91: Chapter 91 Returning Home and Shopping

It was already two in the afternoon when they got back to Hangzhou.

Lin Wei made a rare serious suggestion: "How about we go to my place? We can stop by the supermarket to grab some things first, and then have hot pot together tonight?"

The suggestion received unanimous approval from everyone.

So, they didn't part ways immediately but headed towards Lin Wei's home first.

When the door opened, the two girls inside were each busy with their own tasks—one was squatting on the floor packing express parcels, with cardboard boxes and tape spread all over the floor; the other was sitting in front of the computer, rapidly typing on the keyboard, with several chat windows open on the screen.

Hearing the movement, both looked up at the same time and saw Lin Wei walking in carrying her suitcase.

They shouted in unison, "Sister Weiwei is back!"

"Mm, I'm back," Lin Wei replied, taking off her shoes and walking further in. "You two worked hard these past few days. I didn't even let you rest properly during the May Day Holiday."

Zhou Zhou stood up, still sticky with tape, and shook her head with a smile: "It wasn't hard work at all. We can make up for the rest when the holiday is over."

Xiao Chen also stood up from the computer. Seeing the group of people behind Lin Wei, her eyes lit up: "Sister Yanran and Sister Su Qing are here too!"

Liu Yanran smiled and nodded at her, while Su Qing rarely curved the corner of her mouth.

Lin Wei stepped aside to let Qiao Yichen pass and casually introduced, "This is Qiao Yichen, Yanran's boyfriend. Zhou Zhou and Xiao Chen are my capable assistants in the shop. Usually, they take turns handling packing and customer service; whoever is free takes the shift."

Qiao Yichen nodded at the two of them.

Zhou Zhou smiled a little shyly, but Xiao Chen was more outgoing and said with a smile, "Hello, Brother-in-law."

Qiao Yichen glanced at her, completely unabashed, and instead replied with a half-smile: "You have a sweet mouth. I'll ask Sister Weiwei to give you a raise later."

Xiao Chen chuckled, and Zhou Zhou laughed along beside her.

Lin Wei shot him a look: "You certainly don't stand on ceremony."

She put her suitcase to the side and was about to walk further in when she heard Qiao Yichen ask:

"I thought you were the only one working in your shop."

Lin Wei turned back and said seriously, "How could that be? Otherwise, how would I dare to go out and travel? I prepared all the necessary stock before I left, and I left the last few days to them. I'm responsible for remote command, and they are responsible for the work."

Su Qing interjected blandly from the side: "You say that as if you do the work normally."

Lin Wei reached out as if to pinch her, but Su Qing was prepared and dodged aside.

Liu Yanran laughed and held Lin Wei back: "Alright, alright, let's go in and sit down first."

Zhou Zhou had already nimbly moved the pile of express bags off the sofa and invited them to sit. Xiao Chen also took out drinks from the refrigerator and handed one bottle to each person.

Lin Wei plopped down onto the sofa and let out a breath, looking at Qiao Yichen: "So, how is my little team? Pretty good, right?"

Qiao Yichen nodded: "Quite decent."

Lin Wei proudly shook her head, about to say something, when Xiao Chen interrupted: "Sister Weiwei, you came back at just the right time today. There are a few after-sales orders that I'm unsure about; could you take a look?"

"Okay, let me see." Lin Wei stood up, walked over to the computer, and sat down. She skillfully clicked open several chat windows, saying as she looked: "This one can be returned, but this one needs to be explained clearly to the customer..."

Zhou Zhou also leaned over, and the three of them gathered around the computer to discuss.

Liu Yanran and Qiao Yichen exchanged a look and both smiled.

Su Qing leaned against the back of the sofa and said slowly: "Looks like we won't be leaving anytime soon."

A few minutes later, Lin Wei finished handling the issues, turned around, and shouted to them: "Okay, okay, let's go, to the supermarket!"

Xiao Chen and Zhou Zhou waved goodbye with smiles: "Sister Weiwei, you all go ahead. We'll watch things here."

The group left the door and headed straight for the large supermarket nearby.

As soon as they pushed the shopping cart into the fresh food section, Lin Wei clapped her hands: "Come on, come on, split up and act! We need to be more efficient."

She counted on her fingers to assign tasks: "Qiao Yichen is responsible for pushing the cart, I'll be in charge of buying meat, Su Qing will buy vegetables, and Yanran will buy soup bases, drinks, and fruit. We meet at the checkout in half an hour. Any problems?"

Liu Yanran looked at her: "I'm buying the soup base? I can't even eat spicy food."

"That's why I asked you to buy it," Lin Wei said righteously. "If you buy the clear broth bases, we'll be relieved."

Su Qing nodded and was already walking towards the vegetable section. Liu Yanran smiled helplessly and turned towards the seasoning area.

Qiao Yichen pushed the empty cart, following behind Lin Wei, watching her dive into the meat section.

Lin Wei picked up a box of sliced beef, turning it over and over, then put it down and swapped it for another box, muttering to herself: "The marbling on this one isn't right... This one is too fatty... Boss Qiao, help me look, which of these two boxes is better?"

Qiao Yichen leaned over and glanced: "The one on the left, it's leaner."

"Got it!" Lin Wei tossed the box on the left into the cart and went to pick out lamb rolls.

Sliced beef, lamb rolls, luncheon meat, shrimp paste, tripe, ox throat... Lin Wei picked things up as she walked, and the cart piled higher and higher.

Qiao Yichen pushed the cart behind her and couldn't help but ask: "Are you sure this many people can eat all this?"

"If we can't finish it, we'll eat it again tomorrow," Lin Wei replied without turning her head. "Hot pot, you know, it's only satisfying when there's a lot of it."

On the other side, Su Qing stood in the vegetable section, turning a head of baby bok choy over and over in her hand.

An older lady next to her was also picking vegetables and, seeing her hesitation, kindly said: "Young lady, this one is fresh. I just picked several myself."

Su Qing glanced at her, expressionlessly put the baby bok choy back, and picked up another one. The older lady withdrew her gaze sheepishly.

After picking the baby bok choy, she also grabbed two boxes of enoki mushrooms, a bag of spinach, a few ears of corn, and a bag of potatoes.

Su Qing looked down at her shopping cart, thought for a moment, and then went back to get a box of tofu.

In the seasoning section, Liu Yanran was frowning at the wall full of hot pot soup bases.

Clear broth, mushroom broth, tomato broth, bone broth... and all sorts of brands.

She picked up a box of mushroom broth, checked the ingredients list, put it down, and then picked up a box of tomato broth.

A stocker passing by kindly asked: "Miss, do you need any help?"

Liu Yanran shook her head and smiled: "I'm fine just looking by myself."

Finally, she chose one mushroom broth, one tomato broth, and after thinking, she added a box of bone broth. Three kinds of clear broth—surely one would suit them.

Passing the beverage section, she stopped and put two large bottles of Coke and two bottles of juice into the cart, then detoured to the fruit section to pick out a box of strawberries and a box of cherries.

When Liu Yanran pushed her cart to the checkout counter, Lin Wei was already waiting there.

The cart was piled high, and Lin Wei was leaning against it, scrolling on her phone.

"Where's Su Qing?" Liu Yanran asked.

"Not here yet." Lin Wei looked up at her cart. "Oh, you bought this much?"

Liu Yanran smiled: "I was afraid it wouldn't be enough."

Just as she finished speaking, Su Qing slowly pushed her cart over. Her cart was neatly stacked with vegetables, all green as far as the eye could see.

Lin Wei leaned over to take a look and wrinkled her nose: "Just this? No meat?"

Su Qing glanced at her: "Didn't you say you were buying the meat?"

Lin Wei choked up, turned to look at Qiao Yichen: "Boss Qiao, do you think she did that on purpose?"

Qiao Yichen didn't answer, just looked at the contents of the three carts and nodded: "It's about complete. Let's check out."

There was a line of moderate length at the checkout.

The four of them slowly moved forward with their carts. Lin Wei was flipping through the items in her cart out of boredom when she suddenly picked up a box of strawberries:

"Yanran, did you buy the strawberries?"

Liu Yanran nodded.

"How much were they?"

Liu Yanran paused for a moment: "I didn't look."

Lin Wei flipped it over to look at the price tag and gasped: "Forty-two? That expensive!"

Su Qing said blandly from the side: "It's not you paying."

Lin Wei chuckled and put the strawberries back.

When it was time to pay, Qiao Yichen took out his phone to scan the code.

Lin Wei pretended to fumble for her phone beside him: "Oh, let me, let me! How could I let you pay for everything..."

Su Qing pressed her hand down: "Save it."

Liu Yanran pursed her lips and smiled beside them.