Chapter 196 Yaozu in the Mountain Village (XI) Beep! Strive to be a good person...
At six o'clock in the evening, Song Ce arrived at Qin Zhenguo's residential area carrying gifts. He was wearing a simple light blue shirt, over which he wore a white T-shirt and jeans, looking very casual.
He Meifeng opened the door and saw a handsome young man with an outstanding presence standing outside. She instinctively greeted him, "Young man, who are you looking for?"
"Is that Xiao Ce? Come in quickly!"
Qin Zhenguo strode to the door, warmly inviting Song Ce inside to sit down. He then introduced Song Ce to He Meifeng with a smile, saying, "Wife, this is Xiao Ce. Our Zhenye Manufacturing was able to revive this time, all thanks to Xiao Ce!"
"Oh, it's Xiao Ce! Please have a seat!"
He Meifeng poured Song Ce a glass of warm water and said with a smile, "Xiao Ce, talk to your uncle for a while. Dinner is almost ready and will be done soon!"
"Thank you so much, Auntie. You've really gone to so much trouble today," Song Ce said.
"Xiao Ce, what's the trouble? It's no trouble at all! You can rest first!"
At this moment, Qin Chuxia, who was in her room, heard the noise in the living room outside. Curious, she opened the door and peeked out, only to see a young man sitting on the sofa, meeting her gaze.
Qin Chuxia: "..."
Because Song Ce changed his major to archaeology, the two are no longer in the same class and therefore do not know each other.
"Come here, Chuxia."
Qin Zhenguo stood up and smiled at Song Ce, "Come, come, Xiao Ce, let me introduce you. This is my daughter, Qin Chuxia."
"Hello." Song Ce stood up and nodded to Qin Chuxia.
Qin Chuxia smiled gently and nodded politely to Song Ce in response.
"Song Ce, like you, is a freshman at Jingnan University, majoring in archaeology. Our company was able to overcome this difficulty thanks to Xiao Ce!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Chuxia looked at Song Ce curiously, her gaze falling on the light blue shirt he was wearing. She slowly looked up until she saw his clean and elegant face, and suddenly lost her composure.
Song Ce felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and subconsciously straightened his back. His face showed no abnormality, but his ears turned red.
After realizing what she was doing, Qin Chuxia blushed bright red, hurriedly smoothed the stray hairs behind her ear, and turned to walk towards the kitchen: "Mom, let me help you!"
He Meifeng responded from the kitchen, and smiled slightly after Qin Chuxia came in: "Chuxia, are you hungry? Dinner will be ready soon."
Qin Chuxia shook her head. "Mom, I'm not hungry yet."
"Aren't you hungry yet? Then why are you helping Mom in the kitchen? Didn't you already help Mom wash the vegetables?" He Meifeng asked, puzzled.
Qin Chuxia: "...Mom, I can't explain it to you."
She muttered something, and then Qin Zhenguo laughed heartily in the living room, "Xiao Ce, you really are our family's lucky star! I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but when the downstream customers weren't paying, I couldn't sleep for nights on end, and my hair turned quite a bit gray. Now that we have this order, the company can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
Song Ce smiled and said with utmost sincerity, "Uncle Qin, the main reason is that Zhenye Manufacturing itself has the strength and the quality of its products is excellent. Otherwise, Mr. Simson would not have decided to cooperate with you so quickly."
"You're just too modest, kid." Qin Zhenguo patted Song Ce on the shoulder with a smile and said with emotion, "If it weren't for you helping your uncle make the connection, how could Zhenye Manufacturing have gotten on board with AENA so smoothly? Xiao Ce, speaking of which, how did you come to know Mr. Simson?"
When Simson inspected Zhenye Manufacturing's production line yesterday, Qin Zhenguo already knew that he and Song Ce were not related by blood, which is why he asked him that question.
Song Ce explained simply, "I happened to be staying at the same hotel as Mr. Simson before, and we met by chance. He is very interested in the ancient culture of our country, and since my major is archaeology, I know a lot about this area, so we got along quite well."
Qin Zhenguo nodded, suddenly realizing, "So that's how it is. It's truly a coincidence."
"That's true."
As the two were talking, Qin Chuxia, at He Meifeng's prompting, came out of the kitchen with a plate of cut fruit. "Dad, Song, Song Ce, have some fruit!" she said, pushing the fruit plate toward Song Ce. "I just bought it today, try it, it's quite fresh."
Song Ce forked a piece of melon, smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you."
Just then, Qin Zhenguo's phone rang.
He took out his phone and saw that it was the number of the lawyer he had contacted yesterday. He quickly stood up and said, "Xiao Ce, sit down first. Uncle is going to take this call." After taking two steps, he turned to Qin Chuxia and said, "Chuxia, you and Xiao Ce are both young people. You have things to talk about. You two chat first. Dad will be back in a bit."
Qin Chuxia was taken aback, and quickly said, "Dad, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Zhenguo waved his hand, indicating that the call was very important, then pressed the answer button and quickly went to his study.
Qin Chuxia glanced at Song Ce secretly and saw him looking at her with a smile. She subconsciously coughed lightly and sat down on the single sofa next to her.
Seeing that she was a little uncomfortable, Song Ce forked another piece of watermelon and put it in his mouth without saying a word, smiling as he said, "This watermelon is quite sweet, and it's also sandy-textured, really good."
Qin Chuxia looked up, her eyes lighting up, and couldn't help but ask, "You also like sandy-textured watermelons?"
It's no wonder Qin Chuxia asked that question. Nowadays, people mostly love crisp-fleshed watermelons because they are refreshing, juicy, and have a crisp texture. But she is different. She has always preferred sandy-fleshed watermelons because they have soft flesh and are sweeter.
Song Ce nodded. "I've loved eating sandy-textured watermelons since I was a child."
Qin Chuxia became interested upon hearing this, "As for zongzi, do you prefer sweet or savory?"
Song Ce put down his fruit fork and smiled, "To be honest, I can eat both of them. But personally, I prefer plain rice dumplings, the kind without any fillings."
Qin Chuxia was surprised to hear this and said, "What a coincidence, I also only like plain white rice dumplings."
And so, the two began to chat. They talked about food from all over the country, about school courses, about major tourist attractions in Beijing, about must-see museums and exhibition halls... The more they talked, the more they clicked, and in the end, they didn't even notice that Qin Zhenguo had already come out of the study and had been watching them for quite some time.
Seeing this, Qin Zhenguo's smile grew wider and wider. He quietly went to the kitchen and gave He Meifeng, who was serving rice into bowls, a wink.
"Honey, what do you think of Xiao Ce?"
"Hmm? That's great..." He Meifeng was puzzled at first, but then she realized what was going on when she saw her husband's bright eyes and eager expression.
"What are you doing? Chu Xia is only eighteen this year, and you're already in a hurry to find a son-in-law for our daughter? Let me tell you, it's impossible! Don't think that just because this kid helped our family, you've lost your mind and can't find your bearings!" He Meifeng glared at Qin Zhenguo with eyes like knives and said angrily in a low voice.
Qin Zhenguo quickly waved his hand, "No, no! What are you thinking? I meant they're about the same age, they can get to know each other better! Besides, Xiao Ce is a really good kid, it's just young people chatting, nothing wrong with that!"
"I think you're just being a one-sided shopper! You don't even know if Xiao Ce has a girlfriend! Stop trying to play matchmaker!"
After saying that, He Meifeng came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of braised pork, interrupting Song Ce and her daughter's conversation with a smile: "What are you two talking about, so happily? Go to the bathroom and wash your hands, it's time to eat!"
Qin Zhenguo also placed the rice on the table and said with a smile, "You're right! Xiao Ce, Chu Xia, come on, let's eat."
At the dining table, He Meifeng used serving chopsticks to put a piece of braised pork rib on Song Ce's plate and said with a smile, "Little Ce, look how thin you are, eat more. You're eighteen or nineteen years old, you're still growing!"
Song Ce quickly replied, "Thank you, Auntie, I can do it myself."
“Yes, do it yourself. Xiao Ce, there are no outsiders at home today, so don’t be shy. Make yourself at your uncle’s house!” After saying this, Qin Zhenguo subtly inquired about Song Ce’s family situation.
Song Ce naturally answered all her questions. Upon learning that he came from a mountain village in the northwest and had an older sister, He Meifeng instinctively frowned and glanced at her pampered daughter beside her.
Judging solely from Song Ce's demeanor, He Meifeng couldn't deny that he was a reliable and steady young man. However, she still had some concerns. First, he had an older sister, and his family was very likely to favor sons over daughters, which would be a hardship for her daughter! Second, he majored in archaeology in university—what kind of future could that major offer? Even if he unearthed antiques, they would belong to the government, and it wouldn't concern him! He'd probably only get a fixed salary… Third, and most importantly, with Beijing's housing prices so high, when would this young man be able to afford a house on his own?
So, He Meifeng cleared her throat, about to say a few words, when Song Ce said shyly, "Well, my sister is also studying in Beijing, not far from our school, at Beijing Medical University, and she's a freshman like me."
Hmm? Beijing Medical University…that's a good school. It seems that since his family can afford to send their daughter to university, they probably don't discriminate against girls…
Just then, Song Ce said, "I'm used to living in the dorm. My roommates are all nice and easy to get along with. On weekends, my sister and I go home separately, and there's nothing I'm having trouble adjusting to."
Hmm... going home, huh? I do seem to be a homebody. But why are we all going home separately? Could it be...?
He Meifeng was just thinking of how to ask indirectly when her husband bluntly asked, "Xiao Ce, why didn't you go home with your sister?"
Song Ce smiled sheepishly, "My sister and I each have our own houses in Beijing, and we see each other quite often, so we just went back to our own homes."
Oh, I see... You all own houses... Hmm? You own houses? In Beijing??
He Meifeng couldn't hold back any longer and asked curiously, "Xiao Ce, has your family already bought a house for you and your sister?"
Song Ce shook his head and briefly recounted what had happened after he graduated, finally smiling shyly: "I was just lucky. Compared to Uncle Qin, it's really nothing."
Qin Zhenguo: "..."
Qin Chuxia: "..."
He Meifeng: "..."
Qin Chuxia, listening to her parents' almost interrogative conversation, blushed deeply. She silently picked up a piece of pork rib with her chopsticks, about to put it in her mouth, when Qin Zhenguo turned to her and said, "Chuxia, I overheard you talking to Xiaoce about the Jingbei Museum. Didn't you say you wanted to see the latest exhibits? Xiaoce is an archaeologist, he's definitely familiar with this. I think it would be better if you two went together, so you can look out for each other!"
Qin Chuxia lowered her head and said timidly, "Dad, what are you saying? I'm not even sure when we're going!"
“That’s right, Lao Qin! Even if we have time in early summer, Xiao Ce might not be available. Don’t make any more arrangements! Besides, Xiao Ce has a good temper and is good-looking. He might already have a girlfriend!” He Meifeng chimed in.
Qin Chuxia: "..."
Looking at her flushed face, Song Ce subconsciously said, "No, I didn't talk about it. If... if you have time this weekend, we can go together. I happen to know that area quite well, so I might be able to be your temporary tour guide."
Qin Chuxia raised her head and met Song Ce's gentle and shy gaze. "Then, then I'll trouble you."
"It's no trouble at all."
The couple exchanged a knowing smile, giving each other a knowing look.
Young people should get to know each other better.
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Author's Note: This is how relationships should be conducted, right? [covers face and peeks] (smoothly kneels down)
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