Chapter 11: Wasting Good Food

The little thug had just raised his foot when he felt a sharp pain somewhere. Lin Ruanruan slowly lowered her raised foot, looking innocently at the half-kneeling thug.

Cheng Dong had been eagerly waiting for his lackey to call for backup, but to his surprise, the little stutterer had outmaneuvered them.

Both brothers were now at the mercy of others, quickly shifting from extorting protection fees to being extorted themselves.

Lin Ruanruan's stall was originally in a corner, and now there were hardly any people on the street. Even if someone passed by and saw these two being beaten, they had no intention of intervening.

Cheng Dong had been running wild in Changping Town for years, and every vendor on this street had paid him protection fees. No one liked this little thug.

After taking down Cheng Dong's lackey, Lin Ruanruan pursed her lips and innocently looked at Cheng Dong, who had a small mustache.

At that moment, Cheng Dong was being held by Bai Cheng'an, unable to struggle or attack, caught in a dilemma.

"For... for... for the last time, co... co... compensate," Lin Ruanruan demanded in her stuttering yet childish voice, extending her small hand in front of Cheng Dong once again.

"Two hundred wen," Bai Cheng'an emphasized.

The two exchanged a glance, both smiling.

Running into these two troublemakers, Cheng Dong was truly out of luck. He gritted his teeth and took out a piece of broken silver from his pocket, roughly weighing about two qian.

"Take it, take it, take it."

Lin Ruanruan took the piece of silver and weighed it in her hand, feeling extremely satisfied. This piece of silver was enough for her to buy several days' worth of sugar-roasted chestnut meals from the black-hearted supermarket.

Giving Bai Cheng'an a look, the honest man immediately let go of the collar he was holding.

With the support gone, Cheng Dong nearly fell straight to the ground.

Barely stabilizing himself, he saw the little stutterer picking up the iron pot from the ground.

Bai Cheng'an took the iron pot from Lin Ruanruan, stepped over Cheng Dong with his long legs, and walked away.

Cheng Dong was filled with hatred, but today he had only brought one lackey with him, completely outmatched by this burly man. He could only watch helplessly as they swaggered away.

"Remember to clean up the ground," Bai Cheng'an coldly instructed after taking a few steps.

"Big brother, big brother, help me," his lackey cried out from the ground, clutching his lower body, his face twisted in pain.

The pain was unbearable. Even with Cheng Dong's help, he could barely stand.

"Useless fool, getting handled like this by a little stutterer," Cheng Dong cursed, but still didn't abandon his lackey.

Lin Ruanruan, carrying an empty basket, followed behind the rough man. The man, walking with vigorous strides, seemed to be walking slower than usual, perhaps tired from the fight.

She pouted, adjusting the straps of her basket. Today's chestnut sales were good, netting her three qian of silver.

Including the compensation from the thug, she now had two taels and five qian. Just another tael and five qian, and she could redeem the jade pendant, then she could leave and start anew elsewhere.

Bai Cheng'an carried her sooty iron pot in one hand and a burlap sack in the other, seemingly filled with various items.

By the time they reached home, it was nearly dinner time. Lin Ruanruan still felt bad about the spilled chestnuts; she hadn't had enough herself!

"I bought rice and white flour. Take a rest, I'll cook something," Bai Cheng'an said as he started to busy himself after putting the items down.

Lin Ruanruan, exhausted from roasting chestnuts all day, was happy to have someone else cook for her.

She counted the pieces of broken silver on the table, carefully placing them in a money bag.

This small town had better business than she had expected.

If she sold more than just sugar-roasted chestnuts tomorrow, she might earn even more.

The sooner she earned enough to redeem the jade pendant, the less guilty she would feel.

Looking up at the rough man busy cooking, she saw he had somehow acquired a piece of red meat, now chopping it into large chunks to cook.

Such good meat, how could it be tasty just boiled in plain water!

"St...st...stop!" Lin Ruanruan loudly tried to stop him, but her words got tangled on her tongue, and by the time she finished speaking, Bai Cheng'an had already put all the meat into the pot.

"Wa...wa...waste..." She was so angry that she pointed at the meat in the pot, her fingers trembling.

"Wasting good food?" Bai Cheng'an raised his thick eyebrows and finished her stammered sentence.

"Yes!" Lin Ruanruan nodded solemnly.

Boiling such good meat was indeed a waste.

Fortunately, she had a way to remedy this.

Ignoring the odd look the rough man gave her, she ran outside.

When she returned, she had a few cloves of garlic, some green onions, cilantro, and a few small red chili peppers.

Boiled meat is flavorless, so she planned to make a dipping sauce to save it.

She quickly chopped the herbs and placed them in a bowl, minced the chili peppers, added salt, and poured hot oil over them. Then she added soy sauce and vinegar.

The soy sauce here wasn't as varied as it would be in the future, but it was rich and fragrant.

When the hot oil hit the chili and garlic, the aroma was released. After adding the soy sauce and vinegar, the smell became even more intense.

Bai Cheng'an watched her quietly. When the aroma from the bowl filled the air, his calm eyes finally showed some interest.

He had added a bit of salt to the meat as it boiled, so while it was edible, it wasn't flavorful.

Seeing Lin Ruanruan take a piece of the cooked meat and put it in her mouth, her face showing satisfaction, his mouth began to water.

Lin Ruanruan was captivated by the sweetness of the meat and the delicious dipping sauce she made, which made even shoe soles taste good. She couldn't help but wave her hand twice.

Realizing that there was a man watching her, her irritation vanished.

She touched her nose, picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in the sauce, and offered it to Bai Cheng'an.

Without needing words, Bai Cheng'an understood her gesture. He gently bit into the hot meat slice and chewed a few times, finding it sweeter and more flavorful than any meat he had eaten before.

His dark eyes gleamed slightly, and a small smile appeared on his stubbled face.

"Very tasty. Let's get ready to eat."

His honest voice and sincere smile made Lin Ruanruan realize she hadn't seen such genuine simplicity in years.

In her past life in the assassin organization, everyone was full of schemes and deceit.

Even the person she had once trusted deeply had been full of ulterior motives.

Meeting such an honest person was a rare encounter, and she found herself somewhat reluctant to leave.

If she were to actually become his wife, she wondered if he would be willing.

The household being poor didn't matter; she has the black-hearted supermarket and could make money.