Chapter 97: Inviting the Beautiful Lady
As they raced along, away from the city, the scenery kept changing: fields, villages, mountains and various attractions. Gu Fan, who was observing all this, sometimes wondered what kind of people lived in a village surrounded by mountains on all sides. The transportation system there was poor, so why did they insist on not moving away?
But on second thought, life must be comfortable there. Neighbors can walk directly to each other’s houses, greet each other, filled with a sense of community. Especially during festivals, every household can set off fireworks, transforming the night sky into a brilliant spectacle. How lively it must be!
Just as Gu Fan was lost in his thoughts, Su Hui spoke up, "It’s close to noon. Let’s find a town to have lunch and rest for a while. We don’t have to rush every mealtime."
"Agreed!" said Gu Fan, nodding. He then called Professor Luo to discuss their plan and then informed Lu Yi to keep up with Su Hui’s car.
They exited the highway and drove directly towards another city. They randomly selected a restaurant there, and the group of ten sat down together for a meal. This was the first time since their journey began that they had the opportunity to eat and chat, getting to know each other better.
Du Jun enjoyed moments like these and declared, "Order whatever you want, it’s my treat this time. As long as we can find the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye and contribute to our country’s archaeological endeavors, I will feel like I’ve done something meaningful."
Seeing Du Jun’s attitude, Professor Luo was very pleased and couldn’t help but praise, "There are fewer and fewer young people like you nowadays."
"Oh, it’s nothing," said Du Jun, modest in appearance but genuinely puzzled. He glanced at Gu Fan because the rhetoric of contributing to archaeological work was all Gu Fan’s idea. The goal was to help Du Jun establish a good impression in front of Professor Luo, so Du Jun’s sponsorship wouldn’t be viewed as having an ulterior motive.
Originally, Du Jun was quite averse to this, even looking down on Gu Fan, but when the beautiful Qin Jia expressed her gratitude for Du Jun’s support towards archaeology, he was ecstatic and quickly echoed his desire to do something meaningful.
Everyone was chatting and eating happily. The atmosphere was harmonious. Thanks to being peers, Xu Haowen and Qin Jia quickly became acquainted with Gu Fan’s group.
Du Jun even suggested that they shouldn’t hurry on their journey. He offered to treat everyone to enjoy some time in this city before setting off again.