Chapter 464 - 222: Zhou Yan Is Eating Too Well! Damn It...

Chapter 464: Chapter 222: Zhou Yan Is Eating Too Well! Damn It...

Ox-horn combs, leather belts, wallets, crayons—those things aren’t cheap.

’City people are so generous. They must be real leather!’

"Miss Duan, Huang Ying, you’re here too." Mrs. Zhao greeted them, showing them to their seats and pouring water for the four of them.

"Mrs. Zhao, I’m here too! Don’t forget me," Huang Bing quickly piped up, stepping forward.

"I see you, I see you," Mrs. Zhao said with a smiling nod.

With the three young women’s permission, Huang Bing officially joined them at the table. Usually a slacker, he sat remarkably straight today.

Zhou Yan glanced at Huang Bing with an amused smile. "Take a look at the menu and decide what you’d like. I’ll go get it started for you."

"You’ve added so many new dishes! The menu has a lot more variety now," Xia Yao said, looking at the menu in surprise.

"Boss Zhou is always adding new dishes. The menu changes really fast," Huang Ying chimed in with a smile. "You two go ahead and order. I eat here every day, so I’ll love whatever you pick."

Duan Yu Yan spoke up. "I’m a regular here too. Xia Yao, you order first. After you’ve picked, I’ll add a few of my favorites."

"Alright," Xia Yao agreed, looking at the menu. "Let’s get an order of Kneeling Beef, one of braised pork ribs, and a Yuxiang shredded pork. Oh, I just saw the braised vegetables, they look tempting. I’d like an order of those too."

"That’s everything I was craving. The rest is up to you," Xia Yao said to Duan Yu Yan.

"In that case, I’ll get my own order of Kneeling Beef, an order of Twice-Cooked Pork, and some braised beef." After ordering, Duan Yu Yan looked at Huang Ying and Huang Bing. "You two can pick a couple more."

"I don’t need to order anything. You ladies ordered all my favorites," Huang Ying said, shaking her head.

"Then I’ll get my own order of Kneeling Beef, too," Huang Bing said.

"Alright. It’ll be out in a bit. I’ll go get started," Zhou Yan replied, turning toward the kitchen.

Mrs. Zhao also went to prepare the Kneeling Beef.

Zhou Momo climbed onto a chair and sat down next to Xia Yao.

"Have you eaten, Momo?" Xia Yao asked in a soft voice, putting an arm around her.

"I have! I ate three whole bowls," the little one said, nodding and holding up three fingers.

"That’s amazing! I can’t even finish three bowls," Xia Yao said with a laugh.

"Of course. I eat three bowls at every meal," Zhou Momo declared, nodding with her little hands on her hips, looking very proud. After a moment, she slipped off her chair and ran toward the counter. "Yaoyao, I’m going to get my drawings for you! I’ve been drawing lots and lots lately."

"Okay," Xia Yao replied with a smile.

"Judging by your accent, you’re not from Sichuan and Chongqing, are you?" Duan Yu Yan asked, looking at her.

"That’s right. I’m from Hangcheng, and I go to university in Mountain City," Xia Yao replied with a nod and a polite smile. "And judging by your accent, Miss Duan, are you from Xiangjiang?"

"You’ve been to Xiangjiang? You guessed it right away!" Duan Yu Yan said, a little surprised.

"I’ve been twice with my mother. The accent Xiangjiang people have when they speak Mandarin is quite distinct," Xia Yao explained with a nod.

"I’m from Xiangjiang, but my ancestral home is here in Jiazhou. I came back to visit family and have been here for almost a year now." Duan Yu Yan looked at Xia Yao, her tone tinged with curiosity. "Mountain City has plenty of factories. Why go out of your way to intern at the Jiazhou Textile Factory? Isn’t the commute a hassle?"

Huang Ying took a tactical sip of water, her eyes darting back and forth. ’Oh, look at that. Didn’t the atmosphere just get sharp!’

"Our class toured the Jiazhou Textile Factory last month, and the Jiading Brocade, with its centuries-old heritage, left a profound impression on me. The Jiazhou Textile Factory isn’t just the leader of the Jiazhou Silk Industry; it’s also one of the biggest foreign exchange earners in all of Sichuan. Its technology and scale are among the best in the nation. As it happens, my university signed a cooperative agreement with the factory, so I applied." Xia Yao met her gaze with a small smile. "Of course, the fact that Zhou Yan’s cooking is delicious and Momo is adorable... those are the main reasons I chose to come here."

Huang Ying’s eyebrow shot up. ’Damn, this girl is fierce! Doesn’t beat around the bush at all!’

"I know Zhou Yan’s cooking is delicious," Duan Yu Yan acknowledged with a nod.

"And Momo is adorable," Xia Yao added with a smile.

"But she’s not yours alone," Duan Yu Yan said, her eyes fixed on her.

The atmosphere at the table suddenly grew tense.

Huang Ying and Huang Bing exchanged a look, both seeing the shock mirrored in the other’s eyes.

’Oh my god! So much for being civil! So much for being reserved! How did they start fighting over ownership after just three sentences? Is Zhou Yan really that charming?’

While enjoying the drama, Huang Ying also mourned her own unrequited crush, which had died before it even began.

Zhou Momo came back over, clutching her drawing book. She clambered back onto her seat between Xia Yao and Duan Yu Yan and, as if presenting a treasure, flipped open the cover. "Look, you two."

Xia Yao looked through it seriously, nodding repeatedly. "These are so good, Momo! You have new ideas every day, your use of color is wonderful, and you’re getting better and better."

"The color combinations are fantastic, and the scenes are so imaginative. You really are getting better and better, aren’t you?" Duan Yu Yan was also quite surprised after looking through them.

’She had originally thought Zhou Momo just liked looking at picture books, but was she actually learning how to draw from them?’

’And she’d drawn so many! The book had over thirty pages, and you could tell she’d put her heart into every single one.’

’It was more than enough to show just how much she loved to draw.’

’Xia Yao had given her crayons... so she was probably the one who first got Momo started on drawing, wasn’t she?’

’The leather jacket she had given Momo might have been more expensive, but Xia Yao’s gift of crayons had a much deeper meaning.’

’Thinking about it that way, the sour feeling in her heart dissipated, and she actually started to feel a little embarrassed.’

’That’s true. They were here first, after all. How could she have the nerve to be jealous?’

"Look, this is Yuyan and me on the swing! She has a great big swing set at her house, and it’s so much fun."