Liu Chang’an replied, shaking his head.
Ann Wan stared at Liu Chang’an, wondering why he didn’t care about saving face when dealing with vendors.
The vendor smiled and said, “I’ll give you a bunch of garlic, and do you want some red chili peppers too?”
“Yes, I want them,” Liu Chang’an replied, quickly picking out the ingredients and packing them in a plastic bag to take home.
As they walked into the neighborhood, Ann Wan and Liu Chang’an attracted the attention of the elderly, who would often stare at them because they were both wearing school uniforms. When they passed by a small grocery store, Auntie Xie even chuckled and said, “You’re a nice-looking young girl!”
“Why are they staring at me?” Ann Wan asked, feeling a bit shy and expecting Liu Chang’an to give a reason.
“They’re just idle,” Liu Chang’an replied.
Ann Wan stomped her foot, feeling frustrated with Liu Chang’an’s lack of emotional intelligence. He didn’t have a girlfriend for no reason, and Bai Rui definitely liked guys who were humorous and could make witty remarks, unlike Liu Chang’an, who only thought about how to get rid of her.
Since Liu Chang’an started sitting with Bai Rui, Ann Wan would help Bai Rui find reasons not to like Liu Chang’an every day, and she was happy to find a new reason every day.
“Brother Chang’an, you brought a girlfriend home, right?” Zhou Dongdong asked, holding a ceramic rice bowl and squatting under a Chinese parasol tree.
Still a clever and sensible kid, Ann Wan’s face turned red as she shook her head vigorously, pushing Liu Chang’an.
“Why did you push me?”
“You should explain to her. The kid misunderstood.”
“She’s Zhou Dongdong, a very annoying kid. I don’t want to talk to her,” Liu Chang’an said.
“I don’t like you either. You bully dogs,” Zhou Dongdong said.
Liu Chang’an pointed at Zhou Dongdong’s bowl and asked, “What’s in your bowl?”
Zhou Dongdong looked at her bowl, hid it behind her back, and rubbed her nose, saying, “Dog meat.”
Because lying would make her nose grow, Zhou Dongdong was a bit worried, so she didn’t lie.
“How many bowls did you eat?”
“Three bowls.”
“Then why do you say I bully dogs?”
“It’s delicious… But you killed the dog…”
“Let’s go cook.” Ann Wan pushed Liu Chang’an, thinking that they were too old to quarrel with a kid like this.
“Big sister, you’re so tall!” Zhou Dongdong looked up at Ann Wan in admiration. “You’re like a giant elephant!”
Ann Wan somewhat understood why Liu Chang’an said Zhou Dongdong was an annoying kid, but that was okay. She looked cute, and Ann Wan wasn’t going to be overly cautious.
“Big sister, do you want to come and see the ants with me? There are many dead ants here, probably because Brother Chang’an peed here last night and drowned them…”
“That’s not what I did! You’re the one who peed here!”
Ann Wan was about to push Liu Chang’an away, but he squatted under the tree, using a blade of grass to stir the ant corpses.
Liu Chang’an picked up an ant and examined it carefully, then looked at the old-fashioned cargo tricycle.
“I’ll make it a habit to pee here in the future and drive you crazy,” Liu Chang’an said to Zhou Dongdong.
“Die, die, die!” Zhou Dongdong hugged her bowl and ran away.
Ann Wan shook her head and followed Liu Chang’an into the house.
Liu Chang’an’s room was small, with a bathroom that was barely large enough to turn around in. The bed was in the center, and near the door, there was a small table with cooking utensils. Liu Chang’an let Ann Wan find a place to sit, and he started cooking.
First, he stir-fried the dog oil, ginger, and garlic, then added diced dog intestines to fry in oil. Next, he added red peppers and purple perilla, followed by other dog internals and autumn oil, and finally simmered it in broth. After a while, the savory dog meat paste was ready.
As Liu Chang’an cooked, Ann Wan didn’t disturb him, sitting aside and watching him work. Suddenly, she felt a warm and cozy atmosphere in the small room, which was filled with the aroma of the dog meat paste. Not many guys of Liu Chang’an’s age knew how to cook, and it was rare to find someone like him who took care of the kitchen. As Liu Chang’an said, guys of this age had too much testosterone, and their main goal was to pursue girls. It was like Bai Rui, who was almost irresistible to boys, and most of them would think of her assets first. The feeling of being pursued was uncomfortable to think about.
When Liu Chang’an finished cooking, he invited Ann Wan to come and eat.
“It’s so delicious!” Ann Wan couldn’t help but praise Liu Chang’an’s cooking skills, saying it was better than hot pot.
“This is a northern Chinese dish. If you have turtle, you can use it to make a soup and then cook the dog meat, which is also very tasty. It’s a recipe passed down from Fan Kuai, and Liu Bang liked to eat it, but I’m not a fan of Liu Bang.”
Ann Wan didn’t care about the cultural background of the dish like Liu Chang’an did. She just enjoyed the food and felt grateful for the delicious meal. Warning him, “I don’t care, but if you find a girlfriend in the future, you have to remember to call me to eat. Otherwise, I’ll bother you endlessly, and won’t let you off easily.”
“This is a bit difficult.” Liu Chang’an thought seriously, frowning, “Girls have small hearts and are prone to jealousy. If I find a girlfriend, you’ll often come to eat, and she’ll definitely use words like ‘绿茶妹’ or ‘心机妹’ to describe you.”
“Who’s afraid of whom?” Ann Wan wasn’t intimidated, stretching out her legs and kicking off her shoes to trample Liu Chang’an’s feet. She declared war on Liu Chang’an’s future girlfriend, saying, “Unless she’s prettier than me, has bigger breasts than me, longer legs than me, is smarter than me, and is more lovable than me…”
Liu Chang’an expressed absolute impossibility, his face set in determination.
Ann Wan laughed out loud, feeling a bit proud, rubbing her belly, and enjoying the feeling of being full. She was about to ask Liu Chang’an to help her rub her belly but stopped, thinking she was being too mushy. Liu Chang’an would often say something pleasant, making her feel fluttery and lost.
“I have a way to perfectly solve this problem.”
Ann Wan’s vigilance was triggered, feeling that Liu Chang’an was up to something.
“Say it,” Ann Wan replied, warning Liu Chang’an.
“You see, most moms don’t care about their daughters eating at home…”
Of course! Ann Wan’s anger erupted, and she jumped up, running behind Liu Chang’an to grab his head and push him to the ground.
“Can’t you be more restrained?” Liu Chang’an asked, not understanding why Ann Wan loved to pick fights with him. Girls were like this, actively initiating physical contact, and it was unbelievable.
Ann Wan’s phone rang, and she received a call from her mom asking where she was.
After finishing the call, Ann Wan didn’t bother to argue with Liu Chang’an anymore, humming and saying, “Send me home, and then you can go back by yourself.”
“Isn’t the normal script that you send me home, and then I send you back, and we separate at the bridge, looking back at each other, and then we quickly send each other messages?” Liu Chang’an said, being overly dramatic.
Ann Wan gave him a blank stare, thinking that if it were really like that, girls would definitely be happy, but Liu Chang’an was just saying it for show. He would never do it, and when he did do it, he wouldn’t say it.
Of course, Liu Chang’an was just saying it for show. He had some things to attend to that evening, not playing mahjong or going to a bar.
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