Rebirth at the Start: This Fate is Too Explosive!

Chapter 23 The Big Pot Rice and Old Friends

Today's temperature is even hotter than yesterday's.

I prepared three hundred cups of drinks in two flavors, but I don't think they'll last long.

But there's no way around it; the two of them simply can't finish any more.

Most of them are sold to people who come to take the exam, but passersby also contribute a significant amount to sales.

This precisely confirms the consumer psychology of the herd mentality.

When people see a long queue in front of a shop, they instinctively assume that the products there must be good...

Even if they might not even know what the store sells.

A clear bicycle bell rang from afar, sounding particularly pleasant in the sweltering air.

Ye Fan looked in the direction of the sound.

Pei Yi'an and Tang Yanning were seen riding their bicycles toward them.

Their wheels rolled over dappled shadows of trees, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on them.

They discovered that the visitors were Pei Yi'an and Tang Yanning.

Ye Fan greeted them with a smile, "Oh! You two beauties have arrived so early."

"I thought you weren't coming this morning."

Tang Yanning parked her bicycle under the shade of a tree.

She skipped and hopped to the stall, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter: "We'll help you sell them!"

"How about that? Pretty good, right?"

She was born with a lively personality, like a cheerful little sparrow.

In contrast.

Pei Yi'an, on the other hand, is the steady and composed type.

She parked the car at a leisurely pace, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and said gently, "Good morning, Yezi."

Are drinks selling well?

Ye Fan smiled knowingly.

"That's great! You're truly my best friend, haha."

Good morning, Yi An.

"They're selling well. It's not time yet, they'll be sold out in a few minutes after they finish their exams."

He had long been accustomed to the differences in their personalities—Tang Yanning was as enthusiastic as the summer sun, while Pei Yi'an was as calm and gentle as an autumn lake.

But it is precisely this complementary nature of their personalities that has made them best friends.

Just like Pei Yi'an's greetings and inquiries at this moment, they are always concise, appropriate, and to the point, never uttering a single unnecessary word.

He bent down, took two cups of hand-whipped lemon tea from the box, and handed them to the two women.

"Try it and give me your opinion on whether my drink is nice or not."

After receiving the hand-whipped lemon tea.

Tang Yanning picked it up and looked at it from left to right. Sunlight refracted through the lemon tea, creating an amber halo, and the lime floated gently in the cup.

"Wow, Yezi! This looks really nice!"

She playfully shook the cup as she spoke, "I just don't know how it tastes."

Pei Yi'an took the cup, her fingertips touching the cool rim. She nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips: "It is indeed very exquisite."

The simple words were full of recognition of Ye Fan's skills.

Ye Fan smiled and said, "You'll know once you try it."

They both took a sip at the same time.

Tang Yanning's eyes widened suddenly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Ye Zi, this tastes so good!"

She excitedly shook Ye Fan's arm, "The sweet and sour balance is just right, and the refreshing lemon scent is so intoxicating!"

Pei Yi'an savored the tea carefully. The cool tea slid down her throat, dispelling the summer heat. She sighed with satisfaction, "Hmm, it's really great. The chilled taste is just right. The tartness of the lemon and the aroma of the tea blend together perfectly. It tastes very good and makes me feel very comfortable."

The two women gave it extremely high praise after finishing their drinks, which made Ye Fan's smile deepen.

Tang Yanning took a few more sips of her chilled lemon tea, then suddenly blinked as if something was missing—Zhao Mingzhe wasn't there!

It's a bit illogical to silently recite this in one's mind. Ye Zi wouldn't let this laborer off the hook!

She bit her straw and asked indistinctly, "Where's Mingzhe? Didn't he come?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yi'an looked up and cast an inquiring glance. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face, making the curiosity in her eyes even more apparent.

Ye Fan had guessed their doubts and explained with a smile, "How could he not come? He has a stall at the entrance of No. 2 Middle School. He'll come here to meet us after he sells out."

"Oh—" Tang Yanning drawled, revealing a "I knew it" expression, and chuckled as he shook the cup in his hand. "I knew it! How could Ye Zi possibly let such good labor slip by!"

After saying that, she took a big, satisfying sip of lemon tea, the cool taste making her squint her eyes contentedly.

Pei Yi'an then suggested softly, "Should we each go and help Mingzhe?"

Ye Fan lazily sprawled on the folding chair and waved his hand: "Let him do what he wants. Old Zhao can handle this little thing by himself."

He pointed to the insulated box, "The drinks are all ready-made. They'll be sold out in no more than ten minutes after the exam ends."

Actually, Ye Fan's words made sense. The whole sales process was very simple. The items were all ready-made—the customer got whatever they wanted.

The only troublesome thing is receiving money, in this era when mobile payment is not yet widely used.

The clinking of coins and banknotes became the most familiar background sound in the summer.

Pei Yi'an nodded upon hearing this: "Alright then!"

Tang Yanning suddenly leaned closer to Ye Fan: "Ye Zi, where are we going to eat lunch? Are we going straight to the library afterward?"

Ye Fan was taken aback upon hearing this, only then realizing that he hadn't considered lunch.

He rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up: "How about this—when Old Zhao comes back, let's go to the market together to buy some groceries, and then come to my house for a big meal, okay?"

He thought for a moment and decided that it was fine for the group to eat at a small restaurant, but there was no need for that. He decided to go home and cook a big pot of rice instead.

This is a specialty of Ye Fan's hometown, Luxi. He often watched his grandmother and mother make it when he was a child, so his ability to make this big pot rice is also exceptional.

"A big pot of rice?"

Upon hearing Ye Fan's suggestion, Tang Yanning jumped up, the ice cubes in her hand rattling loudly: "Okay, okay, Ye Zi, let's eat at your house. I've been craving your big pot rice so much."

"The last time I ate it was after the final exams last semester, right? The aroma of that Luxi pickled vegetable was just right for my taste buds."

He even licked his lips after saying that.

Although Pei Yi'an appeared quite restrained, her bright eyes and slightly upturned lips betrayed her anticipation. She nodded gently, her voice filled with rare joy: "I remember the last time you made the food was especially flavorful, the crispy rice crust was just the right amount of caramelized."

This simple sentence reveals a deep memory of Ye Fan's craftsmanship.

However, after a moment's thought, she proposed a more efficient solution: "How about this, Yan Ning and I will go buy groceries first and prepare them. When Ming Zhe finishes his business and comes over, we can go straight home to cook, saving us the time of going to the supermarket."

Her slender fingers gently tapped the side of the cup, producing a crisp sound.

"That's a great idea!"

Faced with Pei Yi'an's suggestion, Tang Yanning raised both hands in agreement, her ponytail swaying gently with her excited movements. "I know a stall in the market that sells local pork. The meat is really good. My grandma often buys it."

Ye Fan glanced at his phone; it was almost eleven o'clock. He nodded and said, "Yi An is very thoughtful. Let's arrange it this way."

That's true.

By the time the exam was over and all the drinks were sold, it was probably past eleven o'clock.

If we go to the market to buy groceries as originally planned, we probably won't be able to eat until after 1 p.m.

Pei Yi'an's suggestion allowed the group to eat around 12 o'clock, which was exactly when they were all starving.

Under the shade of the tree, the three of them reached a tacit agreement.

This seemingly simple lunch plan reveals Pei Yi'an's personality.

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