Aunt Zhang and the others are all locals from Jiashui, but for the convenience of their work, they mostly live in guesthouses. They cook together every day, which is quite lively.
Ye Zhao bought two houses, one in the south of the ancient city and the other in the north, each with its own style.
The house to the south is a courtyard house, a two-story wooden building with a strong ethnic minority style. Ye Zhao asked the local ethnic minorities to help with the decoration and furnishing. The courtyard is full of flowers and plants, and two small tables are set up for guests to relax and entertain. Ye Zhao placed the bowls and chopsticks on one of the small tables.
The sunset paints the sky red, the courtyard is warmly lit, a gentle breeze blows, and the fragrance of flowers lingers—it's the perfect place to have a meal.
Aunt Zhang's cooking skills are excellent. When Ye Zhao served the dishes, she secretly tasted a piece of braised pork, and it tasted delicious.
"We're having braised pork today, Yuanbao, do you like it?" Yang Juan led little Yuanbao over and sat him down on a chair at the table.
Upon hearing the name "braised pork," Yuanbao's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands happily, exclaiming, "Great! I love braised pork the most!"
As he spoke, he propped himself up with his chubby little hands to reach for the dishes on the table. Yang Juan carefully supported him, afraid that he would fall.
Just then, a young man in a shirt and trousers came down the stairs from the guest room. He looked tired, as if he had been busy all day.
Seeing this, Yang Juan picked Yuanbao up and helped him sit down, then stood up to greet him: "Hello! Is there anything you need?"
The man looked over upon hearing this, smiled politely, and said, "I was wondering if there's anything to eat around here? I'm a bit hungry after a long day..."
Upon hearing this, Yang Juan began to list nearby restaurants for him. However, the man's gaze fell on the dishes Ye Zhao was holding, and he suddenly asked, "Do you have extra food? Why don't you include me? I'll pay for my food."
Ye Zhao paused, considered Zhang Yi and the others' appetites, and then, meeting Yang Juan's gaze, smiled and said, "It's just simple food. If you don't mind, please sit down and eat with us!"
The customer is king. Since that's what they said, and there's enough food, it'll be fun for everyone to get together.
The young man smiled upon hearing this and walked over, saying, "Then I won't be polite."
Seeing this, Xiao Yuanbao very tactfully greeted, "Uncle, please sit down. We're having red dragon meat today!"
He is only three years old, and his speech is sometimes unclear.
The young man looked over upon hearing this and, meeting Yuanbao's fair and smiling face, couldn't help but smile as well: "Thank you, little friend!"
"Uncle, you're welcome."
Once the food was laid out, Aunt Zhang and Xiao Lin sat down around the table. When they saw that there was an extra person at the table, they knew he was a customer and started chatting with him warmly.
"Young man, come and try my braised pork, see if it's good."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie!"
Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "Your accent doesn't sound like a local. Are you from out of town?"
Ye Zhao noticed that Yuanbao's mouth was smeared with oil from eating meat, so she took a tissue and wiped it off for him.
"Yes, Auntie, I came from City A."
Aunt Zhang said, "You've come all this way? You'll have to enjoy yourself for a couple of days..."
The young man smiled and said, "I'm not here for fun; I'm out here for work."
Aunt Zhang's face showed a hint of emotion: "You came all this way for work? That must be really tiring. I noticed you haven't gone out much in the two days I've been here; you must be exhausted from work. Eat something good."
Aunt Zhang's child had just started working and was probably only a few years older than the young man in front of her, so Aunt Zhang was especially enthusiastic.
The group chatted and ate in a harmonious atmosphere, making the young man feel more at ease.
"Auntie, I'd like to ask, are there more locals or outsiders living in Shangyang Ancient City?"
Aunt Zhang replied thoughtfully, "It's about half and half. Jiashui City has a warm climate and a good environment, so many people from other places come here to travel, live, or settle down. There are also quite a few people doing business here, like our boss."
The young man's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he turned to Ye Zhao, asking, "Are you here to do business?"
Ye Zhao picked up a piece of green vegetable from Yuanbao's plate and said with a smile, "I only came here last year."
Upon hearing this, Fei Ming asked, "I also came here to conduct an inspection..."
The group president wanted to develop Shangyang Ancient City, so he sent people to the area to investigate. However, the main team was still behind, and he was just scouting ahead.
Ye Zhao paused for a moment, thought for a second, and then asked, "You want to develop Shangyang?"
Fei Ming paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, that's why we came to investigate first..."
He had barely finished speaking when Aunt Zhang suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, our boss is also from City A! You're from the same hometown!"
Ye Zhao paused in her actions, met Fei Ming's surprised and puzzled gaze, and nodded with a smile: "I'm also from City A, but I haven't been back for several years."
Fei Ming said in surprise, "Really? What a coincidence! No wonder you always looked so familiar, it turns out we're from the same hometown."
Ye Zhao quietly took the vegetables that Yuanbao had taken out of his bowl and put them back in his bowl, ignoring his aggrieved expression. She simply smiled and answered Fei Ming, "I haven't been back for a long time. Has City A changed much in the last two years?"
When this topic came up, Fei Ming became interested and talked at length to Ye Zhao about the changes in City A over the past few years.
Actually, Ye Zhao didn't know much about City A. She was quite unfamiliar with the place names Fei Ming mentioned, but she didn't mind listening, since she was just chatting with a guest.
"Actually, the changes aren't that big. But a new film and television city has been built in the suburbs of City A. The buildings inside were specially designed and built by the Shen family. I went there once, and it was quite fun. You can go and see it if you go back in the future."
Ye Zhao smiled faintly: "Really? I think I saw it in the news before..."
Fei Ming nodded and said, "Yes, it's quite large in scale. The Shen family must have spent a lot of money on it."
Ye Zhao recalled the gossip she had seen online, and her expression became somewhat subtle.
After Fei Ming finished his meal, he stood up to help them clear the dishes. Aunt Zhang quickly pressed him down to sit in a chair.
Fei Ming got up again to take out his phone to pay, but Aunt Zhang quickly stopped him, saying, "Oh, young man, it's fate that we met. It's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks. Don't be shy, sit down quickly."
Ye Zhao also smiled and said, "It's just a meal. We're all from the same hometown, so there's no need to be polite."
Seeing this, Fei Ming didn't say anything more. He sat down and chatted with them for a while before getting up and going upstairs.
Ye Zhao wiped Yuanbao's face, which was covered in grease from eating, said something to Aunt Zhang and the others, and then slowly led him home.
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