"Go away!" Mingjing rolled her eyes at Mingyue and said in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Here comes the first dish, cold jellyfish salad!" Dong Li said, wearing an apron as he served the dish.
Mingjing tasted it and nodded, "Uncle's cooking is good, it tastes better than mine."
"The best is yet to come," Dong Li said with a wide grin, then turned and went to the kitchen to bring out a plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions.
"Here's your sea cucumber, have a taste."
Mingjing picked up a piece, tasted it, and gave a thumbs up. "Uncle, your cooking skills are amazing!"
"Eat more if it's delicious."
Dong Li served up a variety of dishes, ten in total: six hot, four cold, and a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Uncle Dong." Mingjing raised her glass.
"You're too kind. I'll still need Mingjing to make my fortune in the future." Dong Li stood up, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Hey, Uncle Dong, where's that grouper?"
Mingjing looked around, but there was nothing in the fish tank behind her.
"That fish was too big, it would be an eyesore if I took it out, so I put it in the special fish pond in the backyard," Dong Li said, urging everyone to eat.
"Uncle Dong, who are the people coming tomorrow? That fish is expensive; it's not something just anyone can afford," Mingjing probed.
Dong Li laughed and said, "The owner of Longhua Hotel in the city, the tycoon of the seafood market, and the owner of that Royal Club are all rich people. I'll introduce you to them tomorrow."
Mingjing never expected that the owner of the small seafood shop knew so many important people; he was about to make a fortune.
"Thank you for the introduction, Uncle Dong. I'll drink this first." Mingjing picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Little girl, you can really drink, I didn't realize."
Dong Li was shocked. Ming Jing was young but very mature in her dealings with people, especially the way she drank. She didn't look like a young girl at all.
He's clearly a cunning old fox.
Ming Dahai was stunned to find that his daughter would drink alcohol.
"You flatter me. Eat up. If you can't finish it, pack it up for my mom to take home and try. But I'll still pay for it." Mingjing picked up a chicken leg and handed it to Mingyue.
“Hey, it’s my treat, I can’t let you pay,” Dong Li refused.
"You treated me to a foot massage, so why should I let you pay for meals too? You have to pay, or I won't come next time."
Mingjing felt it was best to clarify things clearly, otherwise she would owe them a favor and have to give in to them in the future. As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to be grateful for his food," and she didn't want to be manipulated by others.
Seeing this, Dong Li didn't insist, only saying that it would be deducted from the bill tomorrow.
After dinner, Xie Junan took the group to a foot massage parlor.
"Young boss, are foot massage parlors expensive?" Ming Dahai had never been to one before and was worried that it would be too expensive and he would have to do someone a favor.
"It's okay, it's not expensive."
After turning a corner in the alley, Xie Jun'an and his group arrived at a foot massage parlor called Ya Ke.
"Besides foot massage, do you also offer massage services?" Mingjing asked from the lobby.
Most of the guests were middle-aged men in their forties and fifties; it was quite rare to see girls there, so their group attracted a lot of attention.
"Judging from your tone, you come here often?" Xie Jun'an frowned.
"No, I went to the city and heard from people there that they offer this service," Mingjing said guiltily.
Ming Dahai and Ming Liang were dumbfounded. It was just a foot bath, why were there so many flowers?
"Sister, the girls here are so pretty," Mingyue said, pointing to a girl in a long dress hanging on the wall.
"Jun'an, you've brought me a guest." A woman walked towards us, wearing heavy makeup, fashionable leather shoes and a white shirt, with a head of reddish-brown perm, looking very young.
“Auntie, this is my friend. He’s on my tab today,” Xie Junan said politely, turning his head. “This is my second aunt.”
After greeting Mingjing, the woman glanced at him a couple more times, smiled, nodded, and led the group to the private room.
"Mingjing, I just heard the customers over there say it costs thirty yuan an hour, that's too expensive," Ming Dahai said, reluctant to part with the money.
"Dad, you've been doing this your whole life, what's a little foot soak? Sit down properly."
Mingjing took off his shoes and lay down on the chair. After a while, five female masseuses carrying foot bath tubs came in, placed them in front of the five men, and then left.
The leader, a young woman in her early twenties, wearing a white shirt and bell-bottoms, laughed and said, "Call the phone next to me in twenty minutes."
Mingjing nodded, and the group left.
"Dad, take off your shoes and put your feet in the bucket."
Ming Dahai took off his shoes and socks and put his feet into the foot bath tub. A comfortable feeling swept over his whole body. He felt so good.
"How is it, Dad?" Mingjing asked with a smile.
"It's comfortable, but it's too expensive. I'd have your mom soak these feet in a basin of hot water at home."
"Uncle Dahai, soaking your feet is just the first step. There will be massage and foot rubs later, which will all cost money. It's good to balance work and rest."
Mingjing raised an eyebrow at Xie Junan, then lay down on the soft couch and closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.
Every now and then, the young girl would bring out a few plates of fruit and a pot of free green tea.
After enjoying the massage for twenty minutes, Mingjing called the front desk to have someone come and massage her feet.
Mingliang and Minghai refused to agree because it was a young girl, but they reluctantly agreed when a male technician was brought in.
These days, all the foot massage parlors are young girls. There's only one male masseur in the shop, so they take turns, and it took a while before it was over.
The foot massage was so comfortable that Mingjing actually fell asleep. When she woke up, it was already two or three o'clock. Seeing that everyone else was still asleep, she got up to find the toilet.
As soon as I entered the restroom, I heard a few voices discussing something next door.
Guess how much I made today?
"How many?"
"Two thousand, and a guy came in who insisted on the full package, but he surrendered in ten seconds. These days, men are all show and no substance."
"That saves you trouble. Unlike my older brother, who spends at least half an hour at a time and only pays five hundred. He's so stingy."
Mingjing pursed her lips, pulled up her pants, and left the toilet.
It seems this place isn't exactly respectable; no wonder those people were looking at her so strangely.
Mingjing returned to the private room and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a fleeting shadow upstairs.
"Mingliang? Where are you going?" She followed him, and Mingliang was heading to the third floor.
"A lady just called me to the third floor, saying that they have full-service there, it's very comfortable, and it's free."
"Come back! Don't go!"
Mingjing pulled Mingliang back.
"What's wrong? Why not go for something free? I'll invite Dad too. He has gout, and he's got all sorts of ailments. I'll make sure Dad feels better too."
“You’re such a filial son. Neither you nor Dad are allowed to go. This place is indecent, let’s leave quickly,” Mingjing said, blushing.
In her past life, she only visited respectable places; she never imagined that such a place would have something like this.
"What's inappropriate about it?"
"If a person is dishonest, going there will not only drain your kidneys but also your wallet."
"There's such a place?" Bright eyes lit up as he looked up curiously.
Men are naturally addicted to places like this, and Mingjing's comment made him even more eager to go.
"Come on, don't cause trouble, or you'll catch a dirty disease," Mingjing said, pushing Mingliang back. In her mind, she thought that men only behave when they're hanging on the wall.
Upon hearing that there was an infectious disease, Mingliang turned back dejectedly.
Mingjing woke the others up so they could go home.
"Wow, that was a really good sleep." Ming Dahai rubbed his eyes, sat up and put on his shoes, glancing at the clock on the wall. "It's already three o'clock, time flies."
"Uncle, I think it's still early. Why don't I ask my dad to invite them over earlier? I'm worried that the grouper might cause trouble if it stays too long."
Xie Junan looked at Mingjing.
"Okay, then I'll head back first. The weather looks good today, so I'll go back and dry the rice a bit more before I can take it to sell."
"Mingliang, you stay and help your sister. Mingyue, come back with me."
Mingjing glared at Xie Junan, her face puffed up with anger, as if she wanted to devour him.
"Mingjing, what are you looking at? I didn't do anything to you."
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