TL: Moonlit
Even though Wang Mei wrapped the small bag of fried chicken in another large bag, the aroma of the chicken still seeped out through the gaps, continuously tempting Xing Xing, who was holding it in his arms. His mouth almost started watering.
No, no! A cool and handsome child like Xing Xing wouldn’t easily drool in public!
Xing Xing tightly pursed his lips, afraid that he might accidentally open his mouth and embarrass himself by drooling.
As Yu Bai pushed the snack cart into the neighborhood, the cart jolted a bit, causing Xing Xing, who was sitting on it, to hold the bag of fried chicken even tighter.
If only he could eat the fried chicken sooner.
Gurgle.
Xing Xing swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Unfortunately, the fried chicken needed to be picked up with a thin bamboo stick or chopsticks. The sharp and thin bamboo stick was dangerous, and it’s best for young ones not to use it.
He couldn’t grab the chicken directly with his hands, and it was too troublesome to squeeze it out little by little with the paper bag. It would be better to use chopsticks to eat the chicken when he got home!
At six o’clock in the evening, the elderly in the neighborhood, who had finished dinner early, came out for some activity.
When they saw Xing Xing and Yu Bai, they warmly greeted them.
“Coming back so late? What are you having for dinner?”
“We’re just making some random dishes for dinner. Have you eaten already?”
“We’ve all eaten.”
With Xing Xing as an intermediary, Yu Bai’s relationship with the elderly in the neighborhood became more harmonious.
Seeing Xing Xing holding the bag of snacks in his arms, the elderly asked curiously, “Xing Xing, what do you have in your hand?”
Xing Xing replied, “Fried chicken!”
The elderly nodded in understanding, “Made by your dad again?”
Every time Xing Xing and Yu Bai finished setting up the stall, Xing Xing would always have a snack in his hand – sometimes it was scallion pancakes, and sometimes it was teppanyaki dishes, all made by Yu Bai.
Xing Xing smiled and shook his head, “No, not this time! This was made by the grandma who sells fried chicken! It’s fried chicken, and there’s pepper and salt chicken, plum chicken, and cumin chicken… It smells super delicious!”
Xing Xing slightly opened the paper bag, and the nearby elderly could smell the tempting aroma of the fried chicken coming from it.
“Grandpa, grandma, do you want to try some?” Xing Xing blinked his round eyes, showing a cute smile.
Good things should be shared!
Xing Xing held three portions of fried chicken, and Wang Mei had secretly added a bit more chicken when she was making it earlier, so Xing Xing’s portion was quite substantial. He could easily share it with the elderly in the neighborhood.
The fried chicken smelled delicious, but the elderly were all middle-aged or older, and their desire for fried food couldn’t compare to that of young people or little ones.
“No need, Xing Xing, you keep it for yourself,” one of the elderly said.
“Xing Xing is so good, grandma will give you a can of sweet milk. I won’t eat the fried chicken,” another elderly lady offered.
Although the elderly didn’t want to eat the fried chicken, their faces beamed with smiles, and their wrinkles deepened.
Their children and grandchildren rarely asked if they wanted to eat something tasty or have something nice to drink, but Xing Xing’s concern about whether they wanted the fried chicken made them feel as if they had drunk a cup of warm sweet water in the cold winter, warming their hearts.
However, Xing Xing seemed a bit unhappy as he pouted his chubby cheeks.
Why don’t Grandpa and Grandma want to eat the fried chicken? Did they think it wasn’t tasty?
But the fried chicken smelled so good… it must be delicious, right?
Xing Xing had never tasted the fried chicken made by Wang Mei.
But when he had gone out with his dad to set up the stall before, he had seen that the fried chicken stall at Sanjiaokou was very popular, so he believed that the fried chicken made by Wang Mei must be delicious!
Xing Xing fiddled with the paper bag of fried chicken, and a shiny and hot piece of fried chicken was slowly pushed up by him.
Each piece of fried chicken was about the thickness of an adult’s finger.
Xing Xing’s rosy tongue licked his lips, and he took a bite of the fried chicken.
Crunch.
The crispy outer layer of the chicken, seasoned with a hint of spiciness and saltiness, gradually spread its flavor on Xing Xing’s taste buds.
Wang Mei’s fried chicken was relatively thick and contained more juice. When Xing Xing took a bite, the delicious chicken juice instantly overflowed.
The chicken juice mixed with the oil quickly moistened the crispy outer layer of the chicken.
The seasoning added the perfect blend of saltiness and freshness to the chicken and its juice. As Xing Xing took another bite, the slightly softened outer layer became even more flavorful.
In the blink of an eye, Xing Xing quickly finished one piece of fried chicken.
He chewed the chicken in his small mouth, squinting his eyes, and slowly shook his head from side to side, as if enjoying the pleasure of delicious food.
The salt and pepper flavored fried chicken was just too delicious!
Xing Xing had finished one piece and couldn’t resist going for a second.
But when he was about to take out the second piece from the bag, he hesitated for a moment. He turned his small body around and handed the paper bag to Yu Bai behind him.
Xing Xing’s bright eyes sparkled, “Dad, have some!”
Yu Bai, who often received food from his own child, raised the corner of his lips. He lowered his head and took the piece of chicken.
As Yu Bai chewed slowly, his slightly lowered eyebrows and eyes revealed a hint of admiration.
No wonder Wang Mei’s fried chicken stall was one of the most popular in Sanjiaokou.
It turns out there was something special about Wang Mei’s fried chicken.
The common fried chicken found in the market usually had a thick coating of flour—because the chicken pieces were thin, if the coating was too thin, they might get overcooked easily.
However, Wang Mei took a different approach and used a thin coating. The hot oil quickly fried the chicken, resulting in a golden and crispy outer layer while keeping the inside tender and juicy. The taste was much better than the thickly coated fried chicken.
In addition to that, Wang Mei’s seasoning was just right, she used fresh oil every day, and the size of the chicken pieces was appropriate—these were the reasons why Wang Mei’s fried chicken stall could stand the test of time in Sanjiaokou.
Wang Mei’s fried chicken could now easily surpass most of the fried chicken made by restaurant chefs.
However…
Yu Bai recalled the newly opened “Qiaozi Snack Store” near Sanjiaokou, and his brows slightly furrowed.
He hadn’t tried “Qiaozi Snack Store” before, so he couldn’t compare it with Wang Mei’s fried chicken.
However, he had heard somewhat about “Qiaozi Snack Store” gaining fame rapidly through marketing—it meant their snacks were at least above average.
There could only be one top contender.
Wang Mei’s fried chicken and the “Crispy Chicken Strips” promoted by “Qiaozi Snack Store” overlapped somewhat, so one of the two businesses would inevitably be affected.
With “Qiaozi Snack Store’s” momentum and marketing influence, its branch in Sanjiaokou would likely be popular for at least six months.
If their small snack stall was impacted for half a year, they probably wouldn’t choose to run a snack stall again—after all, the stall owners in Sanjiaokou were ordinary residents, and if they couldn’t make ends meet for half a year, who could bear it? They’d be better off doing odd jobs, where they could at least earn a minimum wage per month.
The future of the fried chicken stall seemed to be already decided.
Yu Bai pressed his lips together.
He was just a chef. He was good at improving the taste of food, but he wasn’t good at handling business matters. To turn the situation around in such a predicament… Yu Bai couldn’t think of a solution at the moment.
—
Xing Xing handed Yu Bai a piece of fried chicken and put another piece into his own mouth.
After finishing the piece in his mouth, Xing Xing then proactively offered the fried chicken to the nearby elderly in the neighborhood.
“Grandpa, grandma, have some!”
Seeing the well-behaved child offering the chicken to them, how could the elderly refuse his kindness?
Their faces blossomed with smiles as they took a bite of the chicken.
Xing Xing couldn’t wait and asked, “Is it really delicious?”
Fried chicken strips weren’t difficult to make, and most of the elderly in the neighborhood knew how to make them. In their eyes, this ordinary fried chicken strip couldn’t be that good.
Initially, the elderly wanted to brush Xing Xing off with a casual “It’s quite tasty.”
But when they bit into the crispy, savory, and juicy chicken strip, the delightful aroma filled their mouths… Compared to the fried chicken they made themselves, this was so much better!
The elderly praised sincerely, “This fried chicken is really delicious! It’s so crispy and tender…”
“I observed closely, and every piece of chicken strip is evenly coated with a thin layer of peppery salt. The craftsmanship is excellent!”
“I tried the sweet plum-flavored one. The plum powder has a slight tanginess, making it very appetizing and refreshing…”
Sitting on the snack cart, Xing Xing happily divided the fried chicken into three small bags.
One for Dad, one for himself.
One for Grandpa, one for himself.
One for Grandma, one for himself.
One for himself, one for himself!
…
As they walked from the neighborhood entrance to their home downstairs, Xing Xing nearly finished sharing all the fried chicken in the three paper bags.
Xing Xing only ate slightly over half of the fried chicken, but he was incredibly satisfied.
Just as his dad said, the moment when they shared delicious food, praised its taste, and enjoyed it together was a moment of happiness and joy for Xing Xing.
At this moment, Xing Xing found resonance with the elderly in the neighborhood.
Though they had different ages, identities, and genders, at this moment, the joy in their hearts was the same.
Yu Bai parked the snack cart downstairs. Xing Xing swallowed the chicken in his mouth and held the remaining bit of peppery salt chicken in his little paw.
Unconsciously, only this little bit of chicken was left!
Xing Xing put the chicken in the paper bag and was picked up by Yu Bai.
“I’ll park over there,” Yu Bai pointed to a designated parking spot nearby. “You stay here and be good, don’t wander around…”
Xing Xing patted his chest, “I got it, Dad!”
As Yu Bai went to park the cart, Xing Xing took out the bag of fried chicken.
He wanted to savor the rest of the fried chicken slowly. After all, eating one piece meant there would be one less!
As Xing Xing was enjoying the fried chicken, an annoying voice he despised suddenly sounded in his mind.
“What are you eating? Give me a piece to taste?”
Xing Xing’s adorable brows immediately twisted like small curls, and he tightly held the fried chicken, warily looking to the side.
Wearing a brown windbreaker, Ji Rongyu appeared by his side, his handsome face showing a smile.
In Xing Xing’s eyes, who didn’t like Ji Rongyu, the smile on Ji Rongyu’s face seemed mischievous and like he was trying to snatch food from a little one.
—
Ji Rongyu could only visit Yu Bai’s home in the afternoon every day, using the excuse of taking care of the little one to enjoy a satisfying home-cooked dinner.
For breakfast and lunch, Ji Rongyu had three options: either eat at J City’s restaurants he hadn’t tried before, eat dishes prepared by top-level chefs that were flown in and suited his taste, or simply wait for Yu Bai’s feeding time in the evening to eat a little more.
During his time in J City, Ji Rongyu had almost tried all the restaurants there, but only a few met his discerning taste.
Eating something not to his liking was torture for Ji Rongyu, whose tongue was sensitive and naturally picky. He would rather go hungry than force himself to eat something he didn’t enjoy.
Perhaps because of Yu Bai, Ji Rongyu recently developed an interest in “snacks.”
He reduced his visits to restaurants and shifted his focus toward street food.
However, most of the street food he tried in J City leaned towards affordable options, which meant the ingredients and cooking were noticeably lacking. Among all the street food he had tried, only Yu Bai’s stall brought him any surprise.
Today, a well-informed food investor specially brought some street food to Ji Rongyu’s place.
The person claimed that the street food they brought was from a popular chain store in J City, where customers needed to queue for two hours just to get a bite. The food was made to order.
Ji Rongyu tasted a bite of their reputed crispy chicken strips.
With just one bite, his interest in the rest of the food disappeared.
The chef had used plenty of lemons to offset the greasiness of the chicken skin during marination. After frying, the chicken was drizzled with lemon juice and paired with refreshing pomelo pepper, which greatly reduced the greasiness and added a fresh taste. The cooking time for the chicken was also just right.
Although the crispy chicken strips were acceptable, Ji Rongyu, with his discerning palate, could still sense the hidden truth behind the dish.
To achieve this taste in crispy chicken strips, the cost of ingredients would make this chain store earn only a meager profit. Even if the chicken strips were highly popular and sold in large quantities, the profits wouldn’t be enough to sustain the store’s operations.
Ji Rongyu easily guessed that the crispy chicken strips he tasted were specially prepared by the chef, and the taste might differ significantly from the ones at the chain store.
Ji Rongyu didn’t get fooled easily by those who attempted to deceive him with tricks. He promptly asked the person to leave and instructed his assistant, Hang Yuanshu, to inform them not to come back again.
Good quality was an important factor that had allowed the Ji family to thrive in the investment world.
Feeling dissatisfied after eating the street food, Ji Rongyu checked his WeChat Moments and saw a post by Yu Bai, which was made an hour ago.
Yu Bai had said earlier that he wouldn’t be going out to set up his stall today, but in the afternoon, he ended up going out with the little one in tow to set it up again.
Why didn’t Yu Bai inform him before coming out to set up his stall? He could have stayed at home and taken care of the little one for him. Could it be that Yu Bai believed his child didn’t need someone else to look after him?
Wasn’t Yu Bai afraid that the delicate little one might catch a cold again from being exposed to the wind?
Ji Rongyu pursed his thin lips, feeling somewhat displeased for some inexplicable reason.
The source of his unhappiness wasn’t just because he didn’t go to Yu Bai’s place today to see the little one and enjoy Yu Bai’s home-cooked dinner.
It was also because Ji Rongyu realized that his relationship with Yu Bai wasn’t as close as he had thought.
He and Yu Bai hadn’t become the kind of close friends who could share everything with each other.
For instance, Ji Rongyu had no idea about the reason behind Yu Bai suddenly setting up a stall.
Growing up, Ji Rongyu was limited in forming friendships due to his status in the Ji family. There were only a few people he could consider friends. Many people approached him only for the benefits associated with the Ji family, trying to befriend him for their own gain.
Ji Rongyu didn’t care for these superficial friendships based solely on interests.
However, Yu Bai was different from those people.
Yu Bai didn’t know his true identity and always thought of him as an ordinary person with an average background.
The sense of distance and barriers that Ji Rongyu’s Ji family status brought with others seemed to vanish when he interacted with Yu Bai.
They sat together and talked like true friends, discussing food, interests, and the little one. They went out together and frequently shared their daily lives. They also got angry over little things and made up afterward.
Ji Rongyu believed that this was what a good friendship looked like.
But today, he suffered a complete blow.
After seeing the WeChat Moments, Ji Rongyu patiently sent a few messages to Yu Bai.
Another hour passed, and while sitting in the car on his way to Triangle Corner, Ji Rongyu didn’t receive a single reply from Yu Bai!
When Ji Rongyu arrived at Triangle Corner, almost all the street stalls had closed, and Yu Bai had already left long ago.
Feeling empty and still holding his anger, Ji Rongyu parked his car at the entrance of Yu Bai’s residential area.
He walked directly to Yu Bai’s building and only saw Yu Bai’s figure along with the little one.
Yu Bai was busy locking the food cart, his back facing Ji Rongyu.
Seeing Yu Bai crouching on the ground, handling the food cart, Ji Rongyu’s accumulated anger seemed to burst like a pricked balloon.
With a “pop,” it suddenly dissipated.
The dim yellow light from the residential area’s street lamps cast a gentle halo on Yu Bai’s profile. Yu Bai’s beautiful dark eyes, like those of the little one, were calm.
Yu Bai furrowed his brows, his slightly drooping eyelids showing a hint of weariness.
Ji Rongyu had seen Yu Bai set up his stall for a few days now. He knew that Yu Bai was extremely busy during the stall hours, barely having time to rest or even check his phone.
Even the most energetic person would feel tired after a busy afternoon, longing to return home and rest early.
So, Ji Rongyu lightly pursed his lips.
It was normal for Yu Bai not to respond to his messages.
Seemingly sensing Ji Rongyu’s gaze, Yu Bai, who was tinkering with the food cart, paused for a moment, then looked in Ji Rongyu’s direction.
The moment their gazes met, Ji Rongyu felt like he had been shocked by electricity. Subconsciously, he quickly turned his head and looked aside.
For some unknown reason, Ji Rongyu found his ears slightly flushed.
Also, for some unknown reason, he urgently wanted to shift his focus elsewhere.
And so, Ji Rongyu noticed the familiar little figure standing at the entrance of the building—the chubby little one.
The little one held a paper bag and was stuffing something into his mouth. His chubby, round face was filled with happiness and contentment.
Ji Rongyu squinted his eyes.
He caught a whiff of the lingering aroma of fried food in the air.
Ji Rongyu remembered that Yu Bai used to make snacks for the little one in the afternoon and after finishing his stall hours.
Could it be… that the fried snacks in the little one’s hand were made by Yu Bai?
Ji Rongyu suddenly became interested.
A few days ago, due to the little one’s recent cold, the daily diet at Yu Bai’s place was mostly light and bland. Yu Bai had only made French fries and potato wedges once or twice.
High-calorie delicacies like fried chicken or pork chops had never been prepared by Yu Bai in front of Ji Rongyu.
Ji Rongyu didn’t have an exceptionally large appetite.
But… anything made by Yu Bai piqued his interest.
These days, Ji Rongyu had practically never eaten anything poorly prepared by Yu Bai during his “eating and drinking” sessions at Yu Bai’s place—except for his nemesis, the plain stir-fried water spinach.
Ji Rongyu’s lips curled up slightly, and his narrowed eyes displayed a perfectly measured smile.
“What are you eating?”
Just as Ji Rongyu uttered those five words, the little one reacted like a startled rabbit and tightly covered the paper bag filled with the fragrance of fried food.
The little one’s round eyes looked at him with a cautious expression.
Seeing the little one’s thoughts of “the bad uncle is trying to snatch my snacks” written all over his chubby face, Ji Rongyu’s forced smile froze for a moment.
He spoke with a gentle tone, “Can you give me one to taste?”
The little one’s eyebrows furrowed even tighter.
There was only a small amount of fried chicken strips left in the paper bag… Hmph, he didn’t want to share with the mean uncle who liked to tattle on him and had issues with him! He wanted to eat them all by himself, leaving nothing for the mean uncle!
Hmph!
Ji Rongyu, who clearly understood the little one’s thoughts, felt a bit choked: …
Yu Bai’s voice sounded, “Ji Rongyu? You’re here?”
Ji Rongyu’s slightly stiff expression eased, and he smiled, “I saw your WeChat Moments and sent you a few messages. But…”
As he spoke, Ji Rongyu’s smile became shallower, and he lowered his gaze.
“You never replied to my messages, so I thought something happened to you. I first went to Sanjiaokou but couldn’t find you, so I came here…”
As Ji Rongyu said these words, his voice involuntarily softened, carrying a somewhat pitiful tone.
Ji Rongyu was like a gentle dog holding a frisbee, eager for its owner’s response to play with the frisbee. He anxiously followed the scent left by his owner and traced his footsteps to stand before him…
Yu Bai cleared his throat lightly, “I was busy earlier, I’m sorry for not replying promptly.”
Before secretly taking a photo of the little one buying fried chicken strips, Yu Bai saw the WeChat messages but thought that Ji Rongyu was just sending regular daily chat messages, so he didn’t open the conversation.
If Yu Bai had known at that time that Ji Rongyu was worried about him not replying, he would have definitely replied immediately.
“It’s okay.” Ji Rongyu’s face displayed a gentle smile in just the right measure, “As long as you’re fine, I feel relieved.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai’s heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.
Author’s note:
Top: QAQ
Top: ●ｖ●
Top: ┭┮﹏┭┮
Top: Tsk. Little one, I know all your expressions~
Xing Xing: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ [← angrily flips over the table he built, then uses the building blocks gifted by the top to construct an ugly top as a big monster to retaliate]
Author’s summary: Both suffered in the end.
TL’s note: I really enjoyed Ji Rongyu and Xing Xing’s interaction XD The way Xing Xing always treated Ji Rongyu as an enemy that wants to snatch his daddy HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAH Xing Xing is soooooo cute ^o^
