MGTSSSR Chapter 2

Mr. Gu was a man of his word. On Friday night, he confirmed over WeChat with Xiaoci that he would pick her up Saturday morning to try out a private kitchen in Xi’an.

 

When they met again, Xiaoci was dressed in a light pink crew-neck T-shirt and white shorts, topped off with a large straw sunhat. To Mr. Gu’s surprise, he himself was wearing a white polo shirt and a pair of pink shorts.

 

The moment they saw each other, they froze for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. It was almost like they were wearing couple outfits…

 

Before long, Mr. Gu skillfully drove into an old residential neighborhood and led Xiaoci into a small courtyard house nestled deep within the area.

 

In the courtyard, Mr. Gu greeted a woman who seemed to be the owner with a casual “Sister-in-law” and then escorted Xiaoci to a seat. The wooden tables and chairs had an old-fashioned design, the air conditioning hummed soothingly, and a large ceramic fish tank surrounded by greenery added to the homely yet chic private kitchen atmosphere.

 

The dishes were served quickly. Each portion was small, with no elaborate plating, resembling homemade meals that balanced simplicity with creativity.

 

For example, there was a salted egg and eggplant dish that you’d never find elsewhere, and a plate of chilled tofu with wasabi.

 

Seeing Xiaoci’s curious expression, Mr. Gu smiled and handed her a pair of disposable chopsticks he had unwrapped. “Go ahead and try. This is my secret hideout!”

 

Xiaoci eagerly picked up a piece of sweet and sour spare ribs placed at the center of the table. In truth, this restaurant didn’t typically serve sweet and sour ribs—it was a special request Mr. Gu had made to the chef.

 

The ribs were tangy and crispy, likely boiled and then fried. The sauce was more sour than usual sweet and sour ribs, but the flavor was unique, not quite lemony, and sweeter than tomato sauce.

 

“This is so delicious! I’ve never had sweet and sour spare ribs like this before!”

 

Watching Xiaoci’s eyes sparkle with delight, Mr. Gu smiled but said nothing. He certainly wasn’t going to admit that he’d brought his prized bottle of red wine and a batch of persimmon vinegar to the restaurant on Friday night to help the chef perfect the sauce.

 

“Don’t just eat the sweet and sour ribs—try the other dishes,” he urged.

 

“Okay, okay!”

 

Then, with a mischievous grin, Mr. Gu placed a piece of tofu drenched in sauce onto Xiaoci’s plate. Completely unprepared, Xiaoci popped it into her mouth, only to immediately tear up.

 

The wasabi tofu lived up to its reputation!

 

Unable to hold back his laughter, Mr. Gu found Xiaoci’s reaction utterly adorable. Her quick glare at him, filled with mock indignation, only made her look even cuter.

 

Determined to get even, Xiaoci grabbed a piece of sweet and sour ribs, coated it in the wasabi sauce, and plopped it into Mr. Gu’s bowl.

 

Giving her an indulgent smile, Mr. Gu calmly ate the wasabi-flavored sweet and sour ribs. His composed demeanor and the hint of affection in his smile left Xiaoci momentarily speechless.

 

For the first time, Mr. Gu realized that wasabi-flavored sweet and sour ribs were actually quite good. Somehow, the usual tanginess didn’t bother him as much—it wasn’t overly sour, either.

 

That day, the two didn’t order any staples. Yet every dish on the table was cleaned to the last bite.

 

When Xiaoci finished the final piece of sweet and sour ribs and put down her chopsticks, she slumped onto the table with a groan.

 

“Aaaahhh!!!”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“This food was so good, and I forgot to take pictures!”

 

“Hahahahahaha!”

 

In an uncharacteristically bold move, Mr. Gu reached out and patted Xiaoci’s head. The look of affection in his eyes was so obvious that both the owner and the chef couldn’t help but notice the “pink bubbles” surrounding the table.

 

When it came time to pay, Xiaoci quickly ran up to the owner to settle the bill, only to find it had already been paid. Mr. Gu waved his phone with a smug smile and said, “Phones are faster than cash!”

 

Xiaoci pouted, her mix of frustration and grievance making her look even more endearing. Mr. Gu laughed even harder.

 

To him, this girl was truly a ray of sunshine sent by fate to brighten his life.