I'm back in 1990

Chapter 399: Rumors

Before long, rumors began to circulate throughout the school that Huang Xiaochuan was the young master of a wealthy family and that his family owned a whole garden villa.

Upon hearing this rumor, Lü Jingyun immediately sought confirmation from Huang Xiaochuan.

"Teacher Huang, I heard you live in a garden villa on Huaihai Road? Is that true?"

Huang Xiaochuan immediately knew who was behind this. It was most likely Pan Fei from the General Affairs Department. Huang Xiaochuan had once seen him delivering something to Aunt Wen at the entrance of the alley, so he asked his grandmother about it and found out that Pan Fei was Aunt Wen's son-in-law.

Considering this relationship, Huang Xiaochuan didn't want to argue with him anymore. He didn't expect that this bastard would keep going on and on.

Huang Xiaochuan didn't answer the question, but instead asked, "Sister Lü, who told you that?"

Lü Jingyun shouted urgently, "Never mind where I heard it from, I just want to know if it's true!"

Huang Xiaochuan then made up a lie.

"Oh! That's my grandmother's house, not mine. I just live there."

Upon hearing that Huang Xiaochuan indeed lived in a garden villa, Lü Jingyun was immediately filled with envy.

"So it's true? I never knew you were a young master from a wealthy family!"

Huang Xiaochuan quickly corrected Lü Jingyun's words: "In the new society, there are no young masters anymore. Besides, I don't have the opportunity to be a young master."

Lu Jingyun's eyes sparkled. For Shanghainese, a garden villa was simply a dream mansion! Every Shanghainese had a dream of owning a villa, and Lu Jingyun was no exception.

"Wow! Wow! I never knew you, Teacher Huang, lived in a villa with a garden?"

"The house must be incredibly beautiful, right? Teacher Huang, what's it like living in a garden villa?"

Lu Jingyun turned into a million "whys," driving Huang Xiaochuan crazy. No matter how many times he denied it, it was no use.

The news spread like wildfire, and soon Ma Yifeng, Jiao Zhiyong, and An Cheng all knew about it.

Ma Yifeng actually went up to Huang Xiaochuan and, imitating the mannerisms of people from the Qing Dynasty, bowed deeply to him.

"Greetings to Master Huang!"

Huang Xiaochuan was amused and annoyed: "Old Ma, can't you be a little more serious?"

"Yes, sir!" Ma Yifeng immediately replied and stood up straight.

Huang Xiaochuan covered his face in anger, refusing to acknowledge him.

This guy then pried Huang Xiaochuan's hand aside and relentlessly asked, "Everyone says you're the young master of a wealthy family, living in a huge villa with eighty or ninety servants to wait on you? Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan exclaimed, "Good heavens! The rumors have spread like this!"

With a quick glance, Huang Xiaochuan had an idea.

"Old Ma, Old Jiao, Old An, and Sister Lü, here's the arrangement! In a few days, I'll arrange a family dinner at home and invite you all to come over. You won't believe anything I say now, but facts speak louder than words. You'll see for yourselves the house I live in then."

Upon hearing that Huang Xiaochuan was going to treat them to dinner at his home, the group immediately agreed without even exchanging pleasantries.

After thinking for a moment, Huang Xiaochuan also invited Sang Weihong. When Ma Yifeng saw that Huang Xiaochuan had invited Sang Weihong, he was so happy that he almost hugged Huang Xiaochuan's head and kissed him. Fortunately, Huang Xiaochuan saw that something was wrong and kicked him away.

If you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way. The old apartment in the alleyway where Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Xiang used to live had been empty for a while. Huang Xiaochuan made a phone call to Mai Guangde, asking him to arrange for someone to clean the house inside and out, and also to buy some flowers and plants to decorate the yard. The furniture and appliances inside were all covered with white sheets; a quick clean would suffice.

A week later, Huang Xiaochuan personally cooked a banquet for these colleagues here.

Although it wasn't the legendary garden villa, this old lane house still made Lü Jingyun extremely envious, not to mention Ma Yifeng, Jiao Zhiyong, and An Cheng.

"Teacher Huang, is it just you and your wife living in such a big house?" Lü Jingyun had taken Sang Weihong up and down the stairs several times.

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and nodded, then beckoned to the group, "Sister Lü, Senior Sang, please sit down and have some fruit and tea. Please wait a while while I go prepare the dishes!"

Yu Xiang wasn't home, but their wedding photo was hanging in a very conspicuous place. After seeing it, everyone praised Huang Xiaochuan for being so lucky to have found such a virtuous and beautiful wife.

Huang Xiaochuan can only cook a few home-style dishes, but the most impressive one is his pot of spicy crayfish.

When a basin full of crayfish was served, the group exclaimed in surprise.

Huang Xiaochuan then took out four bottles of Wuliangye liquor and two bottles of red wine from the cabinet, along with two cases of German-made canned beer.

Jiao Zhiyong wasn't a good drinker, and seeing Huang Xiaochuan pull out so many bottles of baijiu, red wine, and beer, he was taken aback and said, "Drinking is best done without being pressured. Let's just drink casually, shall we?"

Ma Yifeng teased Jiao Zhiyong, "Old Jiao, no feast is complete without wine. Tonight, Old Huang invited us all to his home and even cooked for us himself. This is the highest level of hospitality. You can't let him down!"

An Cheng pushed up his glasses and said, "That's right, don't worry, no one will force you to drink. You can control how much you drink, is that alright?"

Huang Xiaochuan laughed and said, "Those who are capable should do more. Those who can eat and drink should eat and drink more, and those who can eat but not drink should be responsible for eating more. Isn't that enough?"

Then Huang Xiaochuan asked Lü Jingyun and Sang Weihong a few questions.

"Ladies, would you like some red wine or beer? Soft drinks are fine too!"

Lü Jingyun immediately claimed a bottle of red wine: "You men drink the white wine, and Xiao Sang and I will share a bottle of red wine."

Seeing that Lü Jingyun had already arranged the tasks herself, Huang Xiaochuan smiled and said, "Alright, do as you please."

After the wine was poured, the group began to toast and enjoy their meal.

The dish that received unanimous praise was the basin full of spicy crayfish, especially from Lü Jingyun, who licked her fingers clean even after they were covered in broth. This eating style was completely different from her image in the office.

With a bite of lobster and a glass of wine, Huang Xiaochuan and the others drank heartily. Jiao Zhiyong, who claimed to be a poor drinker, was also influenced by the taste of the lobster and drank more than three ounces of baijiu. As a result, his face turned bright red from head to toe, just like a lobster.

Halfway through the drinks, everyone started to speak freely. In the office, one has to maintain a professional image, but at Huang Xiaochuan's house, there's no need to put on airs. Jiao Zhiyong, who was quite drunk, even volunteered to dance a frontier dance.

The dance moves were so powerful that Huang Xiaochuan kept exclaiming "Holy crap!"

Huang Xiaochuan wasn't the only one like this; the others weren't much better. It was unexpected that the refined and gentle Jiao Zhiyong had such great talent.

The meal lasted until nearly midnight before everyone reluctantly parted ways.

Lu Jingyun's husband came to pick him up. The group greeted him and then watched the couple leave.

Although Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng had drunk quite a bit tonight, they were still clear-headed. They made an excuse to leave together, leaving the opportunity to Ma Yifeng to take Sang Weihong back to school. Sang Weihong also lived in a single dormitory, in the same building as Huang Xiaochuan and the others. However, Huang Xiaochuan and the others were on the second floor, while the dormitories of Sang Weihong and the other single young women were on the fifth floor.

"I'm Back in 1990," a masterpiece by Sijiucai (Four Seasons Leek), is available to read now!