What Are Your Tastes? chapter 17

Uncles can dress up nicely too

At noon, they had lunch with the school leaders, including Principal Guo, who had just turned fifty that year. His face was deeply lined, his skin weathered, making him appear older than his actual age, yet he maintained a lively and enthusiastic demeanor in public.

The elderly man cared deeply about education, not only on Zhou Yanchuan’s side but also striving in many ways to raise funds and improve the quality of education.

The experimental primary school was located in the northwest of Wen county, with two low-rise buildings at the entrance and a playground inside. The graffiti wall mentioned by Zhou Yanchuan was on the other side of the playground. Beyond the school walls were rolling hills.

“Perhaps it can’t compare to yours, but it currently boasts the best facilities in the county, with both a cafeteria and labs,” the principal briefly introduced as he led them around, “thanks in large part to Mr. Zhou.”

“Come on, Lao Guo, don’t embarrass me,” Zhou Yanchuan interjected immediately, “Mr. Lu and I are neighbors, we see each other all the time, which makes me feel quite embarrassed.”

“What’s wrong with speaking the truth?” Principal Guo turned to Lu Yunchu and asked, “Mr. Lu, do you think Mr. Zhou can be considered a pride of our school?”

Lu Yunchu nodded gently at Zhou Yanchuan’s embarrassed face. Others might think the same words were mere flattery, but the old principal’s simple tone made it seem genuine.

“Mr. Zhou knows different people,” he turned around, “I didn’t expect him to bring such a dignified gentleman.”

This time it was Lu Yunchu’s turn to feel embarrassed, and Zhou Yanchuan enjoyed the spectacle.

It was just afternoon class time, and some classes were having physical education on the playground, with a ball rolling to their feet.

“Isn’t this Xu Jian?”

“Hello, Principal! Hello, Uncle Zhou!” The seven or eight-year-old boy ran quickly towards them. Zhou Yanchuan picked up the ball and handed it back to him. He didn’t leave immediately, “Uncle Zhou, you are here again.”

“Yes,” Zhou Yanchuan had visited the school many times, and some more active children were already familiar with him. He knew this boy named Xu Jian, whose father had passed away early, leaving his mother alone to raise him. Probably because their childhood experiences were similar, Zhou Yanchuan had a deeper impression of him than other students, “How are classes going since school started?”

“Great!” Xu Jian glanced at Lu Yunchu, whom he hadn’t met before. Being a young child, he was a bit shy meeting new people, but he relaxed a bit when Lu Yunchu smiled at him

“This uncle is a teacher from out of town. He will be giving you a lecture later,” Zhou Yanchuan said to the boy.

Xu Jian’s expression showed a hint of surprise, then he gestured for Zhou Yanchuan to lower his head and said something quietly to him. Zhou Yanchuan responded in a whisper.

Lu Yunchu couldn’t hear their conversation, but he noticed Zhou Yanchuan glancing at him a few times, accompanied by a hint of ambiguous smile. They were probably discussing him.

Soon the boy ran off, and Zhou Yanchuan said to him and the principal, “Let’s go to the classroom.”

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Zhou Yanchuan wasn’t sure how Lu Yunchu would conduct the lecture, perhaps similar to a regular art class. He recalled that when he was in school, he wasn’t interested in most subjects, especially art. Once, when a teacher asked him why he always drew stick figures, he joked that from a distance, people looked like matchsticks, which got the whole class laughing.

He found drawing boring. Drawing simple things made others think he was childish, and complex drawings were beyond his ability. However, today when the principal asked if he wanted to sit in, he agreed.

The number of desks and chairs in the large classroom was still limited. A larger child helped him bring another chair. Seeing some students still standing, he gave up his seat and stood at the back.

After the bell rang, the noisy crowd gradually quieted down. Zhou Yanchuan watched the young man, now considered a normal friend, walk up to the podium and begin talking about a topic unfamiliar to him.

Lu Yunchu’s voice was somewhat low and hoarse even among men, and his appearance could almost be described as delicate, especially with his hairstyle. When Xu Jian had asked Zhou Yanchuan quietly on the playground, “Why does this uncle look like an aunt?”

Zhou Yanchuan couldn’t help but laugh. Children rely entirely on stereotypes for gender judgment, seeing someone with long hair and a beautiful appearance subconsciously as an aunt, ignoring other physical features.

He had once thought that men with long hair and earrings were somewhat inappropriate, but these “special” traits suited Lu Yunchu perfectly and were pleasing to look at.

So he told Xu Jian, “Uncles can dress up nicely too, not just aunts who like to be beautiful.”

The lecture was divided into two sessions, one in the afternoon that day and one the next morning, aimed at older and younger students respectively.

“Have any of you ever thought that the things you love to eat and play with can be transformed into various new forms? Now I’ll use a common fruit as an example…”

His speech was imaginative, connecting every tiny thing in life to the theme, occasionally interacting with the students below.

Zhou Yanchuan did not stay until the end. A few minutes before the conclusion, the school leaders had some other matters to discuss with him, so he had to leave early.

Not long after, the two met again. Zhou Yanchuan figured that Lu Yunchu wasn’t fond of socializing. After lunch with the leaders, he didn’t want to fuss around in the evening. He politely declined the principal’s suggestion to continue entertaining and instead took Lu Yunchu to the liveliest street in the county to find a restaurant. It was also the one he had visited the most.

“Let’s just eat whatever,” given the county’s dining conditions were definitely poorer, Zhou Yanchuan grinned and said, “Anyway, I quite like this place.”

“No problem, I’m fine with anything,” Lu Yunchu replied.

The waiter brought some appetizers first: a plate of dried radish and a plate of shredded seaweed.

Lu Yunchu picked up a piece with his chopsticks and noticed Zhou Yanchuan staring at him with a complicated expression.

“That one’s quite spicy,” Zhou Yanchuan warned, but Lu Yunchu had already put the dried radish in his mouth.

“Really?” He chewed on it and didn’t find it very spicy.

“Are you sure?” Zhou Yanchuan also relaxed and reached for his chopsticks, “Maybe they’ve improved it since I last suggested.”

“You’d better be careful—”

“Cough, cough!” Zhou Yanchuan almost choked and teared up, hastily drinking some mineral water.

“I forgot to tell you,” Lu Yunchu suppressed a smile, “I’m particularly tolerant of spicy food; things that most people find spicy, I don’t even notice.” It was true; he usually preferred mild flavors in his daily diet and liked spicy food.

“That explains it…” Zhou Yanchuan drank nearly half a bottle of mineral water in one go, still red-faced and sweating slightly on his forehead, wiping it clean with a tissue.

Lu Yunchu continued to taste the appetizers, while Zhou Yanchuan’s gaze followed his chopsticks, occasionally licking his lips.

Lu Yunchu noticed an interesting situation: although Zhou Yanchuan was afraid of spicy food, he likely yearned for its taste. He wanted to eat but didn’t dare, so he could only watch eagerly, looking a bit pitiful yet amusing, reminiscent of Sabrina’s expression when she wanted meat but couldn’t have it.

 He hid his amusement by drinking water.

Soon, their first dish arrived, which wasn’t spicy this time, so Zhou Yanchuan could relax and use his chopsticks.

However, before he could pick up anything, Lu Yunchu interrupted him, “Wait a moment.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Yunchu’s eyes sparkled, “Don’t you think this bone’s shape is quite spiritual?”

“What’s spiritual about it,” Zhou Yanchuan looked around, “It’s just spare ribs?”

“I want to take a picture of it,” he said.

He even had a sofa designed like a coffin; what’s taking a picture of a bone? Zhou Yanchuan resignedly put down his chopsticks and waited for Lu Yunchu to take out his phone, “Go ahead.”