Chapter 73 A Moment of Leisure: Let's Have Afternoon Tea and Take a Break
On a spring afternoon, sunlight streamed through the large glass windows of the office building, casting bright dappled patterns on the floor, while the air was filled with the fresh scent of cat grass sprouts.
Shi Wan was buried in a pile of new employee onboarding forms, checking information, assigning workstations, and preparing training materials. She was so busy that she didn't even have time to look up.
Su Qing's office area next door is more like a mini command center.
She has just confirmed that the last batch of core equipment has been delivered and is efficiently arranging the subsequent installation, commissioning, and pre-job training for employees via telephone.
She used her accumulated network of contacts to connect with several experienced trainers, filling her schedule with activities.
Just then, the sound of light, rhythmic high heels clicking on the ground came from outside the courtyard, growing louder as it approached.
Immediately afterwards, the door of the small building was pushed open, and a gentle breeze carrying a mixture of delicate floral and dessert scents wafted in.
"Hello! My dear partners! Look who's here!" Isabella's bright voice, like sunlight piercing through the clouds, instantly broke the focused silence in the office.
Today she wore a light purple casual suit, the clean lines of which made her look radiant.
She was carrying two elegant paper bags, one printed with the logo of a well-known herbal tea brand, and the other with packaging from a local, prestigious French pastry shop.
A pleasant smile graced her face as her gaze swept over the two figures engrossed in their work in the office, a knowing curve appearing at the corners of her lips.
Shi Wan looked up from the pile of documents, saw that it was her, and immediately a sincere smile appeared on her face, with a hint of teasing.
"Oh, what brings our head nutritionist here? And with a bribe? Did he hand over the formulas and then decide to wash his hands of the business and enjoy life?"
Isabella placed the paper bag on the coffee table, elegantly tossed her hair, and feigned reproach, "My dear Wan, your words really hurt my feelings. I brought you the finest Earl Grey tea and freshly baked macarons and scones to reward you for your hard work, okay?"
She turned her gaze to Su Qing, who was still rapidly typing on the keyboard, and couldn't help but laugh, "See? I told you two were workaholics! This atmosphere is even more intense than those startups I visited in Europe."
Su Qing then looked up from the screen, adjusted her glasses, and a faint but genuine smile appeared on her face. "Isabella, you're still the same as always. Wait a moment, I'll finish sending this email."
She quickly tapped a few more times, checked everything to make sure it was correct, and then clicked send before finally relaxing and leaning back in her chair.
Shi Wan put down her pen and stretched, her bones making a slight cracking sound. She shrugged at Isabella, her tone tinged with a helpless intimacy.
"Strictly speaking, Su Qing is the one who truly enjoys her work, while I am at most someone who is swept along and forced to move forward."
She said it half jokingly and half sincerely.
With such an efficient and self-disciplined partner as Su Qing by her side, she felt embarrassed to even slack off.
Upon hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but chuckle softly, shook her head, but didn't refute it.
Isabella was so amused that she almost fell over. "Alright, alright, it's all Su Qing's fault. Now, could you two 'forced' to be busy ladies do me the honor of temporarily putting aside your great cause of saving the pet food industry and having afternoon tea with this 'idle' person?"
"I couldn't ask for more!" Shi Wan immediately raised her hand in agreement, her mouth watering at the aroma of the dessert.
Su Qing also stood up with a smile, "Perfect timing, I feel my tired brain needs a rest too."
The three of them worked together to clear a space around the coffee table.
Isabella brought a white and delicate bone china tea set. She skillfully brewed Earl Grey tea, and the unique bergamot aroma rose with the steam, intertwining with the creamy fragrance of the dessert to create a lazy and comfortable atmosphere.
Attracted by the aroma of the snacks, Mianmian wagged her tail and came closer, sniffing with her nose. Shi Wan gently pressed her head and pushed her away a little, saying, "Baby, you can't eat this, be good."
Mianmian whimpered twice in grievance, then lay down at Shi Wan's feet, resting her chin on Shi Wan's slippers, her bright black eyes still gazing longingly at the coffee table.
Tangyuan wasn't interested in desserts, but he seemed to really like the light gardenia fragrance Isabella was wearing today. He walked over with elegant steps, circled around her feet twice, then jumped onto the armrest of the single sofa next to her, squatted down with his paws tucked in, like a reserved guest.
Bingbing... presumably, is sound asleep somewhere in the main house or the cat villa, having missed this feast.
“Here, try this macaron. They say it’s incredibly fresh today.” Isabella pushed the delicate dessert plate toward them.
Shi Wan picked up a pink one and took a bite. The outer layer was crispy and the filling was soft, with just the right amount of sweetness. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction. "Mmm! Delicious! Isabella, you're a lifesaver. I needed some sugar to replenish my energy. I feel like my brain isn't working properly."
Su Qing also gracefully savored a scone with her black tea. She nodded and said, "It tastes authentic, thank you."
Isabella watched them enjoy themselves, then picked up her teacup and leaned back on the sofa, looking relaxed. "I'm relieved to see how smoothly things are going on your end. Is all the equipment in Zone Two in place?"
"Yes, everyone has just finished entering the site," Su Qing replied. "Next, we'll be busy with debugging and training. We also have a lot to do with the engineers you introduced earlier; they were a great help to us."
“It’s good that I can help. Getting production started sooner is also a good thing for me.” Isabella smiled, her gaze shifting between her two partners. “Although my studio has taken on a few new projects recently and is quite busy, everything is on track, and most of my focus is still on this.”
As she spoke, a hint of pride lingered in her voice. "Moreover, I've recently discovered that when I delegate some creative work to young people, they always manage to surprise me. I'm happy to relax a bit and enjoy life occasionally."
This is indeed typical of foreign studios – they value efficiency but also know how to relax.
“The capable are often overworked, but they also know how to take a break,” Shi Wan joked with a smile, then asked Su Qing curiously, “Speaking of which, Su Qing, when you decided to resign and return to China, besides family reasons, was it also because you were even a little tired of the… um… work style of big foreign companies?”
She remembered that Su Qing had mentioned before that she didn't like the rigidity of large corporations.
Su Qing picked up her teacup, gently blew on it, pondered for a moment, and frankly said, "That's partly true. In a place like Chongyue, you're often just a cog in a huge machine. While it's stable, you definitely lack the sense of accomplishment of building something from scratch and witnessing its creation. And..."
She paused, looking out the window at the vibrant farm. "The domestic pet supplies market is still in the development stage. The speed of development and opportunities here are more attractive to me. Places like Meow Meow Mimi Farm have a vision, vitality, and are growing rapidly. It allows me to participate more in decision-making and creation, which feels great."
Isabella nodded in agreement, “I understand! That’s why I chose to open my own studio. It’s tiring, but it’s free. I can do what I really want to do and enjoy the thrill of expanding my territory.”
She looked at Shi Wan and said, "Speaking of which, Xiao Wan, your place is getting better and better. I heard that a very talented data engineer named Xing Lin has joined us. Although I haven't met him in person yet, Su Qing said he's a very skilled and reliable person. Where did you find such a gem?"
Shi Wan's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm and spoke naturally according to her prepared words, "Oh, Xing Lin, he's a good friend of mine, a technical expert, but he's a bit of a homebody and prefers to work remotely. But his abilities are undeniable. With him in charge of the data and systems, Su Qing and I have a much easier time."
She was secretly glad that Isabella hadn't investigated further.
"That's fantastic! It's a huge boost for the team!" Isabella exclaimed with a hearty laugh.
The three of them temporarily put aside their work and enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.
They chatted about interesting things at Isabella's studio, about Su Qing's experiences and feelings after returning to China, about the future development of the farm, and even about the dramas and interesting stories they had recently watched.
The sunlight moved slowly, the aroma of tea filled the air, the snacks were devoured little by little, and the office was filled with relaxed and cheerful laughter.
Mianmian purred comfortably at Shi Wan's feet, while Tangyuan closed its eyes, seemingly dozing, though its tail tip swayed leisurely.
At this moment, busyness and leisure, career and life, exoticism and local warmth are perfectly balanced in this sun-drenched office.
For the three women who are striving in their respective fields, this afternoon tea gathering, a stolen moment of leisure, is a recharge, a comfort, and a warm and pleasant short stop on their journey together.
In the following days, Shi Wan and Su Qing became even busier, but Su Qing took over most of the things that needed to be handled in the second district, while Shi Wan started planning the planting of raw materials for crops in the planting area.
Spring came much sooner than she had imagined.
She had been relying on hydroponic greenhouse cultivation all winter, but Xinglin's reminder made her realize that the planting area could also be restored to cultivation.
To make the most of the opportunity, Shi Wan took the cats from the cat house, who had been lazy all winter and slept almost all day, to turn over the still somewhat frozen ground.
She turned the soil over several times during the winter to expose and freeze the insect eggs in the soil. She also cleared out all the previously unused land to expand the planting scale and spread the fertilizer produced by the fertilizer machine into the land.
I want to nurture the land and restore its fertility.
The cats seemed to have returned to their old ways, happily rummaging around in the ground one by one, their soft sounds conveying their joy to Shi Wan.
The first batch of goods from the factory's normal operation should be the functional cat grass biscuits produced in cooperation with Isabella. The raw material is cat grass produced in the planting area. Fortunately, this stuff grows quickly and is efficient. Shi Wan's warehouse already has a lot of cat grass harvested in recent days.
Shi Wan also had some ideas about other product categories. She planned to have a small meeting with Su Qing to discuss them after the production of functional catnip biscuits stabilized.
Just then, Su Qing called.
"Mr. Shi, the expert I invited to give lectures and training will arrive this afternoon. Accommodation has been arranged in a nearby village. The staff will report to work as usual tomorrow to familiarize themselves with the facilities, and training will begin the day after tomorrow. What do you think?"
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