hotmtlnovel Chapter 150: Braised Pork
Chapter 150: Braised Pork
Chapter 150: Braised Pork
The juice was taken by Xu Qing, who handed hot tea to Jiang He.
When talking about stockings before, Xu Qing had promised not to look at others, but now... this wasn't exactly "looking around."
In any case, Xu Qing didn't secretly glance at Liu Jingfang again.
A woman like her truly didn't match Qin Hao. On the other hand, if it were Wang Zijun, it might work—like Pan Jinlian meeting Ximen Qing. Putting these three together inevitably conjured some wild thoughts.
With just one glance, Xu Qing understood what felt off about Qin Hao's statement. It wasn't that a pretty girl like this couldn't like him, but rather that their "vibes" were all wrong.
Her flashy and flamboyant dressing style only served to highlight Qin Hao's wealth, without contributing anything else. Qin Hao had also put effort into his appearance, but the two of them didn't match at all. If her deep-V top, short skirt, and tights were swapped for something else—say, a long dress—it would be much more fitting than her current style.
A girl skilled in fashion like her should know this, especially after knowing Qin Hao for so long. Yet she insisted on dressing this way, making Qin Hao look like a nouveau riche demolition tycoon. Even if there was no issue, she didn't seem compatible with him.
"On our first blind date, I took her to eat Braised Chicken Rice," Qin Hao said, looking at the signboard across the street with some sentiment.
Liu Jingfang smiled but didn't respond.
"The first time I saw her, she ate a Chicken Wrap... Oh wait, she didn’t eat, she just had Congee," Xu Qing added.
"You weren't on a blind date," Qin Hao retorted, then noticed Xu Qing giving him a side-eye, as if saying, "You know you’re on a blind date, right?"
"It’s a special case, okay? I didn’t expect anything to come of it. My dad forced me to go. If I didn’t budget carefully, meeting three or five people a month would cost me half my salary," Qin Hao said defensively.
"I knew you were being perfunctory," Liu Jingfang commented.
"Obviously. You could tell it was just for show."
Back then, Qin Hao had indeed been deliberate. A meal costing just over ten yuan meant he could afford thirty blind dates a month. If he chose fancier places, a couple of dates would have drained his salary.
The two laughed as they talked about it. Qin Hao was also troubled about how to turn her down, but Liu Jingfang had already made her move. If he kept hesitating, it would seem ungrateful. Being overly honest was his weakness.
It wasn't like he had faced this sort of thing before—this was the first time a girl had confessed to him and taken complete control. If it were Xu Qing or Wang Zijun, they'd reject her cleanly if they thought it was a bad match. But Qin Hao overthought things, not wanting to come off as ungrateful, and dragged Xu Qing along to dinner, hoping for advice.
The restaurant was called "Xiang Cuisine House," specializing in Hunan cuisine blended with Jiang City’s local flavors. They mainly served stir-fried dishes. Qin Hao ordered Red-Braised Pork, Liu Jingfang chose Stewed Crucian Carp, Xu Qing went for Stir-Fried Pork Liver, and Jiang He picked something she'd never tried before—Chopped Chili Fish Head.
The dishes seemed a bit few, so Qin Hao added two more: a cold appetizer platter and their signature Crispy Duck.
The cold platter arrived first, followed by the Stir-Fried Pork Liver. Pork liver made an excellent pairing for alcohol, but since Qin Hao hardly drank after his promotion, Xu Qing found no joy in drinking alone, so they stuck to juice and soft drinks.
"She looks so graceful while eating," Jiang He whispered to Xu Qing.
Liu Jingfang took small, delicate bites, even using her left hand to shield her chin as she ate, exuding elegance and gentleness. Jiang He felt a twinge of envy. While she didn’t gobble food like a piglet, she could never achieve that level of refinement.
"You look good too," Xu Qing reassured the big eater, holding a bowl to serve rice for both of them.@@@@
If Jiang He weren’t there, they'd probably skip the rice entirely. Even Qin Hao wouldn’t eat it, feeling full just from the dishes. But Jiang He needed rice; otherwise, she’d be hungry again later in the evening, with her stomach growling.
Jiang He eating meant Xu Qing ate too. As they each held their bowls, Qin Hao glanced at Liu Jingfang and asked, "Should I get you a bowl?"
"No thanks, I can't eat that much," Liu Jingfang declined, shaking her head.
"Then..."
After some thought, Qin Hao said, "I’ll just get a little for myself."
Watching others eat made him crave some too. Thus, three of them had rice, while Liu Jingfang’s bowl remained empty, leaving her wondering if she'd been eating wrong all along.
When the Red-Braised Pork and Stewed Crucian Carp were brought out, they occupied half the table, finally adding to the mealtime atmosphere. Xu Qing glanced at the three dishes on the table and chuckled, "Red-Braised Pork is delicious, isn't it?"
Qin Hao picked up a piece of Red-Braised Pork, a mix of fat and lean, and tasted it, nodding in approval. "It’s good."
"Meat is best with a balance of fat and lean, and the Red-Braised Pork should have a bit of skin as well..."
"..."
Qin Hao froze for a moment. Looking at the three dishes on the table again, he broke into a grin.
"Why are you laughing?" Liu Jingfang and Jiang He both seemed puzzled.
"A classic scene." Xu Qing pulled out his phone to snap a picture, then looked at the two confused women. After some thought, he explained, "You wouldn't understand."
"Men’s camaraderie?" Liu Jingfang guessed.
"The joy of reading," Xu Qing corrected.
"..."
"Kill him."
"Is that really necessary?" Xu Qing groaned. "Relax. He’s not as pretty as you, so no one would take him in. If he came over, he’d have been discovered by now. The lack of news means he either didn’t come, or he got hit by a car the moment he arrived and turned into an unidentified corpse."
Even a pretty girl might have had a hard time without someone like Xu Qing helping her. Take Xu Wenbin, for example. He’d likely think it was some kind of miracle, have a breakdown over the discovery, and frantically contact the Academy of Sciences to have her carefully protected and studied with all sorts of instruments.
Basic human rights were a given, but for time travelers, the possibility of enjoying freedom and equality was uncertain... Who knew? If someone wanted to test that, they were welcome to try, but Jiang He wasn’t interested in being the guinea pig.
Xu Qing was mulling over human rights and time-travelers' rights when his gaze landed on a shop with a blue sign that read "Tarot Room." He pulled Jiang He along.
"Want to give this a try?"
"What’s this?"
"There’s a crystal ball inside. You ask it a question, and it gives you an answer. It’s like fortune-telling—just for fun."
"If it’s fake, why bother?"
"That’s why it’s called ‘fun,’" Xu Qing said casually.
"Does it have any meaning?"
"Meaning..." Xu Qing paused in thought. "If everything we do has to have meaning, I’d probably be at the Academy of Sciences right now building missiles."
Jiang He didn’t fully understand what building missiles entailed, but she figured it must be something impressive. Xu Qing’s point seemed to be that life didn’t always need to be purposeful—like holding hands while strolling through the streets.
By the time she’d pieced this together, they had reached the Tarot Room. She asked, "Can I ask if I’ll ever go back?"
"Sure. But if you ask something like whether you can return to the Tang Dynasty, they might think you’re crazy."
"Oh."
"Do you want to go in?"
"Let’s take a look." Jiang He was curious about the mysterious shop. Once inside, the dim lighting created an air of mystique.
Xu Qing had played this game before and didn’t join her in the session. Instead, he paid the fee and waited while Jiang He followed the fortune-teller behind a screen.
Mystical activities like this tended to intrigue both modern and ancient girls. Xu Qing imagined if Jiang He developed an interest in this and decided to learn it herself, it could be interesting...
Picture this: a Tang Dynasty lady knight wearing a cloak, face hidden beneath a hood, sitting before a crystal ball, with cards in hand and a tablecloth embroidered with stars and symbols spread before her. She’d deliver cryptic, philosophical guidance in her usual serious tone, captivating couples who sought her advice. Xu Qing found the thought amusing.
Tarot readings and astrology were just applications of the Barnum effect—offering vague and general statements that people interpreted as specific to themselves, backed by confirmation bias and psychological suggestion. Learning it wasn’t difficult.
After waiting for a while, Jiang He returned with the fortune-teller, her expression confused. She took Xu Qing’s hand as they left.
"What did you ask? Was it about going back?"
Xu Qing was curious. How would the fortune-teller react to someone asking if they could return to the Tang Dynasty?
Jiang He glanced at him, hesitated, and after a moment of silence, said uncertainly, "I asked about marriage..."
"..."
Ah, women.
Xu Qing sighed. "What did they say? ‘Far yet near, close yet distant’? Or maybe, ‘He’s already right by your side’?"
"How did you know?!" Jiang He was stunned. Had he eavesdropped?
"I dabble in these things," Xu Qing replied with a mysterious smile. "This is the guidance of fate."
Taking a woman to a Tarot shop late at night, where she asks about her marriage prospects... That was exactly what he would have said too.
"That’s pretty much it... So I guess I won’t kill you," Jiang He finally said after some hesitation.
"Why do I feel like you’re disappointed about that?"
"I’m not!"
"Good." Xu Qing stopped teasing her and used his free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Under the starry sky, Jiang He tilted her head upward. The twinkling lights looked like fireworks blooming in the distant sky, just like the night Xu Qing had held her hand during the New Year.
This must be what they called "close yet distant." And the "far yet near"?
Oh, it turned out to be separated by over a thousand years.