Just as she was watching, Shen Baobao suddenly buried herself in Lin Xu's arms and started crying:

"BOO HOO HOO... Xubao, when you couldn't find a job back then, were you as helpless as the male protagonist? I regret so much not being there for you, I'm sorry..."

Lin Xu: ??????

I wasn't *that* helpless! Back then, I had already resigned myself to taking my diploma and going home to work on the scenic area if worse came to worst. Who knew a system would suddenly appear and disrupt all my plans.

He patted Shen Baobao on the back and said, "At that time, I was prepared. If I couldn't find a job by the time I got my diploma, I would just forcefully kiss you, then pack my bags and go home, putting a perfect end to my youth. But then... the plans fell through."

Shen Baobao immediately stopped crying. "Why would you want to kiss me?"

"I've secretly liked you for so long. Can't I even steal a kiss?"

"Definitely not! You'd have to kiss me at least ten times!"

Having said that, the girl pushed Lin Xu down onto the sofa and started kissing him. Dundun, who was originally lying on the sofa backrest watching the movie, suddenly jumped away disdainfully and dived into a nearby cardboard box.

Ugh... so gross! This kitty can't even bear to watch!

After the two on the sofa were tired of kissing, Lin Xu remembered the cucumbers still marinating in the kitchen.

He straightened his clothes and went to the kitchen. He found that a lot of water had been drawn out of the cucumbers, making the cucumber strips as pliable as noodles. Even the whole cucumbers had softened slightly by now.

But this state still wasn't enough.

Lin Xu first picked out the cucumber strips. He squeezed the water out and then rinsed them in clean water to wash away as much of the saltiness as possible, allowing the Soy Sauce flavor to penetrate better. After rinsing them several times, he squeezed the water out of the cucumber strips again and placed them in a prepared bowl.

Then he added slices of ginger, garlic, and some chili peppers. He scooped in a few spoonfuls of the completely cooled Soy Sauce mixture, sealed everything with plastic wrap, and placed it in the refrigerator. This way, they could be eaten by tomorrow.

While Lin Xu was marinating the cucumbers, Shen Jiayue took a short video with her phone and posted it on her social media:

"Grandma said she wanted to eat Soy-pickled Cucumbers, so Xubao marinated some overnight. Tomorrow at noon, Xubao and I will take the Soy-pickled Cucumbers to Grandma together!"

Just after she posted it, Chen Yan commented, "What a coincidence! I just happen to be taking clothes to my maternal grandma tomorrow."

Shen Baobao mercilessly exposed Chen Yan's intentions: "If you want to freeload a meal, just say it directly, Yan Bao! Why beat around the bush?"

Chen Yan retorted, "Tomorrow I'll bring you silkworm pupae with cosmetic effects!"

"Then tomorrow I'll ask Grandma to find you a date. Anyway, the old neighbors in the South Third Ring alleys love to meddle in these things!"

Chen Yan: "!!!!!!!!!!"

After the two 'sisters' engaged in some playful sparring, it ended with CEO Chen's compromise.

Nearby, Lin Xu was unaware that a comment war had just erupted. He was busy checking the whole cucumbers. Although somewhat softened, they hadn't pickled through yet. They needed more time to draw out all the moisture so the cucumbers would be less likely to spoil and would have a crispier texture.

While he was checking them, Shen Baobao murmured that she was hungry.

Lin Xu then made them two bowls of hot and sour sweet potato noodles using sweet potato noodles he had brought from his hometown, found a movie, and they began eating and watching.

At ten o'clock that night, he returned to the kitchen. The cucumbers had thoroughly softened from marinating by then. He rinsed them several times with clean water, squeezed out the excess water, and spread them on a bamboo tray, using a fan to dry their surfaces.

After these steps, he layered the cucumbers into a glass jar, adding slices of garlic, ginger, and chili peppers with each layer. Finally, he poured in the cooled Soy Sauce mixture, using a long chopstick to poke down to the bottom to ensure the sauce thoroughly penetrated everything.

「The next morning, just after ten o'clock.」

Lin Xu drove Dundun back to their home on Yingchun Street from Fishing Platform. He poured the marinated cucumber strips from the refrigerator into a small jar and also brought along the large jar filled with whole Pickled Cucumbers. After placing them in the trunk, he and Shen Baobao, who had rushed over from the audit office, set off for the South Third Ring.

「At that moment, outside the courtyard house on the South Third Ring, a Bentley slowly stopped at the gate.」

Shen Guofu, looking at Han Shuzhen in the passenger seat, asked, "Our daughter and son-in-law are bringing pickles to the old lady. Is it really appropriate for us to come over to freeload a meal?"

Han Shuzhen pointed to a white Porsche slowly entering the alley. "Yan Bao is here too. You tell me if it's appropriate?"

Soon, the Porsche stopped in front of the Bentley. Chen Yan alighted, making a show of carrying two newly bought outfits suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. "Uncle, Auntie, you're here too?"

Seeing Shen Guofu and his wife getting out of the car, Chen Yan quickly greeted them.

Shen Guofu replied with a smile, Lin Xu hasn't had a chance to visit your maternal grandmother since he returned from Yinzhou, so we all just happened to decide to come today.

Yes, can't say we're freeloading. That would be too detrimental to my, Old Shen's, image. Claiming we all discussed it as a family and decided to come together sounds a bit more official. Later, after the meal, I'll see if Little Xu is busy. If not, I'll invite O'Sullivan from South City for a couple of games at a nearby pool hall. Let the young Trump experience the cunning of an old hand!

Reaching the gate of the courtyard house, Chen Yan pushed it open and walked in with Shen Guofu and his wife. Soon after, Lin Xu, driving his G-Wagon, followed the GPS into the alley.

Seeing the Bentley and Porsche parked on the roadside, Shen Baobao couldn't help but pout. "They're definitely here to freeload. Xubao, do you have enough ingredients? Want me to run to the supermarket at the alley entrance and grab some more?"

"It's enough. I brought five pounds of beef brisket and several pounds of Fishing Platform's own especially ripe, sandy-fleshed tomatoes from their kitchen today."

When she heard beef brisket and tomatoes, Shen Baobao's eyes immediately lit up. "Xubao, are you going to make beef brisket stewed with tomatoes?"

"Yes, this isn't another one of your favorites, is it?"

"Hey! You stole my line!"

The young couple chatted and laughed as they got out of the car. Shen Baobao perched Dundun on her shoulder. Seeing Lin Xu struggling with jars and ingredients, she shouted towards the courtyard, "Listen up, all you freeloaders inside! Get out here and help carry things, or I'm ordering takeout for you all!"

In the courtyard, Shen Guofu, who was in the middle of telling his niece (Chen Yan) how he, Lin Xu, and Shen Baobao had discussed that morning what time to arrive, felt his old face flush. With a daughter like this, it was impossible to maintain any pretense. He sighed and stood up to go to the gate.

Just as he stepped out, he saw the bag of beef brisket in Lin Xu's hands, and the dejection on his face was instantly replaced by delight.

Yes! We're having meat!

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