Chapter 130: 130 is unpredictable
The particularly delicious hot pot restaurant that Zhou Weifang mentioned is located in Baiyangtiao Hutong. It was probably not yet lunchtime, as most of the tables in the restaurant were empty.
Luo Yan, already prejudiced, whispered, "There's nobody here, how can it taste good?"
Zhou Weifang didn't dare to guarantee anything: "I only heard about it from others."
Okay, since we're already here.
Luo Yan found a seat by the window, smoothed her slightly disheveled hair, and looked at the menu written on the wall: "Let's order a few things, and add more if we like them."
Just then, the waiter came to bring the bowls and chopsticks, saying, "The meat in our restaurant is absolutely fresh; that lamb was just jumping around like a madman."
Luo Yan felt guilty, as if she had been caught talking badly about someone, and gestured to the person opposite her to say something quickly.
Zhou Weifang chimed in, "I came here specifically because I heard it was good. What kind of meat is the best today?"
He chatted with the waiter for a bit, ordered his food, and then went to the corner to grab two bottles of soda to start drinking.
Luo Yan, sipping her soda, suddenly asked, "Did you hire anyone today?"
Mentioning this, Zhou Weifang had a headache: "I posted the job ad this morning, and two people came, but neither of them were quite suitable."
He had originally planned not to hire anyone, but he was worried that the crowds at the opening would be too much for him, so he had already asked his second sister to help out for a few days. However, his eldest sister found out she was pregnant yesterday, which meant she couldn't manage her own business, so Zhou Yuying had to tell her brother at the last minute that she couldn't come.
In the short term, Zhou Weifang really couldn't find anyone to fill in for a while, so he said, "Anyway, let Hongmin run back and forth between the two places tomorrow."
Fortunately, the two stores were not far apart, so Zhang Hongmin was very willing to give out an extra bonus.
This is only a barely acceptable solution, but the burden will still fall on him. Therefore, Zhou Weifang said, "I will be quite busy in the coming days, and I probably won't have time to go."
"Of course business is the priority," Luo Yan said. "It's alright, you go ahead with your work."
Her expression showed no sign of anything amiss, as if whether he went or not was a trivial matter. Zhou Weifang couldn't help but feel disappointed, and his smile became somewhat dejected.
Just then, the waiter came to serve the pot, blocking his expression from view. Luo Yan didn't see it and continued to say to herself, "Anyway, if I want to eat fruit, I'll come to you."
In that sentence, Zhou Weifang only heard the last four words, as if a new machine had been plugged in with two batteries, saying, "I'll save the sweetest for you every day."
Every day? Luo Yan thought for a moment: "No need, I only have some time on Tuesdays."
There are still a lot of classes this semester. Even someone as tough as her would gasp when she saw the schedule, thinking that just doing homework would make her calluses.
Zhou Weifang immediately memorized her class schedule for the semester and poured the meat into the boiling pot: "Maybe we'll find someone in a couple of days."
No matter how many people you recruit, Luo Yan said, "Didn't you say the other day that you have to handle everything in the first three months of doing business?"
Zhou Weifang mentioned this when talking to his childhood friend, saying, "It can still take an hour or two."
Luo Yan said sternly, "You're not allowed to come in an hour or two."
It's a ten-mile round trip, and all that huffing and puffing isn't enough to keep you tired.
Zhou Weifang was afraid of angering her, and was torn between whether to "outwardly comply but inwardly defy her".
His eyes darted around, and Luo Yan knew what he was thinking. She stared at him with her big, round eyes, the gist of which was, "Try disobeying me."
In fact, Zhou Weifang always thought he was good at fooling people, but every time he made up a perfect story in front of her, it seemed that he would be exposed.
He was sometimes puzzled, saying, "I will definitely obey."
A waiter happened to pass by, overheard this, and chuckled.
Luo Yan got anxious and kicked him under the table: "Keep your voice down, you're quite proud of yourself."
Of course it's an honor, Zhou Weifang said: "You can't control just anyone."
"Hmph, now you're quite willing," Luo Yan said, picking up a piece of meat with her chopsticks. "You used to give me nicknames."
When she was little, she was extremely tactless, only distinguishing right from wrong in everything, and she was also a master of nagging. If anyone tried to argue with her, she would burst into tears—not on purpose, but because she couldn't hold back when she was about to have a dispute with someone.
Zhou Weifang and Luo Hong were inseparable, and they were both scolded for the same reason. Logically, the former had a chance to escape, but his childhood friend used the word "loyalty" to keep him from doing anything, so he could only grit his teeth and endure it, and behind Luo Yan's back, he called him a "nagging devil".
However, he never dared to call her those three words to her face, for fear that she would cry again.
But secrets don't stay hidden forever, and Luo Yan soon found out, but she didn't shed a single tear. From then on, whenever she saw Zhou Weifang, she tried to show her disdain.
Unfortunately, she wasn't tall enough, which made her look rather clumsy and cute.
When old scores were brought up, Zhou Weifang, who should have been weak and subdued, was surprisingly confident this time: "We agreed to settle this matter evenly."
Even? Luo Yan remembered: Not long after, she had caused a fight by advising other children not to climb trees on the roadside. She herself was unharmed, hiding in a corner, but Zhou Weifang lost a baby tooth that was already on the verge of falling out, and blood splattered down his face.
Because of this, Luo Yan felt particularly embarrassed and took the initiative to make up with him. But things were different now; she was stirring the sesame paste and said, "I don't remember, I don't know."
The word "cheating" is practically etched on their foreheads.
What else could Zhou Weifang say? He said sincerely, "Then shall I give you two ounces of cucumber strips as an apology?"
Luo Yan held up her finger: "I want three ounces."
It seems this restaurant suits her taste. Zhou Weifang said, "We'll come again when it gets cooler."
There were more people in the store now than when they first arrived, and the steam was rising like clouds.
Luo Yan also complained about the heat: "I left my fan at your shop."
Zhou Weifang had always assumed that she hadn't taken it out because it wasn't very hot, so he waved his hand to bring her a little breeze.
Luo Yan slapped his hand away: "Eat your food properly."
The two chatted and ate, and after paying the bill, they slowly pushed their bicycles back home.
Zhou Weifang had something to explain to her first, saying, "There will be a lot of people coming tomorrow morning. If I don't talk to you much, it's definitely because I know many of them are here."
When he opens a shop, everyone naturally has to come and support him, since the fruit shop is located not far from the alley.
Luo Yan understood this principle, but she felt uneasy hearing him take the initiative to avoid suspicion, so she just said "oh".
Zhou Weifang had spoken up in advance because he was afraid she would think he was deliberately ignoring her tomorrow, but now that she sounded like she wasn't in a good mood, he cautiously asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
That's right. Luo Yan always considered herself a very reasonable person, and she snorted, "Can't I have a bad temper?"
Well, Zhou Weifang is in a dilemma.
He thought that if he went along with her, it would imply that she had a bad temper, but if he didn't, it would be even worse. So he simply reached out and said, "Hit me a couple of times to vent your anger."
It was as if the slap was only directed at him. Luo Yan said, "It hurts too."
Zhou Weifang: "Then, then I'll do it myself?"
"He's thick-skinned and tough," Luo Yan said irritably. "Are you stupid?"
Zhou Weifang said helplessly, "Yanyan, there's nothing I can do about this."
Who said that? Luo Yan: "I think you're pretty good at playing the victim."
They succeeded time and again, and the situation escalated.
Zhou Weifang coughed awkwardly: "Well, not all of that was an act."
He said, "But my heart is true."
Heart? What heart?
Luo Yan felt that a sentence was about to be uttered, and for some reason, she became nervous.
But Zhou Weifang only tried to show his sincerity, even raising one hand above his head to swear an oath.
Who wants to listen to this? Let him die of stupidity. Luo Yan put one hand on her hip, her eyes glancing at her watch and startled: "It's already this late, let's go, let's go."
Zhou Weifang glanced at his own watch and asked in surprise, "Is my watch broken?"
It's only seven o'clock, the moon has just risen, it's definitely not the time to rush home.
Luo Yan: "The bathhouse will close early tonight, so if I don't go back soon, I'll be late."
Startled, Zhou Weifang wondered what had happened. He rode alongside her on his bicycle and said, "Then I'll take you to the alley entrance."
Luo Yan nodded, forgetting what they had just been talking about, and then said, "Sister Jianhong also sent me an invitation."
Zhou Weifang: "Then we can have a good meal. Brother Hong has booked dozens of tables at Fengzeyuan Restaurant."
Luo Yan was overjoyed when this was mentioned: "I've never been to a wedding banquet at Fengzeyuan before!"
Those used to be restaurants catering to foreigners, and ordinary people couldn't go there.
Some things aren't quite about comparing, but Zhou Weifang just felt that since the two girls lived in the same courtyard, Luo Yan's wedding couldn't be any smaller than this.
He was calculating how much money it would cost to get all this done when he suddenly realized that he was still earning money too slowly. Then he glanced at Luo Yan and realized—what marriage? He wasn't qualified to worry about that yet.
Luo Yan had no idea that mentioning someone else's wedding had filled his mind with so many thoughts. As they approached the alley entrance, she waved and said, "See you tomorrow."
Zhou Weifang watched her turn inside before turning back and heading back to the car dealership to frantically calculate on his abacus.
Startled by his furrowed brows, Zhang Hongmin asked, "Brother, did I make a mistake in the accounts?"
Zhou Weifang: "No, let me calculate how much money I still have."
He closed the ledger, looked up at the sky and sighed, then decided to go to the fruit shop before the car dealership closed for the day.
Meanwhile, Luo Yan had just arrived home.
Liu Yinfeng wasn't surprised to see her daughter come back alone. She said, "Go wash up quickly. I guess the lockdown will be a little earlier."
Luo Yan had originally planned to talk to her parents for a few more days, but upon hearing this, she forgot everything else and ran outside.
Luo Xinmin couldn't help but sigh, "It's fortunate that she was born in the new society; what would have happened if she had been born ten years earlier?"
He added, "I think Yan Yan doesn't like public restrooms in public bathhouses. Maybe we should see if we can move to an apartment building."
Liu Yinfeng knew this, of course, but reality is not something you can just wish for. She said, "Who would give up a good house to trade for it? Even if there were, it would be the kind where you have to climb seven or eight floors."
He added, "Don't think you're the only one who can't climb; I'm almost fifty too."
Indeed, it's not realistic to live in an apartment building. Luo Xinmin said, "Let's continue looking for detached houses."
Liu Yinfeng couldn't immediately say which was more difficult, and said, "Anyway, we can take our time and there's no rush."
After all, they've lived here for decades, and they're reluctant to move away.
The couple would discuss the house and money briefly, then gradually fall silent while watching the TV series. They would even only glance at their daughter when she came back from her bath.
Luo Yan didn't call them, but went back to her room to read for a while. She didn't peek out until her brother came home, saying sweetly, "I got home at 7:30."
Luo Hong said, "Who cares about a grown man like you?" But he was actually relieved—even his childhood friend, who was like family to him, was still a man.
Luo Yan naturally knew what her brother was thinking. She smiled and closed the door, then turned off the light and lay down, quickly falling asleep.
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Author's note: Goodnight! Time to get going tomorrow.
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