Chapter 22

At 5 PM, Jiang Shan finished tidying up and slung her backpack over her shoulder, ready to leave on time. Xiao Yuanhang came out of Xiao Qiang's ward at just the right moment. When Jiang Shan saw Xiao Yuanhang, her face turned red, and she quickly said to the two nurses with her, "Sister Zhang, Sister Li, you go ahead. I need to find something I left behind."

Actually, she hadn't forgotten anything; she just didn't want her colleagues to see her leaving with Xiao Yuanhang. Back in the nurses' office, she opened her drawer, rummaged through it for a while, and found a small mirror, which she put in her backpack. Only then did she lock the drawer and come out. During this time, Xiao Yuanhang had been waiting in the corridor not far from the nurses' office, where he couldn't be seen from inside.

Seeing Jiang Shan walk over, Xiao Yuanhang stepped up and walked beside her. Jiang Shan whispered, "Xiao Yuanhang, you know what happened today. I had no choice but to act that way. Are you really going to take it seriously?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled calmly and said, "Jiang Shan, based on my understanding of Zhang Mingwei, he will definitely come to the hospital entrance to keep an eye on you, to see if you are with me. I'm just doing the right thing!"

Having been classmates with Zhang Mingwei for three years, Xiao Yuanhang knew him better than anyone. Zhang Mingwei was the kind of person who was devious and sneaky, always plotting behind the scenes and causing trouble. Although Wang Dahai scared him off today, given his stubbornness, he would surely come to the hospital entrance when Jiang Shan finished work to see if she was with Xiao Yuanhang.

Jiang Shan and Zhang Mingwei had been neighbors for many years, and she knew him even better than Xiao Yuanhang. It was precisely because of his introverted and devious nature that she firmly refused to date him. She was also worried that Zhang Mingwei would come to the hospital entrance to harass her after work. Therefore, she wasn't annoyed to see Xiao Yuanhang waiting for her; instead, she felt a sense of reliance.

As soon as they stepped out of the hospital, they saw someone peeking from behind a large tree across the street, who immediately ducked back. Both Jiang Shan and Xiao Yuanhang recognized the person behind the tree as Zhang Mingwei! Jiang Shan felt extremely frustrated. She had planned to have Xiao Yuanhang drop her off near her home, but with Zhang Mingwei's appearance, her plan was foiled. To get rid of this annoying fly, she had to use Xiao Yuanhang as a shield.

Sure enough, Xiao Yuanhang smiled inwardly and said to Jiang Shan as if he hadn't seen anything, "Jiang Shan, let's go to Luming Village Restaurant for dinner. Their stir-fried chicken is delicious!"

"What?" Jiang Shan was surprised. She knew very well what Luming Village Restaurant was. It was the best restaurant in Guhe City, where a dish could cost two to three times more than in other restaurants. It was out of reach for the working class. Xiao Yuanhang had done so much to help her; she couldn't let him spend so much money.

Jiang Shan glanced at the figure behind the tree and said to Xiao Yuanhang, "Let's skip it. That place is too expensive. We can just find a small eatery and have something to eat."

Xiao Yuanhang laughed and said, "Jiang Shan, listen to me. Let's go to the best restaurant. We need to show him that if he can't afford such a place, he shouldn't have unrealistic expectations. Let him know when to back off!"

"Tricycle!" Without asking for Jiang Shan's opinion, Xiao Yuanhang hailed a tricycle that was coming from the opposite direction. At that time, Guhe City had neither buses nor taxis. The only means of transportation were the human-powered tricycles, commonly known as "tricycles."

The tricycles in Guhe were different from traditional tricycles. In traditional tricycles, the rider sits in front, and the passenger sits in the back. In Guhe, the passenger seat was in front, and the rider was in the back. On both sides of the front of the tricycle, there were thick, wide boards, and on top of these boards, there were seat cushions secured with rubber bands for the passengers' convenience.

The tricycle stopped, and Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan got on and sat down. Xiao Yuanhang told the driver, "To Luming Village Restaurant!" and glanced at Zhang Mingwei, who was still hiding behind the tree, with a mischievous smile.

The distance from the railway hospital to Luming Village Restaurant was not far but not close either, about a 20-minute walk. The tricycle was much faster. Xiao Yuanhang noticed there were no bicycles nearby and deduced that Zhang Mingwei had walked there. If he wanted to follow them, he would have to run, and even though it was past 5 PM, it was still very hot. Running all the way to Luming Village Restaurant would make him sweat profusely!

Sure enough, as Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan sat in the tricycle, they occasionally turned to look at Zhang Mingwei, who was running and dodging behind them. He was afraid they would see him and always used the corners of buildings or large trees for cover. He was also afraid of losing them, so whenever the tricycle turned and he couldn't see them, he would run as fast as he could...

Seeing Zhang Mingwei's狼狈不堪 (embarrassed and disheveled) appearance, Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan exchanged a knowing smile!

Upon arriving at Luming Village Restaurant, Xiao Yuanhang paid 2 yuan for the ride and walked in with Jiang Shan. There were many people dining there today. Not only were the private rooms with screens occupied, but the main hall was also full, with only two small tables near the east window available. This suited Xiao Yuanhang's plan. They sat at one of the small tables by the window, and a waiter immediately brought them the menu.

Luming Village Restaurant was privately owned, unlike the state-owned Tongshui Grand Hotel. It had adopted the common practices of southern restaurants, providing professional service and allowing customers to pay after dining.

Xiao Yuanhang handed the menu to Jiang Shan, "You choose. Pick what you like!"

Jiang Shan saw the prices on the menu and was immediately intimidated. She pushed the menu back to Xiao Yuanhang, saying, "I've never eaten at such a high-end restaurant before. I don't know how to order. You do it."

"What's there to not know? Just order what you want!"

"No, no, no, you do it!"

Seeing that Jiang Shan was hesitant, Xiao Yuanhang picked up the menu and said to the waiter, "One stir-fried chicken, one steamed fish, and one sweet white fruit!"

Jiang Shan saw that Xiao Yuanhang had ordered chicken and fish, and knowing how expensive the dishes were here, she quickly stopped him, "No, no, no, don't order so much. We two can't possibly finish it all."

At that time, the variety of dishes in restaurants was limited. Even a high-end restaurant like Luming Village had only about 40 to 50 dishes, while a small eatery might have only a dozen. Chicken and fish were usually reserved for important guests, and a meal without them was considered incomplete. At weddings, only wealthy and influential families could afford whole chickens and fish.

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Just three dishes, not too many. We can finish them. Besides, the stir-fried chicken here is half a chicken, not a whole one!"

In fact, even half a chicken was quite a lot. For two people, one chicken and one fish were more than enough. Xiao Yuanhang considered that girls generally liked sweet dishes, so he ordered an extra sweet white fruit. Sweet white fruit was a signature dish of the time, made by frying eggs into a layered thin pancake, cutting it into diamond-shaped pieces, and frying them until they puffed up in the oil. Finally, they were coated with sugar and served, making them sweet and delicious. In his previous life, he had learned how to make this dish.

"Would you like something to drink?" the waiter asked after they had ordered their dishes.

Xiao Yuanhang looked at Jiang Shan and said, "Jiang Shan, what would you like to drink?"

Jiang Shan quickly waved her hands, "I don't drink. Let's just eat." Although she didn't drink, she had had some white wine during class gatherings at nursing school and had a strong tolerance for it, having once drunk more than half a liter without getting drunk. However, it was her first time dining with Xiao Yuanhang, and she didn't want to drink.

Xiao Yuanhang thought for a moment and said, "Jiang Shan, since you don't drink, let's skip the white wine. But it wouldn't be right to have such good food without a drink. How about this: let's have a bottle of red wine? It's sweet and has a low alcohol content. What do you think?"

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{Piaotian Literature}