Chapter 46
4:00 PM.
The low-key and modest Jian Yunlan had bought the ingredients and returned to his villa, starting to prepare for his stall today.
He didn’t mention a word about his good deed.
…After all, in his eyes, he had really only saved a batch of precious sesame paste.
As usual, today he was simmering a pot of bone broth. There had been quite a few customers yesterday, and the ingredients weren’t enough. By the time the last few customers arrived, many popular ingredients had already sold out. So, today Jian Yunlan bought more ingredients, and the workload had doubled.
Fortunately, Hu Dangui volunteered to help, and Taotie wasn’t willing to fall behind. The housekeeper and aunts also joined in, which lightened Jian Yunlan’s burden quite a bit.
Before he knew it, it was 6:30 PM.
Jian Yunlan rode his tricycle, picked up Taotie, and hung the lotus lantern with Hu Dangui inside.
It was time to head out!
On the other side.
At the entrance of Lotus Pond Community.
By 7:00 PM, Xu Lijun and Song Lanzhen had been waiting eagerly at the front gate.
Of course, Feng Danqing was also waiting. Yesterday, she hesitated and ended up queuing for a long time. Today, after some reflection, she went straight to Boss Jian’s stall as soon as she finished work.
She swore that today, she would be the first to have her serving of spicy hotpot!
There were two or three other customers waiting just like her, eager for Jian Yunlan. After having the hotpot yesterday, the taste lingered in their mouths, urging them to come back. No matter how much they ate, they couldn’t get enough.
Other snack stall owners were envious. Boss Jian’s hotpot stall had only been set up for a day, and already there were five or six regulars waiting for him.
This was something they hadn’t experienced in years of running their stalls.
As promised, at exactly 7:00 PM, Boss Jian’s tricycle appeared at the community gate.
He stopped the tricycle, opened the extendable table, and began to lay out the ingredients. Under the warm lights, the beef, tripe, enoki mushrooms, spinach, and other fresh ingredients glistened, especially the tripe, beef, and potatoes. These were so popular yesterday that they quickly sold out, so today, Jian Yunlan prepared double the amount!
Then, he uncovered the soup pot. As usual, it was a rich beef bone broth, but today, Jian Yunlan had made two pots: one with a delicate, milky white broth, and another one full of spicy soup with peppercorns, dried chilies, and lantern chilies.
Several customers stared, wide-eyed.
“Today, it’s 100 yuan per serving, with a choice of ingredients,” Jian Yunlan said with a smile. “Yesterday, some customers wanted to try the non-spicy version, so today, there are two types of broth—spicy and original—feel free to choose.”
Ah, he’s so nice! He remembered my suggestion!
One of the early customers was overjoyed. Yesterday, it was him who suggested to Boss Jian to try the non-spicy original broth. He didn’t expect the boss to fulfill his request.
“Boss, I’ll have one very spicy,” Feng Danqing immediately came forward to order.
“We’ll take one too,” said Song Lanzhen and Xu Lijun. They hadn’t eaten dinner and skipped their square dance, coming straight here with empty stomachs. “One medium spicy and one very spicy, thank you, Boss Jian!”
“I want to try the original broth, one non-spicy please~”
Jian Yunlan handed out the bamboo baskets, Taotie came forward to distribute the number tags, and the little fox started to glow softly under the lights.
The hotpot stall became lively.
*
Not far away, in the community.
Song Shixia’s large eyes were red, and she tearfully said, “Daddy, I just want to eat spicy hotpot…”
The man she called “Daddy” looked young and handsome, wearing a suit and gold-rimmed glasses, radiating an aura of “legal elite” from head to toe.
Lu Ling truly deserved the title.
While other people of his age were desperately trying to get into prestigious law firms, Lu Ling was already a partner at a young age.
…But no matter how successful his career was, when he got home, he still had to coax his daughter into eating her food.
Frustrated by his daughter, Lu Ling helplessly picked her up and said:
“The street-side hotpots are not hygienic. After we go home, daddy will make you a salad, okay?”
When Shixia heard the word “salad,” her face turned fearful.
—Lu Ling’s salads had no meat in them, just a big bowl of lettuce, kale, spinach, and cucumber.
Previously, when her father was on a business trip, Song Shixia had to eat Lu Ling’s salads for several days.
At such a young age, it was her first time experiencing what “life has no meaning” felt like.
Song Shixia pouted and burst into a loud, earth-shattering cry, drawing the attention of passersby.
“I want spicy hotpot! Not salad!!!”
Passersby looked over.
A three-year-old girl could make such an impressive cry.
That salad… it must be terrible.
Everyone looked at Song Shixia with sympathetic eyes, while also casting confused glances at Lu Ling.
Lu Ling, feeling the stares from the crowd, couldn’t help but blush slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.
But more than that, he was angry.
—His salads used the finest, freshest ingredients, all organic vegetables from hydroponic farms, guaranteed pesticide-free and packed with nutrients, clean and hygienic.
How could they possibly compare to the questionable ingredients used at those street vendors?
Looking at the crying Shixia, Lu Ling helplessly tried to calm her down:
“Shixia, don’t cry, don’t cry… you see, our neighbor Mingming upstairs loves salads, that’s why he’s so handsome now.”
Yu Ming, their neighbor upstairs, was smart and handsome. Shixia loved him and often said she wanted to be like him when she grew up.
Lu Ling had crossed paths with Yu Ming a few times in the hallway and saw that his lunchbox was always full of vegetables and tomatoes.
Lu Ling naturally assumed that Yu Ming, like him, was a refined vegetarian.
—Very good, very promising.
Since Yu Ming occasionally asked Lu Ling for homework help, their relationship had improved over time.
Lu Ling had planned to send some of his own salad to Yu Ming today.
Lu Ling: “You should eat like Mingming, healthy and full of vegetables, okay?”
But hearing this, Shixia cried even louder: “Mingming is as thin as a stick!!! Daddy, do you want to turn me into a stick and hang me out to dry???”
Lu Ling: “…”
The passersby glanced over, and Lu Ling’s face turned dark.
At that moment, hearing his daughter’s cries, Song Jing’an, who was buying fruit at the nearby convenience store, rushed over, took Shixia from Lu Ling’s arms, and said:
“Shixia, don’t cry, don’t cry, Daddy is here, tell Daddy what’s bothering you…”
While comforting her, Song Jing’an looked at Lu Ling’s darkened face and cautiously asked, “Honey, are you okay?”
Lu Ling pushed up his glasses, crossed his arms, and coldly snorted, “Song Jing’an, you’ve taught such a good daughter!”
Song Jing’an: “?”
Uh-oh, when his wife called him by his full name, something serious was about to happen.
“What happened?” With his daughter crying uncontrollably in his arms and his wife clearly in a bad mood, Song Jing’an, a gentle, family-oriented Alpha, immediately set off alarm bells in his mind.
“…Did Shixia wet her pants again? Or did she eat some suspicious cockroach? Or did she climb into the toilet to take a bath again?”
Passersby stared in surprise.
Raising a child is truly terrifying!
It was enough to scare a college student who feared marriage and parenthood to death.
Lu Ling remained silent, lips slightly pursed.
After Song Jing’an’s numerous reassurances and attempts to calm him down, Lu Ling’s expression softened slightly, and, reluctantly, he spoke:
“I’m making salad today, the ingredients are all ready, but Shixia insists on going to the hotpot stall at the community gate.”
As Lu Ling spoke, he opened the plastic bag he was holding. Inside were fresh vegetables, still dewy from being picked directly from an organic farm by a close friend of his. They cost over a hundred yuan per pound and weren’t even available in the supermarket.
For the sake of his family’s health, he had really put in a lot of effort.
Seeing the large bag of vibrant green vegetables, Song Jing’an’s face turned fearful.
He gathered all his composure and, with all the love he had for his wife after so many years, forced a reluctant smile.
Lu Ling raised his chin a little, proudly saying, “So fresh, it looks delicious, doesn’t it?”
Look at Song Jing’an, he’s so happy!
He must be really looking forward to tasting his wife’s salad!
“I bought a lot, probably too much for one meal,” Lu Ling continued, “There will be leftovers tomorrow, so I can make you a lunchbox for the next couple of days, and let your colleagues envy you. No need to thank me.”
Song Jing’an’s voice trembled, “You mean, I have to eat this salad for three days straight?”
Lu Ling, with a tone of course, responded, “Yeah, many people want it but can’t get any. Don’t you like it?”
Song Jing’an: “…”
Song Jing’an: “……”
In just a few seconds, countless bittersweet memories flashed through his mind:
He met Lu Ling on campus when they were young. In the library, a brief glance made Song Jing’an fall for the delicate and beautiful Omega. The scent of his pheromones was a refreshing herbal smell that Song Jing’an never tired of.
Soon, they started dating, just as Song Jing’an had dreamed. During their first date, Lu Ling mysteriously said he had a surprise for him. Just as Song Jing’an’s heart raced, thinking his first kiss was about to happen, Lu Ling suddenly turned around and pulled out a large box… of grass.
Green, healthy-smelling grass. Grass that made him lose his appetite.
“This is the salad I prepared for you. Don’t be shy, just eat it,” Lu Ling said with a sweet smile.
In that moment, overwhelmed by the happiness of first love, Song Jing’an tearfully smiled as he ate the box of grass. The more he ate, the happier Lu Ling looked. After he finished, Lu Ling even gently kissed his cheek.
…From that moment on, Song Jing’an slid helplessly into the sweet nightmare that was his life.
Later, Song Jing’an found out that Lu Ling’s pheromones weren’t just some herbal scent—it was literally the smell of grass! Not only was his pheromone grass, but he was also a rabbit—he was basically a reincarnated rabbit spirit.
Lu Ling had an almost bizarre obsession with vegetables. He truly believed that humans should eat grass—organic, pesticide-free grass—for a long, healthy life.
Although most of the time, Song Jing’an did most of the cooking (or else he wouldn’t have survived this long), due to Lu Ling’s obsession with vegetables, Lu Ling would sometimes insist on cooking himself, preparing a “heartfelt” dinner for his husband and daughter.
So, on Song Jing’an and Lu Ling’s wedding night, Song Jing’an was eating grass.
When Shixia was just born, and the young couple was frantically taking care of their newborn, Song Jing’an was eating grass.
When Song Jing’an found a high-paying but demanding job, and after being exhausted from a full day at work, he came home to find his beautiful Omega husband, wearing an apron, kindly greeting him and saying, “You must be tired from work, I made dinner, you can rest,” only for the dish that was brought out from behind him to be a bowl of grass…
At that moment, Song Jing’an’s world went dark. He felt like this was his life from now on.
Memories flooded back.
All the heart-wrenching memories of grass came rushing to the peak when he saw the large bag of grass in Lu Ling’s hand.
In that instant, Song Jing’an remembered the terror of being dominated by salad.
The nearly 1.9-meter-tall Alpha, with his gentle dog-like eyes, started to well up with tears.
—Half a minute later, Song Jing’an could no longer hold back the overwhelming sadness inside him. He pouted and let out a cry so loud it could shake the heavens:
“I want to eat hotpot!! Not salad!!!”
Song Jing’an and Song Shixia, one thirty and the other three, both big and small, were crying in the same way. Their tears gushed out like fountains, and their cries were so loud they broke hearts and brought tears to anyone who heard them.
Lu Ling: “???”
Passersby didn’t just feel sympathy this time—they stopped and began to gossip and point fingers.
Some even tried to advise Lu Ling:
“You know, marriage and family require effort to maintain, forcing something doesn’t make it sweet.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“Look at your husband and child, crying so badly… sometimes you need to understand them…”
Among the crowd, someone who was dieting stepped forward and spoke up:
“Salad really isn’t something humans are meant to eat, it’s okay occasionally, but making them eat it every day? Isn’t that just going to drive them crazy? They want hotpot, letting them indulge once in a while isn’t a big deal.”
Immediately, there was a wave of agreement: “Yeah, yeah.” “Salad with veggies in the day, and eight riders delivering at night…” “I started eating salad for weight loss last year, and now I’m 200 pounds, but I’m behaving now.”
Lu Ling: “…”
Song Jing’an and Song Shixia: “Wuwuwuwu waaahhh!!!”
Lu Ling, squirming uncomfortably, hesitated for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and saying, “Fine, we’ll eat hotpot at the stall outside tonight, is that okay?”
Immediately, the cries of the big and small stopped.
The two pairs of big eyes looked at Lu Ling pitifully: “Are you serious? We’re really eating hotpot?”
Lu Ling: “Really.”
The big and small exchanged looks.
After a moment, the tears in their eyes disappeared, replaced by genuine joy. They jumped into Lu Ling’s arms:
“Yay!!! Daddy is the best!!!” / “Wife, I love you!!!”
Passersby looked at them with approval:
“That’s how a family should work—communicating and compromising.”
With the blessings of the crowd, the family of three walked towards the hotpot stall at the community entrance.
The direction they walked in was carried by a gust of wind, bringing with it a rich fragrance, spicy and savory, like the beef bone broth of a hotpot, making people’s mouths water.
Passersby: “…”
What to do?
It really does smell kind of good!
The person who had said, “I started eating salad for weight loss last year and now I’m 200 pounds,” was the first to give in. Wiping his mouth, he said, “Enjoy the moment, heh heh, I’ll diet again after this indulgence.”
Everyone’s eyes followed his retreating figure, and after a moment, they could no longer suppress their impulses:
“I’m going to try that hotpot and see how it tastes.” “Me too, gotta eat first so I have the energy to diet, haha.” “Let’s go together~”
And so, they turned around and headed for the hotpot stall.
“…”
*
At the entrance of Lotus Pond Community, at the hotpot stall.
After Xu Lijun, Song Lanzhen, and the others had selected their ingredients, there were no new customers for now. But just those five orders of hotpot kept Jian Yunlan busy. He had to cook the ingredients in batches, adjust the seasoning in each bowl, and serve the customers.
The beef bone broth was bubbling, and Jian Yunlan used a strainer to fish out the ingredients that took longer to cook, like meatballs, while asking the customers, “Are there any ingredients you can’t eat? Anything you want me to add to the seasoning?”
Everyone answered accordingly.
After placing their hotpot orders, they stood aside, taking the number plates given by the “dog” and started checking their phones while waiting.
“I brought some tables and chairs today,” Jian Yunlan said while preparing the hotpot, “Please wait a moment, I’ll set them up.”
He actually prepared tables and chairs for us!
Everyone was deeply moved. Song Lijun said, “Boss, you don’t need to set them up yourself, we’ll do it for you, you just focus on the hotpot.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Everyone didn’t want Jian Yunlan to be distracted while preparing the hotpot, so they rushed over to set up the tables and chairs.
The humble hotpot stall started to look like a proper place.
It was at this moment that Song Jing’an, Lu Ling, and their daughter Song Shixia arrived at the hotpot stall.
“Grandma!” Song Shixia saw her grandmother in the crowd and happily rushed over, “You’re here for hotpot too?”
Song Lanzhen showed a surprised expression. Seeing Song Jing’an and Lu Ling not far away, she forced a smile and patted Shixia’s head, “Uh, yes, Grandma came to dance square dance and decided to have some of Boss Jian’s hotpot, haha, didn’t come specifically for that.”
… Oh no!
She had received the news in advance that Lu Ling was going to make salad, so she had used square dancing as an excuse to sneak out and eat hotpot. But she got caught red-handed. Song Lanzhen felt like crying.
Her son’s tearful accusing gaze was locked on her, and her daughter-in-law’s confused and scrutinizing eyes were also on her. Song Lanzhen really didn’t dare to turn around.
Fortunately, they didn’t linger on this issue for too long.
“Boss Jian, I’d like a very spicy one,” Song Jing’an said as he stood in front of Jian Yunlan with Shixia in his arms, since there was no line at the stall.
Shixia, mimicking her father’s tone, cutely said, “Boss Jian, I want one… with a little bit of spice, not too spicy, I can’t eat too much spice.”
Hearing her, the other customers waiting for their hotpot burst into kind-hearted laughter.
“Okay.” Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but smile, handing them a bamboo basket for selecting ingredients. “Choose your own ingredients. Anything that fits in the basket is fine.”
Shixia needed both hands to hug the basket, and everyone couldn’t help but call her adorable.
Song Jing’an had forgotten the last time he had eaten hotpot, as Lu Ling didn’t like spicy food, so Song Jing’an always ate bland food with him.
But now, holding the basket and seeing the variety of ingredients, Song Jing’an suddenly realized: he was eating hotpot!
A self-serve hotpot at that!
The simple joys of being an adult.
Song Jing’an eagerly began selecting ingredients. He had enough vegetables, so today he was going for a full-meat feast, vowing not to touch any greens.
He immediately grabbed seven or eight skewers of fatty beef, a big bunch of fresh tripe, added some beef tendons, spicy beef slices with a bright red color, and even a few skewers of crispy chicken gizzards…
After picking his own, Song Jing’an helped Shixia choose what she wanted to eat. The child loved things like meatballs, sausages, and fatty beef. Just like Song Jing’an, Shixia didn’t pick much in the way of vegetables.
It was clear: she had developed a psychological scar from all the salad. QAQ
Song Jing’an handed the two full baskets of meat to Jian Yunlan, who smiled and said, “Okay, please take a number. We’ll call your number when the hotpot is ready.”
Number?
Song Jing’an looked around, wondering where the number was.
The next moment, his shoulder was tapped.
Turning around, he saw a majestic large dog standing on the small table behind him. The dog had silver long fur, and at first glance, it looked like a wolf. Its golden eyes and a few clusters of red and green markings on its ears made it even more striking.
What a handsome dog!
It was handsome, yet had a touch of cuteness.
The dog gracefully extended its paw, with two number tags hanging from it, labeled “No. 7” and “No. 8.”
“How clever!” Song Jing’an’s eyes widened, and without realizing it, his voice became higher, “How did it know I’m with Shixia, and that we’re No. 7 and No. 8? Oh, you clever doggie, you’re such a good baby~”
The dog looked at him with an expression that seemed to say “you’re an idiot.”
Its golden eyes appeared proud and lazy, its posture elegant, and for a moment, Song Jing’an felt like the dog was the human and he himself was the one acting like the dog.
Song Jing’an: “…”
His face turned red.
Wuwu, even though the dog couldn’t speak, he could almost hear it saying, “You idiot.”
Shixia, on the other hand, was very curious and excited upon seeing the dog. Held by her dad, she reached out and gently touched the dog’s ears.
The dog didn’t move, standing quietly in place, its golden eyes narrowing slightly.
“Such a good dog!” Shixia giggled, “So majestic! Doggy will definitely conquer the earth and destroy the world… everyone will have to kneel at Doggy’s feet~”
Jian Yunlan: “?”
Song Jing’an: “???”
Help, what on earth is my daughter talking about?!
The dog lazily lowered its head and used its paw to groom its ear fur, casting an approving glance at the little girl.
Not bad, very promising.
Song Jing’an awkwardly laughed, took the number tags, and said to Shixia, “Let’s go wait over there.”
Song Jing’an carefully lowered his head to look at Lu Ling, who was waiting by the side. He cautiously asked, “Honey, you really won’t eat?”
Lu Ling was standing with his arms crossed.
His face clearly showed “I’m very angry, but I’m pretending not to be,” as he forced a smile and said, “Hmph, I’m not eating. Who knows what additives they’ve put in it, and the ingredients probably aren’t fresh.”
“I’m going back to make a salad for myself. You guys don’t like it, but I do.”
Song Jing’an didn’t dare speak any further and shivered in fear.
Lu Ling was indeed a bit sulking.
He couldn’t understand why his husband and daughter not only refused to eat the salad he made with great care but instead went to eat this unsanitary street food?
He cast a cold glance at the ingredients on the stall. What good ingredients could a roadside stall possibly have?
They were probably frozen or made from leftovers picked up from the market.
Like the spinach, its leaves were deep green, with small red roots—at first glance, it looked so fresh and delicious…
Hmm?!
Lu Ling focused and saw the lotus root slices.
The large holes, not the pale kind sold in supermarkets, but a natural yellowish color. Lu Ling could almost imagine the crisp texture when biting into those lotus root slices.
Lu Ling: “?”
Wait, what kind of snack stall is this? How are the ingredients so good?!
That poor family XD