I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

Yu Shen took out his car keys from his pocket and put them on the table. A round little doll was hanging on the keychain.

"Boss Li, take a look at this."

Li Zhibai picked up the green plum doll and looked at it. The workmanship was quite exquisite, and it was a lovely pinkish-green color.

"Is this the food you wanted to order?"

"Um."

Yu Shen took a swig of beer, his eyes somewhat unfocused: "This thing was given to me by someone."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhibai immediately became interested: "Tell me about it."

At this moment, a new resident singer took over the stage. He strummed the guitar strings, and the intro slowly began to play. The melody was very familiar to both of them; it was Jay Chou's "The Promise of Dandelion".

"Dandelions by the elementary school fence~~♬"

"It's a landscape with a special flavor from my memories~~♬"

"......"

The singer's voice was soft and magnetic, like a feather drifting into the ear. Yu Shen also shed his usual carefree attitude and unconsciously fell into memories.

"I have a childhood friend named Xiaxia."

"We are neighbors. Her house is right next to mine, separated by a wall. The wall wasn't high. When I was a kid, I often climbed over the bricks to get into their yard. It wasn't that there wasn't a gate to go through; I just thought climbing over the wall was fun and exciting."

"There are two trees in her yard, one is a plum tree, and the other is also a plum tree."

"Every early summer, the trees are full of green plums, which look sour. But I was craving them and didn't have much pocket money to buy snacks, so I would often climb over the trees to steal the fruit. But Xiaxia always caught me red-handed."

Xiaxia, hands on her hips, said angrily, "Brother Yu Shen, why did you steal my fruit again!"

"Then I said I was starving to death."

"She probably thought I was too sincere, so she laughed, then climbed up the tree and picked a bagful of fruit, which she threw to me to catch. I couldn't catch it, and the fruit hit me on the head, giving me a bump. She was laughing in the tree."

"She has a small canine tooth on her left side, which shows when she smiles. It's pointed, white, and especially cute."

As Li Zhibai listened, he reached out and grabbed a handful of peanuts, then started cracking them open.

It's a classic childhood sweetheart story, but judging from the plot, they probably won't end up together.

"Actually, green plums are too sour, so we don't really like them. Whenever we pick too many, Xiaxia's grandma will make them into a drink."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhibai paused in his peanut-eating motion and his ears perked up.

Here it comes, the main course is here.

"It's just plum juice."

"It's basically like this: fresh green plums are rubbed with coarse salt, then each one is cracked open with a small hammer, the pits are removed, and then a layer of plums and rock sugar are placed in a glass jar, a little bit of white vinegar is poured on, and the jar is sealed and pickled for a few days."

"When you drink it, you scoop out two spoonfuls of plum sauce and the original juice from pickling, then mix it with ice-cold well water. When I was a child, there weren't as many drinks as there are now. We would just hang the glass jar in the well water for an afternoon, which was equivalent to chilling it."

As Yu Shen spoke, he reminisced about that taste.

"The first sip was sour."

"But the sourness isn't harsh; it just makes your tongue feel a little numb. If you drink too much at once, you'll feel a jolt in your head, and it'll be really intoxicating. After that, it's sweet, and there's a unique plum fragrance."

"As for what else tasted like, I can't remember. That's about it."

"When we were kids, our favorite thing to do was to go fishing for crabs by the pond."

"There are a lot of crabs in that pond. Xiaxia is brave and dares to catch them with her bare hands. I don't dare. I'm afraid of those things. They have two big pincers raised, and they look scary."

"Brother Yu Shen, are you even a man? She always makes fun of me like this."

"Once, she caught a particularly large green-shelled crab with its big pincers outstretched, looking menacing. Seeing that I was a little scared, she deliberately said, 'Brother Yu Shen, do you dare to take it?'"

I said I dared not.

She said, "Just try it, just take it for a moment."

"I won't take it."

Yu Shen laughed as he finished speaking.

"I don't know why I was such a coward back then."

"Then she simply picked up the crab and deliberately held it up in front of me, its claws opening and closing, just a hair's breadth away from my hand."

"See, it won't pinch you. Go ahead and take it."

I shrank back.

"Brother Yu Shen, if you dare to take it, I'll get you a bottle of plum juice, ice-cold, too."

"I'm smitten."

"Because I really liked drinking the plum juice her grandma made back then. Of course, I was a glutton when I was little."

"Do you keep your word?"

"You keep your word!"

"I finally reached out, and the crab seemed to know I was afraid of it. As soon as my finger touched its shell, it snapped and pinched the tip of my index finger."

"what!"

"I was so scared I cried, but it only pinched a tiny bit of skin and didn't hurt much at all."

Xiaxia was laughing so hard.

"Hahaha, Yu Shen, you're such a coward!"

As Yu Shen spoke, he couldn't help but laugh again, but as he laughed, his eyes reddened.

He picked up his glass and downed the rest of the wine in one gulp before continuing:

After she finished laughing, she came over, took my hand, and blew on my finger twice.

"Okay, don't cry anymore. It was just a pinch, it doesn't hurt. I'll blow on it and it'll be fine."

"You're lying, it clearly hurts a lot."

"Then...then should I let you put it back?"

She held her finger out in front of me.

"I looked at her thin finger, wanting to bite it but not biting it."

I said, forget it, I'm not going to argue with you.

"That day we brought several crabs home, made a small fire outside in the yard, roasted the crabs, and shared them."

"I only ate the crab legs, probably to get revenge for being pinched. Xiaxia broke off all the crab legs for me to eat, while she ate the crab roe and the crab body herself."

"I only realized how much of a rip-off I got when I grew up! Leg meat doesn't taste as good as crab roe at all. I even thought she was just pretending to enjoy it."

The resident singer in the bar was almost at the chorus, and the melody was gradually rising, the lyrics of which made one's heart ache.

"Make him stand in the hallway as punishment and have his hands slapped~~♬"

But we noticed the dragonfly by the window~~♬

You follow me everywhere I go~~♬

"Many dreams are waiting to be realized~~♬"

Yu Shen couldn't help but hum along to the melody for a couple of lines before continuing.

"Then we grew up."

"From elementary school to junior high, and from junior high to high school, we've always been together. People say we're really close."

"In high school, a classmate asked Xiaxia, 'Are you dating Yu Shen?' Xiaxia laughed and said, 'What are you talking about? He's my little brother.'"

"Some people have asked me, 'Do you like Xiaxia?' I just say, 'Don't talk nonsense, we have a purely platonic relationship, we're just buddies! We're best friends!'"

"Back then, I really thought we were best buddies, like best friends."

"It wasn't until later that I slowly realized there's no such thing as a truly pure friendship between men and women!"

Actually, I like her.

"I think she likes me too."

"But none of us have said that."

"During those three years of high school, she would bring me plum juice every early summer."

"I always ask, 'Why do you bring me this every year?'"

"She always says, 'My grandma pickles so much, we can't finish it all.' But every time she says that, the tips of her ears turn red, and she stubbornly says, 'Drink it or don't, it's up to you.'"

"Drink, drink, drink! Who said I wasn't going to drink! I'm afraid she really won't let me drink anymore."

"I remember one time it was raining heavily, really heavily, and I didn't have an umbrella. I was standing at the entrance of the teaching building, not knowing how to get back to the dormitory, when she ran over and brought me an umbrella."

"for you."

"And what about you?"

I walked with my best friend.

"I believe it."

"I later found out that she ran back in the rain by herself and developed a fever that night."

"I went to see her at the clinic near the school, and she still stubbornly insisted, 'I'm fine, I'm just a little hot.'"

I said, "Are you stupid? I gave you the umbrella, and you're getting soaked."

"I'd like to," she said.

As Yu Shen spoke, he instinctively reached for his wine glass again, only to find it empty.

Li Zhibai silently opened a new bottle and pushed it in front of him.

Yu Shen didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the bottle to take a big gulp.

"Another time, a boy from the next class wrote her a love letter and put it in her desk. She came to me with the love letter and slammed it on my desk."

"Yu Shen, look, someone wrote me a love letter."

I pretended to be nonchalant and said, "So you agreed?"

"Whether I agree or not is none of your business," she said.

"It's none of my business."

She laughed: "Yu Shen, are you jealous?"

"But I stubbornly retorted, 'Who's jealous! What do I have to be jealous of! I'm just reminding you that kid isn't a good person!'"

How do you know he's not a good person?

"I just knew it!"

"She finally tore up the love letter in front of me and threw it in the trash."

"I trust you."

"The weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted."

"Then she took a glass bottle out of her bag and handed it to me; it was still plum juice."

"I opened it and took a big gulp."

"It's sour."

"It's sweet again."

"There's also a slight flavor that I can't quite describe."

"Later I learned that the taste was called 'like'."

"But I still don't have the courage to break through that barrier."

"Back then, I always thought, there's no rush. We're together every day, we have plenty of time. After the college entrance exam, after graduation... I'll tell you when the time is right."

"But I never expected that some things, if not said, would never have the chance to be said again."

"The summer after the college entrance exam, Xiaxia told me that she was going abroad."

"Her parents had already completed the procedures for her to go to university in Germany. She kept it a secret because she was afraid it would affect my exams."

"When are you leaving?" I asked her.

"next month."

"When I heard this news, I felt extremely sad and didn't know what to say."

She called out to me, "Brother Yu Shen."

"Um?"

"Is there anything you want to say to me?"

"I looked at her, and she looked at me."

I really wanted to say, Xiaxia, I like you.

"I want to say, please don't leave."

"I also wanted to say, wait for me, I'll come find you later."

"But what I said in the end was, 'Take care of yourself when you get there.'"

She smiled and said, "Okay!"

Then she took out another bottle of plum juice and gave it to me, telling me that it was homemade and that it was the last bottle.

"Will you still be able to do it over there?" I asked.

She said, "There are no plum trees over there, so it's impossible to make them."

.........

"I went to the airport to see her off the day she left."

"Her parents also went abroad with her. They were busy with the procedures and checking in their luggage. I was just an outsider watching this scene."

"Before going through security, she ran back and shoved something into my hand."

"That's it." Yu Shen pointed to the green plum doll on the table.

"A plum keychain."

"Did you do this?" I asked her.

She said, "I bought these. I searched through so many stores before I found them. Look, don't they look like the fruit from those two trees in our yard?"

"picture."

"Keep it safe, don't lose it."

"I agree."

"Her parents were calling her from over there, saying it was time to go through security. She responded, turned around to leave, took two steps, and then turned back."

"Her last words to me were: 'Brother Yu Shen, do you really have nothing to say to me?'"

I said, "Have a safe trip."

She seemed a little disappointed when she heard this, turned around and left, never looking back.

"I just stood outside the terminal and watched her plane take off."

"The plane flew higher and higher, getting smaller and smaller, until it became a tiny dot and disappeared into the clouds."

There's nothing left in the sky.

In the bar, the singer was also singing his song to its end, which was particularly fitting for the occasion.

"We could never finish talking about the past~~♬"

"And I can't tell anymore~~♬"

"You are friendship~~♬"

"It was still a missed love~~♬".

After the song was finished, the guests in the audience applauded.

Yu Shen reached out and picked up the green plum doll, squeezing it hard.

A childish, electronic voice immediately came from the doll.

"Ouch~"

"Ouch~"

"Hey, Mr. Li, isn't it funny to hear this doll screaming? It even knows how to cry out in pain! Oh? It likes Jay Chou too, hahaha..."

"Have you ever thought that this 'Aiyo' is actually 'I love you'?" Li Zhibai suddenly asked.

Yu Shen was stunned: "Love... Tiger Balm?"

"It's a transliteration of 'I LOVE YOU.' I think she probably recorded '爱老虎油' (Ai Laohu You), but the recording quality was probably a bit poor, and half a sound was missed, so it became '哎哟' (Aiyo)."

What they really wanted to say was—I love you.

Yu Shen: "..."

He was stunned, his expression shifting from bewilderment to pain and deep regret.

"No! You mean she gave me this to confess her feelings?!"

Li Zhibai nodded: "Obviously."

He was truly impressed by this guy. This guy must be missing a screw in his head to not be able to guess such a simple homophone. Although it was missing one letter sound, it was still really easy to guess!

If only I had thought about "I love you," I wouldn't have only realized it now.

Yu Shen was filled with remorse, frantically scratching his head: "If I had just asked her to stay, if I had said that, would she not have left? Would we...?"

He didn't continue, because he knew it was too late.

too late.

Seeing that this guy seemed to have his soul ripped out, Li Zhibai wanted to say a few words of comfort, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with anything suitable.

Say, "It's okay, you'll meet someone better in the future?"

They say she might be doing quite well abroad?

Tell me, at least you still have memories?

Memories are the most fucking hurtful thing.

After much deliberation, Li Zhibai offered him two words: "Brother Yu, please accept my condolences!"

Yu Shen: "..."

"I'm not dead, why should I mourn?"

"Oh, then... auspicious festival?"

Yu Shen: "..."

Hey Li Heizi, if you can't comfort people, then don't try! You're making me laugh out loud!

Suddenly, Li Zhibai seemed to realize something. Looking at Yu Shen's expression, he asked suspiciously:

"Brother Yu, I have a question for you."

"you say."

"You, have you never been in a relationship before?"

Yu Shen: "..."

He was struck dumb, his body stiffening for a moment.

He quickly denied it: "Who...who hasn't been in a relationship! Who am I, Yu Shen? Girls who chase after me could line up from the east side of Jiangcheng to the west side. I just have high standards! Yes! High standards! I just don't look down on ordinary people!"

Seeing his obvious attempt to cover up his embarrassment, Li Zhibai chuckled. No wonder this guy was so oblivious when it came to relationships.

A man nearing thirty, a wealthy man with purple-colored wealth, is still a lifelong single.

If Pang Yi and the others found out, this guy would probably be laughed to death.

"Brother Yu, you're amazing! You're so rich and still such a pure-hearted young man, hahaha..."

"I have to share this exciting news with the customers in the restaurant."

Yu Shen's face turned green instantly: "Li Heizi, if you dare tell Fatty and the others, I'll never forgive you!"

Li Zhibai chuckled and whispered, "Since you don't want them to know, that's fine. How about we add another 80 orders to your 20 custom-made dishes, making it 100?"

Yu Shen: "..."

He looked at Li Zhibai's opportunistic face, gritted his teeth, and gritted them again and again until they almost broke.

"I'm telling you, impossible! I, Yu Shen, will never be blackmailed by you!"

"Alright, since that's the case, then I'll go with..."

"Wait!" Yu Shen interrupted him.

"One hundred portions it is! But if you dare tell anyone, I'll never forgive you!"

"Don't worry, I'm a very trustworthy person, I promise I won't say anything."

Li Zhibai was secretly delighted; this was probably the fastest he had ever achieved a new product sales target.

So cool!

Yu Shen calmed himself down, looked at Li Zhibai again, and asked seriously, "Boss Li, can you really make that plum juice?"

Li Zhibai nodded: "Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shen breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he had finally waited for something.

"good!"

"I'm waiting for you!"

He picked up the plum blossom doll again and squeezed it a few times.

The childish electronic voice came out again from the doll.

"Ouch~"

"Ouch~"

So that's what it means—I love you!