Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 262

Passerby

Seeing Su Ruixi’s reaction, the backpacker understood everything: the lamb was just that good, that fragrant. It had nothing to do with how hungry she was.

Even so, the backpacker managed to summon her incredible willpower, first thanking Sun Miao and Su Ruixi before sitting down. She took a sip of water to compose herself, then finally opened her mouth and began to eat. Sun Miao had set out disposable knives, forks, and chopsticks for her. The backpacker chose the tools she was most accustomed to: chopsticks and her hands.

She held a piece of pan-fried, buttered bread in one hand, took another sip of water to wet her throat, and then launched her grand assault with the chopsticks.

She clamped onto a piece of lamb, stuffed it directly into the bread, and then took a massive bite. Sun Miao certainly hadn’t been as meticulous with the backpacker’s portion as she had been with Su Ruixi’s. The night before, Sun Miao had cut the lamb into neat, bite-sized cubes, each one a perfect mouthful for Su Ruixi.

Today, for the backpacker, she had simply carved the meat off the bone and called it a day, leaving it in long strips. As a result, when stuffed into the bread, the meat couldn’t be fully enveloped, with a good portion of it sticking out. The backpacker couldn’t have cared less; to her, this single bite was pure bliss.

The edges of the bread were crispy, while the center was soft and yielding. After a couple of chews, the flavors of the bread and butter intertwined, composing a delightful symphony. But it was quickly drowned out by the overbearing lamb.

The meat didn’t have a heavy, gamey taste, just a subtle hint of it—enough to declare its identity as lamb while elevating the rich, savory flavor to its absolute peak. The taste of the butter was scattered to the winds, routed completely by the lamb’s seasoning. All that remained was the primal, satisfying taste of meat filling her mouth.

The bold spices made the backpacker understand in an instant why they had been so expensive in ancient times.

Because they were truly worth it! This was incredible! This was the respect that humanity ought to show its food! Meat! This is how it was meant to be cooked!

The backpacker fell completely silent, eating with a voraciousness that bordered on ferocity.

Su Ruixi had thought her own eating performance the night before had already been quite… en, baring fangs and brandishing claws¹. Now, it seemed the backpacker was the wolf; her own table manners last night had been, at most, a sheep nibbling on grass.

The backpacker ate so quickly and urgently that Su Ruixi couldn’t help but say, “You… you should drink some water, too.”

The way she was eating was genuinely concerning; you couldn’t help but worry she might choke.

The backpacker seemed not to hear her, completely oblivious. A moment later, as if the words had finally registered, she mumbled two muffled “en en” sounds through a full mouth and grabbed the water, guzzling down a huge mouthful.

Aside from that one moment to drink, the backpacker never stopped. Like the wind rolling up scattered clouds², she devoured everything Sun Miao had prepared for her on the small table, leaving it spotless. Only then did she collapse back into her chair with a sigh of relief, a loud burp echoing from her stomach.

Her lips were still slick with grease. Sun Miao pulled out a tissue and offered it to her.

But the backpacker didn’t wipe her mouth right away. Instead, she shot Sun Miao a thumbs-up, holding it there firmly for a moment before finally lowering it to take the napkin and clean the shine from her lips.

It was clear the backpacker had enjoyed the meal. More than enjoyed—she was utterly satisfied. She now lay there, relaxing and letting her rounded belly settle. Sun Miao had prepared a generous amount. There wasn’t much in the way of staple foods, but she had carved off half the rack of lamb—the same amount that had taken her and Su Ruixi a long time to finish the previous night.

Now, the backpacker had polished it off in minutes. On top of that, there were some vegetables; it had been more than enough food.

It was obvious the backpacker had eaten too much simply because she’d eaten too fast. You couldn’t blame Sun Miao; both she and Su Ruixi had told her to slow down several times, but the backpacker hadn’t heard a word.

Seeing that she was finished, Sun Miao stood up to clear the table. The backpacker attempted to rise with a carp flips its body³ to do it herself, but she was so stuffed that she failed to even sit up. Seeing her struggle, Su Ruixi said, “Just sit for a while. We’ll get it.”

The backpacker had eaten so cleanly, and most of the containers were disposable anyway, so it only took Sun Miao a few moments to tidy everything up. Still, the backpacker wasn’t shameless enough to stay put. She eventually managed to get up and help put away the table and chairs.

With their bellies full, they started the camper van again and headed toward the hotel.

Once they reached the village, the backpacker hopped out of the van first. She stood by the side of the road and waved at them, her face beaming with a smile as she shouted, “SEE YOU AGAIN IF FATE ALLOWS!”

Truthfully, Sun Miao wasn’t exactly eager to see the backpacker again. Every time they met… the backpacker was pulling her sheep’s wool⁴. Before, she had just taken a large water bottle and filled it up; today, she had straight up demolished a quarter of her rack of lamb and a pile of other food⁵. The next time they met, who knew what of hers she would eat.

And yet, she very much wanted to see the backpacker again. Encountering such a bright, warm soul on her journey brought her a sincere sense of joy.

So, a thousand words and ten thousand phrases were distilled into a single sentence: “See you again if fate allows!”

The backpacker, carrying her small water bottle, turned and walked away before Su Ruixi even started the engine. She was carefree and composed, without a trace of hesitation. In reality, she loved Sun Miao’s cooking—she’d loved the zongzi⁶ from before and adored the roasted lamb ribs from today. Even more, she enjoyed chatting with Sun Miao and Su Ruixi.

But there were still so many places she had yet to set foot in, so much more of the world’s splendor she wanted to witness and experience. That was why she never let fellow travelers or anything else on her journey slow her down. She just kept moving forward, resolute.

Back at the hotel, Sun Miao and Su Ruixi first washed up before collapsing onto the soft beds. The sleeping bags Su Ruixi had brought were already high-quality ones—exceptionally warm and soft to the touch. But they were still sleeping bags. Once you zipped yourself in for the night, it was difficult to even turn over. Both Sun Miao and Su Ruixi had felt like mummies.

Nothing beat sleeping in a real bed.

At that moment, the same thought crossed both their minds. Sun Miao couldn’t help but sigh aloud, “A bed really is the best.”

Su Ruixi let out a laugh. Sun Miao turned her head to meet Su Ruixi’s eyes, and she laughed, too.

After lying there for a while, they started to chat, the topic returning to the backpacker they had just met. Su Ruixi said, “I wonder if she’ll ever decide to stop.”

“It’s fine if she doesn’t. Just keep walking like that.”

But as for the matter of the backpacker, here is where the page was turned. They were passersby to her, and she, to them, was just a splash of color, an exclamation point in this chapter of their journey. Their story was long, and amidst its pages of thick ink and heavy colors⁷, this small punctuation mark might one day be forgotten.

But that was okay. In this moment, the memory was a beautiful one.

For the two of them, however, the pages of their own books were filled with descriptions of each other.

And so, in a moment like this, Su Ruixi wanted to do something else. She wasn’t hungry, and she still felt quite energetic. She was thinking of doing some things not suitable for children. Especially since last night, they hadn’t done anything at all—not even a kiss, just a simple embrace.

After a few moments, Su Ruixi rolled over and propped herself up next to Sun Miao. Sun Miao tilted her head slightly, a silent “What is it?” Su Ruixi brushed a stray strand of hair from her temple, leaned in, and lowered her head to gently kiss Sun Miao.

Sun Miao naturally closed her eyes and returned the kiss.

Truthfully, she had wanted to last night, too—to steal a kiss from her lover under a sky full of stars. But the atmosphere then had been too pristine, too pure. It had made Sun Miao feel that her less-than-pure thoughts were almost profane. Now, in a private space, wrapped in each other’s arms, the desire to touch, to kiss, to caress was only natural.

Especially since they had both just showered. Their skin was still faintly damp, and they had changed into thin pajamas—neither of them was even wearing a bra.

It was perfectly normal to want to do what adults should do!

From that kiss, they drew closer and closer, and then a spark caught fire, consuming Su Ruixi completely.

When it was over, Su Ruixi was once again a boneless heap on the bed, not wanting to move. It was up to Sun Miao to climb out of bed, start a bath, and then carry Su Ruixi over to it. She washed her, then used a large bath towel she had brought to dry her off, wrapping her up snugly before carrying her back and setting her down on the sofa.

After all that, Sun Miao still had to get to work, like a cow or a horse⁸, and deal with the bed.

Su Ruixi would have been far too embarrassed to let housekeeping handle the sheets, now scented with the both of them. Fortunately, their suite had its own washing machine, and Sun Miao had brought her own four-piece bedding set⁹. So, Sun Miao stripped the bed, bundled up the sheets, and stuffed them into the machine.

Su Ruixi sat on the sofa, curled up inside the towel. Her feet were tucked up on the cushion, her toes curled inward. She watched Sun Miao bustle about and couldn’t help but think: I’m really becoming more and more spoiled now. She had always been a little bit of a neat freak, though not severely so. In the past, when staying at hotels, she had been fairly casual about it.

But now, traveling with Sun Miao, she was the one who made sure everything was prepared, even bringing things like a four-piece bedding set. Sun Miao was a firm believer that nothing in a hotel was truly clean. Su Ruixi, on the other hand, figured: I’m spending this much on a presidential suite; surely they can at least get the basic cleaning right?

But seeing Sun Miao so dedicated, she wouldn’t say anything unnecessary to pour cold water¹⁰ on her.

Besides, watching Sun Miao buzz around her like a diligent little bee made Su Ruixi feel incredibly happy. It did, however, make her worry: What would I do if I have to go on a business trip alone in the future? I’ve grown so used to Sun Miao’s care; I could never ask an assistant to serve me like this.

At that moment, Su Ruixi made a silent resolution:

From now on, even for business trips, I have to pack Sun Miao up and take her along! I can’t function without Sun Miao. I won’t even be able to eat properly!

Sun Miao had no idea what Su Ruixi was thinking about with such a serious expression. She just happened to look back and see her staring blankly, so she walked over and planted a kiss on the freshly cleaned Su Ruixi.

Wrapped in the towel, Su Ruixi looked up to receive Sun Miao’s kiss, docile and sweet—a stark contrast to her usual cool and collected demeanor.

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