Chapter Thirteen: Eating

“Zhuonan, what do you want for dinner tonight?”

Xia Qianrou had no clear idea why she was going out to eat with the boy. She always sensed something unusual in him; though only fifteen, he carried a maturity that did not fit his age.

Zhuonan tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said with a smile, “Miss Xia, I’m an omnivore. I can eat anything. You pick.”

When she hid a smile behind her hand, she teased, “Zhuonan, do you imagine yourself a pig?”

Zhuonan felt like a fool. He had only meant to be polite, and suddenly this was all she had to say. His face darkened, so she hastily added, “Zhuonan, I’m joking.”

“No trouble, Teacher Xia,” he answered with a grin. “I know you’re joking. If I can’t take a little teasing, then what kind of man am I?”

He really did find him interesting. Unlike other students, who barely dared to speak in front of her, this one was joking with her as though they were equals. For a second she felt they were not teacher and student at all, but friends. So she smiled and said, “You call yourself a man? You look more like a little boy to me.”

Zhuonan, not one to give in, stepped a little closer. He was met by a clean, mellow perfume—rich but not cloying, fresh and dizzying. Xia Qianrou started at his movement and stepped back, asking softly, “What are you doing, Zhuonan? You’re still a boy, and at this age you can be impulsive. We barely know each other.” A little caution still lingered in her heart.

He laughed and toyed with the air in front of their heads. “Teacher Xia, you’re not even taller than me. Does that prove I’m not a man?”

She looked at his joking expression and chided herself for being so jumpy. “Being taller doesn’t make you a man. What kind of twisted logic is that?”

If this were anyone else, he might have said, “If you doubt it, prove it tonight.” But he was her student, and she had to think before speaking. So she said, “Zhuonan, this man- or not-man topic can wait. It’s late. Let’s go eat first—my stomach is growling.” She even patted her own small stomach and looked almost adorable.

She laughed at how boyish he was. “All right. Let’s go. Don’t keep you hungry. Come on, there’s a restaurant up ahead with decent food.”

“Fine,” he said. “Lead the way—wink, wink.” His expression was shameless enough to make her laugh out loud again.

After a few minutes’ walk they reached the restaurant she had mentioned. From the facade alone, it was plainly a mid-range place. It probably wouldn’t be cheap, but the food also should not be bad—just the kind of place built on good value.

At the entrance a tall hostess came forward politely. “Welcome. How many guests, sir?”

Zhuonan made a gesture with two fingers in front of her.

She smiled. “Two. This way.” She motioned and guided them herself.

Since there were only two of them, she seated them at a small table in the corner, then sent a waiter to pour tea.

A waiter came with the menu and handed it to Zhuonan with a smile. “Sir, please take a look.”

Zhuonan nodded to him and said, “Give it to this lady.”

Xia Qianrou laughed. “You’ve got manners, I’ll give you that.”
The waiter passed the menu to her. She waved it away. “No need to read. Let’s order directly. I know this place well.”

“One dry-pot beer duck,” she said, “one stir-fried choy sum, and a winter melon with pork rib soup.” She turned to him. “What about you? Choose anything. Don’t hold back.”

With two people and no alcohol, one meat, one vegetable, one soup was enough. Zhuonan smiled. “No need. Teacher, you’re paying; I don’t want to leave you broke.”

She answered in a low, alluring tone, “If I’m the one who ruins you by feeding you too much, my teaching salary will go to waste.” Then, turning to the waiter, “That’s all. Bring it out and one rice.”

The waiter nodded and hurried to the kitchen. In a short while the dishes arrived. Xia Qianrou personally served him a bowl of rice and said kindly, “Eat.”

“Thank you, Teacher Xia. You should eat too.”

She nodded, took a spoonful for herself, and then bent her head to her meal. Unlike him, she took only a little of each dish at a time, chewing slowly and lightly, a sharp contrast to his pace.

Zhuonan had the appetite of one newly resurrected from starvation and ate without a trace of formality, plucking a duck leg cleanly into his bowl and swallowing with gusto. Watching him, Xia Qianrou found herself amused. He was unlike any other student at all—eating at a teacher’s table and caring nothing about appearances.

Just as she was about to tease him again, a dozen loud young men swept through the door in a line, voices loud, immediately drawing every eye in the room. Their appearance clashed heavily with the usual clientele.

In front of them strode a man taller than Longkun, long hair tied into a ponytail, an earring in his left ear, and a tight vest that left his muscles plainly visible. A blue-dragon tattoo curved along his left arm, a white tiger across the right. A skull necklace hung at his throat. Cigarette smoke curled from his mouth as he scanned the room with a hard stare, as if announcing, “This is my domain.”

The receptionist who had greeted Zhuonan and her stood now white-faced and shaky as she approached him. “Sir… how many—how many of you?”

The poor girl must have regretted, in that instant, ever taking a receptionist job.

Longmao cast a look at her and smirked, lewdly amused. “Come on, little girl. Just count and you’d know.”

She dared not even lift her head, much less count them. She would have liked to collapse where she stood and hand the lot off to another colleague.

Zhuonan glanced at the group and then returned to his meal. Xia Qianrou, feeling a flicker of unease, whispered, “Zhuonan, hurry up and eat. Let’s leave as soon as we’re done. These men don’t look good.”

He gave her a carefree smile. “Teacher Xia, don’t worry. We didn’t even provoke them.”

She shot him a look of exasperation. In her mind: this boy had no sense of danger. Even if you don’t approach them, they might still make trouble. This was the wrong place to stay long. She wanted to continue arguing, but seeing him eat so happily she sighed and thought, Maybe it’s fine. There are many people here; these hoodlums probably won’t dare do anything. If they do, we can call the police. As far as she knew, if one could truly rely on the police, even a sow would learn to climb a tree.

In Zhuonan’s mind, he was checking Longmao’s profile. This part of downtown had been assigned to Hu Li to handle, and Zhuonan had already warned him: in this district, keep it discreet; your underlings must not make a scene. Yet here was Longmao, announcing himself with every gesture, every word: “I’m one of the underworld.” Clearly, either he was not Hu Li’s man at all, or he was treating Hu Li’s warning as wind. If that were the case, Zhuonan decided, he would talk to Hu Li when the chance came.

The frightened receptionist still stood before Longmao, trembling. Thankfully, the landlady, sharp and composed, noticed and immediately intervened, telling the girl, “You go. I’ll handle them.”

Turning to Longmao with practiced deference, she said, “Ah, Longmao, you came. Sorry, no private rooms are left. Would the hall be all right?”

When Longmao appeared, the whole room fell quiet; everyone lowered their voices. His exact words reached Zhuonan clearly, and he thought, This one has been around.

Longmao’s face darkened at the last remark. He glared at the landlady. “What do you mean, landlady? I come here and I have to sit in the hall? Is this some kind of disrespect?”

A restaurant owner knows not two things can be crossed lightly: official authority and men like Longmao. She wore a sour look, but her expression stayed controlled. “Longmao, I didn’t mean it that way. There truly isn’t a private room. Why not this: if you dine here tonight, I’ll waive your bill.”

Longmao made a nuisance of himself precisely because this was his trade: strutting around with his men and forcing a little fear while having some food and drink. He had come for exactly that, and now he got what he wanted. Yet pride demanded a performance. “I’m not the kind of man who eats free meals, landlady. What do you mean by this?”

She knew his game. “Don’t misunderstand me. For a street friend like you, words of invitation are too little. Give me one chance tonight, all right?”

The flattery landed perfectly. Longmao laughed heartily. “Since the landlady is so gracious, I suppose I must decline your kindness with due humility.” He grinned at his own irony.

Zhuonan laughed quietly to himself. “The fool is showing off.”

Suppressing her smile, the landlady seated them at the table nearest the entrance and had a waiter take their order. As the waiting stretched on, Longmao’s group continued shouting and roaring, brazen and disruptive. Some guests who wished no trouble ate in silence, finished early, paid, and left.

After Zhuonan was finally satisfied with the last mouthful he had shoveled in, Xia Qianrou hurriedly prodded him. “Zhuonan, you’re done, right? Let’s leave right away. I’m feeling miserable staying here.”

He nodded with a smile. “All right. Let’s go.”

She called for the check, grabbed her purse, and walked with Zhuonan toward the door.