When there were not many people, items were served quickly. In the blink of an eye, most of the tables were filled with steaming hot food. They ordered a portion of the barbecue1
, tong sui2
After seeing this picture, I am craving this, even though I have never eaten this before., and porridge from the store.
The food was ordered by the high school student. He asked the shou what he liked to eat. But shou was feeling awkward and nervous. So he said, in a low voice, that he could eat anything. The high school student glanced at him quietly. Shou had a taut face, and he was really tense. His lips were closed lightly, and the expression showing in his eyes was becoming more uneasy.
The high school student didn’t say anything and nodded calmly.
He pushed the bowl of millet porridge3
in front of the shou and said, “If you are hungry, eat this to pad your stomach first. And then eat anything else.”
The shou felt somewhat overwhelmed by the favour and hurriedly said sincerely, “Thank you…… Thank you.”
The high school student looked at him, frowned, and couldn’t help but say, “I don’t eat people.”
Shou was taken aback, “……Ah. I’m sorry.”
The high school student became silent in a jiffy and then looked away. The tray on the table was filled with barbecued meats, and the hot oil was sizzling from time to time, filling them with appetite.
Neither of them spoke. The street lights on the opposite side of the food stall were already on. It was not a bustling area, but it was very lively. There were leisurely pedestrians, dog walkers, and children walking around in twos and threes, which gave it a unique atmosphere.
The shou was also reserved when eating. He took a few sips of the porridge and then peeked cautiously at the high school student. He hesitated for a while but didn’t know what to say.
While both of them were silent, there were gradually more people coming into the food stall. The plastic chairs creaked against the floor. Some customers shouted to add orders, and loud voices immediately came in response. Not far away, one could vaguely see the fervour of the rush inside. The fire in the gas stove leaped up suddenly, and the flame swayed and intertwined with the shadow of the human figures.
The millet porridge was soft and chewy, and it nourished the stomach. After finishing more than half of the bowl, the shou reached for a skewer of barbecue and took a bite. The spicy taste exploded on the tip of his tongue, and mixed with the taste of meat, it was very stimulating to the taste buds.
Suddenly, the high school student vaguely heard the shou say, “It’s, it’s quite delicious.”
The words were spoken awkwardly, as if to apologise and break the ice. The high school student paused and took a look at the shou. Shou’s mouth was full, and his cheeks were bulging as he swallowed.
His cheeks were red, and so were his lips. After swallowing what was in his mouth, he picked up the porridge bowl and kept pouring it into his mouth. And his mouth was still kept open, as if it were too spicy.
The high school student immediately reacted, “Don’t you eat spicy food?”
Shou’s eyelashes trembled. He looked at the high school student embarrassedly, and whispered, “…… I can only eat a little.”
The high school student frowned, “Why didn’t you just say it earlier?” As he said this, he pushed away the barbecue he had in his hand and gave him a bottle of iced Coke.
White froth floated on top of the glass bottle, rose a little to the top, and a straw was inserted into it.
Shou pursed his red and hot lips and said softly, “It’s okay to eat it once.”
The high school student laughed angrily and asked him, “Is it delicious?”
Shou said without thinking about it, “It’s delicious — —” Halfway through his words, he met the high school student’s eyes and muttered, “Really.”
The high school student looked at the shou and couldn’t help but think that he obviously wanted to behave better in front of the other party, but everything he did was overreaching himself4to try to be clever and end up with an egg on one’s face.
The high school student said, “If you don’t want to eat it, let’s go to another restaurant.”
The high school student passed like thunder and moved like the wind 5swift and decisive reaction, and just stood up directly. The shou voiced an interjection to attract his attention, hurriedly grabbed the high school student’s arm, and said, “No, no need. It’s fine here.”
The high school student froze, lowered his eyes, and looked at his hand. The shou regained his consciousness and hurriedly retracted his hand. He then whispered, “Let’s just eat here.”
The high school student sat back slowly. As if the shou was afraid that he would regret it, he hurriedly pushed the barbecue on the table in front of him, along with the two cups of tong sui. The tong sui had mung bean paste, white fungus, and lotus seeds. And lily slices floated in it.
The high school student’s expression was calm, but his fingers were clenched under the table. He rubbed his left hand and said, with a serious and a little fierce tone, “Tell me next time.”
The shou blinked in confusion.
The high school student said, “Tell me what you can’t eat and what you like to eat.”
Translator’s corner
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
KO-FI
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