Xu Wennuan came up with a rough estimate and raised one finger. She said softly, “One thousand.”
Lu Bancheng did not say anything. He dug out his wallet from his pocket and opened it before remembering that he had given most of his money to the foreign man when he asked him to act as his friend. All he had left was spare change that didn’t even amount to a hundred.
He internally panicked for a moment and then shut his wallet. He was just about to tell Xu Wennuan that they needed to look for an ATM when he thought about how she had mentioned making an overnight trip back to Lijiang. Changing his plan, he asked, “You’re heading back to Lijiang later?”
“Yes.” Xu Wennuan nodded her head.
“With a private car?”
Xu Wennuan nodded again.
Lu Bancheng’s eyebrows instantly furrowed. After a moment, he said, “I’m going back to Lijiang, as well. You can get a ride from me.” He paused before explaining, “I don’t have much cash in my wallet right now, and I didn’t see any ATMs around when I walked around this town this afternoon. I’ll withdraw some money for you when we get back to Lijiang.”
Even if she chose to hire a private car, it wasn’t guaranteed. There was no one who could help her right now except for Lu Bancheng. Xu Wennuan pondered and then ultimately nodded. “Okay,” she replied.
“Wait here for me. I’ll go say goodbye to my friend,” said Lu Bancheng.
Xu Wennuan knew he was referring to the foreign man in the bar and hummed softly in acknowledgment. Instead of following him back into the bar, she stood beside the window waiting for him to come out. Through the glass, she could see Lu Bancheng bidding farewell to his friend.
Five minutes later, Lu Bancheng emerged from the bar. He glanced at Xu Wennuan. “Let’s go.”
Xu Wennuan waited for him to start walking before she lifted her heels and followed behind him. “I’m sorry to trouble you,” she said.
Walking in front of her, Lu Bancheng responded a minute later, “No problem.”
Xu Wennuan didn’t continue the conversation. The two of them walked toward the parking lot in silence and, as they passed by a restaurant, Lu Bancheng recalled that she had spent the entire afternoon squatting by the road and hadn’t eaten dinner. His footsteps came to an abrupt stop. “I haven’t had dinner yet. How about we grab a bite before driving back?”
As someone who was receiving a favor, it was only natural that she had no objections to his desire to eat.
Am I supposed to wait outside for him?
Lu Bancheng seemed to know what Xu Wennuan was thinking and added, “Come in, and eat something, too.”
“Okay,” answered Xu Wennuan. She followed after Lu Bancheng and entered the restaurant.
The lighting in the restaurant was far brighter than in the bar. When they sat down opposite each other, Xu Wennuan inadvertently glanced at Lu Bancheng, who was studying the menu with his head lowered. It was only then that she noticed the numerous wounds on his face. Even though they had already faded, they were still conspicuous, and this was especially so for the injuries at the corner of his mouth. From the scabbing, it looked rather serious.
Did he get into a fight with someone?
As Xu Wennuan’s thoughts began to run wild, Lu Bancheng lifted his eyes and gazed at her. She hurriedly dropped her head and looked at the menu that he pushed toward her.
“What do you want to eat?” asked Lu Bancheng.
“I… I’m good with anything,” Xu Wennuan replied as she glanced at the bruises on Lu Bancheng’s face again.
Lu Bancheng did not force her to choose. He simply ordered two dishes.
……
After dinner, they walked to the parking lot, where Lu Bancheng dug out his keys, unlocked the car, and instinctively went to pull open the passenger door for Xu Wennuan out of habit, but Xu Wennuan moved first and pulled open the door to the backseat.