Qian Xiaozhen's expression changed repeatedly upon hearing the price.
After examining it closely, she looked displeased: "It looks nice, but the color makes my face look a bit dark."
We are all college students, and wearing this floral pattern doesn't seem quite appropriate for our status.
"Or, let's go see if we can find any solid-colored ones over there."
The group quickly agreed.
Qian Lai and Hua Cheng pretended to pass by, following behind the two female students at the very back, listening to them whisper to each other.
"Qian Xiaozhen is so arrogant. How long are we going to keep pampering her like this?" Lin Xiaoli pouted, looking dejected.
"Keep your voice down." The other person glanced at the person walking in front, and only continued with relief when it seemed that no one had heard them. "Her father is a wealthy businessman. I heard he does business in Xinshi and is very powerful."
When we're out and about, don't we need someone to rely on? If something happens at school, we might have to ask her for help.
Besides, if we just shower her with compliments and flattery, she'll obediently treat us to dinner and a movie. There's no such thing as someone so easily fooled.
The two of them couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.
"If she didn't have a good father, who would care about her?"
"No, she might be getting a great son-in-law soon. Didn't you see her eyes light up the moment she saw Lu Ximing from the Economics Department? I heard..."
The two whispered to each other, but Qian Lai couldn't hear them. However, she could guess a thing or two.
Qian Xiaozhen really did come to Xinshi to attend university.
But how did she get the recommendation letter from the worker-peasant-soldier college student?
How did Fat Old Wang go from being a prisoner to becoming the wealthy businessman the female students were talking about?
Strange! Everything is strange!
Soon, Qian Xiaozhen bought a plain blue dress at another stall.
This one suits my skin tone even better than the previous one, making my skin look even darker.
But those around her all praised her, saying that it made her look elegant and refined, full of youthful energy.
"How much is this dress?" Qian Xiaozhen asked.
"Thirty-six yuan and twenty-four cents. This shirt is on sale now, no foreign exchange certificates required. It's a great deal."
“Price isn’t the most important thing. The important thing is that our Xiao Zhen looks good in it. Right, Xiao Zhen?”
Lin Xiaoli, who had just been pouting and looking displeased, spoke first.
Qian Xiaozhen was very pleased: "Okay, wrap it up. I'll take it."
Then, she happily waved to everyone: "Friends, to thank you for accompanying me to choose a dress today, let's go, I'll treat you all to some herbal tea."
The girls cheered and chased after her as they quickly left the mall.
Hua Cheng, noticing Qian Lai's serious expression, asked inquiringly, "You two know each other?"
Qian Lai took a deep breath: "She's my cousin. But..."
"Okay, Cheng-ge, to thank you for buying me a new dress, I'll treat you to lunch at a state-run restaurant. I'll also tell you a story about me and my cousin."
......
Qian Lai was unfamiliar with the area, so on Hua Cheng's recommendation, the two of them went to the most famous state-run restaurant in the vicinity.
It was lunchtime, and only half a table remained empty.
"Would you two like to share a table?" the waiter asked expressionlessly.
"If you can, go sit down. If not, make way for others; there are people waiting behind you."
This may well be the signature service of state-run restaurant waiters in the 1970s.
Qian Lai glanced at that spot.
It was a square table in the corner, and the two people opposite were almost finished eating. The two empty seats with their backs to the door were side by side, which made it easy to talk.
So the two of them quickly took their seats.
The waiter tossed the menu in front of them: "What would you like to eat?"
Qian Lai was not used to this kind of service. Hua Cheng noticed her displeasure and said in a low voice, "The service is a bit lacking, but the food is delicious."
"Brother Cheng, you order something. It's on me."
Hua Cheng smiled and took the menu. Without any hesitation, he ordered four dishes: two spicy and two non-spicy.
"This restaurant is famous for its braised lion's head meatballs and sweet and sour fish. I recommend you try them."
As Hua Cheng spoke, he carefully asked for a rag and wiped the table in front of Qian Lai, which had not yet been cleaned, again.
He then used hot tea to wash all her dishes, poured hot tea into them, and handed them to her.
This series of actions made the girl opposite her extremely envious. She nudged the man next to her with her elbow and whispered, "Look at that man, so generous with the food he orders, and so thoughtful. Why don't you learn from him?"
The man looked indignant: "They obviously aren't a couple. What couple would order this much food at a restaurant? Is that too much?"
Hurry up and eat! Just two bites already, how long are you going to take? I'm going to go outside and blow some smoke, hurry up!
After saying that, he got up and went out the door.
The woman completely lost her appetite, put down her chopsticks, and chased after him.
Qian Lai and Hua Cheng exchanged a smile.
"Brother Cheng, I want to ask you, when your school admits new students, do you check the identities of the admitted students? Is there any possibility of impersonation?"
Upon hearing her question, Hua Cheng immediately thought of her cousin.
"When students enroll, the school will check their files, letters of introduction, and letters of recommendation from worker-peasant-soldier students."
However, to be honest, I personally believe that there are loopholes in many aspects, and it is impossible to completely eliminate impersonation.
Last year, some schools were exposed for having students impersonate others to gain admission. However, these are likely to be extremely rare cases.
What, you doubt your cousin?
Qian Lai nodded and recounted in detail how Qian Jiangang had forced her to give up her place as a worker-peasant-soldier college student to her cousin.
"I got that spot through an exam. The whole village, plus the educated youth, were all eyeing those very few spots."
The school leadership would never agree to a replacement for her. If that were the case, how did she enroll without a letter of recommendation?
Hua Cheng was shocked.
"Don't worry, since you're a student at Xinda University, I'll check it out when I get back to school. If there's really a problem, I'll definitely investigate it thoroughly."
Hua Cheng was furious.
It turns out, she should have been a college student. There shouldn't have been such a huge gap between them.
If she really were a new college student, they might be able to spend their days strolling around the campus.
But now...
Just then, all the dishes were served.
Hua Cheng felt a pang of heartache seeing her in the prime of her life being bullied to such an extent by her closest relatives.
He picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish with his chopsticks, placed it on Qian Lai's plate, and sighed: "I never expected your family to be so unfair to you."
Don't be afraid. Now that you're free from their control, you're free. If you want to go to school, I can definitely sponsor you...
As they were talking, two flashes of military green suddenly appeared before them. A familiar figure was standing opposite Qian Lai.
"It seems that last night's events didn't affect Teacher Xiaoran's appetite at all. Four dishes for two people, is this a celebration of bringing the bad guys to justice?"
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