While Lin Qian was enjoying the delicious food, Su Yao, Zhao Yu, and Liu Cui also arrived at the state-run restaurant.
As soon as they entered, Liu Cui exclaimed, "Oh dear, we've finally arrived! I'm starving!"
Su Yao said softly, "There are quite a lot of people here."
Zhao Yu looked around, his gaze finally settling on Lin Qian, who was eating. Then, they walked to the counter and looked at the menu on the small blackboard.
Zhao Yu said, "I'd like a serving of braised pork and a bowl of rice."
Su Yao thought for a moment and said, "I'd like a tomato and egg soup, a stir-fried vegetable dish, and a bowl of rice."
After the waiter took down their order, he asked them to find a seat and wait.
Liu Cui felt a little embarrassed and touched her pocket. She didn't have much money left, only enough for a bowl of pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles. She whispered to the waiter, "Give me a bowl of pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles, the kind that costs two cents."
The waiter responded and went to place the order.
Su Yao and Zhao Yu looked around the restaurant and soon spotted Lin Qian. Su Yao's eyes lit up, and she pulled Zhao Yu over, saying with a smile, "Lin Qian, you're eating here too? Look, there aren't many empty seats. Let's share a seat with you."
Lin Qian looked up at them and said indifferently, "Whatever."
Su Yao didn't care about Lin Qian's attitude and pulled Zhao Yu to sit down opposite Lin Qian.
Just then, Liu Cui's pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles were served. The bowl of noodles was steaming hot, the noodles were of uniform thickness and each strand was chewy. The pickled mustard greens were finely chopped, emitting a unique salty aroma, and although there wasn't much shredded pork, it was stir-fried until tender and delicious. Some chopped green onions were sprinkled on top of the noodles, adding a touch of color and fragrance to the bowl.
Looking at the bowl of noodles, Liu Cui couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and start eating.
Soon after, the food that Su Yao and Zhao Yu ordered was served one after another.
Su Yao smiled and asked Lin Qian, "Lin Qian, what delicious food did you order?"
Lin Qian didn't say anything and continued eating her meal.
Seeing this, Zhao Yu quickly said, "Alright, everyone, let's eat quickly, we're all hungry."
Liu Cui ate her pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles, but her eyes kept glancing at Lin Qian's braised pork. The aroma wafted into her nose, making her swallow hard. But she also knew that given her relationship with Lin Qian, Lin Qian definitely wouldn't share some with her.
So, Liu Cui set her sights on Su Yao's braised pork. She ate her noodles while secretly plotting. Liu Cui thought that Su Yao was easy to talk to; perhaps she could get some braised pork from her.
After Liu Cui finished her noodles, she casually said to Su Yao, "Su Yao, look at all this braised pork. You can't possibly finish it all by yourself. Why don't you share some with me?"
Su Yao was a little embarrassed. She actually wanted to eat braised pork too, but she was too embarrassed to refuse Liu Cui. She looked at the braised pork in her bowl, hesitated for a moment, and said, "This... I don't have much myself."
Seeing this, Liu Cui quickly said, "Oh, Su Yao, please have mercy on me. I haven't eaten meat in so long. Can I just have a little bit?"
Helpless, Su Yao could only say, "Alright then, I can only give you a little bit."
Upon hearing this, Liu Cui exclaimed happily, "That's wonderful! Su Yao, you're such a good person!"
In this way, Liu Cui successfully obtained some braised pork from Su Yao and ate it with great satisfaction.
Liu Cui happily picked up a piece of braised pork from Su Yao's bowl, put it in her mouth, closed her eyes, and savored it carefully. The aroma of the braised pork instantly filled her mouth, and she began to chew slowly, trying to let the wonderful taste linger in her mouth a little longer. Her teeth gently nibbled at the braised pork, reluctant to swallow it all at once.
Seeing Liu Cui's blissful expression, Su Yao felt a surge of disgust. She found Liu Cui's behavior somewhat vulgar, and she was also reluctant to share her braised pork with her. However, Su Yao then thought that there might be some chores she needed help with at the educated youth settlement later on. If she could get Liu Cui to owe her this favor, it would be easier to get her help with chores in the future. With this thought in mind, Su Yao began to struggle internally.
On the one hand, she was dissatisfied with Liu Cui's behavior, but on the other hand, she felt that it was worth enduring it for the sake of future benefits. Su Yao forced a smile and said to Liu Cui, "Eat slowly, don't choke." But her eyes revealed a hint of reluctance.
At this moment, Lin Qian was communicating with 003 in her mind.
Lin Qian laughed and said, "Look at Su Yao's pretentious act, she's probably really unwilling inside. She's probably disgusted with herself now."
003 chimed in, "That's right, host. What is she up to? She clearly doesn't want to give Liu Cui any, but she's pretending to be magnanimous."
Lin Qian said, "She probably wants Liu Cui to do chores for her in the future. Anyone can see through her little scheme."
003 said, "Haha, host, you see things very clearly. But Su Yao must be having a hard time, having to maintain her image while also scheming against others."
Lin Qian sneered, "She asked for it. Let's see how long she can keep up this act."
As Lin Qian and 003 had said, Su Yao was indeed very conflicted and depressed. On the one hand, she was unhappy that she had to share the braised pork with Liu Cuihong, but on the other hand, she had to suppress this unhappiness for her own benefit. This contradictory feeling made her feel very uncomfortable, but she still tried her best to maintain a calm exterior.
Lin Qian and 003 were chatting happily in their minds, completely unaware of Zhao Yu's gaze.
Zhao Yu looked at Lin Qian with a hint of doubt and inquiry in his eyes. He felt that Lin Qian was acting strangely today. She sat there alone, sometimes with a smile on her lips, sometimes with a hint of mockery in her eyes, as if she were communicating with someone. He couldn't help but wonder if Lin Qian was hiding something from everyone.
As Zhao Yu ate his meal, he would occasionally glance at Lin Qian. He tried to find some clues from Lin Qian's expressions and movements, but Lin Qian's expression remained natural, except for the occasional puzzling expression, there was nothing special about her.
Just as Zhao Yu was staring at Lin Qian, Su Yao noticed his unusual expression. She gently nudged him and whispered, "Zhao Yu, what are you looking at?"
Zhao Yu snapped out of his daze, smiled somewhat awkwardly, and said, "It's nothing, I just felt that Lin Qian seemed a little different today."
Su Yao followed Zhao Yu's gaze and saw Lin Qian leisurely eating her meal, seemingly without any abnormality. She frowned and said, "She seems perfectly normal to me. Are you overthinking it?"
Zhao Yu shook his head and said, "Maybe, but I always feel like there's something strange about her."
At this moment, Lin Qian finally noticed Zhao Yu's gaze. She looked up, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She glanced at Zhao Yu indifferently, said nothing, and continued eating her meal.
Zhao Yu felt a little uncomfortable under Lin Qian's gaze. He turned his head away and stopped looking at Lin Qian, but he was thinking to himself: What is Lin Qian up to?
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