The consequence of a group of people eating at a buffet is that there is no way to keep track of the amount.
Zhuang Zhong brought back a pile of seafood and meat, and I saw that he had also grabbed a plate of pasta and fried rice. Pi Tao'er followed behind him, clutching a bunch of various drinks, and her little follower Shui Cao, who was behind her, also held two plates of french fries and ice cream in her hands.
Zhuang Zhong set the things down, and when he turned his head and saw the two little girls, his eyes widened.
"Ancestors! Why are you drinking beverages to fill your stomachs while eating a seafood buffet!" He held up the soda in Pi Tao'er's arms. "Just this, how many did Brother Zhou buy and put in the refrigerator for you? Is it not enough for you to drink?"
Pi Tao'er hummed, wiggled her bottom, and sat on the chair.
When Zhou Ran returned, the large table for six was already full, a dazzling array of food; there was no telling which of these living ancestors had brought which items.
He put down the tray in his hand and dropped a remark: "Whoever took it, eat it. Don't waste it."
Zhuang Zhong hurriedly arranged the plates: "Brother Zhou is the reliable one after all, he only brought shrimp and crab."
As he spoke, he kept glancing toward Xia Mian. Seeing that the seat next to her was still empty, he moved with lightning speed to sit there.
His movement was still a step too slow; Zhou Ran had already slipped in and sat down slowly, completely cutting off the distance between him and Xia Mian.
For the second time, Zhuang Zhong felt extremely depressed.
"Brother Zhou, you are too boring."
Zhou Ran pretended not to understand and gave a casual response.
The small pot of soup in front of them was boiling vigorously. Zhou Ran threw everything into it all at once, and the three little girls stared eagerly at the bubbling soup, waiting to eat.
Pi Tao'er couldn't wait any longer. She straightened her body and grabbed a few skewers of grilled shrimp and a handful of french fries, placing them on the plate in front of Shui Cao.
"Eat!" she commanded, with the air of a big sister.
Lao Lu frowned and grabbed Pi Tao'er's little hand, then grabbed a tissue and wiped it: "Who is going to eat the things you touched with those dog paws?"
Shui Cao was half a head shorter than Pi Tao'er; even when she sat up straight, only half of her head was visible, and she had to raise her hand to reach the table.
After Lao Lu finished wiping Pi Tao'er's dog paws, he bent over and said to Shui Cao on the other side: "Brother Lu will peel the shrimp for you before you eat, okay?"
Shui Cao nodded: "Mm!"
"So well-behaved."
Zhuang Zhong watched Lao Lu and clicked his tongue in admiration: "Look at our Lao Lu, with that husbandly look on his face; he will definitely be a good father in the future."
He wasn't idle either; he stood up and grabbed two skewers of grilled shrimp, intending to place them on Xia Mian's plate with Zhou Ran in between them.
"Here, Xia Mian, don't be embarrassed."
Zhou Ran raised his chopsticks and tapped the back of Zhuang Zhong's hand with a crisp "slap," accompanied by Zhuang Zhong's howl.
"What are you doing, Brother Zhou!"
Zhou Ran lifted his eyelids and said in a low voice: "Who is going to eat what you touched with those dog paws?"
Xia Mian opened her mouth, wanting to defend Zhuang Zhong.
"I..." Zhuang Zhong felt aggrieved for a moment. "I was holding the skewers! I didn't touch them!"
He thought about it and figured that Zhou Ran must have found him to be in the way.
"How about this, Brother Zhou, shall we swap seats?"
Before Zhou Ran could speak, Lao Lu coughed dryly.
"Zhuang Zhong, if you're free, come over and help Tao'er fish some things out; they're starving over here."
Seeing Zhuang Zhong pouting with dissatisfaction, Xia Mian stood up slightly, reached past Zhou Ran, and took the grilled shrimp that Zhuang Zhong had just handed over.
"Thank you."
The girl's movement as she stood up stirred a small, elusive breeze, mixed with the jasmine fragrance unique to her, which swirled in Zhou Ran's breath before vanishing in an instant.
Zhou Ran's hand paused.
Zhuang Zhong was happy to see Xia Mian accept his kindness and pushed all the things on the table toward her.
"This abalone is super fresh; I had a hard time grabbing it, and these scallops too!"
Zhou Ran's brow furrowed ever so slightly, then relaxed.
He stood up and looked down at Zhuang Zhong with a calm expression.
"Why don't you sit here."
"I didn't touch you, Brother Zhou."
"I'm afraid you'll get tired."
Even as thick-skinned as Zhuang Zhong was, he could hear the tone in Zhou Ran's voice.
Only then did he realize that Zhou Ran might be annoyed with him.
He scratched his head: "Eat, let's eat."
The meal was relatively quiet. The two children kept their heads down and ate, Lao Lu was in charge of serving them, Zhuang Zhong said a few words from time to time, while Zhou Ran and Xia Mian kept their heads down and didn't speak.
Zhou Ran caught a glimpse of Xia Mian a few times. She was too quiet, sipping her food in small bites. He had finished three abalones by the time she had just managed to gouge out the meat from one.
And she had used her chopsticks to stab it out.
Zhuang Zhong's gaze was drawn to Xia Mian's hand holding the chopsticks.
"Xia Mian, why are you holding your chopsticks like that?"
Zhuang Zhong imitated the way Xia Mian held her chopsticks. She held them very low, using almost all five fingers. Holding chopsticks usually requires a delicate touch, but Xia Mian seemed to be using force; one could even see the tendons on her wrist bulging.
Hearing this, the others looked at Xia Mian, staring at her hand holding the chopsticks.
Xia Mian paused, pulled her hand back, and her muscles twitched and contracted involuntarily twice.
"Don't you know how to use chopsticks?" Zhuang Zhong said. "I'll teach you!"
Zhou Ran looked at Xia Mian and noticed that she was lowering her head, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face.
She pulled her hand back, her fingers tapping against the chopsticks under the table, looking reluctant to bring them back up.
Zhuang Zhong hadn't noticed yet; he reached out his hand and gestured toward Xia Mian: "Like this, pinch it with three fingers, resting it on the Tiger's Mouth here..."
Zhou Ran interrupted Zhuang Zhong.
"Are you done yet?" He raised his hand, grabbed an egg tart from the table, and stuffed it into Zhuang Zhong's mouth. "Can't even eating shut your mouth?"
Zhuang Zhong made a "muffled" sound: "Brother Zhou, why are you so impatient today?"
"Because you talk too much."
"Don't I usually talk a lot too?"
Zhou Ran couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him. He fished two abalones out of the pot and casually took a spoon from the side to loosen all the meat.
He didn't eat them himself; he prepared the two and placed them on the edge of the table, then leaned back in his chair and started drinking beer.
The pull-tab can in his hand creaked under the pressure of his knuckles. He leaned back, his posture casual.
"Because you have an extraordinary amount to say today."
"Isn't it because Xia Mian is here today? I'm hosting our new friend, afraid of neglecting her."
Zhuang Zhong poked his head out to look at Xia Mian: "Right, Xia Mian?"
He said: "It's fate that you met us while traveling here. Although we aren't familiar yet, we're friends after this meal. If you're bored or don't know where to go while you're in Xia Cheng, come find us. I'm a living map of Xia Cheng! I even know where the islands are, even if I have to swim in the ocean shirtless!"
Xia Mian knew Zhuang Zhong meant no harm, so she nodded along with him.
"Thank you."
"How many times have you said thank you now?"
Lao Lu finished peeling the shrimp, wiped his hands, raised his beer can, and shook it at Zhou Ran.
"Don't drink by yourself. Come on, a toast to our new friend—Xia Mian."
Zhuang Zhong raised his glass as well: "Cheers!"
Xia Mian raised the drink cup in her hand along with the others. She took a small sip, still trying to process the situation.
She came to a strange city to travel, met a few strangers, ate a meal together, and now they were friends?
Was their definition of friends too casual?
Xia Mian sipped her drink and turned her head to look at Zhou Ran beside her.
Would someone who looked as hard to get along with as him be friends with her?
Zhou Ran just shook his beer can in the air. He tilted his head back and took a sip, his peripheral vision secretly glancing at Xia Mian. After making eye contact with her once more, he raised his leg and kicked Zhuang Zhong again.
"Out of beer," Zhou Ran said.
"I'll go get some."
After Zhuang Zhong got up and left, Zhou Ran looked at Lao Lu across from him, seemingly unintentional.
He was busy wiping Pi Tao'er's hands and didn't have time to look at him.
Zhou Ran remained in his leaning posture, one hand resting on the back of the chair, while the other tapped lightly on the edge of the table twice.
Xia Mian noticed his movement.
Zhou Ran's gaze didn't land on her; there were simply two peeled abalones lying quietly where he had tapped.
She picked them up and gently nudged them with her chopsticks; without needing any force, the meat fell into her bowl.
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