Peach Blossom Unmatched

Chapter 2 Reuniting with the Beauty

It wasn't until the innocent-looking beauty got off the bus that Qin Feng realized he had made a fatal mistake— he had forgotten to ask for her phone number.

To make matters worse, he realized he had missed his stop. He had no choice but to get off the bus quickly.

Everything before his eyes was vastly different from what it had been over a decade ago. The low-rise residential buildings of the past were long gone, replaced by towering skyscrapers.

Based on the memories he had retained from childhood, he was certain that the place where he now stood was where his home used to be.

The problem was, he was standing on top of a thirty-story building.

Looking down, he spotted a narrow street. The low, dilapidated buildings on either side of the street stood out like a sore thumb amid the surrounding environment.

A look of doubt crossed Qin Feng's face, and a name popped into his mind: "Laosan Street!"

Twenty minutes later, he stood at the entrance of Laosan Street. Finally, amid all the strangeness, he found a hint of familiarity.

Every summer, Laosan Street would be taken over by food stalls. It was 6:30 p.m., and tables and chairs had already been set up along both sides of the street. It seemed this tradition had endured for over a decade.

Since it was an old street, many long-time residents still lived here. He would be able to ask around and find out some information.

Across the street, at one of the food stalls, a girl wearing an apron was arranging ingredients. Wasn't she the innocent-looking beauty he had met on the bus earlier?

Yes, it was definitely her.

Even though she had changed out of her professional outfit and into plain clothes, and was wearing a gray apron, she still couldn't hide her natural beauty.

He had just been regretting not asking for her name, and now they had met again so soon. Could this be what people called "fate"?

Ahem. Qin Feng wiped the slightly lecherous look off his face and walked toward the food stall.

"Boss, what are your specialty dishes... Wait, it's you! What a coincidence?" he said, pretending to be surprised.

The innocent-looking beauty was startled at first, then broke into a smile: "Yes, what a coincidence! Are you here to eat? Then please sit down quickly. I really owe you one for helping me earlier!"

"Heh, it was just a small favor. Like I said, any Chinese person would have done the same," Qin Feng replied, going out of his way to showcase his sense of justice.

The girl, now with a fresh, makeup-free face, said seriously: "I really must thank you. Since you've come to my family's restaurant, dinner is on me today! By the way, are you here alone or with friends?"

"I'm alone," Qin Feng told himself reluctantly. "I really didn't come here to get a free meal. My main goal is to ask for information, and getting to know this beauty is just a bonus."

The food stall didn't offer a wide variety of dishes— mostly spicy crawfish, river snails, spicy fish heads, plus some fresh vegetables.

After sitting down, he put on a smile that he thought would make thousands of girls fall for him and said: "By the way, I still don't know your name. I'm Qin Feng— Qin as in the Qin Dynasty, Feng as in 'beacon fire'."

The girl's cheeks turned pink as she said: "My name is Fang Fang— Fang as in 'circumference', Fang as in 'fragrant grass'."

Qin Feng nodded approvingly: "Fang Fang, that's a lovely name. Mm-hmm!"

Fang Fang went back into the shop. She recommended their signature dish— spicy fish head— which was cooked by her father, the head chef.

In the back room, after listening to their daughter's account of what had happened on the bus, Fang Fang's mother, Li Ru, frowned and said: "Fang Fang, do you think he followed you here on purpose?"

"That's impossible! He didn't get off the bus when I did!" Fang Fang said, her face still flushed. "I took a shortcut home. Even if he had gotten off at the next stop, he couldn't have caught up with me."

Fang Fang's father, Fang Yuan, was an honest man. He spoke up: "Honey, you're always overthinking things. That young man helped our daughter, so why are you suspecting him?"

Li Ru retorted unhappily: "Have you forgotten how many people have tried to hit on our two beautiful daughters? Haven't you noticed that our business has gotten much better since Fang Fang started helping out here?"

"Mom, what are you saying?" Fang Fang pouted. "Are you implying that I'm some kind of 'bean curd beauty' who attracts customers?"

Li Ru forced a laugh: "Of course not. I'm just looking out for you. It's good for a girl to be cautious, so you don't get tricked by those bad men!"

As she spoke, she deliberately shot a glance at the honest Fang Yuan, her words clearly carrying a veiled meaning.

Fang Yuan saw that the argument was about to drag him in, so he quickly picked up his wok and went outside.

Soon, a plate of steaming, fragrant spicy fish head was placed in front of Qin Feng. Fang Fang handed him a pair of chopsticks personally and said: "Try it— it's absolutely authentic!"

"Heh, then I won't stand on ceremony!" Qin Feng took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth. The four flavors— spicy, numbing, fresh, and savory— exploded on his taste buds all at once.

He immediately gave a thumbs-up: "It's delicious! This is the best fish head I've ever had!"

Then he waved his thumb at Fang Yuan, who was standing nearby with a simple smile on his face.

Over the past two years, he had carried out missions all over the world, but he had never once returned to China, let alone tasted home-cooked food like this.

"Don't just say nice things. Everyone on Laosan Street knows that the Fang family makes the best spicy fish head," Fang Fang said. There was a hint of testing in her words. After hearing what her mother had said, she was also starting to wonder if Qin Feng had followed her here on purpose.

Qin Feng waved his hand: "This is really my first time eating it, and my first time coming here... Well, to be precise, it's my first time coming to Laosan Street in fifteen years. The last time I was here, I was five years old."

With his witty and talkative nature, he quickly struck up a lively conversation with Fang Fang and her father. Even Li Ru, who had been suspicious of him at first, began to think that this young man wasn't so bad after all.

More customers arrived one after another. It was clear that the Fang family's business was indeed the best on the street. Before it even got dark, all the tables were filled.

Qin Feng would occasionally glance at Fang Fang as she busied herself. He thought to himself: "She's such a nice girl— working during the day and helping her family run the food stall in the evening."

The group of customers sitting at the next table didn't seem like good people. After downing a case of beer, a man with a punk-style haircut shouted loudly: "Boss, another case of beer!"

"Coming right up!" Fang Fang replied.

Fang Yuan, the head chef, was too busy to leave the kitchen. Li Ru was busy settling the bill for another table of customers. So the task of delivering the beer naturally fell to Fang Fang.

Fang Fang struggled slightly as she carried a case of beer over to their table. She was already sweating profusely. After bending down to put the beer down, she said to the customers: "Here's your beer. Enjoy!"

As she turned to leave, the punk-haired man grabbed her wrist: "Wait a minute. Why don't you sit down and have a few drinks with us?"

"I still have work to do," Fang Fang said, trying to pull her hand back.

The punk-haired man grabbed her wrist again, a lecherous smile on his face: "Don't be so distant. Having a few drinks with us will do you good. Let me tell you the truth— I'm Brother Hu's younger brother. If your family wants to keep doing business on Laosan Street, you'd better give me this face."

Crash!

The sound of a glass shattering rang out. Qin Feng slowly stood up from his seat.