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Chapter 346: Chapter 262: Does It Look Good? (Two in One)
Zhang Chi confided to Dan Xiao his plan to make a fortune using routers with Yan Tianpeng.
Dan Xiao listened intently from start to finish.
He praised, "Daring to start a business, you’ve already surpassed 99% of students."
"Having an idea and putting it into action is remarkable."
Zhang Chi was pleased to hear this, but he worriedly said,
"I can’t see hope right now, I don’t have the capital."
He didn’t want to continue; it felt too difficult.
Dan Xiao sighed, "Success is hard to come by, especially in entrepreneurship, but let me tell you."
"Today is cruel, tomorrow is cruel, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful. Many people die in the night of tomorrow."
Zhang Chi was invigorated as if injected with a dose of adrenaline, successfully envisioning himself as an entrepreneur, and earnestly agreed,
"That’s so well said."
Dan Xiao clenched his fist in encouragement, "Get through it, and the future will be bright."
Inspired, Zhang Chi’s face was resolute,
"I’ll just do it!"
"Don’t be a wimp, just go for it!" Dan Xiao said in his simple, honest voice.
Zhang Chi said, "Brother, there’s something I’m not sure whether I should say or not."
"Just say it."
Zhang Chi asked, "Could you lend me some money?"
Dan Xiao asked, "Have you decided to stick with it?"
Zhang Chi spoke with conviction, "Absolutely, just like you said, I will surely wait for the beautiful day after tomorrow."
Dan Xiao said, "Alright, I believe in you!"
He reached into his worn school uniform, fumbled around, and pulled out a banknote.
It was a crumpled Ten Yuan bill. With a naive smile, he said,
"Zhang Chi, use this. I won’t eat breakfast tomorrow."
Sincerity can touch the heart. Zhang Chi was deeply moved. Even in such tough times, Dan Xiao was willing to lend him money—what a touching quality!
Indeed, there were truly kind-hearted people with a childlike innocence in the world.
Overwhelmed, Zhang Chi said,
"Brother, for a favor as small as a drop of water, a wellspring of gratitude will be returned!"
Dan Xiao replied, "Take it and use it; if it’s not enough, tell me. I can still scrounge up three or five yuan." 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Zhang Chi stopped him, "It’s enough, I’ll figure out the rest."
Dan Xiao encouraged him, "You must keep going!"
With high aspirations in his chest, Zhang Chi said,
"When I earn money, I’ll treat you to barbecue."
Dan Xiao laughed heartily, his smile genuine and pure.
...
The last class of the evening study session.
Xue Yuantong heard some classmates at the back talking about barbecue during the break.
She thought of the glistening roast mutton skewers, sprinkled with spices, and how irresistible just the thought of biting into one was!
It whetted Xue Yuantong’s appetite.
She had always been greedy for food. She used to restrain herself, but now that her family was better off, she naturally wanted to indulge in a good meal!
"Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, I want to eat barbecue," she said while tugging at the corner of Jiang Ning’s clothes.
"It’s too late," Jiang Ning rebuffed her unreasonable request.
The Fourth Middle School ended its evening study session at 9:30 p.m., the prime time for barbecue, and the place would surely be packed with a long wait. By the time they finished eating, it would be close to 11:00 p.m.
Driven by her desire to eat, Xue Yuantong rarely put on an act of coquetry,
"No way~"
Jiang Ning felt helpless, "Speak normally, please."
She was actually unhappy... Xue Yuantong was angry, "You never refused me before."
"That was before," Jiang Ning said.
Xue Yuantong felt crushed and fumed,
"Then I won’t cook at noon anymore; that’ll show you!"
Jiang Ning countered, "Are you sure? Wouldn’t that be punishing yourself?"
Xue Yuantong pouted, "...Hmph, if you don’t go, then we won’t go. I didn’t even want to eat it!"
"Alright, then we won’t go," Jiang Ning said, pleased with the quiet resolution.
Xue Yuantong sulked, "It doesn’t matter, I’ll never go again. In the future, when you eat, don’t ask me to join you. Let’s just mind our own business."
"I won’t trouble you anymore," she said stubbornly.
After finishing, Xue Yuantong turned away, leaving only the cute back of her head facing Jiang Ning.
She secretly pricked up her ears, listening, her heart in fact filled with trepidation.
Jiang Ning finally said, "Let’s go."
Xue Yuantong’s lips slightly curled up unintentionally, and after a second, she put back on her cold face before turning to Jiang Ning,
"Since you feel like eating it, I’ll reluctantly accompany you."
...
The bell signaling the end of the evening study session rang.
Dan Kaiquan dashed out of the classroom, outpaced only by Ma Shicheng, Wang Longlong, Guo Kunnan, and Hu Jun, who couldn’t afford to delay their barbecue feast.
Xue Yuantong was also in a rush, but she didn’t want to show too much eagerness—not wanting to appear too greedy.
She was not just any foodie.
Jiang Ning pushed his mountain bike out from the bike shed while Xue Yuantong waited outside. Once he emerged, they both headed towards the school’s exit together.
"Where are we going?" Xue Yuantong asked.
She wasn’t familiar with barbecue, having only enjoyed it a few times in her life.
"Follow me." Jiang Ning knew of a barbecue place that was a bit away from Fourth Middle School; the taste was decent, and they also had traditional spicy hot pot, which was authentic.
"Get on."
"Okay!"
In one minute by bike, they arrived at the barbecue restaurant.
The barbecue place had an interesting name with four big characters written on the sign: ’Sister Ma’s Barbecue.’
Jiang Ning scanned the interior with his Divine Sense and found that Ma Shicheng and others were there as well.
Wang Longlong teased, "Brother Ma, this place can’t be run by your family, can it?"
Ma Shicheng said, "How could that be, it’s just a coincidence."
He was puzzled too; he didn’t really want to come to this barbecue restaurant, but among the nearby places, ’Sister Ma’s’ had the best taste.
The owner of the barbecue restaurant was a middle-aged woman, burly and with a face that bore horizontal flesh, exuding a sense of Jianghu.
The barbecue place might seem simple, but it dealt daily with all sorts of people, including some shady characters, opening at night and occasionally attracting troublemakers.
A gentle and soft woman might not be able to keep things under control.
The barbecue restaurant had two facades, one for the grill and the other a seated room for guests.
There were also a few tables set up at the entrance.
"Yo, Jiang Ning, you guys are here?" Ma Shicheng called out, "Come sit down, today’s on me!"
He had been planning to treat Jiang Ning to a meal for a long time, as last time when he was grabbing a Redmi phone, he had borrowed the money from Jiang Ning.
Dan Kaiquan and a few others greeted Jiang Ning upon seeing him:
"Wanna drink something?"
Jiang Ning didn’t mingle: "You guys eat, I’ll leave after she’s done eating."
He chose a four-seater table near the entrance, where Spiritual Power lightly swept away the stains from the surface of the white plastic table and chairs.
Xue Yuantong naively wiped it down with paper again.
The night in April was slightly chilly, and most customers preferred to sit at the entrance, enjoying the starlight while eating barbecue and drinking beer outdoors.
The old lady from the shop came over with the menu.
"What would you like to eat?"
Jiang Ning ordered 10 lamb skewers, 3 squid skewers, and then 2 chicken wings before handing the menu to Xue Yuantong.
Xue Yuantong’s little head was calculating how much this barbecue would cost, hoping it wouldn’t deplete her pocket money.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Ning said with a smile, "It’s my treat."
Xue Yuantong responded, "That doesn’t mean we can waste money."
She emphasized, "I said I would treat, so it’s my treat, you’re not allowed to pay."
Jiang Ning didn’t say anymore; recalling the past six months of being with Xue Yuantong, they had eaten out many times and Xue Yuantong had always paid. Moreover, Xue Yuantong helped him clean the room and hang out the quilts, doing quite a lot of chores.
As for who gave more, Jiang Ning never counted.
Xue Yuantong was destined to live with him for a lifetime.
Like parents rarely keeping score of what they’ve given to their children.
That was exactly his mindset.
Xue Yuantong ordered some vegetables and also a large bottle of cola.
The barbecue shop was doing good business, the old lady carrying trays of cooked food, busily taking and serving orders.
While Ma Shicheng and the others were waiting for their food, they began to chat.
Wang Longlong took a sip of pineapple beer, "Zhang Chi, that guy is really interesting, wanting to borrow money from Brother Ma, I think he’s crazy."
Dan Kaiquan: "Even if I had it, I wouldn’t lend it."
"I’ve noticed he’s a bit of a coward," added Hu Jun.
Suddenly, Hu Jun noticed that Guo Kunnan was always engrossed in his phone:
"Brother Nan, you seem off, got a girlfriend?"
Guo Kunnan rubbed his dark face, admitting, "I’m in a relationship."
Dan Kaiquan slapped the table, exclaiming:
"Holy shit, you’ve got a girlfriend!"
He couldn’t believe it.
Hu Jun said, "I guessed as much, I’m so jealous."
He sent his blessings, recalling how Kun Nan was once tormented by a girl from the same school causing him to cry in the dorm late at night, but now he had actually found true love.
Life is unpredictable.
Guo Kunnan declared, "Hahaha, don’t envy me, you guys can find someone too."
Wang Longlong asked, "Is she pretty?"
Dan Kaiquan and the others turned to look.
When it came to looks, Guo Kunnan was quite confident, boasting:
"Ah Cha is particularly good-looking."
As he spoke, he picked up his phone and lit up the screen.
"Brother Nan, unlock it, will you? Let us have a look," urged Dan Kaiquan.
Guo Kunnan pointed to the wallpaper on the lock screen page, saying, "This is Ah Cha."
Everyone was astounded: "Holy shit, that pretty?"
The girl in the wallpaper had delicate features and an innocent charm.
Wang Longlong said, "She’s really pretty, Brother Nan you’ve struck it lucky."
Dan Kaiquan’s tone was slightly sour: "Yeah, she’s beautiful."
Purely from the photo’s perspective, she was on par with Bai Yuxia.
It was like a toad had eaten swan meat.
Guo Kunnan boasted, "It’s not just about looks, what’s important is she’s got substance, really cultured."
"And a good person, from a poor family background, very filial."
"I actually can’t tell if she’s good-looking or not, in a relationship, I care about character."
Speaking of Ah Cha, Guo Kunnan’s typically somber personality vanished and he spoke non-stop.
He hadn’t been let down this time.
Guo Kunnan chatted with Ah Cha with passionate enthusiasm every day, and to improve Ah Cha’s family situation, he even bought tea leaves from her grandfather for one hundred yuan.
He said, "Guys, I bought some tea leaves, I’ll let you try them later."
"Whoa, Brother Nan, what taste!" praised Wang Longlong.
Hu Jun: "I like drinking tea."
Suddenly, Ma Shicheng asked, "Did you buy it from your online dating partner?"
Guo Kunnan was taken aback: "How did you know?"
Ma Shicheng thought that this tea probably wouldn’t make it, but he didn’t say it out loud.
If he said it now, Guo Kunnan’s barbecue experience would definitely be ruined.
For the sake of a brother’s barbecue experience, Ma Shicheng decided to wait until the barbecue was over to reveal the truth to Guo Kunnan.
As for whether Guo Kunnan would believe it or not?
It didn’t matter, Ma Shicheng would show him what’s called "reality."
Shatter his fantasy in one fell swoop.
...
Xue Yuantong, who smelled the aroma, was getting hungry.
She didn’t want to play with her phone or drink cola, just intently waited for the skewers.
"Hello, table number 6, right? Your food is ready."
The voice of a girl sounded, and at the same time, a tray laden with skewers was placed on the table.
Jiang Ning scanned with Divine Sense, the girl’s appearance was striking, about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a school uniform, with long hair draped over her shoulders, although her face was a cold slate.
Jiang Ning remembered her, Pei Yujing, a student in class three, grade one, at Yu Zhou Fourth Middle School.
The owner of the barbecue shop, ’Sister Ma,’ was her mother, and her father was a truck driver.
Her parents had a strained relationship and were living separately.
Jiang Ning, who had graduated from Huai City and come to Yuzhou to intern in his past life, occasionally came to the barbecue stall to eat and was sort of an acquaintance with her.
The former ’Sister Ma’ even tried to match-make him with Pei Yujing.
Xue Yuantong: "Thank you."
"No problem."
Pei Yujing turned around, her scattered hair swaying lightly as she walked away.
Jiang Ning withdrew his gaze, while Xue Yuantong stared at him, puffing up her cheeks:
"Is long hair attractive?"
