After finishing a small piece of cake, Zhang Yanshu stood up.
"Jin Jin is going home soon, I need to change my clothes. Jin Xingming, you stay and play with the guests for a while."
As Zhang Yanshu walked into the room, a saying came to Du Xiaoruo's mind: "A woman adorns herself for the one who appreciates her."
Although the mainstream idea nowadays is that women dress up to please themselves, the little joy one feels when doing their makeup in front of a mirror for someone is truly a beautiful thing.
Before attending the banquet, Du Xiaoruo had specifically looked up Zhang Yanshu online.
Some entertainment accounts say that Zhang Yanshu rarely appears in public, not because she is low-key, but mostly because Jin Jin dislikes her ordinary appearance and deliberately hides her at home.
But after meeting Zhang Yanshu, Du Xiaoruo felt that...
No one can hide this woman unless she chooses not to go out herself.
After Zhang Yanshu left, Jin Mingxing still remembered his grandmother's words to him, telling him to greet the guests.
The little guy usually listens to his grandma. After racking his brains for a long time, he ran into the room, and after a while he ran out again and went straight to Qiao An.
In the outstretched little hand lies an old silver coin, a "Yuan Shikai Dollar" that circulated during the Republic of China era.
Jin Xingming tilted his head and looked at Qiao An, "Can you use this to do magic tricks?"
He had seen a magic show live before, where a very handsome guy could make a coin disappear and then reappear. Jin Xingming thought Qiao An was very handsome, so he should be able to do magic too.
Joan reached out and took the coin from the child's hand. He put his fingers together and placed the coin between his fingers. Then, with a slight movement of his fingers, the coin fell into his palm and disappeared from the back of his hand. He then repeated the action, and the coin reappeared from between his fingers on the other side.
"Is that so?" Joanne asked.
Jin Xingming clapped his hands, "Wow, you're amazing! Sure enough, handsome older brothers can all do magic tricks."
Joan handed the coin back to him and corrected him, "Not brother, you should call me uncle."
Actually, Joan's performance was quite clumsy, only good enough to fool children, but his magic trick made it hard for people not to notice his hands.
His fingers were long and fair, with clearly visible veins beneath the thin skin on the back of his hands. They were clean yet not effeminate, powerful yet not rough—hands that didn't need filters to be used for hand modeling.
While he was performing magic, Qiao Qingmeng's gaze lingered on his beautiful hands until the sound of Jin Jin's footsteps returning home interrupted her gaze.
In terms of interpersonal skills, Jin Jin was much more tactful than Zhang Yanshu. Seeing Qiao Qingmeng at home, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, before he greeted her calmly.
"Everyone's here?"
After Jin Jin returned, Zhang Yanshu also changed into a matching dress and came out, even combing her hair again.
Everyone sat down around the round table, and the servants began to serve the dishes one after another. There were no particularly expensive dishes, just some common home-style dishes such as West Lake beef soup and sweet and sour mandarin fish. However, each dish was made to look exquisite and delicious, and the room was filled with fragrance as soon as the dishes were served.
Zhang Yanshu glanced at the soup on the table, then at the tableware in front of him, raised his hand, and asked,
"Butler, do you think my hands are good enough to scoop up soup with my bare hands?"
The butler seemed to be used to Zhang Yanshu's sarcastic way of speaking, and quickly gave the order.
"Quickly, bring the soup spoon."
Jin Jin's dark eyes held a doting smile, and his tone, seemingly a complaint but actually more of a helpless resignation, spoke...
"Speak properly, why do you have to be sarcastic?"
Zhang Yanshu didn't care at all. "Life is boring enough as it is. If we can't even make jokes, how hard would it be to live?"
Du Xiaoruo quietly ate the side dishes in front of her, and felt more and more that Qiao An and Zhang Yanshu were very similar. Their personalities were similar, their ways of speaking were similar, and... their hands looked very similar.
When Zhang Yanshu raised her hand, Du Xiaoruo noticed that her hand was also slender and fair, with veins faintly visible under her fair skin. It could be said that her hands and Qiao An's hands were cut from the same mold.
The Jin family has strict rules, and even when guests are present, one must not speak while eating.
After dinner, since it was still early, Jin Jin pointed to the chessboard under the grape trellis and asked, "Does Qiao An know how to play chess?"
Qiao An glanced over there; it was a chessboard. She said modestly, "I know a little bit."
"Let's go, next round, I'm not playing well either."
Lele wasn't really interested in the party, but when she heard they were going to play chess, she quickly followed and stood behind Qiao An to watch.
Zhang Yanshu led Du Xiaoruo and the others to sit down and drink tea. The butler brought out a set of very exquisite, extremely thin-walled, hand-painted blue and white porcelain tea set.
"Drink some aged white tea tonight, and you won't have trouble sleeping," Zhang Yanshu said to Du Xiaoruo as he watched the butler pour the tea.
Qiao Qingmeng had been feeling frustrated all night, wanting to find an opportunity to turn the tables. Now, seeing this exquisite tea set, she had an idea.
She praised,
“Auntie, this tea set is really beautiful. I wonder if you know of a master craftsman in Wencheng who is very famous for making wood-fired tea sets. His art name is Xiaohu. I heard that his tea sets are hard to come by even if you have money. I happen to be friends with Xiaohu. I’ll call him another day and have him make a tea set specially for you. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Qiao Qingmeng knew that if she could win over the Jin family, she would have a firm foothold in Wencheng. She also knew that it wouldn't be easy to see Zhang Yanshu, so she had to find a way to win her favor. The first thing she needed to do now was to create an opportunity for their next meeting.
First, keep Zhang Yanshu calm. Then, Qiao Qingmeng will go down and find a way to get the small teapot. The next time they meet, she can give him a tea set. They'll get to know each other better over time.
Zhang Yanshu's interest was piqued. "You even recognize the small pot?"
Qiao Qingmeng smiled, and judging from Zhang Yanshu's expression, she knew she had made the right gamble this time.
"We met through a friend's introduction, and we have a very good relationship."
"Then call him now."
Zhang Yanshu seemed impatient and urged him directly.
“I happen to want a gaiwan made of high-quality white clay and fired in wood. You can call now and I’ll talk to him personally.”
Qiao Qingmeng's face instantly turned somewhat awkward. She had only wanted to cater to his preferences and create an opportunity to meet again. She had only heard the name Xiaohu from others before, and she never expected Zhang Yanshu to ask her to make the phone call in person.
She was quick-witted; after a moment's pause, she came up with an explanation.
"Auntie, I usually use two mobile phones. The one I brought today is my work phone, and I don't have any friends' numbers saved in it."
Du Xiaoruo sat to the side drinking tea. With her limited social knowledge, she really couldn't tell that Qiao Qingmeng was lying. She thought that Qiao Qingmeng just happened to not have her phone with her, and she even felt sorry for Qiao Qingmeng for a second.
But how could someone as insightful as Zhang Yanshu fall for such a trick?
She asked the housekeeper to bring her phone, dialed a number in front of her, and put it on speakerphone.
The other party answered the phone and greeted me warmly, "Sister Yanshu? It's so kind of you to contact me first, I'm truly flattered."
Zhang Yanshu gave Qiao Qingmeng a meaningful look and said into the phone,
“Little Pot, a younger relative of mine came to visit. She said she knew you and wanted to give me a set of tea utensils you made. That’s when I suddenly thought of you.”
"You know me? Who are you?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qingmeng's face turned quite pale, and she looked extremely embarrassed.
Zhang Yanshu seemed oblivious to Qiao Qingmeng's embarrassment and continued naturally, "Qiao Qingmeng is the youngest daughter of the Jinse Group."
“I don’t know her. Tell her not to trust strangers. There are a lot of people selling counterfeit goods under my name these days. They’re so annoying. Even if you sue them, it won’t do any good.”
Zhang Yanshu exchanged a few more pleasantries with Xiao Hu, but Qiao Qingmeng's face had already turned very pale. She wondered if she had encountered a ghost today, as she and Zhang Yanshu seemed to be incompatible.
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yanshu didn't say anything more, but it truly proved the saying, "Silence speaks louder than words."
Qiao Qingmeng was so embarrassed that she couldn't sit still. She was thinking of finding an excuse to leave this awful place when she suddenly heard Jin Jin's hearty laughter coming from the grape trellis, which drew her attention to it.
Before the game started, Jin Jin and Qiao An both modestly told each other that they were not very good at chess.
But after the opening moves, the red piece made a "fairy guides the way," the black piece made a "pawn at the bottom cannon," the red piece made a "flying elephant in three steps," and the black piece quickly revealed its chariot. The two sat facing each other, their faces calm and composed, and the chessboard was already filled with the smoke of battle.
The black and red teams remained locked in a stalemate, each chasing the other and refusing to give way.
Qiao An taught Lele to play chess, and Lele played very well. Watching the game, Lele was extremely anxious. Later, she disregarded the saying "a gentleman does not speak while watching chess" and played a move called "River Patrol Cannon" for Jin Jin, turning defeat into victory.
Jin Jin was surprised that a 9-year-old child could have such good chess skills. He laughed heartily and made a promise with Lele to play chess together next time.
Lele nodded shyly, but she hadn't forgotten the purpose of her visit today.
His gaze lingered on Jin Jin's hair.
Jin Jin was puzzled by his gaze and reached up to touch her temples. "What? Is there something on my head?"
Lele sighed softly, "Why don't you have any gray hair?"
"You silly child." Jin Jin burst into laughter again, amused by his words. "My hair is dyed."
Lele sighed again, lowered her head and said with some regret, "I wanted to help you pluck your gray hairs."
Qiao An and Du Xiaoruo were both surprised that Lele would say it so directly. They looked at each other and secretly prayed that the silly boy wouldn't say anything strange.
Lele was disappointed that she couldn't pluck Jin Jin's gray hairs. She then turned to look at Zhang Yanshu, because Zhang Yanshu never dyed his hair and now had a full head of silver hair.
Under Lele's scrutinizing gaze, Zhang Yanshu covered his head with his hands.
"Don't do anything reckless! If you try to pluck my gray hairs, you'll pluck them all the way out of my head."
Qiao was worried that Lele, being so stubborn, might do something rash, and seeing that it was getting late, he said goodbye to Jin Jin and his wife and quickly took Lele away.
No sooner had they stepped out the door than Qiao Qingmeng followed them out of the Jin family's residence.
It's unclear whether Qiao Qingmeng was too embarrassed to continue arguing with them, but she simply drove away.
Qiao An looked in the direction she left and said sarcastically, "I've heard of foot binding, but I've never heard of binding the cerebellum as well."
Lele was already unhappy about being brought out, and when she heard Qiao An cursing, she thought it was directed at her, so she muttered something under her breath.
"So one of them doesn't have any gray hair, while the other has a full head of gray hair. Is that my fault? Is it my fault?"
Plan A failed, and Du Xiaoruo asked, "So what do we do now?"
Joan started the car. "Let's talk about it another time. Anyway, I'm already in my twenties, so a few more days won't make a difference."
“And you too.” Qiao An turned and glanced at Lele. “I hereby unilaterally announce that you are being removed from this large-scale suspenseful family-finding project.”
Lele wanted to argue back, but she knew that she might not be a match for Qiao An in a verbal battle, so she reluctantly chose to remain silent.
Director Kang had been waiting for a while in the restaurant's staff dormitory. After Du Xiaoruo and the others returned, Director Kang stood up.
He ceremoniously produced several certificates and announced,
"Congratulations everyone on completing the live broadcast of the second season of Beibei Restaurant. The production team will fulfill its promise and donate a library to the city's orphanage in your names. Now I will present you with certificates of honor."
Director Kang handed the certificates to each of them.
In the live stream room,
【Huh? Does this mean the live stream is over?】
[Director Kang said he would go back and discuss a plan, and I told my roommate that it definitely wouldn't end so soon. I never expected the show to just disappear like that.]
[This is so frustrating! I wasn't prepared at all, and I feel even worse than when I broke up with my boyfriend last month.]
Actually, after the afternoon break, the guests were much more accepting. Everyone came to the show with the intention of having fun, and now that the game is over, everyone has to go back to their own lives.
Although it was sad, everyone still said goodbye properly.
After everyone said their goodbyes, Director Kang announced with a mischievous grin,
"However, we plan to film another spin-off episode, which will focus on the process of preparing the orphanage library. If you would like to participate, you are welcome to join us."
Everyone, “…” We’ve all laughed, cried, and loved, and we’re about to turn and leave. You’re telling us it’s not over yet?
The somber atmosphere in the live stream dissipated.
[Hahaha, I knew it couldn't be over so quickly!]
Director Kang is so annoying, he just makes people cry.
[It's good that it can still be broadcast; I've already forgiven Director Kang.]
Director Kang reminded again,
"Participation in the upcoming live streams is voluntary, and we will not set any tasks for you. We hope you can have a great time during the final moments of the show's recording."
After announcing the news, Director Kang left the camera's view.
Everyone sat on the sofa, discussing their future plans.
Xia Qing also stated first, "I can only accompany you all this far. My father has been urging me to go back and manage the company several times. He is not in good health now, so I... I'm very sorry that I can't stay with you until the end."
"It's okay, I understand," Mu Hua comforted Xia Qing. "Come back and visit whenever you have time."
Ni An also said, "I'm going back to running the restaurant. If you miss me, go to the restaurant and spend money. If you get a VIP membership, I'll come out and see you."
"If we don't upgrade to VIP, do you dare to refuse to see us?" Xia Qing asked as well.
"If I don't upgrade to VIP, I'll run out here to see you guys."
Mu Hua laughed and tossed a cushion over, then asked Du Xiaoruo, "Xiaoruo, what about your family? Are you still going to continue filming?"
Du Xiaoruo initially felt that she had nothing to do and could finish recording the show, but seeing that everyone else didn't want to continue, she started to have second thoughts.
"Lele, do you still want to record?"
Du Xiaoruo posed the question to Lele: if Lele still wanted to play, then she should stay with him and finish recording the show.
Lele thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"I won't record it. I'm going to participate in the school's junior inventor competition next week, and then I'll rest for a bit before school starts."
"Then we won't..."
Before Du Xiaoruo could finish speaking, Director Kang, off-camera, coughed twice and loudly addressed his assistant beside him.
"Are the guest stars for the bonus episode Fan Yue and Fan Baitong?"
The assistant, suppressing a laugh, replied, "Yes, Director."
Du Xiaoruo's words took a turn in her throat.
"Then we don't necessarily have to listen to Lele. How about we continue recording? Lele, what do you think?"
Lele nodded quickly, her cheeks flushed red to her ears.
In the live stream room,
Hahaha, our Lele is so shy, so cute! I really want to pinch his little cheeks.
Thankfully, Xiao Tong's arrival saved Lele's family; otherwise, only Mu Hua and Xiao Shu would have been left on the show.
[Wait, are Mu Hua and Xiao Shu staying? They didn't seem to say.]
"Teacher Mu, are you going to stay?" the assistant, who had been suppressing a laugh, asked.
Mu Hua nodded without hesitation, "Let our family stay here and see things through to the end."
Director Kang's voice came from off-camera.
"Everyone, get some rest. Tomorrow morning, the guests who stayed behind will set off for the orphanage."
"Mommy, Mommy."
Du Xiaoruo was half asleep when she heard a sound by her bedside. She groggily opened her eyes and saw a dark shadow, which startled her awake.
“It’s me, Lele.”
"Lele? What's wrong?" Du Xiaoruo rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Lele lay on the edge of the bed, tilted her head back, and whispered,
"Xiangxiang and Uncle Ni are leaving tomorrow, and I want to give them a gift. Can you come with me to buy one?"
Du Xiaoruo looked at the dark sky outside, "Where are we going to buy a gift so late?"
"I looked it up online, and there's a night market under the Yingge Bridge that's really lively. Let's go."
Just then, a sinister voice came from the side, "Who exactly are you buying a gift for? Tell the truth!"
Lele felt a little guilty and looked around to change the subject, "Dad, the way you talk is scary."
"I won't go if you don't tell the truth."
Qiao An rolled over and pressed Du Xiaoruo back into bed, saying, "Go to sleep."
Lele pouted and glared at Qiao An, then climbed to the top of the stairs. He looked back and saw that the two of them seemed to be falling asleep, so he climbed back down the floor.
"I was thinking of buying a gift for Fan Baitong when I bought gifts for Xiangxiang and the others, since she's new here and we should welcome her, right?"
Just as Du Xiaoruo was about to sit up, Qiao An pressed her back down, and the two continued to pretend to be asleep.
Lele rested her chin on the edge of the bed, looking like a pitiful begging dog, waiting for a long time before finally sighing and telling the truth.
"I want to buy a gift for Fan Baitong."
A soft chuckle came from under the covers. Qiao An threw back the covers, laughing so hard her back was shaking. Teasing a child was so much fun.
He pulled Du Xiaoruo up.
"Let's go, let's go! There's a really good omelet rice place at the night market, let's go eat there."
The three of them crouched down and ran downstairs, then drove off into the night.
The night market in Yingge was originally just a very lively alley in this area. Later, Jinchan Group acquired the land in Yingge and built a community commercial complex centered on this lively alley. So here you can find both down-to-earth snacks and delicacies, as well as many first-line brand stores.
Lele carefully selected a gift in a small handmade boutique. Qiao An and Du Xiaoruo didn't rush him; the two of them stood patiently in front of the shop's small window and waited.
Seeing Lele carefully choosing a gift, Qiao An suddenly remembered that she had never given Du Xiaoruo a gift before. She had bought a necklace before, but she couldn't find it for some reason.
He took out his wallet, pulled out a black card, and handed it to Du Xiaoruo.
"Take this card and use it whenever you need it. The overdraft limit is quite high, it should be enough for you."
Du Xiaoruo took the card. "Why are you suddenly giving me this?"
"Didn't you give me the 20 million you had before? We probably won't see each other for a while, so keep this card with you. You'll always need to spend money when you're out and about."
Where are you going? Why haven't we seen you for so long?
Joanne pointed to the river in the distance, where the lights on both banks were reflected.
"The orphanage you're going to next is just across this river and over that mountain in the distance. It's behind the mountain. I'm so busy with work, of course I can't visit you often."
Du Xiaoruo pursed her lips. She hadn't realized the orphanage was so far away, but she still refused.
"Since it's a live stream, there's not much to spend money on."
"Take it."
Joan leaned lazily against the windowsill behind her and picked up a felt doll to play with in her hand.
“If you ever want to donate something to the orphanage or do some charity work, don’t worry about the money. Our family is not short of money right now.”
Hearing him say "our family," Du Xiaoru blushed slightly, didn't insist any further, and put the card away.
Looking at the bustling crowd in the night market, Du Xiaoruo thought of the night she went to the bar with Qiao An. Actually, she wanted to ask Qiao An why he never asked her about her identity since he already knew her.
She remembered everything: the day Qiao An carried her on her back, the words she whispered in Qiao An's ear, how she was abandoned by her biological parents, and how her aunt sent her abroad.
Du Xiaoruo had thought countless times that if Qiao An asked, she would tell him everything about transmigrating into the book and Chen Ding.
But he never asked, and he treated her better and better. Now he even trusts her with a black card with a huge overdraft limit, even though she is a person of unknown origin.
Qiao An held the plush toy in front of Du Xiaoruo and asked in the toy's voice, "Madam, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm wondering why Du Tiancheng's mother never came to see me again."
"This one?"
Joanne put the plush toy back on the windowsill.
"I forgot to tell you, I found them a professional manager. Now the factory is managed by an external manager, whose income is enough to ensure they can live well. You don't need to worry about things over there anymore."
Lele paid for the gifts with her own savings and walked out of the boutique carrying several small paper bags.
"I bought a little message in a bottle." Lele opened the paper bag in her hand like she was showing off a treasure, and took out a small wooden box containing the message in a bottle to show them.
The message in a bottle looked familiar; it was the kind of transparent bottle that Du Xiaoruo often saw in her previous life, filled with colorful sand and little notes with blessings written on them. It could be worn as a necklace or a phone charm.
"Is it pretty?" Lele asked with anticipation.
Du Xiaoruo nodded in agreement, and Lele was overjoyed.
The three of them walked up to the stall selling omelet rice and could smell the delicious aroma of fried eggs from afar.
"Three omelets with rice."
"Okay." The owner deftly packed the piping hot omelet rice into a paper bag.
Lele stared at the crescent-shaped fried egg for a long time, then couldn't help but ask, "Boss, there's no rice in this egg, why is it called 'omelet rice'?"
"Downstairs," the boss replied, taking a moment from his busy work.
Lele: "Since it's noodles, why call it 'omelet rice' instead of 'omelet noodles'?"
"Boss, ...kid, what I meant was that the rice in the omelet rice is covered by the egg, not that the omelet rice is filled with dough."
Lele, “…” was completely beyond her comprehension.
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