NOVPUB
Chapter 450: Chapter 440 They Really Came
Shen Yunfang hadn’t expected the visitors to be Li Hongxing and his family of five, but since they were already there, she could only make arrangements for them and then host them properly.
Among her in-laws, she now had the best relationship with Li’s elder sister and got along reasonably well with this sister-in-law’s family, with no conflicts having arisen yet.
Of course, she had met this sister-in-law before and knew she wasn’t someone to settle quietly, but since the woman greeted her with a smile, Yunfang felt it wouldn’t be right to plainly tell her, "I don’t like you, let’s not keep in touch in the future."
"Big brother, sister-in-law, you just got off the train, didn’t you?" The family of five only had one bag on Li Hongxing’s back, which really didn’t reveal much.
"Indeed, we got off the train and asked for directions to your school all the way here, finally finding it. At the entrance, that old man was quite kind; when he heard we were looking for you, he went directly to fetch you. So, this is your school, huh? It looks really nice," Wang Dan said, epitomizing the look of rural folks in the city with a rope tied around their waist.
A muscle in Shen Yunfang’s face twitched. Surely, the gatekeeper must have learned about the incident with Dai Zhifei and Zhang Feng, otherwise, with nearly ten thousand students in the Agricultural University, how could he remember who was who?
"Mom, I’m hungry. Didn’t you say we’d get to eat once we found Auntie Yunfang?" Goudan chimed in at that moment.
Yunfang felt a sense of déjà vu upon hearing this; when she lived in Gaijiatun, his family had visited her place, and the first thing this child had said upon entering the house seemed to have also been about wanting to eat. More than three years had passed, and the child still had only food on his mind.
"Oh Yunfang, you see, after we got off the train, we didn’t know where we could eat. We’ve never been to such a big city. We were like country bumpkins," Wang Dan jested about herself.
"Sister-in-law, don’t say that. Everywhere is the same. Apart from home, the other place to eat is at a restaurant," Yunfang said as she patted the youngest Sandan’s head and asked, "Goudan and the others must be hungry too, right? Let’s go back to my place, and Auntie will cook for you."
Goudan was still thinking about the porridge Auntie had made for him last time. He wanted meat, not porridge.
"I don’t want porridge; I want to eat meat," he demanded outright.
Shen Yunfang was taken aback. Eating meat was possible; she now had more food coupons than anything else. However, cooking a meat dish could take a good amount of time, and they were starving, weren’t they?
Wang Dan also remembered the porridge from before and quickly added, "I heard Hongqi say that when he went to university, the school had a cafeteria and it was really cheap and tasty to eat there. Yunfang, does your school have a cafeteria?"
Yunfang could only nod in affirmation, "Yes." How could such a big university not have a cafeteria? And they had more than one.
"Oh, that’s wonderful! Why don’t you take us to the cafeteria to have a look? I heard from my younger brother that the university cafeterias are really good; you can get whatever you want to eat!" As she spoke, she couldn’t help swallowing with anticipation.
Yunfang frowned slightly, pondering whether to take them to the cafeteria or just go to a restaurant outside. In the cafeteria, with lots of people around and their boisterous energy, who knows how many jokes they might end up being the butt of.
However, before she could think it through and explain, Goudan started bouncing towards the campus, shouting, "Oh, I want to go to the cafeteria, I want to eat meat!"
Yunfang felt an urge to facepalm; the child was just too honest.
Erdan and Sandan imitated their brother, racing each other towards the campus.
"Oh, look at these kids, I swear, Yunfang, what do you think we should do?" Wang Dan looked apologetically helpless in controlling her children.
What else could be done? Everyone was running off and out of sight; if not the cafeteria, then where?
After greeting the gatekeeper, Yunfang led the two adults in pursuit of the three children towards the campus.
By the time they found the kids and brought them to the cafeteria, the bell for the end of class was nearly ringing. People were starting to trickle into the cafeteria for food, and each service window was beginning to serve meals.
Yunfang guided them through the cafeteria from one service window to the next, and they ordered a serving of whatever looked good.
Of course, she didn’t have a lunch box; she could only sweet-talk the cafeteria staff, borrowing several plates and bowls, just managing to get by with a makeshift family meal.
This family of five seemed to have a particular craving for meat, always picking out the meat dishes.
Goudan, seeing the braised pork, shouted eagerly for it. Shen Yunfang nodded, "Serve it."
Erdan, spotting the chicken stewed with mushrooms, also yelled like his brother wanting it. Shen Yunfang nodded, "Serve that too."
Sandan wasn’t tall enough to see over the counter, but he hopped up and noticed the shredded meat with sauce and shouted for it. Shen Yunfang nodded, "Get that one."
Wang Dan looked around bashfully, admitting she had never tried that dish before, asking if they could get a serving?
Shen Yunfang craned her neck to see what she was pointing at—ah, it was another meat dish, twice-cooked pork. "Sure, get that."
Last was Li Hongxing, whose presence was quite unobtrusive. Ever since meeting him, it had always been Wang Dan talking; he was just the guy carrying the bags. Initially, he felt a bit embarrassed, but with Wang Dan’s urging, he scratched his head and chose pork stewed with cabbage.
Seeing at least some green in the meal, Shen Yunfang felt a little bit comforted.
After all their ordered dishes were served onto a long table, Shen Yunfang, worrying they might get constipated from the food, added two green vegetable dishes and got several servings of rice. The group sat in the cafeteria and dug in.
"Mmm, this is delicious," Goudan said after a bite of the braised pork. He found it different from his mother’s—a sweet and salty blend, tastier than her cooking. He quickly guarded the whole plate under him, fearing others would eat it all.
Hearing her brother, Erdan reached out with his chopsticks to snatch some. Seeing his brother refuse, he began to complain.
"Mom, look at big brother, he won’t let me eat."
"I want to eat too," added Sandan, joining the commotion.
Wang Dan was rather brusque, hitting Goudan and scolding, "Are you a little cur or something, hoarding food like that? There’s plenty, enough for you. Hurry up and let your brother have a taste."
Reluctantly, Goudan moved the plate out.
Shen Yunfang listened to this exchange, speechless. If her son was a cur, what did that make her, his mother? She was practically insulting herself too.
Loud complaints and cries from the children could be heard from the dining table from time to time, making them quite a spectacle that noon in the cafeteria. The family of five, oblivious, competed eagerly for food, while Shen Yunfang calmly finished her meal, having anticipated this scene when she decided to come here.
After the meal, Shen Yunfang washed and returned the borrowed plates and chopsticks, then led the way home with Li Hongxing’s family.
Upon arriving, Wang Dan once again commenced with her loud exclamations of surprise and curiosity. Not five minutes inside, she had already toured every corner of the house.
Apart from her, the several men, full from the meal, started to feel sleepy. They had taken a night train the day before, unwilling to pay for sleeper tickets, and had managed to stay up the night in regular seats.
The three children were better off; having evaded fares, they simply spread out newspaper and hid under the seats, resulting in a restless night.
Seeing them yawning continuously, Shen Yunfang quickly tidied a room for them to rest.
The big bed in the study obviously wasn’t enough for the whole family; with no other option, Shen Yunfang remade the children’s beds and had Goudan and the two other children stay there.
After seeing everyone to bed, Shen Yunfang checked the time and realized it was time to go to school. Well, she would have to take leave from school herself.
