Chapter 294: Your Uncle

Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Your Uncle

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jiang Moli went to the Song and Dance Troupe.

Today was the troupe’s last workday of the year. She went to cancel her leave, believing in seeing things through to the end, and also picked up her salary for the last two months while she was at it.

Her salary for two months, plus the subsidy for the morale-boosting tour performances and the bonus for scriptwriting, came to a grand total of 126 yuan.

Of that 126 yuan, the performance subsidy and the script bonus made up the bulk of it, and she had gotten both of those thanks to Yang Lijiong looking out for her.

That evening, Jiang Moli treated Yang Lijiong, Qian Ling, and Chen Lan to dinner at the Furong Restaurant.

After ordering, Jiang Moli asked the waiter what kind of liquor they had.

The moment she heard Jiang Moli asking for liquor, Chen Lan quickly said, "Let’s skip the alcohol. Soda or juice is fine."

Jiang Moli said, "It’s our last get-together of the year. We have to have a little drink, right, Qiongqiong?"

Yang Lijiong wasn’t in favor of drinking either, since she was well aware of Jiang Moli’s pathetically low alcohol tolerance—a one-drink lightweight.

But when she looked at Jiang Moli’s bright, beaming face and her limpid, almond-shaped eyes curving into beautiful little crescents, the words of refusal died in her throat.

"Alright, just a little then."

Jiang Moli then turned to Qian Ling with a grin. "Lingling?"

Qian Ling’s heart melted at her smile, and she nodded obediently. "Okay, just a little."

Jiang Moli looked at Chen Lan and said cheekily, "See? Majority rules. Let’s get a bottle of Quanxing Daqu, and two orange sodas."

Chen Lan sighed in resignation. "I really don’t get why a woman like you loves to drink so much."

Jiang Moli tapped the rim of her cup lightly with her chopsticks and recited, "Thirty thousand days on this earth we reside; with meat and wine, a god’s life we guide."

The other three were all amused by her rhyming doggerel.

The liquor and soda were quickly brought to their private room.

Jiang Moli lined up the four glasses, filled each one most of the way with soda, and then topped them off with baijiu.

Yang Lijiong was used to this sight, but it was the first time Chen Lan and Qian Ling had seen it, and they were very curious.

"Mixing baijiu with soda? What kind of way to drink is that?"

Jiang Moli handed the mixed drinks to the other three, one by one, smiling as she said, "This is the Jiang-style method. It’s delicious and you won’t get drunk."

Hearing this, Chen Lan and Qian Ling both took an eager sip. After tasting it, they nodded in approval.

The sweetness of the soda perfectly masked the bitterness of the baijiu, making it refreshing and not harsh on the throat.

Jiang Moli was the first to raise her glass. "The first toast is to our Qiongqiong. Without her, we wouldn’t be gathered here tonight."

Yang Lijiong said calmly, "I only came because you said you were treating."

Jiang Moli couldn’t stop laughing. "Aiya, that’s not what I meant. Qiongqiong, I really have to thank you for looking out for me. To our everlasting friendship!"

Yang Lijiong raised her glass and clinked it against Jiang Moli’s, not forgetting to remind her, "Don’t drink too much."

Jiang Moli just hummed in agreement and tilted her head back, taking a big gulp.

"The second toast is to the year that’s about to end. Let’s look to the future together. May tomorrow be a better day!"

As she spoke, Chen Lan and Qian Ling also raised their glasses.

After drinking, they all picked up their chopsticks and started to eat.

The Chen Family had held a wedding banquet here on New Year’s Day, and Jiang Moli thought the food was delicious, so she had specially brought Yang Lijiong and the others to try it.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Jiang Moli used the excuse of going to the restroom to slip downstairs to pay the bill.

When she got to the first floor, she learned that the bill had already been paid.

After confirming the total amount of the bill, Jiang Moli turned to go back upstairs.

"HAWK, PTUI!"

As she passed a table in the corner, a middle-aged man loudly hawked up a glob of yellow phlegm and spat it out, SPLAT, right in front of Jiang Moli’s toes.

She instinctively turned to look at the man.

The man, who had an out-of-town accent, glared at her. "What are you looking at? Lookin’ at your grandpa?"

Jiang Moli raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Yes, Grandpa, you’re eating here today too? Look at all these dishes on the table, you ordered so well. You really are my grandpa."

As she spoke, she gave him a thumbs-up.

Seeing her act so cowardly, the whole table burst into mocking laughter. The man who had yelled at Jiang Moli looked particularly smug, as if to say, ’You know what’s good for you’.

Jiang Moli turned and went back to the cashier, ordering a large braised meat platter to go.

"Put it on my grandpa’s tab over there, the table in the corner."

The cashier followed Jiang Moli’s gaze to the table in the corner, nodded, and made a note of it.

"Grandpa, enjoy your meal. I’ll be taking my leave now."

Carrying the takeout container, she passed by their table again, waving and smiling goodbye.

As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. With Jiang Moli calling him "Grandpa" left and right, the man at the table seemed to enjoy it and waved back at her.

And this entire exchange was witnessed by the cashier.

Back in their private room, after confirming everyone was finished, Jiang Moli led Yang Lijiong and the other two out of the restaurant through the back door.

「Half an hour later.」

The man downstairs stared at the braised meat platter on his bill and yelled at the cashier, "Are you fucking running a scam here? We never ate this dish!"

The cashier, also getting angry at his attitude, shot back, "Your niece ordered it! She said to put it on your table’s bill."

"What niece? This is my first time in Rongcheng! Where the hell would I get a niece?"

"She stood right here talking to you for ages, and you even waved to her when she left! Are you trying to skip out on the bill now? Don’t tell me you two conspired to dine and dash! If you dare not pay, I’m calling the police!"

It wasn’t that the cashier couldn’t guess she might have been tricked by Jiang Moli.

But Jiang Moli was long gone, so she could only stick to her story that the two of them knew each other to avoid any personal responsibility.

Hearing the cashier threaten to call the police, the man had no choice but to concede.

They were in town on business from out of town. Getting hauled to the police station over a single platter of food and having it affect their official duties just wasn’t worth it.

"Goddammit! Just my fucking luck! That bitch, she better hope I never run into her again!"

『Disgust Value +5. Credited: 50,000 Yuan.』

The whole table were all out-of-towners on their first visit to Rongcheng. They never expected to be played by a local girl, and every one of them was seething with frustration.

After that table paid and left, the cashier told everyone at the restaurant about the once-in-a-millennium bizarre incident, successfully earning Jiang Moli another 4 Disgust Value points.

...

The bus slowly pulled up to the stop.

As soon as she got off, Jiang Moli saw Lu Cheng standing by the bus stop sign, straight and tall as a pine tree.

Upon seeing her, the icy sculpture of Lu Cheng’s face instantly melted into a smile.

He strode forward to meet her. "You’re finally back. I’ve been wearing my eyes out watching for you."

Jiang Moli pouted. "I didn’t ask you to wait."

Lu Cheng took her bag and slung it over his shoulder, then took the food she was carrying, saying good-naturedly, "I wanted to wait for you. I offered to pick you up at the restaurant, but you wouldn’t let me."

"It was a ladies’ night out tonight. If you were waiting by the restaurant door, it would be awkward to invite you in, but it would make me seem cold if I didn’t."

Jiang Moli tucked one hand into her pocket and looped her other arm through his as she explained.

Lu Cheng looked down at the arm his wife was holding. ’This whole evening’s wait was worth it,’ he thought instantly.

Then he lifted the paper-wrapped package Jiang Moli had brought back and sniffed it.

"Smells good. Is it food?"

Jiang Moli laughed and replied, "I brought it back for you. It’s a late-night snack."

Lu Cheng was absolutely ecstatic.

’His wife went out to eat and still made a point to bring something delicious back for him. What could that be, if not love?’