Lin Xiuer nimbly climbed to the inside of the bed, lay down with her back to the outside, and gave a muffled warning.

"I'm telling you, don't touch me! Go to sleep!"

There was a rustling sound behind him, and Ping An lay down as well. The bed wasn't big, and there was only a fist's distance between the two of them.

After a moment of silence, Ping An's voice rang out in the darkness, still carrying a lingering hint of grievance: "Why is my wife so cold?"

With her back to him, Lin Xiuer's mind was filled with the man's excessively handsome face on one side and the alarm bells for maintaining a safe distance on the other.

After hesitating for a while, she blurted out, "I...I...Is it okay if I'm going through menopause?"

There was a moment of silence behind me.

A suppressed chuckle followed, accompanied by a slight vibration in the chest.

Lin Xiuer's ears burned even hotter.

"Alright then." The man turned around, his back to her, and sighed. "I thought I could sleep in my wife's arms tonight."

Lin Xiuer: "..."

She endured it! Even if her fists were hard, she had to endure it!

I can't hear you! Form is emptiness, emptiness is form! Men are all trouble! Beauty can be deceiving! Don't be fooled! Time to sleep!

Lin Xiuer silently chanted some random thoughts to hypnotize herself, forcing herself to close her eyes.

Nothing happened that night.

Until dawn, in a daze, Lin Xiuer felt that the sensation under her hand was not right.

This warm, firm touch was completely different from her own soft, flabby flesh.

She suddenly opened her eyes!

Sunlight streamed in through the broken window, and she saw, so close to her, a man's chest!

Her indigo-blue coarse cloth coat was wide open, and her hand was brazenly pressed against someone's chest!

She clung to Ping An like an octopus!

Lin Xiuer's head buzzed, and all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her face instantly.

She stiffly raised her head to look.

Fortunately, the man's eyes were still closed, and his breathing was even, as if he was sleeping soundly.

Lin Xiuer's heart pounded wildly, and she dared not breathe. With the lightest and slowest movements she had ever made, she slowly moved her hands and legs off him, and then shuffled off the bed.

It wasn't until her feet touched the ground that she felt her legs go weak.

She clutched her wildly beating heart, glanced back furtively at the person still sleeping peacefully on the bed, and then tiptoed out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Standing in the slightly cool courtyard in the early morning, she patted her still flushed cheeks. She couldn't help but recall the firm, tight touch she had just felt... and her face turned even redder.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean to take advantage of you! If you regain your memories in the future, please don't come after me to kill you to cover it up!"

After muttering a few words to herself and taking a deep breath of the cool air, Lin Xiuer managed to calm herself down and turned to go to the kitchen.

Inside the room, on the bed.

Only after the door was gently closed did the man, who had been sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, slowly open them.

His eyes were clear and bright, without the slightest trace of the confusion one might feel upon waking.

He raised his hand and gently touched the spot on his chest where an octopus was clinging tightly to him, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

As dawn broke, Lin Xiuer and Ping An pushed their cart to the entrance of the market and saw a crowd already gathered in front of their stall from the day before.

There were familiar faces, and there were new faces.

Some people had eaten there yesterday and thought it was good, so they came early today to wait for it. Others had queued for ages yesterday but didn't get any, so they came early today.

Hu Yidao's booming voice carried from afar: "Lin Da Pang! You two are finally here! Hurry up! My stomach's been growling for ages, I've been waiting for your pancake!"

The people waiting around also chimed in, urging, "The boss lady is finally here! Did you prepare extra noodles today?"

"That one with extra meat yesterday was amazing! Two more, please!"

"Quickly, quickly, start a fire! Start a fire!"

Seeing this scene, Lin Xiuer felt both happy and nervous. She didn't dare to delay and quickly parked the car.

Ping An helped unload the items with perfect understanding, while she deftly started a fire.

The fire quickly blazed up, the iron plate heated up, and the lard sizzled as it was brushed on, releasing an enticing aroma that made everyone's stomachs rumble.

"We're open! We're open!" Lin Xiuer called out, her hands moving so fast they were almost blurry.

Divide the dough into small pieces, roll them out into thin pancakes, spread them on a griddle, watch the small bubbles rise, poke holes, pour in the egg, flip them over... the whole process is smooth and efficient, much more skillful and fluent than yesterday.

Ping An was by her side, collecting money, handing out cakes, and adding fuel to the fire, all in an orderly fashion. When needed, she would even pre-package the marinated meat slices and vegetable leaves so that Ping An could easily reach them.

Although the two didn't talk much, they knew each other's needs with just a glance or a subtle gesture, and their cooperation was seamless.

As usual, the first pancake was given to Hu Yidao, who had been eagerly waiting. Old Hu chuckled as he took it, blew on it a few times, and then couldn't wait to take a big bite.

"Hmm!" His eyes widened suddenly, he swallowed in a few gulps, and gave Lin Xiuer a greasy thumbs up.

"Delicious! This flavor today... seems even better than yesterday! Did they add something to the sauce? It's even fresher and more fragrant! Absolutely amazing!"

His shout was tantamount to a death sentence. The people in line behind him became even more impatient.

"Brother Hu is really amazing, he even noticed it. He added some wild berries to balance the spiciness," Lin Xiuer replied with a smile.

"Quickly! Give me one with extra meat!"

"I want two regular ones!"

"Give it to me first! I was here first!"

Upon hearing that it tasted even better than yesterday, everyone rushed forward, holding up their money.

Lin Xiuer smiled and told everyone not to rush and to be careful, while her hands didn't dare to stop for a moment.

The improved sauce was indeed very effective. It was savory and rich with the umami flavor of wild mushrooms, and a touch of sweet and sour aftertaste cleverly cut through the greasiness, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth after eating the pancake, making one want more.

"Boss lady, what's the name of this pancake? I've never had it before!" a new customer asked while eating.

"Egg pancake! Also called Golden Auspicious Pancake." Lin Xiuer was busy with her hands and mouth at the same time, "You enjoyed it, come again next time!"

"Delicious! I'll come again tomorrow!"

"I'll bring one home for my husband to try too!"

The small stall was bustling with people, filled with delicious aromas, making it the liveliest corner of the market in the early morning. The clinking sound of coins falling into the wooden box was almost constant.

Lin Xiuer was completely absorbed in her work, her mind focused solely on the temperature of the pancakes, the tenderness of the eggs, the amount of sauce, and the combination of toppings...

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but she didn't bother to wipe them away.

Occasionally, Ping An would take a break and quickly wipe the sweat from her forehead with a clean cloth, the action as natural as if he had done it a thousand times.

Lin Xiuer only had time to give him a quick smile before she lowered her head and continued working.

Time flew by amidst the rising steam and enticing aromas.

When Lin Xiuer finally felt her arms getting a little sore and straightened up to catch her breath, she looked at the washbasin and saw that the two large basins of kneaded dough were almost empty!

There was only enough left to make just two pancakes.

She looked up and shouted to the dozen or so people still in line behind her:

"Sorry everyone! We're sold out of noodles again today! Only two pancakes left!"

"Those of you in line, please don't wait any longer, I'm so sorry! Tomorrow! I'll definitely prepare more ingredients tomorrow!"

A wave of disappointed sighs and complaints immediately rose from the back of the line.

"Huh? They're gone again? I've been waiting in line for ages!"

"Boss lady, you'd better prepare more for tomorrow!"

"Exactly!"

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