Back to the barbecue stall in the alley, Jiang Li ordered a heap of various barbecues, but ended up not being able to finish them. She looked at Tong Yi and commented, “Big Nephew, your combat effectiveness seems a bit lacking.” In her mind, Tong Yi’s appetite should at least be bigger than hers; even if there were leftovers, it shouldn’t be this much.
Tong Yi burped and pointed at the two empty bottles on the ground, “Try drinking two bottles of beer before eating barbecue.”
Jiang Li shook her head, “I’m someone with self-awareness. I wouldn’t do such a foolish thing.”
“…” Alright, Jiang Xiao Li always had her reasoning, and it was beyond his ability to out-argue her!
While Tong Yi was paying the bill, Jiang Li went to ask the owner for two boxes to pack up the leftover barbecue.
“These will definitely taste bad by tomorrow, and you probably won’t be able to eat them then,” Tong Yi kindly reminded her.
Jiang Li replied, “I’m taking them to the people at the training camp. They can have them as a night snack. Better than wasting food, right?”
Tong Yi nodded, “Makes sense.”
But after a few seconds, he couldn’t resist asking, “Does Third Master Feng know you’re this frugal?” The Feng family doted on Jiang Xiao Li so much. They surely wouldn’t skimp on her living expenses and allowance, and yet she was as frugal as ever. Her frugality must be a matter of habit.
Jiang Li thought for a moment, “When I eat with my uncle, it’s usually at home or at the research institute. At home, we were served just enough food, and at the institute, I share meals with a senior brother who eats a lot, so we never leave leftovers.”
“Which senior brother?” Tong Yi was curious. How come he had never heard of Jiang Xiao Li having a senior brother?
Jiang Li explained, “A student mentored by my uncle. He was involved in projects with my uncle even before finishing graduate school. He’s super talented; my uncle has praised him!”
Tong Yi asked nonchalantly, “Are you close with this senior brother?”
Jiang Li nodded, “Yeah, he’s really nice. Not only does he help me with my studies, but he also buys me all sorts of snacks and fruits, and he often gives me hairy crabs. He’s truly China’s best senior brother.”
Tong Yi clicked his tongue, “I used to give you snacks all the time when we were deskmates, but I never heard you praise me as China’s best deskmate.”
“But senior brother never takes my money,” Jiang Li asserted with confidence.
“…” Tong Yi was utterly speechless. Did he look like someone who cared about those few hundred yuan? It was just that Jiang Xiao Li was so obsessed with biscuits at that time, and he didn’t want her to turn into a Jiang Puffed Li, so he figured out a way to limit her intake!
After a few seconds of silence, Tong Yi suddenly said, “Jiang Xiao Li, I think your senior brother has ulterior motives for being so nice to you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t keep feeding you.”
“I know that,” Jiang Li said. Senior Brother Zhou was nice to her because he wanted to get close to her uncle. She had always been aware of this, but she still thought her senior brother was nice.
Tong Yi looked at Jiang Li in disbelief, “You know?”
Jiang Li nodded, “Yeah, I know, but I don’t mind.”
Tong Yi tapped Jiang Li’s forehead, “Is that senior brother of yours very handsome?”
“…” Jiang Li didn’t know how to answer this question. Senior Brother Zhou’s appearance couldn’t be said to be very handsome. Rather, it could only be said that he had nothing to do with being handsome.
Seeing her odd expression, Tong Yi immediately said, “Jiang Xiao Li, I think it’s not a good trait to judge people from their looks. Don’t you agree?”
Jiang Li nodded, “Yeah, I agree. So even if you became uglier, you’d still be my big nephew.”
Tong Yi:”…”
Although he never paid much attention to his appearance or indulged in skincare routines like some of his peers, he… shouldn’t become uglier, right?
Or were all those who pursued him abroad simply blind? If one was blind, that’s understandable, but all of them couldn’t be blind, right?!
But his question was still unanswered: Is Jiang Xiao Li’s senior brother really that handsome?
Seeing Tong Yi lost in thought, Jiang Li nudged him with her elbow, “What are you thinking about?”
“Is your senior brother more handsome than your third uncle?” Tong Yi couldn’t help asking. He remembered Jiang Xiao Li had said before that Third Master Feng was more handsome than him. If that senior brother wasn’t more handsome than Third Master Feng, then they probably were at a similar level!
Jiang Li was stunned by Tong Yi’s question, her expression indescribable, “How can you compare the two?” Comparing her senior brother’s looks to her uncle was like pulling out the bottom-ranked student to compare grades with a genius; it was downright insulting. Jiang Li, a conscientious person, wouldn’t do such a vile thing.
Tong Yi raised an eyebrow, “Why can’t they compare? It’s not like they’re evenly matched, right?”
Jiang Li coughed lightly and replied: “Only frivolous people would be so obsessed with looks. Let’s change the subject!”
Tong Yi: “…”
He was just asking casually, and now Jiang Xiao Li was calling him frivolous? Could that senior brother actually be more handsome than Third Master Feng?
…
As Jiang Li was packing the barbecue, Tong Yi came over to help, his mind still occupied with the question: Just how handsome is Jiang Xiao Li’s senior brother?
Just as they finished packing the untouched barbecue, a loud dispute arose from the stall selling fried potatoes nearby.
Turning her head, Jiang Li saw two rather burly men standing next to the potato stall’s table, where a young couple, looking to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, was seated.
“This jacket cost me eight thousand, and it’s the first time I’m wearing it out. You’ve just made it greasy, and you think a few apologies will suffice?” The man in the yellow jacket looked tough and imposing. While speaking, he lifted one leg onto the small dining table, looking very arrogant.
The potato stall owner, obviously not wanting trouble, quietly moved his cart back a bit to avoid getting involved.
The young man’s face turned beet red, “I… I’ll pay for the dry cleaning…”
“Dry cleaning? That won’t do it. My jacket is ruined!” the man in the yellow jacket yelled, making it clear he wasn’t here to reason.
The young woman spoke up timidly, “We can also compensate you appropriately, as long as the price is reasonable…”
The man in the yellow jacket interrupted her with a mocking face, “Compensate? This jacket is worth eight thousand, how much are you planning to pay?”
The couple fell silent. They were both freshmen and came from families of modest means. Their family only sent about a thousand yuan per month to cover their living expenses; they couldn’t afford to pay so much in compensation.
Seeing the couple subdued, the man in the yellow jacket sneered, “If you can’t afford the compensation, that’s fine too. Just let your girlfriend accompany me and my bro here to the next barbecue stall for a few drinks, and I won’t ask you to pay.”
The man in the red jacket next to him laughed lewdly, “Just a few drinks won’t do. If it’s beer, a couple of bottles should be no problem, right?”
The young woman immediately retorted in a low voice, “I’m allergic to alcohol; I can’t drink.”
The man in the yellow jacket scoffed, “If you can’t drink, then don’t. Just pay up my jacket.””
Then he looked at the young man, “The original price of the jacket is eight thousand; you pay four thousand, and that’s enough. You probably can’t afford more anyway.”
The young man was clearly nervous and scared. After a lengthy pause, he eventually turned to his girlfriend and murmured, “Maybe… you could… just have a few drinks, I… I’ll wait. I’ll get you some hangover pills afterward.”
The young woman looked at him incredulously, “You… how can you say that?!”
The young man fell silent. Asking his girlfriend to accompany a pair of thugs for a drink was not something to be proud of. After mentioning it once, he was too embarrassed to repeat it.
The two men, seeing the young man’s timid nature, became even more arrogant. The man in the yellow jacket even whistled and reached out to grab the young woman.
The young woman struggled, letting out a series of piercing screams.
Tong Yi had been watching the situation. He was initially hesitating to intervene, wanting to see how the young man would handle the problem. However, once the thugs began to physically harass the woman, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
But Jiang Xiao Li reacted faster than he did.
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