CHAPTER 16 

Liang Xiaoling chimed in, “Honghong, you go ahead and order. You know the place best—and you’re the one who eats the most. You won’t steer us wrong.”

Li Lan and Sang Miao burst into laughter, nodding in agreement.

Xiao Honghong wasn’t offended. She gave a playful snort. “Fine, I’ll handle it.”

She waved the server over. “We’ll have one crispy-skinned roast duck, one lily stir-fried with shrimp, one braised bamboo shoots with salted pork, one soy-braised green beans, one baked taro, and one red bean rice ball with soft tofu.” She rattled off six dishes in one breath.

The server blinked, clearly surprised—not only by how much the four young girls were ordering, but also by the cost of the dishes they’d chosen.

The lily-shrimp stir-fry, salted pork bamboo shoots, and roast duck were all meat dishes—paired with pricier ingredients like lily bulbs and bamboo shoots. Those three dishes alone would come out to six yuan.

All six dishes would cost a total of eight yuan.

But this was an experienced server. One look at the girls’ outfits—the fabric, the cut—and she could tell these weren’t cheap clothes. These were quality items sold in department stores.

The server jotted down the order, tore off the slip, placed it on the table, and headed to the kitchen.

Liang Xiaoling glanced at the order slip and blurted out, “Eight yuan?!”

She tugged on Xiao Honghong’s sleeve. “Honghong, six dishes are way too much. We can’t finish all that. And it’s so expensive!”

Sang Miao didn’t have a clear sense of prices in this era yet. Back in the military compound, she’d had very little reason to spend money. But just this morning, she’d taken a two-cent bus ride and passed by street stalls with marked prices. After roughly converting everything in her head, she realized that this meal was equivalent to almost eight or nine hundred yuan in modern money.

It really was quite expensive.

Sang Miao also shook her head at Xiao Honghong and said, “Honghong, you didn’t need to order so much. We won’t be able to finish it all.” The original host only had a few dozen yuan in savings, and even for the other two, this meal was a bit extravagant.

Besides, Sang Miao didn’t have much of an appetite. Back when she danced, she had to maintain her figure, so she usually only tasted a little of everything. She definitely wouldn’t be able to eat that much.

“If we can’t finish, we’ll just pack the rest and take it home! Everything here is really delicious—you’ll definitely love it once you try. My treat!” Xiao Honghong’s silly side was showing again.

Sang Miao’s face turned serious. “Honghong, if you say ‘my treat’ again, I won’t eat. Alright, since you really want us to try it, I won’t rain on your parade.”

Li Lan and Liang Xiaoling chimed in as well, “That’s right, Honghong. If you keep treating us like this, we won’t dare go out to eat with you again. This time we’ll try the place for the first time, but don’t order this much next time.”

Seeing everyone getting serious, Xiao Honghong didn’t dare say anything else about treating them. She nodded quickly. “Okay, okay, I’ll listen to you all.”

Even though Xiao Honghong was always generous and eager to treat others, neither Li Lan and the others nor Sang Miao—who had been quite well-off before transmigrating—wanted to take advantage of her.

First, because they genuinely liked her. And second, in any friendship, it’s not sustainable if one side is always giving.

Even if Xiao Honghong didn’t mind, the other three certainly did.

Once everything was cleared up, they all felt more at ease.

They had arrived early, so the restaurant wasn’t crowded yet, and the dishes were served quickly. The first to come out was the restaurant’s signature dish—Sweet Roast Duck.

Freshly roasted, the duck had a rich amber color, glistening with just the right touch of oil, like it was draped in a golden veil. The crispy skin had faint traces of caramelization, the result of sugar and duck fat merging under high heat, achieving the perfect hue.

Just looking at it made mouths water. No wonder Xiao Honghong kept talking about this place—just the first dish alone already showed real skill.

Sang Miao picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite. The skin was crispy but not greasy, melting gently in her mouth, while the meat inside was tender and juicy with a fine texture. It was absolutely delicious.

Li Lan and Liang Xiaoling also quickly picked up their chopsticks and were full of praise after just one bite.

Xiao Honghong looked at everyone enjoying themselves and said proudly, “See? I told you I picked the right place!”

Next came braised winter bamboo shoots with salted pork. The winter shoots had been dug up during the cold season and dried for preservation, locking in their full flavor. Paired with the salty pork, it was a perfect match. The fragrance of the bamboo shoots, the savoriness of the pork, and the umami of the fresh meat all blended together. Just the aroma when the clay pot lid was lifted was enough to make mouths water.

Then came stir-fried shrimp with lily bulbs. The shrimp were tender and translucent, perfectly complemented by the slightly bitter fragrance of the lilies, which helped balance the richness of the previous dishes.

The following dishes—stir-fried green beans, baked taro, and sweet red bean rice balls with silky tofu pudding—were also incredibly tasty. Even Sang Miao couldn’t help but eat a bit more. She was fully satisfied. Who would’ve thought food in the 1970s could be this good?

After the meal, they accompanied Xiao Honghong to a hair salon to get her hair cut. Liang Xiaoling and Li Lan were tired from walking around all morning and sat on the fabric sofa flipping through hairstyle magazines to pass the time. Meanwhile, Sang Miao used the opportunity while Xiao Honghong was getting her hair cut to visit the department store.

That morning at the store, Sang Miao had spotted a string of pearl necklaces. Under the soft lights of the store, the pearls gave off a gentle, lustrous glow. Their color was pure, with a hint of elegant pink in the white—delicate and lovely. Sang Miao thought at first glance that it suited Xiao Honghong very well.

She remembered all the things she had seen the original host receive from Xiao Honghong, and the scene from the original novel where the female lead called out the original host for being a selfish leech and accused her of taking advantage of Xiao Honghong. Sang Miao had to admit—the original host really had gone too far.

She went back to ask the price. The pearl necklace cost fifteen yuan, which was considered a luxury item in this era. But she didn’t hesitate. First, because she had never lacked money. Even in this time period, she had no real concept of financial hardship. With her skills, she didn’t think she’d ever be short on money. Second, because there really wasn’t anything she needed to spend on in the army troupe.

Sang Miao carefully placed the elegantly packaged pearl necklace into her bag and didn’t browse any further. By the time she returned to the hair salon, Xiao Honghong was already getting her hair blow-dried.

Catching sight of Sang Miao from the corner of her eye, she asked curiously, “Sangsang, where did you go just now?”

Sang Miao chuckled lightly, “I ate too much, so I went for a little walk to help digest.”

“Oh, oh.”

The group had pretty much finished their day out. As the sun dipped westward in the afternoon, they headed back and made it to the troupe before dinner.

Back at the performing troupe, the four of them returned to the dormitory to drop off the things they bought. Xiao Honghong had picked up a few new outfits.

The others also grabbed some odds and ends for daily life.

Li Lan and Liang Xiaoling had done a bit of laundry in the morning and hung the clothes out to dry downstairs. After putting away their stuff, they went out to collect them. Meanwhile, Sang Miao took out the pearl necklace she had bought and handed it to Xiao Honghong. “Honghong, I saw this necklace this afternoon and thought it looked really pretty. I think it suits you. Try it on.”

Xiao Honghong was stunned for a moment, pointing at herself in disbelief. “For me?”

Sang Miao couldn’t help but smile at her silly reaction. “Is there anyone else in the dorm right now?”

You couldn’t really blame Xiao Honghong for being so surprised. She was always generous when it came to relationships and money. Back when she hung out with the original host, she liked her and also wanted to win her favor, so she always gave her the best things first.

Even though the original host sometimes acted like she was politely refusing, she never truly turned anything down—and never gave anything in return. This was actually the first time Xiao Honghong had received a gift from Sang Miao.

Although she was a bit simple-minded and had been pampered at home, Xiao Honghong wasn’t clueless. Receiving something from Sang Miao now made her feel genuinely touched.

She accepted the long, rectangular jewelry box from Sang Miao. Even the packaging was beautifully done. She opened it gently—what a beautiful necklace!

The gentle luster of the pearls gave off a faint glow, with a soft pink sheen beneath the creamy white surface. Each bead was full and round—clearly expensive at first glance.

“So pretty, Sangsang! Is this really for me?” Xiao Honghong, while known for spending money freely, still understood that this pearl necklace wasn’t cheap. Just the packaging alone showed it was a department store purchase. A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.

She was closer to Sang Miao than the others and knew her a little better. Though Xiao Honghong acted brash and carefree, she was actually quite sensitive. She had a vague feeling that Sang Miao might not be as wealthy as she appeared.

After a moment’s pause, she handed the necklace back. “Sangsang, I already have a necklace. You don’t have to give me this. It must’ve cost a lot.”

Sang Miao caught the hint of longing in her eyes—she hadn’t expected her to try and return it.

She paused for a moment, then considered Xiao Honghong’s hesitant expression… Could it be that Xiao Honghong knew the truth about the original host’s situation?

It made sense. The original host and Xiao Honghong had been the closest, always going in and out together. Xiao Honghong likely would have noticed something. No wonder in the book’s later plot, when the female lead accused the original host of leeching off Xiao Honghong, she had still stood up to defend her.

That thought made Sang Miao even more curious—just what kind of charm had the original host possessed to win such loyalty?

But she was not the original host. She couldn’t just passively accept others’ kindness.

Sang Miao lowered her eyes slightly, then gently patted Xiao Honghong on the head. “Just take it. If you don’t, I’ll give it to Lanlan instead.”

Xiao Honghong immediately forgot all her earlier hesitation and clutched the box tightly. “No way! You already gave it to me!”

“Hold onto it—I’m not that strapped for cash,” Sang Miao said with a wink.

Xiao Honghong widened her eyes in surprise—she hadn’t expected Sang Miao to say that so bluntly.

Before she could respond, Liang Xiaoling and the others returned. Xiao Honghong quickly shut her mouth, and Sang Miao didn’t say anything more. Instead, she turned to chat with Li Lan.

But somehow, that moment made Xiao Honghong feel even closer to Sang Miao. It felt like the distance between them had quietly dissolved, and Sang Miao seemed… changed. She didn’t feel so hard to reach anymore.

—

The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Sang Miao opened her eyes. The others in the dorm were still fast asleep.

She got out of bed quietly, washed up, grabbed her practice outfit, and headed to the rehearsal hall. As the lead in this production—and her first performance in this new world—she did feel some pressure.

She began warming up at the barre. A faint sting flared in her knee. A while back, she had pushed too hard during a jump, and her knee had been sore since then. This kind of minor pain was something Sang Miao was already familiar with.

As a top-level dancer in her past life, intense long-term training meant she was no stranger to injuries. There were times when she had to perform through pain. She was stubborn—once, she’d even danced with an injured Achilles tendon until a doctor warned her that if she didn’t rest, she might jeopardize her career.

That warning had finally sobered her. She couldn’t afford to lose the dance. So she disappeared from the stage for a long while to recover.

That’s why, when she woke up in this new body—so healthy, so flexible—she was thrilled.

Since coming here, she’d been careful to protect herself. Right now, her knee was wrapped in a light-colored support brace. Dancers getting injured wasn’t unusual, but Sang Miao didn’t take chances, so she might have gone a little overboard with it.

The brace helped relieve the strain. This level of discomfort would fade in a few days.

Once she finished her warm-up, she began counting beats—tap, tap, tap—and slipped into the rhythm of the dance.