Chapter 82: Ninth Master Passes By, Summer Camp Encounter
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“Professor Xu?” Jiang Fuyue called out to him.
No response.
Han Yunru also stood still in her place, feeling that the way this elderly man was looking at her was a bit strange.
“Old Xu!” Jiang Fuyue called again, this time raising her voice.
“Ah? What?” Xu Kaiqing suddenly snapped back to reality, a hint of embarrassment coloring his face. He turned to Han Yunru and said, “I’m sorry, you bear a strong resemblance to a young friend of mine. I couldn’t help but get lost in thought for a moment.”
Han Yunru smiled understandingly, “It’s okay.”
Yes, it was that smile, almost identical…
However, Xu Kaiqing didn’t dwell on it. In a world as vast as this, anything was possible. He shifted his focus to the pancake in his hands.
“How’s the taste?”
“Mm-hmm…” Xu Kaiqing didn’t have much room in his mouth to speak, so he made a couple of nasal sounds and nodded vigorously.
It wasn’t until he finished the entire pancake that he wiped his mouth and gave a thumbs up, “This taste is incredible!”
Crispy and refreshing, without being greasy.
Soft like shredded pork, yet fragrant like bacon. With each bite, there was a rich layering of flavors, a full-bodied aroma.
“Before this, the best pancake I ever had was ‘ ‘ from Cao Ji, but I always felt like it was missing something. Now I know.”
Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow, even Han Yunru looked curious.
Meanwhile, not far away, Jiang Da, standing by the pancake griddle, shivered and his back stiffened.
However, the attention of the mother and daughter was all on Xu Kaiqing at the moment, so they didn’t notice anything unusual about him.
“Cao Ji is a chain restaurant brand. Strictly speaking, it’s no longer just a simple restaurant; it’s an enterprise. Therefore, whether it’s in the selection, preparation, presentation of food, or the additional services provided to customers afterwards, including the dining environment and so on, there’s a high standard and standardized approach.”
“But a food like pancake, which has a street food charm since its inception, if you force it into a high-end restaurant, wouldn’t it lose its original flavor?”
Han Yunru chuckled, “You put it really well.”
Xu Kaiqing smiled back, “It’s because you make great pancakes.”
Jiang Fuyue remained relatively composed, as she had heard similar sentiments before.
Lin Qiao, the little foodie, had said almost the exact same words.
“Little Han,” Xu Kaiqing suddenly spoke up, his tone still quite shy, “Um… can I have one more?”
“Of course you can! I’ll have Old Jiang make it for you. Do you have any specific requests for the ingredients and flavor?”
“No, no, it’s just… add a bit more shredded pork and a couple more strips of bacon, then it’ll be even more perfect.”
Jiang Fuyue: “…” And you call that “no requests”?
“Alright, then please have a seat for a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”
A few minutes later, if a student from Q University’s Physics Department happened to pass by, they would have seen the esteemed Professor Xu, who was famous and respected, wearing a slightly wrinkled shirt and a tie that looked like it had been deliberately loosened. He held a steaming pancake in his hands, emitting hot steam, and he was taking bite after bite, savoring it with half-closed eyes. Even his shiny leather shoes on his feet swayed along with his movements.
Whether the Q University students saw or not was unclear, but as he drove by, Xie Dingyuan saw quite clearly.
Though there was a street separating them, as well as a transparent glass door, his vision and insight were exceptional. Elaborate experimental data and the myriad variations in cell morphology couldn’t escape his keen eyes, let alone recognizing two familiar faces?
Xie Dingyuan didn’t go over to say hello, he only stayed in place for about two minutes. However, these two minutes were enough for him to take in the details of Xu Kaiqing and Jiang Fuyue’s interaction and analyze it at lightning speed. His final conclusion was—
Their relationship is quite good!
It’s worth noting that when Xu Kaiqing had meals with him, he didn’t smile this much.
Aside from that, Xie Dingyuan also noticed something interesting. Jiang Fuyue’s cup was empty, and Xu Kaiqing casually refilled it for her. Not only did the girl not appear nervous, she accepted it calmly and without saying thank you!
He retracted his gaze, concealing his surprise and doubt, which was quickly replaced by a deep and calm demeanor.
Xie Dingyuan released the handbrake, slammed on the accelerator, and the car shot out like an arrow, steadily heading towards the direction of No. 1 High School.
Today was the parent-teacher meeting for second grade class 7.
…
“Do you want more?” Jiang Fuyue watched as Xu Kaiqing devoured three pancakes in one go, smiling as she asked.
And he claimed to have a weak constitution?
She was observing quite closely; he could eat and chat, enduring both heat and sunlight.
“Burp!” Xu Kaiqing’s face turned embarrassed, “No more, no more.”
“How about some mango sago dessert?”
“I’ve realized that I can handle more, hehe…”
Jiang Fuyue: “Oh.” Emotionless.
Finally full, Xu Kaiqing insisted on paying the bill. No matter what Han Yunru said, she refused to accept the money. In the end, Jiang Fuyue stepped in, “Since Old Xu wants to treat, let’s just accept it.”
Being the dignified dean, holding numerous off-campus appointments, and even having an academic stipend, he wasn’t short on pocket change.
His willingness to easily exchange 20 SA coins for her the last time clearly demonstrated that.
“You child, why are you so reckless with your words?” Han Yunru was referring to her addressing him as “Old Xu.”
Jiang Fuyue remained silent.
On the other hand, Xu Kaiqing hastened to explain, “I and—”
He almost let slip “Chou,” but he managed to brake in time, “Between me and Yueyue, there’s no consideration of seniority. We’re a ‘forget-the-years’ friendship, yes, forget-the-years! So between friends, how we address each other doesn’t matter.”
In the end, Han Yunru reluctantly accepted the money. She packed two servings of rose sago and three cups of mango sago for Xu Kaiqing.
It really made the old man delighted…
Standing at the shop entrance, Jiang Fuyue watched him get into his car. Soon, the car window rolled down, and Xu Kaiqing held a cup of sago dessert, munching away.
“Classmate Jiang,” he no longer addressed her as “Chou” on instinct, “We’ll see each other at this year’s Science Olympiad summer camp.”
Jiang Fuyue curled her lips, “Sure.”
So what if it’s a summer camp?
We’ll see each other; who’s afraid of who?
Seeing Xu Kaiqing off, Jiang Fuyue checked the time. It was about time to head back to school.
“Yueyue, wait a moment…” Han Yunru suddenly spoke up, stopping her.
“What’s the matter, Mom?”
“A few days ago, I received a call from someone claiming to be a teacher from No. 2 High School, with the last name Zhang. She wanted to meet your father and me. She didn’t say what it was about. I hung up at the time because the shop was busy. Could this delay anything for you? But that person never called again, and when I tried calling back, the phone was off…”
No. 2 High School?
Surname Zhang?
Jiang Fuyue asked, “Is it a woman?”
Han Yunru nodded.
With that, she had a pretty good guess who it was.
“Don’t worry about it. If she calls again, just hang up.”
“Alright. That’s what I thought too. Why would a No. 2 High School teacher call a No. 1 High School student’s parents? Clearly a scam…”
As the bell for the first afternoon class rang, Jiang Fuyue strolled into the classroom.
Chemistry class, huh.
She took out a copy of “Introduction to Algorithms” from her desk and started flipping through it from the middle, as she had already read the beginning.
Ten minutes later, the book retired honorably from service, and Wan Xiutong saw her pull out another book from her bag. The cover read—
“Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C”!
Sigh! It was another day of singing “I’m Not Worthy” in her head for her desk partner, super Genius.
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