Xia Nuannuan bought four cups of milk tea, drinking the shop’s recommended signature drink herself.
Qin Tian held a cup that Xu Jiao had also highly recommended.
As soon as she inserted her straw, Xia Nuannuan’s little head leaned over, biting the straw and snatching the first sip.
“Mmm… Gege, this one of yours is so good.”
Xia Nuannuan covered her mouth with her hand, praising him gleefully.
“Then do you want to switch?”
Qin Tian asked with a chuckle.
“No, I just want a taste.”
Xia Nuannuan shook her head, inserted her own straw, and held the signature milk tea towards his lips, smiling sweetly, “Here, you taste mine too.”
“No need, you drink it yourself!”
“Hurry up, I’m giving you my first sip back.”
“Alright!”
Qin Tian smiled helplessly, took a sip as instructed, and nodded in approval, “It’s pretty good.”
“Really?”
Xia Nuannuan’s eyes brightened, and she eagerly took a sip herself.
She knew Qin Tian wasn’t particularly fond of sweet drinks and desserts like milk tea and cakes, so for him to give such a compliment, the taste must be excellent.
As expected, this signature milk tea was refreshing, not too sweet or greasy.
“This is too delicious.”
Xia Nuannuan cupped half her face with her hand, a happy smile on her face.
“See? For your first time at this shop, their signature milk tea is always a safe bet,”
Xu Jiao said, looking at her with a bright smile.
Xia Nuannuan nodded vigorously and said, “It’s so great to have you guys showing us around. Where do we go next?”
“That place over there has really good grilled sausages, and a few shops further down, there’s one with stinky tofu. Even though there aren’t many people queuing, the location isn’t great, but the taste is excellent. Many locals come to this street and go to that shop.”
Xu Jiao began to act as a guide, recommending shops to the two of them.
“Then let’s hurry and get in line. We should try to eat as much of the delicious food on this street as possible today.”
Xia Nuannuan’s eyes sparkled as she looked ahead.
Qin Tian and the other two couldn’t help but stifle their laughter at this sight.
“Four people queuing together is inefficient. Let’s split up. Jiao and I will go to that stinky tofu place, and you two go to the grilled sausage shop.”
Zhou Xian suggested.
“That’s a good idea!”
Qin Tian agreed.
Thus, the four of them split into two teams and went their separate ways to queue.
With two seasoned local foodies leading the way, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan successfully tasted the most authentic and highly-rated delicacies on the street.
It was understandable why tourists from all over the country flocked here; the food was indeed delicious.
If judged by Chef Qin’s standards for gourmet food, the taste wasn’t overly astonishing, and it was definitely not comparable to the home-style dishes he personally cooked.
However, these traditional snacks were appealing for their novelty, especially when visiting for the first time. Tasting such local snacks was quite enjoyable.
Xia Nuannuan’s smile never faded, and her mouth was constantly busy, eating from one end of the street to the other.
They tried almost every shop recommended by Xu Jiao and Zhou Xian.
After leaving the food street, Xia Nuannuan dropped the wooden skewer of a candied hawthorn she had finished into a nearby trash can. She took the tissue Qin Tian handed her to wipe her mouth, smiling with satisfaction.
“Full? Want to go back for more?”
Qin Tian asked with a smile.
“Pfft!”
Xu Jiao, standing nearby, couldn’t help but laugh.
Xia Nuannuan’s pretty face flushed, and she shot him an annoyed glare, “Eat what? Do you think I’m a pig!”
“I said I’m not full yet!”
Qin Tian said with a shrug, smiling.
“So you’re the pig!”
Xia Nuannuan pouted her little lips.
“Hahaha…”
Zhou Xian and Xu Jiao were amused and burst into hearty laughter.
“What do you mean? I don’t really like these kinds of snacks. You were the one eating most of it; I was just holding it for you.”
Qin Tian said, a look of being wronged on his face, a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“No way!”
Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes and turned to ask Xu Jiao and Zhou Xian, “Do you have any restaurant recommendations? For proper meals.”
“Of course, there’s one not far from here. Their bullfrog and flavored shrimp are both very good,”
Zhou Xian said, nodding his chin with a smile.
“Then let’s take a taxi there!”
Qin Tian suggested.
Xia Nuannuan and the other two had no objections. After flagging down a taxi, they asked the driver to take them to the restaurant Zhou Xian had mentioned.
…
…
Around ten o’clock in the evening, the four of them left the restaurant, full and satisfied.
Xia Nuannuan and Xu Jiao exchanged contact information and agreed to meet at the hotel entrance the next day.
Afterward, Xu Jiao and Zhou Xian took a taxi and left.
Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan’s hotel was relatively close. Combined with being full and wanting to take a walk, they walked back to the hotel hand in hand.
Opening the door, they entered the room and inserted the room key card.
The lights in the room immediately turned on.
“I’m tired, let’s wash up and sleep!”
Qin Tian said with a smile.
Xia Nuannuan responded with a slightly flushed face.
Although they had slept embraced many times before, this was their first experience of staying in a hotel together while traveling.
“Do you want to wash first, or should I?”
Qin Tian asked with a smile, and before she could reply, he added, “We can wash together too, I don’t mind.”
Xia Nuannuan’s face turned completely red, and she playfully punched him in annoyance.
“Wash together what? You go first!”
“Alright!”
Qin Tian shrugged with a look of regret and then began to look for his change of clothes in his bag.
He had only brought socks, underwear, and two short-sleeved t-shirts. Unlike Xia Nuannuan, his packing wasn’t as complete, but it was perfectly sufficient.
“Here, take your towel!”
Xia Nuannuan suddenly handed him a blue towel.
Qin Tian glanced at it, surprised, “Mine?”
“Mm, I was afraid the hotel towels weren’t clean, so I brought one for you too. It’s already been washed.”
Xia Nuannuan nodded.
“That’s so thoughtful, thank you, wife.”
Qin Tian happily took the towel.
Xia Nuannuan shyly rolled her eyes and turned her head to urge him, “Stop talking nonsense, go wash up quickly!”
“You got it!”
Qin Tian grinned and headed towards the washroom.
Entering the washroom, he poked his head out again, asking playfully, “Nuannuan, you really don’t want to wash together? It’s very comfortable, you know!”
Xia Nuannuan ignored him, pretending not to hear, and with a red face, picked up the TV remote from the table and turned on the television.
“Okay, then don’t peek!”
Qin Tian teased again, then started humming a tune while brushing his teeth.
Holding the remote, Xia Nuannuan turned up the TV volume, not wanting to hear the humming from the other person.
Thinking about the man’s mischievous hands earlier that evening before they went out, Xia Nuannuan’s cheeks started to feel warm.
After a while, the sound of the shower could be heard.
Xia Nuannuan leaned back on the bed, took out her phone, and browsed Weibo to distract herself.