Liu Jinfei could feel the cool afternoon breeze hitting his skin as he pedaled his bicycle next to Shen Lingqing at the same speed she was doing. It was neither too fast nor too slow, enough for them to see and appreciate the scenery along their way. Thankfully, the weather today wasn’t hot, and it was quite cool outside, so they could enjoy their biking as they looked around.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the town proper where they could see houses, built and standing for generations. It was obvious that this place was good at protecting their cultural heritage as the locals were able to retain their ident.i.ty and hadn’t been influenced too much by modernity.
“Liu Jinfei, do you have spare change with you? I wanna eat those. It’s been a while since I last had them.” Shen Lingqing asked and then pointed at a stand where candied hawthorns were being sold.
Liu Jinfei blinked twice before nodding.
“I do. Wait here, and I’ll buy you some,” he said before alighting from his bicycle and leaning it against the trunk of the tall tree. The two decided to have a short break under its shade.
Since Shen Lingqing said she wanted it, who was he to decline her request? However, it surprised him to know that Shen Lingqing didn’t mind trying some sweets hawkers sell on the road. He hadn’t really met a young miss of a wealthy family who wanted to eat the food being sold in the streets.
Liu Jinfei bought four sticks of the candied hawthorns and then gave two sticks to her. He didn’t miss the glint that appeared in her eyes when she received the sweet treats from him.
“Thank you. I have a few bills with me, but I’m not sure the vendor has enough change for it,” she told him.
Shen Lingqing took a bite of it. The signature sweetness of caramelized sugar spread in her mouth before the distinct tartly flavor followed shortly. She then remembered visiting this place with her parents and her younger brother for the first time. When she and Lingtian were sightseeing with their father, they tried these candied hawthorns for the first time, and she liked it very much.
“I didn’t know Director Shen likes these kinds of treats.” Liu Jinfei smiled as he watched her eat one candied fruit after another.
“I usually don’t like sweets, unlike my mother,” the Shen princess admitted, “but eating this reminds me of a time when I was with Dad and Lingtian looking around the town, while Mom was busy at the restaurant.”
“I envy you, Director Shen. You seem really close to your family,” Liu Jinfei commented as he took a bite from his own stick.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say something so personal.” Shen Lingqing apologized once she realized that there was a sudden change in his expression. He must be missing his family terribly by now. How could she be so insensitive to his feelings?
“Oh, please don’t feel bad, Director Shen. You did nothing wrong.” Liu Jinfei kicked himself mentally. He shouldn’t have mentioned it to her and made her feel bad for him. This was the only day he could spend with her alone, and he wouldn’t dare to sully her good mood by mentioning depressing memories that he’d been keeping at bay most of his life.
“Anyway, should we get going? We still have enough time to look around before the sun sets,” he suggested.
Shen Lingqing nodded and finished her candied hawthorns before throwing the skewers in the trash bin.
“Then, let’s not waste time here,” she replied, knowing that Liu Jinfei didn’t want to talk about his family. It wasn’t her business to poke into his private affairs anyway, and neither were they close or familiar to each other for him to open up and bare his heart to her.
The issue was easily forgotten when they saw a night market was being set up at one of the main roads of the town.
“I guess they are already preparing for the festival tomorrow,” Shen Lingqing commented as she took a seat on a wooden bench at the park, where they could see the locals and tourists waiting for the night market to officially open for business.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a festival like this. Thank you for bringing us here, Director Shen. I sure hope Chef Lin and I would have enough time to buy some souvenirs later,” Liu Jinfei said as he tied the bicycles they were using next to the bench where she was seated.
“Sure. I don’t think that would be a problem. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time before our departure.” Shen Lingqing agreed as she made a mental note of the things she might need to buy not only for her family but for her cousins and for Qiao Lian. They would surely nag at her for those souvenirs.
“By the way, would you be able to come and watch us tomorrow?” Liu Jinfei asked curiously, “I would be happy if you could be there to give us some moral support.” He laughed bashfully.
“You do know I don’t care whether you win or lose, right?” The Shen princess replied, “It’s enough for me if you and Chef Lin do your best for tomorrow’s compet.i.tion. It’s also important for me to see that you enjoy the challenge you are facing.”
“To be honest, Director Shen, I’m not a compet.i.tive person.” He took a seat next to her and popped open the cold drink he was holding, only to pa.s.s it to Shen Lingqing.
She mouthed a ‘thanks’ and took a sip of it, aware that the sun had already set and the lamp posts around them started to glow one after another. This only meant that the night market was officially open.
“It’s fine. As long as you enjoy cooking, the rest shouldn’t matter.”