Fortunately, Wei Lai had chosen a single room, so once the door was closed, the noise couldn’t be heard anymore, which barely eased Zi Yan’s terrible mood.
The setup of this Korean barbecue restaurant was actually quite similar to Huangniu Village’s style. Both used charcoal-heated grills, and customers grilled their own meat.
If there was a difference, it was that Huangniu Village used solid iron plates, while here at Wanda it was a dense iron mesh.
Wei Lai picked up a thin slice of marinated beef tenderloin and placed it on the iron mesh.
The beef had been marinated by the restaurant in advance; as it sizzled on the grill, its oil dripped onto the charcoal below, producing a crackling sound mixed with the rich aroma of meat.
“…Gurgle.”
It was now seven in the evening, and Zi Yan’s stomach was growling loudly.
Yet amid this growling, there was one thing that worried him greatly.
Zi Yan glanced at the dazzling array of fresh meat plates spread out on the table, silently calculating an approximate price, then asked Wei Lai, “Wei Lai, do you still have any discount coupons?”
“Nope, why?”
The beef tenderloin was sliced so thin that it only needed a quick sear on the grill, flipped once, and it was done.
Wei Lai picked up a piece of the cooked beef, dipped it in some sauce, and chewed it thoughtfully. “Don’t worry, this place isn’t expensive. We probably won’t spend more than two hundred yuan on this meal.”
“About a hundred each, huh…”
It had to be said, the fresh meat laid out on the table looked exquisite. The aroma wafting from the flames chasing the meat was enough to make any hungry customer’s mouth water.
It seemed a hundred yuan per person really wasn’t that pricey.
But…
The dumpling shop on the fifth floor of Wanda was located directly beneath Zi Yan’s feet.
Previously, when Zi Yan and Zheng Quan had eaten there, the shop happened to be promoting dumplings with cucumber and fresh shrimp filling.
Zi Yan had ordered a plate to try, and honestly, the flavor was superb.
It was definitely worth its thirty-six-yuan price tag per plate.
So subtracting thirty-six from one hundred, tonight’s dinner was actually costing a few dozen yuan more than planned, and Zi Yan felt like he was losing out badly.
“Zi Yan, you should eat too.”
Wei Lai had already finished three slices of beef tenderloin. She held the plate with her left hand and pinched her chopsticks tightly in her right, tilting them to push a large pile of lamb rolls onto the grill.
“Mm, mm…”
Like the beef tenderloin, the lamb rolls were sliced incredibly thin. Tossed onto the grill, they didn’t even need flipping—just a simple quick roast and they were thoroughly cooked.
Zi Yan picked up a grilled lamb roll, held it by his lips and blew on it gently.
The distinctive fragrance of lamb, mingled with the steam rising from the cooked meat, swirled and drifted, lingering at the tip of Zi Yan’s nose.
“Mm…”
Smack smack.
Zi Yan chewed slowly, the richer aroma of lamb being released with every bite, teasing his already ravenous stomach.
Back in Huangniu Village, Zi Yan usually ate grilled beef, since beef was the village’s specialty.
Though he’d eaten lamb before… it was always hot pot or stewed, and the flavor difference between lamb cooked that way and lamb grilled over charcoal was huge.
This was pretty much his first real experience with grilled lamb.
He had to say, the grilled lamb was truly delicious.
And so, the guy who had been fretting over the dinner expenses just moments ago was now utterly convinced, throwing his hands up.
Two pairs of chopsticks danced over the hot mesh grill, and before long, the meat that had once covered the entire table was completely devoured by the two.
Wei Lai licked her lips, still unsatisfied, and asked Zi Yan, “Do you want to eat anything else?”
“Um…”
Zi Yan rubbed his stomach, feeling about eighty percent full, and shook his head.
Of course, if Zi Yan had to, he could easily eat another plate of grilled lamb rolls.
But if he ever ate too much in one evening—especially oily food—his body would definitely rebel.
He would wake up with an unpleasant, partially digested taste rising from his stomach to his mouth, and probably lose his appetite for the entire day.
Zi Yan had no desire to experience that feeling, even if the barbecue was truly delicious.
Besides, it was already this late…
His phone lay quietly beside the table. Zi Yan picked it up and lit the screen—it was exactly 8:30 PM in Sunflower Country time.
Wanda closed at 10:30 PM, so Zi Yan still had two hours to complete his second objective for the night: “go to Uniqlo to buy clothes.” Plenty of time.
But Zi Yan didn’t want to come home too late. His father would worry.
“Well, let’s stop here then.”
Wei Lai patted her slightly rounded belly and said, “Though I think I could still eat two more plates of meat, haha.”
Zi Yan: “…”
He genuinely admired Wei Lai’s appetite.
After paying, the two left the barbecue restaurant. Wei Lai headed straight to the nearby Hong Kong-style milk tea shop, ordering a fresh grass milk tea and a huge portion of plain cake to take away.
Seeing Zi Yan’s stunned expression, Wei Lai laughed heartily. “This is for a midnight snack. Zi Yan, do you want some too? It’s really good.”
“Midnight snack…” Zi Yan smirked.
He stared at Wei Lai for a moment. No way—this girl was so slim; where exactly was all the food she ate going?
“Thanks, but I’m really full right now. I can’t eat anymore…”
“Ah, Zi Yan, your appetite is really small,” Wei Lai teased with a smile.
Hey hey hey.
Zi Yan gave her deadpan eyes.
Clearly, it was your appetite that was enormous.
—————
“The weather is really nice.”
At Wanda Plaza, the shops featured sightseeing elevators that were suspended outside the mall but connected to the interior.
Zi Yan was tired of walking in circles and didn’t want to take the stairs down. He leaned against the handrail of the sightseeing elevator and let gravity pull him down.
The elevator was made of tempered glass all around—clean and clear. Zi Yan looked out and saw a clear night sky, the moon bright with sparse stars.
Since it was late, the elevator didn’t stop on each floor on the way down as it had earlier when he went up.
Instead, it went straight and swiftly from the sixth floor down to the mall’s ground floor without delay.
Uniqlo was located near the mall’s west entrance on the ground floor. From the elevator, it was about a five-minute walk, and you had to stride to get there.
Zi Yan and Wei Lai walked at a leisurely pace, almost like a casual stroll.
It probably really was because of the late hour. Compared to the huge crowds from two hours ago, the mall was now much emptier, with customers scattered here and there.
The occasional noise of children playing could be heard, but overall it was quite peaceful.
However, at this moment, Wei Lai, walking behind Zi Yan, didn’t seem very enthusiastic.
“Hey Zi Yan—” Wei Lai complained, “There are several clothing stores over there with really nice-looking clothes. Why do you insist on going to Uniqlo?”
When Wei Lai heard Zi Yan wanted to buy clothes, her eyes lit up like stars, sparkling with excitement.
But after Zi Yan rejected one recommended store after another, she had become utterly dejected.
“…”
Zi Yan, walking ahead, said nothing for a moment. Then, in a lazy tone, he said, “Money is the original sin of all things, hmm.”
Indeed, the cashmere sweater displayed in the shop they’d just passed was very beautiful.
Even from Zi Yan’s half-professional fashion designer’s eye, it was quite impressive for ready-to-wear.
But…
3,080 yuan.
The price made Zi Yan’s eyebrows twitch.
That price nearly blinded his wine-red eyes. It was like a powerful flashlight beam shining straight into them.
“Well…” Wei Lai looked up at the ceiling, “Actually, even if you don’t buy it, you could at least try it on, right?”
With her snow-white long hair, wine-red eyes, and a delicate face like a fairy out of a fairy tale, Wei Lai really wanted to see Zi Yan wearing some nice clothes.
On days off when he didn’t have to wear his school uniform, Zi Yan’s usual outfit was jeans paired with that black jacket.
At first, Wei Lai thought it was simple and handsome, but after a while, she found it a bit unsettling.
He was obviously naturally beautiful—a rare beauty—so why did he always dress in such a masculine style?
She even felt the school uniform looked more comfortable on him than his current style.
“Uh…” Zi Yan stopped and turned around to look at Wei Lai seriously. “Please don’t do that.”
“Huh?” Wei Lai was stunned.
“Just looking without buying, just trying on without buying… If you get yelled at by a cranky shop owner, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Zi Yan said.
“…Alright, alright, I know you’re a good kid,” Wei Lai sighed and smiled helplessly. “But really, you don’t have to worry so much…”
“But not buying something you try on will definitely make the shop unhappy, right?” Zi Yan said.
It’s better not to do things that make others unhappy.
“Ah.”
Zi Yan thought silently. He wasn’t sure how long they’d walked, but when he came back to his senses, they were already standing in front of the Uniqlo store.
It was late October, prime season for autumn and winter clothing sales. Without even going deep into the store, the autumn and winter wool sweaters displayed outside were selling well.
Buying a cashmere sweater to replace the one he brought back from Antwerp, and then buying a midweight cotton jacket perfect for the current season would be enough.
As for the fleece pants he had been thinking about…
Zi Yan believed that before his mother mailed fabric to Sunflower Country, he could recover his previous sewing skills and make them by hand.
So no need to buy them now. Hmm.
“…Ah.” Wei Lai looked bored.
As a beauty enthusiast, she had no interest in browsing fast fashion like Uniqlo. She peeled off the plastic wrapper from her herbal grass milk tea straw and sucked hard through the lid.
A big mouthful of milk tea went down, fragrant and delicious. The pearls cooked purely with brown sugar were chewy and sweet.
“Hey, Zi Yan, this cashmere sweater’s design is… way too plain, isn’t it?”
The sweaters displayed outside were just the right thickness for Haizhou’s current weather. Zi Yan felt the fabric—soft and non-itchy.
He picked out an S-sized pure off-white cashmere sweater, held the two corners to stretch it open, and compared it against himself.
Zi Yan said, “That’s exactly why I want to buy it.”
“…Huh?” Wei Lai was dazed and didn’t understand.
She recalled Zi Yan mentioning that he studied fashion design… so how could a professional choose clothes like this?
“Actually, the main reason is, sigh.”
Zi Yan suddenly thought the old man on the Sunflower Country bills was the kindest person on earth.
“Wei Lai, look at this sweater.” Zi Yan flipped out the tag and pointed. “It’s currently discounted to 499 yuan from 699, and it’s pure cashmere.”
Since Zi Yan’s mother Lina was a fashion designer and ran her own clothing store, Zi Yan was quite familiar with the industry.
Zi Yan said, “Even if this is made from relatively lower-quality cashmere, Uniqlo’s price is still unimaginable.”
“Other brands, when using the same fabric to make clothes, factor in designer fees, mall commissions, storefront rent, even service staff commissions. Without even calculating material costs, all that would already exceed 499 yuan, right?”
“Uh…” Wei Lai looked confused.
“So a reasonable price like 499 yuan has to be based on cutting costs in various other areas. As long as the design and cut aren’t outright ugly, it’s acceptable…”
So money really is the original sin of all things.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.