Chapter 10 — A Lousy Idea
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 2
He reckoned that if he went out dressed like this, Gu Mengyao would take the clothes for dirty laundry all the same and not even let him sit on the sofa. There was no help for it. Wei Zhao casually opened the bag Uncle Qing had given him, took out the City No. 1 Middle School uniform, and put it on.
Wei Zhao's new appearance made both Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu stare. Before, he had been unkempt, in a ragged undershirt and baggy shorts; now, after a shower, he looked neat and refined, and with the school uniform to go with it, he was a man transformed from the migrant worker of earlier.
But their first impression of Wei Zhao had been far too poor, so Gu Mengyao would never admit that he was anything striking. She would allow only that he was a little better than before, a little easier on the eyes.
Uncle Qing brought four dishes and a soup: shredded pork in fish-fragrant sauce, Sichuan boiled fish, stir-fried baby bok choy, and braised spinach with wood ear mushrooms. The soup was a shiitake mushroom broth.
Meat and vegetables together, complete in color, aroma, and flavor. Wei Zhao had not tasted such delicious food in a long while. Seeing that Uncle Qing had prepared a box of rice for him as well, he took it gladly and sat down at the table.
Wei Zhao had just reached for his chopsticks when Gu Mengyao took offense: "What do you think you're doing? Xiaoshu and I haven't eaten yet, and you start first? From now on, Xiaoshu and I eat first, and you eat whatever we leave."
So saying, she turned and went off to the kitchen. She had a habit when she ate — she liked to use silver tableware, something she had picked up as a child living with her grandfather. Which was why, in the sterilizing cabinet in the kitchen, there was a set of silver cutlery reserved for Gu Mengyao alone.
Faced with such tyranny from Gu Mengyao, Wei Zhao could only smile bitterly. He withdrew his chopsticks and stared at the feast spread across the table, left with nothing to do but drool. Luckily, the plain rice was his own. Wei Zhao shoveled a few mouthfuls into his mouth at top speed, and perhaps because he ate too fast, he choked, then mumbled indistinctly, "Is there anything to drink?"
Shen Yushu found it rather funny, watching a man who looked as though he had not eaten in eight lifetimes. She pointed at the cooler cabinet off to one side. "Drink what you like. Help yourself."
"Oh." Wei Zhao turned his head and saw a great big cooler cabinet packed with every kind of beverage. He pulled out a bottle of orange juice at random, unscrewed the cap, and took a long swallow before he felt much better.
Gu Mengyao came back with the cutlery and, together with Shen Yushu, began to pick the dishes apart and pass judgment on every one.
"Ooh, boiled fish! My absolute favorite."
"This fish-fragrant shredded pork is a bit sweet. Damned chef — doesn't he know you put on weight easily if you eat too much sugar? One of these days I'll have Daddy fire him."
"Mm, this baby bok choy is really good. Xiaoshu, you try it too."
Gu Mengyao chattered on as she ate. Every one of these dishes had been prepared by the head chefs of the hotels under Gu Pengzhan's Gu Group, and every evening Uncle Qing delivered them right on time.
Gu Pengzhan had a great many social engagements, whereas Gu Mengyao's mother had run away from home when she was still very small. As for the reason, Gu Mengyao herself did not know, because every time she raised the matter with her father, he refused to tell her.
And so Gu Mengyao's life was, for the most part, looked after by Uncle Qing.
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