Soon they arrived at a small shop selling crab roe buns at the southern end of Fuzi Miao. It had been there ten years ago, and it was still the same shop. Even the owner hadn't changed, just looked a bit older. It wasn't a weekend, so there weren't many university students visiting Fuzi Miao. There was no need to queue. I first bought a fresh one for Daji, then ordered four more to be packed for takeout later.
The shop was too small to have seats. Daji held her crab roe bun and sat on a nearby landscape bench, crossing her legs. She skillfully inserted the straw into the bun, closed her eyes, and took a deep, satisfied sip. I saw her cheeks puff out as her tongue moved back and forth in her mouth, allowing more taste buds to repeatedly savor the delicious soup. She looked quite agile.
When the soup's temperature had somewhat decreased, Daji swallowed with satisfaction and opened her eyes. She used the straw to peel back the bun's skin and carefully examined the filling inside. Finding a warm, soft accumulation of soup, she inserted the straw and took another deep sip, repeating her previous action.
Watching her made me a little thirsty. Was it really that delicious?
"Boss, give me another one," I said. There were ready-made ones, just not as hot as those fresh out of the oven.
I sat beside Daji and tried to emulate her, attempting to appreciate the essence of the crab roe bun. But it tasted the same as it did back then. Perhaps they had added a bit more sugar. After just one sip, I gave up on my illusions and placed the disposable lunch box on the chair.
Daji looked at me. "What's wrong? Don't you like the soup?"
She was referring to the soup.
"Then I won't be polite!" Daji picked up my lunch box.
"Hey, hey, I've already tasted it..." Before I could finish, Daji had already slurped up the essence of the soup from the bun I had left, much like a demon siphoning human vitality. Daji finished, drank it, and looked satisfied again. Only when she heard a "hissing" sound from the straw did she stop.
After finishing, Daji placed the two boxes together and tied them with a plastic bag. It seemed she only enjoyed the soup and didn't eat the buns themselves. After all, she was a demon, and even after getting used to human food, she would still be picky.
"Do you want me to buy you a few more to take back?" I asked.
Daji waved her hand. "No need, this is just right. I still need to leave room in my stomach for other things!"
"What else do you want to eat?" I asked. There were plenty of snacks on this street, mostly Jiangnan-style pastries, but that was ten years ago. When I rode my bike over earlier, I noticed that many of the old pastry shops had been replaced by trendy snack and drink stores. There were three Xingfu Bingcheng alone, named Fuzi Miao Fu Shop, Fuzi Miao Zi Shop, and Fuzi Miao Miao Shop. I wondered if their flavors were different.
It's not good to drink soft drinks, I try to avoid them, and even fruit juices should be consumed sparingly.
I looked back. A new batch of crab roe buns had come out. The boss was packing them for me as takeout. I tugged Daji's sleeve. "Let's go then."
"Okay." Daji readily took my hand, which made me feel quite flattered. She had been King Zhou's most favored concubine over three thousand years ago. How could I possibly deserve such favor... But then again, Yao Yao was also a princess. Whatever happens, let it be.
Naturally, our fingers intertwined. I carried the takeout crab roe buns and walked along the main street of Fuzi Miao, which was as bright as day at night.
Daji truly knew how to eat. She wanted this, she wanted that, but for each portion, she asked the boss for the smallest amount. She just wanted to taste it. I guessed that her stomach might not be able to digest human food well, so she could only try a little at a time, otherwise she might get a stomachache.
Some bosses were quite generous. Seeing that Daji was beautiful and spoke so pleasantly, they directly gave her a portion and didn't let me pay.
After visiting at least twenty shops, Daji finally patted her small belly and said, "Alright, I'm full. Let's go back!"
"Okay."
"You should buy some for them too. Men, you know, must be fair to everyone."
"...Alright." I suppressed a smile and bought two more portions of osmanthus cake. I deduced that she was probably trying to say "keep things balanced."
When we returned to the Bailu Hotel, the crab roe buns had cooled down. They don't taste good when cold; they can be a bit fishy. When I was in college and brought them for classmates, they were inedible. I asked Daji to go upstairs first, and I went to the kitchen on the first floor. I heated them in the microwave for two minutes, borrowed two bowls, packed the crab roe buns, and took them up to Chen Ke and Chu Qi.
They were more down-to-earth than the princess, not as picky. They ate both the soup and the skin and filling, then had some pastries before going to wash up.
I returned to my room. Time had passed quickly; it was already 10:15. I initiated a WeChat video call with Yao Yao. She answered immediately, but the person who appeared on the screen was Meng Meng.