Volume One, Chapter Fourteen: "A Beauty to Feast Upon"

Thinking of her bedridden husband Jia Dongxu at home, she grew even more agitated. Touching the bruises on her body caused by him, an unnamed fury surged within her.
“Why hasn’t he died yet?”
Qin Huairu secretly wished for Jia Dongxu’s early death, for Jia Zhang to remain forever imprisoned, and for the simple-minded Sha Zhu to regain his freedom.
But it was not for the sake of spending the rest of her life with Sha Zhu.
Since Sha Zhu left, Qin Huairu felt life grow increasingly difficult, struggling even to get leftover food from the factory. Yet she had never imagined marrying Sha Zhu; after all, a goddess never considers a mere backup.

Meanwhile, at the Su residence, Su Jianshe was about to take Chu Yan out for a meal when the door was locked.
“Sis, let’s go. There’s no food at home; let’s eat out!”
Chu Yan, just stepping out, blushed under the gaze of others and shyly said,
“Brother Jianshe, maybe not. Eating out is too expensive.”
Ignoring the gossip around them, Su Jianshe simply wanted his sister to enjoy a good meal. He had five thousand yuan given by the old master; if he didn’t spend it, it would be useless. Worse, if a thief appeared, it would be a bigger loss.
“Don’t worry, breakfast won’t cost much.”

His words stunned several neighbors busy with their chores, who then muttered with envy,
“Su Jianshe is really making it; he doesn’t even eat breakfast at home!”
“Where does he get the money?”
“It’s just a few stinking bucks, yet he eats breakfast out. I can’t stand people like that…”
“Yeah, a drunkard with money? Where does that come from?”

Hearing this, Chu Yan grew even more embarrassed.
“Brother Jianshe, let’s go back. Even if we have money, we shouldn’t waste it. There will be more expenses ahead.”
Seeing Chu Yan’s hurt expression, Su Jianshe understood her thoughts perfectly.
“It’s okay. The food on this street is cheap and delicious. I’ll take you to try them all!”
“Our family may have nothing else, but money is abundant.”
He deliberately stretched his words, then grabbed Chu Yan’s hand and quickly headed toward a breakfast stall at the street corner.

The dishwashing aunties nearby immediately scowled.
“So what if you have some money?”
“You’ll cry one day!”
“A pheasant dressed as a phoenix, dreaming of flying high? Look at yourself first.”

Beside the courtyard, in a narrow alley, a limping old man carefully dropped freshly made noodles into a shallow oil pan, the air filled with tempting aromas.
Even Chu Yan, who never ate breakfast out, had her eyes sparkle at the scent.
“Smells wonderful!”
The old man skillfully lifted golden, puffed youtiao with long chopsticks, hanging them aside.
Seeing Su Jianshe and Chu Yan, he called out,
“Young man, how about some youtiao for you and your lady? The taste is truly authentic!”

“Lady?”
Lost in the intoxicating aroma, Chu Yan shyly lowered her head at the words.
“Sir, please don’t say that... I...”
Her voice was barely audible, like a whisper, but Su Jianshe’s keen hearing caught it.
He laughed heartily and pulled Chu Yan to sit down.
“Sir, two portions of youtiao and soy milk for us, please!”

Had he not stumbled upon this breakfast stall by chance, Su Jianshe would never have known that such morning fare existed in Beijing.
Business was slow; only a few hurriedly bought youtiao and left, leaving them to enjoy their meal.
“All right, two youtiao and two bowls of soy milk, twenty cents!”

Chu Yan’s face showed a mixture of pity and reluctance.
To her, spending twenty cents seemed extravagant.
But with Su Jianshe’s bulging wallet, he cared little for the small sum.
He casually handed the old man fifty cents.
Soon, the old man returned with the youtiao, large bowls, and change.
The bowls were indeed enormous.
Even Su Jianshe felt somewhat full after finishing a bowl, not to mention the golden, crispy youtiao.
Even Chu Yan’s eyes brightened after tasting the youtiao, despite her initial hesitation.
She couldn’t resist trying the soy milk as well.

“This youtiao is delicious, and the soy milk is fragrant and sweet!”
“No wonder your stall has lasted so long.”
Chu Yan happily ate and drank.
Su Jianshe smiled warmly watching his fiancée, a profound satisfaction blossoming within him.

“What good is it to return to a past life?”
He thought of his previous life, a corporate drone’s existence.
Now, though the environment was harsh, it was filled with hope and dreams—and a beautiful fiancée.
Perhaps something he could never have in his former life.

Chu Yan, savoring the soy milk, seemed to notice and glanced up shyly.
She saw Su Jianshe’s handsome face smiling quietly at her, as if admiring a work of art.
Her cheeks flushed again.
Nervously, she took a few more sips and lowered her head, unsure what to say.
“Brother Jianshe, you should eat your breakfast; don’t keep staring at me... I’m getting embarrassed.”
“Ha! Little Yan, you are a beautiful sight yourself!”
Su Jianshe laughed heartily and began eating.

The breakfast was truly authentic—delicious, affordable, and generously portioned.
Su Jianshe felt about eighty percent full afterward, while Chu Yan thought she could skip lunch.

After the meal, bathed in their teacher’s smile, they strolled toward a quiet alley.
Though they had walked far, Chu Yan’s face remained flushed.
Her thoughts drifted back to the table, to Su Jianshe’s words “a beauty to feast upon.”
“What did he mean? Was that a hint of affection?”
“No, too embarrassing…”

Now he had quit drinking, showed tenderness, cooked meals, and cared for family—a rarity among men in the courtyard where women usually ruled the kitchen.
Thinking this, Chu Yan’s image of Su Jianshe grew taller and her cheeks redder.
“Is Brother Jianshe serious about me, or just joking?”
“If I agree too easily, won’t he look down on me?”

Lost in thought, she suddenly felt her hand gently grasped, causing her heart to skip.
“Who... this is a public street!”
She tried to pull away, but the firm grip held fast, impossible to shake.
Fortunately, the street was nearly empty, and the alley quiet.

Su Jianshe quietly held her hand, feeling its warmth and the faint fragrance from her palm.
Not from this era, he struggled to fully understand contemporary expressions of affection, but he knew:
“If I don’t hold tight, my love might slip away. Besides, she cares for me too.”

Chu Yan was gentle and skilled in household tasks. Su Jianshe knew her worth but had never found the chance to deepen their bond.
Now, in this empty alley, a moment to hold hands between two young souls must not be missed.

He harbored no rush; after all, she had been his childhood playmate for over a decade.
Regarding their childhood friendship?
Su Jianshe’s grip on Chu Yan’s hand loosened briefly when a bicycle bell rang behind them and Chu Yan struggled.

“Ding-ling-ling…”
Third Uncle Yan Buguai rode his old bicycle, habitually ringing the bell with his own rationale: “Cycling is like raising people; one must alert the world.” He claimed the bell was to warn pedestrians, not to show off.

Yet, when Yan Buguai reached the alley entrance, he unexpectedly saw Su Jianshe and Chu Yan.
“Jianshe, Chu Yan, good morning!” Yan Buguai greeted with a smile, explaining the bell’s noise: “It’s a bit faulty, it rings at every alley to avoid accidents.”

Su Jianshe frowned but nodded stiffly, displeased that Yan Buguai had interrupted their rare private moment.

Chu Yan blushed deeply, too shy to meet Yan Buguai’s eyes, hurriedly saying,
“Good morning, Third Uncle! I’m going to be late for work; I’ll go first!”
She ran off with head bowed and cheeks aflame.

Su Jianshe paid no mind to Yan Buguai behind them and quickly followed.
Yan Buguai watched their retreating backs, thinking to himself,
“Such a good girl, how wonderful it would be if she became my daughter-in-law!”
Then he called after the departing Chu Yan,
“Little Yan, don’t rush, it’s still early. I’ll see you off!”

Catching up to Chu Yan by the main road, Su Jianshe maintained a respectful distance.
Even in the age of free love, a sense of propriety remained important.
Yet he still cared deeply for her feelings.

Chu Yan kept her head down, her cheeks red like ripe apples, seemingly too shy to speak.
Su Jianshe began telling a little story he’d heard:
“…And so, Snow Maiden was saved by Little Wang, and they lived happily ever after.”

Due to the circumstances, Su Jianshe cleverly adapted the story’s details and names.
Arriving at her workplace, Chu Yan whispered,
“Brother Jianshe… let’s talk at home. Holding hands now feels so strange…”
Without looking back, she hurried to her station.

Su Jianshe noticed her rosy cheeks, like the dazzling clouds at sunset—breathtakingly beautiful.
“Life like this is quite good!”

Just then, a stray dog wagged its tail, stumbling over to him.
“Woof woof woof... whimper~ woof!”
Su Jianshe was about to leave but was blocked by the sudden dog, which barked intermittently at him.
“Strange, why is Wangcai barking at me? I don’t have bones, and I’m not single anymore!”
He shook his head with a wry smile, ignoring it as he continued toward the steel mill.

Though usually punctual and with no pressing matters, lately he had been taking leave or leaving early. Another tardy arrival would be hard to excuse.
“Woof woof woof…”
Unexpectedly, the dog followed closely.
It seemed intelligent—not aggressive nor harmful—just occasionally barking softly, silently trailing Su Jianshe.

He was captivated by the little dog.
He examined it while walking: golden fur, erect ears, long and strong limbs, occasionally panting, looking endearingly clumsy.
To his surprise, it was a rare yellow back with a white belly.
“This is a rare Jinbuhuan dog; which owner would let it roam so freely?”

The yellow back and white belly symbolize a golden back and snowy white underside, a sign of an intelligent dog, priceless in value.

Su Jianshe grew more curious about why the dog barked at him.
“I didn’t owe it any food!”
“Maybe it’s hungry?”

As he pondered, a voice sounded in his ear:
“Ding! Host, have you checked in?”
“Yes!”
He answered without hesitation, eager to see what reward the daily check-in would bring.

In the past, whether it was Bajiquan or instant noodles, the benefits were substantial; today would be no different.
Then he heard another prompt:
“Congratulations, host, you have acquired the talent: Empathy with Animals!”

His mind flooded with information about this new ability.
Moments later, he regained focus.
“So Empathy with Animals not only lets me understand other creatures’ languages, but also passively increases their fondness for me. Too bad it seems limited to animals.”

The dog beside him seemed to notice something’s different, tilting its head while staring at Su Jianshe as if sensing the change.
“Woof… hungry…”

Just as Su Jianshe prepared to test this “Friend of Animals” talent, he suddenly understood the dog’s barking meaning, despite it still being “woof woof.”
He grasped Wangcai’s intention, though helplessly.
“So you’re following me looking for food.”

Wangcai apparently didn’t expect Su Jianshe to comprehend it. When Su Jianshe paused, the dog sat down, scratching its waist with its hind paw.
“Woof… hungry…”
“Woof… Big Black found some shiny golden things in the trash can. Humans prize them, but they’re not edible!”

Since gaining the talent, Su Jianshe noticed the dog was unusually talkative, chattering nonstop. Yet he caught a few key points.
“This dog seems to be the local dog leader, living near the courtyard—what a coincidence.”

Su Jianshe was about to leave but suddenly an idea struck him.