Chapter 20 Entering the City for a Feast
As soon as the bus drove onto the city's roads, the surrounding scenery changed noticeably, with farmland on both sides of the road replaced by buildings.
"Mom!" Song Yu sat by the window, her hands pressed against the pane, her face pressed close, her round eyes straining to see outside. "Such tall buildings! Such wide roads!"
The child was visiting the city for the first time and was incredibly curious about everything around him. Despite the large number of people on the bus, all of whom were strangers, he couldn't contain his excitement and longed to talk to his mother.
Today he was wearing a brand new padded jacket, blue with cartoon sheep stickers on it, which made his fair face look even better. His soft black hair covered part of his forehead, revealing his delicate eyebrows and features. His eyes were dark and slightly round, and he looked at her excitedly.
When Song Xinran saw him, her heart softened, and she explained to the little boy in more detail: "These buildings are mostly five or six stories high, and the roads are four lanes long. They are much taller and wider than the buildings in town."
This was Song Xinran's first time in the city. Just by looking at the infrastructure, she knew that the conditions in the city were much better than in the town. Lingde Town was still too remote; it usually took more than an hour to take a bus into the city.
Song Yu stretched out her little hand and counted the buildings outside. Sure enough, the tallest one was six!
but……
"Mom, what is a four-lane road?"
"There are two lanes on each side of the road, making a total of four lanes, which can allow about four cars to pass at the same time."
Song Yu exclaimed "Wow!" and her eyes lit up. She looked at Song Xinran with an expression of utter admiration, as if she wanted to say, "Mom is so amazing! Mom knows everything!"
Song Xinran smiled slightly and continued, "When Xiao Yu grows up, these will become high-rise buildings with dozens of floors, and the roads will be wider, becoming six-lane or eight-lane roads."
Song Yu let out two loud "waaaahs," his eyes filled with longing.
“Young lady,” a middle-aged man’s voice suddenly came from behind the seat, with a very disapproving tone, “How come this building has become dozens of stories? Now, even four or five stories are hard to climb, I’m afraid no one will buy it if it’s dozens of stories.”
Clearly, their conversation was overheard by someone behind them, who felt something was wrong and came to find fault with her.
Song Xinran said, "In the future, high-rise buildings will be equipped with elevators. The elevator is like a small room that moves up and down. After you go in, you just need to press the floor you want to go to, and the elevator will automatically take you there."
The middle-aged man laughed: "You came up with this yourself, didn't you? How can you talk to a child like that, exaggerating based on your imagination? You have to be down-to-earth. Young people just don't know how to educate children."
Song Xinran was speechless. She was just talking to Song Yu, and she was being criticized and lectured.
This reminded her of Cai Yongde; they both loved educating people.
“Old Zhang, you’re wrong about that. My son works in a big city and he said there are elevators like that in the city center. He also said that with the current development, maybe our city will have them in the future,” an older woman retorted with a smile.
“Yes,” someone else chimed in, “In the past, if you wanted to know something that was thousands of kilometers away, you could only write a letter and wait for half a month. Now you can find out with just a phone call.”
"Young lady, you must have come back from a big city. You know so much."
Song Xinran said no, she also saw it in a book.
"That's great. He also likes to read. He's a cultured person."
"My son says that nowadays you need a diploma to get a good job, and it's a good thing that he loves reading!"
The aunties around her were full of praise, and Song Xinran was happy to chat with them a bit more. The atmosphere on the bus was harmonious and cheerful, except for Grandpa Zhang sitting in the back, who had a stern face and remained silent.
The car stopped in front of a three-story building with white tiles on the exterior walls. The sign above the gate read "Xiang Man Yuan" and there was a sign at the entrance that congratulated Mr./Ms. XX on his/her 60th birthday.
Huang Yun and Ding Jianjun stood on either side to greet the guests. As soon as Song Xinran and Song Yu got out of the car, Huang Yun walked quickly toward them and said, "Xinran, you've finally arrived. Your brother-in-law has been waiting for you for a long time. He said that after eating so many meals with you, you should get a good rest today."
Song Xinran presented the gift money in a red envelope. She had learned beforehand that people usually gave 50 or 100 yuan as gifts when visiting relatives at this time. People in the town usually gave 50 yuan, but Huang Yun had helped her a lot, so she gave 100 yuan.
Huang Yun took it and whispered in her ear, "Your seat has been arranged. It's at the first table. I'll take you there."
As Huang Yun spoke, she grabbed her arm and led her inside, arranging for her to sit down: "Not everyone has arrived yet, so feel free to do whatever you want for a while. I'll go out and continue greeting people."
Song Xinran agreed.
As soon as Huang Yun left, Song Xinwen said, "Sister Yun is a good person to get along with. Even though she's so busy, she still made a point of arranging for us to sit down."
She looked around and saw that the hall was extremely spacious, with enough room for at least dozens of tables, which were also large and had turntables on them.
Song Xinwen had attended many banquets in the countryside, most of which were hosted by a "one-dragon" banquet, with ten people sitting at each table. In winter, everyone was dressed in thick clothes, making it so crowded that there wasn't enough room to sit. Moreover, there was no lazy Susan on the table, so everyone had to stand up to pick up the dishes they wanted.
If it rains, we have to set up a shed, and some of the sheds leak, which makes it very troublesome to eat.
But upon seeing the restaurant, which was spacious and bright with unusual chandeliers on the ceiling, and with no need to worry about rain, Song Xinwen thought that the city was indeed the city. He wondered how much this meal would cost.
A decent meal in the village costs around 150 yuan, depending on the dishes. Here, it would cost at least several times that.
Song Xinwen was astonished, thinking that living in the city was expensive. Huang Yun's family ran a meat stall in town, and the man was a soldier outside. He didn't realize that they could make so much money!
In contrast, Song Xinran was much calmer. What was considered a very high-end hotel by the townspeople was nothing special to her. She had seen countless luxury hotels in her previous life.
She looked around and thought that Xiangmanyuan Restaurant should be considered to be of a slightly above-average level in the county. She just wondered if Huang Yun had any other intentions in arranging her to sit at the first table.
Meanwhile, at the hotel entrance, Ding Jianjun whispered, "Have you settled Xinran in a seat yet?"
Huang Yun said, "You don't need to mention it, I already arranged it, it's at the first table."
Ding Jianjun frowned: "Isn't Zhengming sitting at that table too?"
Huang Yun: Yes, I specifically arranged for them to sit together.
Ding Jianjun shook his head: "How could you arrange it like this? You know Zhengming well. He likes to treat people differently based on their status and he's not nice to talk to. Xinran has a child with her. Don't let her corrupt the child."
As Ding Jianjun was about to walk inside to change seats, Huang Yun quickly stopped him: "Whose seat are you going to change? Xinran is already seated. Are you going to make her change seats? Zhengming hasn't arrived yet, but if you go to change seats now, you'll offend him completely!"
Ding Jianjun frowned immediately, feeling caught in a dilemma: "How could you do such a thing!"
Huang Yun was unhappy: "What do you mean by this! I'm only thinking about Xinran. She can't possibly stay in town forever. I'm just introducing her to some connections in the city. Xinran is a good cook and she's clever. If the two of them get along well, they might be able to come to the city to work. Look how good the conditions are at this restaurant. It's much better than selling pot-boiled chicken in town, exposed to the sun and rain. Xiao Yu is already four years old. In a few years, he should be starting elementary school."
Ding Jianjun thought for a moment and said, "Then you should have told Xinran in advance."
"Who knows if Zhengming will come? Isn't he always so busy?"
Ding Jianjun pondered for a long time, then silently shut up.
By 11:30, almost all the guests had arrived, and the living room was bustling with noise, filled with the aroma of dishes and cheerful conversations. Waiters in uniforms carried plates and began to place cold dishes on the tables one by one.
Song Xinran glanced at the two empty seats next to her and thought to herself that even now, no one had arrived.
Just then, a man in his thirties wearing a suit came in and sat in the empty seat next to her. As soon as he sat down, he frowned, looked around, and then looked down at his watch. His expression only improved when the waiter brought the cold dishes to the table.
Why were the dishes served last, on the first table? Zhou Zhengming thought to himself, "When a host holds a banquet at a restaurant, the important people are always seated at the first table, and the dishes should be served first to show how much importance the host places on the event."
Zhou Zhengming made a mental note of this and planned to bring it up at the meeting the next day for targeted rectification. His restaurant was dedicated to serving high-end banquets, so they naturally had to do well in these details to attract more customers.
Then, Zhou Zhengming began to observe the others. The people at the banquet were naturally the guests, and the people at the first table were the closest and most important people.
Zhou Zhengming has met countless people in this line of work. He can roughly tell a person's background just by their clothes and appearance. He glanced around and saw that they were all from the city. The man wearing a neat Zhongshan-style suit should be his distant cousin Ding Jianjun's comrade-in-arms. He heard that they would be given good jobs after they retired from the army.
Since they live in the city, they are also potential customers.
Zhou Zhengming's gaze swept over everyone in turn, and then he saw Song Xinran and the other two. His eyes darted around, and he looked them up and down. He knew at a glance that they were not potential customers.
He was already in a bad mood today, and now he was even more annoyed. He thought about how his cousin-in-law, Huang Yun, had warmly invited him to celebrate his aunt's birthday. He had only made time to come because Ding Jianjun's family had booked about ten tables and had specifically asked him to come.
Zhou Zhengming has been extremely busy lately. Firstly, he was recently promoted, and although he went from deputy manager to manager of the catering department, the job responsibilities are still similar, but he has to make all the decisions. Even the smallest things come to him. In particular, when the previous manager left, he took the head chef with him, which caught him off guard and left him overwhelmed with work.
Secondly, business has been declining recently. Regular customers are complaining that the food isn't as good as before, and the new dishes they've introduced aren't getting any good reviews. The boss's face is getting increasingly grim. Zhou Zhengming has heard the news, and if things continue like this, the boss will have to replace him as manager.
Zhou Zhengming is busy with meetings every day, either inspecting the kitchen and instructing the chefs to cook well, or searching for a chef with excellent skills. He is extremely busy all day long.
I'm here for this birthday banquet for four reasons: first, we're related; second, I want to repay the favor of booking the banquet; third, I hope to meet some potential clients; and fourth, I want to see what other customers think of our restaurant.
But as soon as Zhou Zhengming arrived at the scene, he knew that the latter two ideas had failed. There were very few potential customers, and these people from the countryside were not regular customers of the restaurant. Their comments were of no use. Even if they praised the restaurant to the skies, they would not come to eat at a table by themselves.
The noise at the scene, especially with so many kids on the weekend, made Zhou Zhengming even more annoyed. Luckily, there were no kids at their table, or rather, there was one. Zhou Zhengming glanced at Song Yu, who was sitting quietly and not making a fuss, and thought to himself, "This kid is the only one who's cute."
"Grandma, I want to eat duck leg!" The child at the next table saw the roast duck being served and immediately reached out to grab it.
"What are you eating for? It's not time to start the meal yet!" Grandma quickly grabbed the child's hand and scolded him.
However, the child was probably spoiled at home, and kept shouting, "I want to eat! I want to eat!"
The person at the table advised, "Auntie, just give it to him. It's okay for a child."
Hearing this, Zhou Zhengming couldn't help but raise his hand and call over a waiter to bring the child a bottle of Wahaha: "Little friend, it's not time for the banquet to start yet, you can't take food from the table."
He spoke seriously, but the child's face lit up with joy at the sight of Wahaha, and he stuck in the straw and drank it down in big gulps.
Grandma blushed and quickly thanked Zhou Zhengming. Zhou Zhengming said there was no need to thank him, but inwardly he was rolling his eyes. He knew these people all too well. If a child took a duck leg, the whole plate of food would be ruined in a few minutes. What would the others eat then? Even if he didn't say it, he was disgusted and it affected his impression of the restaurant.
If he weren't currently managing Xiangmanyuan, he wouldn't bother with these things.
He simply asked the waiter for a Wahaha drink, and when the adults at the next table saw this, someone immediately imitated him and shouted, "Give me a bottle too, I'll take it home for my child to drink."
Zhou Zhengming almost lost his composure. He gave the waiter a look, and the waiter immediately said, "I'm sorry, Wahaha is not included in the catering package. That gentleman bought it at his own expense. If you want, it's one yuan a bottle."
"Then no need."
Upon hearing this, the grandmother next to her looked at her grandson Kuku drinking milk and shut her mouth even tighter.
Zhou Zhengming thought to himself, "As expected, he's from the countryside and loves to take advantage of others." Then he looked at the only child at his table, who was obediently keeping his hands on the table as the dishes were served, without making any small movements. Zhou Zhengming's mood improved a bit. "If an adult can raise such an obedient child, their own character can't be too bad either."
He looked Song Xinran over again and saw that although she was dressed simply, she stood tall and had a generous demeanor, indicating that she was a worldly person.
One hot dish after another was served, quickly filling the turntable. The host, holding a microphone on the stage, said some birthday wishes, and finally asked everyone to enjoy their meal. Only then did the banquet officially begin.
Zhou Zhengming looked at the food on the table and didn't know where to start. He had tasted these dishes many times. Because the restaurant's business was declining, he had focused on the kitchen. But he wasn't a professional connoisseur, and he felt that the taste was about the same as before.
"It's delicious! No wonder it's a hotel in the city! The taste is much better than anywhere else!"
"Yes, there's a generous amount of meat; we probably won't be able to finish it all at lunchtime."
"This cold chicken salad doesn't even have a single bone. City chefs are so particular; they even remove the bones."
...
Hearing all the praise, Zhou Zhengming remained unmoved, thinking, "So what? No matter how good the food is, you won't come to eat it yourselves. The restaurant's business will still decline as usual."
Suddenly a voice was heard: "Xinran, this steamed fish is not as good as your cooking."
Zhou Zhengming subconsciously wanted to frown. Their restaurant's head chef was hired at a high price. How could his skills be worse than an ordinary person's?
But he held back, then thought that this might be his chance. He hadn't even noticed the difference in taste, but someone else had pointed it out. Maybe that was all it took to make a difference.
He didn't speak, but listened attentively, trying to figure out why it wasn't working.
But the man didn't say anything, and tasted the next dish: "This stir-fried green vegetable isn't as good as yours, although it looks bright green."
Zhou Zhengming was also stunned, thinking to himself, why does this person only say that the taste is bad, without specifying where the difference is?
After hearing the other person make a few more comments, Zhou Zhengming couldn't help but ask, "I think this steamed sea bass tastes alright, but do you think there's anything wrong with it?"
Song Xinwen was whispering to Song Xinran, but his voice was a little loud. When asked this question, he turned around and saw that it was his deskmate, who was dressed rather formally. He was a little embarrassed and said, "I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong, but the taste is just off."
Song Xinwen was also puzzled. The food in this restaurant was made by professional chefs, and she was looking forward to it before eating. But when she took a bite, it was just so-so.
But she couldn't quite put her finger on the difference. It wasn't something obvious like saltier or blander, or tougher meat; her body and tongue could just tell something was wrong.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengming felt a chill run down his spine. He had thought it was some kind of expert, but it turned out to be just someone who came to flatter others and say some polite words.
He laughed at himself inwardly, realizing he was so obsessed with improving his dishes that he actually hoped to find the answer here.
Just then, a calm female voice was heard: "This bass is of very good quality."
Zhou Zhengming thought to himself, "That's right. I personally went to many places to find these fish. They weren't bought directly from the market. Instead, I ordered them from someone in the countryside who raised them in a reservoir. So the quality is naturally excellent."
"But the fish died for nothing. It didn't eat any feed while it was alive, but it got all sorts of seasonings after it died."
Zhou Zhengming: ? ?
What kind of talk is that? What do you mean by "it's a waste"? Doesn't it taste great? The fish is very tender!
"Adding some seasoning is necessary to remove the fishy smell," Zhou Zhengming said.
Song Xinran said, "The fishy smell of sea bass is not strong. As long as you clean the black membrane, blood and gills, you don't need cooking wine to remove the fishy smell."
Zhou Zhengming wanted to say that it was impossible to remove the fishy smell without cooking wine, but then he thought that when he watched the chef make this dish, he didn't seem to use cooking wine. He was slightly surprised and shut up.
Song Xinran continued, "The chef must have used salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder, white pepper powder, cilantro, and cooking oil to marinate this steamed sea bass."
Zhou Zhengming's eyes widened. He often went to the kitchen and had seen the head chef make this dish. It was indeed made with the seasonings that Song Xinran mentioned, but after marinating, all of them were removed. The sea bass served only had soy sauce, shredded vegetables, and hot oil.
Could this person be a master?
Thinking this to himself, Zhou Zhengming couldn't help but ask, "Then what should we do?"
Song Xinran said, "First, use salt to remove the fishy smell and mucus from the fish skin, marinate it with ginger and scallion water for about ten minutes, then put scallions and ginger at the bottom, steam it for the appropriate time according to the weight of the fish, and finally change to a different plate and simply season it."
"However, the chef controlled the heat very well; the fish wasn't overcooked."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengming's opinion changed. He had personally invited the head chef back, so he naturally knew what the chef was best at: his control of the heat. Others had recommended this chef to him, saying that even the most difficult dishes would not be overcooked under his hands.
Looking at Song Xinran now, her demeanor is neither humble nor arrogant, but poised and graceful, as if she truly possesses the air of a master chef.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Zhou Zhengming didn't touch much. He just wanted to have a good talk with Song Xinran after the meal. He had no choice but to try his best to seize any opportunity he saw.
After lunch, the host invited the guests to go upstairs to the teahouse to rest and play mahjong. Song Xinran didn't plan to go. She wanted to take Song Yu to stroll around the city in the afternoon and buy a piggy bank and a water heater.
But before she could leave, someone stopped her: "Ms. Song, wait!"
Song Xinran turned her head and saw that it was the man in the suit who had sat next to her during the meal. She was a little puzzled. He handed her a good-quality business card: "I am Zhou Zhengming, the catering manager of Xiangmanyuan. Today's host, Ding Jianjun, is my cousin."
"During our meal, you gave us a lot of suggestions about our restaurant's dishes. It's clear you're an expert! You've given me a lot of valuable advice in just a few words. Our restaurant is currently hiring a new chef. I wonder if you have some time now so I can give you a detailed introduction to our restaurant."
When it comes to talent, Zhou Zhengming is very humble. He had searched for the current head chef several times before finally finding him. If Song Xinran's cooking skills were better than the current head chef's, he would be willing to search dozens or even hundreds of times more.
Song Xinran took the business card and glanced at it. Suddenly, she remembered that Huang Yun had specially arranged for her to sit at the first table this morning. She smiled and said to Zhou Zhengming, "I just like to tinker in the kitchen. I'm not a proper chef. I'm just chatting casually during the meal today. Sister Yun should have mentioned to you that I'm currently running a small business in town and have no intention of changing jobs."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengming became even more certain that the other party was an expert. Huang Yun had told him that Song Xinran's cooking was absolutely delicious, and everyone who had tried it wanted more! With such excellent skills, why wouldn't she want to work as a chef in a restaurant and earn a high salary? She must be quite well-off.
He said even more sincerely, "Ms. Song, to be honest, our restaurant looks quite lively now, but we urgently need a good chef to retain our customers. The city is developing better than the town in all aspects. If you are willing to give me some pointers, I can confidently say that I can do whatever you ask for. I do have some connections here."
He looked down at Song Yu. The child couldn't quite understand their conversation, and just stared at them with wide, innocent eyes. When their eyes met, the child gave him a shy smile.
Zhou Zhengming's heart softened immediately: "This is your child, right? So cute! If you come to the city to develop your career, your child can attend a better school. You can rest assured and leave this matter to me. I guarantee I will handle it perfectly."
Zhou Zhengming was very good at attracting talent. First, he offered high salaries and good benefits. Second, he made arrangements for the other party's entire family. Anyone would be tempted by that.
However, there are too few talented people in the county now, especially chefs. Good chefs have all gone to other restaurants where the pay is about the same, so why would they easily switch jobs?
Song Xinran's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't done anything yet, only said a few words during the meal. Even though Zhou Zhengming had asked Huang Yun to learn about her, he hadn't even tasted her cooking himself, yet he was already making all sorts of promises. Wasn't that just making empty promises?
“Manager Zhou,” Song Xinran said tactfully, “the terms you offered are indeed very good, but I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I just want to do my own business well.”
Zhou Zhengming understood immediately; the other party suspected him. He sincerely said, "Ms. Song, let's find a quiet place to talk."
They arrived at a slightly quieter private room, outside of which was the bustling living room. Zhou Zhengming, with the door ajar, immediately changed his tune: "Ms. Song, you are unaware of the hotel's current predicament..."
He started talking about how difficult things were for him. After the previous manager and head chef left, he went to great lengths to find a new one, but the customers weren't satisfied. Now, the old customers were unhappy, and he couldn't attract new customers. The boss was starting to have some complaints about him.
He has a wife and children to support, and his children are about the same age as Song Yu. If he is dismissed, his children will not be able to afford to go to school.
If Song Xinran could come to the restaurant as a chef and give some pointers, helping the restaurant regain its former glory, he would do anything!
Song Yu was stunned as he only caught bits and pieces of what was being said. He had never seen an adult show weakness before, and he genuinely thought the other person was in a terrible state. He looked around, found a pack of tissues, and silently handed it to Zhou Zhengming.
When Zhou Zhengming met the child's clear gaze, he blushed and quickly said, "Thank you, Xiao Yu."
Song Xinran was speechless. She had an impression of Zhou Zhengming when he arrived this morning. After all, he was dressed in a suit and tie among the relatives, and she naturally felt his scrutinizing gaze when he sat down. But she didn't pay much attention to it. Isn't that how people are?
I never expected there would be this side to it...
The other party was indeed very sincere, revealing all their shortcomings. They were incredibly flexible and adaptable. Song Xinran had seen many such people in her past life, and they all ended up in high positions.
“Manager Zhou, I won’t beat around the bush,” Song Xinran said. “I have no intention of becoming a chef at a restaurant right now. I’ve heard about your current problems, and I have a few ideas…”
Zhou Zhengming immediately said, "I am extremely grateful for your guidance!"
Song Xinran said, "I have nothing to say about cooking skills. After all, dishes are ever-changing, and every chef has their own style. Let's just leave it as it is."
Although Zhou Zhengming was a little anxious, he told himself not to rush and praised, "What you said makes sense."
Song Xinran said, "We can make some changes in other aspects, such as setting it up as a cultural-themed restaurant."
Zhou Zhengming was taken aback; he had never heard of this term before.
Song Xinran thought that this concept hadn't spread to ordinary cities yet. In her previous life, she had been to many themed restaurants, and her conclusion was that if the cooking skills weren't good enough, they would make up for it with special features. Many people paid for these special features, and the restaurants were always packed with customers and had a good reputation.
Seeing that Xiangmanyuan was also aiming for a high-end level, and that Zhou Zhengming couldn't find a better chef at the moment, she briefly explained the meaning of a cultural theme restaurant to Zhou Zhengming.
The more Zhou Zhengming listened, the more surprised he became, and the brighter his eyes became.
Having worked in this industry for over a decade, he naturally understands the people in this city very well. Xiangmanyuan focuses on entertaining guests and banquets, and everyone cares about saving face. After the head chef left, the taste of the dishes changed, so they focused on other aspects. In fact, Zhou Zhengming had also thought about this aspect before and made changes to the service, but they were all pretty much the same.
As soon as Song Xinran spoke, Zhou Zhengming knew it was feasible! It would perfectly satisfy the needs of customers who cared a lot about their image!
But he had never heard of this concept before. How did this young girl in front of him know about it?
Zhou Zhengming looked at Song Xinran with increasing surprise and admiration. She probably had a more lucrative path to make money because she didn't want to be a chef at the restaurant, but she still generously shared so much with him. Zhou Zhengming was very grateful: "Ms. Song, your idea is really novel. It sounds very attractive. I've never heard of it before. Today has truly broadened my horizons!"
"It would be a real loss for our restaurant to miss out on someone as talented as you. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know, and I'll do my best to help!"
Song Xinran only listened to these words casually, but it was good to get acquainted with them first, so that she wouldn't be completely clueless when she came to the city in the future.
She smiled and said, "Manager Zhou, you're too kind."
Zhou Zhengming changed the subject: "I heard from my cousin-in-law that Ms. Song is now making Bobo Chicken in town. We have several such businesses in the city too. If Ms. Song wants to develop her career in the city, I can lend a hand..."
"Thank you, but I don't have that idea at the moment." Song Xinran knew that one couldn't rely entirely on others. Although she had the idea of coming to the city, she first needed to have enough resources of her own. "I have other plans this afternoon. Manager Zhou, I'll be leaving now if there's nothing else."
Zhou Zhengming saw Song Xinran to the door, then turned to Huang Yun, looking surprised: "Sister-in-law, how did you meet that friend surnamed Song?"
Huang Yun said, "We met when we were doing business together, and then we lived relatively close to each other."
Zhou Zhengming looked surprised and exclaimed, "Ms. Song is extraordinary!"
Huang Yun nodded in agreement: "That's right."
"It gives off the feeling of a reclusive master from a martial arts novel," Zhou Zhengming said.
Even someone as experienced in dealing with people as he was, misjudged her at first glance. It wasn't until they talked that he realized Ms. Song was no ordinary person.
Huang Yun:? ? ?
What is her cousin saying?
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