Chapter 8, a table for two

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Yin Huan put down the spoon: "In fact, women are more beautiful when they are cooking"

After waiting around for a while, Yin Huan felt that he had agreed a bit too early. It was now 11:30, and the small supermarkets were mostly closed, while the large supermarket was too far away and inconvenient. Just as he was considering postponing the invitation to tomorrow evening, Tang Yan suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Let's go! To the vegetable market"

Tang Yan extended two fingers and said, "Then can I buy these, is that alright?"

I can't tell!" Tang Yan pouted and pulled out a hundred yuan bill from her wallet: "Here you go, ma'am!"

Hehe! I confess without being asked.

"Yin Huan, these are all things your girlfriend taught you, right?" Tang Yan suddenly asked with curiosity

The vegetable market is not large, resembling a community type, and is not far from the apartment shared by two people. At night, there are hardly any vendors left, and those that remain are preparing to close up. Tang Yan said that in the past, every day after work, she would take a stroll around this vegetable market, buy a couple of her favorite vegetables, and go home to cook for herself.

The two individuals engaged in a lively back-and-forth, haggling over a few dimes with great enthusiasm

I do not have a girlfriend

Yin Huan sadly thought, this is what it means to be wealthy! However, will this girl be looked down upon by the old lady? Such a wealthy person actually spent half a day haggling over a few dimes.

"How can you compare me to your mother? She is much older than I am!" Tang Yan chuckled and said, "I was comparing your skills, not your ages!"

Yin Huan's movements paused for a moment as he slowly raised his head to look at Tang Yan

What? The old woman was taken aback. Is this girl out of her mind? She spent one hundred yuan on two jin of tomatoes. Since she is so generous, why was she haggling just now

The old woman was startled, her mouth agape as she said: "Miss, do you not have any change? How am I supposed to manage without it?"

Strolling through the vegetable market with a woman is truly a heartwarming experience, evoking a sense of familial warmth. Tang Yan, like other housewives, haggles with the vendors over the prices of vegetables. Although the difference may only be a few jiao, in the eyes of these women, it is also a demonstration of their ability to manage a household

Yin Huan did not disappoint Tang Yan's expectations, diligently preparing several of her favorite dishes: boiled pork slices, fish-flavored shredded pork, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. While Yin Huan was cooking, she stood at the kitchen door, watching him busily working in the kitchen

Tang Yan did not hold back either, taking a small tomato handed over by the old lady. After tasting it, she exclaimed, "Hmm, it's really sweet and crunchy. However, it only costs 4 yuan at the supermarket! Auntie, could you give me a better price?"

As they walked a bit further, Yin Huan asked Tang Yan: "Xiao Tang Tang, have you lost your mind? After all that effort in bargaining, wasn't it all for nothing? Tomatoes priced at fifty yuan per jin, you really are a wealthy person!"

Cough cough..." Yin Huan coughed twice and said, "Hey, why are you staring at me? Do you suspect that I intentionally want to see you make a fool of yourself?"

Two jin? That's too little. Why not buy five jin, and I'll give you four pieces, how does that sound? The old lady is also a business expert, deciding to hold a clearance sale, determining profit based on sales volume

Tang Yan pouted in dissatisfaction and said, "That is just an excuse for you men not to like cooking"

As midnight approached, some vendors who were burning the midnight oil had already begun to pack up and leave. The two hurriedly swept through the area and finally managed to purchase all the necessary items before concluding their outing

"Don't be like that! Can't you see how innocent my clear eyes are?"

Eat slowly, don't burn yourself

Yin Huan gave a wry smile, shrugged his shoulders, and directly opened the pockets of both his trousers, using vivid facial expressions to respond to this serious question. Apologies, he was not the type to stuff bank cards, cash, and savings books all into his pockets. The only Mao Zedong note he had was already taken by the unscrupulous bar owner with a laugh.

Tang Yan looked up in astonishment at Yin Huan and said, "No? It must be a breakup!"

Five yuan per pound. Upon seeing a customer, the old woman warmly greeted, "Look at my little persimmons, they are very tender! They were just picked this morning, sweet and crunchy. Miss, why don't you have a taste?"

If you want to leave, then just leave! What's the big deal? There will be opportunities to find someone better than her. Let her one day regret missing out on a good man like you

If one day that person can enjoy the dishes I have personally prepared, just like Tang Yan does now, devouring them ravenously, how wonderful that would be

After ten minutes of a verbal battle, Tang Yan finally managed to procure two pounds of tomatoes at the price of 3.81 per pound, leaving the old lady shaking her head in frustration, repeatedly saying: "What a loss, what a loss"

Tang Yan did not think twice and directly handed the money to the old woman, saying: "Then there is no need to give change."

The vendors at the market include those who source their goods from urban and rural development zones, as well as many who come from surrounding villages specifically to sell their products. Some of them are quite simple and honest. This elderly woman is clearly one of those people; she did not doubt Tang Yan's words, but hesitated for a moment and asked, "Miss, these are harmless tomatoes! The market will be closing soon, and if you buy a bit more, I can give you a discount of fifty cents."

Ah! 5 jin, that's too much. So much, when will I be able to finish it! How about this, I will buy 3 jin at 4 yuan per jin

In fact, Yin Huan himself is not quite sure whether this is just a man's excuse for laziness, but he believes that if there is a busy figure of Tang Yan in the kitchen, then it must be a beautiful angel

"How is it? I didn't deceive you, did I? I told you I could cook. Come, try the flavor of the boiled pork slices." Yin Huan placed the boiled pork slices into Tang Yan's rice bowl.

Tang Yan took a bite, raised her thumb, and praised him

Hehe

"Hey, do you have any change?" Tang Yan nudged Yin Huan with her elbow and whispered, "I just got paid, but I don't have any small bills."

As a well-known dish in Sichuan cuisine, Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork is certainly not easy to prepare. To make it authentic, one cannot overlook certain easily neglected details, such as the size of the shredded meat, marination, selection of ingredients, and the preparation of the sauce and thickening.

Tang Yan stated that her favorite dish is shredded pork in garlic sauce, and she is eager to try Yin Huan's culinary skills to see what kind of shredded pork in garlic sauce he can prepare

Her eyes long for love; even the strongest woman can be vulnerable at night. Tang Yan is a career-oriented woman, yet she still displays tenderness and thoughtfulness in front of herself

Yin Huan was speechless; what was there to be proud of about two kilograms of vegetables? It even caused the old lady to feel a sharp pain in her heart. It is likely that she was thinking about closing up soon; otherwise, Tang Yan would never have been able to buy such good tomatoes at this price.

That won't do. Young lady! Then I will have to compensate.

Wonderful, even better than my mother's cooking

Listening to her words, Yin Huan felt a wave of sadness. Can she teach me? I do not wish to bring her up again, yet those around me always seem to mention my past life, whether intentionally or unintentionally

"The way a man is busy is truly handsome," Tang Yan remarked as she looked at Yin Huan

Then, just comfort me

"No, feelings are something that cannot be clearly defined by anyone. When fate arrives, naturally someone will come to love you." Tang Yan smiled as she served a pair of chopsticks full of food to Yin Huan

By the time the old woman regained her senses, Tang Yan and the other person had already left. The old woman could only helplessly stuff the money into her pocket, shaking her head repeatedly, as she never truly understood what Tang Yan was thinking.

Yin Huan felt a sense of helplessness; she had just inquired about the price, and the old woman's tomatoes were the best and the cheapest. This girl actually wanted to exploit her; after all, the woman was of such an age, and selling a few fruits was not easy. She wanted to say something, but seeing Tang Yan's joyful expression while bargaining, she truly could not bear to ruin her enthusiasm

She has left me

Vegetable market? Yin Huan touched his head; ever since that woman left, he had lost the mood to enter the vegetable market. Little did he expect that today, in order to express gratitude to a woman, he would once again step into this place

Watching Tang Yan devour her food, Yin Huan felt a sense of satisfaction. Men are like this, always eager to show off in front of women. After this meal, she will surely be enamored with my culinary skills, Yin Huan thought to herself with a hint of vanity

Tang Yan was very pleased to have purchased the best tomatoes at the lowest price. It seemed like something truly worth boasting about, as she happily exclaimed while holding the bag: "Haha! Impressive, right!"

Yin Huan's mind was filled with dark thoughts, damn it, is it that I lack compassion, or is it your peculiar and twisted taste as a wealthy person

Tang Yan shot a glance and said reluctantly, "What do you understand? The old lady is so old, and it is not easy for her to come and sell things every morning. Besides, I only bargain for fun; you really don't understand this. You are truly a heartless person!"

Tang Yan handed the tomato to Yin Huan, preparing to pay. She searched through her pockets, but surprisingly found not a single coin, all she had were one-hundred yuan bills

The meal is ready. Looking at the several dishes personally prepared by Yin Huan on the table, Tang Yan found it hard to believe that a grown man could possess such excellent culinary skills

I see! Tang Yan's smiling face began to lose its composure, and she started to doubt whether the person in front of her was intentionally trying to make her look foolish. Unable to help herself, she glanced at Yin Huan a couple more times, and indeed, the more she looked, the more they resembled each other, and the more likely it seemed.

Aunt, how much are the tomatoes selling for