Chapter 35: Going Out to Eat

The nearby neighbors and passersby heard the sound of “ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling” coming from a distance.

Then, they saw a family of three riding bicycles past. An auntie smiled and asked,

“Sihai, aren’t you supposed to be working today? Where are you going?”

“I have the day off today. I’m taking Qiaoqiao and An’an out for a walk,” Zhao Sihai replied with a smile.

They were riding fast, and before anyone could say anything else, they were already far away.

Many women and girls saw this and felt a pang of jealousy.

“Bai Zhiqing has finally gotten what she deserves.”

“Who says not? With Sihai’s job, they’ll only get richer and richer.”

“Tsk, who knows? There are many cases of men with good jobs abandoning their wives. In my opinion, women should be able to stand on their own two feet. Look at Bai Zhiqing. She’s so delicate and weak. Now she doesn’t have to do anything. She’ll have plenty of time to cry later.”

“Exactly. I heard the other day that Old Niu’s wife was urging Jin’an to go find Bai Zhiqing whenever he had time. Everyone knows she wants her daughter to show off in front of Zhao Sihai.”

“That’s typical of Old Niu’s wife. She’s shameless. Isn’t she afraid of her daughter being called a homewrecker?”

“Tsk, what’s she afraid of? Her daughters are all born to be sold for a dowry.”

“Don’t talk about Old Niu’s wife. There are so many people in our brigade who have their eyes on him. Even people from the neighboring production team have come to inquire.”

“Heh, it’s like this in our countryside. I wonder if Sihai is even more popular at his work unit.”

Everyone looked at each other suggestively, and some even seemed to be gloating.

Most people are like this. When you’re doing badly, they pity you. But when you start doing well, even better than them, they start to find fault with you.

The family of three, who were being gossiped about, had already passed the commune and were heading towards the county town.

Zhao Sihai had promised An’an that he would take him to the state-owned restaurant.

So, on this rare day off, he took his family to the county town.

Zhangmu Commune wasn’t that far from the county town. It took about 50 minutes to cycle from the village to the county town.

This was An’an’s first time in the county town. He had only heard about it before.

Now, sitting on the front of the bicycle, his head kept turning around, asking endless questions. He was so busy.

Zhao Sihai patiently answered him, often making him giggle.

Many passersby were curious and looked at them.

It was mainly because the combination of a handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a cute child was eye-catching.

When they arrived in the county town, Zhao Sihai parked his bicycle at a storage point and then held his son in one arm and his wife’s hand in the other, heading towards the state-owned restaurant.

Bai Ruojiao turned her head and looked curiously at the county town.

She was familiar with Qingyang County in the future, but she had never seen this Qingyang County before.

In her previous life, the furthest she had been after going to the countryside was the commune.

The county town was indeed a county town. It was much more lively and prosperous than the commune.

Pedestrians could be seen everywhere on the crisscrossing streets and alleys.

There were also many shops on both sides of the road.

There was the Qingyang Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the Department Store, the Qingyang Theater, the Red Maple Photo Studio, the Food Store, the Watch Shop, the Sewing Shop, and so on.

The people here had a completely different spirit than those in the commune.

The three of them arrived at the Qingyang Restaurant.

It was almost lunchtime, and there were quite a few people inside.

The aroma of food wafted out, making people passing by stop and take a deep breath.

“Qing-yang-restaurant! Smells good!” An’an was learning to read recently and had just learned the name of the restaurant. He pointed at the sign above the restaurant door and read it out loud, one word at a time.

After reading it, he closed his eyes and took a deep sniff, looking like a hungry cat.

Bai Ruojiao was amused by him, and the people coming in and out smiled kindly.

Some even couldn’t help but say, “Your child is so cute.”

Zhao Sihai and Bai Ruojiao smiled and thanked them.

Entering the Qingyang Restaurant, they found that most people were there for takeout, while fewer people were dining in.

The restaurant had two floors. The first floor lobby was spacious, with more than ten eight-仙 tables and long benches.

Facing the front door was a row of windows, all separated by glass.

The glass was covered in mist and grease, making it difficult to see the kitchen staff working.

On the left, near the windows, was a blue-painted wooden counter.

Above the counter hung brown wooden signs with the names of dishes, and a female waitress stood behind it.

There were also many people standing outside the counter, looking at the signs and discussing.

The waitress looked at them with disdain, rolling her eyes.

When someone came to order, she still had a sour expression.

Zhao Sihai looked around and found an empty table near the back. He asked his wife and son to sit down first and went to order.

But An’an was very curious and wanted to go with him, clinging to his leg.

Bai Ruojiao chuckled and said they should go together.

When they got there, the family who had been crowded around the counter discussing had already finished ordering and returned to their seats.

Now, there was no one there.

Zhao Sihai walked quickly, reaching the counter in a few steps.

The waitress looked up and saw Zhao Sihai, who was tall and strong, with a sturdy build and a calm, capable demeanor. He was also quite handsome. Her eyes lit up.

But before she could say anything, An’an ran up to him, hugged his leg, and shouted, “Dad, I want to see too.”

The waitress’s face immediately fell.

Then, she saw Bai Ruojiao walking up to them, and her eyes lit up again.

Wow, this woman is really beautiful.

Then, she saw An’an being held up by Zhao Sihai, and her eyes lit up even more.

Her eyes darted back and forth between the three of them, unable to stop.

“Mom, what character is that?” An’an pointed at a sign with a complicated character.

“That’s called wonton,” Bai Ruojiao pulled them both to the side, so they wouldn’t block anyone later.

The waitresses these days were usually hot-tempered.

She remembered that in 1983, when she was eating at the Peace Hotel, she saw a sign that said, “Waiters are not allowed to beat or scold customers.”

But it was normal. Waitresses were now civil servants. Even in the future, she had seen many clerks with bad attitudes.

It was a “tradition.”

She had already noticed that the waitress wasn’t in a good mood. She didn’t want her to cause trouble and ruin their meal.

But what surprised her was that the waitress’s attitude was actually quite good. She kept smiling at them.

Bai Ruojiao felt a little uneasy. She felt that the smile was a little strange.

If she had paid more attention to the internet in the future, she would have known that there was a kind of smile called a “dog-loving smile.”

It was shy and timid, sneaky, excited, and thrilled.

An’an was still asking, “What’s wonton?”

“Wonton is a kind of dumpling with meat filling wrapped in dough,” Bai Ruojiao couldn’t really describe it.

An’an blinked his big eyes, tilted his head, and said softly, “Like a meat bun?”

The waitress next to them suddenly reached out and pressed her hand against her chest. Then, she pretended to be calm and patted her collar.

“No, it’s a kind of noodle dish that’s cooked in water. An’an, do you want to try it?” Zhao Sihai smiled.

“Yes, yes!” An’an immediately nodded vigorously.

“What else do you want to eat, An’an?” Zhao Sihai asked again.

An’an looked at the signs, both the ones he recognized and the ones he didn’t, his little face full of hesitation.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he started listing dishes quickly.

“Honey-glazed plum meat, lion’s head meatballs, one-pot dish, winter melon rolls, pearl… uh.”

Before he could finish, Bai Ruojiao covered his mouth.