Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Shan Ling’s suggestion was ruthlessly rejected by Shen Qingyi, leaving her quite disappointed.

Fortunately, once their business was done, Shen Qingyi made up for the meal she had owed her. Instead of going to hot pot or barbecue restaurants, she chose a normal restaurant and ordered a few simple dishes.

This restaurant had been open in the mall for quite a few years, and the food was very authentic. The three of them didn’t eat too much, just enough to be satisfied.

After finishing the meal, Shen Qingyi wasn’t in a hurry to leave and discussed the coffee shop’s reopening with Nuonuo.

When their conversation was largely finished, Shen Qingyi left with Shan Ling. However, she didn’t drive straight home. Instead, she took a detour and stopped the car in front of the residential complex where Shan Ling’s amusement park dormitory was located.

It was almost five o’clock now. People were already setting up tables, chairs, and various large and small items on the roadside, which made Shan Ling’s eyes light up.

“Didn’t you say no night market?” Shan Ling finally pulled her gaze back and looked at Shen Qingyi, “Why did you bring me here?”

“This is where we first met and went on a date. I thought I should bring you here,” Shen Qingyi sat in her seat, holding Shan Ling’s hand, and said cheerily, “The first time we met, I treated you to a meal here. Then you treated me to a meal here again.”

Although the night market was loud, messy, and not very clean, Shen Qingyi felt that no other place could better express her current mood.

“But didn’t you always say this place isn’t clean?” Shan Ling held Shen Qingyi’s hand, feeling the warmth of Shen Qingyi’s skin in her palm. The feeling of their hands clasped together was truly wonderful.

“Wait for me here,” Shen Qingyi opened the car door and told Shan Ling, “I’ll buy some things, and we can eat in the car.”

But when Shen Qingyi tried to let go, Shan Ling gripped her hand tightly.

“We’re already at the night market, how can we eat in the car?” Shan Ling smiled at Shen Qingyi, “I’ll go down with you. Let’s eat outside.”

“It’s so cold outside, and you’ll be eating a mouthful of wind.”

Shen Qingyi recalled her past experience of eating half a stomach of food and half a stomach of wind, and she didn’t want Shan Ling to join her. On such a cold day, it would be better to buy things and eat in the car, but Shan Ling didn’t seem to want that.

But Shan Ling was very stubborn. She was already frustrated from being cooped up at home. After finally getting out, being confined to the car again would be so boring.

“My foot is fine. It’s been half a month, so don’t think of me as so fragile. Besides, it’s almost spring, so it won’t be cold at night. Moreover, coming to the night market isn’t just about eating; we have to stroll around too. Eating and strolling is the essence of coming to the night market.” Shan Ling made the decision for Shen Qingyi, opened the car door, and got out.

As soon as Shan Ling got out of the car, she smelled the aroma of preserved meat nearby, along with cumin and chili.

This kind of common street scent felt incredibly familiar to her—it was the smell she had encountered so often in the past two months.

She could remember walking along this road with Xu Wentao, eating street food, working twelve hours a day, and the most relaxing part of her day, besides going back to the dormitory to sleep, was eating a delicious bowl of fried noodles at this night market.

The more Shan Ling thought about it, the more memories flooded her mind. What she loved most about this city was this lively atmosphere. She immediately pulled Shen Qingyi along with the crowd into the night market and found the stall where she used to eat so often.

The owner seemed to remember Shan Ling, and without waiting for her to speak, he smiled and said, “One order of fried noodles?”

“Yes, one order of fried noodles,” Shan Ling said. “And two plates. I’ll pay later, and we’ll come back in a bit.”

The owner acknowledged her and started making the fried noodles. Shan Ling then led Shen Qingyi around the snack stalls for a while, gathered various delicious items, and sat down on the low stools behind the fried noodle stall owner, beginning to share the fried noodles.

“Every time we came, we ordered one portion to share. I was always worried the owner would think we were taking advantage of him,” Shan Ling portioned out Shen Qingyi’s share, placed the food bought from other stalls between them, and started her dinner.

Shen Qingyi picked up some fried noodles and took a bite. The taste was the same as before—very salty and spicy, with a heavy flavor, but it was so addictive that she felt she could eat another bite.

Unscrewing the bottle of water next to her, Shen Qingyi watched Shan Ling eat and placed the water in front of her.

In the bustling night market, people came and went. Shan Ling drank Shen Qingyi’s water, looking at the unfamiliar faces, smelling the oil smoke, and hearing the voices of the vendors and the customers.

As the sun set in the west and darkness gradually descended, every small stall lit up various lighting fixtures.

The colorful lights made Shan Ling’s mood feel a little floaty. She secretly glanced at Shen Qingyi sitting across from her.

The other person was delicately picking up a piece of grilled meat to eat. Sensing Shan Ling’s gaze, she slightly raised her head and smiled at her.

The myriad of lights behind Shen Qingyi seemed to instantly flare up, causing Shan Ling’s face to involuntarily turn red. She quickly turned her head and continued to drink water but couldn’t help but steal another glance.

Shan Ling mused at that moment that her luck was truly excellent to have snagged such an outstanding human.

It looks like I’m quite amazing myself.

After they were full, Shen Qingyi didn’t want Shan Ling to continue enduring the cold wind outside. She drove her straight home without taking any detours.

Shan Ling didn’t argue or fuss about staying out. Instead, she hummed a cheerful tune and pressed the floor button in the elevator.

With a ‘ding-dong,’ the elevator door slowly opened. Shan Ling immediately saw a package box placed right outside her apartment door.

“What is this?” Shan Ling moved closer to look, bent down, picked up the package, and asked the person behind her, “Did you buy something recently?”

Shen Qingyi thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, “I haven’t bought anything recently. Is it addressed to you?”

Shan Ling then carefully examined the name on the package and realized it was indeed for her.

“I didn’t buy anything. Why would someone send me something?” Shan Ling curiously shook the box, finding it quite heavy, and wondered what it was.

“Let’s go inside before opening it.”

Shen Qingyi went inside and turned on the lights. The ceiling light flickered on with a ‘snap.’ Shan Ling carried the package inside, still wondering who might have sent her something.

Placing the package aside, Shan Ling grabbed the scissors nearby. Opening the box, she saw many things inside.

“These seem to be local specialties,” Shan Ling said, looking at the vacuum-sealed beef jerky and the several postcards tucked at the very bottom.

The postcards were all landscape photographs: a vast ocean, an endless grassland, and sun-kissed mountains.

Each photo was taken with exceptional artistry, and the scenes gave a sense of wanting to be immersed in them.

Although these postcards had no signature or writing, and there were no people in the photos, Shan Ling somehow knew who sent them.

Picking up the delivery box, Shan Ling saw the sender’s name was just the character [Fang].

“It’s Fang Ran who sent me these things,” Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi and said, “Did she know I was injured, and that’s why she sent me these things? They seem to be all meat. Is she trying to get me to eat more to recover?”

Shen Qingyi also sat next to Shan Ling, looked at the postcards, and then at the vacuum-sealed beef jerky. She said faintly, “Probably. Song Qinglan must have told her about your injury.”

Shan Ling sighed, flipping through the postcards in her hand, and said, “Did Fang Ran take all these? They’re beautiful. I wonder where she’s been recently, but I feel like she’s happier than before.”

From these photos, Shan Ling could sense Fang Ran’s mood. She must be calm and peaceful now, going to places she wanted to go and seeing the sights she wanted to see.

No matter what happened before, perhaps in the face of the beautiful landscape, those feelings could fade away somewhat.

Shan Ling put all the items Fang Ran sent into the refrigerator, leaving only a small bag of beef jerky, which she and Shen Qingyi shared, each taking a few bites.

The beef jerky was tender, fragrant, and chewy. While eating, Shan Ling found Fang Ran’s WeChat contact, sent her a photo, and included a thank-you emoji.

Fang Ran quickly replied with a smiling emoji, indicating she had seen the message.

Shan Ling fiddled with her phone and chatted with Fang Ran for a couple more minutes, but she didn’t bring up Song Qinglan’s name. She only said goodbye to Fang Ran after finishing the beef jerky.

Shan Ling felt it was good that Fang Ran was moving on. People always had to look forward.

When Shan Ling put away her phone and looked up, she saw Shen Qingyi staring at her without blinking, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong?” Shan Ling looked at her curiously, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just wondering why Fang Ran and her partner were so tormented,” Shen Qingyi’s dark eyes fixed on Shan Ling. She raised her hand to rub Shan Ling’s soft little cheek, leaned in, and said, “Now I understand.”

The sudden closeness made Shan Ling’s body stiffen slightly. She looked at Shen Qingyi curiously and asked, “Understand what?”

Shen Qingyi smiled slightly, leaned closer to Shan Ling, and said, “Cherish the person right in front of you.”

With that, Shen Qingyi lowered her head and kissed Shan Ling on the lips.

Soft lips, carrying Shen Qingyi’s scent, came down upon her. Shan Ling couldn’t avoid it and could only slightly tilt her head back, accepting the unfamiliar intimacy.

Perhaps because it was her first kiss, Shan Ling felt rigid all over. But this physical touch was very comfortable. Shan Ling involuntarily tilted her head further back and obediently opened her mouth, their lips and tongues intertwined.

In the quiet room, only their breathing could be heard. The soft ceiling light shone on their heads, casting a single intertwined shadow.

The kiss didn’t last very long. Shen Qingyi withdrew slightly, looking down at Shan Ling’s flushed face, finding her appearance both cute and suggestive.

“Mmm…”

Shan Ling’s mind hadn’t fully registered what happened yet. Her eyes were filled with confusion, seemingly still wondering why Shen Qingyi had suddenly kissed her.

“It’s getting late,” Shen Qingyi rubbed Shan Ling’s cheek, kissed her on the tip of the nose, and said with an indescribable lightness in her voice, “We should rest.”

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