Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 232

Just Sweet

A large glass of watermelon shaved ice sat on the dining table, and the overhead light made it look especially crystalline.

Because the cup was made of transparent glass, you could see the shaved ice inside with perfect clarity. At the very bottom was a base of watermelon slush. It was a general watermelon-red color, a layer of fine, fluffy ice. Due to the natural sedimentation of the watermelon’s pigment, the red at the bottom was more vibrant and moist, while the top had faded to a slightly pinker shade.

On top of the slush sat three scoops of shaved ice. Just by looking at the color, you could tell they were made from the same ingredients as the base—more watermelon shaved ice. But these were more solid than the slush below. They had probably spent more time in the freezer, as their outer shells had the hard, transparent quality of ice cubes, radiating their own chill.

Above and around these three scoops was a drizzle of watermelon jam and chunks of watermelon, clinging viscously to the sides, but it gave off a completely different feeling from the one Su Ruixi had made yesterday. This watermelon jam just made you think: I want to eat that so badly.

But it wasn’t finished yet. At the very top was a layer of crushed, milky-white ice shavings.

Sun Miao explained, “This is milk jelly¹. It makes the texture richer. Susu-jie, you should try it. But it’s been frozen for a while, so it might be pretty cold. Be careful when you eat it.”

Su Ruixi nodded, picked up a spoon, and launched her attack on the watermelon shaved ice. She didn’t go for the three scoops right away. Since Sun Miao had said they’d be colder from being frozen longer, she started with the watermelon jam and the slush underneath.

The spoon slid in with ease, bringing up a spoonful of three different components. Su Ruixi opened her mouth and took the whole spoonful in.

——It was, seriously, so good!

Su Ruixi was quite fond of huaihua fen; it was cool and refreshing and could dispel all the summer heat. But the moment she tasted the watermelon shaved ice, she switched camps, instantly becoming a staunch supporter.

Watermelon and shaved ice were simply the two most perfect things in the world.

The first thing she tasted, the most impactful, was actually the watermelon jam. Sun Miao had cut some of the watermelon into perfect little cubes, about the size of pearls, and frozen them for a bit. When she bit down, the watermelon flesh broke through the thin layer of ice, and the juice exploded, the fresh taste of watermelon instantly rushing to the roof of her mouth.

Next, she experienced the flavor of the milk jelly. The milky ice shavings were softer than the watermelon slush, with a texture like mianmianbing². The faint milky aroma and sweetness stimulated her senses.

And then came the taste of the watermelon slush itself. Watermelon has a high water and sugar content, but because of all the water, the sweetness is often diluted. Eaten this way, it just left a light, sweet taste.

But as the heat in her mouth forced the ice to melt, blending with the jam and the milk jelly shavings, the sweetness gradually intensified. In the end, however, the icy water washed everything down, not only avoiding any cloying sweetness in her mouth but leaving behind only the pure refreshment of watermelon.

“Mmm~” That one bite of watermelon shaved ice made Su Ruixi’s eyes crinkle shut.

Seeing her eating so happily made Sun Miao, sitting opposite her, happy too. She always felt that when Su Ruixi was eating something delicious, her satisfied expression was somewhat like a feline’s. Not like a kitten—Su Ruixi’s personality didn’t match that of a cuddly little cat. Instead, it made one think of… a black jaguar, with a base of black fur and faint, gold-coin-like rosettes.

Sun Miao reminded her at the right moment, “Susu-jie, you can eat the scoops now. Give them a try.”

“Okay.”

Su Ruixi used her spoon to dig out a whole scoop. She opened her mouth and bit down. After sitting out for a little while, the scoop had indeed softened. Su Ruixi successfully bit off a piece, and at the same time, the filling inside burst out.

Su Ruixi had to slurp it up. A milky flavor entered her mouth, and only then did she realize that it had a cream filling inside, and there was yeguo³ too!

“Is it good?”

Faced with Sun Miao’s question, Su Ruixi had only one answer. Her mouth was full of shaved ice, so she couldn’t speak, but she nodded her head emphatically.

“I want some too.”

Sun Miao leaned forward slightly and opened her mouth. Without hesitation, Su Ruixi turned the spoon in her hand toward Sun Miao and fed it to her.

If someone else had made that gesture, it might have looked a bit greasy⁴, but the two of them were so comfortable with each other, as comfortable as lovers who had lived together for many years, that the action was too natural to have even a hint of greasiness.

Su Ruixi couldn’t help but think of the conversation she’d had with her assistant at noon today.

Ever since she started dating Sun Miao, the once imposing Su Ruixi had become more and more approachable at the company. In the eyes of her assistant and other employees, she had been the kind of rich girl who doesn’t eat the smoke and fire of the human world⁵. They didn’t deny her abilities, but her previous behavior made it clear: she had never been poor and had no idea what that experience was like.

With the attitude of someone naturally born to wealth, she had disciplined her employees with a “whip and candy” approach, turning the entire company into the king of kings among the kings of involution. The only reward for such employees was overtime pay.

The material rewards were sufficient, sure, but everyone’s spirits were stretched taut, leading to severe mental exhaustion over time. It wasn’t that people couldn’t bear it; after all, what job these days didn’t require overtime and competition? If you wanted to live even a slightly better life, you had to turn yourself into a screw⁶.

But then one day, their own young miss, the one who reeked of “capitalist” and treated the wage-earning people like cattle and horses⁷, suddenly had a change of heart and started down the path of humanistic care. She even thought of many small details, going so far as to implement a help corner in the women’s restroom, which left everyone exceptionally shocked.

If Su Ruixi had known what her employees were thinking, she would surely have been a bit baffled. She had never felt she had that “capitalist” air about her. It was just that, in the beginning, she really hadn’t thought of those things and had simply used the most straightforward methods to urge her employees to improve.

Of course, after reforming the company, it wasn’t all benefits. Some people grew lazy and could no longer focus on their work. Su Ruixi was not polite with this type of person; she gave them adequate severance and let them go directly.

But for those who worked diligently yet became more and more casual with her personally, Su Ruixi let them be. Her own assistant, for example.

Her assistant had truly become more and more casual with her, even bringing her lunchbox over during the noon break to start chatting.

They didn’t really talk about anything significant. The assistant was just a bit of a gossip and was curious about her daily life with her girlfriend. The assistant was frank: “I’ve never met a real-life lesbian before, so I’m pretty curious.”

Su Ruixi, eating the meal Sun Miao had made for her, thought for a moment and shared a few details of their daily life. When Su Ruixi spoke of the food Sun Miao made, her eyes would light up, filled with love. But to the assistant’s ears, it sounded a bit dull.

Su Ruixi noticed her expression and asked with a frown, “What are you thinking?”

The assistant took a bite of the meat baozi she had bought and answered honestly, “I actually thought there would be more drama between you two. Like, some rich family dog’s blood⁸ stuff. President Su, you’re the sole daughter of a wealthy family, the young miss type. I thought the love and hate between you two would be more turbulent, and then your mother would show up and throw ten million in your girlfriend’s face to make her leave you.”

“No, my mom has a very good impression of Miaomiao. She came to our place a while ago, had a meal, and chatted with Miaomiao for a bit.”

Hearing this, the assistant’s jaw dropped. “You guys are moving way too fast—you’ve already met the parents? I feel like you’ve only been together for a little over half a year.”

“Yeah.”

“With the way you two interact, President Su, I would have thought you were an old husband and old wife⁹ who’ve been together for many years.”

Su Ruixi corrected her. “We don’t have an ‘old husband.'”

“Oh, sorry, sorry, my mistake.”

It was true, just as her assistant said. There didn’t seem to be any major turmoil between them. They had just gotten together as a matter of course, gone through a somewhat awkward period of living together, and then settled into a dynamic as if they had known each other for a long time.

There was no passionate romance, nothing particularly special or romantic. They just got along like any other ordinary couple in the world.

Su Ruixi took another bite of her food and replied to her assistant, “Isn’t that nice, though?”

There was a time when Su Ruixi couldn’t even imagine herself in a relationship. But now, every day of her future felt real. She would continue to live like this with Sun Miao, stable and peaceful; every day she would think about what delicious food Sun Miao would make for her tomorrow, and think about where they should go for their next vacation.

It was plain, but Su Ruixi liked it very much.

If there had been parental opposition, misunderstandings, a breakup, and then a reconciliation, it would have been far too exhausting. Both Su Ruixi and Sun Miao were pragmatists; they didn’t want to go through so many useless processes.

“It is nice. Plain and simple is what’s true¹⁰.”

With that one sentence, the assistant had defined Su Ruixi and Sun Miao’s relationship.

But Su Ruixi didn’t mind at all. She finished her lunch, then tossed the container to her assistant. “Go wash the dishes.” The assistant, having finished her baozi, stood up resignedly. “Yes, President Su.”

Waking from her memories, Su Ruixi looked at Sun Miao in front of her. Having eaten half a scoop of the watermelon shaved ice, she too wore a satisfied expression. It was a little different from Su Ruixi’s expression; it wasn’t the contentment of eating something delicious, but rather the affirmation of her own culinary skills.

“How is it?” After eating her own bite, she had to ask Su Ruixi’s opinion again.

Su Ruixi pursed her lips and smiled. “It’s sweet. So sweet. Cloyingly sweet.”

Sun Miao’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?” She was full of disbelief, but then Su Ruixi started to laugh. Only then did Sun Miao realize she had been teased again.

“Susu-jie!” Sun Miao drew out her tone, making it sound like she was whining.

Su Ruixi’s laughter was low, but it came from the heart. She didn’t think she’d said anything wrong. It was sweet, cloyingly sweet, sweet down to the bottom of her heart. How could she not be allowed to say so when it was this sweet?

“It’s just sweet. I’m not lying to you.”

Sun Miao was unconvinced. “Nonsense! There’s no way it’s sweeter than the one you made yesterday!”

Sun Miao brought up the old matter, and Su Ruixi was displeased again. “You’re the one talking nonsense!”

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