Chapter 26: Baiyun Pig’s Trotters

These more well-known restaurants often prioritize their ingredients, so the dishes here are quite varied.

Song Xilan glanced at Jiang Chengxiao. Before she could speak, he took the initiative to say, “I don’t know much about these. You order, I’ll just eat.”

“You didn’t get to try Shengji Roast Goose last time. Their crispy roast goose is also quite good, let’s get a portion. Also, Baiyun Pig’s Trotters are one of their specialties. You should definitely try that. Then, let’s get a Five-Finger Hairy Peach and Dragon Bone Soup, and stir-fry some vegetables. That should be enough.”

Jiang Chengxiao asked, “Just that few? I see there’s also City Master Chicken, Signature Fragrant Nine-Section Shrimp. They look pretty good, should we try those too?” He didn’t want to appear stingy on his first meal treating the girl he liked.

Song Xilan replied, “There are only two of us, we can’t eat that much. Let’s try those next time.”

The mention of “next time” instantly put Jiang Chengxiao in a better mood. “Okay, then we’ll try others next time.”

After they ordered, Song Xilan picked up the teapot and poured tea into Jiang Chengxiao’s cup.

“Thank you!” Jiang Chengxiao raised the cup without thinking and took a sip. As he looked up, he saw Song Xilan’s shocked expression.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled.

“Uh, nothing.” Song Xilan realized he was from out of town, and they probably didn’t have this custom there. Since he had already drunk it, it would be awkward to mention it now. So she decided to just pretend it hadn’t happened.

But the problem was, her own chopsticks and bowl hadn’t been rinsed yet. She couldn’t just use them without rinsing; her mind wouldn’t allow it!

However, if she started rinsing her own chopsticks and bowl, wouldn’t that clearly show Jiang Chengxiao that the tea she poured was actually for him?

Ah, this was so tricky! What should she do?

Jiang Chengxiao noticed her indecisiveness, her delicate brows almost knitting together. He couldn’t help but smile and say, “What’s going on? Just say it, it’s no big deal.”

At that moment, a family at the next table sat down. As soon as the woman sat, she quickly gathered all the family members’ bowls and chopsticks and skillfully rinsed them with tea.

Song Xilan embarrassedly explained, “Well, we have a custom here of rinsing our bowls and chopsticks with tea before eating. It’s not really necessary, more like a psychological comfort. It doesn’t matter if you don’t rinse them.”

Jiang Chengxiao understood: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Teach me how to do it, so next time when I eat with others, I won’t look clueless.”

His words eased the awkwardness between them.

Song Xilan quickly said, “Then watch me do it first.”

Her hands were white, small, and a little chubby, but surprisingly nimble. She rinsed the utensils with hot tea, doing it with an elegant beauty.

Jiang Chengxiao tried to copy her: “Like this?” He picked up the teacup that had rolled around in the bowl, only to realize the cup was scorching hot. His rough fingers instinctively recoiled in pain. He couldn’t believe she was doing this without any issue—it seemed rinsing the bowls was an art in itself.

Seeing him burn himself, Song Xilan nervously reached for his hand to check, but then realized how intimate the gesture was. She quickly added, “Quick, pinch your ear. It won’t hurt anymore.”

Jiang Chengxiao didn’t know the logic behind it, but he obediently did it.

The two locked eyes, and both couldn’t help but chuckle before lapsing into silence.

They both seemed a bit shy. Song Xilan lowered her head, focusing on her cup, desperately trying to think of something else to cool down the heat on her face.

However, she didn’t dare to look at the comment section, which she had blocked. She knew those people were probably laughing at her, shouting something like “Song and Jiang CP confirmed!”

If she saw it, she’d be too embarrassed to even eat.

After a while, Jiang Chengxiao spoke up: “I feel like Jiang Jingru is acting strange today.”

Song Xilan had also been thinking about Jiang Jingru’s situation. She had been worried. Although she had managed to escape from the original plot and was no longer involved with Yang Jingyu, she still feared that one day a transmigrated woman might suddenly appear and take over her body.

But now, the transmigrated woman had really shown up, and it seemed to have happened to someone else. Did that mean she no longer needed to worry about someone stealing her body?

Suddenly hearing Jiang Chengxiao say this made her heart skip a beat. Could it be that he noticed something?

“What do you mean?”

“She’s acting like a completely different person today. And the way she agreed to repay the money and return the watch so readily, it’s not like her usual self. Unless she’s plotting something. But don’t worry, I’ll have people keep an eye on her these days. She won’t escape.”

Song Xilan replied, “What do I have to worry about? This is your problem.”

Jiang Chengxiao chuckled, “Right, I almost got it wrong. It is my problem.”

Song Xilan was actually impressed by his sharpness. Honestly, if she didn’t have the “comment section” as a cheat, she wouldn’t have noticed that Jiang Jingru was a transmigrator. But Jiang Chengxiao, who obviously didn’t know about transmigration, could still tell that Jiang Jingru had become a different person.

“If someone swapped my soul, would you be able to tell?” Song Xilan asked.

Jiang Chengxiao frowned, “What do you mean, swapped your soul?”

Song Xilan thought for a moment and came up with a brilliant analogy: “It’s like borrowing a body for the soul. The body stays the same, but the soul inside is different. Could you tell?”

“Where did you hear such nonsense? Believe in materialism. This kind of thing is impossible.”

“Oh!” Song Xilan was a bit disappointed. She had been hoping that if one day someone did take over her body, Jiang Chengxiao would warn her parents not to give the family’s money to the person who took over.

Just then, their dishes arrived. Everything seemed normal, except the Baiyun Pig’s Trotters, which were completely snow-white.

Jiang Chengxiao was a bit surprised: “This is the first time I’ve seen white pig’s trotters. Could it be that you have a special breed of pig here?”

Song Xilan replied, “You should try the taste first.”

After tasting it, Jiang Chengxiao was even more surprised. Unlike the soft, stewed pig’s trotters he had eaten before, the skin on this one was actually crisp, and the taste was sweet and sour, very refreshing.

Song Xilan explained, “When we say pig’s trotters, we’re referring to the front legs of the pig. The key to the white, crisp texture is that after cooking, we continuously rinse it with ice water. It’s said that this dish was invented by a monk from Baiyun Mountain!”