Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 13

Xu Yingran’s grand declaration left the other two feeling a bit helpless. Fu Qiao led the way to her family’s stall and gave her parents a quick heads-up.

She didn’t mention the incident after school; she simply said that Xu Yingran wanted to treat them to dinner. Hu Mei looked over immediately.

“You’re all classmates, why be so formal? Come, sit, sit!”

Hu Mei cleared off a spacious small table and said to Yao Jin, “You must be the new transfer student. You’re quite the beauty! Do you have any dietary restrictions? Today is on the house.”

Hearing this, Xu Yingran quickly intervened. “Auntie, Auntie! We agreed it’s my treat today. How can you steal my spotlight?”

Hu Mei’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “Alright, order whatever you like. Our family’s barbecue is famous far and wide.”

Seeing that Hu Mei was about to start her usual sales pitch, Fu Qiao quickly nudged them into their seats and said to Xu Yingran, “You guys order first. I’m going to the back to help out.”

“Help with what? Just stay with your classmates,” Hu Mei said, holding Fu Qiao down and giving her a serious look. “It’s rare for your friends to visit; don’t be a killjoy. You girls decide what you want to eat, I’ll make sure the portions are generous.”

A voice called out from a neighboring stall, and Hu Mei shouted back, “Coming! You girls sit tight, I’m going back to work.”

Watching the hospitable lady leave, Fu Qiao let out a quiet sigh of relief. She asked Yao Jin, “I’m sorry, my mom is just like that. Is there anything you don’t eat? Or any allergies?”

Yao Jin looked at the greasy low table and the ground littered with used tissues and bamboo skewers from previous customers. Her complexion wasn’t great.

“She isn’t picky,” Xu Yingran answered for her. “She just can’t handle spice. Tell your dad to make a few skewers specifically for her with little to no chili.”

Fu Qiao nodded, dropped her bag, and headed off.

Once Fu Qiao was gone, Xu Yingran poked Yao Jin. “What’s with the long face? Think it’s too dirty here?”

Yao Jin glanced at her, her small face maintaining a dignified but silent pout.

Watching her sit uncomfortably on the tiny stool—looking entirely out of place in this environment—Xu Yingran couldn’t help but chuckle. “A-Jin, don’t be so stiff. Dig in today; I can afford whatever you can eat.”

Yao Jin let out a muffled huff. “How much could one possibly even spend here?”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Xu Yingran said with mock seriousness. “If the three of us really go for it, we could easily hit three or four hundred yuan.”

“You’d be heartbroken over three or four hundred?” Yao Jin tilted her chin up and said dismissively, “Do you have any idea how much I spent?”

“You mean for the security company?”

“Mm.”

“Wasn’t that company opened by your own family?”

Yao Jin had forgotten. This person knew her business inside out.

Seeing Yao Jin’s stunned expression made Xu Yingran happy. She scanned the nearby cooler and said, “Wait for me, I’m going to grab something.”

By the time Fu Qiao returned with a tray of freshly grilled skewers, there were already two bottles of beer on the table. Xu Yingran and Yao Jin were huddled together whispering about something, looking a bit spirited.

“You guys started drinking already?” Fu Qiao was shocked. It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen people drink beer with barbecue, but her instinct told her they were all high school seniors. Even if they were technically adults, should they really be drinking like this?

As Fu Qiao placed the stainless steel tray on the table and scooted her stool forward, Xu Yingran said, “What’s barbecue without a little something to drink?”

“Even so, you shouldn’t drink this much,” Fu Qiao said to Xu Yingran with a stern face. “You haven’t finished your homework yet. What happens to your assignments if you drink now?”

“I can finish them if I wake up a bit earlier tomorrow.”

“You won’t finish them even if you wake up at 6:00 AM. Don’t you know you have a procrastination problem?”

“Ugh…”

Xu Yingran frowned. Looking at this “youthful” version of Fu Qiao, she suddenly saw a shadow of the woman from ten years in the future.

She remembered how, whenever she drank or came home late from hanging out with friends, Fu Qiao would be waiting for her on the sofa by the entryway. The lecture would start the moment Xu Yingran stepped through the door.

“It’s past 1:00 AM, why are you just getting back?”

“You smell of alcohol again. Don’t you know your stomach is sensitive?”

“Don’t you realize what those people are thinking? They don’t have good intentions.”

Xu Yingran remembered that every time Fu Qiao finished scolding her, she would cross her arms and say: “Your allowance is cut in half this month. From now on, you must be home by 9:00 PM.”

With no allowance and a 9:00 PM curfew, Xu Yingran’s circle of friends grew smaller and smaller until eventually, only Yao Jin was willing to hang out with her. It had turned her into a total loner.

Looking at Fu Qiao’s scolding face now, Xu Yingran suddenly shuddered.

How terrifying. I just saw my life flash before my eyes.

Unaware of Xu Yingran’s thoughts, Fu Qiao continued her helpless lecturing: “You can’t handle your liquor anyway, so drink less. Here are the grilled sausages and flatbread you like. I had my dad cut them open so the seasoning soaks in better. Try some.”

As she spoke, Fu Qiao separated a portion of the lighter-colored skewers and placed them in front of Yao Jin. “There are no meat skewers that are completely non-spicy because they are marinated in chili, but these are very mild. I’m not sure if you can handle them.”

Yao Jin looked at the blackened iron skewers and the meat on them. She scrunched her nose and asked, “What kind of meat is this? Is it clean?”

Before Fu Qiao could answer, Xu Yingran took a piece of the sliced grilled bread and stuffed it directly into Yao Jin’s mouth. “It won’t kill you! Just eat!”

Yao Jin’s mouth was full. She wanted to say something but felt it would be rude; her strict upbringing forbade her from speaking while eating. She had no choice but to swallow. As she chewed, however, her eyes brightened slightly. Her gaze instinctively drifted back to the skewers on the table.

Xu Yingran knew the flavor had finally hit her. She watched her with an amused grin. “Good, right?”

Yao Jin thought about it and nodded.

Fu Qiao smiled happily and said to Yao Jin, “Try this skewer. If you like it, I’ll have my dad grill more for you.”

Xu Yingran chimed in, “Exactly! Fu Qiao’s dad is a master on the grill. He’s famous around here.”

Eating the meat skewers, Yao Jin suddenly felt the alley wasn’t so dirty anymore. The food was delicious—no worse than what she had eaten in five-star hotels.

The cumin smelled wonderful, and the fat on the meat glistened a golden hue. Whether wrapped in flatbread or eaten with lettuce, it tasted incredible.

The three of them didn’t eat much, but they drank quite a bit. Yao Jin finished half a bottle of beer, while the remaining bottle and a half ended up in Xu Yingran’s stomach.

The eighteen-year-old Xu Yingran clearly did not have the alcohol tolerance of her twenty-eight-year-old self. Her cheeks were flushed bright red; she was clearly tipsy.