My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 187

Chapter 187: The Taste of 800-Year-Old Soy Milk

The roast duck from this restaurant was a large and satisfying portion. Carrying the whole takeout roast duck as they left the store, Jiang Xue felt that she couldn’t eat another bite, maybe just a fruit tea at most.

They strolled along the street to aid digestion. This street wasn’t far from the theater where the fireworks display would be held, and the pedestrians, mostly tourists, were leisurely, carrying bags of souvenirs.

Soon, Jiang Xue stopped.

Beside them was a branch of a popular milk tea chain store, also found near N University. It was crowded with customers waiting for their orders, and the staff were also busy.

Not wanting to stay in the crowded store, they placed their orders online, then found a bench outside and sat down.

“Shizhu Jiejie mentioned her future plans to me a while ago,” Jiang Xue said to Xiao Luohan, looking at the milk tea shop’s sign and the bustling scene inside. “She’s planning to open a café or a milk tea shop in the newly developed area near our home, but she hasn’t decided what to sell or whether to join a franchise.”

“Knowing Shizhu Jiejie, she probably prefers opening her own shop instead of joining a franchise,” Xiao Luohan pondered. “I remember her favorite drink is a combination of tea and coffee. If she opens a café or a tea and coffee shop, it would better fulfill her own wish.”

“An original tea and coffee shop? That would require a lot of effort and research, and the initial investment is risky,” Jiang Xue said, not knowing much about this, only sharing her thoughts. “To be honest, I’m looking forward to that day. Shizhu Jiejie running her own shop, my sister, A-Xi, and I drinking tea and coffee there, eating the delicious desserts she makes, with your music playing in the background, and your paintings on the walls.”

Xiao Luohan also found this future appealing. “Is she currently just collecting information and doing market research? I remember some universities provide start-up funds for graduates who want to start their own businesses. If Shizhu Jiejie’s university doesn’t have that, I can ask Teacher Sui and Professor Yan.”

“There’s probably no need to trouble them. Sister Cheng, my sister, Mom, and Mom will definitely invest if they know Shizhu Jiejie wants to open a shop,” Jiang Xue said with a smile. “And also A-Xi’s family. A-Xi’s mothers are in business and also like coffee, so Shizhu Jiejie would probably ask them first.”

Her impression of Cheng Shizhu and her mother had always been “reliable and trustworthy.” Borrowing money from acquaintances didn’t need to involve complicated calculations, their principle being “precisely because the help comes from acquaintances, we should be even more responsible.”

“I can also invest,” Cang Ling suddenly said. “Giving the money to her is more meaningful than keeping it with me, and it can also accumulate merit.”

She still wasn’t sure whether the power that had brought her and Princess Zhemei to this world was causality, fate, or “merit,” but accumulating some wouldn’t hurt.

Jiang Xue was stunned, then looked helpless. “If Shizhu Jiejie hears you say that, she definitely won’t accept the money, and she’ll even tell you to treat yourself better and find something meaningful to spend it on. If you really want to invest, you’ll have to find a different way to say it.”

But regardless, seeking investment was something to consider at least two years later, and two years was enough time for many things to happen. Perhaps Cang Ling’s thoughts would also change by then.

After chatting for a while longer, Jiang Xue’s WeChat mini-program notified her that their order was ready.

“Is yours ready? I can help you get it,” she said to Xiao Luohan, taking a screenshot of the pickup code and entering the crowded store, taking the two fruit teas from the busy staff.

As she handed the fruit tea to Xiao Luohan outside, Jiang Xue saw a male delivery driver rush into the store, pushing past the customers and shouting angrily at the counter, “Isn’t order 392 ready yet?! It’s going to be late!”

The staff member hurriedly apologized and checked the order status. “I’m sorry, we’re working on it! We’re very busy tonight! I’m so sorry…”

The delivery driver cursed, looking at his phone and then at the staff member, then cursed again, “Damn it! If you make me late, I’ll throw the milk tea on the floor!”

Some customers started leaving the store. Jiang Xue, who had already opened her fruit tea, was about to take a sip when she heard this and took out her phone, dialing the local police number, but didn’t press the call button yet.

This was her first time encountering such a situation, and she wasn’t sure how to explain it to the police, but she felt that even if the milk tea shop was delaying the order, the delivery driver shouldn’t resort to threats.

About three minutes later, three cups of milk tea were packed in a takeout bag and handed to the delivery driver.

Jiang Xue thought the matter was over, but the delivery driver looked at his phone, sneered, and tore open the stapled takeout bag, smashing the milk tea cups onto the floor, one by one.

The customers who were splashed with milk tea and toppings screamed.

“Your shop is always the slowest! All these women are useless!” the delivery driver said through gritted teeth. “I’m losing money, and you won’t get away with it either! Remember this! Next time you make me late, I’ll throw the milk tea on you!”

“…The nearest police station is at the end of this street,” Xiao Luohan’s voice suddenly rang out. “I’ve sent the audio recording to the police’s WeChat account, and the video is also being uploaded.”

The delivery driver, looking satisfied after smashing the milk tea, left, about to get on his scooter and drive away, when he was stopped by the police.

Jiang Xue hadn’t expected to be giving a statement at the police station, carrying drunken shrimp, drunken crabs, and roast duck.

“That person caused a disturbance in a public place, threatened the staff, damaged property, incited gender conflict, and is working in the food delivery industry in a major tourist area. He’ll be detained for a while, and the fines and compensation won’t be small,” she said to Xiao Luohan after leaving the police station. “Don’t worry, the police here will handle it.”

Xiao Luohan, who was hailing a taxi, nodded slightly, lost in thought.

After returning to the resort hotel, she finally explained to Jiang Xue, “Even shops in the capital can’t avoid this kind of situation. When Shizhu Jiejie opens her shop, should she hire some guards… no, security personnel?”

“Actually, this kind of person is quite rare here…” Jiang Xue said awkwardly. “But your concern is valid. I’ll discuss it with Shizhu Jiejie. I think security personnel just need to apply for a license from the police.”

Having witnessed this incident, they weren’t in the mood to do anything else and went to bed early.

The next morning, at 7:30 AM, Jiang Xue woke Xiao Luohan up to visit the morning market, reminding her, “The hotel has a shuttle bus to the morning market.”

“Are we having breakfast there?” Xiao Luohan asked, her voice slightly hoarse, as if she hadn’t slept well.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Xue couldn’t bear to drag her out and tried to put her back in bed, but Xiao Luohan grabbed her arm and sat up.

“I’m fine, A-Xue,” she said, and before Jiang Xue could say anything else, she leaned in and kissed her, silencing her.

Jiang Xue could only give in. After washing up and getting ready, the two, carrying their cameras and the mechanical fox, went to the lobby to wait for the shuttle bus.

Actually, her biggest expectation for the morning market was trying a bowl of hot douzhi (fermented mung bean milk), a local specialty, with Xiao Luo.

But douzhi, like houttuynia cordata, was a polarizing food, so she wanted Xiao Luo to be in her “best condition” when trying it.

Since Xiao Luo wasn’t feeling well today, Jiang Xue didn’t mention douzhi, taking her around the morning market, buying various hot and fragrant snacks, and entering a shop that allowed outside food, planning to fill their stomachs before returning to the hotel.

Xiao Luohan had also done some research on the local cuisine before the trip and could roughly guess what Jiang Xue had originally wanted to try.

But she felt that since Jiang Xue hadn’t mentioned it, there must be a reason. She wouldn’t pry and would at most ask tentatively before leaving.

So she went to the counter and said, “Hello, one cup of douzhi, not too much—I’m not from here.”

She had also been curious about douzhi for a long time and wanted to try it for Jiang Xue first.

The seats Jiang Xue had chosen were a bit far from the counter. She thought Xiao Luo had gone to buy soy milk or porridge. They had only bought dry snacks along the way and had entered this shop specifically for something warm.

A cup of douzhi was thus unexpectedly placed on their table.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you drink this,” she said, looking at Xiao Luohan with admiration. “I’ve only heard you say you could eat raw fish mint.”

“I don’t know if I can drink it either,” Xiao Luohan said, picking up the cup. “But I’ve been drinking all kinds of strange-tasting medicinal soups for years, douzhi shouldn’t be worse than those, right?”

Jiang Xue: …??

She wanted to stop her, but it was too late. She could only watch as Xiao Luohan tried the douzhi.

“…The online reviews weren’t wrong,” Xiao Luohan said calmly, putting down the cup after a few seconds. “‘The taste of 800-year-old soy milk.’ If you’re truly curious, you can try it, but I don’t recommend drinking it.”

After her evaluation, she took her cup and left, going to the restroom they had passed by earlier to rinse her mouth.

Jiang Xue just moved the cup closer, and the smell alone made her shiver. She silently placed it far away and ordered a cup of sweet soy milk for breakfast.

The pancakes were still crispy and delicious, and the small youtiao they had bought were also fragrant and soft. Putting aside the douzhi, this trip to the morning market had been very enjoyable.

Xiao Luohan, having been drinking medicine since childhood, wasn’t affected by the douzhi at all. On the contrary, having “tasted” the douzhi, the normal breakfast seemed even more delicious.

After finishing breakfast and returning to the hotel, the two started searching for nearby ice skating rinks.

The ice skating rinks in winter had both daytime and nighttime sessions, and besides ice skating, there were also other activities available.

After comparing them, they chose a nighttime session for those over sixteen, selecting all the activities they were interested in.

“I also brought the wallet from last time,” Xiao Luohan said, taking out the “Winter Lake” wallet she had bought at the souvenir shop abroad, as Jiang Xue was paying. “Since overcoming my fear of winter and snow, I’ve discovered… I quite like the scenery in cold weather.”

“The beauty of nature, some people even find enlightenment in it,” Jiang Xue replied. “There are many auspicious things in winter too, that’s how my sister and I got our names.”