The next day, Shi Yue was nowhere to be seen early in the morning, as they only had classes during the third and fourth periods.
The other three remained in the dorm.
Sheng Ning’an suddenly received two bank transfers on her phone, one from Tian Yu and the other from Xue Xian.
Each person transferred five hundred yuan to her.
Sheng Ning’an turned around, puzzled, and asked, "What is this for?"
Tian Yu explained with a smile, "This is for the dinner at the restaurant yesterday. We know that place isn’t cheap, and you had arranged for your Young Uncle to join us, which is why we went to that restaurant. Xian and I discussed it, and we can’t just freeload off you."
"Exactly," Xue Xian nodded, "We’ve heard that the stuff there is quite expensive. It should be us paying for it. However, our living expenses are limited, so we can only repay you this much for now, and the rest we’ll give back to you next month."
It was their first time visiting that restaurant, and they had no idea about the prices before. They enjoyed the small cakes brought back last night, and looked up the shop online to see if they offered delivery so they could order cakes in the future.
To their shock, they found that just a small cake, 10cm in diameter, cost over a hundred yuan, which was way beyond their expectations.
How much then, did the dishes they ate yesterday cost?
They didn’t realize until they did the math, which gave them quite a scare.
They estimated that even their entire month’s living allowance wouldn’t cover it.
Even if the other party was wealthy, they couldn’t take such a big advantage without saying anything.
After some discussion, they decided to each transfer five hundred yuan to Sheng Ning’an now, and another five hundred next month.
It might not be enough, but it should be close.
Sheng Ning’an immediately clicked to refund the money, saying, "You don’t have to do this; the meal was paid for by my Young Uncle. He’s a bachelor without a girlfriend, and usually doesn’t have much to spend money on, so treating us to a meal isn’t a big deal for him."
"Whether your Young Uncle is wealthy is beside the point, we can’t just take advantage of that. Besides, your Young Uncle paid because of you. Anyway, you must accept the money," Tian Yu said.
Xue Xian nodded in agreement, "Yeah! Just accept it! Otherwise, we’ll feel embarrassed to ask for your help again next time."
Sheng Ning’an wasn’t short of money, but she understood that her friends genuinely didn’t want to impose on her.
The hardest thing to come by between friends is sincerity.
She said, "Let’s forget about the money. How about this: I treated you to a meal, and you can each treat me to one in the cafeteria. One for lunch and one for dinner, how does that sound?"
"I treated you to one meal, and you will return the favor with two, so it looks like I am the one who will benefit."
Though she said this, it was still them who were getting the better deal.
In the cafeteria, even the most expensive meal only costs a few tens of yuan, which wouldn’t be enough even for a slice of cake.
The cost of two meals together wouldn’t amount to much.
Yet, seeing that Sheng Ning’an was firm in not accepting the money, they said, "Okay, just tell us whatever you want to eat, and for the next week, we’ll cover all your meal expenses!"
The average meal for them in the cafeteria costs less than twenty yuan per person, and even a nicer meal doesn’t cost much, so inviting her for a week wouldn’t compare to the expense of one meal she treated them to.
Not to mention, every weekend when Sheng Ning’an goes home, she always brings back food for them.
They have always been the ones benefiting from her generosity.
They couldn’t take her wealth for granted just because she has money!
Xue Xian also nodded in agreement.