Chapter 1.2

【What’s going on, Sister Ying? Did that old witch Zhao kick you out???】

【No way! Give me back my lunch buddy!】

Xiao Meng sent a crying emoji.

After Su Ying received her severance pay, she didn’t really feel much. She couldn’t stay in this company any longer anyway. As she packed up her things, she saw Xiao Meng’s message and let out a small laugh before replying.

【Mengzi, want to come over to my place for dinner?】

As a true foodie, Xiao Meng immediately sent a shower of flower emojis—three in a row.

【Eat! Eat! Eat! Sister Ying, I want braised fish, cola chicken wings, and spicy buttered shrimp!】 Xiao Meng’s voice message was full of excitement.

Su Ying couldn’t help but laugh. This little foodie always forgot everything when it came to food.

She calmly finished packing and took a ride back to her rented apartment. When she saw a few zeros in her bank account after the severance deposit notification, she thought that leaving her job wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Carrying her shopping bag, she headed to the nearby market. At 4 PM, the market was just starting to get lively. The butcher was still wielding his cleaver to portion out pork, and the vegetables at the stalls were just being uncovered, sprinkled with water to look fresh and bright.

Su Ying went to her usual fish stall. The owners were a married couple; the wife, Sister Hua, was very friendly. She greeted Su Ying as soon as she saw her.

“Give me a small tilapia and help me score it,” Su Ying said. Sister Hua skillfully scooped a medium-sized tilapia from the tank, stunned it on the cutting board, and placed it on the scale.

“Girl, tilapia is 10 yuan per jin. This one’s 1.43 jin. I’ll count it as 14 yuan,” Sister Hua calculated quickly. Her husband, meanwhile, cleaned, gutted, and scored the fish with seamless coordination.

Su Ying scanned the QR code and paid. The small speaker announced, “WeChat payment received: 14 yuan.” The owner handed the bagged fish to Su Ying.

Next was chicken for the cola chicken wings. There were frozen wings available at a cheaper price, but Su Ying preferred fresh ones. She picked 10 mid-wings and asked the vendor to weigh them. She wiped her hands with some napkins from the stall.

Finally, shrimp. Most of the shrimp in the market were farmed but fresh and lively. Sea shrimp, though tastier, couldn’t be oxygenated and were frozen as soon as they left the water. After circling the market, Su Ying bought some sea shrimp and headed home.

Just as she reached her building, she got a voice call from Xiao Meng. Looking up, she saw the girl already waiting at the door. As soon as she spotted Su Ying, she rushed up to hug her.

“Sister Ying, I missed you so much!”

“Did you miss me or my cooking?” Su Ying teased.

“Both! Both! I even brought strawberries,” Xiao Meng replied with a big grin.

Su Ying placed all the groceries into the sink in the kitchen, put on an apron, washed the ingredients, and prepared the seasonings.

She heated oil in the wok and sprinkled in a little salt. After drying the fish’s surface with kitchen paper, she placed it into the hot oil. The sizzle filled the kitchen as she gently turned the pan to fry every side evenly. A few minutes later, the fish skin turned perfectly crispy and golden.

After flipping it to cook the other side, she lowered the heat to let it cook through. She then added minced garlic and ginger, filling the kitchen with an intoxicating aroma. In a bowl, she mixed soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a bit of sugar, then poured in the “essence of life”—water. She poured the sauce over the fish, covered the pan, and simmered it for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, she rinsed some rice and put it into the rice cooker. On the side, Xiao Meng removed the strawberry stems, washed them, and arranged them neatly on a plate for dessert.

Su Ying moved quickly. She heated another pan, added minced garlic to the oil until golden, then put in the chicken wings, scoring them on both sides until golden brown.

“Mengzi, grab a bottle of cola from the fridge,” Su Ying said as she flipped the wings.

“Got it!” Xiao Meng handed her the soda. Su Ying opened it, poured in half the bottle, added water and a pinch of salt.

Back to the braised fish—the sauce had reduced. Su Ying flipped the fish again to make sure it was flavorful, then turned up the heat to thicken the sauce. Once plated, the dish glistened with an irresistible aroma.

“Sister Ying, I’ll take this one out,” Xiao Meng said, bringing the fish to the table and grabbing bowls and chopsticks with practiced ease.

The last dish was the buttered shrimp. While the chicken wings simmered, Su Ying quickly stir-fried the shrimp. They had already been deveined while cleaning, and now the garlic brought out their sweet, briny flavor. When they turned bright red, she added soy sauce, a splash of dark soy, a bit of sugar for balance, and finished with scallions. At the same time, the cola chicken wings were ready.

Su Ying carried the last two dishes out. Xiao Meng had already scooped the rice from the cooker.

All the dishes tonight were perfect with rice, so Su Ying had made extra. She also pulled out some plum wine from the fridge and poured them each a glass.

Xiao Meng was already eating, gnawing on a chicken wing while reaching for the shrimp with her chopsticks.

Su Ying sat down and joined in. Xiao Meng, seeing Su Ying looking relaxed, thought back to how she had often mentioned wanting to quit. She hadn’t expected Zhao Yi’s actions to actually help Su Ying do just that.

“Sister Ying, what’s your plan now?” Xiao Meng asked with her mouth half-full.

“I actually want to rest for a while. After working so hard these past years, I’ve never really had a break,” Su Ying said, sipping her plum wine. She picked a piece of fish belly and placed it over her rice, letting the sauce soak in and coat every grain.

“That’s good. You’re such a workaholic. It’s been a long time since you’ve rested. Now’s the perfect time,” Xiao Meng said, nodding.

The two chatted casually as they ate, their chopsticks never stopping. The extra rice was finished down to the last grain. After a satisfying meal, they tidied up together. Seeing it was getting late, Xiao Meng called a ride home.

Su Ying enjoyed a long bath. By the time she stepped out, it was nearly 10 PM.

She turned on the projector, selected a variety show, and sank into the sofa. It had been such a long time since she’d been this relaxed—no endless phone calls, no annoying bosses, and no angry clients.