Chapter 162: Ten-Year Agreement
Pine Mountain High School.
As the eastern sky began to lighten, Deng Yunheng, who had been sitting on the grass chatting with his classmates all night, knew it was time to say goodbye.
He stood up, cleared his throat, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Classmates, it's already dawn. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. It's time for us to part ways. You must be hungry after sitting here all night. Let me treat everyone to a bowl of noodles as our graduation meal."
A thoughtful female classmate spoke up, "Deng Yunheng, inviting so many classmates to eat noodles will cost a lot. Why don't we all chip in? Those who can afford more can contribute more, and those who can't can contribute less. It'll be easier if we share the cost."
Another female classmate echoed, "That's right, Deng Yunheng. There's strength in numbers. Let's pool our money and go eat together!"
Hearing this, some classmates looked uneasy. They didn't have a single penny to their names.
No one wants to lose face in front of their peers, but being penniless is an uncomfortable situation.
Fortunately, Deng Yunheng understood. He smiled and said, "It's alright. You don't need to pool money. Many of you know my family's financial situation is decent. Before the college entrance exam, my father gave me plenty of money so I could treat my classmates after the exam. So don't worry about burdening me."
At this, the male classmates who shared a dorm with Deng Yunheng nodded in agreement.
In his first year of high school, Deng Yunheng's meals were similar to theirs—mostly stir-fried dried radish with the occasional vegetable. But starting in his second year, his meals improved dramatically. He went from eating meat once or twice a week to having it daily, and eventually eating whatever he wanted. The change was striking.
Of course, his academic performance also improved significantly.
Seeing the male classmates nod, the female classmates realized Deng Yunheng not only excelled academically but also came from a well-off family.
So they stopped insisting, and the group headed to a noodle stall on the street.
When they arrived, the stall owner was busy slicing pork liver and lean meat, while his wife was separating stuck-together noodles.
Seeing so many students, the owner's wife's eyes lit up, and she greeted them warmly, "Students, would you like some noodles?"
Deng Yunheng asked, "Lady Boss, there are 42 of us. Do you have enough pork liver and lean meat prepared?"
The owner, who was slicing the meat, smiled and said, "Don't worry, students. We have plenty."
The owner's wife added with a smile, "Yes, we have enough. How much do you want per bowl?"
Deng Yunheng nodded. "Alright, then we'll have 42 bowls of noodles at 50 cents each. Make sure to give us enough pork liver and lean meat."
"What?!"
The owner's wife's eyes nearly popped out. She asked in disbelief, "Student, could you repeat that? How much per bowl?"
The owner nearly cut his hand in shock, staring at Deng Yunheng in disbelief.
The classmates were equally stunned.
A bowl of noodles at 50 cents was considered a luxury in this era. It was rare for anyone to order such expensive noodles, usually only those who came to drink at the stall would splurge on them.
Ordering 42 bowls at this price was unheard of. It was no wonder thecouple and the classmates were shocked.
Deng Yunheng smiled. "We want 50 cents per bowl. Is that okay, boss?"
He ordered such expensive noodles to put a perfect end to his high school days.
After two years of school life, he knew his classmates' family situations well. While he couldn't help much before, now that they were graduating, he could treat everyone to a luxurious bowl of noodles.
Moreover, Deng Yunheng was sure this meal would leave a lasting impression on his classmates.
Even twenty or thirty years later, whenever they reminisced about their high school days, this bowl of noodles would undoubtedly be a fond memory they'd mention.
The owner and his wife quickly assured him it was no problem and got to work with renewed energy. The owner sped up slicing the meat, while the owner's wife started cooking the noodles, apologizing, "Students, I'm sorry, but we don't have enough tables and chairs to seat everyone at once."
Deng Yunheng smiled. "It's alright. We'll manage. Just focus on making the noodles taste good and give us enough pork liver and lean meat."
The owner's wife nodded and concentrated on cooking.
Deng Yunheng then addressed the classmates, "There aren't enough tables and chairs here. The female students can sit, and the male students can stand."
By now, the classmates had recovered from their shock and looked at Deng Yunheng, unsure of what to say.
Earlier, when Deng Yunheng offered to treat everyone to noodles, they had expected bowls costing 3 to 5 cents. Even then, the thoughtful female classmates suggested pooling money to ease the burden on Deng Yunheng.
But no one expected him to start with 50-cent bowls, which was beyond their wildest imaginations.
At 50 cents a bowl, 42 bowls would cost 21 yuan.
Among the classmates, fewer than three had parents who earned more than 21 yuan a month. To them, this was an astronomical sum.
This generation's understanding of money was far different from future generations who never experienced hardship.
So, after recovering from their shock, the classmates tried to dissuade him:
"Deng Yunheng, there's no need to order such expensive noodles. 18 cents a bowl is already a luxury."
"Yeah, 50 cents a bowl is way too extravagant!"
Deng Yunheng waved his hand. "Classmates, it's just a bowl of noodles. Don't worry about it. We've been classmates for two years. After today, who knows how many years it'll be before we meet again.
So here, I'd like to make an agreement with all of you.
Ten years from now, no matter where we are, I hope everyone in Class 34 can return to our alma mater for our first class reunion. What do you say?"
His words instantly shifted the classmates' focus.
No one knew what life had in store for them after leaving school.
But at that moment, everyone agreed to the ten-year promise. Whether they could fulfill it in the future, only time would tell.
(End of Chapter)