Tasting in the morning gives me clues, and memories of the past reveal the reasons.
"Ahem..." Ke Yike asked nervously, "What's wrong, Sister Yue? Is it not tasty?"
"No, I'm just curious. There's a taste that I should have tasted a long time ago, but I never found it." Xue Jiuyue didn't lie.
"Oh, I remember now. I added a seasoning from the store. The owner said it's a Chinese herbal remedy that's commonly used as a seasoning here. It can also be made into tea. After you finish eating, I'll take you to see it."
"Let's go now."
"You mean this?"
In response to the anxious inquiry, the kind old lady smiled and explained, "This is Gynostemma pentaphyllum. It is cold in nature and bitter in taste. It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, relieving coughs, clearing the lungs and removing phlegm, nourishing the heart and calming the mind, and replenishing qi and producing essence. It can be used to lower blood pressure and blood lipids, protect the liver, promote sleep, and treat gastroenteritis, tracheitis, and pharyngitis. It is also used in clinical anti-cancer treatments for various cancers."
"So magical? This is a good thing!" Ke Yike couldn't help but admire.
"Yes!" the old lady continued, "So tea processing companies in many places make it into Gynostemma tea and sell it on the market, but here we like to dry it and grind it into powder and process it into seasoning. Why do you think it tastes good?"
"It's delicious! But, we also had dinner here last night, why didn't we taste this flavor?" Xue Jiuyue asked carefully.
"That's right. Gynostemma pentaphyllum is used as a seasoning, and its cool, slightly bitter, and sweet aftertaste makes it more refreshing when steamed in pasta, but it's not suitable for stir-frying."
The old lady's statement was somewhat contradictory to what Liu Che had said before. Xue Jiuyue continued to ask, "So it can only be used when making pasta?"
The old lady thought carefully for a moment before slowly answering, "Not entirely. Mainly because Gynostemma pentaphyllum is not very fire-resistant as a seasoning. If you sprinkle it on before serving, it should be quite flavorful."
"Are you the only one who has such a wonderful treasure?" Xue Jiuyue continued to ask.
"Gynostemma pentaphyllum is widely distributed and grows in East Asia and Southeast Asia."
"No, I mean, is it only used as a seasoning here?"
"Then I don't know. I know we like to use it this way here and have been using it for many years. I'm not sure about other places." The old lady answered Xue Jiuyue's question with a smile, and quickly added, "The Internet is so developed now, good things shouldn't appear in only one place."
"Thank you, thank you for your trouble! I feel that this tastes really good, I want to see if I can promote it!" Although Xue Jiuyue was a little disappointed with the answer, she still politely thanked the old lady.
At least I know the source of this smell, which is always a reward, Xue Jiuyue comforted herself.
Returning to the table in a good mood, Ke Yike took the opportunity to propose Plan B for today. He suggested significantly reducing the full-day hike. Breakfast could be enjoyed near the farmhouse, enjoying nature. Then, taking advantage of the gentle sunlight, a walk of about an hour would lead to a waterfront market similar to the one we had yesterday. There were plenty of shops to browse and places to relax. There was also a recommended restaurant for lunch. From there, a boat trip could take place directly to the next destination.
The very detailed and attentive strategy guide received praise from Xue Jiuyue, "Well done, ahem, you can get a bonus."
"No, no, this is just a plan. No bonus is needed. You've already given me bonuses several times this month."
"Oh? Really? Then I'll give you a verbal praise first. If you can promote Gynostemma pentaphyllum in our dishes later, I'll give you a big prize!" Xue Jiuyue still couldn't forget the taste, so she assigned a task to Ke Yike.
"Yes, sir!"
…
The bright sunshine invigorated an ordinary workday morning with vibrant energy. Mei Rugu's simple black and white professional attire made her appear even more capable. Every detail of the office reflected her will and consumed her attention to the utmost, leaving her with no time for anything else. But a phone call had just arrived, disrupting her rhythm.
Mei Rugu thought for a while, then made another call.
"Okay, see you later." They didn't talk much on the phone. After hanging up, Mei Rugu picked up the phone and called her assistant, Xiao Jian.
"Xiao Jian, I'm going to be out for a while and won't be back until this afternoon. My arrangements for the various project teams are in the minutes of this morning's meeting, so you should supervise and inspect them according to that progress. Regarding the renovations for the entrance lobby, please contact the decoration company and have them come over this afternoon. Later, you can coordinate with the property management regarding our company's parking spaces. Also, follow up on the charging station issue. If there's anything urgent, please call me."
After making all these arrangements, Mei Rugu left the office.
"Lan, I listened to you and didn't do anything, but now it feels like it's getting out of control." Mei Rugu couldn't wait to express her worries when she saw Li Jingzi. "Lao Qian has been sending flowers and love letters to Xiaoyue every day for over a week now. I've tolerated it all, but he's planning to give her luxury goods these past few days."
"Come, drink some water first, don't be anxious." Mei Rugu poured a glass of mineral water and handed it over. "What luxury gift did you give me?"
"It's a brand-name bag. The reason why things have come to this point is largely because of the so-called misunderstanding about the bag. Now, someone has given it to me openly." Even though she knew that the bag incident last time was a misunderstanding, Mei Rugu still felt uncomfortable.
"Xiaoyue accepted?"
"Not yet, but how could I not accept it? The agreement has already been signed, so isn't giving a gift the right thing to do?"
"Don't be impatient. From what I know about Xiaoyue, I don't think she will accept it."
Li Jingzi was full of confidence in Xue Jiuyue, but Mei Rugu disagreed: "Lan, not every girl is a gentleman like you. Haven't you heard little girls say 'cure all diseases' these days?"
"Haha, guaranteed to cure all diseases, interesting! It would be great if it really could cure all diseases. Don't worry, it definitely can't cure Xiaoyue's illness, and it will even have the opposite effect!"
"How is that possible? Which girl doesn't love beauty? Which girl doesn't love bags? Besides, she told me herself that the bag she bought last time was given to her by someone else!"
"Did she say it was given to her by the person she loved the most and who loved her the most?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Haha, Sister Mei, why are you so smart? Why are you so stubborn? The person Xiaoyue was talking about is her father."
Mei Rugu hadn't thought much about Xue Jiyue's words before, thinking she was deliberately trying to piss her off. It was only after Li Jingzi's words that she suddenly understood. However, Mei Rugu couldn't help but ask, "You know so much?"
Li Jingzi smiled softly. "At the beginning of the year, we met once and she came in to sit for a while. When we were chatting, she described it like this..."
"Xiaoyue, it's been a while since we last came to visit. Are you feeling any better?"
"It's much better now. I rarely have nightmares now, but I still can't have physical contact with people. But Doctor Liu said that once my consciousness is completely relaxed and I know the source of the nightmares, and then I prescribe the right medicine, I will definitely be able to recover."
"That's good. Then you can fall in love without any burden."
"I don't want to! Being single is great! Besides, I have a man whom I love the most and who loves me the most! And he will never mind me getting older, uglier, or fatter!"
Xue Jiuyue's words aroused Li Jingzi's curiosity, "Who is it? Congratulations!"
"Haha, it's my dad!" Because she was very close to Li Jingzi, Xue Jiuyue proudly shook her left wrist to show off, "Look, this is the watch my dad just gave me!"
An exquisite and stylish white watch! Li Jingzi doesn't know much about watches, but this very expensive women's watch is so well-known.
Li Jingzi also joked, "Wow, your dad is a rich man! Let's be friends, rich second generation!"
"No, my dad is a university professor specializing in mechanical manufacturing. This is the private money he saved from his part-time design work over the years. But my mom found out and even knelt on the washboard."
"Haha, this is so funny! It turns out that my daughter is my father's little lover in his previous life!"
"My dad is so smart! He admitted to the crime and even knelt on the washboard, but he never revealed his secret stash of funds. When my mom checked the source of the funds, my dad said it was from a credit card installment plan! He even fabricated a fake credit card statement to get away with it!"
"Amazing! He's really working hard for his daughter!"
"That's right, otherwise why would he be the man I love the most and who loves me the most!"
Li Jingzi's story about Xue Jiuyue's past was very convincing, but Mei Rugu still stubbornly insisted, "No matter who gave it to her, it at least shows that she likes bags, right?!"
"You, didn't I tell you before? The only way now is to wait. You have no choice but to trust Xiaoyue! Don't you realize that every time you try to turn suspicion into reality?"
"I know what you said is right, but I just can't control my suspicious nature."
"Take your time and change slowly, Sister Mei. Everything will be fine. Trust me!" After Li Jingzi comforted Mei Rugu, she stopped dwelling on the issue and instead asked a question, "Sister Mei, I've always had a question. How do you know so much about Mr. Qian's every move? Did you really hire a private detective?"
When Mei Rugu heard this, she blushed and quickly denied it: "No, no, I wouldn't do that."
Seeing that Li Jingzi was still looking at her with a polite smile, Mei Rugu slowly continued, "In fact, Jianru Group was originally founded by Lao Qian and I. Although the home textile industry is a traditional industry, we took advantage of the fact that the main consumer groups at that time had quietly changed. Starting with the emerging group of young home buyers, we launched a series of home textile products that suited the aesthetic tastes of young people. Moreover, compared with the older generation, young people's focus on home textiles has also shifted from durability to comfort. Therefore, our products quickly catered to the emerging consumers.
Despite this, we both started from scratch and entered a traditional industry, so even though we received some recognition, we also encountered a fair amount of skepticism and indifference. But we were all still young at the time, especially Lao Qian. As long as we had a dream, we would persevere, no matter how hard or difficult it was. Our romanticism also inspired many like-minded partners, who followed our unwavering perseverance.
As the saying goes, "Where there is sincerity, there is strength." We slept on the floor, ate boxed lunches, and endured countless days and nights together, ultimately making Jianru Group a leader in the home textile industry.
Mei Rugu spoke eloquently as she reminisced about the past. She took a sip of water to moisten her throat and continued, "I never expected that sharing adversity is easier than sharing prosperity! After things got better, several couples who had started the business together broke up. The differences between Lao Qian and me grew even wider. I believed the company needed to develop according to modern corporate standards, and going public was a must. But Lao Qian felt the company had plenty of money and didn't need to borrow! I believe hiring should be based on clear regulations and strict discipline, while Lao Qian brought a poet's romanticism to the company, believing that too clear water holds no fish. Because we couldn't agree on anything, big or small, it not only affected our relationship but also seriously hampered the company's operations. So, the board of directors decided that only Lao Qian and I could remain in the company. Including the two of us, a total of nine shareholders voted in a secret ballot, and Lao Qian ultimately won by one vote, securing his place in the company. He purchased my shares in cash. Did you know? The reason Lao Qian won by one vote was because I voted for him, and I still haven't told him!"
"Oh? Why is this?" This action was indeed beyond Li Jingzi's expectations.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
