Chapter 64

Li Mu looked at Su Yingxue's simple reply, which only had two words: "Wait for me."

He didn't reply again, put his phone back in his pocket, and stood quietly by the roadside waiting.

More than ten minutes later, a taxi stopped beside Li Mu. Su Yingxue, sitting in the back seat, pushed the door open and moved over, smiling at Li Mu: "Get in."

Li Mu smiled slightly. A thought had flashed through his mind: if Su Yingxue was sitting in the back when she came, should he sit in the front passenger seat or sit with her in the back?

Before he could decide, Su Yingxue gave him the answer.

Li Mu bent down and got into the car. Su Yingxue then said to the driver: "Driver, to Yucheng Lane."

Li Mu asked curiously: "Is Yucheng Lane the small alley near Yucheng Middle School?"

"Yes," Su Yingxue smiled. "I went to Yucheng Middle School for junior high. What about you?"

"Xiling Coal Mine Children's School," Li Mu said with a smile. "Our school has classes from the Red Star Kindergarten to junior high."

"I've heard of it," Su Yingxue said with a smile. "They say Xiling Coal Mine Children's School is the school with the widest age range in Haizhou."

"Yes, although there are many grades, there aren't many students, only about one or two thousand in total."

Su Yingxue looked at Li Mu sideways. "Aren't you curious why I'm inviting you to eat in Yucheng Lane?"

"Not really," Li Mu said casually. "Since you went to Yucheng Middle School, the food you're taking me to must be something you used to like."

"You guessed right," Su Yingxue praised. "Not just back then, but I still love it now. I just don't know if you'll like it."

"I can eat anything," Li Mu said to himself that he was the least picky eater. Having studied and worked outside for over a decade, he had basically developed the ability to eat all kinds of dishes and had no dietary restrictions, whether it was cold, hot, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, or salty, or whether it was cilantro, toona sinensis, scallions, ginger, or garlic, he could handle it all. It was all a result of being forced by life.

The driver soon drove to the east side of Yucheng Middle School. Yucheng Lane was a small north-south alley parallel to the school, with a large cement stone at the entrance, so cars couldn't enter. The two got out of the car at the entrance and walked into the alley side by side.

Li Mu had been to Yucheng Lane before, around 1997 to 1999, when there was a PlayStation game room in the alley. He would sometimes come with his friends to play, but this memory was too distant for the current Li Mu.

Most of the shops in Yucheng Lane were small businesses targeting students. The PlayStation game room was still there, along with stationery stores and book rental shops. When they passed by, they saw that the shelves were filled with small comic books. The black-covered pirated online novels that would later become popular hadn't yet emerged.

Su Yingxue led Li Mu to the end of the alley, where there was a T-junction. At the corner was a Rongcheng Chuan Chuan Xiang (Sichuan Hot Pot Skewers). Su Yingxue pointed to the somewhat old sign and said to Li Mu: "This is it."

"Chuan Chuan Xiang," Li Mu smiled. "Let's go."

Su Yingxue asked with a smile: "It's a bit spicy, are you okay with that?"

"No problem."

The two entered the Chuan Chuan Xiang restaurant and found that all the seven or eight tables in the front room were already full, with a lot of noise, indicating good business. Seeing Li Mu a bit stunned, Su Yingxue tugged at his sleeve and led him through the entire front room.

Li Mu then discovered that there was a hidden world behind, a courtyard of about seventy to eighty square meters, with about a dozen tables. Although it was crowded, there were still some empty seats.

The somewhat plump owner saw Su Yingxue and warmly greeted her: "Oh, Xiao Xue! It's been a long time since you've been here!"

Su Yingxue smiled. "Yes, I've been busy with the college entrance exam recently and haven't had time to come."

The owner's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. "How did the exam go?"

Su Yingxue smiled. "It went pretty well."

The owner nodded, glanced at Li Mu, and said teasingly: "It's been a while since I've seen you, and you've grown even prettier. Your boyfriend is also very handsome."

Before Su Yingxue could explain, the owner pointed to an empty table and smiled: "Come, sit here. What kind of pot base do you want?"

Su Yingxue looked at Li Mu sideways. "Can you eat spicy? I'll get the all-spicy pot base then?"

"Sure," Li Mu nodded lightly.

Su Yingxue then ordered the pot base and a cold cola, and they sat opposite each other at a small square table.

Li Mu remembered that almost every girl loved Chuan Chuan Xiang, which offered a lot of freedom. After ordering the pot base, you could pick whatever you liked to cook. Su Yingxue was no exception, carrying a metal tray back and forth twice, filling it with various skewers.

The owner brought the pot base while Su Yingxue was picking food, turned on the fire, and by the time Su Yingxue returned with the second batch, the red pot base was already bubbling.

"Do you want to see if there's anything you like?" Su Yingxue asked Li Mu excitedly after her two trips.

Li Mu looked at the food on the table, which was already more than enough for two people, and waved his hand. "Let's eat these first, don't waste them."

"I have a big appetite," Su Yingxue raised her eyebrows, looking a bit proud.

Li Mu said casually, "No problem, eat as much as you want, I have money."

Su Yingxue put some food in the pot and pouted. "It's very cheap, even if you eat a lot, it won't cost much. And we agreed that I would pay for this meal, you're not allowed to pay."

Li Mu nodded. "It's rare for the school beauty to treat me to a meal, it wouldn't be right for me to insist on paying."

Su Yingxue smiled and then said seriously, "By the way, I heard that the driving school can get you a license in just twenty days. I should be able to get my license by mid-next month, and then I'm going to Yanjing."

"Going so early for what?" Li Mu was quite surprised.

"To stay at my aunt's place for a while," Su Yingxue smiled. "My aunt lives in Yanjing, and she wants me to go early to get familiar with the environment and to help my cousin with her studies. My cousin wants to take the art exam next year, but she can't neglect her academic subjects."

Li Mu asked, "When does Renmin University usually start?"

"Late August," Su Yingxue said. "Around the 25th for registration, and the military training starts around the 28th."

"So I should go to Yanjing around the 23rd or 24th?"

"Yes," Su Yingxue thought Li Mu was reluctant to leave home early, so she said with a smile, "But don't worry too much. After about a month at school, it's the National Day holiday, and you can go home then."

Li Mu smiled awkwardly. "I'm not homesick, I'm just worried about unfinished business in Haizhou."

Su Yingxue handed a spicy meat skewer to Li Mu and was about to ask what he was busy with in Haizhou when a short girl suddenly stood in front of them, exclaiming excitedly, "Yingxue!"

Su Yingxue and Li Mu looked up. The girl in front of them was unfamiliar to Li Mu, but Su Yingxue looked excited. "Ruru, what a coincidence, why are you here?"

"I brought my high school classmates to try the food at Yucheng Middle School," the girl called Ruru laughed, then looked at Li Mu and winked at Su Yingxue, asking in a low voice, "Boyfriend?"

"Don't be silly!" Su Yingxue said hurriedly. "He's my high school classmate, let me introduce you, Li Mu."

"Li Mu, this is my junior high school classmate and good friend, Cao Ruru."

"Hello," Li Mu smiled and nodded. Being mistaken for Su Yingxue's boyfriend made him, an old man, feel quite pleased. He thought it must mean that in others' eyes, he and Su Yingxue were a well-matched couple.

At this moment, Cao Ruru, through her thick glasses, looked at Li Mu and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, it's you!"

Li Mu was stunned, and so was Su Yingxue.

"Have we met before?" Li Mu asked tentatively.

"Hey!" Cao Ruru jumped excitedly and said to Su Yingxue, "Yingxue, do you remember when we had a junior high school reunion after the college entrance exam, and I told you about the super cool guy I met during the exam who got hit by a car but still came to take the exam, and the most important part is that the proctor from No. 5 High School tried to give him a hard time, but he ended up threatening the proctor?"

"I remember," Su Yingxue said, staring at Li Mu in shock. "The person you're talking about is Li Mu?"

"Absolutely!" Cao Ruru looked at Li Mu excitedly, as if she had met an idol. "Even though you cut your hair, I'm sure it's you!"