Chapter 31

Chapter 31

7:20 PM.

Shen Sijian drove the car with Yan Jihan to the convenience store.

As the hosts, they couldn't possibly arrive at the last minute.

"Second Brother wants to open a restaurant? That's good. It's not sustainable for him to keep cooking outside like this. It's better that he settles down sooner," Yan Jihan said.

If it had been a month ago, when Shen Siqin said he wanted to open a restaurant and invest in it himself,

Yan Jihan would have been strongly against it.

She would have tried to stop her husband from doing something so foolish.

But now, Yan Jihan felt that it could really work out.

"Right, it is a good thing. But what's Ms. Lin's attitude? She agreed to come over for dinner just like that?" Shen Sijian asked, his mouth not idle as he drove.

He was quite concerned about his younger brother's love life.

"We're all going to dinner together; it's not a private invitation. Why would she refuse so easily? You're thinking too much," Yan Jihan smiled helplessly. "At most, she doesn't dislike your brother."

Shen Sijian nodded in agreement: "I see. But we need to watch him, make sure he doesn't get carried away and scare her off."

"Got it. Turn here, we're almost there."

Through the car window, Yan Jihan saw Uncle Zhang and a few others cooling off outside the shop.

She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Instantly, she was overwhelmed by various fragrances.

"Xiao Yan, Sijian, you're here." Wu Chunxue said with a smile.

He had closed the newsstand early and was sitting with Zhang Qi and the others, waiting.

"Uncle Wu, why don't you go inside?" Yan Jihan came back to her senses and greeted them with a smile.

"Oh, your convenience store is small. It's cooler out here. Xiao Shen said the place is cramped and didn't want us to help. We figured we'd wait until it's time to go in," Wu Chunxue waved his palm fan.

The temperature had risen over the past few days.

It felt like summer again.

Sitting outside was comfortable.

"That works. We'll go in first." Shen Sijian got out of the car. "I'll come out and call everyone later. After dinner, I'll drive everyone home."

"Sure, we can ride in Sijian's new car." Wang Qiutao looked enviously at Shen Sijian's silver-gray car. "Xiao Shen told us about it. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare come out at night."

Everything else aside, the fear of encountering bike-riding thieves who snatch and run made it hard to feel safe in the dark.

Shen Siqin: "That's only natural. We'll go in first then."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

The two walked into the convenience store.

The aroma inside was even stronger.

Their son was watching a TV drama on a video recorder, his face cupped in his hands.

But Shen Sijian knew his son's mind wasn't on the TV; he kept glancing towards the kitchen.

Only when both of them entered did Shen Libin notice them.

"Mum and Dad? You're here."

"I thought you didn't see me." Shen Sijian ruffled his son's hair.

"Hehe, how could I not? I just didn't react fast enough!"

"Brother, Sister-in-law, can you help me set up the bedroom? Lift the bed and clear some space," Shen Siqin said while cooking.

He had considered setting up tables outside.

But at this hour, many people were passing by on the street.

It was better to use his bedroom instead.

The room was small, so they needed to lift the bed and lean it against the wall, then combine the stainless steel table with his desk to make do.

"Alright, we'll handle it. You focus on cooking," Yan Jihan placed her small bag behind the cash register.

Shen Sijian and Yan Jihan went into the bedroom.

When Yan Jihan turned on the light, the dimly lit room became bright.

"Huh, Second Brother has kept it pretty clean," Shen Sijian neatly folded Shen Siqin's quilt into a block and put it in the closet. They needed to move the bedding to avoid getting it dirty.

Yan Jihan glanced around and nodded: "It's very tidy."

Her second brother had truly changed.

She walked to the desk and carefully stacked the books and magazines. There were many martial arts novels and cookbooks. She found plastic bags, packed the books, and placed them in a corner.

Shen Sijian, used to working in factories, had great strength. Without Yan Jihan's help, he stretched out his long arms, grabbed the center of the bed frame, dragged it out, and slowly lifted it, leaning it against the wall.

Yan Jihan quickly took the broom and swept the dust under the bed.

Since Shen Siqin often cleaned, it was still relatively clean underneath.

She also found a cloth to wipe the four legs of the bed, then carefully wrapped them with tissues and rubber bands, just in case someone accidentally bumped into them.

They moved the stainless steel table inside and placed it next to the desk.

There weren't enough stools, but that wasn't a problem; everyone could bring their own.

"Are our bowls and chopsticks enough?" Shen Sijian asked.

"Enough. There's a pile of unused ones on the last shelf outside. We'll use those this time! Brothers, move the prepared dishes over there; keeping them here is troublesome." Shen Siqin thought they really didn't lack kitchenware or utensils.

"Alright." Shen Sijian went out to check.

Hey!

The last shelf wasn't for goods anymore; it was filled with all sorts of things bought by his second brother. The storage racks weren't even enough.

Shen Sijian counted in his mind: four neighbors, their family, and Teacher Lin.

Hmm, nine people in total. He found nine sets of bowls, chopsticks, and spoons.

He went outside to wash the utensils using the outdoor faucet.

"Oh, we're just waiting to eat, feels a bit awkward." Zhou Changyi offered to help, but Shen Sijian declined.

"What's the big deal? It wouldn't make sense to have guests wash dishes after being invited to dinner."

Shen Sijian was used to doing housework and finished everything quickly.

In the kitchen, Shen Siqin first took out the pre-cooked duck meat and peanuts from the top of the freezer and put them in a large bowl.

"This bowl is huge." Yan Jihan saw that it was practically a large soup bowl, filled to the brim with duck meat and peanuts.

"Well, don't worry about leftovers. If there are any, we can pack them up for everyone."

One shouldn't be stingy when hosting guests. Even if Lin Shengjin wasn't coming, he would still do the same.

"We're in for a treat."

"Sis-in-law, there are wooden boards in the warehouse. Take them out to place under the hot dishes later."

"Okay, I'll go get them soon."

Yan Jihan smiled as she carried two large bowls into the bedroom.

Fried carp topped with sweet and sour sauce.

Clay pot crab meat stew directly brought out without needing another bowl.

Braised pork taken from the pressure cooker needed ten more minutes of simmering over an open flame to become tender.

Honey-roasted duck cooked in the oven had to be sliced into pieces.

The boiled fish slightly cooled down and needed reheating.

The soup base for meatball soup was already prepared; they could add the meatballs later when everyone was almost done eating, so everyone could finish with some soup.

There were also desserts. Double-layered milk could be set out early, while choux pastries should be filled with cream when serving the meatballs. If Uncle Zhang and the others didn't like sweets, they could take them home.

...

Yan Jihan was busy arranging the dishes, while Shen Siqin calmly prepared one dish after another.

"For the main course, I'm taking a shortcut and just steamed some rice," Shen Siqin said, stretching his neck.

Yan Jihan: "???"

This is called taking a shortcut?

Even at banquets outside, it's hard to find food this good!!

"Hey, Xiaolin, you came too?"

Outside, Zhang Qi sounded surprised.

"Yes, Boss Xiao Shen invited me, said there was something important," Lin Shengjin said somewhat awkwardly.

He couldn't say he came because he couldn't resist the food.

"Come in quickly, the food is ready. No need to wait; we're not a restaurant." Shen Siqin walked out briskly.

Yan Jihan and Shen Sijian: "..."

Brother, you've grown up too fast.

They exchanged glances, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Can we start eating?" Zhang Qi stood up quickly, carrying his stool back to the printing shop.

"Uncle Zhang, take the stool with you; we don't have enough." Shen Sijian hurriedly said.

"Oh, alright, alright. You should have said earlier. Are the tables enough?" Wang Qiutao asked quickly.

"The tables are enough."

As they spoke, they walked inside.

Shen Siqin walked up to Lin Shengjin with a light and cheerful step, smiling.

Today, Lin Shengjin was dressed in a black shirt and black pants, as if blending into the night.

The pure black attire made his face appear even paler, and his usually calm and expressionless face now showed a hint of unease.

"I brought a gift!" Lin Shengjin quickly lifted the bag in his hand and shoved it into Shen Siqin's arms, taking a step back to create some distance between them.

Lin Shengjin secretly sighed in relief.

He had been standing too close just now, feeling like he had forgotten how to breathe.

"Gift?"

Shen Siqin looked down, only seeing the bag—a bright red one that seemed quite high-end. He couldn't tell what was inside, but it was heavy.

"What is this? You didn't have to bring anything."

Lin Shengjin glanced at the sky, a hint of pride in his voice: "Flower-carved wine."

Shen Siqin: "???"

Lin Shengjin walked past him, heading inside: "I hope your cooking is better than this."

This idea had taken him a lot of effort to come up with.

And these two bottles of wine were expensive!

He had spent all the consulting fees he had received recently on them!

Shen Siqin couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, realizing it was meant to be used for seasoning.

He carried the gift and followed him into the convenience store.

Sijian was nowhere to be seen behind the counter; he had even forgotten to turn off the TV.

Shen Siqin closed the door of the store, drew the curtains, and turned off the TV.

He then placed the gift solemnly on a shelf in the kitchen.

Since Lin Shengjin had bought it for him to use as cooking wine, he would use it as such.

Shen Sijian was currently getting drinks from the fridge.

"Second brother, what do you want to drink?"

"I'll have plain water." Shen Siqin took out a teapot and a glass water bottle. The teapot contained tea, which he didn't like, but he had prepared it anyway. As for himself, he would stick to plain water in the evening—it was healthier.

"Eating so well, yet drinking plain water?" Shen Sijian shook his head.

He picked up a few bottles of beer and soda.

When they returned to the bedroom, everyone was already seated.

Shen Sijian saw that his wife had arranged for Teacher Lin to sit between her and Sijian.

He secretly gave his wife a thumbs-up.

Then he happily sat down next to his wife, pouring drinks for everyone.

This way, his younger brother could only sit next to him.

Hahahaha!

Shen Siqin: "…"

Was it really necessary?

He silently sat down in the spot they had left for him.

"Let's eat, everyone. Help yourselves to tea or water." Shen Siqin placed the teapot and water bottle on the table.

The table was full of dishes, gleaming under the lights.

Hearing Shen Siqin, the host, say it was time to eat, everyone picked up their chopsticks.

Lin Shengjin's eyes lit up as he first picked up a piece of braised pork placed in front of him.

Soft but not overly mushy, chewy and flavorful, neither too salty nor too sweet, and not greasy at all.

He wanted another piece after finishing the first.

Lin Shengjin ate three pieces of braised pork before remembering to try other dishes.

He definitely wanted a piece of sweet and sour fish.

Lin Shengjin didn't particularly enjoy the soft belly meat of the fish; instead, he preferred the meat near the head.

He found it more chewy and flavorful.

No one was competing for that part, so Lin Shengjin easily got a large piece of fish drenched in sweet and sour sauce.

It was tangy and sweet, and there wasn't a hint of muddy taste in the carp!

So delicious!

And there was Yu Xiang Rou Si. He had tried it before, and actually, he preferred the wood ear mushrooms in the dish over the pork.

Usually, he didn't like eating wood ear mushrooms at all.

But the wood ear mushrooms in Yu Xiang Rou Si not only had a meaty flavor but were also exceptionally fragrant.

Of course, he didn't just pick out the wood ear mushrooms. After serving some Yu Xiang Rou Si onto his plate, he picked out the wood ear mushrooms to eat first.

Then he ate the pork bit by bit.

Hmm, although the pork was slightly less flavorful than the wood ear mushrooms, it still tasted very good!

Lin Shengjin chewed his food quickly like a little hamster, his eyes still scanning the other dishes.

Was that the crab pot that Shen Siqin mentioned?

There were even shrimp inside!

He stealthily extended his chopsticks and picked up a red shrimp.

With skillful movements, he peeled the shrimp without using his hands.

He took a bite.

The shrimp meat was firm and had the unique freshness of shrimp.

The crabs in the crab pot were cut in half, and Lin Shengjin hesitated about whether to take half a crab.

He wondered if there would be enough crab.

Maybe I should just skip it?

The other dishes looked delicious too.

Just as he was thinking this, two plump halves of crab were placed on his plate.

Lin Shengjin: "???!?!?"

Crab from the sky?

Following the chopsticks, he saw Shen Siqin quickly retract his arm, put down the serving chopsticks, and give him a smile.

Earlier, Shen Siqin had been savoring the food he made while keeping an eye on Lin Shengjin with his peripheral vision.

He noticed Lin Shengjin's hesitant expression, wanting to eat but not daring to take any.

When he saw that his brother and sister-in-law hadn't taken any dishes yet, leaving little 'obstacle' between him and Lin Shengjin, he reached out.

Shen Siqin shifted his gaze and said with a laugh, "I bought the crabs according to the number of people here. Everyone should take two pieces and eat them while they're hot. They'll get fishy once they cool down."

"Oh! Little brother is quite considerate. Come on, everyone, let's try some," Shen Sijian said with a smile, though one could detect a hint of gritted teeth in his tone.

As he spoke, he picked up two pieces of crab himself, providing cover for his younger brother.

Under the table, Shen Sijian secretly kicked his younger brother.

Be more discreet!