If Yun Hao really gave up on Yu Mei, Chu Yan would look down on him instead. Besides being loyal, there's one more important quality for a man: responsibility!
Originally, since today was the weekend, Chu Yan wanted to sleep in a bit, but Yun Hao wasn't having it. He forcibly got her up, saying he wanted to take her out to eat today!
"We're going out for breakfast!"
"Why not just eat at home?!"
"Wu Ma is quite old, let her have a break. Besides, the place I want to take you to is amazing!" Yun Hao patted Chu Yan's head with his right hand and then stepped on the gas, overtaking a car in front.
Chu Yan got out of the car with Yun Hao, looking at the somewhat messy and dirty alley before them. She couldn't help but look at Yun Hao suspiciously. If she remembered correctly, this was already the old district, and she didn't understand why Yun Hao brought her here.
"Let's go, honey. The place is inside here!" Yun Hao held Chu Yan's jade-like hand and led her into the depths of the alley. Yun Hao seemed quite familiar with the place, as after getting out of the car, he led Chu Yan through seven or eight turns before stopping in front of a breakfast shop.
"Uncle Zhang, six fried dough sticks and two bowls of soybean milk!" Yun Hao found an empty seat under the awning with Chu Yan and shouted to the busy old man at the shop front.
"Alright!" Uncle Zhang responded casually, then filled a plate with six fried dough sticks, and carried over two bowls of soybean milk.
"Young man, you seem a bit unfamiliar!" Uncle Zhang scrutinized the young man in front of him, who was calling him Uncle Zhang without hesitation. It's been years since anyone called him that. In these times, everyone tends to mind their own business, unlike in the past when neighbors were closer than relatives!
Nowadays, those who come for breakfast almost always call him Boss Zhang.
"Are you... are you Little Mouse?" Uncle Zhang squinted his aging eyes, finally catching a glimpse of a long-ago memory on Yun Hao's face!
"Yes, Uncle Zhang, I'm Little Mouse. Your soybean milk is still as delicious as ever!" Yun Hao was delighted that Uncle Zhang recognized him, hurriedly standing up with a smile to face him.
"And this is..." Uncle Zhang's wife stared at Yun Hao for a moment, seeming to recognize but not quite daring to confirm.
"Hao Ge, it's really Hao Ge!" It was a slightly skinny, not very tall young man beside them who recognized him!
"Er Pang, how are you still so skinny!" Yun Hao patted the young man on the shoulder in front of him, teasing as he spoke.
While a few of them were chatting there, an older man walked in from the alleyway entrance and said, "Old Zhang, your business is doing well, even big bosses drive here just to visit you!"
"He must be a big boss, that's my Hao Ge!" Er Pang proudly declared.
"Little Mouse, you and your girlfriend must wait a bit. Once the stall is closed, we'll sit down and have some tea and chat!" Uncle Zhang heard that there were new customers calling for orders on the other side, so he instructed Yun Hao and quickly went over.
After Uncle Zhang's family left, Chu Yan looked Yun Hao up and down with her beautiful eyes, making Yun Hao feel a bit uneasy!
"Honey, don't look at me like that, you're making me shy!" Yun Hao pretended to act all coy.
"Tell me, what's going on?"
"It's nothing much, you always wanted to know more about me, right? Before I went abroad, I used to live in the alleyways here with Su Qiao. At that time, I would come here for breakfast every morning. I used to extort Er Pang when I got breakfast, so I never actually paid for it. But thankfully, Su Qiao and I always helped Uncle Zhang with the customers!" Yun Hao explained to Chu Yan with a smile.
"Why is Er Pang called Er Pang? He's so skinny, was he fat when he was younger?"
"He was even skinnier when he was younger, like a little chick. Uncle Zhang was afraid he was too thin and wouldn't grow well, so he named him Er Pang, hoping he would get chubbier. Back then, we weren't like now; lots of people want to lose weight. Back then, being fat was considered lucky. Anyone who was fat was seen as having good fortune, living well and eating well!"
"So, dear, where are we going next? Somewhere you spent your childhood?" Chu Yan felt a bit excited inside. Yun Hao bringing her here, letting her see his childhood environment, meant he truly let her into his heart!
"There's nowhere else left to go; this is the only place left from my childhood memories!" Yun Hao looked a bit sad, helplessly shook his head, and then suddenly said, "But, later I'll take you somewhere fun!"
After catching up with Uncle Zhang and his family for a while, Yun Hao excused himself, saying he had things to do, and left. But he couldn't refuse the warmth of Uncle Zhang's family, so he promised to come again in a couple of days and bring Su Qiao along!