I Fell In Love With The Fruit Stand Proprietress At First Sight - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Crash – Delivering Takeout is Hard!

The first thing Ding Chi noticed about the woman was her pair of enchanting, beautiful fox-like eyes—very captivating, and very… heart-stirring.

…

Delivering takeout is hard.

This was the only thought Ding Chi had after being fiercely scolded by a customer for being five minutes late delivering a bowl of rice with toppings.

The first time, she was delivering a bowl of rice noodle soup. The restaurant probably hadn’t packaged it well, as some soup had already spilled when she took it out of the insulated box. Ding Chi reluctantly brought it up and knocked on the door. The big-bellied man was inexplicably bad-tempered. He grabbed Ding Chi and scolded her for nearly ten minutes, even threatening to file a complaint.

Ding Chi definitely did not want a complaint on her first day of work. She patiently listened until he was done, said some nice words, and finally managed to appease the customer. However, the delay caused a chain reaction, making her next two deliveries late as well.

The customers today were all in a bad mood.

The second time, she was late with the rice and toppings delivery and was scolded by a curly-haired woman. The third time, Ding Chi used a little trick: she took off her helmet, messed up her hair, rubbed her eyes until they were red, and pretended to be out of breath and desperately rushing.

The customer, who had been waiting for a long time, was starving and full of pent-up anger. But when she opened the door and saw a delicate, pretty girl holding the takeout with a pitiful expression and continuously apologizing, her massive anger vanished.

“Ah, forget it, forget it,” the middle-aged woman waved her hand. “It’s not easy for a girl to be running around like this.”

If it had been a boy, she would have started yelling, but a girl, and such a good-looking one at that, could be forgiven. The woman thought with clear double standards.

Ding Chi thanked her profusely, but as soon as she turned away, the pitiful expression on her face disappeared.

She knew since she was young that she was good-looking. If a little use of her looks could save her trouble, why not?

She pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat, crumpled it and threw it into the trash can. The notification for a new order rang on her phone. Ding Chi mounted her electric scooter, checked her phone, and saw a message from her mother half an hour ago: [Little Chi, you must be safe! Take your time, no rush.]

Take my time? Mom, there are so many people delivering takeout. If I take my time, I won’t even get a drop of soup!

Initially, Ding Chi’s mother, Jiang Ying, was against her choice to deliver takeout. She thought it was too tiring and unsafe for a girl. But Ding Chi calculated that a typical part-time job would only yield two to three thousand yuan a month, whereas delivering takeout could bring in four to five thousand minimum, and six or seven thousand, even eight thousand, was possible for good workers.

She wanted to earn more money.

This was just her first day, and she was still unfamiliar with the work, but Ding Chi believed she would quickly adapt after a few more days.

She started the scooter again. The next order was a bowl of braised chicken and rice. The shop wasn’t far, about a five-minute scooter ride.

The scooter drove through the bustling street. Youxian was a second-tier county seat, neither too big nor too small, and could barely squeeze into the list of China’s top 100 counties. However, the streets and alleys were quite lively, with all kinds of shops lining the roads. Takeout riders in yellow or blue uniforms constantly weaved through, entering and exiting various establishments.

Ding Chi turned the handlebars, entering another food street where the braised chicken shop was located.

She parked the scooter, took off her helmet to catch her breath, and walked into the shop.

Ding Chi was quite familiar with this braised chicken shop. She had worked many part-time jobs during high school, including a stint here. She still knew most of the current staff.

Business was good. The woman at the front counter had just finished taking an order. Seeing Ding Chi, she looked surprised and called out, “Little Ding?”

Ding Chi flashed a radiant, sweet smile: “Sister Wang, I haven’t seen you in half a year. You’re looking more beautiful than ever.”

Sister Wang was delighted. Ding Chi was good-looking, sweet-talking, and knew how to charm people, which made people happy to see her. She had liked the girl a lot when Ding Chi worked there and was quite sorry when Ding Chi resigned.

She smiled and listened as Ding Chi reported the order number, asking her to wait: “This order will take a few more minutes. Why don’t you sit and rest? Have some water.” She even quietly whispered to her, “I have several takeout orders, but I’ll have the kitchen make yours first to save time.”

Ding Chi naturally acted surprised and happily agreed, adding a few more complimentary remarks, making Sister Wang cheerfully head to the back. Only then did Ding Chi sit in a corner chair.

It was a bit tiring to smile. She let her mouth relax and rubbed her face.

There was no such thing as being fair or unfair. If she could make someone willing to prioritize her order, that was her skill.

Sitting there, watching the endless stream of customers, she noticed that most people entering and exiting the shop were holding a small plastic bowl with cut-up watermelon, pineapple, or cantaloupe—in short, fruit. They were eating it with toothpicks. The overflowing scent of fruit, mingled with the aroma of braised chicken, made Ding Chi’s mouth water involuntarily.

It was the transition season between spring and summer, and the weather was getting warmer. Running around delivering takeout already made her feel dry and parched. The smell of fruit made Ding Chi a little envious. It looked like there might be a fruit stand nearby?

For a moment, she considered buying a bowl of watermelon later to quench her thirst, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Fruit was expensive now. A bowl of watermelon would cost around ten yuan, which was enough to cover several of her deliveries. It wasn’t necessary. A drink of water would be enough to wet her throat.

She took out a small cup from the large pocket of her uniform, filled it with water from the shop’s dispenser, and drank a few sips, completely suppressing the momentary craving.

She put away the cup. Sister Wang was quick and soon brought her the takeout. Before Ding Chi left, she insisted on giving her a can of Coke: “Look at your flushed face, have some Coke to cool down.”

Ding Chi, of course, thanked her again, her tone enthusiastic: “Sister Wang, you are so kind.”

“If I’m kind, you should come to my place more often!” Sister Wang smiled and pinched her cheek. Ding Chi grinned, her curved eyes so bright they melted the woman’s heart. Sister Wang grabbed a handful of mints and stuffed them into Ding Chi’s pocket.

After finally managing to say goodbye, Ding Chi turned and sighed, cooling her face with the Coke. She left the shop, got on her scooter, and prepared for the next round of deliveries.

It was past one o’clock in the afternoon. Since starting at nine, she had only completed three deliveries. One had spilled soup, and two were late. She didn’t know how much the platform would deduct. If she didn’t pick up the pace this afternoon, the whole day would be a waste.

She needed to speed up.

She slightly increased her speed. As the scooter sped up and was about to pass the corner ahead, a child suddenly darted out.

Ding Chi was startled. Seeing that she was about to hit the child, she reflexively turned the handlebars to the right, narrowly missing the child. However, the scooter lost control and fell straight over, seeming to have crashed into a stall nearby.

Unlucky. Ding Chi closed her eyes resignedly, bracing for a painful fall, but the anticipated pain never came.

The electric scooter fell, but a strong force pulled her up by the collar. Someone supported her body, preventing her from hitting the ground. A feminine voice with a laugh sounded in her ear:

“Little sister, your reaction is quite fast.”

The voice was clear and crisp, like the strike of jade, but the tone was somewhat languid, as if casually interjecting a remark—light and breezy, yet clearly teasing.

Ding Chi was stunned.

The first thing she saw was fruits scattered all over the ground: apples, oranges, and pears strewn everywhere. Several watermelons were miserably smashed, leaking bright red juice. More crushingly, there were several durians nearby, two of which were also cracked open…

Durians are expensive… Ding Chi desperately closed her eyes. Now she would probably have to pay her entire life savings.

But regardless, the woman had stopped her from falling. Thanking her was necessary. Ding Chi looked up, ready to speak, but froze the moment she saw the face before her.

This was a young woman who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six.

Her ponytail was tied high. Her features were delicate and beautiful. Her slightly upturned fox-like eyes added a touch of allure, giving her the face of a captivating fox, yet there was a hint of heroism between her brows, which balanced her overall demeanor.

She was wearing a faded blue denim shirt and had a well-proportioned, tall figure. Her sleeves were rolled up. She wore ripped work pants paired with a pair of combat boots, which were slightly dusty, but it didn’t stop her from looking incredibly cool.

If Ding Chi hadn’t seen her next to a fruit stand, she would have thought this was a unique model who should be walking a runway.

A stunning beauty.

Their slightly smiling eyes met. Those slightly upturned fox eyes were like a hook, possessing some magical attraction that instantly made Ding Chi’s heart pound wildly.

Ding Chi, usually quite comfortable in social interactions, suddenly felt a lump in her throat. After a long pause, she finally managed to squeeze out: “Thank you…”

Song Nianxi looked at the girl in the delivery uniform before her—pretty, refined, and completely harmless-looking. Her face was flushed, her expression a little flustered, but her eyes were glued to Song Nianxi, almost forgetting to blink.

Was there something on her face?

“You! How do you ride your bike?!” The woman who had followed up, having seen the frightening near-miss, was startled. She rushed forward, hugging her child, and started angrily scolding Ding Chi.

The child in his mother’s arms was still making faces, completely unaware of how dangerous his action had been moments ago.

Ding Chi felt helpless. Did she look that much like a punching bag?

But she couldn’t be bothered to argue. She had learned to roll with the punches, having experienced many setbacks since childhood. Her skin had long grown thick. If she took everything to heart, she would only drive herself crazy.

Better to avoid trouble. Letting the woman scold her, Ding Chi focused on picking up her electric scooter and then squatting down, ready to pick up the scattered fruits for the proprietress.

Seeing her indifferent look, the woman became even angrier, spewing out a truckload of nasty remarks. She also spoke condescendingly to her child, telling him not to learn from an ill-mannered person, or else he would grow up to be a delivery person like her…

It was getting very noisy.

Song Nianxi lowered her eyes, looking at the girl who was quietly squatting and picking up fruit. She raised an eyebrow, then suddenly picked up a fruit knife next to her and threw it like a dart. It plunged straight into the durian on the ground. The durian, already cracked, split completely into two halves with a crack.

The woman’s aggressive scolding came to a complete halt.

Even Ding Chi, holding an apple, couldn’t help but tremble.

Goodness, what strength did this woman have!

“There’s a surveillance camera here,” Song Nianxi raised a finger, pointing to the wall diagonally across. Her tone was clearly cheerful, and the ending of her words was slightly upturned, yet it carried a sense of pressure: “There’s also a police station three streets away. You are welcome to go and look at the footage together to see whose fault it is—for a child you can’t control…”

She said each word deliberately: “The police can help you control him.”