Chapter 645: A Dozen Each

For the Hua nationals, the best way to catch up with old friends was to enjoy a hearty meal together.

And that was undoubtedly what these old friends had intended to do. After settling the accommodation arrangement for her four students, Zhong Meili joined the teachers from the University of Washington and did not join her students for dinner. But before leaving, Zhong Meili tried to persuade Xiao Luo to complete his studies. She emphasized how a Bachelor’s degree would give him a certain level of security in society. Xiao Luo politely listened to her. He nodded his head and told her he would keep her advice in mind.

They went for dinner at a restaurant near the University of Washington. A Hua national operated the restaurant, and the atmosphere there reminded them of home. The music in the background was the pipa, a traditional Hua music instrument. Covering the walls around the restaurant were many traditional ink paintings from the Hua Nation. The overall setting was in traditional Hua-style. The service staff donned Hua national long dresses, even though they were ladies from the Mei Nation. Dressed in classic cheongsam, these ladies exuded an exotic fusion of cultures.

When the restaurant owner noticed that the five guests were from the Hua Nation, he welcomed them personally. He showed them to the best room on the second floor and told them they could enjoy a fifty percent discount for everything on the menu. That was a delightful surprise, especially for Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai.

“This meal is on me. Order anything you want,” Xiao Luo said.

“That was very much what we had in mind, Brother Luo.”

Zhu Xiaofei chuckled and turned to the restaurant owner. “Boss, I’d like to have every specialty dish you have on the menu,” Zhu Xiaofei said cheekily.

It still amused Xiao Luo, even though he knew that his friend would not go easy on him.

“What are you doing, Zhu? Brother Luo is buying us the meal. Are you sure you want to order so much?” Ding Kai scolded Zhu Xiaofei and looked at his friend from the corner of his eye.

Huang Ruoran stared at Zhu Xiaofei without saying a word. However, her eyes said it all—if looks could kill! She was silently telling him not to take advantage of Xiao Luo through her glare.

Xiao Luo raised his brows as he felt relieved. He was about to pat on Ding Kai’s shoulder to thank him.

Just then, Ding Kai coughed and added, “Wait, I have not done talking,” he said as he turned to the restaurant owner, and he continued, “Boss, do you serve bear paws and shark fins here? I’d like to have a dozen each!”

A dozen each of bear paws and shark fins?

A dozen?

Xiao Luo was speechless.

Wang Ling had her mouth wide-opened in surprise.

“Hahaha...” Zhu Xiaofei laughed so hard that he smacked his thigh.

historical

Huang Ruoran could not tolerate it anymore as she felt that the joke had gone out of hand. So, she stood up and reprimanded the boys. “Ding Kai and Zhu Xiaofei, what are you guys doing? We’ve finally met up with Xiao Luo after so long. Can you guys be serious?”

“I am just joking. Don’t take this seriously! I am just making things interesting. I am sure this restaurant does not offer bear paws and shark fins on its menu, right?” Ding Kai said, trying to calm Huang Ruoran down.

“Well, actually... we serve these dishes,” the restaurant owner answered with a big smile.

“What the heck!”

That caught Ding Kai by surprise. He was merely fooling around and wanted to see Xiao Luo’s reaction when he placed orders on the bear paws and shark fins. It did not cross his mind that this restaurant would serve these dishes.

“Then we shall have a dozen each.”

Xiao Luo made the call. Although he said it softly, it did not sound like he was joking.

Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, Wang Ling, and the restaurant owner all stared at him in awe. What was he saying? Both bear paws and shark fins were extremely rare in the marketplace. A catty of bear paws could easily cost one hundred and fifty thousand bucks. They could not even afford half a catty, let alone a dozen.

Huang Ruoran was also shocked, but she knew that Xiao Luo was the owner of Luo’s Workshop. She knew he could afford the meal, so she was relatively calm compared to the others.

“Brother Luo, I was only joking. Look at you. Why are you so serious about it?” Ding Kai asked with a frown.

“That’s right, Brother Luo. Don’t you know us by now? We like to kid around. We will settle for ordinary dishes for this dinner. How can we order bear paws and shark fins? Those are fine dining dishes for the extremely affluent,” Zhu Xiaofei smiled. He regretted starting that joke.

“It’s fine. I haven’t had these dishes before. We can try them now!” replied Xiao Luo.

“Young brother, allow me to elaborate on the dishes. What we serve in this restaurant is not bear paws and shark fins. We substitute the paws with those of other animals and the fins of other fishes. Serving bear paws and shark fins are illegal in the Mei Nation. However, the prices are still pretty steep. A serving of the paw and shark fin each cost about ten thousand bucks. So, even with the fifty percent discount, they would still cost five thousand, respectively,” the restaurant owner explained smilingly.

“That’s okay,” Xiao Luo said.

The restaurant owner asked, “Then shall I tell the kitchen?”

The owner wanted to avoid any possibility of a dine and dash situation by his compatriots, so he confirmed the orders multiple times.

Xiao Luo took a sip of the tea and said, “Yes.”

He then ordered every single specialty dish on the menu, shocking Zhu Xiaofei and the rest of them, as this meal was adding up to be about one hundred and thirty thousand bucks. With the paws and shark fins, this would be the most expensive meal they ever had in their lives.

“Gulp!”

Wang Ling took a sip of her tea and gulped down with much difficulty. She felt horrified when she saw the receipt showing a long list of dishes.

Zhu Xiaofei was curious and asked, “Brother Luo, did you quit your bodyguard job? Did you become crazy rich in some business?”

Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled. “I didn’t become crazy rich, but I can comfortably spend now. Don’t worry about a few pennies. I am thrilled to have reunited with you guys,” he said.

Did he refer to a hundred and thirty thousand bucks as a few pennies?

Watching how Xiao Luo had casually spent such a sizeable amount of money astounded Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and Wang Ling. He had to be extremely wealthy to treat a hundred thousand bucks as mere pennies. Xiao Luo was self-assured and behaved as if he was born into an affluent family. Though he had brushed off the cost of their meal, they did not feel offended as he did not come across as arrogant.

“Brother Luo, please let me be your employee!”

“I don’t care. Once I have graduated, I will follow your footstep!”

Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai left their seats and grabbed Xiao Luo by his thigh.

They left Xiao Luo speechless.

******

******

Time flew by as they enjoyed the evening and the merriment of each other’s company. However, Xiao Luo had come to the Mei nation to assassinate specific targets, so it was not wise for him to hang out with Zhu Xiaofei and the group. After the dinner ended, he bid them farewell and invited them to visit him in Xiahai whenever they were free.

Huang Ruoran stopped Xiao Luo and asked for a private chat.

Xiao Luo knew that she had a crush on him, and he did not avoid her this time. He wanted to clear things with her. Xiao Luo did not want to lead her on as she was a decent girl. So, he agreed to the chat.

Both of them walked side by side across the lawn of the University of Washington. The architecture of the building was mainly Gothic. The Central Plaza, filled with red bricks, was also known as the Red Square, and there a beautiful fountain stood majestically. Up ahead, they could see the scenic view of Mount Rainier. The buildings on the campus resembled castles from fairytales, and its grounds offered a better environment than any local institution in the Hua Nation.