Chapter 108 Still Eating

Luo Yan has always taken the final exams very seriously, making the most of every minute to review, even reading while eating.

She was focused on her own thing, while Luo Hong chatted with his childhood friend, sharing some recent news he had heard while out last night.

As they chatted, he suddenly lowered his voice—some things were not suitable for his younger sister to hear.

But even though he spoke loudly, Luo Yan couldn't actually hear him.

Now all she can think about is books; she stretches her chopsticks forward as if she's about to grab something and put it in her mouth.

Zhou Weifang, who had been paying close attention, quickly reminded her, "Yanyan, it's ginger."

Luo Yan looked up, finding it quite amusing, and said, "It's ginger."

Still laughing? Luo Hong: "Why did you tell her to take a bite? She shouldn't be eating properly."

Luo Yan glanced at her brother, then put the book away and set it aside, saying "thank you" again.

Only after he finished speaking did he realize that he had been impolite, so he reacted quickly with a cold face and a fierce glare.

Luo Hongzhen didn't mean to mock his sister; he just found her "drama" hilarious and said, "Alright, your eyeballs are about to pop out."

Luo Yan snorted: "Just say you're jealous of my big eyes."

Luo Hong: "You cry because your eyes are too big. I don't want that."

Luo Yan initially wanted to retort, "Who are you calling a crybaby?" but then she thought about how she had shed almost all the tears of her life in front of the two people in front of her, so she swallowed her words.

But when she glanced at Zhou Weifang out of the corner of her eye, she saw a half-smile on his face and got angry: "You're not allowed to smile."

Her appearance is so unpleasant to look at.

Zhou Weifang tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth, even reaching out to pull them down, demonstrating through his actions how obedient he was.

Luo Yan was barely satisfied. She tossed aside the ginger shreds she had just picked up with her chopsticks and focused on eating her meat. She didn't dare eat too fast, afraid that her brother would retort with the same kind of words she usually used to lecture people.

Luo Hong knew her well enough to reach out and flick her forehead, leaving a small red mark on her fair skin.

No, this isn't about buying watermelons.

Zhou Weifang glanced at his younger brother, but knew it was none of his business to interfere in the siblings' affairs, and sighed inwardly.

The darkness was quite noticeable; at least the Luo siblings heard it.

Luo Yan was quite curious, but she held back from asking. Fortunately, Luo Hong didn't hold back: "Why are you sighing?"

Zhou Weifang feigned ignorance: "Really?"

This wasn't a big deal, and Luo Hong didn't investigate it further.

Just then, someone came to get their car repaired, so he put down his bowl and chopsticks and went to get busy.

Luo Yan covered her brother's rice with an empty plate, her eyes inadvertently sweeping over Zhou Weifang as she did so, and said, "Your face."

Face? Zhou Weifang touched his face, one on each side, and found a grain of rice. He felt a little embarrassed, thinking to himself that he didn't have any grand moments in front of her, and gave an awkward laugh.

Luo Yan laughed quite happily, but quickly composed herself, though a hint of joy still flickered in her eyes.

Zhou Weifang struck up a conversation with her: "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Come again tonight?" Luo Yan asked. "Aren't you busy lately?"

Zhou Weifang: "I'm about to leave. I'll spend less time in the store these few days so they can get used to it."

He added, "Schools are on holiday, so business is slow."

His shop is flanked by junior and senior high schools on both sides, so it gets crowded during school days and only gets lively again when school starts.

Luo Yan said "Oh" to indicate that she knew, but did not answer his question. Instead, she said in a slightly sarcastic tone, "I see you know this too."

Zhou Weifang: "Your liking to eat and wanting to eat today are two different things."

Luo Yan: "But whether I tell you or not, it's the same thing."

She felt that it was "too bad" of her to eat without saying anything, and she was quite smug, waiting for his reaction.

What could Zhou Weifang's reaction be? He could only tentatively ask, "Stir-fried green peppers with pork?"

Luo Yan's expression betrayed her thoughts; her eyes lit up.

Zhou Weifang added, "I asked the boss to put in more chili peppers."

Luo Yan seemed to have already smelled the chili peppers, but she was still pretending not to have heard anything.

Perhaps it was against her nature to do so, and she felt inexplicably a little guilty.

Zhou Weifang: "How about a vegetarian dish, like scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"

Luo Yan ignored him, treating it as if he were asking the air, and didn't respond at all.

However, Zhou Weifang could tell that she wasn't really willing to eat this dish today, so he asked her another one.

It's like a stand-up comedy routine here; it's really lonely without a straight man. Luo Hong interjects, "I'll eat eggplant."

It was only natural to ask him for help, Zhou Weifang nodded, and he roughly understood.

Luo Yan wasn't curious about what she would eat that night; instead, she felt a secret anticipation.

She couldn't find fault with the recent meals, especially enjoying the ease of not having to wash the dishes and the crisp peach she could eat.

Zhou Weifang had carefully selected the item, but after hearing her bite into it and feel the crunch, he began to worry: "Can her teeth handle it?"

Luo Yan took another bite: "I'm young, and I have good teeth."

Zhou Weifang was a few years older than her, and subconsciously touched her face: "I'm not that old, am I?"

He was born with good looks, and his eyebrows and eyes were slightly downturned. The spiritedness of his teens gave rise to a kind of introvertedness, but it still did not hide his youthful spirit. Whether you look at him at first glance or again, he is handsome.

But Luo Yan wants to say: "Yesterday someone thought I was my brother's daughter, what do you think?"

Zhou Weifang, who is the same age as Luo Hong, distanced himself at this moment: "I definitely look much younger than him. I even wear face cream regularly."

Huh? Luo Yan's gaze first fell on his hands, then on his face.

Zhou Weifang spread his hands out to show her: "My hands are indeed less chapped now."

He was a manual laborer, and his hands inevitably developed small cuts and nicks. By his nature, he didn't care, but when he thought that he might use these hands to hold a young girl's hand in the future, he naturally wanted to take good care of them.

Luo Yan had no idea he had so many thoughts, and simply said to her brother, "Look at other people."

"What are you looking at?" Luo Hong said irritably. "Go to your school."

Oh no, I'm going to be late!

Luo Yan took off running, stopping to take a bite of the peach after a couple of runs.

Is it really that delicious? Zhou Weifang washed one for himself, took a bite, and rubbed his chin: "It's amazing she can eat that much."

He wouldn't waste food. He forced himself to finish the meal, even though his cheeks hurt. After washing the dishes, he put them upside down on the rack to dry and said, "Let's go."

"Go or don't go," Luo Hong ignored him. After finishing his work, he ate the remaining cold rice and settled into a recliner to rest for a while.

He was still running his business with the door open, so of course he didn't dare to sleep soundly. Hearing someone shout, he jumped up and, seeing who it was, said, "Pockmarked Man."

No, why does that sound so awful?

Sparrow: "Are you asking for a beating?"

Luo Hong rubbed his hair: "You're still half asleep. Don't worry, come in and sit down. I'll make you some tea."

That's more like it. Sparrow: "Bring me a melon."

He was holding a huge watermelon with beautiful green stripes. Even Luo Hong, who didn't know much about picking fruit, could tell. He said, "Where did you buy this? It's so big."

Sparrow: "My great-aunt grew them herself, and she said the yield was too high this year and the price wouldn't be good. I've mentioned her son before; he's not very bright, and the family is struggling financially. I figured I had nothing else to do today, so I went to buy a truckload and give them away."

We're all relatives, so it's only right that we help each other out.

Luo Hong vaguely remembered that when he touched the melon, he thought, "It's so hot today, I feel like it's about to catch fire."

Sparrow: "I rode all the way from Baigezhuang, I'm lucky to have something to eat."

But he still said, "Could you find some ice to cool things down?"

Ice cubes aren't cabbages, Luo Hong said, holding up a melon: "There's a well across the street, I'll go borrow it, you sit down first."

The well is like the best refrigerator for every household. He has good relationships with people in this area and can go and come back quickly.

Sparrow had already started drinking tea without any hesitation, and seeing that he was not at all unfamiliar, said, "Please sit down."

Luo Hong kicked him: "No, whose shop is this?"

The sparrow showed him the tea: "Is this the good one? I see it's in a box."

Luo Hong chuckled twice: "You've got a good eye for things."

It seems I didn't take the wrong one. Sparrow: "You said you would treat me to good tea."

Luo Hong: "Then you should be more careful. Do you think this is Gao Mo?"

Sparrow even argued, "I only added a little Gao Mo (a type of Chinese liquor), because drinking too much will make my throat bitter."

No, Luo Hong gave him the middle finger: "What kind of rich and noble habit is this?"

Sparrow returned the greeting, and the two chatted idly for a while.

When Zhou Weifang arrived, he saw this scene and asked, "Oh, Mr. Ma is here."

Sparrow's surname was Ma. He raised his hand in a bow and said, "Boss Zhou is here too."

Then she saw him carrying several lunchboxes: "Wait, why don't you bring me anything good to eat?"

Zhou Weifang: "That won't stop you from eating."

He now had the perfect excuse: "I'm about to go to Fujian, and I'll need Luo Bu to watch my stall, so I have to curry favor with them a bit more."

This was reasonable and well-founded, so Sparrow didn't doubt it. She simply said, "I won't eat your food for free. I'll go buy some wine."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Luo Hong pulled him back, saying, "Sit down, sit down. Don't you even know whose territory this is?"

We're all buddies, there's no point in being all polite back and forth.

Sparrow sat down facing Zhou Wei and asked, "When did you leave?"

Zhou Weifang replied, and the two started chatting.

When Luo Yan arrived, she only saw the doves occupying the magpie's nest and almost thought she had come to the wrong place. She asked in surprise, "Where is my brother?"

Sparrow and Zhou Weifang looked at her at the same time and said in unison, "She went to buy wine."

"Oh," Luo Yan nodded knowingly, first greeting Sparrow, since there were still people around, and then talking to Zhou Weifang, calling him "Third Brother."

He thought to himself that he had to rely on others to get a smile from them. Zhou Weifang thought to himself that the road ahead was long and arduous, and said, "You eat first, we have a class meeting tonight."

Luo Yan had mentioned it to her brother at noon, and now, glancing at her watch, she was worried she wouldn't make it in time.

But it wouldn't matter if Zhou Weifang were here, but now there are other people, so she's too embarrassed to start eating first.

Zhou Weifang noticed her hesitation and understood what was going on. Just then, he caught a glimpse of her and said, "Your brother is back."

He only had one pair of eyes, so he looked outwards and couldn't see inside. He didn't notice that the sparrow's thoughtful gaze was fixed on him.

Luo Yan saw it, but since she didn't really understand what boys were doing anyway, she didn't think about it too much and just focused on eating quickly.

Luo Hong also brought soda for his sister. Seeing that she ate and drank it quickly, he said, "It's okay if you're a little late, it's just a class meeting."

Luo Yan swallowed what was in her mouth: "It's because of people like you that we can never start on time."

Well, I tried to be kind, but she scolded me.

Luo Hong: "Okay, okay, I know you're the most punctual."

"Good to know," Luo Yan put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said before leaving the table, "Brother Ma, Third Brother, please enjoy your meal. I'm going to school."

Including his older brother, the three boys each responded with different words that conveyed the same meaning—telling her not to run too fast since she had just finished eating.

Luo Yan was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to lift her foot too hard, and she felt like something was wrong, but she couldn't figure it out. She went to school in a daze.

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Author's note: Good night!