Ah Heng nodded, picked up the phone, and dialed the number.
But the butler at the old house told her that young master Ning Bing'an had gone out early in the morning, and he didn't know exactly where he went, maybe he went to a hotel.
The butler added, "Young Master Bing'an has always enjoyed cooking, especially making desserts."
Snacks? Ning Yuan was taken aback, then remembered that Ning Bing'an was now the general manager of the Regent Hotel, where he could cook anytime!
She recalled Ning Bing'an's aloof and ascetic face, and couldn't reconcile the image of him wearing an apron and bustling around in the kitchen.
Ning Yuan: "I don't know if he's doing his job as general manager by being carefree or... virtuous."
Doesn't she clearly have ambitions for the family business? Her hobbies are so unusual.
"Never mind, I'll find him later. I'll go visit Brother Fenchang first." Ning Yuan waved her hand, temporarily putting Ning Bing'an's matter out of her mind.
Ah Heng replied, "Okay!"
The two went out together.
...
Meanwhile, Ning Bing'an was sitting in the reception room of his fourth uncle's shop.
The wisps of tea smoke on the table accentuated his refined and elegant features.
Sitting opposite him was a sprightly old man, who was fiddling with a pair of glossy walnuts in his hand, scrutinizing him with shrewd eyes.
"Ah An, why haven't you come to visit your fourth uncle lately?" The old man's tone was slightly reproachful, quite different from his previous coldness towards Ning Yuan.
Ning Bing'an smiled faintly: "The Regent Hotel's kitchen is currently developing new dim sum for morning tea, and I'm personally overseeing it."
As he spoke, he gestured to the people behind him to place several elegant takeout containers on the table.
Upon opening the lunchbox, a dazzling array of dim sum awaited: fragrant boat congee, translucent caviar and shrimp dumplings, thin-skinned and generously filled black truffle siu mai, and fluffy and soft yellow mushroom and black char siu buns…
The aroma instantly filled the entire private room, whetting everyone's appetite.
“These are all new products that I made myself. There are also a few traditional snacks that you, Fourth Uncle, like to eat,” Ning Bing’an said gently.
Fourth Uncle stroked his chin with satisfaction, his eyes softening slightly: "Ah An is very thoughtful."
He picked up a piece of black truffle shumai, savored it carefully, and squinted his old eyes in satisfaction: "Not bad, they really spared no expense in using black truffle to enhance the flavor. It's better than the dim sum made by the previous chef at Regent."
As he spoke, the old man glanced sideways at Ning Bing'an: "You little rascal, you never come to my humble abode without a reason. What brings you here to see this old man today?"
Ning Bing'an put down his teacup and smiled faintly: "I heard that Fourth Uncle has been getting quite close to my little sister lately. I wonder what she wants to see Fourth Uncle for?"
A glint flashed in Fourth Uncle's eyes, and his hand holding the shumai paused for a moment before resuming its slow and deliberate movements: "You rascal, why are you suddenly paying attention to that girl you picked up from the mainland? I've never seen you care about your family like this before."
Ning Bing'an remained calm and said indifferently, "It's nothing. It's just that my godfather plans to have me marry my younger sister, so it's only natural for him to show some concern for his future wife."
"Cough cough cough..." Uncle Si spat out the tea in his mouth and coughed violently. It took him a long time to recover.
He stared wide-eyed at Ning Bing'an: "Married? You? With that Ning Yuan? I saw your charity auction gala on TV that day, and you were sticking by her side the whole time because of this?"
Ning Bing'an didn't even lift his eyelids: "Yes, of course I will take it to heart."
The old man was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "You didn't know... she had a man? And the man is dead?"
Ning Bing'an remained calm and composed: "I know."
He paused, then added, "I also know she has his child."
Uncle Si couldn't help but mutter, "Ha, I knew it! So you've got your eye on this pretty young widow. But that girl looks cute and innocent, but she's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve. You better not fall for her."
Ning Bing'an smiled faintly: "Fourth Uncle is joking. This was arranged by my godfather. It doesn't matter to me who I marry, it's just a matter of following the arrangement that is in my best interest."
Fourth Uncle: "You're too... straightforward."
Ning Bing'an poured more tea for his fourth uncle: "Because I don't want to hide it from you, fourth uncle. You've been kind to me. You still haven't told me what my little sister wants to see you for."
Fourth Uncle swallowed the last bite of shumai, slowly wiped his mouth with a silk handkerchief, and then said slowly—
“Ah An, since you’ve been so frank, then I’ll be frank too—that girl Ning Yuan is here to talk to me about sales channels for my goods. I have a batch of antiques that I need to sell.”
Ning Bing'an raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged, but a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Oh? I see. Fourth Uncle is planning to use the charity auction as a pretext to sell off his goods."
"Ah An, you're a smart man." The old man chuckled, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking.
"Some things are better left unsaid."
Ning Bing'an placed a bowl of fragrant and soft boat congee in front of his fourth uncle and said calmly, "Don't worry, fourth uncle, I'm very tight-lipped."
Uncle Si's cloudy eyes darted around, and he said meaningfully, "In my old man's eyes, those who can't keep their mouths shut are already buried with grass three feet tall. In the past, they filled in the Huangpu River in the mainland, and now they're filling in the sea in Hong Kong. There's plenty of room to bury people."
Ning Bing'an remained unfazed and even joked, "It's more cost-effective to use it for driving human stakes on construction sites than for land reclamation."
Uncle Si was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, his face crinkling into a deep wrinkle: "You little rascal, you're ruthless! I like it!"
After laughing enough, he changed the subject, "However, Ah An, Ning Yuan, her husband just died, and he was apparently a squad leader in the Flying Tigers. They seemed to have a deep relationship, so I'm afraid she won't easily agree to marry you."
Ning Bing'an remained calm, his tone devoid of any emotion: "I can wait."
Uncle Four looked him over suspiciously: "What are you after, kid? Why don't you find another marriage partner? There are plenty of eligible girls from wealthy families in Hong Kong, why hang yourself on one tree?"
Ning Bing'an put down his teacup, his eyes clear and frank: "Because there really isn't anyone more suitable than her. She's the only daughter of the second wife, and my godfather wants her to be my wife, so naturally I have to fight for it."
Fourth Uncle narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "You brat, do you know Ning Yuan is scheming like this?"
Ning Bing'an smiled gently, like a clear breeze and a bright moon: "I've never hidden it from her. This matter requires her cooperation, so naturally I have to tell her the truth. It's just that her husband just died, and she's still not quite over it yet."
After pondering for a while, Fourth Uncle slowly said, "The Ning family swallowed the Sheng family's things back then, which is why they are where they are today. It's only right that you want the Ning family's things. Besides, Ning Yuan has Sheng family blood in her veins, so it's indeed suitable for her to marry into your family. It's good to keep the good stuff in the family."
Ning Bing'an smiled slightly but did not reply.
Uncle Si asked again, "Ah An, don't you have a woman you truly love?"
Ning Bing'an lowered his eyes, concealing the complex emotions that flashed across them.
“Sincerity? Fourth Uncle, growing up in a large family, sincerity is the least valuable thing. Especially a sincerity that everyone can do without. I only want what I deserve.”
Uncle Si sighed: "You're living too hard, kid. But in this world, everyone looks out for themselves. You're not wrong to do what you're doing."
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