Courtyard House: She got anxious when He Yushui wasn't licked.

What's Wang Lin doing here?

He Yushui never expected to run into Wang Lin at the state-run restaurant, especially since Wang Lin was with his two younger sisters! And there was even his female classmate who was three years younger than him!

Police officer Zhang Hao had been pursuing He Yushui for a long time. Knowing in advance that the state-run restaurant served mutton dumplings, he specially brought He Yushui to try them.

Unexpectedly, she encountered her love rival here, Wang Lin, who lived in the same courtyard as He Yushui!

"What a coincidence! Isn't that Wang Lin from your department?"

Zhang Hao had met Wang Lin a few times, but each time Zhang Hao didn't take Wang Lin seriously. In his eyes, Wang Lin was just a little kid who posed no threat to him and could be easily manipulated.

"It is quite a coincidence." He Yushui could only manage a forced smile.

When Wang Lin saw He Yushui and Zhang Hao, he didn't greet them. Yesterday, He Yushui had said that they should go their separate ways. If he greeted them now, it would be no different from being a sycophant!

Fang Yue noticed that Wang Lin was actually ignoring He Yushui completely—this was a huge bombshell!

You should know that Wang Lin used to be very devoted to He Yushui, protecting her in everything and thinking about her in everything.

"The dumplings are ready!"

The chef called out from the kitchen window.

Wang Lin got up to get the dumplings.

Zhang Hao also got up and walked towards the window.

He Yushui looked at the two men standing together. Wang Lin was taller than Zhang Hao, and his figure, temperament, and appearance were better than Zhang Hao's. Zhang Hao, on the other hand, had a respectable job and a stable income. Although he didn't own a house, he had a lot of room for advancement in the future. The two men each had their own merits.

Wang Lin picked up two plates of dumplings, and Zhang Hao reached out to pick up the other two plates.

This is blatant queue jumping!

Wang Lin immediately became displeased and asked, "Hey policeman, what's wrong with you? You're cutting in line without paying for your meal. Do you own this state-run restaurant?"

The strong smell of gunpowder filled the air.

"You already have two plates of dumplings, aren't these two plates ours?"

Zhang Hao planned to cut in line to give Wang Lin a hard time, but to his surprise, Wang Lin, who was usually a quiet "little kid," actually started talking back to him.

"You're dreaming! I ordered five plates of dumplings!" Wang Lin wasn't going to tolerate him and shouted directly, "Xiao Yue, bring the dumplings."

Fang Yue dashed over and snatched the dumplings from Zhang Hao's hands.

Zhang Hao was a little embarrassed, and he questioned Wang Lin, "Can you finish all five plates of dumplings by yourself?"

Wang Lin retorted, "Whether I can finish eating or not is none of your business! What, do you think the police can control everything, from food and drink to sanitation?"

Tit for tat!

Zhang Hao couldn't control these things, but he could find other ways to undermine things; however, he had no choice but to accept the current losses.

When the last plate of dumplings was ready, Wang Lin took a bite out of one plate, picked up both plates with his hands, and turned to leave.

Zhang Hao stood there, stunned. Dumplings could be served like that?

He Yushui never expected that Zhang Hao would be completely defeated by Wang Lin after just one apprenticeship!

Wang Lin tasted the mutton dumplings and found them quite delicious; the mutton was fresh and flavorful, at least better than frozen dumplings.

You have to eat garlic with dumplings, otherwise the flavor is halved.

State-run restaurants also serve garlic, but you have to peel it yourself, and it's not the unlimited kind.

With the dumplings still not ready, Zhang Hao urged the chef, "Master, are the dumplings ready yet?"

The head chef of the state-run restaurant wasn't going to tolerate Zhang Hao, the local police officer, and said, "If you can wait, then wait; if you can't, you can get your money back and eat something else."

Zhang Hao was frustrated after being thwarted twice, but he swallowed his anger for the sake of the dumplings, since they were filled with mutton.

He Yushui didn't stand up for Zhang Hao. She just watched the two men confront each other for her sake. Women all like to be the center of attention and be the focus of everyone's attention.

Wang Lin couldn't eat dumplings as fast as Fang Yue, the little foodie. He had only finished eight when Fang Yue had already shown off a whole plate of dumplings!

Zhang Hao waited and waited, and finally the dumplings were ready. He carried two plates of dumplings to He Yushui's side and said ingratiatingly, "Yushui, these mutton dumplings should be eaten while they're hot, they're so delicious."

He Yushui nodded. She took a bite of the dumpling and found it to be quite good. Her mood brightened along with the dumpling, and a smile returned to her face.

When Zhang Hao saw He Yushui smile, he turned to look at Wang Lin with disdain, as if to say, "See, He Yushui only smiles when she's with me."

Wang Lin was too lazy to pay him any attention. He was just He Yushui; he didn't care about her!

"Brother, are we having instant noodles again tonight?" Wang Baobao asked, smacking his lips.

"Yes, the beef flavor is delicious." Just thinking about that taste made the lamb dumplings seem less appealing.

"No, instant noodles aren't nutritious. Tonight, I'll make you stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, and I'll also buy some meat to make you a meat soup. You can't skimp on vegetables either; we need to maintain a balanced diet." Wang Lin acted like he had plenty of money, subtly putting on airs.

Listening to the sounds of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and meat soup, Fang Yue swallowed a dumpling and asked with wide eyes, "Brother Wang Lin, have you struck it rich? When did the food become so good?"

You know, Wang Lin used to drink corn porridge, and he only dared to drink it twice a day. Suddenly he's eating eggs and meat. That's such a big leap.

Wang Lin had already prepared his excuse, and he said, "It's almost Chinese New Year! Two of my good friends from abroad have come back, so we won't have to worry about food and drink anymore. Feel free to indulge."

"Brother Lin! You truly deserve to be a legendary figure at our school." Fang Yue was both envious and jealous upon hearing this. When Wang Lin was in school, the children of wealthy families and their offspring liked to be friends with him because he was smart and academically gifted, and could help them with homework, teachers, and parents.

In reality, Wang Lin's relationship with those people wasn't as exaggerated as others made it out to be. They were practically inseparable, each getting what they wanted from the other. Others just didn't know this, and he used that as a cover.

Chapter 10: Labeling He Yushui a bootlicker

Dumplings are delicious, but they're not cheap either; they cost four cents plus food coupons.

Five yuan is enough for Qin Huairu's family of two to live on for a month.

After eating his fill, Wang Lin remembered that he still had 10 cases of Coke lying in his system warehouse. He made an excuse to go out for a while, and when he came back, he was carrying four bottles of Coke.

The Coca-Cola packaging is a glass bottle, not a plastic one, and it looks very similar to what we've been doing for this era.

Wang Lin distributed Coca-Cola to Fang Yue, Wang Baobao, and Wang Beibei, and then gulped down a large mouthful for himself.

When Fang Yue saw the cola, she thought it was soda and immediately beamed with joy, saying, "Brother Lin! You've changed! Now you're actually willing to give us soda, one bottle for each of us."

Wang Lin could get a refund for the soda bottle, but he didn't care about the small amount. He could wash it clean and use it to store soy sauce and vinegar. If there were too many, he would just put them in the system's warehouse to gather dust.

This was Wang Baobao's first time drinking cola soda. She took a small sip from the bottle, her eyes immediately squinting. She felt so happy and sweetly said to Wang Lin, "Brother, I want to drink soda again in the future."

Wang Lin stroked Wang Baobao's head and promised, "If you behave well from now on, I'll make sure you eat and drink the best food and drink the sweetest things in the world. I'll make sure you're healthy and chubby."

Wang Beibei pouted at Wang Lin, as if vying for his attention, and said, "Brother, I want one too."

Wang Lin patted Wang Beibei's head again and promised, "You'll be the same. From now on, you'll be responsible for being cute and charming, and I'll be responsible for feeding you."

Fang Yue was so envious of Wang Baobao and Wang Beibei, and she also called out in a sweet voice, "Brother, I want you to feed me too!"

Fang Yue responded with an eye roll, then laughed and scolded, "You're a fourteen-year-old girl, and you still use that 'cronym' sound! Disgusting!"

"What is a 'double consonant'?" Fang Yue didn't know the joke.

Wang Lin smiled but offered no explanation.

While there was laughter and chatter on one side, the atmosphere on Zhang Hao's side became somewhat awkward.

Zhang Hao kept talking about the interesting things he did at work, such as patrolling and chasing thieves, unaware that He Yushui had no interest in these things at all and could only force a smile. Zhang Hao mistakenly thought that He Yushui was very interested and continued to talk on and on.

Five minutes later, He Yushui couldn't take it anymore and reminded him, "Hey, Zhang Hao, I've finished eating. You should eat quickly, since you have to go to the institute this afternoon."

Zhang Hao picked up a dumpling and put it in his mouth, saying as he ate, "I don't have anything to do this afternoon. Didn't you want to go to the supply and marketing cooperative? I'll go with you."

He Yushui politely declined, saying, "No need, it wouldn't be good to delay your work."

Actually, it's not bad to have a sucker to pay for you. Wang Lin used to be the one who insisted on paying for you, but now that he's suddenly stopped trying to please you, your standard of living has dropped drastically.

Zhang Hao thought He Yushui was shy, but he made a firm decision with his manly spirit: "It's settled then. I also need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to look at leather shoes."

These days, leather shoes are in high demand. Anyone who owns a pair is very popular. Although the style is old-fashioned, the quality is good.

Seeing that the two mythical beasts couldn't drink anymore, Wang Lin asked Fang Yue to hold the soda bottles for them, and then he picked them up on either side of each beast to leave.

He Yushui noticed that Wang Lin and the others were about to leave, and she glanced at Fang Yue.

Fang Yue felt He Yushui's gaze, so she straightened her head and puffed out her chest. Although she was flat-chested, she couldn't lose in terms of momentum.

Having just left the state-run restaurant, Wang Lin walked along the streets of Beijing, looking around like a young woman entering the city for the first time.

It's a pity I didn't have a camera, otherwise I would definitely have taken pictures to record these moments.

At the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, Wang Lin watched as many people came and went, and a beautiful woman instantly caught his eye.

"This girl looks like Ding Qiunan from the TV series 'Man is Iron, Rice is Steel'!"

When Fang Yue saw Wang Lin suddenly stop, she followed his gaze and was also attracted by Ding Qiunan's appearance. At the same time, she pouted unhappily and muttered, "Sure enough, Mom was right. Men are all fickle. They can't resist pretty girls."

"Interesting, getting more and more interesting."

Wang Lin never expected to meet Ding Qiunan here, and Ding Qiunan seemed to be only a year or two older than him. Could it be that other TV series characters have been incorporated into this world, such as Guan Xiaoguan and Su Meng from "Under the Zhengyang Gate"?

Ding Qiunan seemed to have something urgent to attend to and left in a hurry.

After withdrawing his gaze, Wang Lin carried the two mythical beasts into the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperative had a wide variety of goods, most of which were characteristic of that era, as well as some luxury items.

People who work at supply and marketing cooperatives are not ordinary people; just buying a job there costs several hundred yuan, which most ordinary families cannot afford.

No need to buy clothes, but you need to buy two thick blankets, otherwise it will be too cold this winter and you won't be able to sleep at night. There are no electric blankets these days.

After browsing around, Wang Lin asked Fang Yue to look after the two mythical beasts while he began a large-scale shopping spree.

I had a lot of stuff, so I went out and found a kind-looking old man and paid him 50 cents to take me to Tongluo Lane.

Milk candy? I'll buy some!

White sugar? I'll buy some too!

Peach shortbread, hmm, I'll buy some as snacks for the two mythical beasts.

Package after package was packed up. Wang Lin was only responsible for paying for the goods and didn't care about the price at all.

When I had almost finished buying everything, I realized that I hadn't bought the seeds yet.

The supply and marketing cooperative had everything, from candy to comic books, but it didn't sell seeds.

If you want to buy seeds, you'll probably need to make some inquiries, or maybe you can get seeds by checking in later.

Wang Lin loaded the large and small bags onto the oxcart. Seeing that Wang Lin had bought so many things, the old man asked in surprise, "Young man, are you buying New Year's goods in advance?"