Inside the car, Jiang Fan was driving while Li Jiawei and Tu Kun sat in the back. Seeing the two children in the rearview mirror, Jiang Fan couldn't help but smile and softly asked,
"I heard you had a mock exam recently? Have the results come out yet?"
Upon hearing his uncle's question, Li Jiawei quickly replied,
"Not yet. I estimate my score to be around the top twenty in the grade. If I perform well, I might even get into the top ten. Uncle! I'm quite confident in languages, biology, and chemistry, but it's just that foreign language..."
"Foreign language, huh?"
Jiang Fan suddenly recalled the scene of Su Qing speaking foreign languages in the morning and then thought of Tang Wan at home. He hadn't heard her speak any foreign languages and wondered how she was. He smiled at the rearview mirror and said,
"You could enroll in a foreign language class, but it seems like you don't have much time. I'll ask your Aunt Tang when I get home if she knows it. If she does, she can teach you. What about you, Tu Kun?"
"The teacher said I've made progress. I'm not like this freak Jiawei who can even estimate his score. Oh, right! Shouldn't we call Auntie Tang?"
If the little girl hadn't mentioned it, Jiang Fan would have forgotten about Tang Wan's dinner. He handed his phone to Li Jiawei and said,
"Call your Aunt Tang."
Li Jiawei took the antique phone from Jiang Fan's hand, flipped through the call history, and was slightly surprised. He exchanged a glance with Tu Kun and dialed Auntie Tang's number. There were only three people in the phonebook: Auntie Tang, Grandma Tang, and someone named He'er.
When the call was connected, Tu Kun couldn't help but ask,
"Uncle, you don't save numbers? Can you remember who they all are?"
"Almost all of them. I have a habit of not saving numbers."
"What a freak."
"I'll hit you if you say any more bad words."
At this moment, Tang Wan picked up the phone, and Li Jiawei quickly said,
"Auntie Tang, it's Jiawei. Uncle is driving. Uncle said we're going out for dinner tonight. We're coming to pick you up now. Oh, okay, okay. I'll tell Uncle. Auntie Tang, you should rest well."
After hanging up the phone, Li Jiawei leaned forward and whispered,
"Uncle, Auntie Tang said she's not feeling well. She just wants you to bring some food back. Uncle, should we go back and check on Auntie Tang?"
Jiang Fan shook his head and softly said,
"No need. Considering the date, she should be feeling uncomfortable. I'll just bring some back for her. Jiawei, you need to study hard and not worry too much about family matters. Otherwise, all your mother's efforts will be wasted. Tu Kun, the same goes for you. When you grow up, you'll have to take over your father's business. You can't say you don't know anything when negotiating with people. Studying isn't actually hard. If you have time during the winter vacation, I'll ask your Aunt Tang to take you to her company to see what hard work really means. What do you want to eat?"
Li Jiawei scratched his head and said he wanted to eat at KFC, but Tu Kun slapped the back of his head and angrily said,
"You're stupid! Uncle isn't poor. Don't try to save money for him! I want to eat hot pot at Wula Manchu!"
After Tu Kun's excited words, she became quiet and whispered,
"Uncle, you even remember Auntie Tang's menstrual cycle? I heard my dad say you're still studying things to cooperate with him. Aren't you tired? Your head is filled with so much stuff. Just keeping track of Jiawei is exhausting for me."
"Maybe Jiawei has been running around in your head all day. If you let him be quiet, you won't be tired."
Tu Kun lay back in the backseat, resting her head on Li Jiawei's lap, feeling very comfortable. She was thoroughly sick of sitting in that old Nissan!
The car stopped outside the Wula Manchu Hot Pot restaurant. The Porsche Panamera was quite inconspicuous here. There were many cars worth over a million yuan, including a supercar of the same model as Qian Wan's.
The prices of the cars in the parking lot also indicated that the consumption at this hot pot restaurant was not cheap. As they entered, Tu Kun took the lead, selecting a table, choosing the soup base, ordering dishes, and even asking the waiter if they could order an extra portion to take away, including the soup base.
This little girl had high emotional intelligence, unfortunately, it wasn't being used appropriately.
While waiting for their food, Jiang Fan noticed Guan Dagou squatting outside the window. Jiang Fan waved to him, and Guan Dagou proudly lifted his head. However, a phone call from Tu Kun made him eagerly come inside, not forgetting to ask for a set of tableware.
"Brother Guan!"
"Stop! Ancestor! Brother Jiang, I've been hungry for a whole day. Can you let me eat? If you keep asking, I'll dive into this hot pot, believe it or not!"
"I was asking if you want some sauce!"
Guan Dagou didn't respond and went to get it himself. However, the waiter told him that the condiments would be served with the dishes. Guan Dagou didn't come back empty-handed; he brought four cans of cola. After the hot pot arrived, Li Jiawei very sensibly became the one serving everyone.
Tu Kun sat next to Guan Dagou, and Jiang Fan sat next to Li Jiawei.
The little girl ate the hot pot and drank cola, looking very satisfied.
Sitting by the window, she could see the cars outside just by turning her head. Tu Kun suddenly asked,
"Uncle Jiang, how much does that car cost?"
Jiang Fan used a spoon to scoop out meat and give it to the two children, chuckling softly,
"You mean that Porsche? It's not mine; it's your Aunt Tang's. The quoted price is over 970,000 yuan, around 980,000 yuan. The total cost after purchase is around 1.1 million yuan. If you like it..."
"Brother Jiang! Let's do it!"
Guan Dagou interrupted, looking at Jiang Fan with a grievance. Jiang Fan couldn't help but shake his head and smile, picking up his cola and saying with a wry smile,
"If you like it, wait until you grow up and earn money to buy one yourself. But I suggest you buy a Wrangler. Girls driving Wranglers look very cool."
"Brother Jiang! Do you believe I can finish this entire hot pot?"
Guan Dagou spoke again. Jiang Fan quickly raised his hands in surrender, while Tu Kun looked at Guan Junbiao with a mix of horror and anticipation, exclaiming,
"Uncle Guan, you're amazing!"
"Pfft!"
The soft laughter didn't come from Jiang Fan's table but from the one behind them. Jiang Fan didn't care much, but Guan Dagou couldn't tolerate it. People at his table could laugh at him, but others couldn't. He stood up to confront the person who laughed, but he returned after just a few seconds, which surprised Jiang Fan.
He asked with a puzzled expression,
"What happened? Did your temper improve?"
Guan Dagou lowered his head and said softly,
"I can't mess with them."
At this moment, ridicule came from the opposite table.
"Guan Dagou, you should behave yourself. Even your master, Tu Xiao, has to behave now."
The voice was very familiar. Jiang Fan frowned, while Tu Kun couldn't bear someone talking about her father. She stood up angrily and said,
"Fuck off."
Guan Dagou looked troubled but also stood up. The opposite table was a group of teenagers around seventeen or eighteen, who also stood up. Jiang Fan frowned and asked,
"Who are they?"
Guan Dagou lowered his head and said weakly,
"Li Jinhai's second son."
Jiang Fan was slightly taken aback and asked tentatively,
"Li Er?"
"Who the hell calls me Li Er? Hey? Brother-in-law!"
Indeed, he was not an easy person to deal with. It was then that Guan Junbiao understood why Li Jinhai called his master and asked them not to mess with Jiang Fan. Li Er pushed aside his friends and ran to Jiang Fan's table, grinning at him and saying,
"Brother-in-law, what a coincidence! You didn't come to see me! I didn't cause any trouble today. I'm in the top ten in my class for the mock exam! My dad specially let me come out to play. Hey? Brother-in-law, why are you with Guan Dagou?"
Jiang Fan frowned and said sternly,
"No manners. Be careful; I'll tell your dad."
"No! Does Brother-in-law mind an extra set of tableware? Eating with a group of kids is so boring. Little brother, can you scoot in a bit?"
Before Li Jiawei could stand up, Jiang Fan reached out his hand to press down on Li Jiawei's shoulder and looked at Li Er with a frown, saying,
"Go and bring a chair over yourself."