Chapter Thirty-Seven: Dining with Liying Zhang (Part Three)

Zhang Liying glanced at Wei Xiaofan, then at Wei Xiaoping, and said, “Wei Xiaofan, didn’t you find any dishes you liked?”

“It’s not that. I’ve just never eaten at a restaurant before. I didn’t expect the food here to be so expensive! A plate of vegetables probably costs about three yuan to make, but it’s selling for over ten!” Wei Xiaofan replied.

“Wei Xiaofan, you’re probably only counting the price of buying vegetables at the market. You have to consider the rent here, utilities, staff salaries, taxes, and so on. The actual cost isn’t low. If we cooked the same dish at home, it would probably cost just two or three yuan,” Zhang Liying explained.

“You’re right, class monitor. Still, the prices are a bit much. I didn’t expect it to be so expensive before I came. How about this: we buy ingredients outside, bring them here for them to cook, and just pay a small fee for the cooking and the rice? That way, we won’t spend so much and can have the dishes we like!” Wei Xiaoping suggested.

“Wei Xiaoping, they don’t do that here. And look at how busy everyone is—they’re rushing around like ants. Do you think the owner would have time to cook for you? They’re here to make money, and whatever makes more money is what they’ll do. Cooking ingredients brought in by others doesn’t earn them anything, and they’re already so busy. There’s no way they’d agree,” Zhang Liying said, fixing her gaze on the two boys.

Sitting next to Zhang Liying, Zhang Xiaoyan was still staring at the menu. Suddenly, she said, “I want the grass carp stewed with tofu. That’s my favorite dish! What about you?”

She looked at the other three. Noticing the uneasy expressions on Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping’s faces, she added, “You two don’t have enough money, do you? If not, I’ll pay this time—it’s my treat! Hurry up and order, I’m starving!”

“To be honest, I’m a bit embarrassed, but I really don’t have enough money. In fact, the money I have now is what Wei Xiaoping gave me,” Wei Xiaofan admitted shyly.

Hearing this, Zhang Liying suddenly remembered that Wei Xiaofan came from the countryside and that Wu Wenbin had mentioned his family’s financial difficulties. She also recalled how, during meal times, Wei Xiaofan was usually the last to show up in the kitchen for his lunch box. The cook often complained that Wei Xiaofan always came for his meal at the last minute, just as he was about to clean up and take a break.

Zhang Liying looked at Wei Xiaofan with a touch of sympathy and said, “Oh, I forgot—Wei Xiaofan is from the countryside. You’re the only one from your year there to get into Liangzhi Middle School. That’s impressive! If I were from your hometown, I might not have been admitted. I’ve always admired you and wanted to learn from you.”

Zhang Xiaoyan said, “Really? I’ve been in the same class as Wei Xiaofan for over two years, and this is the first time I’ve heard he’s from the countryside. He doesn’t look it! At first, I thought he and Wei Xiaoping were brothers. It wasn’t until last week, when Li Bufan made the same mistake, that I realized they weren’t related!”

“I’ll order for everyone. This time, it’s my treat!” Zhang Liying took the menu and began to study it carefully.

“That won’t do! How can a girl treat boys to dinner?” Wei Xiaoping protested, thinking to himself how embarrassing it would be if word got out that he’d let a girl pay during his first meal with them. “We just don’t have enough money this time. Let’s split the bill evenly, and next time, it’ll be my treat!”

“Let me take care of it. No more arguing! Wei Xiaoping, that means you too. I’m the class monitor—you’ll have to listen to me!” Zhang Liying insisted.

Since Zhang Liying had spoken, no one dared to argue further.

“Zhang Xiaoyan, you want the fish stewed with tofu, right?” Zhang Liying asked.

“That’s right,” Zhang Xiaoyan replied, then glanced at Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping. “Zhang Liying, how did you come to know that friend of Li Bufan—what’s his name again?”

“My dad is Li Chaoqian’s father’s superior. We met once at a relative’s wedding, and his father introduced us,” Zhang Liying explained, handing the menu to the waiter. She continued, “Wei Xiaofan, Wei Xiaoping, about what happened with Li Bufan last week—was it really him framing you?”

“Of course it was! And that magazine wasn’t anything inappropriate—it was just a family health magazine with photos of Li Bufan’s family inside,” Wei Xiaoping explained.

“Li Bufan is so childish! Trying to frame someone with a magazine like that and then stuffing his own family photos inside? Isn’t that just like a thief crying ‘stop thief’?” Zhang Xiaoyan remarked.

“What was his motive? Did he say?” Zhang Liying asked.

Wei Xiaoping and Wei Xiaofan briefly recounted what had happened in Wu Wenbin’s office.

“I think Li Bufan was just playing a prank,” Wei Xiaoping said.

“He really is trouble. Since he joined this semester, the class has become so chaotic! He transferred here from another school because he was so troublesome that his father had to pull strings to get him in. I heard this was his third transfer, which says a lot about how bad he is!” Zhang Liying commented.

“According to the rules at Liangzhi, a student as problematic as Li Bufan shouldn’t have been admitted. The fact that he got in shows his father must have connections,” Zhang Xiaoyan remarked.

“His father is in real estate and has done extremely well. In less than six years, he’s taken over seventy percent of the market in our city, making him the richest man around. Without connections, how could he dominate the real estate industry here? So, if he wants to transfer his son to a school, who would dare refuse? It’s a simple matter for him,” Zhang Liying said.

“True enough!” Zhang Xiaoyan nodded.

Listening to the two girls talk about Li Bufan, Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping felt as if they knew something more than they were letting on.

“At the entrance just now, Li Chaoqian actually told Li Bufan to treat us to dinner. From the way he spoke, it seemed like Li Bufan listens to Li Chaoqian,” Wei Xiaoping observed.

“Now that you mention it, when I was just coming through the door, I think I heard Li Bufan call Li Chaoqian ‘Brother Li’. Strange!” Zhang Liying said.

“What’s strange about it? Maybe they’re related, so it’s natural for Li Bufan to call him ‘brother’,” Zhang Xiaoyan said.

“How could they be related? Just look at them—Li Bufan is older than Li Chaoqian! Think about it: Li Bufan transferred three times, and each transfer, he repeated the ninth grade. He’s probably two or three years older than us, and older than Li Chaoqian as well,” Wei Xiaofan analyzed.

“That’s right! If that’s the case, Li Bufan is at least two or three years older than us and Li Chaoqian. Isn’t it odd for him to call someone younger ‘brother’? And when Li Chaoqian asked him to treat us, Li Bufan agreed immediately. Isn’t that strange?” Zhang Liying said.

“Maybe Li Bufan really wants to be friends with you, so he agreed right away!” Zhang Xiaoyan teased, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Oh, stop it! We’re having a serious discussion!” Zhang Liying nudged Zhang Xiaoyan’s arm.

“Li Chaoqian is one of the top students in their class. Could it be that he and Li Bufan have sworn brotherhood like some gangsters?” Wei Xiaoping speculated.

“Who knows? Anyway, there’s something odd about their relationship,” Zhang Liying said. “Let’s not talk about them anymore. Let’s focus on ourselves. This semester is our last before graduation. What are your plans?”

“What plans?” Zhang Xiaoyan asked.

“Are you thinking of going to vocational school or high school? Haven’t you thought about it?” Zhang Liying asked.

“I’ll go to high school. My parents said if I graduate from high school and get into college, I’ll have better prospects. Why go to vocational school? In a few years, it won’t be as valuable. Every year, so many students graduate from vocational schools; it’ll just get harder to find a good placement—they’ll end up in the countryside,” Zhang Xiaoyan replied.

“What about you, Wei Xiaofan? With your grades, you’d have no problem getting into either high school or vocational school. What do you want?” Zhang Liying asked.

Zhang Liying’s question made Wei Xiaofan think of his family situation again. The thought that his academic journey might end after middle school brought a wave of sadness to his heart.