Chapter 1424 - 1424: Eating Noodles in the Urban Village

The next morning, Yao Qianxue got up early.

She did her makeup and tried on several sets of clothes before finally settling on one she was satisfied with.

Then, she waited for Xiao Feng to come over.

"Ding dong!"

The doorbell rang, and Yao Qianxue quickly ran to the door and opened it.

However, the figure outside was not the expected Xiao Feng but... Black Tiger.

"Bang!"

Yao Qianxue hastily shut the door and asked cautiously, "What are you here for?"

Black Tiger said, "Please don't misunderstand, I'm just here to deliver some New Year's goods and Spring Festival couplets. The items are outside your door. I'll leave now, and you can pick them up later."

After he finished speaking, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

After waiting for five minutes, Yao Qianxue reopened the door and indeed saw a pile of items outside.

There was marinated chicken and duck, a slab of cured meat, and three brand-new pairs of Spring Festival couplets.

After some thought, Yao Qianxue brought the items into the house, planning to return them to Black Tiger when Xiao Feng arrived.

After waiting for about half an hour, the doorbell rang again.

This time, Yao Qianxue didn't open the door immediately but looked through the door's peephole to check who was outside.

Once she confirmed it was Xiao Feng, she opened the door.

"Happy New Year!" Xiao Feng was carrying a large pile of New Year's goods and said with a big smile.

Yao Qianxue was a bit stunned and tentatively asked, "These things, for me?"

"Of course!" Xiao Feng nodded, admitting it, and casually asked, "Are you spending this New Year alone or going home?"

Yao Qianxue replied with a smile, "Going home."

"Then take these home with you."

"Come on in first." Yao Qianxue opened the door wider and stepped aside.

Xiao Feng stepped inside and glanced around.

The layout clearly showed a one-bedroom, one-living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, with a small study.

The decor wasn't particularly high-end, but it looked clean and tidy, and the environment was nice.

Soon, the pile of goods at the entrance caught Xiao Feng's attention.

"Did you already buy your New Year's goods?"

Yao Qianxue shook her head and replied, "Black Tiger brought them over before you arrived.

He didn't come in, just left the items outside and left.

Later, can you help me return them to him?"

"No need for all the hassle, just toss them out."

"Throw them..." Yao Qianxue was momentarily speechless but nodded, then immediately said, "You sit down first, I'll get you some water."

"Alright." Xiao Feng nodded with a smile.

Not long after, the water was brought to the table, and the two sat on the couch, half a person apart.

Yao Qianxue clasped her hands between her legs. Despite being at home, she appeared more reserved than Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng, on the other hand, seemed very at ease. He took a sip of tea and said, "New Year doesn't feel as fun as it used to be."

"It does." Yao Qianxue agreed, "First, you're not allowed to set off firecrackers, and second, it doesn't feel as carefree as when we were children.

Looking back, the only ones really excited about New Year now are kids.

They get new clothes, new toys, and lots of red envelope money.

But as we get older, every time we go home, we have to visit relatives and be bombarded with questions.

From income to whether you have a boyfriend to when you're getting married, it's so annoying..."

At this point, Yao Qianxue paused as if she realized something, glanced briefly at Xiao Feng, but quickly looked away.

Xiao Feng chuckled and said, "I actually have a trick to stop those relatives from rushing you to get married."

"What trick?" Yao Qianxue's interest was piqued immediately.

Getting pressured about marriage during holidays is something most adults face, and she was no exception.

Now that she heard Xiao Feng had a way to avoid it, she naturally wanted to listen.

After a moment, Xiao Feng smiled broadly and said, "If a relative asks when you're planning to get married, just say you've consulted a fortune teller who said it's not advisable to marry this year; otherwise, a relative might be cursed to death.

Of course, it's a bit extreme when I say it like this. You can modify the wording according to the situation."

Yao Qianxue covered her mouth with a laugh and said, "That's actually a great idea—I might try it at home this year."

After chatting a bit more, the two headed out together to Miao Yueqian's place.

Before leaving, Xiao Feng didn't forget to take Black Tiger's pile of New Year's goods and throw them into the dumpster downstairs.

"It's good to be cautious, especially with someone like Black Tiger—you never know if there's poison in this meat." Xiao Feng asked, "By the way, he doesn't know you're a police officer, right?"

Yao Qianxue nodded, not at all concerned about losing the New Year's goods. Instead, she felt happy about Xiao Feng's concern.

Xiao Feng smiled and said, "At the necessary time, you can reveal your identity as a protective talisman."

In the car, Yao Qianxue asked, "Will my car be fixed before the New Year?"

"I called to check before coming over, and it should be fine. It'll be delivered by this afternoon," Xiao Feng replied.

Yao Qianxue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, or I wouldn't know how to explain to my family."

The car ride was quiet, and after they picked up the equipment, they headed for the urban village.

Upon reaching the urban village, Yao Qianxue stopped in front of a noodle shop, unbuckled her seatbelt, and said, "You haven't eaten breakfast, right?"

"No," Xiao Feng replied.

"Well, just in time—I owe you breakfast from last time, so I'm treating you now to make up for it."

Xiao Feng didn't refuse and followed Yao Qianxue to sit at the roadside stall.

A skinny middle-aged man with a small mustache immediately walked up and asked, "What would you like to eat, folks?"

"Two bowls of noodles, please," Yao Qianxue said.

The man smiled broadly, "Just hold on a moment, the noodles will be ready soon!"

Before long, two steaming bowls of pulled noodles were served to the table.

Like most roadside stalls, they had lots of oil, little meat, and few vegetables.

Yao Qianxue handed Xiao Feng a pair of disposable chopsticks and started eating.

But after one bite, her expression changed.

The taste was... really not good.

Yet, since she ordered the noodles, it wouldn't be right not to eat them.

Forcing herself to take two more bites, Yao Qianxue smiled apologetically at Xiao Feng and said, "How about we just go for lunch instead?"

"Sure," Xiao Feng nodded in agreement.

The poor taste of the noodles was something he had expected.

In places like this, the business isn't geared toward repeat customers, so the taste naturally isn't great. As long as it doesn't make someone vomit or is inedible, it's considered decent.

The essence is much like the majority of stalls near train stations, bus stations, or hospitals.

"Boss, the bill," Yao Qianxue called to the shop.

The mustached man sidestepped out of the shop quickly, smiling, "That's thirty in total."

Hearing this, Yao Qianxue paused in her motion of taking out money.

Pointing to the sign nearby, she said, "Ten bucks per bowl, we didn't add anything, so how comes to thirty?"

"Yeah, three bowls in total—thirty bucks is correct!" the mustached man said matter-of-factly.