Chapter 215: The Sister-in-Law Lightbulb

"Hello?"

Just after finishing his meal and returning to the guesthouse, A-Long received a call. He hadn't expected it to be from A-Ming, and even less so that A-Ming would invite him out for a meal.

A-Long was very touched: "But I've already eaten."

"Peace Hotel. Are you coming or not?"

"Ah, are you sure? Then I'm coming!" A-Long thought to himself that he usually wouldn't bother with small eateries, but this was the Peace Hotel.

Still, why hadn't A-Ming said something sooner? This invitation was far too sudden.

In truth, A-Long hadn't been part of Wei Ming's original plans; the plan had only included him and Sister Xue.

But plans couldn't keep up with changes. It just so happened that they ran into Gong Ying sketching at the Bund.

Since she was, after all, Sister Xue's younger sister, Wei Ming politely invited her to join them for a meal.

A clever sister-in-law would have said, "I've already eaten, I won't go," but Gong Ying didn't seem very clever; she said, "Okay, okay!"

Now Wei Ming was stuck. He could bring her along, but he still wanted to spend the afternoon and evening with Sister Xue. What would it look like to have a lightbulb tagging along?

Gong Xue felt very embarrassed. The Peace Hotel was so expensive; an extra person meant spending much more money. Besides, A-Ying really was a bit of a nuisance; her presence made it impossible for her to say many things.

Wei Ming, however, laughed: "It's livelier with more people, and we can try more dishes. How about I call another friend?"

Fortunately, he was experienced in this area and decided to use a "lightbulb counter-measure"—calling another male friend over to keep Gong Ying occupied, thereby securing space for himself and Sister Xue.

A-Long was the only candidate, so he immediately used a public phone to summon him.

Next, they waited for Gong Ying to finish her drawing before strolling slowly toward No. 20 The Bund.

Upon seeing the "Peace Hotel" sign, Gong Ying finally understood why her sister had been pouting. This wasn't just some ordinary eatery; the standard of this place was far too high!

But was it appropriate for two ordinary friends to eat at such a hotel? Or was their relationship not so ordinary after all?

Now Gong Ying couldn't leave even if she wanted to. She had to see what was going on. She wasn't being greedy, oh no; at worst, she would treat them back later, just at a cheaper place.

Wei Ming went inside with the sisters, and figuring A-Long would arrive soon, he went back down.

As soon as he left, Gong Ying immediately leaned against her sister: "Second Sister, when did you two make this appointment?"

"We didn't. Ma Xiaowei just went to the Shanghai Er Yingchang to find Director Xie Jin today, and we ran into each other, so we decided to grab a meal."

"You grab a meal at a place like this?" This felt more like a premeditated date.

Gong Xue looked at Wei Ming's retreating back and whispered: "Ma Xiaowei is a real foodie. He wanted to eat here the first time he came to Shanghai, and I couldn't stop him."

Gong Ying tentatively believed this explanation. She recalled: "The last time I saw him was also at the Bund, and I was sketching then too. What a coincidence. And it hasn't even been a year, but he feels so much more mature now. Last time, he seemed like a child."

Wei Ming: No kidding, I was still a virgin back then!

Gong Xue didn't think so: "Actually, he has always been very steady, not at all like someone his age, though he is occasionally a bit flighty."

Gong Ying thought to herself: Could he be pretending to be mature and sophisticated just for my sister?

"Sister, do you like him?" Gong Ying asked point-blank.

Gong Xue naturally wouldn't admit it: "Don't talk nonsense. We are just ordinary friends."

Gong Ying smiled: "I didn't ask about your relationship; I just asked about your attitude toward him."

"I admire him, and I even worship him a little. I'm even proud to be his friend, but that's all." Gong Xue didn't dare admit more; after all, the age gap between them was too large, and deep down, she felt a bit inferior.

While the two sisters were chatting, Wei Ming met Liu Rulong outside.

"You finally made it. Let's go, let's go. There are two great beauties joining us for dinner this time."

"Ah? I didn't even tidy up." A-Long was wearing his work clothes from the Shanghai Er Yingchang, and because he had been messing with pigments, his hands weren't even clean.

Wei Ming: "No need to tidy up. You aren't here to pick up girls anyway. Let me explain two things: the people across from us are sisters. You know Gong Xue, and the other is her younger sister. After the meal, find a way to lure the sister away and create an opportunity for me and Gong Xue to be alone. Okay?"

"Okay!" A-Long agreed readily, then raised a question: "A-Ming, don't I already have a sister-in-law? The one in Yanjing."

Wei Ming patted A-Long on the shoulder: "Yanjing is Yanjing, and this is Shanghai, isn't it?"

A-Long didn't quite understand, but given their relationship, even if Wei Ming were a scumbag, he would willingly serve as his wingman.

The two entered the Dragon and Phoenix Hall of the Peace Hotel. After they sat down, Wei Ming made the introductions.

Hearing that Liu Rulong was from the Film Academy, the sisters showed respect. Hearing that he studied animation and was interning at the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang during the holidays, the sisters began to talk about their childhood memories of the studio.

Back when they didn't have a television, they would often see a short film from the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang before the main feature. The adults found it annoying, but they watched with great interest.

This was also A-Long's first time seeing Gong Xue in person. She was indeed very beautiful and stylishly dressed. She wasn't the bright and imposing type like Zhu Lin, but her features were exquisite and her smile was flawless. No wonder A-Ming couldn't help but betray Sister-in-law Lin.

As an art student, A-Long couldn't help but analyze her from an aesthetic perspective.

Although the sister next to her was also a pretty girl, and the two sisters looked alike, the difference was like a hair's breadth leading to a thousand miles; compared to the older sister, the gap was obvious.

However, A-Long noticed an oil painting board flipped over by Gong Ying's feet, and pigments were clearly visible on her cuffs.

"Did you paint that?" A-Long asked curiously.

"Yeah, just for fun." Knowing A-Long was a professional in the arts, Gong Ying felt a bit embarrassed.

"May I take a look?"

Wei Ming couldn't help but give A-Long a thumbs up. Well done, keep chatting with her!

"Sister Ying, just let him look. A-Long is a disciple of Mr. Guan Shanyue; his artistic foundation is very high."

Although he was a master of traditional Chinese painting, Gong Ying had heard of him, so she shyly flipped the board over and started chatting with A-Long.

Although A-Long was usually rather taciturn, he was eloquent when talking about his area of expertise and interest. Although he didn't specialize in oil painting, he knew the basics, and his level was not below Gong Ying's.

They chatted about their things, while Wei Ming and Sister Xue whispered about ordering food, not looking at the prices, only at which dishes they liked.

Sister Xue was too embarrassed to order the big dishes, so she asked for seasonal vegetables. Besides, she was an actress and had to maintain her figure, so she had a small appetite and didn't eat much fish or meat.

Wei Ming loved fish and meat; that was his source of energy.

So he ordered shredded eel in Shanghai style, Eight-Treasure Gourd Duck, crystal river shrimp, and snowflake beef cubes.

They couldn't have all meat, so finally, he ordered tiger-skin vegetarian goose. For the staple, they would have crab roe buns; he ordered two steamers to start.

Six dishes for four people was about right. He didn't order more, after all, there were two girls, one who had already eaten, and he was the only main force.

"As for drinks, they have Coca-Cola here. Let's have one bottle each." At the Friendship Store in Yanjing, Coca-Cola was 45 cents a bottle, and here it was one yuan. That was fine; ordinary people couldn't even buy it without foreign exchange certificates.

Gong Xue thought about the foreign exchange in her hand, and her heart felt warm, though she hadn't decided what to buy yet.

Finally, Wei Ming calculated it; it was less than thirty yuan. It was much more expensive than the meal at Quanjude when he first arrived in the capital, worthy of being the most expensive hotel in Shanghai now.

Gong Ying also looked at the menu and did a rough calculation. Good heavens, it was almost equal to her monthly salary.

She had also found a job in graphic design. She had just started, and the salary wasn't high, about 30 yuan a month, just enough for one meal here.

While waiting for the food, Gong Xue whispered to Wei Ming: "What about the surprise you mentioned?"

Wei Ming glanced at the two lightbulbs and lowered his voice: "We'll talk after the meal."

The meal was very pleasant. Both girls, who didn't have big appetites, ate quite a bit. A-Long, who had already eaten lunch, didn't hold back his stomach either. Who said you couldn't eat if you were full!

Plus, the portions of Southern dishes weren't large, so they basically cleaned their plates, wasting no food.

Finally, the four of them left the Peace Hotel, burping. It was all that cola's fault.

Before leaving, Wei Ming asked the staff how much it cost to stay a night at the Peace Hotel.

A-Long asked: "You aren't coming back to the Shanghai Animation Er Yingchang guesthouse with me tonight?"

!

Hearing this, Gong Ying thought: But my sister has to come home with me to sleep!

Wei Ming laughed: "Just asking in advance. In case there's no guesthouse to take us in later, we can come here to crash for a night."

Staying here for a night was slightly more expensive than the Bai Yun Hotel in Guangzhou, but it was still affordable. As long as he could keep earning foreign exchange from abroad, he could fully afford high-end hotels in the future.

Still, it wasn't as comfortable as living at home. He just didn't know what the price of old Shanghai villas was now.

Old Shanghai villas were similar to Yanjing courtyard houses. They were previously held by the "old money" crowd, but with the trend of going abroad, the trading volume had picked up.

Gong Xue asked: "A-Ying, don't you have to go to work later?"

Gong Ying said proudly: "I took a day off. I don't have to work all day today!"

Gong Xue thought to herself, it's over; I can't get rid of her today!

Wei Ming glanced at A-Long. She wasn't working, so you couldn't work either.

A-Long blinked: Big brother, I have to go back and learn techniques. For the revitalization of Chinese animation, hey!

Wei Ming pulled A-Long: "How about we go for a stroll on Nanjing Road? Painters need to see more, right?"

Nanjing Road would certainly be bustling in the future, and even now, it was second to none in Shanghai. It was the earliest commercial street established after Shanghai opened as a port, witnessing the development and changes of the city, with deep historical roots. Both Gong Xue and her sister said it was no problem.

After walking just a few steps, they saw the Shanghai Art Exhibition Hall, which was the future Shanghai Art Museum. It hadn't been renovated yet, nor had it changed its name.

The Gong sisters had often come here with their father when they were young. When Gong Xue was in elementary school, her class had organized a visit. She started elementary school in '60, back when Wei Ming hadn't even been born.

Gong Xue introduced: "The exhibitions inside include not only traditional Chinese paintings and oil paintings but also prints, comic strips, and New Year pictures."

Hearing this, A-Long became interested. Wei Ming hatched a plan: "Then let's go in and take a look."

So the four of them went in together, but once inside, they separated due to different interests. Wei Ming had A-Long accompany Gong Ying to look at oil paintings, while Wei Ming and Gong Xue strolled around for a while before sneaking away.

After walking out of the exhibition hall, Wei Ming took Sister Xue's hand and started running, laughing as he ran: "Let them play; we'll go stroll on our own."

Moreover, after coming out, Wei Ming took her onto the nearest bus at the closest bus stop, ensuring that those two would have no way of finding them.

Although Gong Xue felt it wasn't very kind, she still found it quite exciting.

"So where are we going now?" Sister Xue, who was confused after the excitement, asked after they cosplayed "The Graduate."

Wei Ming: "How would I know? I'm not a local. Is there anything fun along the route this bus takes?"

Gong Xue took a look: "Oh, this bus passes Hongkou Park. Lu Xun's tomb is there."

Gong Xue was catering to his interests; she knew the pen name "Wei the Madman" came from "A Madman's Diary."

Hongkou Park was the future Lu Xun Park. As soon as Wei Ming heard this, he slapped his thigh: "That's it. Let's go there for a stroll."

Meanwhile, at the Shanghai Art Exhibition Hall, Liu Rulong accompanied Gong Ying to finish looking at the oil painting section, and Gong Ying also returned the favor by taking him to visit the comic strip section.

In 1922, the Shanghai Literature and Art Bookstore published the "Complete Illustrations of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms." This was the first storybook in China to depict stories in the form of comic strips, so the comic strip industry in Shanghai was very developed, especially in the 1930s and 1940s, when masters were as numerous as clouds, profoundly influencing the generation of Liu Rulong's maternal grandfather, Yang Songqiao.

Grandfather had once told A-Long that in '52, Shanghai established a study class for comic strip workers, absorbing 200 people, and he was fortunate to be one of them.

Seeing those comic strips passed down from the older generation, A-Long thought of his grandfather and watched even more seriously and devoutly.

Gong Ying was actually just skimming when she visited, but A-Long was watching so seriously. She suppressed a smile, feeling that this little brother was quite interesting.

He looked quite cartoonish himself, round and slightly chubby, and pigeon-toed, harmless to humans and animals, like a panda. Now that he was engaged in the manga and animation industry, she felt that if he drew himself as a manga character, he could publish it directly.

A-Long carried paper and pen with him. He said to Gong Ying: "Sister Ying, I want to copy this painting. I've heard my grandfather talk about it, but I've never seen it."

Gong Ying didn't urge him: "Sure, you take your time copying. I'll go find the two of them."

However, after A-Long finished copying, Gong Ying returned with a frustrated look.

"A-Long, it seems we've been dumped!"

A-Long: "Ah? I don't think so. My words and actions are very proper."

"I mean my sister and Ma Xiaowei. They're gone!"

A-Long had expected this. He laughed: "Then they must have been the ones dumped, they dumped us. But it doesn't matter, we're both adults, we'll definitely be able to find our way home."

Gong Ying felt this was premeditated, but she didn't include the harmless A-Long in it. It must have been her sister and Ma Xiaowei's idea. These two were definitely more than ordinary friends!

"A-Long, tell me about Ma Xiaowei's affairs."

"Which aspect?"

Gong Ying: "Emotional aspect."

A-Long thought for a moment: "What is certain is that he likes women~"

(Bonus for 11,000 monthly votes, December bonuses cleared. I'll make up today's base tomorrow. Middle age is helpless.)

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 216 =====