Restless Stirrings
Most of the restaurant's seats are scattered around the windows, as the view from the sky is one of the restaurant's selling points. The fully visible kitchen that Liu Yuewang mentioned is located in the center of the restaurant. At this time, there are not many customers in the restaurant. The waiter came to invite the guests to visit the kitchen, which is said to be the most expensive kitchen built in the entire Junsha. The head chef is Mr. Zhang Jiawei, the youngest head chef in Taiwan's three-Michelin-starred restaurants.
Liu Chang'an didn't visit the kitchen. In fact, he didn't care much about food safety. As long as it tasted good, he would eat it even if it used arsenic as a seasoning. How many people could live to tell others that the ovaries of the green lantern pufferfish from Tan Jing Bay were delicious? Everyone only knew that the ovaries of wild pufferfish could poison dozens of people.
The girls happily toured the kitchen through the glass and returned. The waiter served them vegetable soup and explained that it was exactly the same as the one at Zhu's's Mi San restaurant in Taiwan, made entirely from vegetables, with a mild and mellow flavor.
Everyone ordered their own food. At first, they tried to solemnly present themselves as sophisticated and high-end diners, but when it came to ordering, they eventually revealed their true intention of having a lively meal. They ordered all three types of bread served before the meal, intending to try different flavors. They also ordered bluefin tuna, raw beef carpaccio, crispy suckling pig, Milan veal, lobster pasta, almond cream with licorice sorbet, pan-fried Iceland langoustines with mashed potatoes, and steamed egg with caviar.
Liu Chang'an didn't order à la carte; he ordered two set meals for himself and Zhou Dongdong. There was only one set meal available, and the price didn't include service charge. Liu Chang'an originally thought it was Chinese food, but it turned out to be Western food. He wondered if these set meals would be enough to fill Zhou Dongdong up. Liu Chang'an wasn't sure, but judging from how the girls ordered, they should be able to leave some food for Zhou Dongdong.
"Aunt Liu, you've gone to so much trouble." Zhang Taole felt a little embarrassed after seeing the price.
Han Zhizhi didn't stand on ceremony. She often took An Nuan out to eat with her mother. Most middle-aged women have similar spending habits. They can haggle over every penny at the market, or they can spend money like water at a high-end restaurant without batting an eye. Liu Yuewang wasn't always so extravagant, but when she did splurge, she was really generous and didn't mind ordering a few more dishes.
Liu Yuewang also ordered drinks. She also had several female Liu Yuewang drivers on her phone, so there shouldn't be any problems.
Since it's a celebration, drinking is a must. Apart from Zhou Dongdong, all the girls can drink a little. Liu Chang'an also drinks. The popularity of red wine is not just due to the popularity of Western culture; it has its merits. Liu Chang'an wouldn't just drink baijiu, holding a bottle of Erguotou and making a bold and unrestrained appearance.
After eating for a while, everyone started discussing their future university life. Although An Nuan and Han Zhizhi had basically grown up in a university campus environment, they were now officially becoming university students and were looking forward to a different kind of learning life than in high school.
"Once you're in university, focus on your studies and don't think about anything else. I want to tell you something in advance: there are already over two hundred registered HIV carriers in Mount Lu University Town, and who knows how many more haven't been detected yet. Further spread is certain," Liu Yuewang said solemnly. "This data comes from the government departments. The university town authorities think it has a bad influence, but there's nothing they can do; it will still be released."
"Oh my god, this is terrifying." Zhang Taole hugged An Nuan beside her in fear. "Nuan Nuan, let's be together."
"Okay, okay."
"Then add me." Han Zhizhi also wanted to stick together for warmth.
Liu Chang'an was suddenly forced to break up and became all alone, so he could only pat Zhou Dongdong's head as she was eating seriously.
"Xiangtan University, the other school is more serious. Taking university students as a sample for HIV transmission, male homosexuals account for the vast majority of transmissions. But how many people are there in a university town? How many of them are male homosexuals? If you calculate it this way, the proportion of male homosexuals infected with HIV among the university students in Mount Lu is alarming." Liu Yuewang said, looking at Liu Chang'an.
"Professor Liu, why are you looking at me like that?" Liu Chang'an was quite displeased.
"Because you're the only man here." An Nuan was pleased to see her mother's little actions making Liu Chang'an feel annoyed.
"Liu Chang'an is a total straight man." As a classmate, Zhang Taole still felt she had to say something fair.
"So, we're still safe." Han Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Some people can be both male and female, sister... Auntie reminds you, dating in college is something every girl hopes for, but society is too complicated and chaotic now. Sometimes, even if you are chaste, you can still get hurt. The key is to protect yourself and improve your ability to discern." Liu Yuewang invited them to dinner today because she wanted to give them some advice. Although she doesn't seem particularly worldly or sophisticated among her peers, she is older and has a higher level of knowledge and experience, so she can ultimately guide these young girls.
The three girls nodded solemnly together, while Zhou Dongdong buried her head in her food; she was someone with a protective barrier.
"Does this mean that in the future, when we start dating, the other person will have to get tested first?" Zhang Taole said dejectedly.
"Gay men generally get tested once a month and carry test kits with them. After confessing their feelings, they usually have sex. Before having sex, they will go to a hotel to test each other. If anyone refuses, there is usually something wrong with them. This is common knowledge for them," Liu Yuewang said expressionlessly. She did not shy away from talking about such topics with the young girls because they were already adults. Avoiding the topic might cause problems and prevent them from understanding in time.
"Aunt Liu, how do you know so much?" Han Zhizhi had read BL novels, but the descriptions in them were so beautiful, how could they be so disgusting?
"One of my students wrote an investigative report. She had done in-depth research and almost got herself into danger. The little girl was timid and shy, and didn't dare to tell her family and classmates. I noticed something was wrong with her, so I asked her and took her to get tested. Luckily, she was fine... But during the time she was afraid and worried about being infected, she also lost 20 pounds." Liu Yuewang sighed and said.
Losing 20 pounds... Han Zhizhi and Zhang Taole exchanged a glance. They both had a bit of a belly, but it was just a ridiculous thought. They didn't really expect to lose weight through this kind of experience; they'd rather stay fat.
"Liu Chang'an must be very popular at university," Liu Yuewang said to Liu Chang'an again. She had asked An Nuan again today and confirmed some of her impressions. Liu Chang'an was an orphan, so "Uncle" was not Liu Chang'an's father.
"I'll give you a peach wood sword," Liu Chang'an said to An Nuan.
"You need to be self-aware about this!" An Nuan said seriously.
"What are you talking about?" Liu Yuewang and the others were baffled.
"Pfft... He means he's very popular, and he gave me a peach wood sword so that if any little fox spirits or anything like that try to seduce him, I can go and exorcise them." An Nuan's smile held a hint of shyness and reproach.
"You understand this?" Zhang Taole and Han Zhizhi were dumbfounded.
Liu Yuewang looked at An Nuan and Liu Chang'an with a complicated expression. Their tacit understanding and level of knowledge were truly astounding... Liu Yuewang touched her phone, looking at the messages on it, feeling both agitated and restless.
Sorry, I was still writing at 2 AM last night when I accidentally saw that another author had died suddenly, and I fell asleep out of fear. I just woke up and am making up for the burst of updates today.