My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

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"Come on, I see they're selling mutton up ahead!"

Hanikezi tugged at Chen Yi's sleeve as they made their way through the crowd, stopping precisely in front of a stall selling Xinjiang hand-pulled mutton. The owner, a Uyghur man wearing a floral hat, was flipping the meat skewers on the grill.

"Uncle, how much are these lamb chops?" Hanikezi asked in fluent Uyghur.

The boss looked up and his eyes widened.

"Oh my! My fellow villager is here!" The uncle was so excited he almost dropped his shovel. "You're such a beautiful young lady!"

The two chatted away in Uyghur, but Chen Yi couldn't understand a word and could only stand by with his basket as a backdrop.

Thirty seconds later, Hanikzi turned to look at him, a smug smile on her face.

"It's all settled. The lamb chops are 40% off, and the uncle even threw in two extra skewers of meat."

"What did you just say to them?" Chen Yi asked.

"I told them I'm from the same hometown and I'm here to record a show. Today's budget is limited." Hanikezi put her hands on her hips, looking proud. "When Xinjiang people do business with other Xinjiang people, it's all about friendship."

"That's not bargaining, that's playing the hometown card."

"Who cares, as long as it's cheap!"

Chen Yi took out his task points card, had the shopkeeper scan the code, and put the lamb chops into a basket. Hanikezi was already skipping and running to the next stall.

Over the next twenty minutes, Chen Yi witnessed firsthand what the bargaining prowess of Xinjiang girls truly meant.

The woman selling vegetables quoted ten points, but Hanikezi kept saying, "Sister, the leaves of these vegetables are all yellow and you still want ten dollars," and managed to bargain down to six points and even throw in two scallions.

The old lady selling spices quoted 15 points for a packet of cumin powder. Hanikezi immediately squatted down to help her tidy up the scattered bottles and jars on her stall, and finally took away the cumin powder and a small bag of chili powder for 8 points.

Chen Yi followed behind, carrying an increasingly heavy basket the whole time, making the cameraman almost laugh himself to death.

"Have you ever considered switching to purchasing?" Chen Yi asked as he walked beside her carrying two bags of groceries.

"That depends on how much salary you offer," Hanikzi tilted her head and looked at him.

Meals are provided.

"That won't do. At least provide meals and snacks."

"Your agent won't let you eat snacks."

"So you have to buy it for me secretly." Hanikzi leaned closer and lowered her voice, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Chen Yi didn't respond to that, but his gaze unconsciously swept towards the stalls in front of him.

At the corner of the market, there was a stall selling handmade silver jewelry. The old wooden shelves were filled with all kinds of earrings, bracelets and necklaces, which gleamed with a warm silvery-white luster in the afternoon sun.

Hanikezi's pace suddenly slowed down.

Her gaze was drawn to a pair of silver earrings, which were exquisitely crafted teardrop-shaped earrings with ethnic patterns, and each earring had a turquoise the size of a grain of rice set at the end.

She walked over, reached out and gently took it off, then held it up to her ear and gestured.

"Is it pretty?" she asked Chen Yi, turning to him.

Chen Yi glanced at it.

"Not bad. How many points?"

The stall owner, a young woman, smiled and said a number.

Thirty points.

Hanikezi stopped, glanced down at her points card balance, then looked at the list of missing ingredients in the basket, and finally hung the earrings back up.

"Never mind, I need to save my points to buy ingredients; I still have to cook dinner tonight." She said lightly, then turned and left.

Chen Yi didn't say anything and followed her forward.

The two stopped again at a spice shop at the end of the market. Hanikezi squatted on the ground studying the various varieties of Sichuan peppercorns, while Chen Yi stood behind her to block the afternoon sun, switching the basket in his other hand.

"I think this peppercorn looks nice, and the aroma should be good enough." Hanikezi picked up a bag, smelled it, and handed it to him.

"Okay, this is it." Chen Yi took it and tossed it into the basket. "That's enough ingredients, let's go."

"Wait a minute, let me see if they have any flour over there. I'd like you to make hand-pulled noodles."

"Who said I made hand-pulled noodles?"

"I was telling you," Hanikzi said, standing up and brushing the dust off her skirt. "You were so good at making braised chicken last time, so hand-pulled noodles should be a piece of cake for you, right?"

"La tiaozi and dapanji are two different things."

"They're all Xinjiang cuisine! Almost the same!"

"Is that what you call 'almost'?"

"Anyway, you can definitely do it." Hanikzi looked at him confidently, her tone full of undisguised trust. "You can do anything."

Chen Yi was stunned for half a second by those words. He looked away and spoke in a calm voice.

"Go buy flour."

Hanikezi skipped and hopped toward the noodle stall, while Chen Yi stood still, glancing back in the direction she had come from.

The silver jewelry stall was still around the corner, and the stall owner was tidying up the jewelry racks with his head down.

Chen Yi placed the basket at his feet.

"Wait here for me, I'm going to the restroom," he called out to Hanikzi in front of him.

"Okay, hurry up!" Hanikzi waved her hand without turning her head.

Chen Yi turned around and walked back, his pace neither fast nor slow, stopping in front of the silver jewelry stall a dozen seconds later.

"Are you still wearing those teardrop-shaped earrings?"

The stall owner looked up, saw him, and smiled.

"Yes, are you buying this for your girlfriend?"

"Thirty points, right?" Chen Yi didn't answer the question, but directly took out his points card.

"Yes, thirty."

Scan the code, deduct points, and the vendor will put the earrings in a small velvet bag and hand them over.

Chen Yi took it and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his coat.

Unbeknownst to him, a third-camera crew filming from a distance captured the entire scene from a different angle: Chen Yi turning back, asking the price, paying, and putting the money in his pocket—every action was clearly recorded.

The cameraman put down his camera and silently opened his mouth to his partner.

His partner gave him an exaggerated thumbs-up.

When Chen Yi walked back to Hanikezi, she was holding a bag of flour and waiting for him.

"Where is your restroom? I don't see a toilet."

"There's a public one behind the market." Chen Yi took the flour from her hand without changing his expression and put it into his basket.

"Let's go, it's time to go back and cook."

Hanikezi glanced at him twice, didn't ask any questions, and followed him toward the recording area.

The small velvet pouch in his pocket rested quietly against Chen Yi's chest, and the system panel flashed briefly in the corner of his mind.

"Ding! Hidden Quest: Best Couple, current progress 15%"

Chen Yi ignored the notification and quickened his pace.

Hanikzi jogged up behind him and grabbed his sleeve.

Why are you walking so fast?

"We're in a hurry; the points rankings won't wait for anyone."

"You just won't wait for me."

"My basket is full of everything you want to eat. Do you think I'd abandon you and run away?"

Hanikezi loosened her grip on his sleeve for a moment, then tightened it again.

"Then promise me you'll let me help you cook."

"You almost cut your finger last time you were chopping vegetables."

"This time it won't happen! I've practiced!"

"You've trained? With whom?"

"I asked my assistant to buy a box of potatoes, and I spent three days cutting them."

Chen Yi paused for a moment and turned his head to look at her.

Hani Kezi felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so she loosened her grip on his sleeve and took a half-step to the side.

"What are you looking at? I just want to make sure I don't hold you back next time we record a show."

Chen Yi withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

"Then you'll be in charge of chopping vegetables tonight."

"real?"

"If you don't cut it well, you'll have to wash the dishes."

"make a deal!"