After finishing her meal, Xiao Qi bid farewell to Xiao Bao'er.
She received a part-time fee of 200 yuan.
Xiao Yu noticed the 200 yuan that Xiao Shengzhou had on hand, and his eyes twitched.
He felt that this 200 yuan was a bit too little.
"You're saying that this little girl just participated in the Top Ten Singers competition and won first prize, which is worth 20,000 yuan, and she still came here to work for you. Giving her only 200 yuan is really stingy."
Xiao Shengzhou: ...
Who was it that initially offered a salary of 200 yuan when he was hiring students for part-time work, complaining that he was wasting money and didn't understand business, saying that he was giving too much... It seems like it was this shameless person in front of him.
Xiao Yu felt slightly guilty under the gaze of his nephew's righteous face, remembering that he had mentioned this topic before.
"I was just speaking casually. It's still up to you to decide. But do you think this girl has some grievances against me? I noticed that during the meal, she hardly talked to me or looked at me."
After hearing Xiao Shengzhou's uncle mention it, he also recalled that it seemed to be the case. The girl seemed to have a good personality, but in general, when there's his nephew around, most girls would pay more attention to his nephew, engaging in lively conversations with him, while he was the one being ignored.
There was nothing he could do. The genes in his family—his grandfather, his father, his sister, and even himself—all had a strong sense of justice. They had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and they had a calm demeanor. His nephew, on the other hand, had a completely different appearance. He had a melon seed face, single eyelids, and thin and long eyebrows. Fortunately, his nephew resembled his grandmother a bit, especially his grandmother's mother... His grandmother's mother was said to be the daughter of a wealthy landlord, and her young photos showed her as a delicate and weak person, leaning on the bed with exquisite clothing, thin eyebrows and eyes, and even smoking cigarettes with a sickly beauty. There was always a sense of pretentiousness about her.
His nephew also had that pretentiousness, but on a man, it was quite handsome—the type that girls liked nowadays.
His nephew could be considered the family's visual representative.
He was usually the focus of attention during gatherings. But now, after his nephew mentioned it, Xiao Shengzhou recalled that it seemed true. The girl seemed to have never spoken to his nephew from beginning to end, and she seldom even glanced at him.
"Did you do something to scare her away?" Xiao Shengzhou suspected.
"On my honor, I didn't even add her on WeChat, and I haven't said a word to her. What could I have done?" Xiao Shengzhou replied.
Xiao Shengzhou still looked skeptical. The main reason was that his nephew had quite a history. There was a time when a female classmate from his class came to their house as a guest and saw his nephew. Then one day, she came to him in tears, crying her heart out, saying that his nephew had taken advantage of her and then abandoned her... Although it was later clarified that his nephew hadn't done anything, he had just given his classmate a gift and had dinner with her, but his female classmate thought it was a romantic relationship, while for his nephew, it was just an insignificant social interaction. He treated all good-looking girls like that.
Ironically, his nephew didn't believe him when he finally told the truth, leaving Xiao Yu speechless.
Xiao Bao'er played all afternoon and had eaten his fill. He was so tired that he fell asleep directly on the sofa. Xiao Yu looked at the darkening sky and realized he had to take the little rascal back home quickly, or else his sister-in-law would start bombarding him with phone calls.
Xiao Qi left the equestrian center and didn't go straight home. She had made an appointment with Jin Zaiyan... or rather, Jin Zaiyan had invited her.
If Jin Zaiyan weren't really a girl, Xiao Qi would have thought she had a crush on her. After adding each other on WeChat yesterday, Jin Zaiyan had sent her a bunch of messages. But Xiao Qi couldn't quite figure out what she meant. Xiao Qi thought Asians weren't very good at being straightforward about their thoughts. It would be better if they were like Westerners and just said it outright.
The two of them arranged to meet at John Book Bar in the new student district.
It was basically a gathering place for foreigners.
Xiao Qi had never been inside but had passed by it before.
When she arrived, the big screen in the book bar happened to be showing the live performance of the day she sang. Her voice filled the entire book bar, and she felt a bit embarrassed unexpectedly. She hadn't expected to see herself like this on the screen, and the singing voice coming from the screen seemed a bit different from how she remembered.
However, foreigners tended to have trouble recognizing faces, so when she went in, she wasn't recognized. Maybe some people did recognize her, but they thought Asians all looked alike and didn't want to make a mistake, so they didn't approach her.
Also, the foreign teachers who came to Enhua were mostly older, like Old Man Galen, and not really into idol worship.
Jin Zaiyan saw her from afar and waved excitedly at her.
Xiao Qi walked over.
Jin Zaiyan had short hair, different from Xiao Qi's cropped hair. Her short hair was almost buzz cut, and she dressed very tomboyishly. She also had a small chest naturally. Xiao Qi had long eyelashes and fair skin. Her figure didn't emphasize her chest, but it wasn't to the point of being mistaken for a boy. However, Jin Zaiyan did give the impression of being male at first glance, and even after second and third glances...
"Su, I'm so glad you came. Would you like to eat something? I can order for you. The donuts here are pretty good, and the steak is also great," Jin Zaiyan said in English with a Korean accent. She spoke well since she was from Korea but had studied in the United States.
"I've already eaten. Just a glass of lemonade for me," Xiao Qi didn't consider herself close enough to Jin Zaiyan to have a meal together. Besides, the food at the equestrian center was delicious, and she didn't want to waste it. She had mentioned it beforehand.
She hadn't really wanted to come, but she also wanted to ask Jin Zaiyan if she knew who to approach for learning Japanese. After all, foreign teachers might be more familiar with each other within their circle.
Xiao Qi wasn't very good at social communication, so she followed the foreigner's way, drank her lemonade, and asked her question directly.
Jin Zaiyan listened attentively and replied enthusiastically, "Yes, the school has a Japanese foreign teacher, but he's a bit old-fashioned and can be harsh. He's also quite old. If you want to learn from him, you have to study seriously from start to finish, or else he'll get very angry. I heard that even though it's an elective course, if you don't take it seriously, he'll fail you."
Failing a course in Enhua University is a serious matter, but elective courses are usually more relaxed, such as film appreciation and the like. Teachers rarely fail students in electives, so Xiao Qi felt relieved when she heard Jin Zaiyan's words.
She wasn't afraid of studying hard now; she was afraid of not learning anything. Among her current courses, she felt helpless with Professor Bai's management information system that he loved cracking jokes about. He only told jokes and didn't teach any content, relying purely on self-study. But self-study felt a bit challenging, and she thought to herself, if she could learn everything on her own, why bother coming to university? She could just study by herself.
She asked Jin Zaiyan about Professor Bai's habits and preferences in detail.
"Shanben-kun doesn't like socializing much. He's usually very quiet and doesn't interact much. They say he's quite old-fashioned, but he's an excellent teacher. If you really want to learn Japanese, it's a good idea to take his elective course."
As long as the teaching is good, that's what matters. Actually, Xiao Qi didn't care about the teacher's personality before. But now that she was in university and taking classes with different teachers, perhaps because she had grown older, she found herself observing more.
Xiao Qi sincerely thanked Jin Zaiyan.
Jin Zaiyan looked at Xiao Qi with bright eyes, making Xiao Qi feel a bit uneasy.
She directly asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Su, you're good at cooking. You know, yesterday was the first time I felt full since coming to Enhua for so long. I've finished the pickled vegetables I brought from my hometown. Can I ask you, presumptuously, to help me make some pickled vegetables? I'm willing to pay for the ingredients." Jin Zaiyan looked at Xiao Qi with puppy eyes.
Xiao Qi: ...
So, it's just making pickled vegetables. Why didn't you say so directly? You could have just told me on WeChat. This kind of demeanor scared her, and she felt a bit uneasy.
"No problem, I can only free up time for you on the weekend. If you want, we can go to the market together to buy the ingredients." When Xiao Qi was at home, her mother used to make pickled vegetables, pickled radishes, and bamboo shoots. She actually missed the taste of home, spicy and sour, very refreshing, while the local food in Mengshi was a bit too sweet.
Now that Jin Zaiyan brought it up, she could also make some.
"But for making these pickled vegetables, we need to have a ground floor." Xiao Qi remembered that her mother had specifically mentioned that pickled vegetables needed to have an earthy environment.
Jin Zaiyan excitedly grabbed Xiao Qi's hand and said, "Perfect! I chose a ground floor for that reason."
Because she also planned to raise a dog for convenience, she chose an apartment on the ground floor with a small courtyard.
Xiao Qi couldn't help but laugh and cry. This person was definitely a foodie. She just wanted to eat. She almost misunderstood Jin Zaiyan's sexual orientation.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yu, who was originally planning to leave, ended up picking up little Xiao Bao'er. Xiao Bao'er woke up and insisted on having a lollipop, but only the ones with Mickey Mouse patterns that she usually had. He had to go to the student street to buy them. As he passed by the bookstore, he happened to see through the glass window a young man holding Xiao Qi's hand...
Suddenly, his heart was filled with waves... He hadn't even made a move yet, and the little girl already had a boyfriend???
And that guy, he had a somewhat effeminate feeling, as thin as a pole. What was good about him?
Not long after the start of the school year, the young girl wouldn't be deceived, right? After all, she was an employee at her nephew Xiao Shengzhou's horse stable.
Xiao Yu felt that she should have a good talk with Xiao Shengzhou.
After finishing her meal, Xiao Qi bid farewell to Xiao Bao'er.
She received a part-time fee of 200 yuan.
Xiao Yu noticed the 200 yuan that Xiao Shengzhou had on hand, and his eyes twitched.
He felt that this 200 yuan was a bit too little.
"You're saying that this little girl just participated in the Top Ten Singers competition and won first prize, which is worth 20,000 yuan, and she still came here to work for you. Giving her only 200 yuan is really stingy."
Xiao Shengzhou: ...
Who was it that initially offered a salary of 200 yuan when he was hiring students for part-time work, complaining that he was wasting money and didn't understand business, saying that he was giving too much... It seems like it was this shameless person in front of him.
Xiao Yu felt slightly guilty under the gaze of his nephew's righteous face, remembering that he had mentioned this topic before.
"I was just speaking casually. It's still up to you to decide. But do you think this girl has some grievances against me? I noticed that during the meal, she hardly talked to me or looked at me."
After hearing Xiao Shengzhou's uncle mention it, he also recalled that it seemed to be the case. The girl seemed to have a good personality, but in general, when there's his nephew around, most girls would pay more attention to his nephew, engaging in lively conversations with him, while he was the one being ignored.
There was nothing he could do. The genes in his family—his grandfather, his father, his sister, and even himself—all had a strong sense of justice. They had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and they had a calm demeanor. His nephew, on the other hand, had a completely different appearance. He had a melon seed face, single eyelids, and thin and long eyebrows. Fortunately, his nephew resembled his grandmother a bit, especially his grandmother's mother... His grandmother's mother was said to be the daughter of a wealthy landlord, and her young photos showed her as a delicate and weak person, leaning on the bed with exquisite clothing, thin eyebrows and eyes, and even smoking cigarettes with a sickly beauty. There was always a sense of pretentiousness about her.
His nephew also had that pretentiousness, but on a man, it was quite handsome—the type that girls liked nowadays.
His nephew could be considered the family's visual representative.
He was usually the focus of attention during gatherings. But now, after his nephew mentioned it, Xiao Shengzhou recalled that it seemed true. The girl seemed to have never spoken to his nephew from beginning to end, and she seldom even glanced at him.
"Did you do something to scare her away?" Xiao Shengzhou suspected.
"On my honor, I didn't even add her on WeChat, and I haven't said a word to her. What could I have done?" Xiao Shengzhou replied.
Xiao Shengzhou still looked skeptical. The main reason was that his nephew had quite a history. There was a time when a female classmate from his class came to their house as a guest and saw his nephew. Then one day, she came to him in tears, crying her heart out, saying that his nephew had taken advantage of her and then abandoned her... Although it was later clarified that his nephew hadn't done anything, he had just given his classmate a gift and had dinner with her, but his female classmate thought it was a romantic relationship, while for his nephew, it was just an insignificant social interaction. He treated all good-looking girls like that.
Ironically, his nephew didn't believe him when he finally told the truth, leaving Xiao Yu speechless.
Xiao Bao'er played all afternoon and had eaten his fill. He was so tired that he fell asleep directly on the sofa. Xiao Yu looked at the darkening sky and realized he had to take the little rascal back home quickly, or else his sister-in-law would start bombarding him with phone calls.
Xiao Qi left the equestrian center and didn't go straight home. She had made an appointment with Jin Zaiyan... or rather, Jin Zaiyan had invited her.
If Jin Zaiyan weren't really a girl, Xiao Qi would have thought she had a crush on her. After adding each other on WeChat yesterday, Jin Zaiyan had sent her a bunch of messages. But Xiao Qi couldn't quite figure out what she meant. Xiao Qi thought Asians weren't very good at being straightforward about their thoughts. It would be better if they were like Westerners and just said it outright.
The two of them arranged to meet at John Book Bar in the new student district.
It was basically a gathering place for foreigners.
Xiao Qi had never been inside but had passed by it before.
When she arrived, the big screen in the book bar happened to be showing the live performance of the day she sang. Her voice filled the entire book bar, and she felt a bit embarrassed unexpectedly. She hadn't expected to see herself like this on the screen, and the singing voice coming from the screen seemed a bit different from how she remembered.
However, foreigners tended to have trouble recognizing faces, so when she went in, she wasn't recognized. Maybe some people did recognize her, but they thought Asians all looked alike and didn't want to make a mistake, so they didn't approach her.
Also, the foreign teachers who came to Enhua were mostly older, like Old Man Galen, and not really into idol worship.
Jin Zaiyan saw her from afar and waved excitedly at her.
Xiao Qi walked over.
Jin Zaiyan had short hair, different from Xiao Qi's cropped hair. Her short hair was almost buzz cut, and she dressed very tomboyishly. She also had a small chest naturally. Xiao Qi had long eyelashes and fair skin. Her figure didn't emphasize her chest, but it wasn't to the point of being mistaken for a boy. However, Jin Zaiyan did give the impression of being male at first glance, and even after second and third glances...
"Su, I'm so glad you came. Would you like to eat something? I can order for you. The donuts here are pretty good, and the steak is also great," Jin Zaiyan said in English with a Korean accent. She spoke well since she was from Korea but had studied in the United States.
"I've already eaten. Just a glass of lemonade for me," Xiao Qi didn't consider herself close enough to Jin Zaiyan to have a meal together. Besides, the food at the equestrian center was delicious, and she didn't want to waste it. She had mentioned it beforehand.
She hadn't really wanted to come, but she also wanted to ask Jin Zaiyan if she knew who to approach for learning Japanese. After all, foreign teachers might be more familiar with each other within their circle.
Xiao Qi wasn't very good at social communication, so she followed the foreigner's way, drank her lemonade, and asked her question directly.
Jin Zaiyan listened attentively and replied enthusiastically, "Yes, the school has a Japanese foreign teacher, but he's a bit old-fashioned and can be harsh. He's also quite old. If you want to learn from him, you have to study seriously from start to finish, or else he'll get very angry. I heard that even though it's an elective course, if you don't take it seriously, he'll fail you."
Failing a course in Enhua University is a serious matter, but elective courses are usually more relaxed, such as film appreciation and the like. Teachers rarely fail students in electives, so Xiao Qi felt relieved when she heard Jin Zaiyan's words.
She wasn't afraid of studying hard now; she was afraid of not learning anything. Among her current courses, she felt helpless with Professor Bai's management information system that he loved cracking jokes about. He only told jokes and didn't teach any content, relying purely on self-study. But self-study felt a bit challenging, and she thought to herself, if she could learn everything on her own, why bother coming to university? She could just study by herself.
She asked Jin Zaiyan about Professor Bai's habits and preferences in detail.
"Shanben-kun doesn't like socializing much. He's usually very quiet and doesn't interact much. They say he's quite old-fashioned, but he's an excellent teacher. If you really want to learn Japanese, it's a good idea to take his elective course."
As long as the teaching is good, that's what matters. Actually, Xiao Qi didn't care about the teacher's personality before. But now that she was in university and taking classes with different teachers, perhaps because she had grown older, she found herself observing more.
Xiao Qi sincerely thanked Jin Zaiyan.
Jin Zaiyan looked at Xiao Qi with bright eyes, making Xiao Qi feel a bit uneasy.
She directly asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Su, you're good at cooking. You know, yesterday was the first time I felt full since coming to Enhua for so long. I've finished the pickled vegetables I brought from my hometown. Can I ask you, presumptuously, to help me make some pickled vegetables? I'm willing to pay for the ingredients." Jin Zaiyan looked at Xiao Qi with puppy eyes.
Xiao Qi: ...
So, it's just making pickled vegetables. Why didn't you say so directly? You could have just told me on WeChat. This kind of demeanor scared her, and she felt a bit uneasy.
"No problem, I can only free up time for you on the weekend. If you want, we can go to the market together to buy the ingredients." When Xiao Qi was at home, her mother used to make pickled vegetables, pickled radishes, and bamboo shoots. She actually missed the taste of home, spicy and sour, very refreshing, while the local food in Mengshi was a bit too sweet.
Now that Jin Zaiyan brought it up, she could also make some.
"But for making these pickled vegetables, we need to have a ground floor." Xiao Qi remembered that her mother had specifically mentioned that pickled vegetables needed to have an earthy environment.
Jin Zaiyan excitedly grabbed Xiao Qi's hand and said, "Perfect! I chose a ground floor for that reason."
Because she also planned to raise a dog for convenience, she chose an apartment on the ground floor with a small courtyard.
Xiao Qi couldn't help but laugh and cry. This person was definitely a foodie. She just wanted to eat. She almost misunderstood Jin Zaiyan's sexual orientation.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yu, who was originally planning to leave, ended up picking up little Xiao Bao'er. Xiao Bao'er woke up and insisted on having a lollipop, but only the ones with Mickey Mouse patterns that she usually had. He had to go to the student street to buy them. As he passed by the bookstore, he happened to see through the glass window a young man holding Xiao Qi's hand...
Suddenly, his heart was filled with waves... He hadn't even made a move yet, and the little girl already had a boyfriend???
And that guy, he had a somewhat effeminate feeling, as thin as a pole. What was good about him?
Not long after the start of the school year, the young girl wouldn't be deceived, right? After all, she was an employee at her nephew Xiao Shengzhou's horse stable.
Xiao Yu felt that she should have a good talk with Xiao Shengzhou.
