Tao Zhiyue had lived in northern Shanxi for more than a year, and this was his first time visiting Nanshan Road.
The neon lights and the aroma of food mixed together, stimulating the vision and taste buds at the same time. The place was crowded with people, and there was a hot atmosphere everywhere.
He looked around and his eyes finally fell on Huo Ran's face and he couldn't move them away.
"Why do you keep laughing?"
Tao Zhiyue poked his arm.
From the moment he got off the car and walked into the street, no, it should be from the moment he turned on today, the smile on Huo Ran's face has never disappeared, of course, except when his brain crashed and he scored an own goal.
“Because I’m happy.”
The twinkling lights all fell into her eyes.
"It wasn't that long ago, but it felt like days had passed."
"And being with you today, it feels like everything is different."
He looked around the nearby food stalls, trying to find an example to prove his point: "Even the spicy fried clams smell a little better than last time."
Tao Zhiyue grasped the key point: "I understand, you are really hungry."
So the first lucky one was born: spicy fried clams.
After placing the order, the two went to buy milk tea together while waiting. It was still the familiar recipe, with the milk tea topped with sweet cream and chopped nuts.
Tao Zhiyue took a sip and said with emotion: "It seems to be more fragrant than what I drank at the hot pot restaurant that day."
Huo Ran nodded in approval, his eyes reflexively falling to the woman's lips.
“… I’ll wipe it off in time today!”
Tao Zhiyue immediately took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped the corners of his mouth as a precaution.
Huo Ran seemed to let out a "oh" with regret.
The proprietress brought out the freshly-fried spicy clams, which were fragrant and full of flavor.
Paired with the sweet and delicious milk tea, everything is just right.
As Huo Ran was eating, he suddenly thought of a question: "I felt like I forgot something today, and I just remembered it."
The fried crabs from Typhoon Shelter that the table next to us was enjoying brought back my memories.
"But it's night time again, may I ask?"
"What?"
"That is... why did the crabs kill the mosquitoes?"
“… Hahahahaha.” Tao Zhiyue was caught off guard, “It turns out you still remember this question.”
Huo Ran said seriously: "Well, I had nothing to do on the plane this morning, so I thought about it for a long time. I wanted to ask you later."
"But as soon as I saw you, I forgot everything and missed the whole day."
Tao Zhiyue listened to the serious tone and smiled, but also felt his face getting hot.
"I want to learn how to speak from you." Tao Zhiyue said seriously, "Why is it that you are clearly stating facts in a very ordinary way, but it sounds so pleasant to the ear?"
Huo Ran fell into deep thought and asked tentatively: "Because I'm... handsome?"
Tao Zhiyue smiled and took notes silently in his mind.
Today I discovered two new traits of Huo Ran: his weird desire to win, and his self-righteous narcissism.
so cute.
Real and vivid.
"So..." Huo Ran cast a longing look, "Can you tell me now? It shouldn't be too scary. Anyway, I'm by your side, so don't be afraid."
"It's not scary, it's just... well, there are so many jokes piled on top of each other."
It's so lively and brightly lit around here now, and it's not late at night, so you shouldn't feel ashamed or embarrassed.
Tao Zhiyue thought about it and tried to express it in a tactful way: "Yellow mosquito, what does it mean to be connected?"
"Yellow mosquito...?"
"Crab, or river crab, sounds like harmony, which is an old joke that has a very contemporary flavor."
"Harmony exterminated the yellow mosquito?"
"The reason is that the words that keep popping up are changing color. The word "color" in "color" has two meanings, one is color, and the other is... color."
Tao Zhiyue quietly skipped a certain point and did his best within the scope that could be discussed in public.
Huo Ran pondered for a moment, then gradually relaxed his frown: "So that's how it is!"
Just as Tao Zhiyue was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard another question full of curiosity: "Why would an English warning with white text on a black background and a red title pop up before the yellow mosquito became extinct?"
"I think this must be a joke, not just something that was put there randomly."
Huo Ran said confidently: "I have discovered the bad taste of the creator. I will play it again when I get back. There must be many small details that I haven't noticed."
"According to the logic behind this, this English warning should be a common reminder before the pornographic article is censored, right?"
Tao Zhiyue, who was about to blush uncontrollably, wanted to complain and wondered if his logical reasoning skills could be used in other places.
Now that things have come to this, let’s be ashamed together.
Tao Zhiyue said, "That's a copyright protection notice from abroad, used to warn viewers not to copy and spread the video content without permission."
"What video?"
"It can be any video, but it often appears at the beginning of some... romantic action movies, so it has become a specific meme."
After all, Huo Ran had been roommates with ordinary contemporary male students, so he had heard of some romantic action movies.
Hearing this, his expression froze, and he stared at the flower shells lying on the table.
Among friends and brothers, this is a topic that can be discussed and joked about freely.
But between couples who have just established a romantic relationship, "ㅋ" may be a sensitive keyword.
If it falls into the ears of two people at the same time, it will trigger endless reverie and make people unable to control their imagination.
It's like throwing a small stone into calm water, causing ripples that take a long time to subside.
The air between the two of them was silent for a while, and finally Huo Ran bravely broke this silent atmosphere of shame.
"It really is a lot of stories piled on top of each other." Huo Ran pretended to be calm. "We've finished eating the clams. What do you want to eat next? Let's go shopping."
Tao Zhiyue stood up with him, and they both held a cup of milk tea and walked a few steps forward. Huo Ran stopped and waited for him, but he didn't dare to look him in the eye.
After walking side by side, Huo Ran quickly came up with ideas and started to create new topics constantly.
"I bought some xiaolongbao from this restaurant last time. They were delicious. The one I sent to the hotpot restaurant that day was also from this restaurant. Do you want to try it again? Besides crab roe, there are other flavors."
"Or try something new, like the red oil skewers. There was a long line that day, but today there are fewer people. We can go buy some."
"There is also grilled cold noodles here, but it seems to be different from the one in Yanping. They put tomato pulp there, which is juice made from fresh tomatoes, not ketchup. It is sour and sweet, and especially delicious..."
Tao Zhiyue turned his head slightly and stole a glance at his expression. He looked very serious and composed as he gave a long and critical review of the snacks along the way.
I couldn't help it and a smile appeared on my face.
Huo Ran felt his gaze and glanced sideways, then laughed along with him.
There are countless pedestrians and diners around, it is so noisy and bustling, but in this world, it is so quiet that only each other's breathing can be heard.
The scene remains the same, but the roles are reversed, and now it is Tao Zhiyue's smile that lingers forever.
Huo Ran followed suit and poked his arm: "Why are you laughing all the time? Stop laughing at me."
"I'm not laughing at you." Tao Zhiyue parroted, "It's because I'm happy."
"Really?" Huo Ran was skeptical, "Why do I feel like you are laughing at me?"
"It must be the milk tea's fault. You're hallucinating. Let's try a different drink next time."
"How about lemon tea? The lemon tea here seems to be delicious. I was too full last time, so I didn't buy any..."
The bustling long street has no end in sight; the flashing neon lights and people's smiling faces complement each other, turning into a long river sweeping through the heart.
It turns out that even in ordinary days, we can experience the indescribable eternity.
I keep passing strangers, but there are always people around me who never change.
Before he knew it, Tao Zhiyue already had a lot of snacks in his hands, some of which he had eaten halfway, and some of which he had not even had time to taste yet.
Huo Ran was shopping with all his might, sweeping the snack stalls. When he lowered his head to pay, he seemed to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately looked up, but again saw nothing.
Tao Zhiyue asked: "What's wrong?"
"I seemed to see someone I know..." Huo Ran said uncertainly, "but I couldn't see clearly. Am I really hallucinating?"
After hearing that, Tao Zhiyue didn't take it to heart.
I just saw a man who seemed out of tune with the people around him. Judging from his profile, he had the temperament of a domineering CEO in novels and TV dramas, and his black earrings were very eye-catching.
In a blink of an eye, the place was gone again.
As a result, five minutes later, they met each other in front of a crispy and sweet fried milk stall.
Looking at that person, Huo Ran's face suddenly darkened.
This was the first time Tao Zhiyue saw that person with such an expression.
The bright smile from the previous moment disappeared without a trace, the lines on the side of his face became tense, his eyebrows were sharp, and there was obvious anger in his eyes.
Before Tao Zhiyue could react, Huo Ran suddenly took a step forward and stood firmly in front of him.
"Jin Yuyuan, are you done yet? Wasn't what I said clear enough last time?"
Jin Yuyuan bumped into them head-on and was obviously stunned for a moment.
"… What's the end?" He paused, "Wait a minute, do you think I'm following you?"
Realizing that Huo Ran in front of him was really angry, Jin Yuyuan began to explain quickly.
"My dad forced me to come early to do my work, and he scolded me. I didn't want to do it either. I won't come until next Monday."
"I really didn't ask anyone to check on you this time. Don't get me wrong. It was a complete coincidence."
"If you want to explore the city characteristics of northern Shanxi, this is the best food street. If I don't visit this place, where else can I go?"
Tao Zhiyue, who was listening nearby, only half understood what was said and roughly guessed that the person in front of him was Jin Yuyuan, who once sent flowers to Huo Ran.
... was a little unexpected.
Why would such a dissolute and extravagant young man described by Huo Ran be walking alone in a bustling night market in northern Shanxi with a bunch of snacks
After hearing his explanation, Huo Ran's expression finally improved a little.
Then he moved his gaze downward and saw Jin Yuyuan's very busy hands. In his left hand he was holding a few plastic bags of snacks, in his right hand he was holding a box of half-eaten octopus balls, and in his arms he was holding a snack bucket full of red oil skewers.
Jin Yuyuan finally came back to his senses from his surprise, noticed the gazes of the two people, and immediately wanted to hide his hands behind his back, but the red oil skewers in his arms prevented him from doing so.
Huo Ran's expression changed subtly for a moment.
Jin Yuan's expression also became strange.
The fried milk stall owner looked at the three people in front of him in confusion, and said anxiously: "How about you... line up?"
The long chopsticks used for frying were suspended in mid-air. A sizzling sound could be heard from the oil pan, and the crispy and golden skin of the fried milk gave off a rich aroma.
Tao Zhiyue pulled Huo Ran and quietly moved a little to the side to avoid affecting other people's business.
In the weird atmosphere, the anger dissipated, and Huo Ran suddenly laughed out loud: "Why do you look a little pitiful when you're eating alone at the night market?"
"Don't buy so much at once. You won't be able to eat it if it gets cold."
Huo Ran pointed at the bag of snacks in Tao Zhiyue's hand very deliberately, "We only bought a few for the two of us."
Jin Yuanyuan: …
Seeing Jin Yuyuan's indescribable expression, Tao Zhiyue wanted to laugh, but felt it was impolite.
After thinking about it, he decided to say hello to one of the four suitors he had heard of a long time ago.
After all, this was the first time he met the person who had pursued Huo Ran.
"You, Jin Xiao." He said something and then felt something wrong, "Uh, you can call me that, right? You seemed to have said that you wouldn't get angry?"
Jin Yuanyuan: … …
Jin Xiyuan's face looked even uglier, and against the backdrop of the night, it was even darker than the octopus balls covered with sauce in his hand.
Tao Zhiyue realized it later and said, "I can't see it..."
Huo Ran laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. He walked back to the stall owner who was staring at them in surprise, and paid promptly.
"I want one serving of fried milk, no wrapping, eat it right away."