Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

"Donghai and Songjiang aren't far apart—they're in the same province, so the food is pretty much the same." Sun Jie shook her head, then thought for a moment and said, "How about we go to Six Flavors House? It's one of the local famous eats. It gets packed at mealtime—you have to take a number. If we're going, we should go now; otherwise we'll be waiting for our number to be called."

"What is Six Flavors House? Is it really that popular?" Yang Ce asked in surprise.

"The dishes at Six Flavors House are the owner's own creations. They say no dish uses more than six seasonings—only soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, MSG, and chili. But the food really is delicious. People come from miles around, from nearby counties and cities too," Sun Jie explained.

"Sounds like you go there often," Yang Hengye said.

"Often? Not at all. I'm just like you—I spend most of the year in Songjiang. Whenever I come back to Donghai it's either for a holiday or because of some business. Where would I find the time to go there to eat?" Sun Jie said with a bitter smile. "It's just a little shop. When the family entertains guests, they wouldn't go to a place like that."

"Then how do you know so much about it?" Yang Ce asked, puzzled.

"I used to go all the time when I was in school. Back in high school, my best friend and I went there often. Six Flavors House is just a short walk from our high school," Sun Jie said. "Thinking back on it now, I really miss those school days."

"Ha, one look and I can tell you're from the wealthy class," Yang Ce said with a smile, watching Sun Jie's wistful expression. "When I was in high school, I didn't have nearly as much money as you."

"Didn't you say you don't care about money?" Sun Jie was still a little sore about Yang Ce's behavior at home earlier.

"Holding a grudge," Yang Ce said, shaking his head.

Donghai, being a provincial capital after all, had roads far better built than Songjiang's. The first- and second-class streets were all smooth and even—though the small alleys were another matter. Even the most developed city has its share of broken streets and shabby lanes.

Following Sun Jie's directions, they soon found Six Flavors House. What Yang Ce had not expected was that this little shop really did have so many customers. Mealtime had not even arrived yet, and the surrounding area was already full of parked cars.

He did not know who it was, but someone had been clever enough to lease a parking lot in a place like this. Six Flavors House's frontage was not large, and the spaces at its entrance were limited, so later arrivals had no choice but to park in the paid lot.

"Well? Pretty popular, isn't it?" Sun Jie pointed at the cars in the lot and said, "Look—quite a few people who come here drive nice cars."

Yang Ce looked up and saw that it was indeed so. There was no shortage of BMWs and Mercedes. There were even sports cars like Porsches and Ferraris.

"Time to pay the parking fee," an old man wearing an armband said as he walked over to Yang Ce and Sun Jie, who were just getting out of the car.

"How much?" Yang Yanchuan asked.

"Five yuan with a receipt, four without," the old man said.

"How about one yuan?" Sun Jie spoke up before Yang Yanzhou could say a word.

"Huh?" The old man froze, staring at Sun Jie, an expression of disbelief spreading across his face. It was a while before he spoke. "Aren't you that girl from No. 6 Middle School?"

"Ha, sir, you still remember me." Sun Jie stuck out her tongue playfully, giving Yang Ce a glimpse of a third side of her. Damn—this girl was a woman of a thousand faces.

At first Yang Ce had seen Sun Jie's more sultry side, then her elegant, ladylike side, and now she had turned into a pure, adorable schoolgirl. "How could I forget? All these years, you two girls from No. 6 Middle School were the only ones who ever gave me a single yuan. Everyone else haggled me down to three yuan at best." The old man shook his head with a smile. "Forget it. After all these years, no parking fee today."

"Then thank you, sir," Sun Jie said hurriedly.

"Ha, by the way—did you and that friend of yours arrange to meet? She just got here not long ago too. Haggled with me as well. All these years, and you two haven't come by in so long." The old man sounded a little wistful. "Those two little girls from back then, and now you're both bringing boyfriends along."

"Sir, you mean Xiaoxin is here too?" Sun Jie's face lit up, and she spoke hastily.

"That's right. Weren't you two supposed to meet?" Seeing Sun Jie's astonished expression, the old man shook his head. "Well, that's a coincidence. She just went into Liuwei Ju. Hurry along—you can catch up to her."

"Then thank you, sir," Sun Jie said sweetly.

"What's there to thank me for?" The old man waved his hand.

"You really weren't very decent back then, you know. The old man sits here watching cars through wind and sun, and you gave him a single yuan." Yang Shuo had caught on—back in the day, whenever Sun Jie and her classmate came here to eat, they always gave the old man one yuan for parking.

"You think I was rich back then?" Sun Jie shot back. "I was still in school, all right? My family kept my finances under tight control. Only a thousand yuan a month for living expenses."

"A thousand yuan is still 'only'?" Yang Ce's eyes went wide. "When I was in high school, I didn't even have two hundred a month."

To be continued.

650. The Sister and the Brother-in-Law

"I'm a girl, all right? I have to buy pretty clothes, and makeup too." Sun Jie held up her fingers and itemized it for Yang Ce one by one. "On top of all that, I had to eat lunch at school every day. On average, there wasn't much left over."

"Driving a car to school and still calling yourself poor." Yang Xu thought it over—by Sun Jie's accounting, there really wasn't much left—but he still couldn't resist a teasing jab.

"It was an Alto, all right?" Sun Jie wore a helpless look. "The subway hadn't been built yet back then, and getting to and from school every day wasn't exactly convenient, so my dad bought me an Alto. Besides, we ate here almost every day—five yuan a day on parking adds up to a huge loss."

"Fine, I'll grant you that." Yang Shuo couldn't be bothered to argue further. A rich girl who only spent a thousand yuan a month was already rare. Back when he was in high school, Wang Lin's family was nowhere near as well-off as Sun Jie's, and even his monthly pocket money was more than a thousand.

Mid-conversation, the two of them had already walked into Liuwei Ju. Sun Jie had sharp eyes; she called out to a young woman ordering dishes not far away: "Yang Xin!"

The young woman turned her head, spotted Sun Jie, and her face immediately lit up with delight. She hurried over, threw her arms around Sun Jie in a big hug. "Xiaojie, I've missed you so much! When did you get back to Donghai?"

"Of course I have to come home for the New Year," Sun Jie said with a laugh.

"True enough." Yang Xin released Sun Jie. "Then why didn't you ask me out to hang out? Oh—I get it."

As she said this, Yang Xin's eyes suddenly slid over to Yang Ce, and she grinned slyly. "Xiaojie, you've been a bad girl. You got a boyfriend and didn't even tell me. These past few days you must have been busy tangled up with him."

Toward Sun Jie's friend, Yang Duo gave a polite nod. "Hello, I'm Yang Ce."

"Not bad, quite handsome." Yang Xin looked Yang Ce up and down, then nodded. "I'm Yang Xin, Xiaojie's best friend from high school. Hey, we're both Yangs—we'll have to compare birthdays later. If you're younger than me, you'll have to call me sister."

As Yang Yan spoke, he was also sizing up this Yang Xin. From her dress and bearing, she was clearly another rich family's little princess—a hip-hop sort of personality, not much guile about her. She seemed like a friend worth having.