Chapter 40
Chen Jingbai coughed lightly, his face slightly red. He hadn't expected He He to be so bold as to confess her feelings to him in front of so many people.
He He asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Is the wind too strong? Did it make you catch a cold?"
Chen Jingyi couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she tugged at her sleeve, "Xiao He, we're almost at the restaurant, please have a seat."
She leaned closer to He He's ear and whispered, "Xiao Bai is shy."
He He turned to look at Chen Jingbai again. His ears were flushed red, as if he was really shy. She hadn't said anything too ambiguous, but Chen Jingbai was too easily swayed by sweet words.
Cheng Surin laughed out loud. How come he never knew before that his aunt and Chen Jingbai got along so interestingly?
He He turned her attention to Cheng Sulin, "What are you laughing at?"
Cheng Surin was definitely laughing at her!
Cheng Surin waved his hand, "I wasn't laughing at anything. We're almost at our stop, let's get ready to get off."
He He snorted coldly, turned around, and stood up with Chen Jingyi.
The bus stop is a short walk from the state-run restaurant.
He He and Chen Jingbai were left behind.
Chen Jingbai said softly, "He Bao, please don't say those kinds of things in front of so many people anymore. It's not a good thing."
He He didn't take it seriously, but seeing Chen Jingbai's serious expression, she reluctantly agreed: "Okay, I'll be more careful next time."
The state-run restaurant in Rongcheng was much more spacious than the state-run restaurant in the county town where Qianjin Brigade was located, and it was lunchtime, so there were many people.
After all, Rongcheng is the provincial capital, and there are many people who have money and can spend it on state-run restaurants. When they arrived, the restaurant was almost full.
Having finally found a table that could seat four people, Cheng Surin immediately rushed over to grab it before anyone else could take it.
The blackboard for announcing the dishes was nearby, so everyone first looked at what they wanted to eat at their seats before going to the counter to order. After making their selections, Chen Jingbai and Cheng Sulin went to order, pay, and collect their food.
After ordering at the state-run restaurant in Rongcheng, customers need to pick up their food at the window themselves. In less than fifteen minutes, Chen Jingbai and Cheng Sulin came over, each carrying two plates of food.
As soon as they placed the dishes on the table, the aroma wafted into their noses.
On the table are spare ribs in soy sauce, scrambled eggs with chives, salt and pepper river shrimp, and water spinach.
Chen Jingbai: "There's also preserved mustard greens and lean pork soup. I'll go get it now."
He He and Chen Jingyi have already taken turns bringing the white rice, and now the dishes are almost all served, just waiting for the soup to arrive.
Chen Jingbai returned quickly. He placed the preserved mustard greens and lean pork soup in the center, a spot he had deliberately reserved when he first put the vegetables in.
He He's mouth watered at the aroma. She picked up her chopsticks, her eyes fixed on the dishes on the table, ready to start eating. "Brother Jingbai, don't bother, sit down and eat."
No one had touched their chopsticks yet, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Chen Jingbai sat down, looked at He He's hungry expression, and smiled, "Okay, eat up, I know you're hungry."
The vegetables were very fresh today, and tasted delicious as always.
Having been away from Rongcheng for three years, He He missed the food at the state-run restaurants in the provincial capital. The chefs there were skilled cooks, and the food was much better than what she had eaten at the state-run restaurants in the county town. They also had some provincial capital specialties that she hadn't had in a long time.
He He first reached for the soy sauce spare ribs with her chopsticks. This dish was the best she had ever made in the state-run restaurant in the provincial capital, and it was also her favorite.
The taste of soy sauce spare ribs was so good, it had been a long time since I'd had it, and it made He He feel very satisfied.
There wasn't much pork ribs in the dish, and He He only took four pieces before stopping. She then picked up some salt and pepper river shrimp and put them in her mouth.
The fried shrimp have such a crispy shell that you can eat them right away.
Seeing that He He liked soy sauce spare ribs, Chen Jingbai only picked up one piece. When He He didn't pick up any more of the dish, he said, "Hehe, why aren't you picking up any more soy sauce spare ribs? If you like them, eat more."
"No need, if I take them all, then you won't have any left. I'll just have four pieces, you can have the rest. Soy sauce ribs are the best signature dish at state-run restaurants, you should eat more to really enjoy them." He He said with relish, the aroma of the soy sauce ribs she had just eaten still lingering in her mouth.
Chen Jingbai picked up a piece of spare ribs with soy sauce and put it into He He's bowl. "You eat it. I don't really like it. Here, take mine. Hurry up and get some."
He He exclaimed in surprise, "Really?!"
Chen Jingbai: "Is it possible that it's fake?"
Chen Jingyi also said, "When we're out eating, we don't need to be so formal about our relationship. Xiao He, you should eat more." After saying that, she put a piece of food into He He's bowl.
Seeing that He He liked to eat, she didn't pick up much soy sauce spare ribs. Seeing He He eating so heartily, Chen Jingyi was also happy.
He He looked at the two pieces of spare ribs in soy sauce that had appeared in her bowl and exclaimed, "Wow! You guys are so kind to me!"
Cheng Surin was about to pick up some soy sauce spare ribs, but after hearing Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi say that to He He, he felt embarrassed to pick them up again. He couldn't possibly be less kind to He He than the two siblings, Jingyi and Chen Jingyi, who were related to her by blood.
Cheng Surin: "I'll give you mine too, Auntie."
He He didn't expect Cheng Sulin to say the same thing.
So, the dish of spare ribs with soy sauce still had four pieces on it, but no one took any more.
He He ate the two pieces of spare ribs in her bowl with white rice and asked, "Aren't you guys going to eat the soy sauce spare ribs?"
All three shook their heads to indicate they wouldn't eat.
After eating six pieces, He He felt that the soy sauce ribs were a bit greasy. "I'll take another piece, and you can each have one of the rest. I've eaten a lot, and it feels a bit greasy now."
Chen Jingbai asked again, "Are you really not able to eat anymore?"
He He: "Really, hurry up and grab some!"
Cheng Surin finally got to taste the soy sauce spare ribs again. They were a little cold, but still very delicious.
After finishing their meal, the four of them were packing up to leave when a high-pitched female voice reached their ears, "Xiao He, what are you doing here! Weren't you in the countryside?"
The person speaking was rather surprised, and their voice was quite loud, attracting the attention of those around them. The gazes directed at He He's table were also somewhat inquisitive, as if they thought this group of people were unregistered residents from the countryside.
These days, you can't even leave the village without a letter of introduction, let alone come from the countryside to the provincial capital. The provincial capital is strictly controlled, and you can't just enter the city without clear instructions.
However, since the reform and opening up last year, many outsiders without letters of introduction or travel permits have flocked to the provincial capital, hoping to strike it rich.
Many of the educated youth who were sent down from the provincial capital to work in the countryside couldn't endure the hardships there. Since the policy was relaxed, many of them have secretly returned. However, many of them can't find work after returning and spend their days aimlessly on the streets.
This group has caused chaos in the provincial capital. All sorts of people are involved, and there have been many more robberies and other crimes. The police are extremely busy.
People in the provincial capital had a lot of complaints about these outsiders and educated youth who had secretly returned to the city. Judging from the way the girl spoke, they could guess that these young people, dressed properly, had also come to Rongcheng without any letters of introduction.
The gazes of those around them grew increasingly hostile, as if they were about to call the police and have the group arrested and imprisoned at any moment.
He He frowned. The person who called her was her adopted sister, He Shuying.
He He didn't expect to run into her so soon. Is Rongcheng really that small? It's only her first day out, and she still manages to meet her at a restaurant.
He Shuying's question attracted a lot of attention. She looked at He Shuying with annoyance: "What business is it of yours whether I come back or not? Do I need to tell you everything I do? What, do you think I ran away from the countryside?"
He Shuying realized that her words could easily be misunderstood, so she quickly said, "That's not what I meant. It's just that you didn't tell your father you were coming back. He was always worried that you weren't doing well in the countryside. Did you ask your grandfather to help you return to the city?"
He He rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. Don't think she didn't know what He Shuying meant. Wasn't she implying that she had returned to the city through improper means?!
Three years have passed, and He Shuying has indeed remained unchanged.
He He said with disgust, "That's my maternal grandfather, not yours. My mother only has one daughter, me. You're not her biological daughter. And oh, sorry, I came back because I got into university. It's not like you're the only one who can get into university. We might meet at the same school in the future."
She suddenly covered her mouth, pretending to suddenly realize something, and said with an exaggerated expression, "Oh no, I almost forgot, you are a junior college under the Normal University. Although you are in the same school, your junior college is in the north campus, while our undergraduate program is in the south campus."
He Shuying's eyes were filled with disbelief, her smile froze on her face, her nails dug into the flesh of her palms, the pain quickly brought her back to her senses, and she quickly put on what she thought was a friendly smile, putting on the posture of an elder sister.
“Xiao He, you’re really something. Getting into university is such a great thing, but you didn’t even write to tell your family. You’ve made your father so sad. He’s been looking forward to you coming back to the city.”
He He glanced at him coldly: "Why would he be sad? He has enough with you as his daughter. When you tricked me into going to the countryside in your place, Dad didn't say a word."
Chen Jingbai stood beside He He. It was not appropriate for him to interfere in He He's family affairs at the moment, but his heart felt like it was being pricked by needles.
There was heartache in his eyes. It turned out that she had been tricked into going to the countryside, and it shouldn't have been her in the first place.
The unfriendly looks people gave He He changed repeatedly, some showing pity and others envy for her ability to pass the entrance exam for a teachers' college and return to the city despite the harsh conditions in the countryside.
Nowadays, not many high school students in the city can get into university, let alone those from rural areas with harsh conditions. It's really not easy for them to fly out of the mountains and come to the provincial capital.
Moreover, she seems to have a biased father, and this sister doesn't seem like someone to be trifled with either, which makes her even more pitiful.
Then the unfriendly gaze turned to He Shuying.
He Shuying panicked and hurriedly explained, "How could that be? He still loves you the most. Otherwise, why would he send you most of the money he earns every month? He's just afraid you'll suffer in the countryside."
Cheng Surin was furious on He He's behalf. He He, her adopted sister, was a master at playing the victim, and He He had suffered at her hands many times before.
"You were the ones who made a mistake back then, so isn't it only right that you give some compensation? And stop talking nonsense. Are you sure you want to spend half a month's salary on the little money He Zhongguo gave you? Don't treat everyone like fools. He Zhongguo's monthly salary is more than your whole family earns in a month. Does your mother not work and earn money?"
Cheng Surin had never called He Zhongguo "uncle-grandfather" since he could remember. What kind of uncle-grandfather was he, who found a stepmother for He He not long after his great-aunt passed away? Calling such a person "uncle-grandfather" would only dirty his mouth.
Moreover, not long after He He's stepmother came to her house, He Zhongguo went to great lengths to find her a job.
It must have cost He Zhongguo a lot of money to get a rural woman to work in an office; Cheng Surin heard all this from her elders.
Those around them felt like they had just watched a great show, and waited with great interest for them to continue.
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