Just when Su Wan and Lin Feiâer found it difficult to part, a sweet female voice reverberated in the airport.
âThis is the boarding call for passengers of Flight HZ1041 to Dong Chen Country. Please have your boarding pass ready and proceed to Gate C for boarding. May you have a pleasant flight.â
Lin Feiâer slowly pushed Su Wan away. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and flashed Su Wan a smile.
âI told you not to come to see me off. I knew I wouldnât be able to control my tears if I see you here.â
Su Wan glared at Lin Feiâer and made a face speedily at her. âWhat are you afraid of? Youâre not the only person who feels embarrassed.â
Lin Feiâer looked down and pulled her luggage. She pursed her lips and smiled at Jiang Xuecheng and Su Wan.
âWan, Young Master, I really have to go. Goodbye!â
Su Wan tugged Jiang Xuechengâs hand and gazed at Lin Feiâer. âFeiâer, have a safe journey. You must take good care of yourself in Dong Chen. Donât get us worried. Iâll pay Uncle and Aunty a visit whenever Iâm free.â
Lin Feiâer nodded and then, dragging her luggage, walked towards Gate C slowly.
Su Wan saw Lin Feiâer merging into the crowd and her eyes became misty. Jiang Xuecheng saw Su Wanâs reluctance to part. With a calm voice, he suggested, âWan Wan, letâs find a place to have our dinner.â
Upon hearing this, Su Wan realized that they had not had time for dinner. She was not hungry but Jiang Xuecheng was here accompanying her with empty stomach.
Su Wan looked at the man beside her with embarrassment. She held Jiang Xuechengâs arm and asked softly, âAre you hungry? What would you like to eat?â
âIâm fine, Iâm only worried youâll be hungry.â Jiang Xuecheng looked at her dotingly and caressed her hair. âThereâs nothing particular I wish to eat. Letâs just look around for a restaurant?â
As both of them walked out of S City International Airport, Su Wan saw a hot pot restaurant just across the street.
Her eyes lit up. She turned sideways to ask Jiang Xuecheng, âXuecheng, letâs have hot pot. What do you think?â
Jiang Xuecheng looked, following Su Wanâs line of sight and saw the hot pot restaurant. He gave Su Wan a glance and his voice had a trace of teasing.
âWan Wan, itâs summer now. Are you sure you want to have hot pot?â
The street lamp by the corner of the road shone on Jiang Xuechengâs face. With the bright light, it made the man in front of her look more flawless.
Su Wan smiled as she tugged Jiang Xuecheng forward. âLetâs go for hot pot. Isnât it self-cultivation for a food enthusiast to have hot pot in summer? If you donât want to have spicy food, Iâll order other types of soup.â
When Jiang Xuecheng saw that Su Wan was insisting, he finally went according to her wishes.
Jiang Xuecheng could handle spicy food but didnât like it. On the other hand, Su Wan loved spicy food. Jiang Xuechengâs taste was gradually converging to that of Su Wanâs.
There was nothing special about this hot pot restaurant from the outside but when Su Wan and Jiang Xuecheng walked in, they discovered that it was an ancient martial arts themed restaurant.
A waiter in a white traditional Chinese costume came forward. He greeted Su Wan and Jiang Xuecheng with a beam.
âA table for two?â
Seeing Jiang Xuechengâs nod, the waiter added, âGreat, please proceed to the second floor. There are some exquisite seats upstairs.â
Su Wan and Jiang Xuecheng walked up slowly. Su Wan was attracted to the sword hanging on the staircase. The body of the sword was shining and there was a red tassel hanging on the handle of the sword.
âWhat a fancy sword...â Su Wan thought. Then, she trailed behind Jiang Xuecheng and they found a seat next to the window.
Jiang Xuecheng took the menu placed on the wooden table and browsed through casually. Then, he passed the menu to Su Wan.
âWan Wan, why donât you order? Iâm fine with anything.â
Wasnât this equivalent to saying âwhateverâ?
Su Wan had always felt that whenever people said âwhateverâ, it was most difficult to decide. However, the person sitting opposite her was Jiang Xuecheng and she didnât need to have too many concerns. So, she placed her order.
Su Wan had seen the display of the signature dish at the door. She remembered the silver pomfret fish and wild boar meat were marked with an asterisk. Did it mean that these were highly recommended?
Su Wan ticked these two dishes and then ordered the enoki mushroom soup. Initially, she wanted to choose two soup bases but she gave up that option as she thought she could enjoy herself with chili sauce too.
Jiang Xuecheng took the menu and ordered a bottle of red wine. Then, got the waiter to serve their food.
The speed of food serving at this restaurant was fast. In just a while, all the food had been served.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
However, when Su Wan saw the red wine, bad memories started creeping into her mind. Jiang Xuecheng saw Su Wanâs embarrassment at a glance and he smiled.
âItâs just the two of us today. Wan Wan, try drinking some. If you get drunk, I can still carry you home.â
When Su Wan heard what he said, she shook her head and pushed the red wine to Jiang Xuecheng. She looked awkward.
âNo thank you. You go ahead and drink. Itâs really not suitable for me to drink. Itâll be a disgrace if I make noise after being drunk.â
Jiang Xuecheng raised his brows and did not insist.
He took the red wine and poured a glass for himself. After swirling it gently, he drank the whole glass.
Su Wan put the prawns, silver pomfret fish, wild boar meat, and various vegetables into the hot pot.
The pot heated up pretty quickly. Seeing all kinds of food dancing in the boiling water, Su Wan smiled with satisfaction. Impatiently, she took the silver pomfret fish with her chopsticks.
Su Wan divided the fish into smaller pieces. Then, she dipped each small piece into the chili sauce. Mmmm, it smelt good!
After sending the fish into her mouth, Su Wan narrowed her eyes with satisfaction. Then, she put her chopstick into the pot again to take a piece of wild boar meat.
Compared to Su Wan glutting herself with delicacies, Jiang Xuechengâs table manners were much better. Although this was not a high-end restaurant, him sitting there seemed to have improved the quality of the restaurant.
Jiang Xuecheng saw Su Wanâs mouth stained with chili oil and couldnât help laughing. No matter what Su Wan was eating, it made one feel she was eating delicacies.
Every time Jiang Xuecheng saw Su Wan eat, his appetite would improve.
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Xuechengâs noble and handsome face. He stretched out his hand to grab a piece of tissue paper from a box on the table.
âHere, wipe your mouth. A little greedy kitten has turned into a messy kitten.â
Su Wan bashfully lowered her head. She took the piece of tissue paper from Jiang Xuechengâs hand and wiped away the chili stain beside her mouth.
Only when she peeked from the corner of her eyes and confirmed that Jiang Xuecheng was not looking at her anymore did she raised her head. She continued picking up her chopsticks and took out all the prawns from the pot.
Su Wan put on her gloves and removed the shells of the prawns slowly and placed them on a plate. Then, she pushed the plate of prawns to Jiang Xuecheng.
With a faint smile, Su Wan asked, âXuecheng, would you like to have some prawns?â