Chapter 23 He was promoted to a full-fledged employee in just ten days, that's impressive.

Nie Qingqing, having agreed to answer the question, ran back to ask, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

The man asked, "Would you sue that junior lawyer to Attorney He?"

She quickly shook her head, glanced at the layout of the meeting room, and lowered her voice: "Attorney He is busy with important matters. Why bother her with such a small thing?"

She smiled frankly and generously: "I know in my heart that Attorney Zhu is my apprentice and has been with me for a long time. I'm just a receptionist. Why should I fight a losing battle? I'll just do my job well, and when I get my salary, all my worries will be gone."

The man was very impressed: "You have a really strong mentality."

Is this what you call powerful? This is the first time Nie Qingqing has heard someone praise her like this. Before, some people even called her stupid. No one has ever said she's powerful.

She suddenly became worried: "You didn't tell Attorney He what I just said, did you?"

The man said, "This is a conversation between us; we won't tell anyone else."

Nie Qingqing felt a little embarrassed. She had been talking a lot and estimated that this person had been traveling and might be hungry.

She took it upon herself to get two pieces of chestnut cake from the front desk and brought them over on a plate.

"This is chestnut cake made by my sister-in-law. I was craving some, so I brought some home. If you don't mind, you can have some to tide you over."

The man, in return, opened the burlap sack, inside which was another plastic bag. He then opened that bag and took out a handful of sunflower seeds: "These are some sunflower seeds I roasted. Please have a taste if you don't mind."

Nie Qingqing took the seeds with both hands, put them on a plate, cracked one open, and exclaimed in surprise, "Did you roast these yourself? They're so sweet and fragrant! I've never eaten such fragrant melon seeds before!"

Seeing this, the man simply packed a small bag and offered it to her: "Since you like it, you can have these."

It's not expensive, refusing would be hurtful, and Lawyer He shouldn't criticize her for accepting these melon seeds.

She weighed the melon seeds in her hand; they weighed over a pound. Feeling bad about taking someone else's melon seeds for free, she carefully wrapped up the remaining chestnut cakes and put them in the man's snakeskin bag. She glanced back; since Lawyer Xiao Zhu hadn't come out, no one would say anything to her.

She smiled and said, "Then let's return the favor. You can take these chestnut cakes back with you and try them too."

...

As Attorney He escorted Mrs. Liu out, he spotted his client waiting there and quickly told Mrs. Liu to let his apprentice see her out.

She strode over and shook hands with the man who had already stood up: "Mr. Yan, thank you for waiting."

The man waved his hand casually: "It's nothing. I just chatted with the receptionist from your law firm, which helped me recover from the fatigue of the car ride."

Attorney He gave Nie Qingqing an approving look. The fact that the client wasn't angry was all thanks to her abilities, and that much should be acknowledged.

Attorney He invited Mr. Yan to the reception room, and Nie Qingqing brewed another cup of tea and brought it in.

Seeing the respectful attitude that Attorney He showed to Mr. Yan, Nie Qingqing felt quite proud. Fortunately, she hadn't treated him with the same disrespect as Attorney Zhu. This must be a big client.

...

They talked inside for about half an hour. Mr. Yan then took his leave, and Nie Qingqing and Attorney He politely escorted him to the door.

The man, still carrying the snakeskin bag, said to Attorney He, "Then I'll have to trouble Attorney He."

Attorney He responded, "You're too kind."

As the man left, he nodded to Nie Qingqing.

Nie Qingqing worked as a receptionist at the law firm, focusing solely on her job and never inquiring about clients' situations, fearing she might displease Attorney He. Therefore, she didn't ask who Mr. Yan was or what business he had with the firm. It was none of her concern as a mere receptionist.

Based on the experience of the past few days, there shouldn't be any more customers coming at this time. She was waiting to pick up Song Zhao and wanted to go early, so she asked Lawyer He for leave.

“Attorney He, I would like to leave work an hour early to pick up my husband.”

Nie Qingqing didn't like to inquire about law firm matters, but she had mentioned her family affairs to Attorney He quite a bit.

He Shunyi understood immediately and comforted him, "Didn't your husband go abroad on a government assignment? He's more knowledgeable than you think. He's easygoing and won't blame you for changing jobs, so don't be nervous."

Nie Qingqing was still uneasy: "I didn't discuss it with him. I feel guilty and can't sit still. I want to go as soon as possible."

Attorney He glanced at his watch and nodded: "Okay, go ahead then. Oh, by the way, you've been promoted."

"You've only worked for ten days! And you've already been promoted to a permanent position?" Nie Qingqing asked happily, puzzled, "Why?"

"Do I really need a reason to get a permanent position?"

Attorney He was in a good mood and explained with a smile: "That Mr. Yan just now is a nut and snack king. He is coming to the city to build a factory and asked our law firm to help him with legal matters. You received him very well. You don't need to do an internship or assessment. The ten days you worked before will be paid as a regular salary."

Nie Qingqing calculated that her first month's salary went from sixty yuan as an intern to one hundred yuan as a formal salary, an increase of forty yuan.

She was delighted: "Thank you, Attorney He. I'll be going now."

...

Attorney Zhu, standing to the side, looked incredulous: "Master, isn't Nie Qingqing remarried? How could she find such an outstanding man in her second marriage? Did her husband really go abroad on a government-sponsored scholarship?"

Attorney He: "Is this even true? Her husband is a factory manager, a very responsible person. It's true that outstanding people attract each other. I'm very lucky to have found Nie Qingqing as my receptionist."

Lawyer Zhu said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Master, you've never praised me like that before."

Attorney He instructed his apprentice: "Praise doesn't come from asking for it. If you do well, you don't need me to praise you; people will naturally praise you."

...

Nie Qingqing happily went to the station to pick up Song Zhao.

She came to the law firm as a receptionist, and for the first two days she dressed simply as usual, so no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

Attorney He offered a few suggestions: "This place is different from your previous workplace, so pay a little attention to your appearance. Look at us, we have both men and women, so aren't we dressed more elegantly and attractively? Clothes make the man, and when you are confident, clients will trust you."

Nie Qingqing listened to her advice, went home and dug out the skirts and leather shoes she wore when she was a young girl, ironed and washed them, stopped braiding her hair, and took great care of herself.

She's completely different now. I wonder what Song Zhao thinks of her?

...

As soon as Song Zhao stepped off the train, he spotted her in the crowd. After not seeing her for half a month, Qing Qing had changed so much. Something must have happened to make her change.

He weaved through the crowd, running over, putting down the large and small bags he had brought home, and hugged them tightly, his eyes and brows full of delighted smiles.

"Qingqing, did you dress up like this to pick me up?"

Nie Qingqing was a little embarrassed, but she couldn't lie to him: "I have a new job, and I only dressed like this because of work. Don't be angry, let me explain slowly, okay?"

How could Song Zhao be angry? "I'm so happy that you're getting better and better, how could I be angry? Don't rush, take your time, you can talk all night long."

Song Zhaoyue became more and more excited: "Why don't we not go to Mom's house to pick up the child today, and go tomorrow?"

Nie Qingqing quickly waved her hand. No matter how her appearance changed, her personality remained the same: "No, the children have been missing you for a long time. Let's have some alone time this weekend. Hurry up and go home."

...

Everyone at home was waiting for Song Zhao to come back before eating. Tangyuan rushed over immediately, and Xiaoyuan, who missed her father, followed, saying, "Dad, I missed you."

Tangyuan tugged at the bag Song Zhao had brought back: "Dad, I missed you too! What delicious food did you bring back?"

Nie Qingqing moved Tangyuan aside: "Do you miss your father, or do you miss the delicious food he brought back? Stop rummaging around, eat first."

On the way, Nie Qingqing had already told Song Zhao about the whole process of changing jobs. Song Zhao not only didn't blame her, but also praised her.

She said smugly to Tang Guizhi, "Mom, look how worried you were. Now you can relax."

Tang Guizhi said with relief: "It's a secure job, and I feel bad about it, but seeing how happy you all are, I'm relieved."

...

These past two days, Nie Qingqing has been in better spirits at work. When Attorney He saw her newly permed hair, he nodded appreciatively: "Not bad, it suits your temperament very well."

Nie Qingqing couldn't stand being praised. She hadn't gotten used to her new perm yet, and hurriedly smoothed her hair: "I spent three hours getting it done last night. Does it look good? I'm not used to it yet. Song Zhao and the kids all said it looks good."

Attorney He smiled and said, "It seems your husband isn't angry."

Nie Qingqing felt happy, but her hands were busy making coffee for Attorney He, which was a must every morning.

“I didn’t expect it. I had prepared several excuses, but he said that my two colleagues had quit, so I was the only one who could be hired. In that situation, my quick decision was absolutely correct. He even said that I would be promoted to a permanent position in ten days, which was amazing.”

Attorney He smelled the coffee that Nie Qingqing had just brewed. She had only been teaching her for a few days, but she had grasped the essence of the subject very well. Her attitude and ability were indeed excellent, and her husband had not been wrong to praise her.

She suddenly became nosy: "Now that you have no worries, then focus on your work. You have a lot of free time as a receptionist, so you can use that extra time to read books from the law firm and supplement your professional knowledge. Of course, this is just my suggestion."

Nie Qingqing was naturally willing to do it. She spent half her time idling, so having something to do was a good thing.

"Is that okay? I thought we couldn't do our own things during work hours."

Attorney He said, "Supplementing your professional knowledge is for better work. Personal matters are not allowed, but you can read professional books."

Nie Qingqing immediately sought out Attorney He and borrowed an introductory law book.

Attorney He encouraged, "Here, you can make annotations in it. If you have any questions, you can ask Xiao Zhu or me."

Attorney Zhu looked disdainful. "A receptionist trying to read professional books? What a waste of time."

She met her master's gaze and quickly smiled, "Of course."

...

Nie Qingqing's new job is going more and more smoothly, and her good mood affects everyone in the family. Everyone is in a good mood, especially Song Zhao, whose work efficiency is high when he is in a good mood.

On the contrary, Factory Director Yu looked worried and annoyed Song Zhao, who asked him, "I've been away for half a month and I don't know what happened to you. Are you worried about your sister's family?"

Factory Director Yu said irritably, "It's not my sister's house, it's because of you."

Song Zhao asked in bewilderment, "I'm perfectly fine. I'm not bothered at all, so why are you bothered?"

Factory Director Yu laughed in anger. Look, a well-fed man doesn't know how a starving man feels, and he still asks this question. It's even more infuriating.

He grumbled, "Your wife changed jobs, her mood improved, and her appearance improved too. Before, she looked like a down-to-earth woman, but now when she goes out in leather shoes, who can guess how old she is?"

Song Zhao felt smug and retorted, "My wife has become better, and you, a grown man, are jealous? Aren't you ashamed?"

Factory Director Yu explained, “What? Why would I have a problem with that? It’s my wife who gained some weight for the baby in her belly and doesn’t dress up as much as she did before we got married. Compared to your wife, she’s upset. She says that married life is not what she imagined and she’s throwing tantrums at me at home, saying that I’ve ruined her life and that she wants to go back to work after the baby is born.”

Song Zhao: "Then let her go to school. Didn't you originally plan for your mother-in-law to take care of the child?"

Factory Director Yu was anxious: "How am I supposed to assign her a job? As a receptionist? I don't want her to be in contact with men from all walks of life."

Song Zhao immediately saw through his thoughts: "I understand. You're afraid that if she gets to know the outside world and her horizons broaden, she'll have a problem with you. That's not the right way to think about it."

Factory Director Yu retorted, "What? Aren't you worried?"

Song Zhao frankly said, "I am worried, but your thinking is wrong. You can't stop her from getting better just because you're worried. That's selfish. You say you love your wife, but is this how you love her?"

Unable to refute him, Director Yu angrily shouted, "Whose side are you on anyway?"

Song Zhao said bluntly, "I'm on Qingqing's side. Stop complaining to others and go reflect on your own actions."

...

On the weekend, Nie Qingqing sat face-to-face with Song Zhao, reading a law-related book. They highlighted key points and took notes, looking very serious. The two of them kept each other company and felt very at ease, managing to stay silent for an hour or two.

Song Zhao raised his hand to check his watch, then looked out the window; the sun had already set.

"Qingqing, we should go to Mom's house for dinner and pick up the kids."

Nie Qingqing stretched and rubbed her sore shoulders. She turned to look outside. Although the sun was still shining, it would be dark soon, even though it was late winter and early spring.

She hurriedly tidied up, saying, "Time really flies when you get focused, let's get on with it."

Song Zhao took his time and made arrangements: "After picking up the kids and taking a shower, neither of us should read tonight. Couples need to communicate more so that our relationship doesn't fade."

Nie Qingqing didn't care: "I don't care whether I read this book or not, but can you?"

Song Zhao: "I'm more efficient during the day now, so it's okay if I don't watch it at night. Let's go, let's go early and come back early."

...

A month passed quickly, and Nie Qingqing received her first month's salary, one hundred yuan, which she deserved. She asked Song Zhao how they planned to celebrate.

Song Zhao said, "We'll take the kids to Huazhi Lane this weekend, and then we'll go to the department store. You can spend all 100 yuan on yourself as a reward."

Nie Qingqing was reluctant: "Spend it all? How are we supposed to make a living?"

Song Zhaoshe said, "I'll take care of your living expenses. This is your first month's salary. Treat yourself well. The clothes you wore when you were a young woman are a bit outdated. You should buy some new ones."

Song Zhao is very good at persuasion. Early on the weekend morning, as soon as the department store opened, the two of them arrived.

Nie Qingqing carefully selected several items, still thinking about He Shumei. She said to Song Zhao, "Shumei is probably experiencing pregnancy symptoms. She looks unwell lately. I want to buy her a dress as a gift to cheer her up."

Song Zhao: "She's pregnant now, so she probably can't wear it."

She definitely can't wear it now, but Nie Qingqing gave it to her to cheer her up.

"I just want to use my own money to give my good neighbor a gift, is that not allowed?"

Song Zhao nodded hurriedly: "Of course, the people you care about are truly blessed."

Nie Qingqing: "Stop praising me. If you keep praising me, I'll become arrogant."

Song Zhao laughed: "You're good at everything, except you don't know how good you are."

Nie Qingqing was overjoyed by the compliment and, holding up the two colors she had chosen, asked him, "If we were to give these to Shumei, do you think she would prefer the pink one or the blue one? I think Shumei would prefer the pink one."

Song Zhao: "I don't know about her, I only know that you look good in pink and blue."

...

He Shumei was throwing a tantrum at home and refused to eat, leaving Director Yu extremely anxious.

Nie Qingqing arrived with some things, and Factory Director Yu looked at her like a savior: "Qingqing, you've finally come! Quickly, help me appease this troublemaker."

Nie Qingqing: "Go and chat with Song Zhao. I want to talk to Shumei alone."

"Alright, you guys chat, I'll go out for a walk and buy you some snacks."

He Shumei knew this wasn't good, but she just couldn't control herself. She was in a bad mood for no reason, and she tried her best to suppress it, forcing a smile: "Not reading today? Come chat with me about nonsense sometime."

Nie Qingqing unwrapped the gifts she had brought, peeled a piece of candy, and popped it into her mouth to sweeten her taste.

“These are snacks that our lawyer, Mr. He, brought back from our Hong Kong headquarters. I took some from the kids’ mouths and saved them for you.”

He Shumei sulked like a child, "You're so busy at work now that you don't even have time to talk to me."

Nie Qingqing frankly said, "In this class, I can't just coast through like in the previous class. I still want to read some books when I get home at night. But Shumei, I'm thinking about you. Song Zhao made me spend all my salary this month. I bought several pieces of clothing, and I bought one for you too. Song Zhao said you can't wear it now, but I know you're looking forward to it. You'll have something to look forward to after you give birth."

He Shumei's stubbornness softened instantly. She unfolded the clothes that had been given to her, and when she saw the pink color and the fashionable new style, she held them in her arms with delight.

“I saw this style at the department store a while ago. Yu Zhengmin said that I shouldn’t wear pink because I’m pregnant and going to be a mother. I couldn’t be bothered to talk to him. You understand me best.”

Nie Qingqing held the clothes up to herself and thought they fit perfectly.

"You'll be giving birth in a few months, it'll be quick. When you're in your postpartum period, I'll send you fifteen earthenware pots of fragrant chicken soup to help you recover and keep your face rosy. My experience will be a guide for you, helping you avoid many detours. You have a month to recover, so you can take your time and think about what you want to do."

He Shumei was deeply moved and hugged Nie Qingqing tightly.

"Qingqing, why do you always waste so much energy trying to please others? If you encounter someone who is ungrateful, you'll suffer a lot."

Nie Qingqing patted her back: "Look at what you're saying. If I appease you, Director Yu won't bother Song Zhao anymore. If Song Zhao is happy, I'll be happy too. How am I at a disadvantage?"

He Shumei wiped her eyes, then smiled through her tears: "Thank you, I feel much better now."

Nie Qingqing brought the meal that Factory Director Yu had prepared to her: "That's right, eat quickly. Factory Director Yu is already tired enough at work, and he still has to coax you when he gets home. He looks much more haggard lately. Couples should be considerate of each other, and their lives will become sweeter and sweeter."

...

Factory Director Yu has been in high spirits lately, and he praised Song Zhao for the second time: "Your wife is really good at this. She can coax my wife so well. She is even more considerate to me now than when we first got married."

Song Zhao said calmly, without even raising his head, "I knew it, being your neighbor would cause a lot of trouble."

Factory Director Yu chuckled: "You should look on the bright side. Putting everything else aside, as the deputy factory director, I've always been very supportive of your work, haven't I?"

That's true. They have no selfish motives and cooperate well. Although Director Yu doesn't have much ambition, he has a good grasp of internal management, and the two work together very well.

There was something Song Zhaogang had just discovered and wanted to remind him: "Let's get down to business. Your nephew Zhigao has been a bit dishonest lately. He's been using the factory's vehicles to bring back goods to sell. Although others do it too, it's inappropriate for him to do this in your position. Your wife is about to give birth, and you can't take risks with your job. Find an opportunity to talk to him properly."

Factory Director Yu was furious when he heard this, and said angrily, "It must have been Xiao Qi who instigated this. How come Zhigao has become so easily swayed? I'll beat him up."

...

Now, whenever Nie Qingqing goes to Huazhi Lane, she receives compliments. She feels that she has only changed her hairstyle and clothes, so the change is not that big.

Song Zhao said that it is one's spirit and energy; whether a person is happy or not can be seen from their spirit and energy.

He added, "The happiness you feel from marrying me is different from the happiness you get from truly loving something and deriving spiritual satisfaction and financial reward from it."

He has a lot of profound principles, but they sound strangely reasonable.

Dahai's wife, standing at the door, saw Nie Qingqing wearing a new dress and smiled, praising, "Qingqing, you're getting more and more beautiful!"

Nie Qingqing took Song Zhao's arm and pulled him closer to her: "It's all thanks to Song Zhao for taking such good care of me. He said that women are like flowers; if they are well cared for, they will bloom beautifully. My beauty is a testament to his great contribution."

As soon as she finished speaking, Dahai's wife turned around and shouted into the house, "Dahai, did you hear that? Look at how haggard I look, it means you haven't been taking good care of yourself."

Inside the house, Brother Dahai protested, "What nonsense are you talking about? You don't look well, isn't it because your family upset you? What does it have to do with me?"

Nie Qingqing grabbed Song Zhao and ran: "Let's go quickly, or Brother Dahai will come out and scold us for being too gluttonous."

Song Zhao didn't care what others said. He was happy that Qingqing praised him: "Qingqing, you're not modest anymore."

Nie Qingqing: "If I'm happy, I should praise you."

...

It's parent-teacher conference time again, and coincidentally, both elementary and middle school conferences are this week. Tangyuan tried her best to impress: "Mom, I've improved a lot. Xiaoyuan and I are two spots available, so can you and Dad both go?"

Parent-teacher meetings are not calculated like that.

Nie Qingqing: "Only one of you needs to go. I have to attend your sister's parent-teacher conference. For the two of you, only your father can go."

Xiaoyin gave in to her younger brother: "I feel like Mom hasn't been paying much attention to my studies lately. Aunt Qingqing, actually, Dad could go to the parent-teacher conference for me."

That won't do. Just because Yunli can't remember now doesn't mean she won't remember in the future. Xiaoyin is sensitive, so she can only try her best to comfort her.

"Don't overthink it. Your mom is very tired taking care of a baby who's only a few months old. It'll be better when the baby turns one. I'll go to the parent-teacher meeting, and then I'll go see your mom."

...

Nie Qingqing first attended the parent-teacher meeting for Xiaoyin, and then went to Yunli's place over the weekend to tell her that Xiaoyin still ranked first in the class and her grades were very stable.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to you that she can maintain harmonious family relationships and focus all her attention on her studies."

Yunli's attention was on the baby in her arms, and she immediately praised the child.

"This baby was so difficult for me when I was pregnant, but she's been such a good girl since she was born. She eats and sleeps without crying. She's really here to repay my kindness."

Nie Qingqing teased the soft, chubby child. She thought he wasn't as pretty as Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan inherited the best features from his parents. Ji Chengtian wasn't as pretty as Song Zhaojun, so Xiao Yuan was still the prettiest child in the family. She was actually a little happy.

She quickly replied, "Right? He seems to have a personality like yours, quiet and gentle."

Yunli tapped the tip of her baby's nose and joked, "If you were a little more like me, you would be even prettier."

Nie Qingqing asked cautiously, "Which week would be convenient for you? I'll bring Xiaoyin and Xiaoyuan to visit you."

Yunli thought for a moment and said, "Xiaoyin is already in junior high school. Her studies are heavy, and she only has one day on the weekend. Let her do her homework properly. When summer vacation comes, let them come and stay for a few days. By the way, invite Tangyuan to come along. Otherwise, Xiaoyuan and Xiaoyin will always be thinking about it and won't feel at ease staying there."

Nie Qingqing agreed: "You're so thoughtful. I'll send the three kids over to stay for a few days during the summer vacation."

...

After returning from Yun Li's house, Nie Qingqing went straight home. She ran into He Shumei at the entrance of the residential compound and jogged over to her: "Shumei, why are you downstairs alone? It's the weekend today. Where's Director Yu?"

"He's upstairs talking to his nephew."

He Shumei took out the remittance slip from her bag, which she had just retrieved from the convenience store. She was overjoyed: "My brother has started earning money. He sent three hundred yuan back and called me to collect it. Two hundred is for my sister-in-law, and one hundred is for Zhigao."

Nie Qingqing asked gossipily, "You've already transferred 300, so you must have earned more than that."

He Shumei looked around smugly, and when no one was there, she said with relief, "That's for sure. If all the money were sent back, how could my sister-in-law keep it? It would probably be tricked away by Xiao Qi. My brother was careful and only sent a third of it back."

Earning a thousand a month is really good. Nie Qingqing was happy for her: "Your brother made the right choice in this step."

...

The two walked upstairs talking. Before they even reached the fourth floor, they heard Factory Director Yu arguing fiercely with his nephew. Factory Director Yu was usually good-tempered and rarely got so angry.

He Shumei quickened her pace, and Nie Qingqing supported her. The two stood at the door and listened for a while.

He Shumin's face grew paler as she listened: "Using the company's vehicle to transport goods, if others are reported, at most they lose their jobs. But if Zhigao is reported, not only will he lose his job, but how will his uncle remain as the deputy factory director? He doesn't care about his family at all."

Nie Qingqing: "Director Yu is bad with words. If you keep arguing like this, you'll only drive yourself crazy. Are you any good? If not, I'll go in and argue for you."

How could she let Nie Qingqing get involved in her family's affairs and incur her resentment?

He Shumei patted her belly: "It's okay, I'm very calm now. I'll scold them myself. You go upstairs and go home first."

...

He Shumei kicked open the door and slammed the remittance slip on the table: "My brother sent back three hundred yuan. He also said that if you keep causing trouble and ruin your uncle's position as deputy factory director, then this money will be sent to me and you can do whatever you want with it."

Three hundred yuan is no small amount. He Zhigao and his wife together only earn a little over one hundred yuan a month. After saying this, he dared not mention the live-streaming sales again.

...

The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner. Although there's no holiday for the festival, we still have to celebrate it.

Nie Qingqing bought bamboo leaves, pork belly, and jujubes in advance and brought them to Huazhi Lane to wrap zongzi. Tang Guizhi also bought a portion and even soaked the glutinous rice.

"Why did you buy so much?" Tang Guizhi asked. "Are you buying it as a gift?"

Last year for the Dragon Boat Festival, my family couldn't even afford to make meat-filled rice dumplings; we only made a few jujube-filled ones.

Nie Qingqing said, "I want to eat the meat dumplings my sister-in-law makes. I'll make more this year so I can take them to the law firm as gifts, and I'll also give some to Song Zhao's colleagues."

Her sister-in-law, Zheng Fanghui, washed her hands and came over to take the gift: "Mom guessed you were going to give them away, so she bought a lot. With what you bought, it's enough to give away."

The family spent the whole morning making a lot of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). They cooked a pot of them first. Nie Qingqing picked out a meat zongzi, peeled it, took a bite, and even though it was hot, she didn't let go. She praised, "This year's meat zongzi have plenty of filling. They're really delicious."

"Take an extra portion so that Song Zhao can try it too."

"I know, he deserves all the credit."

...

After tying up strings of zongzi, Nie Qingqing went to the electronics factory and instructed Song Zhao, "I've divided them all out for you. They're all the same. Just deliver them directly."

Song Zhao showed her the several portions of zongzi she had received that morning: "I can't refuse them. I've received several portions this morning. I'm worried about how to repay them. Please save a few of the meat zongzi at home for me."

Nie Qingqing: "I've kept them. Those two are separate ones for you to eat. They're still warm. You can eat them after you deliver the zongzi."

After delivering a round of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) at his workplace, Song Zhao returned to his office to find Yu Zhengmin already peeling the second meat-filled zongzi.

He quickly snatched it back: "If you want to eat it, go home and eat it. Qingqing gave it to me."

"Look how stingy you are." Yu Zhengmin was still not satisfied. Everyone has different tastes. He really liked meat dumplings, but his family preferred jujube dumplings.

"My family makes jujube zongzi, which tastes good with lots of jujubes, but I prefer your meat zongzi, it's so fragrant."

Song Zhao: "Your wife can even wrap zongzi?"

Yu Zhengmin: "She won't. It was sent by my mother-in-law, but she's against meat dumplings and won't wrap them. There's nothing I can do about it."

The meat dumplings for Yu Zhengmin's family were delivered directly to their home. Seeing how much he wanted them, Song Zhao reluctantly returned them, saying, "Get out of here, don't eat them in front of me."

Yu Zhengmin said without hesitation, "I'll take a few more from your house tonight, they'll be perfect for breakfast tomorrow morning."

Song Zhao couldn't even be bothered to watch him eat the zongzi.

...

Nie Qingqing hurried back to the law firm with the remaining zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and distributed the still-warm ones to the lawyers, both young and old.

Since Mr. Yan is here, it wouldn't be right to leave him out, would it?

Hesitantly, Nie Qingqing politely said, "Mr. Yan, these are meat dumplings that my family makes. Would you like to try one?"

Lawyer Zhu looked disgusted, afraid of getting her hands dirty with the zongzi. She took it and put it aside. Nie Qingqing was being unreasonable, actually letting the king of fried nuts eat zongzi in public. What kind of behavior was that?

She was an apprentice, but a level above the receptionist, and Nie Qingqing, who had been showing off for a while, was already impatient: "This is a workplace, not your home. We're talking about business, so please leave."

Nie Qingqing smiled and said, "If you don't want to eat, then you don't have to. Nobody asked her. She's the one who's being nosy."

Attorney He had said that it was absolutely forbidden to step on each other's feet in front of clients; Attorney Zhu hadn't followed this rule, but she had to.

She stood up straight, neither humble nor arrogant, pretending not to have noticed Lawyer Zhu's rudeness, and smiled politely: "Then I'll go out first."

Mr. Yan suddenly stood up: "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and I was just thinking of having a meat-filled rice dumpling. Let me have a taste."

"Okay, don't move, I'll peel it for you."

Look at that magnanimity! No wonder he's been able to build such a large business.

Nie Qingqing was busy peeling zongzi. She was a particular person, so she peeled them, put them on a plate, and served them with a fork. This way, she wouldn't get her hands dirty.