After the gathering ended, An Moxue drove to the old professor's house after buying gifts.
The old professor's hair has thinned more and more in recent years, but his shrewdness hasn't diminished at all; it's still as sharp as his eyes, piercing straight to the heart.
"Speak! What brings you here?" The old professor ignored the bags and packages in An Moxue's hands and stared only into her eyes.
An Moxue pretended to be innocent and naive, ignoring him and turning to the old lady, saying coquettishly, "Teacher's wife, look, why does the teacher always give me a bad look when I come? Next time I'll just invite you out for a big meal, and we won't bring him. Let him stay home and eat air!" She then gave the old professor a provocative look.
"Disrespectful to elders!" the old professor exclaimed, his beard bristling and eyes wide.
An Moxue was already being pulled by the old lady, and the two of them sat on the sofa. She was taking things out one by one, explaining the type and purpose of each item to the old lady.
“Teacher’s wife, look, this silk scarf is made of silk, and the color is luxurious. It’s perfect for a beautiful and elegant old lady like you.” An Moxue introduced it enthusiastically, and the old lady was pleased to hear it.
The old professor retorted, "You sycophant!"
An Moxue, with a composed expression, asked the old professor, "Professor, isn't your wife beautiful? Am I lying?" Before the old professor could reply, she gave him a provocative smile from an angle where the old lady couldn't see.
The old professor was furious and retorted fiercely, "Where did I say your wife wasn't beautiful? Of course she is beautiful."
The old lady watched the two of them arguing and examined the things An Moxue had brought.
The old lady chuckled to herself as she packed her things. They would grumble when they weren't around, and start arguing when they were. She didn't care about the two of them; Jiduo never lost out, anyway.
"Oh," An Moxue replied indifferently.
The old professor was sitting there fuming by himself. An Moxue picked up a can of fine black tea and said to the old lady, "Professor's wife, it seems no one will drink this tea. Why don't I take it back with me?"
The old professor suddenly stood up and snatched the black tea from An Moxue's hand. His speed was so fast that An Moxue wondered if he was possessed by a cheetah, otherwise how could he be so fast? Although she did not dodge.
He snatched it, looked at it, and said, "At least you have a conscience; you still know to buy me black tea. Do you have any wine?"
Upon hearing the last sentence, the old lady rolled her eyes. "What alcohol? I already told Jido not to buy you any. There isn't any."
An Moxue said something very bluntly to the old professor.
Then, the old professor became obedient. An Moxue looked at him, shrugged, and looked like she didn't dare to do it either, which made the old professor so angry that he wanted to get angry but didn't dare to, looking very frustrated.
The old professor, after being lectured by the old lady, didn't say another word and went to brew the black tea that An Moxue had bought.
The old lady said, "We'll eat here tonight. I'll make the sturgeon you brought, along with my special bread, and a bowl of red soup. You wait here, I'll make it."
As the old lady spoke, she picked up her things, put away An Moxue's belongings, and finally took a large piece of cut sturgeon to the kitchen.
An Moxue followed behind the old lady, helping out and preparing the ingredients.
The two chatted while cooking.
"Giddy, I shouldn't be meddling in your private affairs, but I still want to ask, do you really have a boyfriend?"
"Yes, Madam, but they're not from our side."
"Oh! While you're young, you should date more, instead of always going here and there. If you don't have fun when you're young, you won't have the energy to play when you're old like me, and you'll suffer a lot. You have to understand that working and earning money are all for a better life, but our lives shouldn't be just about working and earning money. There's no end to the money in this world." The elderly woman, with her head full of white hair, spoke her life insights in the most ordinary tone.
An Moxue hugged her and said affectionately, "I understand, Master's wife. I will remember your words."
The old lady patted her on the back and said, "What a lovely little girl."
At this moment, An Moxue thought of the old Ma couple far away in Lan Kingdom, and she thought that they must also be thinking of her.
An Moxue disliked this somewhat sentimental scene and teased, "Sigh! But what can I do? Teacher's wife, why does the teacher always say something to me every time I come here? I'm a little sad, what should I do?"
Seeing her making a funny face, the old lady said humorously, "How about I don't let him eat the sturgeon I made later? Let him just watch it."
An Moxue replied seriously, "I think it's a good idea."
After saying that, the two of them burst into laughter.
The old professor sat in the living room, sipping black tea and reading a book, looking quite relaxed. Hearing the two people laughing, he looked up at the kitchen, a smile curving his lips, before lowering his head again to continue reading his book.
During the meal, the two of them still shared the sturgeon with the old professor.
After dinner, the old professor said to An Moxue, "Come on, let's go to the study."
An Moxue glanced at the old lady and said, "Teacher's wife, I'll come and chat with you again after I finish talking to the teacher!"
The old lady looked at her with a kind expression and said, "Go! Go!"
An Moxue carried a pot of tea into the study with the old professor, and poured a cup for each of them.
After An Moxue sat down, she said, "Teacher, I've heard that the government is planning to auction off the mining rights for an oil well. What do you think about this?"
The old professor glanced at her, a meaningful look, and said, "What? You've got your eye on me?"
An Moxue just chuckled and didn't reply.
The old professor thought for a moment and said, "From the government's long-term perspective, this is a good start and an attempt to break down barriers, but the difficulties involved are unimaginable. How could those clans be willing to do this?"
After saying that, he changed the subject and said, "However, it's not impossible. As long as the person in charge is determined, half the battle is won. The other half lies with the bidding company. They need to withstand the pressure, have certain strength, and also have a certain amount of courage. But, things depend on people, and people are the key. It's hard to say now; we'll have to see the final outcome of the negotiation."
"Teacher, so, does that mean there's any progress on this matter now?"
"Um."
"So what do you think my chances of winning a bid are if I set up a company and submit it for tender?"
"This time, the bidding process will be an auction, not a sealed bid. So, besides meeting the background requirements, funding is the key to winning. If you have money, everything is negotiable." The old professor looked at her with a deep gaze, the meaning of which was self-evident.
An Moxue laughed it off, "Oh dear! Teacher, you've misunderstood me. I'm not trying to pull strings with you. I just want to confirm the accuracy of the information so I can start preparing. Teacher, you must let me know when you have any concrete details."
"You want to bid?" The old professor's eyes lit up; his student status certainly fit the bill.
"yes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com