Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Once in a Hundred Years
"Your grandfathers already called me last night. I told them I’m fine," Gu Jiaojiao said, raising an eyebrow.
"We were just worried about you, Your Highness. Hehe. Now that we see you’re really okay, we’re off to class. We’ll get lunch for you at noon and wait."
"I’m not eating at the cafeteria today. I have to go out around noon."
"Where are you going, Your Highness? How about we drive you?" Han Jingyi immediately asked.
"Sure. Let’s meet in the parking lot after fourth period. We’ll go eat at my second brother’s restaurant."
"Second Brother Gu’s restaurant is opening?"
"Not yet. How could it open without us there to support him? So the grand opening is set for Saturday."
"So... will there be a tasting?" Xiao Rui asked uncertainly.
"My second brother hired two chefs for a menu tasting, so we’re going to try the food this afternoon."
"Great! Then we’re off to class..." Before Han Jingyi could finish, the class bell rang.
Even though they were freshmen, they were just like Gu Jiaojiao, almost always slipping into the classroom right as the bell rang, so they weren’t flustered.
Gu Jiaojiao was even less hurried as she walked to her classroom. They were talking close to her room, so no matter how slowly she walked, she’d still get there before the teacher.
Li Xiulan’s older brother, Li Xiaobing, took advantage of a patrol during his work shift to look for the jianbing guozi stall his little sister had mentioned.
He didn’t know Second Brother Gu. He saw the young man making the jianbing guozi was scrawny and pointy-faced, with a dark and grimy complexion, and looked to be about twenty.
He checked again and again. This was definitely the spot Lanlan had described. She’d said that on this street, Second Brother Gu’s was the only jianbing guozi stall.
’This is the guy my little sister likes?’
’He’s so ugly!’
’Could it be that my sister only likes him because she likes eating jianbing guozi?’
He recalled that ever since he’d gotten married and had kids, he hadn’t given his little sister any pocket money.
He had assumed their parents gave Lanlan spending money every day, which was why he hadn’t.
’Lanlan has always been so well-behaved and sensible. To think she’s willing to marry a man like this just for a bite of jianbing guozi!’
For the first time, Li Xiaobing’s heart ached for his sweet, sensible little sister. ’This is all my fault.’
’I’ll go home and give Lanlan twenty yuan. She can buy jianbing guozi until she’s full. That way, she won’t throw away the rest of her life for a mouthful of food.’
"Off... icer... h-how many jianbing guozi do you want?" the young pancake seller stammered.
He had been focused on frying the jianbing guozi when a shadow fell over him. The person stood there for a long time without saying a word.
When he looked up and saw a man in a big-brimmed cap standing before his stall, he was so startled he nearly burned his hand, which made him stutter.
"I’m not buying any jianbing guozi."
"Ouch!" This time, he really did burn himself.
The pain made the young man jump high in the air right there on the street, completely losing his composure. He even stuck his finger in his mouth to soothe it.
Li Xiaobing felt even more contempt for the young man. "Don’t you own a mirror?"
The young pancake seller was speechless.
"Do you think someone like you is worthy of Lanlan?"
"Who... who is Lanlan?"
"You don’t even know Lanlan? She’s desperate to marry you, and you’re telling me you don’t know who she is?" Li Xiaobing was furious.
"What... what are you talking about? Lanlan wants to marry me? But I’m only sixteen this year!"
The young man was completely baffled.
’What blind little brat is trying to ruin me?’
’I’m only a poor sixteen-year-old! I have a sick father to support, plus two younger brothers and a younger sister who need to go to school.’
He’d dropped out of school long ago. Because he was too young to find a proper job, he could only take odd jobs here and there to support his family.
A few months ago, when he was on the verge of starving to death, he met Second Brother Gu, who hired him to help sell jianbing guozi.
In the beginning, Second Brother Gu paid him twenty-five yuan a month. After three months, starting from this month...
Second Brother Gu stepped back from the stall. Now, the young man sourced the ingredients and sold the jianbing guozi himself, and they split the profits fifty-fifty.
Second Brother Gu had also found someone to cure his father’s illness. His dad was now well enough to come out and help sell jianbing guozi.
It was just that his dad had gone home for a meal. After he finished eating, he would bring food back for his son, and then the two of them would sell jianbing guozi together.
Now, he could make a share of twenty yuan a day. For his family, this was an incredible blessing, like a pie falling from the sky.
So every day, he shouted his lungs out, just wanting to sell more jianbing guozi and earn a little more money.
’I haven’t even enjoyed these good days for two full days, and now I’m being targeted by the man in the big-brimmed cap?’
’Life is so hard!’
"Off... Officer... Comrade, I’m an honest, simple man. My Brother Gu said street vending is allowed now. I don’t have time to be deceiving young girls, you know."
"Your Brother Gu? You’re not Gu Er?" Li Xiaobing asked, his voice rising.
"You’re looking for Brother Gu? What did he do? My Brother Gu has even less time to trick girls! Officer, if something’s wrong, it’s all my fault. Just arrest me and pretend I’m Gu Er."
Hearing this, Li Xiaobing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’d never dreamed that Gu Er would be so well-liked.
So he said gently, "Gu Er hasn’t done anything wrong. My younger sister has been wanting to marry him, so I came to take a look."
’Oho! So this is the family of a girl who wants to marry my Brother Gu.’
The young man tossed his towel over his shoulder, gave a smug shrug, and straightened his scrawny back until it was ramrod straight.
Then he said with a grin, "Hehe, Comrade, so your sister wants to marry my Brother Gu, too? She really has great taste.
"Let me tell you, tons of girls want to marry my Brother Gu. He’s the most handsome man in the world.
"Back when my Brother Gu was still selling jianbing guozi, our stall was always surrounded by young women.
"Your sister was probably one of them. But my Brother Gu didn’t pay any of them any mind; he was completely focused on making money.
"My Brother Gu’s grandfather and father are both highly educated senior professors, and he has a sister who’s as beautiful as a celestial fairy.
"He’s letting me run this little stall now. My Brother Gu has moved on to a big restaurant. It’s being renovated right now and will have its grand opening this Saturday."
Li Xiaobing wasn’t sure if he was amused by the young man’s comical gestures or captivated by his words, but he listened patiently to his long-winded speech.
"Do you know where his restaurant is?"
"I do, I do, of course I do! I’ll take you there right now."
"Aren’t you going to sell your jianbing guozi?"
"Pfft, I can sell jianbing guozi any day, but meeting you is a once-in-a-century opportunity."
The young man quickly turned toward his beloved bicycle, deftly unlocked it, and swung himself onto the seat in one fluid motion.
Li Xiaobing shook his head, amused. He wanted to remind the skinny teenager that he could ride in his sidecar.
How could he know that the young man was scared to death of him? There was no way he’d sit next to him!
When Gu Jiaojiao arrived at the restaurant entrance with Li Xiulan in Han Jingyi’s car, she saw a sidecar motorcycle parked out front.
"Jiaojiao, it’s over! My older brother has already found your second brother!" Li Xiulan was so anxious she was trembling all over.
"Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Let’s go inside," Gu Jiaojiao said, taking her future sister-in-law’s hand to comfort her.
