Chapter 112: Hosting a Dinner Party

The Mage’s Legend Without Pop-up Ads

After greeting Lao Zhao, the thirty-something technician responsible for handling computer issues and night watch at the internet café, Lin Jia bought a pack of Red Golden Dragon cigarettes worth ten yuan as a bribe. He asked him to keep an eye on the café so that Meimei could go out with them for a late-night snack.

Lao Zhao gave a suggestive chuckle, eyeing Lin Jia and the bashful Meimei, then laughed heartily and waved them off. “Go on! Go on! There’s nothing much to do tonight anyway. There probably won’t be anyone coming to stay overnight. Meimei, just lock up the cash register and go. I’ll watch the place; it’s no trouble!”

Lao Zhao’s sly look made Meimei feel both shy and embarrassed. Lin Jia often liked to chat and flirt with her, and everyone at the café—both the boys and girls on shift, as well as Lao Zhao—knew they were quite close. Even Meimei’s girlfriends teased her, saying she was dating Lin Jia.

At eighteen or nineteen, Meimei was at that tender age when emotions were just beginning to stir. She was both curious and wary of boys. Lin Jia, though not handsome in a conventional sense, had a smile that irresistibly caught her attention. She couldn’t quite put her feelings into words. She only knew he was domineering and shameless, always touching her despite her protests. No matter how much she scolded or hit him, he acted as if nothing had happened. When he got hurt, she felt panicked and concerned instead. Though he was far from gentle, often making decisions without consulting her, like when he insisted on taking her out to eat and arranged her leave without her agreement, she found herself strangely unable to dislike him. In fact, his persistent attention made her somewhat proud in front of her friends.

The contradictory vanity of a young woman!

To justify herself, Meimei even blamed the kind-hearted Lao Zhao in her mind. “It’s so late, and you’re letting me go out with several strange boys! What if I get kidnapped? You old fool!” Yet, she didn’t realize that the choice to go out was hers alone. Her legs carried her, and if she didn’t want to go, no one could force her.

So, in a muddled fashion, Lin Jia and his two brothers, along with Meimei, left the internet café. They hailed a taxi and headed straight to one of the few late-night eateries in the small town called “Flower Fairy City.”

This “Flower Fairy City” had no connection whatsoever to the old cartoon “Flower Fairy.” Even Lin Jia didn’t know why this bustling nighttime food street bore such a name.

It was a narrow, somewhat untidy alley, lined with chaotic stalls selling barbecue and local snacks. The mixed smells of smoky oil, cumin from grilled meats, the onion fragrance from fried buns and dumplings, among others, blended into a peculiar aroma—not exactly pleasant, but enough to make one’s mouth water irresistibly.

Lin Jia and his friends weren’t here because the food was exceptional. Among the few places open after midnight, this was the cheapest with a uniquely distinctive taste. Being not well-off, they wouldn’t dare spend at some extravagant hotel where a single meal could leave their wallets aching for months.

They ordered a hodgepodge of dishes: fried stinky tofu, grilled lamb skewers, grilled chicken feet, Jingwu duck neck, pig liver vermicelli soup, spicy stir-fried wide noodles, and a serving of shelled freshwater snails. Lin Jia and his youngest brother dashed to a nearby convenience store to fetch a case of Xingyinge beer.

With a loud “bang bang bang bang!” they pried open four bottles. Excitedly, Lin Jia raised his beer bottle and declared, “This is the first time us brothers are treating with money we earned ourselves. No arguments! Let’s toast!” Without waiting for glasses, he stuffed the bottle into his mouth and gulped down the beer in one go.

The eldest and youngest brothers were equally thrilled, shouting in agreement, clinking their bottles hard, and drinking eagerly. Only Meimei watched the three brothers drinking so heartily, having never seen anyone start with beer before even touching the food.

The youngest and eldest brothers barely managed half a bottle before gasping for air and stopping. Lin Jia, however, finished his entire bottle in one breath. With a loud “burp,” he pulled out the bottle and exhaled a satisfied breath of alcohol, prompting laughter from the eldest, the youngest, and Meimei.

“That’s the spirit!” Lin Jia stomped the horizontal bar of the stool where Meimei sat with a decisive kick. Left hand on his knee, right hand grasping chopsticks, he picked up a juicy piece of fried stinky tofu and devoured it roughly. His brusque manner made Meimei frown slightly.

Wiping the grease off his mouth with a napkin, Lin Jia opened another bottle, this time using a glass. Raising the filled cup, he said to the eldest and youngest, “I don’t know if you feel the same, but ever since we graduated last year, I feel like a pig. My parents nag all the time. No news about work. I’m useless. Want to go out and have fun? No money! Stay home and the adults treat you like a nuisance, like you’re in the way! It’s so painful inside!” The eldest and youngest nodded in deep agreement and didn’t hesitate to drink.

Swallowing his drink, Lin Jia continued, “With our family’s situation, trying to do something on our own is just a dream! Want to ask for money to start a small business? Not a single parent agrees. They cling to that lousy steel mill job like a lifeline, hoping we become lifetime workers there. If you argue, my mom bursts into tears and lectures me about not studying hard, other kids going to college... I’m almost sick of hearing it. After over a year of fooling around since graduation, I’m ashamed to even ask for money now! Today, being able to spend my own money for a meal—no matter what, it feels good in my heart! Come on, one more toast!” Feeling the glass wasn’t exciting enough, Lin Jia took the bottle again and blew across the opening once more.

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[Reminder: Chapter five tonight! Those with tickets, please vote; those without, please bookmark!]