It's Fine, I'm More Than Happy To

Not far from the entrance to the state-run restaurant, Kong Wu stood motionless like a statue.

It was about mealtime, and people arriving to eat noticed him one after another.

Some were curious, some puzzled, and some even blushed.

Those last ones were young women, of course. Kong Wu was quite a sight.

He stood a towering 1.9 meters tall, with a fine figure, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. His features were handsome enough to make anyone look twice.

Kong Wu paid the others' stares no mind. He had no other thoughts, only wondering when Bai Yao would arrive.

Fortunately, what one never forgot was bound to receive an answer.

Before long, a crisp ringing bell drew his gaze, and Kong Wu saw Bai Yao riding toward him.

The others saw Bai Yao's... bicycle too.

Yes, a bicycle was still more eye-catching than Bai Yao these days.

But after seeing the brand-new bicycle, everyone found Bai Yao more "charming" when they looked at him again.

That was the charm of money.

These days, having a bicycle in the family was a great source of pride. Even a secondhand one would draw envy, let alone the brand-new bicycle Bai Yao was riding.

Put it this way: if Bai Yao said he was looking for a marriage partner now, he could go on two matchmaking dates a day for the next ten days to half a month without stopping.

So some of the young women's gazes had already begun to drift from Kong Wu to Bai Yao.

After all, good looks couldn't put food on the table, but money could. Besides, Bai Yao wasn't bad-looking either. If they landed a man with both money and looks, they'd strike it rich.

While some people were wondering whether to go over and ask about him, Bai Yao rode up and stopped in front of Kong Wu.

"I'm here! Sorry for the wait. Come on, let's go eat," Bai Yao said with a smile.

Having a bicycle really made getting around much easier.

And the important part!

His bicycle had all the proper paperwork.

Speaking of which, even Bai Yao hadn't expected the bicycle he had custom-ordered from the system to have not only a legitimate sales record, but also registration at the police station and a license plate.

Even if someone took issue with it and wanted to report him, his paperwork was perfectly legal and in order. He had nothing to fear.

That money had been well spent.

Bai Yao naturally showered the system with praise in his heart.

Now that he had a bicycle, he had taken out everything he wanted to bring into the open.

In the end, two large bamboo baskets hung from the bicycle's rear rack, along with a large burlap sack, all packed full of things.

Kong Wu didn't ask where he had bought so much. He only said, "I'll pay you for my share when we get back."

"Okay."

With that, the two entered the state-run restaurant.

They chose a seat near the door, where they could keep an eye on the bicycle and everything on it.

"What do you want to eat? My treat," Bai Yao asked as soon as they came in.

"Anything's fine with me," Kong Wu replied, glancing at the menu.

Bai Yao looked at the menu too and was left speechless. For some reason, almost everything on today's menu was vegetarian. There were only two dishes with meat: braised pork and dumplings.

"Okay, I'll go order."

He ordered a serving of braised pork, a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes, a jin of dumplings for each of them, and two large steamed buns.

The dumplings here were weighed whole, and with their thin wrappers and generous filling, a jin wasn't all that much.

Bai Yao even thought the dumplings might not be enough, given Kong Wu's considerable appetite.

But both the dumplings and the braised pork were limited purchases: half a jin of pork and one jin of dumplings per person. That was all the two of them could buy.

Of course, there was no limit on vegetarian dishes, but Bai Yao didn't order any more. One plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes was enough; portions in the Northeast were huge.

After handing over the money and coupons, Bai Yao went back to wait.

There were quite a few people ordering at this hour, so their food would probably take a while.

He had only chatted with Kong Wu for a short while when he heard them being called to collect their dishes.

In this era, eating at a restaurant meant fetching your own food. Bai Yao had already experienced that in Beijing, so it was nothing new to him.

He got up and went to the counter to collect the dishes.

But when he saw the serving of hot and sour shredded potatoes, he was still stunned by the Northeast's "portion sizes."

One serving was worth two and a half, and with those enormous steamed buns on top of that, Bai Yao doubted even Kong Wu could finish it all.

Of course, leftovers would be fine too. He had brought a lunchbox, so they could pack them up and eat them that evening.

Once the food was on the table, Bai Yao fetched two bottles of soda and announced that it was time to eat.

Bai Yao went for the braised pork first, while Kong Wu tried the dumplings.

But after taking an eager bite of pork, Bai Yao's expression froze.

How should he put it? The braised pork was underwhelming. It had none of the amazing flavor he had expected and could only be called ordinary at best.

He thought it was probably because he had eaten all sorts of braised pork in later times. With such ordinary braised pork, the higher his expectations, the greater his disappointment.

He looked over at Kong Wu, who said, "It's ordinary. Not as good as the potstickers you made this morning."

Bai Yao tried a dumpling at that and found it quite ordinary too. Had they been reluctant to put any seasoning in either of these meat dishes?

He really didn't know whether they had cut corners or changed cooks. The steamed buns they had bought here yesterday had tasted decent.

With that thought, the two continued eating. Neither had any intention of wasting food.

In the end, they cleaned every plate.

Bai Yao, who had been full long before, felt his initial worry had been a joke. With Kong Wu's enormous appetite, how could he possibly have failed to finish it?

"Let's go. We've bought everything we needed, so it's time to head back," Bai Yao said.

"Mm. Wild vegetable buns for dinner," Kong Wu said. He hadn't forgotten what Bai Yao had told him on the way here.

"No problem."

Bai Yao readily agreed. The system would handle the troublesome process of wrapping the buns anyway; all he had to do was steam them. How easy was that?

But when they went outside to leave, a problem they had overlooked came up.

Bai Yao had taken out so many things that there was no room for anyone on the rear rack. And if they didn't want to push the bicycle all the way home, one of them would have to sit on the crossbar.

At that moment, Bai Yao was glad he had bought a men's 28-inch bicycle with a crossbar. If it had been a women's bicycle, wouldn't he have had to be carried on someone's back?

Bai Yao looked at Kong Wu and finally decided he would sit on the crossbar in front.

For one thing, Kong Wu was too tall. If Bai Yao rode, Kong Wu would block his view while sitting on the crossbar.

For another, riding the bicycle with so much stuff and another person would take a great deal of effort. If Bai Yao rode, he might wear his legs out pedaling and still not make it home.

"Thanks for the effort," Bai Yao said.

Looking at the person sitting on the crossbar, curled up in his arms like a little bird seeking shelter, Kong Wu's lips curved slightly. "It's fine. I'm more than happy to."

He pushed hard on the pedals, and the bicycle sped off. The cool wind blowing against them carried away the heat of their bodies pressed close together, and the scenery flying past showed Bai Yao just how hard Kong Wu was pedaling.

But he was an adult, after all, and sitting in front inevitably brought their legs into contact.

Even though they separated as soon as they touched, he could still feel how powerful the man's leg muscles were behind him.

Some might have thought the atmosphere should have been charged with flirtation and floating pink bubbles, but Bai Yao was thinking that if Kong Wu delivered a full-force roundhouse kick, he could definitely kick him half to death.

Flirtation?

Not a chance.

A straight man was not to be trifled with! Otherwise, he might get beaten to death.

They didn't slow down once, and the return trip took only a third of the time it had taken to get there.

When they entered the village, the villagers working in the fields saw Bai Yao and Kong Wu's... bicycle beneath them.

Yes, the shiny new bicycle was still the most eye-catching thing.

Some were wondering whether to call out a greeting, but the bicycle showed no sign of slowing. Before they could speak, it whooshed past as though flying.

As for whether that might have been rude?

It was fine. At worst, they could use an urgent need to pee as an excuse.

But when they actually reached home, Bai Yao discovered that the excuse he had thought up was, in fact, Kong Wu's real situation.

Seeing Kong Wu hurrying along in great strides, Bai Yao couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing loudly.