Lu Zhaoye watched her eat happily, and only then did the tightly furrowed brows on his face finally relax. He picked up his bowl and began eating as well.
The way this man ate was like he was in a battle fast and efficient, like a storm sweeping through. Yet it didn’t look crude; instead, it carried a bold, straightforward energy.
Su Wan ate a few bites of fish, then picked up a piece of braised pork.
The dish was beautifully cooked glossy red, with just the right balance of fat and lean meat.
But she had been a picky eater since childhood and couldn’t stand even a trace of fatty meat.
After entering art school, she had even come to view fat as something almost repulsive.
As usual, she instinctively bit off the fatty portion from the piece of pork, leaving only the lean meat to chew slowly.
Looking at the remaining trembling piece of fat on her chopsticks, Su Wan hesitated.
Food was precious these days, and wasting it especially in a restaurant would draw criticism.
But forcing herself to swallow it was truly impossible.
While she was still hesitating, an empty bowl suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Give it to me.”
Lu Zhaoye’s voice was low and matter-of-fact, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Su Wan froze and looked up at him.
“Huh? That’s fat…”
“I know.”
Without another word, Lu Zhaoye took her chopsticks, picked up the half-bitten piece of fat, along with the bits she had already trimmed off in her bowl, and swept it all into his own bowl.
Then, under Su Wan’s shocked gaze, he ate it with rice in one go. He barely chewed before swallowing, not even frowning once.
Su Wan’s face turned red instantly.
That… that had been bitten by her!
And there was still her saliva on it!
“Brother Zhaoye, that was my leftover…” she said in a voice so soft it was barely audible, her ears burning red.
“What? You think I’m disgusting?”
Lu Zhaoye swallowed his food and glanced at her, his gaze deep and meaningful.
“We’re already married. What’s wrong with eating your leftovers? Back in the army, I’ve eaten raw meat and even bugs. This bit of fat is nothing.”
Su Wan choked slightly at the mention of “bugs,” and quietly lowered her head to eat.
“I just thought you might dislike it…” she mumbled.
“I don’t.”
He answered immediately, without even thinking.
Then, as if realizing he was being too direct, he added in a stern tone:
“Wasting food is shameful. From now on, anything you don’t want, give it to me. I’ve got a big appetite I’m not picky.”
Su Wan secretly glanced at him over her chopsticks.
He still looked cold and stern as always, but somehow, in her eyes, he looked more and more pleasing.
This rough, fierce man who seemed like all he knew how to do was fight and intimidate people… was casually eating her leftovers and even carefully noticed she didn’t like fatty meat.
It felt like something warm and soft had filled her chest.
So the rest of the meal went on in perfect unspoken coordination.
Su Wan only ate lean meat and vegetables, passing all the fatty portions and stems directly into Lu Zhaoye’s bowl.
He accepted everything without hesitation.
By the end of the meal, Su Wan felt warm all over, even the sight of his cold, stern face had become much more agreeable.
Finally, they finished eating. Lu Zhaoye picked up his jacket from the chair back, and Su Wan stood up as well.
Not far away, Fan Li had been watching them the entire time. Seeing them get up, she immediately said sarcastically to her companions:
“Look at them. Finished eating and just about to leave without paying. This state-owned restaurant is really going downhill any cats and dogs can come and freeload now. We’d better come less often, or we’ll lower our status.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough for Su Wan to hear.
Su Wan paused mid-step, about to turn around and argue but Lu Zhaoye acted as if he hadn’t heard anything. He walked straight to the counter.
He pulled out a stack of crisp new banknotes and slammed it onto the counter.
The thickness of the stack was easily several hundred yuan.
Su Wan’s eyes widened.
This spendthrift man! Where did he get so much money?!
Even if he had savings, he couldn’t just throw it around like this!
How were they supposed to live in the future?!
The young waitress behind the counter was stunned and quickly waved her hands.
“No, no! Brother Ye, our manager specifically said this meal is on him as a wedding gift for you two. We can’t take your money!”
“Take it,” Lu Zhaoye said calmly, but his tone left no room for refusal.
“That’s his gesture. Paying is my rule. I don’t eat for free.”
He counted out five bills, placed them on the bill, and casually stuffed the rest back into his pocket.
“The extra is tip. Buy the chefs some cigarettes.”
His movements were smooth and effortless nothing like a jobless rough man, more like a wealthy young master throwing money around.
The waitress’s eyes went wide. Tipping was unheard of in those days, let alone several yuan at once it was almost her several days’ wages.
“Th-thank you, Brother Ye!” she said excitedly, her voice loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.
Fan Li’s expression instantly stiffened.
She stared at the pile of money, then at Lu Zhaoye’s casual generosity, looking like she had swallowed a fly.
Just moments ago, she had mocked them for eating for free. Now he had casually thrown down a stack of cash his tip alone was more than her entire meal.
The surrounding diners turned to look at her with strange expressions, whispering things like “judging people by appearance” and “no manners.”
Fan Li’s face burned red. Unable to stay any longer, she grabbed her bag and left in embarrassment, not even daring to look back.
Su Wan watched her retreating figure and felt a burst of satisfaction. But then she thought about the fifty yuan they had just spent, and her heart immediately started bleeding.
Fifty yuan!
That was more than a worker’s monthly salary!
Once they left the restaurant, Su Wan couldn’t hold back and tugged at Lu Zhaoye’s sleeve.
“Brother Zhaoye… where did you get so much money? Even if you saved some, you can’t spend it like that. We still need to live…”
Lu Zhaoye looked down at her distressed expression, a faint teasing smile appearing on his lips.
“What? Already starting to manage my finances?”
Su Wan pouted and rolled her eyes.
“I’m just afraid you’ll spend everything! You don’t even have a job right now…”
“Don’t worry.”
He reached out and ruffled her hair, his palm warm, his tone casual as if discussing the weather.
“You won’t go hungry. This little bit of money won’t empty our house.”
Su Wan swatted his hand away but secretly sighed.
This man was clearly used to spending freely counting on him to save money seemed impossible.
She would have to find a way to earn money herself, or else she really wouldn’t feel at ease living like this.
But…
Thinking back to how cool he looked when he casually threw down the money, she couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly.
Wasteful… but kind of satisfying.
“Let’s go,” Lu Zhaoye said, pushing the bicycle.
“To the supply and marketing cooperative. I’ll buy you some new clothes and things to bring back home.”
Hearing “spend money” again, Su Wan was about to refuse when he cut her off.
“It’s the rule. If you go back looking shabby, it’s my face that suffers.”
Alright then.
Su Wan sighed inwardly.
This was probably what people meant by “pride comes at a price.”
Still…
Being protected by this domineering man like this didn’t feel so bad after all.