Chapter 73: Shopping for New Year’s Goods with Han Wenwen

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Shopping for New Year’s Goods with Han Wenwen

While Han Wenwen was playing on her phone, a group of young girls in new clothes walked past them on the street. After brushing shoulders, they looked back at Lin Zhengran and began whispering among themselves.

"That guy is so handsome!"

"Yeah, it’s rare to see such a handsome guy on the street."

Han Wenwen half-turned her head and noticed them whispering and stealing glances. She couldn’t actually hear what they were saying, but she could easily guess the topic. Feeling slightly annoyed, she linked her arm through Lin Zhengran’s and glared at them. Her enchanting, fox-like eyes now carried a hint of hostility, as if declaring her sovereignty.

Seeing Han Wenwen’s angry expression, the girls smiled awkwardly and quickly quickened their pace to leave.

Once they were gone, Han Wenwen asked Lin Zhengran out of jealousy, "Zhengran is so popular with girls even outside of school. How about wearing a mask next time we go out?"

Lin Zhengran looked at Han Wenwen, who was staring at him with puffed-up cheeks, looking like an overturned jar of vinegar.

"What’s with that expression? I don’t like wearing masks. Let them say whatever they want; what does it have to do with me? Also..." Lin Zhengran kept it brief and used his hand to pry hers away. "Can you let go of my arm? Don’t you know that men and women should keep their distance?"

Seeing her hand pried away, Han Wenwen turned her head and snorted out of jealousy. However, when she saw another girl approaching, her sensitive nerves acted up again, and she quickly hugged his arm. This move was indeed effective. After declaring her sovereignty, other girls wouldn’t gossip anymore.

Lin Zhengran pried her off again, but the moment she saw another girl coming, she clung back on. There were many pedestrians on the road for the New Year, especially children. The back-and-forth between the two prompted a mischievous child to shout, "Look at this older brother and sister showing off their affection on the street! So mushy!"

For once, Han Wenwen blushed. She secretly smiled and waved a greeting to the child.

Lin Zhengran was truly speechless. The more he tried to fix it, the deeper the misunderstanding became. He simply stopped caring and just said, "Let’s head back quickly after buying what we need."

Having gotten her wish, Han Wenwen kept her arm linked with his. Seeing that he wasn’t going to stop her, she walked forward happily and said with a flushed face, "We have a lot of things to buy today, so it’s still early to go back."

The two arrived at a stall selling Spring Festival couplets. After carefully selecting, they finally picked out a couplet featuring the Chinese zodiac. The price wasn’t expensive, considering they only bought three pairs in total.

After packing the couplets, before even standing up properly, Han Wenwen looked into the distance at a vendor selling small red lanterns. She pointed over there. "Zhengran, let’s buy two lanterns. In our small towns down South, every household hangs these."

Lin Zhengran looked confused. "But you live in a rented room. Where are you going to hang them? On the AC outdoor unit?"

Han Wenwen tilted her head and acted coquettishly. "Just buy them. It’s fine even if we just play with them. Besides, it’s not like Zhengran has to pay for them."

"Actually, what you said makes a lot of sense. But you’re currently holding onto my arm," Lin Zhengran replied. "How about I wait here while you go by yourself? That way, it has nothing to do with me."

Han Wenwen couldn’t bear to let go. She probably knew that once she did, Lin Zhengran wouldn’t let her hold onto him again. She gazed pitifully at the small red lanterns, clinging tightly to his side. She had likely learned this pitiful look from He Qing.

Resigned, Lin Zhengran walked forward, and Han Wenwen followed him. They went to the lantern stall, picked out a hand-held lantern, and also bought some small fireworks.

She was extremely grateful to him. "Thank you, Zhengran~ Zhengran is so good to me."

"Just talk less, you trashy fox."

On the way back, the two simply bought some food and, unsurprisingly, went over budget. However, after returning to the rented room, Han Wenwen didn’t show any heartache looking at her nearly depleted little stash of money. Instead, she squatted on the ground, counting the small fireworks she bought and fiddling with the small red lantern with her hands. Her invisible fox ears flicked a few times.

Lin Zhengran sat on the bed and poured water into a paper cup to drink. "You really don’t plan on saving at all, do you? You penny-pinch when it comes to food, but you’re generous when buying toys?"

Han Wenwen’s slender fingers continued to slowly fiddle with the lantern as she said joyfully, "The main thing is being happy. Money can be earned again when it’s gone, but if I didn’t buy more things, how could I get Zhengran to stroll with me for so long? Besides, if money can buy Zhengran’s time, I only feel like I’ve profited."

Seeing her smiling face, Lin Zhengran didn’t know how to retort.

At noon, the two had lunch in the room. Although Han Wenwen had a small frying pan, her cooking skills were actually terribly poor. Compared to Xiao Heqing, the difference was like heaven and earth. The tomato and egg stir-fry she made for lunch was bruised blue and purple—that was the only way Lin Zhengran could describe it. The presentation was truly beyond words, making it hard to imagine it was cooked by a human.

Lin Zhengran asked, "You’re saying you eat this every day lately?"

"It’s so nutritious! And it just looks bad; it’s actually really delicious. Try it, Zhengran."

Seeing Han Wenwen pick up the dark, ominous-looking food with her chopsticks to feed him, he quickly stopped her. "No thanks. I’ll just order takeout. You can eat it yourself."

Thus, for lunch, Lin Zhengran ordered braised chicken with rice, while Han Wenwen guarded a plate of tomato and egg stir-fry while holding half an oil cake. Two dishes with completely different presentations were placed on the same table.

Han Wenwen put a bite of egg into her mouth and stared at Lin Zhengran gnawing on chicken thigh meat. "Is the braised chicken from this restaurant good?" she asked.

Lin Zhengran tasted it. "I wouldn’t say it’s good."

"What does it taste like?"

"How should I describe it?" Lin Zhengran answered. "It tastes exactly like braised chicken."

Han Wenwen bit her chopsticks, staring at the box of chicken. "Is that so... Then can I try a piece?"

"No. After all, you could have eaten this too, but you wasted all your money yourself."

Han Wenwen picked up another piece of egg, put it in her mouth, and chewed. "Fine..."

Being stared at by her, Lin Zhengran couldn’t eat anymore. He had completely lost his appetite. He swiftly took her chopsticks, grabbed a few pieces of meat, and placed them in her bowl before returning the chopsticks. "Here, here. Stop staring at my lunch and eat properly."

Although Lin Zhengran always put on a resistant front, Han Wenwen had long discovered that he was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He truly felt like a big brother, giving off a strong sense of security.

So, imitating Lin Zhengran’s method, she took his chopsticks and placed two pieces of egg from her bowl into his. "Zhengran, you try mine too. It’s actually really delicious."

Lin Zhengran highly doubted her words, but he still took a small bite to taste it.

Han Wenwen asked curiously, "How is it? My cooking skills are alright, aren’t they?"

Lin Zhengran tasted the flavor of the egg with a straight face and acted extremely surprised. "I gotta say! I really gotta say! It tastes so awful, yet you can actually swallow it with a straight face."

Han Wenwen burst out laughing, unable to close her mouth. After catching her breath, she rolled her eyes at him and gave a soft hmph. "Anyway, it’s a meal I made with my own hands. How could Zhengran say that? Other people wouldn’t be able to eat it even if they wanted to. Only Zhengran is this picky."

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Zhengran would usually sleep for a while to relax. The winter noon sun was very bright. The sunlight felt warm on his body. Lin Zhengran lay on Han Wenwen’s bed. Believe it or not, even though this girl couldn’t even afford food, she had bought another pillow a while ago. She claimed it was a spare, but the true intention of who it was for was obvious.

At this moment, Han Wenwen lay beside Lin Zhengran, turning her head to watch him answer a call from Xiao Heqing.

Xiao Heqing’s voice was gentle and soft. "Lin Zhengran? Where are you? What are you doing?"

Lin Zhengran kept his eyes closed. "Sleeping. What’s up?"

"Sleeping? Then didn’t I disturb you..." Xiao Heqing whispered. "I don’t have anything going on. I just wanted to ask what you’re doing for the New Year... Wenwen didn’t come back this year either. It’s quite boring being in my hometown all by myself."

Lin Zhengran hummed in response and turned his head to look at Han Wenwen lying beside him.

Who would have thought that Han Wenwen was glaring jealously at Lin Zhengran while he was on the phone with Xiao Heqing. She muttered softly, "You’re such a playboy," then rolled over, hugged the blanket, and turned her back to him, refusing to pay him any more attention.