Shen Yuchu did indeed go, heading straight for a small restaurant on the street with Lin Xuan following closely behind.
When they walked in, the owner of the small diner recognized him immediately—mostly because Lin Xuan's mother, Shen Chunfen, was a regular on the street selling her goods. After all, everyone around here knew that the Lin family was the only household to have produced two college students: Lin Hui, and Lin Xuan, who had gotten into the military academy.
Because of this, Shen Chunfen was hailed as the local model of a "successful woman." Raising two children so successfully gave her a deep sense of pride whenever she went out to sell her vegetables.
Her daughter had married into the city, specifically to the son of a canning factory owner. Her son, Lin Xuan, was an officer in the military, and everyone had assumed he would marry a city girl and eventually bring Shen Chunfen to live with him in the city.
No one expected that after Lü Chunhuan from Dalüzhuang Village caused such a massive scene, Lin Xuan would not only miss out on marrying a wealthy city heiress, but would instead end up marrying Shen Yuchu—an illiterate girl who had only attended two years of kindergarten. Rumor had it that when they registered their marriage, Shen Yuchu couldn't even write her own name and had to sign with a thumbprint.
This scandalous detail had quickly become common knowledge along the entire street. Even the village Party secretary had felt terribly sorry for Lin Xuan at the time. Since it was a military marriage, once finalized, a divorce would be incredibly difficult to get. To make matters worse, Lü Chunhuan had extorted an exorbitant bride price from the Lin family, threatening that if they refused, she would take the uproar straight to the military. Left with no choice, the Lin family had reluctantly grumbled and cursed, but ultimately yielded to her demands.
The owner looked at them. "Oh, if it isn't our college-graduate officer back in town! What can I get for you?" He politely placed the menu right in front of Lin Xuan and even pulled out a chair for him. "Here, have a seat."
The owner's gestures completely ignored Shen Yuchu's presence. But Shen Yuchu didn't care. She was only there to eat, not to look for a fight.
She pulled out a chair for herself, sat down casually, and scanned the large menu pasted on the wall.
"Boss, I'll have the stir-fried pig tripe, Sichuan double-cooked pork, clay-pot mutton, sweet and sour pork, braised ribs, seaweed and egg soup, braised chicken, and Mao Xue Wang. One of each, please."
As Shen Yuchu spoke, she grabbed an order slip from the side and checked off each dish she had just ordered.
The owner turned to stare at her. Shen Yuchu calmly handed the slip to him. The owner took it and scrutinized the slip. It was correct! She had checked them off perfectly!
The owner stared at Shen Yuchu. "You... you ordered so much. It's late, and there are only two of you. Can you even finish all this?"
Shen Yuchu casually crossed her legs—a bold, unbothered posture that left Lin Xuan utterly stunned. She was a woman, for goodness' sake! What kind of posture was that?
"Isn't his mother still at home? If we can't finish, I'll pack the rest. Now go cook!"
The owner glanced back at Lin Xuan. From the looks of it, everyone assumed Lin Xuan was the one who called the shots in the Lin family, and that Shen Yuchu would have to look to him for permission even to eat a meal.
Shen Yuchu let out a cold snort and pulled some cash from her pocket. "I'm paying. No need to look at him."
The owner watched as her small, red-chilled hands counted out several ten-yuan bills. He immediately flashed a warm smile. "Right away, right away! I'll get the kitchen on it!"
Shen Yuchu handed the money straight to him, and he happily scurried off to the kitchen.
Left alone, the two of them sat in silence, staring at each other awkwardly.
Shen Yuchu looked at Lin Xuan. "Want a drink?"
"No."
Shen Yuchu stood up and walked over to the counter.
Thinking she hadn't heard him clearly, Lin Xuan repeated himself louder, "I said, I don't want to drink!"
Shen Yuchu grabbed two bottles of beer and returned to her seat. Without a word, she popped the caps off using her teeth.
*Pfft— Pfft—*
The two bottles of frothing beer were open just like that.
Lin Xuan stared at her, his thick, dark brows furrowing deeply.
Shen Yuchu grabbed a glass and poured herself a drink. "If you're not drinking, I am."
Lin Xuan watched in sheer astonishment as Shen Yuchu downed two glasses in quick succession. When she went to pour another, she found that one bottle only yielded two and a half glasses; the third glass wasn't full. So, she reached for the second opened bottle and topped it up.
"Here we go! Braised ribs, seaweed egg soup, and stir-fried pig tripe. Dig in, the rest of the dishes will be out shortly!" the owner announced as he set the plates down.
Shen Yuchu raised her beer bottle toward the owner. "Add these two beers to the bill later."
"You got it!" Seeing how quickly and easily she paid, the owner was more than happy to oblige.
Lin Xuan watched Shen Yuchu drink and eat entirely on her own. For some reason, an indescribable feeling welled up in his throat. Yielding to it, he reached out toward the beer bottle.
Just then, Shen Yuchu reached for the bottle too, and their hands accidentally brushed against each other. A strange warmth radiated from her hand, causing Lin Xuan's eyes to flicker.
"I thought you weren't drinking. What are you grabbing the bottle for?"
Put on the spot, Lin Xuan's throat tightened. "I... my mouth is dry."
"If your mouth is dry, drink water. There's water right there on the table."
Lin Xuan fell silent, his gaze wavering.
"Let go of my hand."
Realizing the impropriety of the moment, Lin Xuan quickly pulled his hand back, his face flushing red for no apparent reason.
As the rest of the dishes were served, Shen Yuchu simply kept her head down, eating and drinking. She barely uttered a word, offering absolutely no explanation for anything.
This made Lin Xuan feel even more restless. "Shen Yuchu, drinking so much alcohol in the winter isn't good for a woman. Your stomach won't be able to handle it."
Shen Yuchu chewed a piece of tripe, then looked up at him. "Thank you for the advice, Battalion Commander Lin, but I know my own body. I'm just having a casual drink, not binging."
Lin Xuan: "..."
Why did she have to sound so incredibly distant?
Throughout the meal, Lin Xuan couldn't stop sneaking glances at her. He found it bizarre. Apart from having the exact same face, her behavior and mannerisms made her seem like an entirely different person. Nothing about her was the same. Yet, there was an inexplicable continuity to her. If she had been possessed by some spirit, he wouldn't have been able to step on her shadow on the way back. Ghosts didn't have shadows, but she certainly did.
***
Once they got home, Shen Yuchu tossed the takeout containers to Shen Chunfen as if feeding a dog. "Here, eat up. I brought some food back for you."
The moment Shen Chunfen saw the restaurant food, her old habits flared up. She shrieked, "Oh, Shen Yuchu, if you don't want to live with the Lin family anymore, then get lost! The minute my son gets home, you drag him to a restaurant to squander money. Do you have any idea how expensive restaurants are?"
Hearing this, Lin Xuan quickly cut her off. "Mom!" He gave her a warning look and whispered, "She paid for it with money from her own family. She's the one who treated me."
Upon hearing this, Shen Chunfen's face instantly shifted to a sycophantic grin. "Oh, so it was paid for with her family's money! Well, well... no wonder it smells so delicious!"