上海安全生产监督局

Chapter 26

Seeing her smile, Xiao Mubai also hooked his lips: "As long as you\'re happy."

He was only doing this to make her happy.

Looking at Xiao Mubai\'s face, Shen Nian thought, Xiao Mubai was perhaps the only ray of light in her dark world.

"Let me take you out for dinner today?" Shen Nian took the initiative to speak.

Hearing this, Xiao Mubai\'s eyes lit up and he quickly responded, "Great! You offered it yourself, no going back on your word."

Shen Nian couldn\'t help but chuckle, reassuring him, "Don\'t worry, I won\'t go back on my word."

.............................................

There were no special activities for the school\'s centennial celebration. Shen Nian took a quick look around and left at noon.

After having lunch with Xiao Mubai, she spent the afternoon at a nice library.

Perhaps there was too much bitterness and repression in her life, so she felt the rare tranquility was happiness.

By the time she thought of going home, it was already past 4:30 in the afternoon.

Shen Nian hung up her phone and started thinking about what to eat for dinner.

For some reason, she suddenly wanted to cook by herself.

Previously, she had been too busy with work and ate at the company or ordered takeout. Her kitchen at home was covered in a layer of dust.

No matter how good the food at restaurants and takeout was, it lacked the taste of home.

Today, she finally had time. Shen Nian thought for a moment then went to the nearby farmer\'s market after leaving the library.

There was also produce at the supermarket, but Shen Nian still chose the farmer\'s market.

The moment she stepped into the farmer\'s market, the shouts of peddlers mixed with the sounds of haggling rushed into her ears. It was a little chaotic.

For some reason, Shen Nian rather enjoyed this messiness. Listening to the clamor, she felt like there were other people\'s voices in her world, not just her own.

"Young lady, do you want to take a look at the potatoes?"

Hearing someone calling her, Shen Nian turned her head to see an aunt dressed simply waving at her.

Seeing that Shen Nian had looked over, the aunt immediately revealed a bright smile and enthusiastically introduced her wares.

"The vegetables from my stall are grown without pesticides, fresh and healthy! Take a look."

"Sure." Shen Nian smiled slightly.

Standing in front of the aunt\'s stall, the aunt enthusiastically said, "Look at my potatoes. Aren\'t they much bigger than other people\'s? The taste when stir-fried is completely different, trust me!"

"And these cucumbers, I grew them myself. Although they don\'t look very nice, I guarantee they are pesticide-free!"

"Young lady, take a look at this as well..."

The aunt was too enthusiastic, and Shen Nian was a little overwhelmed, saying with a wry smile, "Auntie, I\'m eating alone."

The aunt suddenly realized and quickly nodded, "Eating alone? Then buy less, otherwise it\'d be wasteful if you buy too much!"

As she spoke, she put some of the potatoes she had helped pick out for Shen Nian back on the stand, leaving only two or three, just the right amount for a dish.

"You can put the potatoes back, but since this is your first time buying from me, it\'s better to buy less first, to try if it\'s delicious. If so, come back another time!"

"Thank you, auntie." Shen Nian smiled.

The aunt weighed the potatoes and told Shen Nian the quantity and price, then grabbed a handful of scallions and garlic and added them in, "These are for you."

Seeing the aunt being so enthusiastic, Shen Nian decided to speak up, "I don\'t go out to buy groceries often. I want to buy some ingredients that can be stored. Please recommend some to me, auntie."

The aunt\'s eyes lit up and she quickly said, "There are quite a few that can be stored! My carrots are especially good. Make carrot cakes, carrot and yam soup, they are great! If you don\'t want to be bothered, you can simply stir-fry carrots and eggs."

"Winter melon can also be stored for a long time. Winter melon soup, I\'ll pick a smaller winter melon for you so there won\'t be any waste since you\'re eating alone!"

Shen Nian smiled and nodded, "Then I\'ll listen to you, auntie."

The aunt enthusiastically helped pick nice carrots and winter melon while chatting and laughing, "Young lady, you look so petite yet you\'re out buying groceries yourself, really sensible! Unlike my daughter who only knows how to scroll on her phone and order express deliveries at home all day!"

It was rare to meet such a warm-hearted auntie. Shen Nian was also very patient in answering her questions.

"Auntie, I\'m 23 already, not that young."

"Oh my, 23?" The aunt looked surprised. "I really couldn\'t tell, I thought you were only twenty, around the same age as my daughter. I didn\'t expect you to be older than her."

Shen Nian smiled.

"23 already, have you started working?"

"Yes, I already have a job."

"How\'s work? A smart girl like you must have found a good job, right?"

"It\'s not bad, I\'m the CEO\'s assistant."

"The CEO\'s assistant!" The aunt looked very surprised. "I know what that is, it\'s a great job!"

Regular factories only have bosses and factory managers. Only the person in charge of big companies is called the CEO.

To be the CEO\'s assistant without skills and capabilities? Impossible to become the CEO\'s assistant!

Shen Nian smiled, "It\'s quite good."

"Wonderful." The aunt said, "My daughter is in her third year of university, will be a senior when school starts. She\'s about to enter society too, but that girl thinks of nothing but vanity all day long, not as capable as you!"

Despite the complaints, the aunt\'s smile was full of joy when talking about her daughter.

Seeing her smile, Shen Nian was lost in thought for a moment, but quickly revealed a new smile, reassuring her, "You love her so much, she won\'t fail to live up to your hopes."

The aunt was extremely pleased to be pacified like this. She passed the weighed vegetables to Shen Nian, "I like you, child. Come by often in the future!"

"Sure."

After buying the groceries, Shen Nian returned home.

Upon getting home, she first changed her shoes, then carried the vegetables into the kitchen.

The pots and pans in the kitchen hadn\'t been used for a long time. She scrubbed a pot first, then wiped the countertop before rinsing the vegetables. Then she took a knife and sliced what needed to be sliced, julienned what needed to be julienned.

When Lu Lingchuan came back, he saw the busy Shen Nian. The moment he saw her figure, Lu Lingchuan felt as if he was a husband coming home from work, walking in to see his wife preparing dinner.

This scene...was the future he had longed for since he was twenty. He never thought he would get to see it in his lifetime.

Shen Nian was rinsing the rice. She rarely cooked, so while she knew the basics, she wasn\'t very skilled.

Simple tasks like cooking noodles and scrambling eggs were fine, but she didn\'t know how to make more complex dishes.

Like cooking rice, every time she rinsed it, the water would become cloudy. Shen Nian wasn\'t sure if it was thoroughly washed and kept rinsing again and again.

She was hesitating whether to look up how many times rice should be rinsed when the man\'s deep voice sounded from the doorway.

"Rice only needs to be rinsed 2-3 times, scrub gently when rinsing. Rinsing too many times will deplete the vitamins, protein, and minerals in the rice."

Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Nian looked up to see Lu Lingchuan standing at the door.

The last time he came back, they had a huge fight. Their relationship had been icy since then.

Shen Nian thought Lu Lingchuan wouldn\'t come again, so she was a little surprised to see him now.