met free Chapter 70 Night Market
Chapter 70 Night Market
Chapter 70 Night Market
The bell rang, signaling the end of evening self-study.
The classroom instantly came alive, with the sounds of chair legs scraping against the floor filling the air.
Yu Chen put down his pen and stretched his wrists.
Xu Zhi was also packing her things, her movements unhurried as she screwed the caps on the pens one by one.
"Yu Chen, I'm off." Li Rui slung her backpack over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow."
Yu Chen nodded.
The classroom emptied out, until only a handful of people remained.
Xu Zhi stood up, slung the canvas bag over her shoulder, greeted Yu Chen, and prepared to leave.
Yu Chen also stood up.
The two walked out of the classroom one after the other. The corridor was empty, with only the fluorescent lights overhead making a soft buzzing sound.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Yu Chen suddenly asked, "Where do you live?"
Xu paused, then turned to look at him.
"what?"
"Let me ask," Yu Chen said casually. "Maybe it's on my way."
Xu Zhi looked at him without saying a word.
The stairwell light shone on his face, obscuring his expression, but his eyes were quite open and honest.
She looked away and continued walking down: "Over there in the East District."
Yu Chen followed, saying, "That's on the way."
Xu Zhi paused for a moment and turned to look at him.
Where do you live?
"The East District," Yu Chen said without changing his expression, "over at Jinhua Garden."
Xu Zhi didn't ask any more questions and continued walking.
Yu Chen followed behind, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Stepping out of the teaching building, a night breeze rushed towards me.
The two walked out of the school gate side by side, neither of them saying a word.
Unlike midday, the quiet night actually calmed their restless hearts.
A night breeze blew by, ruffling Xu Zhi's hair. She brushed it aside and continued walking.
As Yu Chen passed the convenience store, he suddenly stopped.
"Wait me a moment."
He strode in and came out carrying a bottle of mineral water.
Yu Chen walked over to Xu Zhi and handed her the water.
Xu Zhi glanced at it and said, "I'm not thirsty."
"Here you go." Yu Chen shoved the water into her hand. "For self-defense."
Xu Zhi looked down at the mineral water bottle in her hand and paused for a moment.
"—For self-defense?"
"Hmm." Yu Chen continued walking forward. "It's so late. If something happens, it's always better to have something in your hand than to be empty-handed."
Xu Zhi followed him, looking at his profile with a somewhat complicated expression.
"Yu Chen, do you usually watch a lot of those messy social news stories?"
"Better safe than sorry."
Xu Zhi was taken aback by his words.
She wanted to say something to retort, but then she looked down at the bottle of water in her hand and then at him.
They found Yu Chen walking straight ahead, his expression calm as if nothing had happened.
Xu picked up the water bottle and continued walking.
He didn't say anything more.
After walking through two streets, the number of people gradually increased.
Ahead is a crossroads; turn over there and you'll find the busiest night market in the eastern district.
Barbecue stalls, spicy hot pot stalls, and fruit stalls lined up one after another, brightly lit, with the smell of oil and smoke mixed with the aroma of food wafting through the air.
Xu Zhi slowed her pace.
Yu Chen noticed that as she walked, her eyes would sweep over each of the stalls.
The sizzling meat skewers at the barbecue stall, the meatballs bubbling in the hot pot, the bright yellow mangoes at the fruit stand...
But she never stopped.
She paused as she walked past a stall selling grilled gluten.
Just for a moment, and then we continued walking.
Yu Chen followed behind her, looking at the back of her head, without saying a word.
She walked past another stall selling sweet soup and paused for the third time.
This time she stopped.
Standing in front of the dessert stall, I looked at the bowls of mung bean soup, red bean paste, and white fungus soup.
Yu Chen stood to the side without saying a word.
After a while, Xu Zhi suddenly spoke up: "My dad is working overtime tonight."
Yu Chen looked at her.
She didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on the dessert stall, and said in a very casual tone, "I'll be alone when I go back anyway, so there's no rush."
Yu Chen didn't respond.
After a while, Xu Zhi turned to look at him: "Are you in a hurry to go back?"
"No rush."
Xu Zhi nodded, then walked to the dessert stall and pointed: "Two bowls of mung bean soup."
The old man put down his fan and served her two bowls.
Xu Zhi held a bowl, handed one to Yu Chen, and then stood beside the stall, slowly drinking her drink.
Without saying a word, they just quietly slurped away.
People came and went all around, their shouts and laughter mingling together. But their little corner of the place remained quiet.
After finishing her drink, Xu Zhi returned the bowl to the old man and took out six yuan from her pocket.
Yu Chen had already finished drinking, and seeing Xu Zhi walk forward, he followed.
We haven't finished exploring the night market yet.
When Xu Zhi reached a ring toss game stall, she stopped again.
Several rows of trinkets were laid out on the ground at the stall, and a middle-aged man was calling out, "Ten rings for five yuan, whichever one you ring, you keep!"
Xu Zhi stood there and watched for a while.
A child was throwing a ring at the ground and landed it on an ugly-cute rag doll, jumping up with joy.
Xu's lips curved slightly.
Then continue walking forward.
She walked up to a balloon popper and glanced at it again.
A boy is firing a toy gun at balloons on the wall, while a girl next to him nervously tugs at his clothes.
Xu Zhi glanced at it and then looked away.
When I walked up to a cotton candy stall, a three- or four-year-old child was holding up a cotton candy bigger than her face, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Xu Zhi glanced at the child and slowed her pace a little.
Yu Chen saw all of this, but said nothing.
Xu stopped again in front of a stall selling candied hawthorns.
This stall is simpler than the previous ones.
A tricycle with several strings of candied hawthorns, strawberries, and oranges stuck on it glistened under the streetlights.
No QR code, cash only.
Xu Zhi stood there and watched for a few seconds.
Then she reached into her pocket.
After searching for a long time, I only managed to pull out a few coins.
She counted it; it was two yuan.
A candied hawthorn skewer costs three yuan.
She put the coin back in her pocket and continued walking.
After taking a couple of steps, Yu Chen's voice suddenly came from behind: "Boss, two skewers, please."
Xu Zhi turned around.
Yu Chen was standing in front of the stall, taking out six yuan from his pocket and handing it to the owner.
The shopkeeper picked two bunches of hawthorns and handed them to him.
Yu Chen, holding a candied hawthorn, walked up to her.
Xu Zhi looked at the candied hawthorn in his hand without saying anything.
Yu Chen didn't say anything either.
Then he shoved the candied hawthorn into her hand and turned to leave.
Xu Zhi was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the candied hawthorn that had suddenly appeared in her hand.
She looked up at his back.
He was walking forward, at a leisurely pace.
Xu Zhi quickly followed.
"Yu Chen".
"Um?"
What are you doing?
Yu Chen didn't even turn his head: "Just doing it."
"smoothly?"
"Hmm." His tone was casual. "I was just thinking of eating some, and I happened to see you standing there, so I bought an extra skewer. You can just throw it away if you're not going to eat it."
Xu Zhi looked at the back of his head and suddenly didn't know what to say.
She looked down at the string of candied hawthorns in her hand.
Under the streetlights, the sugar coating glittered.
She took a bite.
The sourness of the hawthorn and the sweetness of the sugar coating melted in my mouth.
She suddenly remembered when she was a child, her mother would take her to the night market and buy her a string of candied hawthorns every time.
After her mother passed away, she never bought it again.
It's not that I don't like to eat it anymore.
Every time I stand in front of the stall, I think of that scene.
So she looked at so many stalls today without stopping even once.
It's not that I don't want to eat.
I just don't want to think about those things.
I just suddenly had a whim to buy one and try it, but I didn't bring enough cash.
Xu Zhi glanced at Yu Chen beside her.
He was walking with his eyes fixed ahead, his expression calm as if nothing had happened.
She looked away and took another bite of the candied hawthorn.
He didn't say anything more.
It was already 10:30 p.m. when I arrived at the entrance of my residential compound.
Xu Zhi stopped downstairs and turned around.
"arrive."
Yu Chen looked up at the old building and nodded.
"Then you can go up there," he said.
Xu Zhi looked at him and remained silent for two seconds.
Which building in Jinhua Garden do you live in?
Yu Chen paused for a moment.
"Seven buildings," he said.
Xu Zhi nodded.
Yu Chen turned around to leave.
"Yu Chen".
Yu Chen turned around.
Xu Zhi stood at the entrance of the building, the dim yellow light shining through, making her silhouette somewhat blurry.
She looked at him and suddenly asked, "Is Jinhua Garden in the East District?"
Yu Chen was stunned for a moment.
The air suddenly became quiet.
Xu Zhi just looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Yu Chen looked at her face and suddenly smiled.
"Have you checked?"
"I just looked it up on Baidu." Xu Zhi waved her phone in front of him. "Jinhua Garden, West District, is three kilometers from here."
Yu Chen didn't say anything.
Xu Zhi put her phone back in her pocket and looked at him.
"So," she said, "you just said it was on the way—"
—
"Hmm," Yu Chen interrupted her, "I was just kidding."
Xu Zhi looked at him.
Yu Chen stood there, hands in his pockets, his expression calm.
"I just wanted to give it to you, but I was afraid you would refuse, so I said it was on my way."
Xu Zhi didn't say anything.
The night breeze blew by, lifting her hair.
Xu Zhi looked at him and suddenly realized that the way this person spoke was a bit strange.
Not the kind of person who is ingratiating or overly cautious.
It's very direct and frank.
They didn't hide even after being exposed.
"Alright then." She looked away, turned and walked towards the stairwell. "Be careful on your way back, it's three kilometers."
"Um."
She took two steps, then suddenly stopped.
"Yu Chen".
"Um?"
Xu Zhi had her back to him and didn't turn around.
"Tomorrow during evening self-study, explain the last magnetism problem to me again."
After saying that, she quickly walked into the stairwell, her footsteps disappearing into the stairwell with a "thump thump thump".
Yu Chen stood downstairs, looking at the empty stairwell, for a while.
Then he turned around and walked back.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and looked down at his hand.
He didn't eat a single bite of that candied hawthorn skewer.
He smiled and took a bite.
Hawthorns are quite sour.
But it seems quite delicious.
Fifth floor.
Xu Zhi walked to her front door, took out her key, and opened it.
Once inside, the living room was dark and empty.
Dad still hasn't come back.
She didn't turn on the light; she stood in the darkness, looking down through the window.
Under the streetlights, the figure walked further and further away, finally disappearing around the street corner.
Xu looked away and turned on the light.
The living room was quiet except for the humming of the refrigerator.
She went into her room and sat down at her desk.
I glanced down at the half-eaten candied hawthorn in my hand.
Two remain.
Xu Zhi picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.
Then she suddenly remembered what he had just said—"I was just kidding. I just wanted to give it to you."
She smiled.
I don't know what they're laughing at.
Then she ate the last one.
Two [ding—]
[Xu Zhi's favorability +2, current favorability: 10]
Yu Chen was walking back.
Three kilometers, enough for him to walk for an hour.
But he walked quite slowly.
The night breeze blew from behind, carrying the rustling sound of osmanthus leaves.
He remembered the expression on her face when she turned around at the entrance of the building.
And then there's that line, "Tell me again during evening self-study tomorrow."
The corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
It's okay if we walk a little slower.
There's no rush.
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