Chapter 104 — Meeting Tang Yun Again
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
"Yun'er, is that any way to talk to your classmate?" Her mother was deeply displeased with her daughter's attitude. Yesterday, the young man had not only helped Tang Yun out of a jam but had also recovered the money she had lost—and from the look of things, with him around, those students wouldn't dare bully them when they set up their stall near the school anymore. Tang Yun's mother was genuinely grateful to him. Seeing her daughter acting so at odds with Wei Zhao, she grew irritated. "He came here to eat, of course. What else would he be doing?"
Stung by her mother's rebuke, Tang Yun shot Wei Zhao a fierce, hateful glare, then stubbornly turned her back and ignored him completely.
"This child... Mr. Wei, please don't take offense..." Tang Yun's mother explained to him apologetically. Now that Wei Zhao's standing had changed in her eyes, so too had her manner of addressing him.
"It's no trouble at all, Auntie. Just call me Wei Zhao..." Wei Zhao broke into a light sweat. He hadn't expected Tang Yun to be so headstrong. He hoped she could hold on to that spirit. For a girl from a family like hers, maintaining such a small measure of self-respect and pride was no easy thing, and it made Wei Zhao think rather better of her.
Tang Yun's mother seemed quite helpless when it came to her daughter. After exchanging a few more words with Wei Zhao, she pushed the cart along with Tang Yun toward the heart of the food street.
Wei Zhao shook his head and followed at a distance, careful not to get too close, lest Tang Yun accuse him of tailing her...
Wei Zhao casually bought two sticks of fried chicken strips from a roadside stall and stuffed them into his mouth. This authentic street vendor treat was something he seldom got to eat. As for fried chicken strips, he had long forgotten how many years it had been since he last tasted them.
From afar, Wei Zhao watched Tang Yun and her mother set up their stall and light the fire. He didn't feel comfortable going over to join them. Even if Tang Yun's mother was quite good at barbecue, he had no desire to be glared at by Tang Yun with daggers in her eyes.
Seizing the moment when they weren't looking, Wei Zhao hurried past them. At the far end of the food street, he spotted Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. The two girls were seated at a stall selling Shaanxi cold noodles, sharing a single bowl. The bowl was flaming red, clearly loaded with chili peppers.
Gu Mengyao took a couple of bites, then stuck out her tongue and fanned it with her hand—evidently overwhelmed by the spiciness. Shen Yushu, meanwhile, was alternating between eating and sipping her drink.
Seeing that they were perfectly fine, Wei Zhao felt relieved. He kept his distance, not wanting them to become self-conscious about eating if they saw him. Since everyone around here was a stranger, they could let their hair down as much as they pleased.
Their table manners were far more ravenous than when they were at home.
"Boss, give me a bowl of wonton noodles." Wei Zhao sat down at a Zhang's Wonton Noodles stand not far away and called out to the owner.
"Coming right up, young man!" Seeing a customer arrive, the owner answered with a smile and set about cooking wontons for Wei Zhao.
Of all the snacks, Wei Zhao felt that nothing filled his stomach quite like wonton noodles. After nibbling on a few treats here and there, he decided to settle down with a proper bowl of wonton noodles.
As he ate, Wei Zhao kept his peripheral vision fixed on Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. He watched them arrive at a fried mushroom stall, where Shen Yushu seemed eager to eat and Gu Mengyao reluctant. The two bickered for a bit, until finally Gu Mengyao had no choice but to sit down and keep her company.
Heh, so even those two girls didn't always see eye to eye. Wei Zhao paid for his meal, stood up, and continued strolling casually through the food street.