Pampered By All In Different Planes

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: After Raising a Child and Getting Rich in That Era, the Delicate Beauty Was Spoiled Rotten 22

The three of them looked at each other in dismay.

At the doorway, Li Meihua, holding a basin of eggs, nearly dropped them from shock as she stared at the scene before her, her expression one of utter astonishment.

“You didn’t see anything!”

After hastily saying that, Li Meihua, still clutching the basin of eggs, retreated back.

The interruption somewhat changed the atmosphere between Su Zhiruan and Qin Lianqi.

Su Zhiruan moved her chair back to its original place and sat down.

“Mr. Qin, did you come out today to buy something?” Su Zhiruan shifted the topic. “How about I accompany you?”

“I indeed came to help.” Qin Lianqi looked up at her. “A few days ago, you mentioned opening a store, and I thought you might be here today, so I wanted to see if there was anything I could help with.”

Seeing his somber and serious expression, Su Zhiruan felt a playful urge rising in her heart. She pretended to be composed and waved her hands, “No, no, no, Mr. Qin, I am already very grateful to you for the free tutoring. I would feel bad if you also came to help during the holidays.”

Qin Lianqi was just about to speak.

But then, he heard Su Zhiruan add with a laugh.

“Speaking of which, why do you help me so much, Mr. Qin? I don’t have much money or power. If I were to repay you… perhaps… I could only do like the characters in Peking opera scripts and offer myself in marriage!”

As she laughed and spoke, it seemed like she was joking, yet her tone was very serious. She supported her chin with both hands as she looked at Qin Lianqi, “Perhaps you should consider it, Mr. Qin?”

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“Children shouldn’t think about these things.” Qin Lianqi, feeling Su Zhiruan’s intense gaze, sighed internally and reached out to gently ruffle the bright-eyed girl’s hair, “Be good.”

Laughter began to rise in Su Zhiruan’s heart. Even disregarding the system tasks, Qin Lianqi was indeed an impressive man.

In this world, she was still young, her career just beginning. There was no rush for the tasks, and her relationship with Qin Lianqi could develop slowly.

“Feel like going out for a walk, Mr. Qin?” Su Zhiruan stood up and returned the chair to its place.

Qin Lianqi also got up, “Let’s go.”

The two left one after the other. At this time, the street was crowded with people.

After exiting the street, right across was a state-run cafeteria.

Inside, the clerks were holding large porcelain bowls, calling out numbers. From the entrance, the place was bustling, steaming hot, filled with the delicious aroma of freshly steamed buns and food.

During this era, the food contained no artificial ingredients. The buns were large, each bite full of the scent of wheat, real and well-made. On top of the most recent batch of steamed rice buns, soft and cut into squares, each piece topped with a red date.

Through the glass, Su Zhiruan saw a student-like young man holding a very large porcelain bowl filled with pork stewed with sauerkraut, accompanied by three or four large buns. He was eating with single-minded devotion.

“Hungry?” Qin Lianqi looked at Su Zhiruan’s eyes and asked softly.

“A bit,” Su Zhiruan admitted truthfully. She had only had a quick bite in the morning, and now it was noon. The state-run cafeteria was packed. She nodded and led Qin Lianqi over, smiling as she pulled out her small wallet, “I’m treating today, Teacher Qin. Don’t be polite with me, eat whatever you’d like!”

“Okay.” Qin Lianqi did not refuse.

The two entered the state-run restaurant where the menu was posted on the wall: stir-fried meat for twenty-five cents, vegetable dishes for five cents each, and four liang of rice for six cents.

Su Zhiruan ordered five dishes and, after paying, took a number.

When her number was called, she went to the counter and carried several dishes back.

All five dishes were served in bowls, generously portioned, and the rice servings were large as well. The temperature inside the room wasn’t high, yet the steam rising from the food partially obscured their view of each other.

Since she was inviting someone to eat, Su Zhiruan had ordered five dishes in total, three meat and two vegetable dishes, along with two buns and two bowls of rice.

The meat dishes included sliced meat in gravy, meat stir-fried with garlic shoots, and meat stuffed green peppers; the vegetables were stir-fried greens and cabbage with vermicelli.

The buns were slightly yellow, hearty and filling, round and large. Su Zhiruan planned to pack some dishes for Li Meihua to try after they finished eating.

“Teacher Qin, please eat more.” Su Zhiruan took a bite of her bun and invited Qin Lianqi to help himself more as well, pondering as she ate. After swallowing, she casually asked, “Teacher Qin, why did you choose to teach in this small town? Are you also an educated youth who was sent to the countryside?”

“I wanted a change of environment for a while. This place is quite simple, so I chose it,” Qin Lianqi watched her chewing the bun, eyes curiously raised to him. His heart warmed, “I’ll leave eventually, but for now… I have no plans to leave within the next two years.”

He couldn’t help but give her another look; her eyes were bright and beautiful. Sitting face to face and eating together like this suddenly made him feel a sense of home.

Now… they seemed like a young married couple, having cooked a meal and then sitting face to face chatting leisurely, warm and natural.

“So that’s it, Teacher Qin. What about your family, any siblings? Do they worry about you?” Su Zhiruan took this opportunity to ask more, as her task inevitably touched on Qin Lianqi’s family. If he was willing to share, she could learn more.

“I don’t have siblings. My parents are busy with work, so I came here to teach,” Qin Lianqi saw that she was eating joyfully, seriously listening to him talk and occasionally nodding—a gesture as cute as a little rabbit. Something seemed to strike him, and he said to Su Zhiruan, “You can call me Qin Lianqi. I’m twenty-three this year, six years older than you.”

“I still kind of prefer to call you Teacher Qin,” Su Zhiruan shook her head then quickly added, “Teacher Qin is currently my tutor, so that makes him my teacher.”

Qin Lianqi shook his head with a sense of resignation, letting Su Zhiruan call him whatever she liked.

*

After the meal had ended.

Su Zhiruan packed up several dishes, planning to take them back to Li Meihua for lunch. Qin Lianqi originally wanted to help, but Su Zhiruan gently refused.

Currently in the midst of renovations, Su Zhiruan wanted to decorate according to her own ideas, even Li Meihua was not much involved. She didn’t want to disturb Qin Lianqi’s well-deserved rest, so after sending him off, she returned to her shop.

Today, Su Zhiruan was planning to try making some snacks for the fast food restaurant. With fried chicken already on the menu, burgers were unavoidably next, along with things like egg tarts. Although she couldn’t buy ready-made tart shells, she was confident in making the egg tart filling.

Li Meihua was eating when she watched Su Zhiruan take out egg yolks, then add sugar and milk, greatly surprised!

“What… What is this, Ruanruan?”