After carefully sprinkling cumin powder on the last three pieces of tofu and handing them to the remaining girls, Xu Ze wiped the sweat from his forehead and his greasy hands with a towel. He opened the cash box and began organizing the scattered bills. Most were small denominations, with a few ten- and twenty-yuan notes mixed in. The box was packed, and Xu Ze counted the money with satisfaction—today’s earnings were good.
Just as he was about to tally the total, a soft voice called out, “Boss, give me three skewers of green beans and two skewers of leeks.”
Xu Ze paused, carefully placing the money back into the box before looking up. Standing before him was a girl with a shy expression, her delicate features radiating a youthful charm. He nodded with a smile. “Sure, just a moment.”
He skillfully placed the green beans and leeks on the grill, brushing them with oil and flipping them quickly to prevent burning.
The weather was still warm, and the heat from the charcoal made Xu Ze’s forehead bead with sweat again. But he couldn’t stop to wipe it—the leeks were almost done and needed to be flipped, seasoned with cumin, and taken off the grill before they overcooked.
As he worked, a faint, refreshing scent reached him, and a soft tissue gently wiped the sweat from his temples.
Xu Ze was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, smiling at the girl beside him. “Thank you.”
His hands never stopped moving as he reached for the cumin bottle, sprinkling it evenly over the leeks before placing them in a paper box. He looked at the girl and asked, “Lin Yumeng, right? The leeks are ready. Do you want to eat them now or take them all together?”
Hearing her name, the girl was momentarily surprised, but a hint of joy soon appeared on her face. She glanced at Xu Ze’s warm, smiling eyes, her cheeks flushing slightly. She lowered her head shyly but quickly looked up again. “I’ll take them together.”
“Alright, the green beans will be ready soon.”
“Mm… Are you Xu Ze? I heard them call you that,” she asked, her large, beautiful eyes filled with a mix of shyness and curiosity.
“Yes, I’m Xu Ze,” he replied, flipping the green beans with a smile.
Her eyes sparkled with growing delight. “Xu Ze, how did you know my name is Lin Yumeng?”
“How could I not know the famous school belle of Second High?” Xu Ze chuckled. “I’ve heard your classmates talk about you often.”
With that, he sprinkled cumin on the three skewers of green beans, placed them in the box, and handed it to Lin Yumeng. “Here you go.”
“Thank you!” She carefully took the box and handed him five yuan. She seemed reluctant to leave but suddenly turned back and asked, “Xu Ze, you’re at Xingda University, right?”
“Yes, Xingda. Why?” Xu Ze looked at the girl, puzzled.
“I’ll be going to Xingda this fall! You’ll have to take care of me then…” With a string of cheerful laughter, she ran back toward the school, leaving behind a beautiful silhouette.
Watching her figure disappear into the school gate, Xu Ze furrowed his brows slightly and sighed softly. “What a beautiful girl…”
As he thought this, another familiar, lovely figure appeared in his mind. The thought of her made his heart ache inexplicably. He quickly shook his head, trying to push the image away.