Chapter 143 143 Eating Hot Pot
The childhood friends ate at Zhang Hongmin's restaurant. The owner was always open, and the group chatted until midnight before finally parting ways.
Zhou Weifang had a few drinks, and the wind outside sobered him up considerably. Looking around, everyone seemed to be relatively sober, and he made arrangements for who would go with whom.
Luo Hong put his arm around Li Jianjun's shoulder, patted his chest, and said, "We live in the same alley, it's only about a kilometer away. I'm watching you. You go ahead, but be careful."
Seeing that they could still walk in a straight line, Zhou Weifang yawned, rode his bicycle in another direction, and quickly disappeared around the bend.
Luo Hong took a few steps and looked back, muttering, "Two wheels are definitely faster than legs."
Li Jianjun chimed in, "From now on, we'll have eight legs."
Luo Hong: "Go to hell, walk properly."
He was only slightly drunk, and only dragged Li Jianjun away after watching everyone enter their homes.
Zheng Sanmei was awakened by the knocking. She lowered her voice and turned to the side, saying, "I'm sorry to have troubled you again."
"So what?" Luo Hong threw his childhood friend on the bed and spoke up for him: "He was in a good mood today and toasted three parties a few more times."
Zheng Sanmei knew in her heart: "He should drink it."
Since it was this late, Luo Hong didn't exchange any pleasantries and said, "Then I'll head back now."
He left the main room and went into the east wing. After arriving home, he locked the door from the inside, took a quick shower, and went straight to sleep.
Luo Yan heard a rustling sound, but she turned over without opening her eyes. She only asked while eating breakfast, "You came back so late yesterday, how come you were able to get up today?"
Luo Hong: "Because I am a person who loves my work."
Only Luo Xinmin would agree with such nonsense as, "Take advantage of your youth and work hard."
Luo Hong continued, echoing the sentiment: "Contribute your own strength to the development of the motherland."
Luo Yan couldn't stand it anymore and rolled her eyes along with her mother.
Liu Yinfeng got down to business: "We're going to handle the property transfer today. The Chen family is moving out in three days. If there's anything you want to add or need in the new house, tell me as soon as possible so I can take care of it."
Luo Yan: "My room is all set, I don't need anything."
She didn't, but Luo Hong did: "Mom, can you get me a different bed?"
His room is cramped; to allow for a passageway, the bed is less than a meter wide. It's alright in the summer, but in winter the blankets take up most of the space, and he's afraid of falling off if he just turns over.
Liu Yinfeng had also considered this: "Okay, I'll definitely get you a new one."
Luo Hong bowed deeply and said, "Thank you so much."
This kid really puts on a show every day.
Liu Yinfeng shook her head helplessly, and then went on to talk about details such as who to find to build the wall and what color of floor tiles to replace them with.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yan realized the situation was more complicated than she had imagined, and eagerly raised her hand: "Mom, what can I do?"
Liu Yinfeng pressed her daughter's hand down: "You just focus on your studies, this is all my work."
She does the same few familiar chores every day, which is really boring. Now she just needs something to show off her skills: "Just do whatever I need to do and wait to move into the new house."
Luo Yan readily agreed, glanced at the clock, and said, "I'm leaving!"
She not only went to school early to run, but also ran after school in the afternoon. She was so tired that she could hardly breathe and had to lean against a tree to rest.
When Zhou Weifang arrived, he witnessed this scene and coughed twice as a reminder.
Luo Yan had no time to look at anything else; she simply regarded them as random passersby.
Zhou Weifang could only call her softly, "Yanyan."
Luo Yan turned around and asked, "Didn't you have something to do today?"
Zhou Weifang had been busy all day, just so he could say, "It's all right now."
He was fine, but Luo Yan was: "I have to run another lap to complete the plan."
Zhou Weifang fanned her with his hand: "Take a break, I'll run with you."
Luo Yan needed to rest for a while, but then she remembered something: "You should move over a bit; there are a lot of teachers on the playground."
Zhou Weifang stumbled backward, pretending to be a complete stranger to her, and looked up at the sky with a blatant attempt to cover his tracks.
The two stood three to five meters apart. Luo Yan caught her breath and gestured for him to follow, then ran ahead.
Zhou Weifang lagged a few steps behind her, and only after the two of them arrived at the car dealership did she say, "You run much faster than before."
Luo Yan pouted: "Why don't we just say I used to crawl like a tortoise?"
Zhou Weifang couldn't help but laugh: "Is it too late to switch projects now?"
Luo Yan showed him her arm: "Do you think it can throw a shot put?"
Zhou Weifang reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender wrist: "I hope you don't fly out with the ball."
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Luo Hong tapped the hammer. "If you two are so arrogant, go play somewhere else."
Luo Yan quickly withdrew her hand and put it in her pocket, drawing out her question: "Brother~ what do you want to eat tonight~"
"Don't give me that," Luo Hong waved his hand, "You guys go eat by yourselves, I'm very busy."
Even when busy, you still need to eat. Luo Yan said, "I'll go buy some for you."
"Why would we need her?" Zhou Weifang said. "I'll go."
Before he left, he washed a peach and placed it in his sweetheart's hand, saying, "Today's peaches are especially sweet."
Luo Yan was indeed quite hungry. She sat down to eat while looking into her brother's eyes, and couldn't help but ask first, "Why are you looking at me?"
Luo Hong: "I'm seeing just how beautiful you really are."
But he didn't see his sister the way a man sees a woman; no matter how he looked at her, she seemed so childish.
Luo Yan raised her face to show her brother: "Besides being pretty, I have countless advantages."
Yes, yes, Luo Hong: "They're really getting cocky."
Luo Yan said confidently, "I'm perfectly fine."
According to Luo Hong, this is his sister's greatest strength.
However, her lack of humility caused her a lot of trouble when she was young, and she only showed it to close friends and family when she grew up.
He said, "I'm here to pick you up. Don't stay out too late."
Zhou Weifang felt this was a promise meant for him: "I'll definitely get her home before eight o'clock."
Then I put the lunchbox on the table: "Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish."
Luo Hong took off his gloves and urged them, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
Luo Yan feigned reluctance, but after taking only a couple of steps, she asked expectantly, "So, what are we going to eat?"
Zhou Weifang gave her two options: "Barbecue or Chongqing hot pot?"
Beijing's grilled meat has a history of hundreds of years, but Luo Yan has never eaten Chongqing hot pot.
She asked, "Does it mean it's very spicy?"
Zhou Weifang already knew her choice: "I heard it's newly opened, near the entrance of Beihai Park."
"We absolutely have to try it!" Luo Yan said. "Let's go, let's go!"
Jiaotong University is about six or seven miles from Beihai Park. She had just finished running and was almost exhausted by the end of the ride. After stopping, she said to the person next to her, "If it's not good, you have to let me hit it a couple of times."
Zhou Weifang took out a fan and opened it with a "chua": "Next time, let's call a taxi."
Currently, there is a shortage of taxis in the city. If you need a taxi, you usually have to call the taxi company in advance. If you stand on the roadside and wait, you might be unlucky and it could take an hour or two.
"Forget it, it's too much trouble," Luo Yan locked the bicycle, only to notice the fan in his hand. "You even brought this?"
Zhou Weifang: "I've had it for a while, but since it's almost autumn, I haven't used it and I'd forgotten about it."
Luo Yan felt the breeze and her nose twitched: "I think I can smell chili peppers."
The two followed the smell and soon found the hot pot restaurant.
They were lucky enough to get the last empty table. But there was a reason why no one wanted it: it wasn't even a proper table; the owner had cut off a large part of it and embedded it in a protruding corner of the wall.
Therefore, Zhou Weifang and Luo Yan sat so close together that they could touch each other's hands with the slightest movement.
Luo Yan huddled up like a little quail, and soon her forehead was covered in sweat.
No matter how Zhou Weifang waved his fan, it was to no avail. He said, "This thing is even more wintery than hot pot."
Sure enough, Luo Yan was panting heavily after only a few bites, having downed more than half a bottle of soda.
Even so, the owner said, "We've already reduced the spiciness and heat."
Luo Yan always prided herself on being able to handle a little spice, but today she realized how utterly incapable she was, and asked the owner for a bowl of plain water to rinse her food before eating.
Zhou Weifang actually thought it was spicy, but men just love to save face in some inexplicable ways, so he forced himself to say, "I'm fine."
Luo Yan called him out: "You're getting a bit gritted-teeth."
Zhou Weifang pretended, "No."
Keep pretending, let's see how long he can keep it up.
Luo Yan gently blew on the meat, watching as steam almost rose from his head, and gave a soft "hmm" in a rising tone.
She even got into the fun, Zhou Weifang poked her cheek: "You're cheeky."
Luo Yan chuckled and handed him the meat, saying, "This isn't too hot anymore, you can have it. How about that? I'm so good to you, aren't I?"
Zhou Weifang: "I am deeply grateful."
Wow, people use so many words these days.
Luo Yan: "No sarcastic remarks allowed."
Zhou Weifang: "This comes from the bottom of my heart."
Ideally, Luo Yan glanced at him, and before she could even build up her aura, she burst out laughing: "Your lips are all swollen."
Zhou Weifang couldn't see it without a mirror, but he could imagine it was probably quite comical.
His gaze swept over Luo Yan's lips, and he found them to be incredibly alluringly red, causing him to momentarily lose his composure.
When he looked at her like that, Luo Yan became a little uneasy, feeling her ears burning. She said, "Eat something quickly, it's late."
But they ate very slowly, taking a long time to eat while rinsing their mouths with water. By the time they came out of the restaurant, it was already past seven o'clock.
Luo Yan looked at herself from side to side in the reflection of the windowpane and asked, "Is my face very red?"
Not only did her face turn red, but her lips also...
Zhou Weifang's mind was wandering, as if he himself was being boiled in a pot. He let out a slight sigh of relief: "It's too late today."
It didn't make any sense, but Luo Yan didn't care. She glanced at her watch and said, "Let's walk for ten minutes to digest our food before we ride our bikes."
The two pushed their bicycles and talked as they walked. Luo Yan said, "Tomorrow at noon we'll have barbecue, and then go see a movie. You can do chores in the morning, and I'll do my homework at home."
Zhou Weifang naturally followed the arrangements and then said, "Your brother said you're moving."
Luo Yan: "It won't be that fast, it will take at least a month or two."
"What kind of fruit trees do you want to plant in the yard? I'll go get them."
Once this was mentioned, Luo Yan had a ton of ideas, and even said, "I think building a grape trellis would be a good idea."
According to her, at least one acre of land would be needed.
Zhou Weifang: "I'll buy a big one later, and then we'll plant it."
"Later?" Luo Yanjiao snorted, "We'll see how you perform then."
Zhou Weifang: "I will definitely do my best."
Luo Yan left with the words "We'll see" and got on her bike, riding off on her own.
Zhou Weifang chased after her, stopping only when they were almost at the entrance of the alley, and said without a subject, "See you tomorrow."
In response, Luo Yan fiddled with the horn and then darted into the alley.
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Author's note: So many unlucky things happened today. October, you've been really mean to me!!
Good night, see you tomorrow.
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