I believe that if she were to run into Du Shi on the street, he wouldn't recognize her at a glance.

Xiaoyun now dresses simply and neatly, her hair is perfectly styled, and she walks with a confident stride. Whenever she appears, you can feel that she is a confident, generous, and radiant woman.

Every time Chen Hong goes shopping with Mrs. Guan, Director Jin, and Fang Yitong's younger sister Fang Yihua, she buys Xiaoyun a lot of clothes, shoes, and bags. Now she treats her younger sister like her own daughter.

She often brought Xiaoyun and her daughter to gatherings. The two sisters didn't stand out much, but stayed by Mrs. Guan and Fang Yihua's side, quietly learning from them how they interacted with the wives of business elites and officials. It was quite interesting to watch them learn from each other.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Director Guan is no longer a director; he was promoted to vice president in August.

Now, more people are asking him for favors and connections, and he's involved in more social activities.

Men have their own circles, and women have theirs. Now that Chen Hong has come to Beijing, there's no longer any need for Guan Yinchang.

The two companies no longer had any business dealings, but they became more like friends. Fang Yitong was also transferred to the National Development and Reform Commission, but Chen Hong didn't inquire about his specific position.

The relationship between the three families is now very pure; there is no exploitation or backstabbing. The children and adults often get together to eat, drink, and have family gatherings.

The gatherings were also the most relaxing time for President Guan and Director Fang. Unfortunately, Zhou Yi was always absent from the gatherings. There was nothing that could be done about it; it was due to his job. Over time, everyone got used to it.

The four women would cook together, each making two or three of their signature home-style dishes.

Fang Xiaoying and Guan Tao would take Yu Yang and Nini out to play, while President Guan and Fang Yi would play chess and chat about interesting people and things at work.

Chatting with old friends is the best way to relax and unwind.

During the meal, everyone was relaxed. The ladies drank red wine produced in the space provided by Chen Hong, while the two men drank health tonic wine made with ginseng from the space.

After each gathering, everyone says that they feel like they've been recharged, and when they go back to work, they feel full of fighting spirit and energy.

The children drank various delicious juices, and after the meal, the ladies baked some cakes and snacks. Watching Fang Xiaoying perform tea art was also a delightful and spiritual experience.

Xiaoying would change into a white orchid-patterned, very elegant Chinese cheongsam specifically for her tea ceremony performances.

A young woman dressed in a cheongsam sat gracefully and demonstrated the art of tea. Her movements were fluid and graceful. As classical Chinese background music played, she warmed the cup, placed the tea leaves, awakened the tea leaves, brewed the tea, poured the tea, and served the tea in one smooth motion.

Although the tea ceremony techniques are not yet very smooth and natural, they are complex yet extraordinary, revealing a rustic charm in their simplicity, without too many fancy or dazzling techniques.

It can be very relaxing and immersive.

Although Chen Hong had also learned the art of tea, she could never understand why the ancients made tea so complicatedly.

Whenever I watch someone perform, if I calm down, I can also feel that the person who is seriously making tea is enjoying it, and this can inspire the onlookers to enjoy the process as well.

She thought, this is no longer just about drinking tea; it has risen to the level of spiritual reflection and sublimation.

Chen Hong feels that brewing tea is a process of self-enjoyment. By mastering the rhythm between each breath, one can more calmly and relaxedly experience the changes in the tea soup, thus allowing the tea drinker sitting opposite to her to enjoy the cup of tea in their hand.

She loves drinking tea! Her favorite is green tea, and she always smells the fragrance of the tea before brewing a cup – it's a kind of self-indulgence and enjoyment.

Life is like brewing tea; if you treat others with more patience and gentleness, you can go further!

Besides enjoying family gatherings among the three families, Chen Hong also likes to accompany Fang Yihua to visit various art salons, calligraphy and painting exhibitions, and jewelry and jade exhibitions.

She lacked the ability to create beauty, but she possessed an eye for appreciating it. During her visit to the exhibition, Chen Hong learned a great deal.

At least now she can tell the difference between real jade and fake jade, and real gold and fake gold! Hahaha!

It's funny, but after Chen Hong came to Beijing, she went to the antique market with her father-in-law to broaden her horizons. Thinking about the bargain-hunting scenes in novels, she wondered if she could get lucky and find a great bargain!

Unexpectedly, she made a fool of herself; all the things she liked were fake. Her father-in-law was so scared that he held onto his daughter-in-law tightly, afraid that she would be tricked and suffer heavy losses.

Even so, it didn't stop her from spending money recklessly. While the old man turned around to talk to an acquaintance, she reached out and touched two items.

A porcelain vase with a beautiful woman's shoulder design, and a jade rabbit carving hand-held piece.

"Boss, how much is this vase? And what about this jade rabbit?"

The boss probably knew immediately that she was an amateur, and that her accent was from out of town, so he started to scam her.

"This vase is a 'beauty shoulder' vase made of Zhu Ming material. Look at the shape and the glaze. Although it's from a folk kiln, it's still a good piece! I won't ask for more from you. If you guessed right, you can take the 50,000 yuan."

This jade rabbit is a treasure. Look at the quality of the jade. It may not be as good as creamy white jade, but it can still be considered a first-grade white jade!

"If you like it, it's a fixed price of 30,000 yuan!"

Although Chen Hong doesn't know much about jade, she has dozens of genuine fine jade pieces in her possession.

Regardless of whether the porcelain bottle is real or fake, the jade rabbit is definitely not real; it might be made of some kind of composite material.

In their hometown, there was a period of counterfeiting boom. Along National Highway 104, there were ornaments, bracelets and pendants made of South Sea jade everywhere.

Actually, they're all fake; not a single one is real! Some are made of glass, some of ordinary stone, and some are even made of plastic.

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