??Chapter 258: 257. Hotpot is a miniature of life_1
Chapter 258: 257. Hotpot is a miniature of life_1
River Oblivion: Let’s have hotpot this weekend, what do you say?
It was a WeChat ssage from Qin Tiantian.
After the Chinese New Year, Lu Ban and Qin Tiantian had hotpot on the backstreet of Jiangcheng University. It had to be said that dining near the school was truly affordable—they feasted until they were stuffed for just over a hundred yuan, averaging less than seventy each.
Although the at was nothing special and the vegetables were ordinary, the satisfaction of eating hotpot was all that mattered.
Since then, Qin Tiantian especially liked to invite Lu Ban for hotpot.
Probably because hotpot wasn’t sothing one would enjoy alone.
Halfway through the al when you’d want to get more sauce, the waiter might think you’re done and start cleaning up the table.
Motionless: Sure.
Lu Ban thought that having another hotpot before his mission wouldn’t be a bad idea, but then he felt like he might be jinxing himself.
Still pondering over it, his phone vibrated again.
Feng Yu: I’m finished with my work and will be back in Jiangcheng tomorrow. Weekend dinner together?
“?”
Lu Ban was taken aback.
Had these two arranged this together?
Perhaps in so unseen place, Feng Yu and Qin Tiantian had beco good friends, sharing tidbits about Lu Ban’s life.
With that thought, Lu Ban replied to Feng Yu.
Motionless: I already have plans with soone else this weekend.
Feng Yu: What a coincidence, then. Can I tag along? I’m curious about who else you have plans with.
Feng Yu’s almost instantaneous reply gave Lu Ban the false impression that she might know Qin Tiantian had invited him for hotpot.
Motionless: …I’ll ask her.
Feng Yu: Oh, it’s a girl? You’re making progress!
Lu Ban opened Qin Tiantian’s chat window and sent another ssage.
Motionless: A friend of mine is returning to Jiangcheng this weekend and wants to have dinner with . How about the three of us get together?
River Oblivion: Sure, with three people we can order more dishes. No problem at all!
Qin Tiantian’s response was just as decisive.
“Problem perfectly solved.”
Lu Ban let out a sigh of relief, having lifted a great weight off his shoulders.
…
Saturday, the hotpot restaurant by Jiangcheng University was unique in its own way.
As a southern city, Jiangcheng’s hotpot is mostly characterized by spicy oil and bone broth, with dipping sauces like vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and chopped chili peppers. But being next to a university, the restaurant had to cater to palates from all over the country. Hence, they also provided clear broth and condints like sesa paste and peanut sauce—and if you were lucky, you might even find chive flower sauce.
Of course, the ingredients in these budget-friendly hotpot restaurants were pretty basic.
The fatty beef and lamb were cheap items you could find in any supermarket, nowhere near the freshness of livestock butchered on the spot, muscles still twitching as they hit the pot. The kidney slices, tripe, and duck intestines weren’t as tender and smooth, but the vegetables weren’t much different.
Nonetheless, eating hotpot here was always lively.
There were no waiters constantly hovering over you, and you might encounter so boisterous college students, a bit drunk and rowdy. The mont you sat down and slled the rich aroma of hotpot, you were enveloped in a hearty, down-to-earth atmosphere.
During his college days, Lu Ban had been here a few tis for dorm gatherings, feasting liberally with friends. Those monts were just like the present.
He saw a group of university students at the next table, boys and girls, looking less like classmates and more like mbers of the sa club, their conversations even more heated. They occasionally ntioned Lu Ban’s new movie, but they didn’t pay attention to their surroundings and certainly didn’t recognize the fearso Lu Ban among them.
“Order whatever, I’m treating this ti.”
Lu Ban said, passing the classic nu, where one has to tick their choices with a ballpoint pen, to Qin Tiantian on his left.
“You didn’t ntion before that your friend was a girl.”
Qin Tiantian glanced at Lu Ban and then looked at Feng Yu, who was sitting across from her on Lu Ban’s right.
“Hello, I’m Feng Yu, Lu Ban’s university classmate.”
Feng Yu sized up Qin Tiantian and then glanced at Lu Ban.
That look was sowhat like that of a mother who sees her son bring a female classmate ho to do howork.
Lu Ban picked up the kettle and poured water for them both.
“My na is Qin Tiantian.”
Qin Tiantian proficiently ticked off items like sliced fatty beef and mutton on the nu, then cast another glance at Feng Yu.
“Do you eat cilantro and innards and stuff?”
“I’m fine with everything.”
Feng Yu answered generously.
“Then I’ll order a Yin Yang Hot Pot.”
After Qin Tiantian ordered the dishes, she passed the nu to Lu Ban.
“Ask your friend what he wants to eat.”
“Let’s start with these, we can add more if it’s not enough.”
Feng Yu did not look at the nu that Lu Ban handed her; she seed to already know what Qin Tiantian would order.
While waiting for the dishes to be served, the three of them looked at each other.
“Do you often co here for hot pot?”
Along the way, Feng Yu broke the silence.
“Yeah.”
Qin Tiantian answered first and glanced at Feng Yu.
“You must have co here often during university too, right?”
“Not really.”
Lu Ban spoke truthfully; he was barely acquainted with Feng Yu during college, let alone go out for hot pot. Even during the graduation banquet, they only exchanged a few words when toasting.
“I guessed as much, I feel like during university, he must have been the type who hardly spoke, lurked in a corner gorging on food during gatherings, and when asked sothing, he would blurt out a string of incomprehensible gibberish.”
Qin Tiantian muttered.
“You’re spot on, communicating with him was so difficult, sotis you had no idea what he was thinking.”
Feng Yu nodded in agreent.
“Exactly, when I first t him, I felt like he definitely had a hard ti with social interactions.”
Qin Tiantian felt as if she had found a kindred spirit.
“Right, look at him, hardly any friends. I was so worried, but luckily there’s you, taking care of Lu Ban often.”
Feng Yu spoke as if she was an old lady entrusting her son to soone else’s care.
“Well, that’s not really it, we’re both alone out here, naturally we should look out for each other. Lu Ban has helped
a lot too!”
Qin Tiantian didn’t know why she suddenly beca so modest.
“That’s good to hear, I was always concerned about him always eating takeout, not eating properly. When you have ti, invite him out for so exercise. Although you can’t tell now because he’s young, if he keeps these dietary and sleeping habits until he’s older, he’ll definitely put on weight.”
Feng Yu cautioned.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn’t just sit in front of the computer all the ti!”
Qin Tiantian patted her chest and promised.
“I an…”
Lu Ban tried to interject and remind them that he was still there, but before he could finish, he noticed Qin Tiantian and Feng Yu both turned to look at him.
“What do you want to say?”
Feng Yu asked.
“Isn’t what I’m saying the truth?”
Qin Tiantian also followed up with a question.
“You guys continue.”
Lu Ban picked up his cup and took a sip of the warm tea.
After the hot pot al, Feng Yu and Qin Tiantian added each other on WeChat and even set up a three-person group chat with Lu Ban, naming it “Jiangcheng Family.”
Lu Ban didn’t understand how they had beco friends.
Or perhaps, was he misunderstanding the friendship between girls?
He wasn’t sure.
After seeing off Feng Yu and dropping off Qin Tiantian at her ho, Lu Ban went back to tidy up and went to sleep.
The next morning, he drew “Madman’s Knowledge.”
*
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