Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 145 - 141 Old Mo at Midnight

Chapter 145: 141 Old Mo at Midnight

After getting in touch with Xi Yunmei, Li Xianglu shared her address and home phone number, and they set a time to go shopping together.

The two arranged to meet at the well-known ’Old Mo Restaurant’ in the capital, the nickname for the Moscow Restaurant.

The interior here is particularly unique; the ceiling adorned with several sparkling crystal lights, the dining tables made of marble, and the chairs are high-backed single-seat spring sofas.

The waiters’ attire is also interesting: black trousers, white collared shirts, black double-breasted Ma Family uniforms, and regardless of gender, all wore bow ties, immersing the entire restaurant in an exotic ambiance.

Li Xianglu and Xi Yunmei met at the entrance, exchanged excited greetings, and quickly went inside.

Li Xianglu briefly observed the furnishings and then sat down to play with the little kid, Lu Ping’an.

Just three years old, born on the first day of the lunar new year, Lu Ping’an was no stranger to Li Xianglu, the auntie who would often secretly eat with him, and he was thrilled. One moment he asked Li Xianglu to play with his toys, the next he wanted to sit with her.

Xi Yunmei was slightly surprised by Li Xianglu’s reaction. The decor here could be described as uniquely distinctive, more luxurious than many big restaurants in the capital, yet Li Xianglu just cast a cursory glance before focusing on playing with the child. She was genuinely curious about the young woman—is it her nature or Grandpa Li’s teachings that made her so calm? Only someone who has seen the world could be so composed.

Clearly, Xi Yunmei is a regular here, adeptly ordering borscht, cream-baked fish, jar-braised beef, a stir-fried seasonal vegetable dish, sliced rye bread for the main course, and vanilla chestnut cake for dessert.

This restaurant, like most state-owned canteens at the time, requires payment and food tickets to be handed over before ordering.

Xi Yunmei intended to treat Li Xianglu, so she placed the money and tickets on the tray.

Li Xianglu glanced at it and chuckled, "Then I’ll just enjoy the feast."

Xi Yunmei liked Li Xianglu’s generous spirit; she was not petty, unlike some who are always fretting over this and that.

Before the dishes arrived, the two began talking about school. Xi Yunmei was not the least surprised by Li Xianglu’s high scores; she would have been if the scores were low. She believed that if there had been a foreign language exam, the scores would be even higher.

She herself benefited from this as she started studying early due to Li Xianglu’s influence, and even after returning to the capital, she kept at it, scoring three hundred and ten points for the Foreign Language Department at Capital University.

She remembered when the acceptance notice came; everyone in the compound was astonished. The daughter-in-law of the Lu Family scored so well—it earned her in-laws’ admiration and her husband’s support. He encouraged her, saying women shouldn’t just confine themselves to home as they would lead parts of the future world, but he hoped she wouldn’t neglect family while focusing on studies and career.

The food arrived quickly, starting with the first course, the borscht. Borscht is borscht; the main ingredients are tomatoes and cabbage, beef, with a soup that’s oily, bright red, rich yet not heavy, sweet and sour—quite a nice appetizer.

Li Xianglu ladled two bowls of it, then began to savor it delicately, exclaiming, "Old Maozi’s cooking is quite good after all."

Xi Yunmei couldn’t help but laugh, "You, you’ve been with Qin Zhen too long. Nothing serious ever comes out of your mouth."

Li Xianglu said with a smile, "That guy keeps saying he’s eaten a lot in Shanghai, wanted to study in Shanghai, and now he’s at home regretting it."

Xi Yunmei was taken aback for a moment, "Regret what?"

Li Xianglu replied irritably, "We went to eat Peking duck once, and then went to Donglaishun for mutton hot pot, and he regretted it."

Hahaha, Xi Yunmei burst into laughter, simply unable to contain it. She knew Qin Zhen and could totally imagine the look on his face when he regretted it. Hahaha.

Cream baked fish is just that, fish baked with cream. It sounds a bit frightening by name, but it actually tastes quite good.

Li Xianglu, who wasn’t at all delicate, ate quite a bit, and Lu Ping’an who was sitting beside her could already eat on his own, especially fond of sweets and also ate a lot.

Watching Li Xianglu skillfully cut fish for her son with a knife and fork, Xi Yunmei’s eyebrows slightly raised. Could that be learned in the mountains?

But Li Xianglu had given her more than one or two surprises, and she gradually got used to it. Having not seen each other for a long time, everyone was in a good mood, and the dishes were to everyone’s taste. Before they knew it, everyone had overeaten. Li Xianglu rubbed her stomach and said embarrassedly, "Sister Yun Mei, I overate."

Xi Yunmei was about to speak when a snicker came from behind her, along with a mocking voice: "Really shameless, someone from the mountains is just from the mountains, never seen the world, can even overeat at a Western restaurant, how embarrassing!"

The voice sounded familiar to Li Xianglu, who frowned. Xi Yunmei, sitting opposite, saw a man and a woman at a table behind her. The man looked somewhat familiar, but, who was she? The Lu Family had a big presence in the capital, hmph, she snorted and said, "What’s with this restaurant, letting all kinds of people in, ruining people’s appetites!"

The people at the other table didn’t expect to get a response and immediately stood up. It was then that Li Xianglu could clearly see who had spoken before; no wonder he looked familiar. It turned out to be Qin Miao! Life really is full of unexpected encounters, always running into people you dislike wherever you go!

Qin Miao took a glance at the elegant woman sitting opposite Li Xianglu and was momentarily stunned, while the gentleman sitting across spoke up first: "What are you talking about, who are you!"

Xi Yunmei stood up to pack her things, and upon hearing this voice, coldly turned her head, "Pang Xinran, why aren’t you being picky with food, scooping up anything that smells, whether fragrant or foul. Next time, I will make sure to tell my father and Uncle Pang, so you stop having too much pocket money with nowhere to spend it!"

A meal at Old Mo’s, at least forty yuan for two, that’s one person’s monthly salary, not to mention food tickets.

Li Xianglu was carrying a pot, filled with a beef stew that she had reserved. It had a very special sour and spicy flavor that was particularly appetizing. Grandpa Li might look healthy, but his teeth were really not that great. The beef was stewed until tender, and having tasted it, she immediately thought of him, so she specially reserved an extra pot, paying a one yuan deposit, and took the pot with her.

At that moment, Pang Xinran finally realized that he knew both of the women having a meal behind him, especially Li Xianglu. It was hot out, and she was wearing a red high-collared, thick red sweater, black stretch pants that were snug at the ankles, and a pair of sheepskin boots she bought from the Overseas Chinese Store, looking chic and youthful.

Pang Xinran could hardly take his eyes off her, and only when the young girl glared at him with her doe eyes did he guiltily look away, beseeching Xi Yunmei with a bow: "Sister-in-law, please, don’t tell my father, I’m just having a meal with a friend, I haven’t done anything."

Xi Yunmei snorted, "What more do you want to do?" Holding her son, she walked out briskly alongside Li Xianglu.

Behind them, Qin Miao, envious to the point of clenching her teeth, watched Li Xianglu revamped in her new attire. She had heard that Grandpa Li had given Qin Xi one thousand yuan for his engagement, huh, a country bumpkin, and she deserves it!

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