On a winter night, the wind by the roadside was bone-chillingly cold, but inside it was bustling with life, filled with the savory steam of food and a strong sense of everyday vitality.
After sitting down, Jiang Churan noticed that Jiang Cheng was dressed quite lightly and couldn't help but ask, "You're... wearing too little, aren't you? Aren't you cold?"
Seeing that Jiang Churan had finally noticed the issue, Jiang Cheng curled his lips into a smile and replied, "I am."
As he spoke, he reached out toward Jiang Churan. She hesitated for a moment but still reached out and lightly touched his hand.
However, Jiang Cheng suddenly grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his palm, and said with a satisfied look, "Wow, your hands are so warm!"
This sudden move startled Jiang Churan, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away.
Seeing that Jiang Cheng wouldn't let go, Jiang Churan looked at him coldly and pulled hard on her hand.
Yet Jiang Cheng didn't do as she wished; he continued to hold her hand tightly and followed up by saying, "It's too cold. Let me borrow some warmth. I feel a bit better now."
Jiang Churan gave Jiang Cheng a slightly annoyed glare because she keenly sensed that his hand was actually very warm.
There was no sign of coldness at all.
In this situation, it was clear that he wasn't cold.
So, the excuse of "borrowing some warmth" was completely groundless.
Although she was quite dissatisfied with Jiang Cheng's behavior of taking advantage of the situation,
for Sister Chu, being held by such a handsome and charming man, and even locking eyes with him,
felt completely different from the contact she had when dancing with other members of the opposite sex on a daily basis.
On the surface, Jiang Churan appeared perfectly calm and composed, but in reality, only she knew that her heart was currently racing uncontrollably.
Jiang Cheng, naturally, also keenly captured Jiang Churan's inner nervousness.
However, to his surprise, the favorability value displayed by the Character Scanning System hadn't changed at all. This meant that Jiang Churan hadn't developed any extra thoughts or emotional changes toward Jiang Cheng due to her current nervousness.
But this was actually quite normal.
It made sense; perhaps even if it were someone else, as long as they weren't exceptionally ugly, any normal person would feel nervous being held by the opposite sex like this for the first time.
Unless you were a natural Gigolo King or a Seductress Queen, only then would you be able to keep your face from flushing and your heart from pounding.
It seemed that this Jiang Churan might be a tough nut to crack.
Just as he was sighing to himself, the older woman who had taken their order earlier led someone out of the kitchen, warmly carrying two steaming bowls of Luzhu and carefully placing them in front of them.
Looking at the food before her, Jiang Churan immediately took the opportunity to pull her hand away from Jiang Cheng's and teased, "Hurry up and eat. Once you're full, you won't feel cold anymore."
Jiang Cheng didn't take the bait.
If he replied now, wouldn't that be the same as admitting he had done it on purpose? That wouldn't do!
Jiang Cheng picked up his chopsticks and put a few pieces of braised large intestines into his mouth.
After chewing a few times, he nodded in satisfaction.
The texture of the pork liver and large intestines was tender and juicy, and the seasoning was just right.
The rich aroma filled the air, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
"Hmm, the flavor is really good. Even though there's no chili, it's very well-braised. The meat is soft and tender, and these organs don't have any strange smell," Jiang Cheng praised.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's satisfaction, a hint of a smile flashed in Jiang Churan's eyes. She said, "Most people really like the food here. Although this shop doesn't look like much, the taste is very authentic."
Seeing this, Jiang Churan also picked up her chopsticks, took a small bite, and began to savor it slowly.
She closed her eyes, carefully savoring the flavor of every bite, and then nodded with a look of enjoyment. "Mmm, this is exactly the taste."
Jiang Cheng also nodded in agreement.
Seeing the Waitress bring over the stir-fried liver.
Jiang Churan quickly reminded Jiang Cheng, "I heard before that you don't like fermented mung bean drink. Some outsiders might not be used to stir-fried liver and fermented mung bean drink. Try a bite first; don't smell it."
Looking at the served stir-fried liver, Jiang Cheng stared at it blankly.
He asked in confusion, "Isn't this called'Stir-fried Liver'? Why doesn't it look stir-fried at all? Instead, it looks more like a sticky, gooey food?"
Jiang Churan laughed and pointed at the semi-open kitchen in front of them, explaining, "It's basically an organ paste. Look over there, the chef is making it."
Jiang Cheng looked in the direction Jiang Churan pointed. The chef's movements were very fast, clearly showing great skill.
First, the sliced pork liver and large intestines were boiled in the pot, then seasoning was added, and finally, they were stirred evenly.
Jiang Churan continued, "Don't be fooled by how simple the process looks; it requires a certain level of skill and experience to make delicious stir-fried liver. In fact, stir-fried liver is made from ingredients like garlic, liver, large intestines, and starch. For us locals, we've been used to this taste since we were kids, so we find it very delicious. However, for outsiders, this unique flavor might be a bit hard to accept."
Jiang Cheng asked curiously, "Is that thing boiling next to it the Baodu you mentioned before? Is it also boiled?"
Jiang Churan nodded. "That's right. Actually, these foods were what the poor people of Old Beijing used to eat. In ancient times, nobles usually only ate meat and wouldn't touch these organs, so these cheap ingredients were made into various dishes. For example, this Baodu is made by blanching sliced tripe in a pot and then eating it with a bowl of sesame sauce."
The more Jiang Churan explained, the stronger Jiang Cheng's curiosity grew.
He leaned in to smell the bowl of stir-fried liver, and that one sniff almost sent him—a person from Chengdu used to all kinds of heavy flavors—packing.
All he could say was that it had an indescribable, strange smell...
After taking a small bite, Jiang Cheng decisively chose to give up.
After all, different regions have different tastes. Although he couldn't get used to it, he still showed his respect!
Jiang Churan had ordered two portions of Baodu.
Jiang Cheng could actually accept this flavor.
After setting the stir-fried liver aside, Jiang Cheng focused on the Luzhu and Baodu.
By the end of the meal, Jiang Cheng finally understood why the portions Jiang Churan ordered weren't very large.
She only ate a few pieces of each dish as a formality.
It could be said that Jiang Cheng had finished most of it.
"Didn't you say this shop's food is delicious? Why aren't you eating more?" Jiang Cheng looked at Jiang Churan and asked in confusion.
Jiang Churan shook her head, a helpless expression appearing on her face. "I can't eat too much; the calories are a bit high. Later, I'll go to the cafeteria and buy a Qingtuan to eat. You hurry up and eat."
Seeing Jiang Churan swallowing her saliva in craving, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "Are all you girls in the Dance Department so demanding of yourselves?"
Jiang Cheng remembered that Zhou Ying was the same after she went to college.
She would even eat a single meat bun in several sittings. He had noticed this when he went to her school to pick her up last time.
By noon, Zhou Ying still had the half-eaten meat bun from the morning in her bag.
Jiang Churan nodded and said somewhat gloomily, "Yeah, we in the Dance Department have very high requirements for our figures. After all, dancing requires maintaining a good physique and stamina. There's no choice; the academy's requirements are very strict, and since it's a critical time right now, we have to be even more mindful."
"Would eating a bit more really stop you from dancing? Aren't you afraid your stamina won't keep up?" Jiang Cheng roasted her heartlessly.
Seeing that Jiang Cheng was somewhat speechless, Jiang Churan explained, "Dancing isn't actually as simple as you think. Everyone who gets into the Dance Academy has very solid basic skills. Everyone in our department has practiced every single day since childhood. On average, we have to practice at least eight hours a day."