Xu Qian thought Sheng Huai would arrive around lunchtime, but he didn't expect him to arrive at 3 PM. Not only did he smell of disinfectant, but he also brought lettuce and... top-grade beef.
Okay, that's a good option.
Sheng Huai scratched his head and grinned foolishly, "My uncle sent these to me, but unfortunately I don't eat at home much and I'm not very good at cooking, so they've been sitting in the refrigerator. I'm bringing them with me now."
"Hot pot for dinner? Sour soup beef hot pot." Xu Qian thought, rubbing his stomach. He hadn't gotten to eat the sour soup beef he was supposed to go out for, so he decided to make it himself today. Self-sufficiency is the way to go!
"How can I help?" Sheng Huai brought not only his mouth and stomach, but also his not-so-good hands.
Xu Qian looked at him suspiciously, but in the end arranged something that any child could do for him, "Go wash the vegetables with him." This 'he' was Meng Ziqiu.
"Okay!" Sheng Huai didn't complain at all.
"Then, what about me?" Peng Fei and Meng Liangchen pointed to themselves.
Xu Qian looked around and spotted the disinfectant solution on the shoe cabinet. He said, "You two, mix some disinfectant and go mop the floor."
“…Okay.” Peng Fei & Meng Liangchen.
Xu Qian thawed the beef that Sheng Huai had brought and divided it into three parts. Two-thirds were used for a sour soup beef hot pot, and the remaining third was made into a dry pot beef dish with a medium-spicy flavor. This was his last act of kindness! He couldn't give in any further!
The entire six pounds of beef was completely devoured. Xu Qian thought that this was definitely not enough, so he poured out the leftover flour from the day and made several pounds of savory pancakes. This is a trendy snack of the 21st century, Chinese-style pizza, you know?
When the steaming hot pot was served, I looked at the time and it was almost 6 p.m., which was the perfect time for dinner.
Meng Ziqiu went to the refrigerator and took out a few cans of beer and soda. The beer was for the adults, and the soda was for his brother.
"Hey, I've already graduated from high school..." Meng Liangchen said with some dissatisfaction.
“Even after graduation, you’re still a kid in my eyes!” Meng Ziqiu tapped his forehead in annoyance.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch—" Meng Liangchen was even more unhappy.
"Isn't soda good? I want to drink this too." Xu Qian opened a can of cola.
"Um, me too..." Sheng Huai actually prefers carbonated drinks to beer.
When Meng Liangchen realized he wasn't alone, he stopped being stubborn, obediently opened a can of cola, and immediately started chugging it down.
Xu Qian shook his head and smiled helplessly, then asked him, "After drinking so much, will you still be able to eat in a little while?"
"Hey..." Right. Meng Liangchen put down his cola, just as Xu Qian picked up a big bite of beef for him. He immediately started eating, "Thanks, Brother Xu!"
"Eat up, eat up. The dry pot beef is medium spicy, you can handle it." Xu Qian has always been extremely tolerant of his youngest child.
“Okay!” the cub Meng Liangchen nodded.
This made Sheng Huai, who had been watching the whole thing, tear up. The old cadre really was an old cadre, treating the child like a father. Who isn't a baby at heart?
Unfortunately, Sheng Huai will never understand Xu Qian's feelings. He treated the two Meng family members like a father. They were the only seedlings left by his senior brother, which meant they were his seedlings. How could he not take good care of them?
After a lively dinner, the aroma of sour beef soup and savory pancakes still lingered in the living room – a truly delightful treat for the taste buds.
Peng Feiping lay sprawled on the sofa, his eyes vacant. If nothing unexpected happened, he would fall asleep to sour beef soup all night long. He didn't know whether this was a stroke of luck or torture.
Xu Qian was different. Not only could he watch TV comfortably, but someone also massaged his shoulders. Although the technique wasn't perfect, he could feel it.
"Is it okay? Should I press harder?" Meng Liangchen asked as he massaged, his eyes practically glued to her face.
"That's it." Xu Qian squinted and continued watching TV. He was on episode eight of Zhao Ye Hong, where the male and female leads had just held hands.
Sitting next to Xu Qian was Sheng Huai. To Sheng Huai's left was dried sweet potato, and to his right was an unfinished can of cola. As a male actor, Sheng Huai was actually quite restrained. He even restrained himself a little bit more than others when it came to dinner tonight, and he could only eat dried sweet potato, which was relatively low in calories.
Xu Qian wiped away his plastic-smelling tears, then continued eating his potato chips; today's flavor was fresh and savory seaweed.
...
Sheng Huai stayed at Xu Qian's place for two days, until his assistant, Xiao A, was calling him non-stop, before finally taking a handful of lettuce seeds back with him.
After Sheng Huai left, the Meng family returned to their old ways. Every day, the three of them were lured out of bed by Xu Qian's various breakfasts without fail, and then cleaned the house under Chef Xu's direction. Now the floor is so shiny it reflects light.
At this time, the half-roshi sent from Ulan across the ocean was distributed to various communities. In fact, the hospital had started to use it ten days earlier. W-79's condition was well controlled, which also meant that this sudden 'skin disease' was about to end.
In fact, China has done a perfect job in controlling the epidemic. Apart from the first few confirmed cases, most cities had almost zero new cases for a period of time afterward. The reason why the subsequent measures were so formal was to prevent any unexpected events from occurring. It is always good to be prepared.
Fortunately, the outcome was positive. Weicheng withdrew its protective team immediately, and the previously closed supermarkets and shopping malls resumed business. The service industry was the most severely affected. Supermarkets could still operate their online stores, but shopping malls could not. However, they believed that the government would provide some subsidies.
The calls for resuming work are growing louder, and Peng Fei was the first one to leave the house.
Peng Fei moved back to his apartment the night before last with great 'sorrow'. There was no other way; compared to Xu Qian's breakfast, he would rather sleep an extra hour in his apartment. The Meng family was just too far away from his company!
After Peng Fei left, the Meng family became even quieter.
Xu Qian had just finished replying to Xiaomai's WeChat message when Meng Ziqiu knocked on his bedroom door with his phone. He only opened the door after Xu Qian said "Come in," and said, "There's news about Hua Laosan—"
"How so?"
Meng Ziqiu looked puzzled. "They said that Hua Laosan... just attended the opening ceremony of one of their hotels yesterday."
Xu Qian raised an eyebrow. He opened the list and saw that it was indeed grayed out.
"How could this be?" Meng Ziqiu did not doubt Xu Qian's words, but he was puzzled as to why 'Hua Laosan' was still alive and even attended some kind of opening ceremony.
Xu Qian pondered for a while. The fact that the name had turned gray proved that Hua Laosan was definitely dead. The Hua Laosan who was alive now might not be the real Hua Laosan...
“Keep investigating and see if he’s attended any events recently. We’ll find out the reason if we go and see for ourselves,” Xu Qian said.
"Okay." Meng Ziqiu nodded in agreement.
Xu Qian breathed a sigh of relief and had just lain down to relax when Yan Lang called again.
"—Brother Xu! Brother Xu!"
Xu Qian subconsciously held his phone further away before replying, "Why are you calling so late?"
"Huh? Is it late? It's only ten o'clock," Yan Lang turned around and lowered his voice slightly. "Oh right, Sister Xiaomai just sent me a WeChat message. We might have to go to the film set early tomorrow for the start of filming..."
"Okay, I know. Come pick me up at seven o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Okay!" Yan Lang was as sunny, lively, and energetic as ever.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Qian looked up and saw Meng Ziqiu staring blankly at him, so he asked him curiously, "What's wrong with that expression?"
"No, I was just wondering if the child was being a bit too boisterous?"
"A little noise is good, it's lively." Xu Qian put his hands behind his head, half-closed his eyes, and spoke in a very elder-like tone. If there were a pot of tea with him, well... that would be even more fitting!
Seeing this, Meng Ziqiu stopped talking. As long as he was happy, that was all that mattered. "Alright, then you should go to sleep early. I'm closing the door."
"Um."
The next day, Yan Lang looked at the time on his phone. It was 6:59. He had one minute left, and he would knock on the door in another minute.
In the final thirty seconds, the door opened—
"Huh? Why didn't you knock? Have you had breakfast?" Xu Qian was carrying a bag of trash in one hand and had his other hand on the doorknob.
Yan Lang smiled and shook his head, "Good morning, Brother Xu! I haven't eaten yet!"
Xu Qian glanced at him with amusement, then stepped aside and said, "Come in first, have breakfast and then go to work."
"Great!" The energetic young man smiled even more brightly.
The porridge was made from the leftover radish and pork rib soup from last night. The pan-fried dumplings were filled with corn and shrimp, and some chopped shiitake mushrooms were added, making them smell even better. The most special thing was the pancake, which was coated with a thick layer of sauce. It had a strong garlic flavor, was slightly spicy, and a little sweet, making it very appetizing.
When Xu Qian returned from taking out the trash, he saw that the freshly made savory pancake on the table had at least two layers gone. He wasn't surprised; he just hoped the child hadn't eaten too much.
Compared to Yan Lang's hearty eating, Xu Qian was much more refined. He personally preferred to savor the food, though he also found it quite enjoyable to watch others eat.
They were only halfway through their meal when Meng Liangchen seemed to be woken up by the noise outside. Rubbing his eyes, he walked into the living room, yawning as he spoke, "Ah—you're going out—"
"Are you staying home again today?" Xu Qian asked him.
"I don't know, my classmates aren't allowed to go out, so they're probably staying home," Meng Liangchen said with a gloomy face. He was supposed to travel during his college entrance exam break this year, but then an infectious disease broke out, and he couldn't go anywhere. Instead, he stayed home for a month.
"Bored?" Xu Qian continued to ask.
“A little.” Meng Liangchen nodded.
"Would you like to come to the film set with me?"
"Eh...is it okay?!" Meng Liangchen was wide awake at the mention of this. He had wanted to go see it for a long time, but as a senior in high school, he never had the chance.
"The computer will be running today, so it won't be too busy. You're free anyway, so just treat it as a day out and have some fun. But don't wander off and be obedient."
"Okay, okay!"
"Go wash up and eat. You have ten minutes."
"Alright!" The youngest child in the family ran off happily.
Yan Lang had no problem with having more people in the car. Meng Liangchen wasn't a child anymore, and he didn't need to take care of him anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were dressed for going out. Xu Qian then took out a hat and put it on before going downstairs.
I haven't been to the film studio for more than half a month, and I miss it a bit. Although it has just resumed work, there are still quite a few people inside. After all, it was delayed for more than half a month, and all the film crews are busy catching up on their schedules.
—The Mirage Tower production team
When Xu Qian arrived, it was only 8:30, an hour and a half before the scheduled 10:00, but most of the people inside had already arrived.
Screenwriter Wen spotted Xu Qian wearing a hat at first glance in the crowd. His height advantage was unmatched. She quickly called him over and smiled as she approached, asking, "Good morning, how are you feeling?"
Xu Qian nodded to her and returned a smile, "Good morning, Teacher Wen. I'm fine, no problem."
Screenwriter Wen nodded with a smile, "That's good. Go and say hello to Director Zhang."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Wen." Xu Qian knew that the other party wanted to mentor him, and maintaining a good relationship with the director would be entirely beneficial to him.
Screenwriter Wen was in a great mood. Actually, she didn't like being called "Sister Wen" at all. She was only thirty-two years old! Why call her "sister" for no reason!
Meng Liangchen followed closely behind Yan Lang, like a curious little quail, peeking out with his head but keeping his feet close at hand.
Soon, Xu Qian was greeted by an unapproachable young nobleman. The man had a very well-proportioned frame and excellent body proportions. His high nose bridge and thick hair made him even more dazzling.
That was Zhang Xianzhi, the prodigy of Chinese directors.
When it comes to the best directors in China, any expert can rattle off several names, because each director on the list has their own strengths, making it impossible to rank them. But if you ask which director is the most handsome, they only have one standard answer—Zhang Xianzhi!
This is a director who could have made a living based on his looks, but instead debuted based on his talent.
Author's Note: New character unlocked!
P.S., I've started a pre-order for "The Self-Cultivation of a Method Actor".
No couple, no couple, no couple.
It's so much more comfortable not to write about romance!
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