Strictly speaking, he was a person, a troublemaking man who you wouldn't forget after a single glance.
In front of him were three dishes and a soup: braised pork, braised fish, stir-fried lily bulbs, and cucumber egg soup.
Tsk tsk, that's really extravagant. Aren't people in this era struggling to even fill up on potatoes?
Seems like no matter the time or place, there are always wealthy people.
Could this man finish it all by himself?
Jiang Mingyue's doubts quickly faded.
"Hey! The wine is here." Another young man walked into the restaurant, carrying a bottle of Maotai and a pack of peanuts for snacking with the wine, heading straight for the table where the handsome man sat.
Jiang Mingyue only then noticed that there were two sets of chopsticks on the table.
Perhaps being stared at for too long, the man suddenly looked her way.
Seeing her, his attractive face visibly froze.
Jiang Mingyue was puzzled: Hey! Comrade, even though I'm dressed simply now, it's not enough to make you look at me like I'm a cave dweller.
Are you that inexperienced?
Luckily, Jiang Mingyue was thick-skinned and didn't mind. She called out to the nodding-off waiter in front as if pecking at grains of rice, "Comrade, same dishes as that table, one order, and two bowls of rice, to be eaten now."
The girl whose nap had been interrupted was clearly not in a grouchy wake-up mode, paused for a second, then politely explained, "Sorry, our lunchtime service is over."
Not sure if she truly understood or it was a reflex.
Jiang Mingyue stared at her: Are you trying to fool a ghost?
Perhaps the confrontation on this side was too absorbing, suddenly she heard a man's light laughter.
Following the sound, it was the troublemaker!
The troublemaker looked over good-naturedly.
He really didn't seem to feel any guilt.
"Hungry? The cooks have gone home at this hour. If you don't mind, come and eat with us. I'll treat you."
Is this really happening?
The waiter eagerly chimed in, "Yes, even if you ordered, I wouldn't be able to cook them. The cooks have gone home to rest, and lunch service is indeed over. There's a timetable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the door."
Jiang Mingyue was about to snap at the waiter: Then please explain why this table is so special?
But considering the invitation, she kept her mouth shut.
No need to implicate the innocent!
Moreover, the young man with the wine was watching her and her sister with a friendly gaze, clearly an outgoing and sociable man.
He greeted them naturally, "Yeah, come sit down, there's enough for four anyway. Waiter, two more bowls of rice, please."
Somehow, Jiang Mingyue ended up with her older sister at their table.
Knowing that she couldn't afford to dine at a state-run restaurant, Jiang Zhenmei had secretly tried to stop her sister numerous times, but her sister wouldn't listen.
Jiang Zhenmei was on the brink of tears, already anticipating the awkward moment after the meal when they wouldn't be able to pay.
She wondered if she could wash dishes to offset part of the cost; she would be more than willing to do manual labor.
But this sister clearly wasn't giving her the chance.
Jiang Mingyue held Jiang Zhenmei's hand, "Just relax and eat!"
Then she went to the window to pick up two bowls of rice, first handing one to the stunned Jiang Zhenmei, and seating her down.
How could she not be stunned? This was white rice! Such a substantial bowl too; in the village, they could only eat coarse grain porridge and only a third of the portion, mainly to keep alive and not starve to death.
Jiang Mingyue could guess the tough lives of the Old Jiang Family, thinking to herself, wait till I'm there, not only will you be full, but you'll also be eating and drinking well, living indulgently.
Patience!
Just relax and eat!
She politely said, "Thank you!" and unceremoniously started on the braised pork, of course making sure to serve her bone-thin sister first.
This sister needed nourishment.
Otherwise, a gust of wind might blow her away.
Meanwhile, the handsome troublemaker smiled amiably and motioned for her to help herself as the young man beside him was shocked into burning with curiosity.
When was this guy ever so easygoing? Especially to two unknown girls, it was unheard of. However, it wouldn't have been polite to ask aloud, and itched in silence, completely distracted from the fine liquor.
"Ahem... may I ask the young lady's name?"
Whether it was Qiao Mingtang's imagination or not, after voicing the question, he felt a strong wave of displeasure nearby, wondering if it was because he interrupted their meal?
But as he turned his head, that guy was calmly eating again, making him think it was just his own delusion.
Since they were eating his food, it was okay to respond.
"Jiang Mingyue, this is my sister Jiang Zhenmei."
Jiang Mingyue was really hungry, couldn't bother with manners, even her answer was while eating, not noticing the troublemaker opposite showing a "just as expected" understanding expression, as if to him, it was simply a reaffirmation, or maybe he didn't need confirmation at all.
The moment he first saw her.
Or perhaps even before seeing her, that bond gradually pulled closer as if an invisible thread.
And the Buddha Beads on his wrist seemed to tell him: Look, I'm glowing, she must be nearby.
Suddenly flashing for the first time in three years... everything seemed to fall into place.
Yet he couldn't reveal it upfront.
"Zhenmei, Mingyue, good names. Let me introduce myself too, I'm Qiao Mingtang, and this beside me is Yan Jinzhi."
Yan Jinzhi?
At this point, Jiang Mingyue, having eaten her fill, began to think, feeling this name was familiar as if heard somewhere before.
Plus the handsome face opposite, oddly gave a sense of waking familiarity, yet searching her memory found no trace of him.
Odd!
The meal was utterly satisfying, and before leaving, Jiang Mingyue even requested five leftover meat buns from breakfast to take away, putting them in Jiang Zhenmei's basket.
Once they left, the waiter was still in awe, as table-sharing was common, but never had they seen such a generous and good-looking man to share with.
Once the handsome and generous man left with his friend, that friend, while casually putting his hands in his pockets, discovered some money tickets in his previously empty right pocket.
"No way... Yan, boss, I truly don't know when they got into my pocket..."
He really didn't know, and he couldn't recall when that girl had the chance to get close.
To this, Yan Jinzhi merely glanced at him like he was an idiot, continuing on his way.
"Yan, you have to believe me."
Yan Jinzhi didn't dwell on the topic, "Go start the car."
"Weren't we going back to Beijing today?"
"I asked you to start the car, so go start it, why so much nonsense?"
"Alright then!"
Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, Jiang Zhenmei slipped one yuan and two dimes, and three food tickets into her sister's hand.
Yes, their entire fortune.
Don't think she didn't see; though they were invited, her sister still secretly handed over the cost of their food using money tickets.
This was good; not exploiting people meant not being under anyone's thumb.
"What are you doing?"
Caught in the act!
"I know this isn't enough money, but it's all I have. I'll save more for you later."
"How will you save?"
"I can mend clothes and make clothes, then they would give me eggs or the like in return for work, and saving up more I could sell them."
Jiang Mingyue felt a pang in her heart.
Yet couldn't bear to refuse this sincere sister.
"Alright, I'll wait for you to save up."
Jiang Zhenmei secretly breathed a sigh of relief: Little sister is so kind!