Chapter 246: A Treat and the Strange Yang Sumei
Chapter 246: Chapter 246: A Treat and the Strange Yang Sumei
’No matter what, I can’t let Little Red Carp go hungry.’
"Heh, then I’ll take you to get something to eat." Zhao Nuanyue had brought money and ration tickets today, planning to eat out.
Zhao Nuanyue had already told Uncle Sun when she left in the morning.
When Liu Wenqiang saw Zhao Nuanyue come out with her younger brother and sister, he quickly got out of the car, opened the door for her, and said with a smile, "Junior Sister, where are you headed? It’s the middle of the day, though. How about we go get some lunch?"
Zhao Nuanyue nodded. "Sure, my treat, Liu."
"Heh, you’re already calling me Senior Brother. How could I let my Junior Sister treat me!" Liu Wenqiang refused. "We’ll eat together in a bit."
Liu Wenqiang was a driver who had grown up in Jincheng City, so he was incredibly familiar with the place.
He led Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuanyang, and Little Red Carp through a series of twists and turns to a small shop that sold fried liver. It wasn’t large, but the aroma was so fragrant you could smell it even from the doorway.
"Junior Sister, since we’re all friends here, I brought you to a place that’s a real value. It’s not expensive, but the food is absolutely delicious," Liu Wenqiang said with a smile. "I come here all the time. The taste is fantastic!"
"It’s these kinds of small shops that have the authentic taste of Old Jincheng City," Zhao Nuanyue said, smiling. "Besides, I love fried liver!"
"Heh, I’m glad you don’t mind." He’d been worried that such a beautiful Junior Sister wouldn’t like a place like this, or would even look down on it. He’d been feeling a little anxious, but after hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s response, he breathed a sigh of relief. ’This Junior Sister is so easy to talk to and down-to-earth,’ he thought. ’She’s nothing like that Senior Sister Cao, who’s always so high and mighty, acting like she’s incredible and everyone else is trash. It really pisses me off.’
If Zhao Nuanyue had been like that, Liu Wenqiang wouldn’t have continued to associate with her.
"Hey, Liu! Bringing your little brother and sister out to eat?" The shop owner was a chubby, middle-aged man, and from his tone, you could tell he was very familiar with Liu Wenqiang.
"That’s right. This is my Junior Sister and her younger siblings," Liu Wenqiang said with a smile. "Zhang, the usual three dishes, large portions, and add an order of sweet and sour pork ribs."
"You got it! It’ll be out in just a minute," Boss Zhang said cheerfully. "This is barley tea. Have some to warm yourselves up."
"Thanks, Zhang! Bring the food out quick," Liu Wenqiang said with a laugh. Once Boss Zhang went into the kitchen, he turned to Zhao Nuanyue. "Junior Sister, I took the liberty of ordering. I hope you don’t mind. If you don’t think you’ll like what I got, please, feel free to order something else, okay?"
Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue gave a gentle smile. "Liu, you don’t have to be so formal. Although my family has a house in Jincheng City, we didn’t grow up here. We grew up in my parents’ work compound in the western suburbs, so we’re not familiar with the city at all. For you to bring us out to eat and introduce us to delicious food... I’m more grateful than I can say. How could I possibly mind?"
Liu Wenqiang was even happier to hear her say that.
"You really are so approachable, Junior Sister. Not like that Senior Sister Cao, who nitpicks everything. Anyway, if you run into her in the future, just try to avoid her," Liu Wenqiang complained in a low voice. He felt that Zhao Nuanyue was someone he could really talk to, unlike Senior Sister Cao, who was a two-faced, arrogant snob who looked down on everyone.
Since she had never met this Senior Sister Cao, Zhao Nuanyue offered no comment and didn’t respond to what Liu had said.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Liu," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. "By the way, Liu, I need to deliver a letter to an elder’s home later. After we eat, would you have time to drive me there?"
Liu Wenqiang nodded. "Time? Of course I have time. Master told me to stick with you all specifically to drive you wherever you need to go."
"Thank you, Liu," Zhao Nuanyue said gratefully. ’This Liu is a bit of a chatterbox, but he’s a good person,’ she thought.
Boss Zhang personally brought out the fried liver and other specialty dishes. Including the pork ribs, there were four plates in total. And because they were regulars, the portions were huge—more than enough for the four of them.
Little Red Carp couldn’t stop gulping, her big eyes darting back and forth, fixed on the dishes on the table.
"Xiao Liu, can we eat now?" Little Red Carp asked with a pitiful expression, patting her stomach. "Little Red Carp’s tummy is empty. I’m so hungry!"
Seeing how adorable Little Red Carp was, Liu Wenqiang’s already small eyes crinkled into slits as he laughed. "Heh, yes, of course you can eat. If you like it, Little Red Carp, then eat up. If it’s not enough, Xiao Liu will go order more."
"Thank you, Xiao Liu! You’re so nice, and so handsome," Little Red Carp praised. Her compliments flowed as if they were free.
Liu Wenqiang had never been praised like that by a child before. His whole face turned red, and he took an instant liking to Little Red Carp.
The lunch was, as expected, delicious.
Even the picky Zhao Nuanyang ate an extra bowl of rice.
As for Little Red Carp, she may have been small, but her appetite wasn’t. She ate more than a typical child, and though her mouth was little, she ate quite quickly.
Sure enough, the food on the table wasn’t enough. Liu Wenqiang ordered two more dishes before they were all finally full.
After lunch, Liu Wenqiang drove Zhao Nuanyue directly to He Qiang’s home. They knocked, but no one answered. After asking a neighbor, they learned that He Qiang’s wife had gone to work at the factory, so they headed there next.
When they met He Qiang’s wife, Yang Sumei, Zhao Nuanyue gave her He Qiang’s letter and all the money he had saved.
The woman was very emotional when she saw everything. "Thank you, Mr. Zhao. Thank you so much. But... He Qiang... when will he be able to come back?"
"He can’t come back just yet. It will probably be a while longer, but please don’t worry. It won’t be too long," Zhao Nuanyue said, assuming Yang Sumei was worried about He Qiang and trying to comfort her.
When Yang Sumei heard that He Qiang wouldn’t be back for a while, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, I see," Yang Sumei said softly. "Look at me, I still have to work. I was going to thank you properly and invite you over for a meal, but... well, look at this situation!"
Zhao Nuanyue took it all as Yang Sumei’s concern for He Qiang and didn’t think much of it. Besides, she wasn’t comfortable eating at other people’s homes. She knew He Qiang well, but she wasn’t familiar with Yang Sumei at all.
However, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t notice that the look in Liu Wenqiang’s eyes had changed. Seeing her complete obliviousness, he decided not to say anything for now and to tell her later, after they left.
"Don’t trouble yourself. You should get back to work. I have other things to do as well," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. "We won’t disturb you any longer. We should be getting back."
"Thank you again!" Yang Sumei replied. She watched Zhao Nuanyue leave, feeling completely relieved. ’As for that other matter,’ she thought, ’I’ll just tell He Qiang about it when I see him in the future.’
’Sigh... I don’t actually want to deceive Zhao Nuanyue, and I don’t want to deceive He Qiang either.’