Didn’t Get to Eat
Father S rejected Tong Yuwei’s proposal. Tong Yuwei just sighed, “Aih,” and went back to her phone without another word.
In this day and age, even lining up for something could get you criticized by others. Father Su felt incredibly frustrated.
The line was long, and he had arrived late. The further back in the line they were, the more restless and impatient the people in their section became. The main worry was: What if they sell out? What do we do? We’ve been in line for so long, they can’t possibly run out, right?
At 12 o’clock, a voice from the front announced that there weren’t many portions left. Father Su counted the people ahead and figured that, based on the previous pace, he should be able to get his turn. He remained calm and composed, but a short while later, the announcements from the front became more and more frequent, constantly saying they were about to sell out. This made Tong Yuwei, who was behind him, put down her phone and focus intently on the queue.
When it was finally Father Su’s turn, he breathed a sigh of relief. There was still some left.
His eyes stared intently at the fried skewers in front of him, only to find there were just four portions remaining. He opened his mouth, intending to buy them all, but then he heard a cough from behind him. “Ahem, ahem, Jiejie, is there really none left? Meimei has been waiting for so long in the cold wind. You know, my constitution has always been on the weaker side. Could you, could you please add one more portion for me?”
To Sun Miao, Tong Yuwei was a familiar face. Her body was in no way frail, and she wasn’t a real “Lin Daiyu”1. Aside from her occasionally passive-aggressive way of speaking, she never had that ‘like a weak willow helping the wind’2 quality of Lin Daiyu. Besides, in this weather, with temperatures hitting 40°C and above every day, even in the dead of night, it had absolutely nothing to do with the words “cold wind.”
And although she was speaking to the stall owner, her gaze was fixed on Father Su.
This was probably not the Lin Daiyu from a proper drama, but the kind from a rules-based horror story3. The moment Father Su said the wrong thing, he would trigger “Lin Daiyu’s” mechanism, achieving an instant-death effect.
But that was just an exaggeration. At most, after Father Su finished buying, he would be grumbled about4 by Tong Yuwei behind his back; she couldn’t actually stick pins in a small effigy5 of him, could she? At this moment, it all depended on whether Father Su could withstand the pressure. The day before yesterday, Father Su had withstood the pressure and bought the number of portions he wanted.
Anyway, the pressure wasn’t on her. Even if it were, Sun Miao couldn’t magically produce another portion for Tong Yuwei. She replied directly, “No, the amount is fixed every day. It’s already sold out. Come earlier tomorrow.”
The pressure of Tong Yuwei’s gaze on Father Su became even sharper.
Facing the top-tier pressure from Tong Yuwei, Father Su hesitated. He gritted his teeth, and just as he was about to withstand the pressure and take all four remaining portions, he heard Tong Yuwei’s mournful voice again. “Aih, I want to come early too, but I’m a working cow horse6. I work the night shift every day, and when I get home, I still have to deal with my boss’s life-taking chain of calls7. Then I have to take a shower and dry my hair. How could I possibly make it in time?”
“It’s not even certain if I have to work overtime tomorrow. I’m such a pitiful wage slave.”
In the end, Father Su only bought three portions, leaving one for Tong Yuwei. After paying, he immediately hailed a taxi and left, afraid that the fried skewers in his arms would be snatched by the others behind him.
Once in the car, the driver casually asked, “Where did you buy these fried skewers? They smell pretty good. Must be delicious, huh?”
Who would have known that Father Su would react as if facing a great enemy, convinced that everyone wanted to snatch his fried skewers. By the time he finally got home, he was greeted by Shen Yiqiu, “Why are you back so late? How many skewers did you bring back?” Father Su presented them to Shen Yiqiu like a treasure. Shen Yiqiu took one look and said, “Did you already eat at the stall? Is the rest all for me?”
“…”
No, he hadn’t. He had only bought three portions in total and hadn’t eaten a single bite. But looking at Shen Yiqiu’s delighted expression and hearing her say, “There’s one more portion than yesterday. Old Su, you did a good job. You still know how to think of me,” what could Father Su do?
In this situation, what could Father Su possibly do? He could only break his teeth and swallow them with the blood8. He had to maintain his face today. “Yeah, I already ate. You have them.”
Shen Yiqiu didn’t stand on ceremony at all. She went to the fridge, got a bottle of iced orange juice, sat down in the first-floor living room, turned on the TV to find a show she liked, and then began to leisurely enjoy her meal. She took a bite of a skewer, then a sip of iced orange juice, all while watching the program on TV, a smile spreading across her face.
Father Su sat beside her the whole time, fantasizing that Shen Yiqiu, in her happiness, would think of him and offer him a skewer. He watched her with longing eyes, like a little dog waiting for a bone.
But Shen Yiqiu didn’t love him anymore. She didn’t notice his gaze at all and single-handedly finished all nine skewers. After finishing, she still seemed to want more. “Old Su, you still bought too little. Buy some more next time.”
She had no idea! Sob, sob, sob, she had no idea how much pressure Father Su had endured for these nine fried skewers, and she certainly didn’t know that Father Su’s mind was currently filled with one thought: If I pick up the skewers and lick them a few times, will I still be able to taste anything?
In the end, Father Su didn’t do something so embarrassing. It was only after he had showered and was lying in bed that Father Su was tossing and turning. In the pitch-black night, he heard his stomach beating a drum9.
The next morning, Father Su, with dark circles under his eyes, had a simple breakfast and went to work. But for the rest of the day, the image of the fried skewers seemed to linger before his eyes, refusing to dissipate. When he opened his eyes, he saw fried skewers. When he closed his eyes, he still saw fried skewers. Even during a meeting, Father Su was somewhat agitated and unable to concentrate10.
That day, Father Su, for the very first time11, got off work early and secretly went to the place where the fried skewer stall was set up.
Father Su didn’t know what time the stall would open, but he thought, since he was already off work, the stall should surely start its business earlier. But as he stood at the entrance of the small park, watching the people coming and going and the empty space under the streetlight, he fell into a daze. He paced back and forth, stood in place for a long time, and couldn’t help but wonder: When on earth does that stall owner start work?
This thought plagued Father Su until his usual time to get off work. Father Su knew he couldn’t wait any longer; he had to go home.
Back at home, at the dinner table, Father Su asked, seemingly casually, “What time does that fried skewer stall open?”
Shen Yiqiu glanced at him. “Didn’t you just have some yesterday? You want to eat it again today?”
He didn’t eat any at all yesterday!
But Father Su, being aojiao just like Su Ruixi, shifted his body and acted as if the wind was light and the clouds were thin12. “No, just a little curious.”
Shen Yiqiu saw right through him but answered anyway, “Oh, it opens at ten.”
Having gotten a specific time, Father Su became even more restless. When it was almost nine o’clock, he tried to sneak out again, but was dragged back by Shen Yiqiu. “You can’t be sleeping so late every day and eating such high-calorie food. Go to bed early, or you’ll make yourself go bald from staying up so late sooner or later.”
“No… Aih, I…”
Father Su couldn’t get more than a few words out before being dragged back home by Shen Yiqiu.
At that moment, he really wanted to just spill the beans, but he had his pride, you know? He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
But unlike Father Su, the customers in Group 2 had already achieved the “truly fragrant”13 achievement. The line was getting longer and longer, and everyone had already figured out the approximate time by which if you came to line up, you wouldn’t get to eat. Consequently, the number of people rushing to be in the first wave increased.
Hip-Hop Mei and Yabi Mei had put in who knows how much effort to secure the first spot. By the time Sun Miao arrived, Hip-Hop Mei was holding a small electric fan, but even so, her makeup was a bit smudged. In comparison, Yabi Mei’s makeup was much more durable. Moreover, who knows what kind of incredible self-control Yabi Mei possessed; in such hot weather, wearing a full gothic maid outfit, complete with over-the-knee white socks, she managed to remain calm and composed.
Hip-Hop Mei couldn’t do that. Today, she wore a short tank top, revealing her little belly, with a short plastic jacket made of a material like a transparent raincoat over it. On her lower body, she wore a pair of asymmetrical pants, long on the left and short on the right.
The two of them truly lived up to the nicknames Sun Miao had given them, one hip-hop, one subculture, both very distinctive.
Sun Miao couldn’t help but glance at Hip-Hop Mei’s belly. Hip-Hop Mei subconsciously covered her belly button and then made a bitter melon face14. “Little Boss Sun, you’re not going to lecture me too, are you? Please, it’s bad enough having my sister nag me every day, don’t you start.”
Sun Miao wasn’t the type to lecture people. Yabi Mei looked at Hip-Hop Mei and shook her head. She couldn’t help but think: Seriously, she’s known Little Boss Sun for so long, how could she still say something like that?
Sure enough, what Sun Miao said was completely unexpected by Hip-Hop Mei. “No, I was just noticing that you don’t have much fat on your belly. For you to eat and drink like this every day and still maintain this figure is really not easy.”
“…”
In that moment, Hip-Hop Mei felt it would have been better if Sun Miao had just told her not to wear crop tops.
“Give me… give me ten portions.” She actually wanted to put on a show and ask for less, but after thinking it over, she could wrong anything but her own stomach. So… she still asked for ten portions. At most, she’d run a couple more laps when she got back, or maybe stay at the gym for an extra two hours.
Speaking of losing weight, Hip-Hop Mei couldn’t help but ask, “But how does Su-jie manage to not get fat? She has a master chef like you at home cooking all sorts of things for her, and she still doesn’t get fat.”
“Hehe.”
Sun Miao chuckled but said nothing.
In reality, Sun Miao didn’t cook too many heavy, oily, or salty foods for Su Ruixi at home. They ate a lot of things like boiled shrimp15, beef, chicken, and even fish balls, but ate relatively less pork. Su Ruixi also loved vegetables, so making more leafy greens could both fill her stomach and prevent her from gaining weight and having body anxiety from eating too much.
Su-jie loved being beautiful. Sun Miao had fattened Su Ruixi up a little, but she was just right now. A little more weight would be fine, but if it went too far, Su-jie would start sighing.
Seeing Sun Miao’s smile, the hip-hop and subculture duo fell silent. Because it was obvious, wasn’t it? That was the look of someone who had fallen in love and was thinking of their beloved. This huge mouthful of dog food being fed to them made Hip-Hop Mei let out an exaggerated burp. “I’m full.”
“Then you’re not eating? Next…”
“I’m eating, I’m eating! Even if I’m full, I can still eat.”
The oil heated up, and Sun Miao began to place the skewers into it. As the skewers fell into the hot oil, they made a “sizzle” sound, and the oil bubbled up around them. Unlike the customers who were practically drooling while waiting to eat, there was another group of people whose hearts were like being twisted by a knife16 at this very moment, wishing they could fly to Little Boss Sun’s side.
Because they couldn’t eat! These people were the student party.
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