After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

"Mom! Are you crazy?! I've already made it perfectly clear to you, there's absolutely no way things can happen between him and me! You're just selling your daughter!"

"You brat, Zhiyuan's doing it with self-discipline! That's the way of the elite! You'd better learn how to buy groceries today!"

Furious, Shen's mother glared at her and shoved a plastic bag into Shen Man's hand. "Go! Do as I just told you, go over there and pick out a few good tomatoes!"

"I'm not going!" Shen Man turned around angrily, wanting to protest.

As she turned around, her gaze inadvertently swept to the side and instantly settled on the man in the gray tracksuit who was carrying two large plastic bags.

Eyes facing each other.

Shen Man was taken aback at first, then her eyes lit up. The irritability and frustration on her face vanished instantly, replaced by an undisguised joy.

Although she realized that she hadn't washed her face or put on makeup today, and that she looked a bit unkempt in her flip-flops, seeing Lin Fan at that moment made her as happy as if she had grabbed a lifeline in a vast ocean.

"Lin Fan?!"

Shen Man ran over without hesitation, a completely natural smile on her face, "What are you doing here?"

Seeing the usually aloof and arrogant eldest daughter of the Shen family standing before him like a girl next door, Lin Fan's lips curled into a faint smile as he waved the bag in his hand:

"If you own a restaurant, you're obviously here to buy groceries. Dressed like that... are you trying to experience life?"

"Don't even mention it!" Upon hearing this, Shen Man immediately launched into a tirade as if she'd seen a familiar face. "My mom insisted on dragging me here to learn how to pick vegetables, saying it's an essential course for a virtuous wife and loving mother. I'm going crazy from all this torture!"

As she spoke, she peeked into the plastic bag in Lin Fan's hand and asked curiously:

"These are tomatoes too? My mom just taught me to pick the ones that are red and firm, why did you pick some that are still a bit green?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan chuckled and casually took a tomato from the bag and handed it to her.

"Your mom picked vegetables that were artificially ripened in greenhouses. Truly naturally ripened tomatoes aren't as uniformly red, and they're slightly soft to the touch. These tomatoes have more pulp and are juicy, making them the best for stir-frying eggs."

"Wow, there's so much to learn inside!" Shen Man took the tomato, looking at Lin Fan with an expression of complete understanding and admiration in her eyes.

The two of them stood in front of the vegetable stall in a very natural way, chatting back and forth in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Shen Man occasionally let out a crisp laugh, completely forgetting that she was still in a dirty and messy vegetable market.

however.

This scene, witnessed by Shen's mother who was not far away, was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

Shen's mother was completely stunned.

Her proud and arrogant daughter, who usually wouldn't even bother with the richest second-generation heirs in Jiangcheng, was now chatting enthusiastically with a young man from the vegetable market dressed in cheap clothes and carrying plastic bags?!

Moreover, the genuine, radiant smile on her daughter's face was something she, as a mother, had never seen before!

"Manman, who is this?"

Mother Shen walked to the two of them and then, with a seemingly gentle but actually scrutinizing gaze, she looked Lin Fan up and down.

When Shen Man saw her mother coming over, she realized that she had been too engrossed in her conversation. She quickly turned around and, somewhat embarrassed, introduced the two of them.

"Oh, Mom, let me introduce you."

Shen Man pointed at Lin Fan, her tone filled with barely concealed joy and pride:

"This is Lin Fan, the owner of 'Lin's Shop' on Phoenix Golden Street, whom I mentioned to you a few days ago! His cooking is amazing; I've been eating there every day for the past few days!"

Then, she turned to look at Lin Fan and stuck out her tongue: "Lin Fan, this is my mom."

Lin Fan remained calm and nodded slightly: "Hello, Mrs. Shen."

However, upon hearing the words "Phoenix Golden Street" and "Lin Family Shop," a barely perceptible hint of contempt flashed in Shen's mother's eyes.

Phoenix Golden Street? Isn't that the bustling commercial street near the university town?

It was full of cheap fast food and snack stalls frequented by poor students.

She glanced again at the young man in front of her, who was wearing an ill-fitting gray tracksuit and carrying a plastic bag covered in mud and water stains. In her mind, Shen's mother immediately labeled him as a "low-level small vendor".

What alarmed her even more was her daughter's attitude.

Going out to eat every day?

Mother Shen sneered inwardly.

She knew her daughter too well. Shen Man had been pampered since childhood. When had she ever cared so much about a shabby street-side restaurant?

If it's just because the food is delicious, you can just pay the nanny to buy it or hire someone to run an errand. Why bother going all that way yourself?

At this point, he couldn't help but recall Shen Man's absent-mindedness during her blind date a few days ago, her running away halfway through, and even her loud argument with Liu Zhiyuan in order to resist him.

A mother's intuition told her that her daughter's heart had probably been stolen by this rather handsome but poor boy.

"So it's Boss Lin."

A smile that conveyed no warmth appeared on Shen's mother's face.

"It's really not easy for young people to work hard from dawn till dusk to earn a little money. My daughter Manman has been spoiled since she was a child. She's tired of eating at our family's private kitchen and Michelin-starred restaurants. She sometimes finds street food novel and wants to experience the down-to-earth atmosphere of ordinary people. I don't object to that."

"But Mr. Lin, you're in business too, you should know that things like seeking novelty only bring temporary popularity."

At this point, Shen's mother sighed softly and turned her gaze to Shen Man:

"Well, this afternoon, Manman's fiancé, Mr. Liu Zhiyuan, who just returned from Wall Street, is going to pay a formal visit."

"Zhiyuan's family is also in finance, so they're a good match for our Shen family. He's a very particular person when it comes to quality of life, especially when it comes to food—he's very particular about it being refined, low-fat, and healthy."

"That's why I specially brought Manman here today to teach her how to prepare a heartfelt family dinner for her future husband."

"After Manman gets married and becomes Mrs. Liu, she probably won't have as much free time to 'experience life' at Boss Lin's shop. Thank you so much, Boss Lin, for taking care of our Manman during this time."

"Mom! What nonsense are you spouting now!"

Upon hearing the words "fiancé" and "Mrs. Liu," Shen Man stomped her feet in frustration, her face turning pale.

She glanced at Lin Fan instinctively and hurriedly explained:

"Lin Fan, don't listen to my mother! I never agreed to that marriage. That Liu Zhiyuan is a complete egomaniac, I hate him to death!"

"Manman! What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling in public!" Mother Shen's face darkened, and she sternly stopped her daughter.