The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

After the meal, Ye Shu had a very bad impression of the restaurant.

Very, very bad.

Ye Shu felt like she had been deceived.

He was quite happy to see that Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork) was on the menu when he was ordering. He thought to himself, "Great! I haven't had this in a long time. I'll have a serving to satisfy my craving. Plus, it's sweet and sour, so Xiaoxue will like it too."

He had already mentally prepared himself: in a place like this, he couldn't expect a large, filling meal, but at least it had to be top-notch sweet and sour pork, right? It had to be refined, right?

The results of it?

When the waiter brought out the plate of sweet and sour pork, Ye Shu almost went to the kitchen and fought with the chef.

Does anyone have the kind heart to put canned food in their sweet and sour pork?

It's still one of those mixed canned goods, like pineapple, cherries, yellow peaches, and the like.

A plate of sweet and sour pork, half a plate of soup. The pork slices were soggy from soaking in the sugar water, like a cardboard box that had been soaked in rain. The outer layer of batter had collapsed, making it look like a piece of soup.

This is a crime scene! Calling the police would be enough to get him executed.

Ye Shu had never seen sweet and sour pork with soup inside.

Oh, dear chef, do your family know you cook like this? You know you'd be beaten to death in Ye Shu's hometown? Did you learn this skill from a car mechanic?

He suppressed his anger, called over a waiter, pointed to the plate...object, and asked:

"What's going on?"

The waiter seemed to have been asked this before, and appeared somewhat desensitized. He opened his mouth and said:

"Sir, this is one of our restaurant's creative dishes. We use canned fruit to enhance the sweet and sour flavor of the sweet and sour pork, so it won't feel greasy. At the same time, the fruit also enriches the texture of the sweet and sour pork."

Go to hell!

A richer flavor?

You call pouring half a bottle of mixed canned food into sweet and sour pork a way to enhance the flavor?

If I add some to your rice cooker, will that make the flavor richer?

They call it "creative cuisine," but if you can't cook it, just say you can't. Why keep using "creative" as an excuse?

Ye Shu waved helplessly at the waiter. The food was made by the chef, and there was no point in making things difficult for the waiter. Besides, today was Xiaoxue's birthday, a joyous occasion, and Ye Shu didn't want to ruin the atmosphere. He decided to just make do with what he had to eat.

Ye Shu picked up a piece of this creative sweet and sour pork with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Good heavens, this bite almost killed him. He desperately needed Sister Zhi Qiu's porridge to cleanse his mouth.

I won't mention the other dishes; they were just passable.

But this dish of mixed canned sweet and sour pork alone was enough for Ye Shu to completely blacklist this restaurant.

From now on, I won't even come to this place to beg for food.

Ye Shu led Xiao Xue out of the restaurant, grumbling and cursing. Xiao Xue secretly laughed beside him, not saying a word, just listening to Ye Shu's complaints all the way.

When they arrived at the door, everyone stood beside the car, ready to go home.

An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan drove Xiaoxue and Ye Shu home first, while Qin Lili drove Chen San San home.

Just as they were about to get into their respective cars and go home, Xiaoxue suddenly hugged Ye Shu's arm tightly. Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it:

"Wait...wait a minute."

Everyone was looking at her, and Qin Lili asked:

"What happened? Did you leave something inside?"

No...no.

Xiaoxue clung to Ye Shu's arm, reverting to her previous shy demeanor. Head bowed, face flushed, she glanced at the bag Ye Shu was carrying in his other hand, pursed her lips, and whispered:

"I...I want to take a picture here."

She raised her head, looked at everyone, and then looked at Ye Shu:

"Let's film together..."

"Okay, no problem."

Ye Shu smiled. He understood what Xiaoxue meant. Xiaoxue wanted to preserve the moment when so many people were celebrating her birthday together for the first time.

He took the Polaroid camera out of the bag, examined it in his hand for a while, and still couldn't figure out where to put the photographic paper.

This was his first time touching this thing, and he didn't dare to bend it too hard. After all, how many Transformers died because of overexertion when he was a kid?

"I'll do it!"

Chen San San darted over from the side, took the Polaroid camera from Ye Shu's hand, opened the back cover, and then said while loading photographic paper:

"Put the photographic paper in this way. See, it can be opened from the back, but don't take the photographic paper out in a bright light, or it won't be usable..."

Chen San San explained and worked on it at the same time, while Ye Shu and Xiao Xue watched and learned very attentively.

After loading the photographic paper, Ye Shu raised the camera, wanting to take the picture herself, but with six people, her arms seemed too short.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Shu took off his phone case and took out a fifty-yuan bill.

This is his backup hidden power source, used when necessary, and otherwise kept untouched, just tucked behind his phone case for emergencies.

He took the fifty yuan, walked to the restaurant entrance, and stuffed the fifty yuan into the doorman's hand:

"Hey bro, can you take a picture for us?"

What's there to refuse when you've been given money?

The doorman glanced at the fifty-yuan note in his hand, then discreetly slipped it into his pocket, took the camera, and even helped direct the positioning.

"Come on, everyone, you two in the middle, move closer. The lady on the left, move closer to the middle, and the one on the right, come over here too. The two in the back, stand still, yes, a little taller… Okay, all of you look at the camera."

Ye Shu and Xiao Xue stood in the middle, with Chen San San next to Ye Shu and Qin Li Li next to Xiao Xue. An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan stood behind the four children.

All six people were smiling happily at the camera.

"Three, two, one..."

With a click, a small photo popped out from the bottom of the Polaroid camera.

The doorman handed the photos and camera to Ye Shu, then happily returned to his door, thinking how easily he had earned fifty yuan.

Ye Shu took the items and handed the photographic paper to Xiao Xue. Following Chen San San's instructions, Xiao Xue pinched the corner and shook it, watching the person on the paper slowly develop.

This was her first and arguably most complete birthday ever, with family, friends, and Ye Shu.

Six people, one photo.

She was never alone, never.

Xiaoxue was still holding that photo in her hand, looking at it over and over again.

"Go home and look at it later. It's dark outside, don't you want to ruin your eyes?"

Ye Shu smiled, took Xiaoxue's hand, and led her to the car.

Xiaoxue nodded and put the photo into the bag that holds the Polaroid camera. The main reason was that the couple's outfits today really didn't have pockets, and she was afraid of damaging them if she put them in her pants pocket.

Behind them, Qin Lili and Chen San San had already gotten into the car. Qin Lili rolled down the window and called out to Xiao Xue:

"Xiaoxue, remember this! If Ye Shu misbehaves in the future, flick his forehead! Hahahahahahaha."

Ye Shu calmly gave her the middle finger from the window, then squeezed Xiaoxue's hand and said:

"Let's go home."