Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 121 Roadside Stalls

Before the bell for the end of evening self-study had even finished ringing, people were already running out of the corridor.

Song Huan stuffed her textbook into the drawer and stood up.

Xiao Yunqing also stood up. Her schoolbag wasn't zipped up properly, and the corners of her textbooks were sticking out. She tried to zip it up twice but couldn't, so she just gave up.

The two walked side by side toward the school gate.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow light on the road, and a few people were running on the playground, their footsteps echoing in the distance.

Once outside the school gate, there were fewer people, and most of the shops on the street were closed, with only a few still lit up.

Song Huan suddenly stopped.

"Why don't you go back first?"

Xiao Yunqing turned to look at him. "Why?"

"I'm a little hungry, I'm going to grab a late-night snack up ahead, it'll probably be quite late."

Xiao Yunqing glared at him.

"I want to eat too! I want to eat too! You treat me! You treat me!"

The voice was urgent and crisp, like chanting a spell.

Song Huan was both amused and exasperated. "That's a roadside stall, the hygiene isn't great. Are you sure you want to go?"

"I don't care, I want to eat too."

Xiao Yunqing had already started walking forward, her steps quick, her ponytail swinging.

……

A roadside stall stands at the alley entrance, with a tricycle, two iron pots, and a gleaming oil-coated stove.

Several plastic tables and chairs were placed on the sidewalk, and there were quite a few people, with most of them sitting down.

Smoke billowed from the pot, carrying the aroma of soy sauce and scallions, drifting across half the street.

Song Huan found a seat towards the back; the chair was plastic and creaked when she sat down.

Xiao Yunqing sat opposite him, her hands resting on her knees, looking around.

"Two servings of stir-fried beef noodles," Song Huan called out to the owner. "And five more skewers of beef and five more skewers of chicken wings."

He glanced at the beer bottles on the next table, and his mouth had just opened when...

Xiao Yunqing had already stood up and ran to the next stall, bringing back two bowls of mung bean soup.

As soon as I put it on the table, the soup in the bowl wobbled and almost spilled out.

She sat down and stared at him.

That look in his eyes was crystal clear: you dare to drink it?

Song Huan shut her mouth.

The two people sat side by side.

There was a highway right next to it. When the car drove by, it stirred up a gust of wind, and the tissues on the table were blown up and fluttered for a moment.

A large truck sped past us with a loud rumble, shaking the ground.

Song Huan felt that she could be summoned to another world at any moment.

So he decisively stood up, walked around to her side, and sat down.

Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment.

"I'll sit outside," Song Huan said.

Xiao Yunqing didn't say anything, but switched places with him, lowered her head, and ran her fingers along the rim of the bowl.

The stir-fried beef noodles were served.

The plate was very hot, so the owner placed two plastic bags on it and put it on the table.

The rice noodles were glistening with oil, the bean sprouts were crisp, the beef was thinly sliced, and topped with chopped green onions.

Xiao Yunqing picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, blew on it twice, and put it in her mouth.

After chewing a couple of times, his eyes lit up.

She picked up another piece with her chopsticks, this time without blowing on it. It was so hot that she hissed, but she didn't spit it out. She chewed it a couple of times and swallowed it.

"Song Huan, you're something else," she mumbled, her cheeks puffed out. "You eat all by yourself, and you don't even tell me about this delicious food."

Song Huan smiled, picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, and ate it slowly.

The barbecue arrived; the beef was grilled until crispy and fragrant, and the chicken wings were brushed with honey, making them sweet.

Xiao Yunqing held a skewer in her left hand and chopsticks in her right, too engrossed in eating to speak.

The people at the next table suddenly started arguing.

The sound was very loud; it could be heard throughout the entire street.

Song Huan turned her head and glanced at it.

A couple, the woman is standing and the man is sitting.

The woman was wearing a dress, her hair was permed, and her nails were painted bright red.

"You're taking me to eat this?" Her voice was shrill enough to shatter glass. "I've been with you for two years, and this is the first thing you do for me?"

The man sat there without saying a word.

The woman slammed her bag on the table, the plate jolted, and the chopsticks rolled to the floor.

"What do other people's girlfriends eat? Western food, Japanese food. What do I eat? Fried rice noodles."

The man looked up and said, "Isn't all the money with you? Go get whatever you want to eat."

"You, you dare to talk back?" The woman picked up the plate and slammed it on the ground.

The porcelain shards broke, rice noodles spilled all over the floor, and sauce splashed onto the trouser legs of the table next to it.

The man cursed and moved to another seat with his plate.

The woman was still not satisfied and kicked the table over.

The metal table overturned on the ground, the plates and bowls broke, and the chopsticks rolled to the curb.

The boss peeked out from behind the stove, glanced at it, and sighed.

The woman picked up her bag and left, her high heels clicking on the ground without looking back.

The man stood up, took out his wallet from his pocket, counted out a few bills, and placed them on the table.

He said "I'm sorry" to the boss and turned to leave.

The boss came over, swept the broken porcelain shards into a dustpan, straightened the table, and wiped it clean.

His expression was calm; he had seen this kind of thing many times before.

Xiao Yunqing wrinkled her nose as she looked at the shards of porcelain scattered on the ground.

"That woman is fierce."

Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

Song Huan nodded.

"Are you full?" he asked.

Xiao Yunqing finished the last chicken wing, placed the bone on the side of the plate, and wiped her hands with a tissue.

"Let's go."

The two stood up, and Song Huan paid the bill, which came to forty-two yuan.

The shopkeeper gave Song Huan ten yuan too much in change, which she glanced at and then put back.

Xiao Yunqing stood by the roadside waiting for him, the night wind blowing her hair.

She reached out and gently touched it.

Song Huan walked over and sat beside her.

The two walked back along the roadside.

The streetlights, one by one, stretched and shortened the shadows.

There were fewer cars on the road, all the shops along the street were closed, and only the red light was flashing at the intersection in the distance.

Xiao Yunqing walked very slowly, with lighter steps than usual.

"Is it delicious?" Song Huan asked.

"It's delicious." She nodded. "If you want to eat it again next time, you must call me."

Song Huan smiled and said, "Okay."

A gust of wind blew, lifting her ponytail to her shoulders.

She squinted her eyes, a smile playing on her lips; she was in a good mood.

An elderly woman was pushing her bicycle across the intersection ahead.

The bike was old, the basket was crooked, and it was stuffed with several plastic bags.

The old lady was hunched over and walked very slowly, as if she might fall at any moment.

Xiao Yunqing moved aside.

The old woman walked up to her and suddenly stopped.

The handlebars wobbled, she let go, and she and the bike fell down together.

The movements were smooth, like someone had practiced.

The old woman sat on the ground, her hand on her waist, and began to shout.

"Ouch! Someone's been hit! Someone's been hit!"

Xiao Yunqing stood there, completely stunned.

She turned to look at Song Huan, her eyes wide open.

Song Huan's eyelids twitched.

The old woman's shouts grew louder, as she slapped the ground with one hand and clutched her waist with the other.

"You little girl, aren't you watching where you're going?! My back is killing me!"

Xiao Yunqing grew anxious and took half a step forward.

"I didn't! I didn't bump into you, you fell down on your own!"

"You said I, an old lady, fell over by myself? I was riding my bike perfectly fine, and you hit me and you won't even admit it!"

The sound grew louder and louder, echoing through the empty streets.

A light came on in one of the apartment buildings next door, and someone peeked out before retreating back inside.

Xiao Yunqing's face turned pale, her hands gripping the strap of her schoolbag so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Song Huan walked over and stood in front of her.

"You go first," he said softly. "Wait for me at the intersection ahead."

Xiao Yunqing looked at him.

"Let's go," he said again.

Xiao Yunqing hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked forward.

He took two steps, then turned back.

The old woman's voice came from behind, "She can't leave! She hit me, she has to pay for it!"

Song Huan stepped in front of him, saying, "I'll compensate you, okay?"

Xiao Yunqing stood at the intersection ahead and glanced back.

The streetlights shone on her, but her face was still pale.

"I'll wait for you up ahead," she called out. "If you need help, ask my dad."

Song Huan nodded.

The old lady sat on the ground, supporting herself with one hand and patting her thigh with the other.

"Look what you've done to me! My back hurts, and my legs hurt too. I'm an old woman, over seventy, I can't take a crash like this!"

Song Huan squatted down and looked at her.

How much do you want?

The old lady paused for a moment, her eyes darting around.

"One thousand! Not a penny less."

She pointed to the intersection, "There are no security cameras here, so it's no use talking to anyone. This isn't over until you pay."

Song Huan stood up.

He glanced around.

Streetlights, walls, trash cans, alleyway entrance.

There are no cameras.

He walked over to the bicycle, bent down, and lifted it up.

The plastic bag in the bicycle basket shook, and the empty bottles inside rattled.

The old lady was stunned for a moment.

Song Huan stepped onto the pedal and placed her feet on it.

The chain was a little loose; I pedaled it and it creaked.

The old lady realized what was happening and got up from the ground.

My movements are very nimble, and my back and legs no longer hurt.

"What are you doing? Put it down right now!"

Song Huan pedaled, and the bicycle lurched forward.

The old lady chased after her, but after a couple of steps, she couldn't catch up.

"You little brat, stop right there!"

Song Huan rode to the intersection and put one foot on the ground.

Xiao Yunqing stood under the streetlight, her mouth agape and her eyes wide open.

"Come up."

Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

She ran over, jumped onto the back seat, and grabbed his clothes.

Song Huan pedaled, and the bicycle lurched forward.

The old woman called out a few times from behind, but her voice faded into the distance and was carried away by the wind.

Xiao Yunqing sat behind him, her hand gripping his clothes tightly.

The wind blew past her ears, making her hair flutter.

She glanced back. The old woman stood in the middle of the road, hands on her hips, her shadow stretched long by the streetlights.

She turned back and smiled.

"Song Huan, do you often do this kind of thing?"

"You might not believe it, but this is the first time."

"I don't believe it."

Song Huan didn't say anything and pedaled forward.

The streetlights passed overhead one by one, their light flickering on and off.

Xiao Yunqing sat in the back, swinging her legs, in a very good mood.

"What should we do with this car?"

"Send it to the scrap yard."

"How much can you sell it for?"

Song Huan thought for a moment, "That should be enough to earn back the money for tonight's late-night snack."

Xiao Yunqing laughed, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

She held onto the hem of his clothes tightly, never letting go.

The two rode away.

The old woman stood at the intersection, hands on her hips, panting.

After watching for a while, I turned and left.

He took two steps, then looked back again.

The intersection was empty; there was nothing there.

She cursed and disappeared into the alley.