Chen Xueer's tone was filled with teasing and banter.
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat.
With a slightly awkward expression, he said, "They're different from you; most of them are just female friends."
Chen Xueer covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
"It should be that I'm the one who's different from them, right? Chairman Jiang, I'm not one of those easily fooled Little Girls."
Seeing Chen Xueer's sour tone, Jiang Cheng pointed at a Little Girl by the barbecue stall next door and said to her, "Regardless of whether you are or not, someone should be coming to play matchmaker for us soon."
Hearing this, Chen Xueer looked in the direction Jiang Cheng was pointing.
She saw a Little Girl carrying a schoolbag.
She held a dozen or so flowers in her hands.
She was going from table to table, pitching her flowers to the customers at the neighboring tables.
The Little Girl looked to be only seven or eight years old.
She had a bright smile on her face and was even holding two QR codes in her hand.
Seeing this, Chen Xueer couldn't help but frown. "She's so young and out here selling flowers; doesn't she need to study?"
Noticing the hint of sympathy in Chen Xueer's voice, Jiang Cheng said, "She was probably brought here by her parents. I've seen this routine many times, and it's most common late at night. Their target customers are male-female pairs like us. Sometimes you can run into several different groups of kids while out for barbecue."
The two of them glanced over and then began chatting casually.
Soon, two hotpot stoves were brought out.
After setting up the broth, Auntie Li came over with a large basin of freshly chopped rabbit meat and said to them, "The rabbit meat is here, freshly chopped. It was slaughtered just this morning; look, it's very fresh."
Chen Xueer glanced at the blood-tinged rabbit head and the marinated fresh rabbit meat, forcing a polite smile.
Jiang Cheng spoke up, "Thanks, Auntie Li. The pot is boiling; let's put all the meat in."
"You got it."
After putting the meat into the two pots, Auntie Li brought out the dishes they had ordered, plate by plate.
Finally, she served a freshly roasted rabbit.
Although Chen Xueer was somewhat resistant to rabbit meat, once the pot started bubbling and the aroma wafted out, her appetite was stimulated.
Jiang Cheng picked up a few pieces of tender rabbit meat for her and recommended, "Don't think too much about it. Try it; they have traditional skills here. The flavor is savory, fragrant, numbing, and spicy—absolutely delicious."
Seeing Jiang Cheng eating bite after bite, Chen Xueer could only steel herself and put a piece of rabbit meat coated in red oil into her mouth.
With that one bite, Chen Xueer was stunned.
Only one phrase came to mind: absolutely delicious.
Not only was there no strange smell, but the meat was also fresh and tender.
The texture was completely different from the chicken, duck, fish, or pork she usually ate.
At this moment, Chen Xueer was just like Jiang Cheng, eating bite after bite, unable to stop.
Jiang Cheng took a sip of iced cola and, seeing Chen Xueer's satisfied expression, asked, "How is it? Not bad, right? This is a delicacy you can only find in Chengdu. Although we eat hotpot in Shanghai, sometimes it just feels like it's lacking something."
Hearing this, Chen Xueer sheepishly stopped her chopsticks and looked at Jiang Cheng with a smile, saying, "Indeed. This is much better than Haidilao. Haidilao's meat isn't fresh, but this rabbit meat feels incredibly tender as soon as it hits your mouth. The quality is great, and the broth is fragrant too."
After saying that, Chen Xueer's eyes lit up as she looked at the roasted rabbit in front of her.
The golden, crispy skin emitted an enticing aroma that made her mouth water.
She never thought she would crave this kind of food.
Seeing Chen Xueer looking eager to try, Jiang Cheng put on gloves, tore off a rabbit leg, and handed it to her. "This part is the most tender."
After a few bites, Chen Xueer couldn't help but say, "I take back what I just said. Bunnies are cute, but they really are delicious."
"Of course. Roasted rabbit is a traditional delicacy of our Sichuan-Chongqing region with a history of several hundred years. Originally, it was a palace delicacy that only emperors and nobles could enjoy. With social development, it has now become a very common daily food."
Chen Xueer nodded and said, "I looked it up last night. Sichuan consumes hundreds of millions of rabbits a year, and Chengdu accounts for half of that."
Then she asked in surprise, "Where do so many rabbits come from?"
Jiang Cheng explained, "Most of them come from the surrounding countryside where they specialize in breeding rabbits. Besides, rabbits have a terrifying reproductive capacity; you'll see if you Baidu it. The reason for such high demand is actually because most are sold as travel souvenirs."
There are quite a few people traveling to Chengdu.
And everyone buys at least some souvenirs before leaving to take home to friends and family.
And when in Chengdu, the must-haves are definitely roasted rabbit and various types of dried rabbit meat.
Chen Xueer had long been conquered by the food before her, her initial resistance completely gone.
As she ate, she said, "When I go back, I'll buy some to take back to the company for them to eat."
Jiang Cheng nodded slightly and thought of Zhao Linger. "Linger should like it."
Chen Xueer covered her mouth and laughed. "Not necessarily. I can already imagine her expression; she'll definitely think the two of us are too cruel."
Just as Jiang Cheng was about to respond, his attention was caught by the Little Girl with the flowers he had pointed out earlier.
He saw her acting cute at the next table, trying to get someone to buy roses.
"No, not buying. Little Girl, do you think there's any need for two guys like us to buy them?" said one of the larger-built men.
His voice was deep and magnetic, as if coming from deep within his throat, which didn't quite match his physical appearance.
"Buy one, Uncle. I saw the two of you secretly holding hands under the table just now. Buy one, and I wish your love lasts forever."
The Little Girl's words were like a stone tossed into a lake, creating ripples.
The customers dining at the entrance of the alley all peeked over at the two of them.
The big guy's ears immediately grew hot and red, and his expression became awkward.
His eyes flickered as he glanced at the other man, then he glared at the Little Girl and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Go on, get out of here. We're not buying; don't disturb our meal."
After the big guy finished, the other man's eyes revealed a hint of displeasure. "What do you mean? How is it nonsense? Do you think being with me is embarrassing?"
His voice was high and sharp, like a keen blade cutting through the air.
His face turned bright red, and his eyes flashed with anger.