Chapter 60

In the afternoon, Chen Zonghao sent Song Shu and Jia Hui to the hotel and they changed their clothes before leaving. Before leaving, he asked if he wanted to order a meal for them. Song Shu shook her head and said, "No, I plan to go shopping around the hotel with Jia Hui later."

There are several streets to stroll around and a night market near the hotel where they stayed, so they don't have to worry about having nothing to eat.

After hearing this, Chen Zonghao said, "Do you want to ask A-po to come over and take you guys for a walk?" In fact, the public security nowadays is far worse than that in later generations.

Song Shu shook her head. "Don't bother A-Bo. Don't worry. We're just walking around here and won't go far. After all, we're in the city center, so the safety is guaranteed."

Seeing the worried look on the man's face, Song Shu pushed him out and said, "Okay, I'll call you if there's anything."

Chen Zonghao thought for a while and nodded, "Then be careful and call me if you have any problems."

"good."

After Chen Zonghao left, Song Shu took Jiahui to look at picture books in the hotel. Seeing that it was already half past six, she said to Jiahui, "Jiahui, are you hungry? Shall we go downstairs and find something to eat now?"

Jiahui rubbed her stomach and nodded, "I'm hungry, sister, let's go eat."

"Okay." Song Shu rubbed her head, put on a small bag and walked out holding her hand. When they got downstairs to the hotel, Song Shu asked the staff if there was anything delicious nearby, and then walked in a direction according to her recommendation.

There were restaurants nearby the hotel. Song Shu chose one that sold clay pot rice and walked in with Jiahui. They sat down, looked at the menu, and ordered two servings of chicken with mushrooms.

It was dinner time, and there were many customers dining in the restaurant, including some like Song Shu who brought their children with them.

Not long after, the rice that Song Shu ordered came up. Song Shu stirred Jiahui's portion and reminded her, "It's a little hot, eat carefully, there's a bowl of soup here."

Jiahui was holding a spoon, with a bowl of clay pot rice in front of her that was bigger than her face. The rice was steaming and the aroma filled her nose. She couldn't help swallowing a little. She nodded obediently when she heard Song Shu's words, "Yes, Jiahui will be careful with the heat."

Song Shu prepared it for her, and she picked up a spoon to stir the rice before scooping up a bite to eat. The soup from the ingredients was all soaked into the rice, making it very tasty. The chicken was also very tender and delicious with the soup. As for the rice, there was a layer of browned crust on it, which was very chewy.

Song Shu finally finished the whole bowl of clay pot rice, and even Jiahui, who had a small appetite, ate most of it.

After eating, Song Shu let Jiahui eat some food until her stomach felt less bloated before taking her hand and going to the night market.

The night market here is quite large and sells everything, such as clothes, food, small accessories, etc., so there are many people walking around in the night market.

Song Shu put her bag in front and took Jiahui's hand as they slowly walked around. When they saw some delicious snacks, they couldn't help but buy some, or other nice little accessories, Song Shu also bought some for Song Shu.

After walking around for about half an hour, Song Shu walked back holding Jiahui's hand. When she walked out, she seemed to hear someone calling her name. She turned around and didn't see anyone she knew. Song Shu thought she was hallucinating, so she shook her head and walked away.

A young woman behind him seemed to see a familiar figure and couldn't help but call out, "Song Xiaomei."

But she was a little uncertain when she opened her mouth. Although the woman looked a bit like Song Xiaomei from her village, her temperament and figure were very different. Therefore, the woman could only call out in a low voice involuntarily.

Maybe because she didn't speak loudly and there were so many people coming and going in the night market and it was noisy, the woman didn't hear it. When she wanted to look again, she was blocked by other people and couldn't see it anymore.

The person walking with her heard her voice and asked in confusion, "What were you shouting just now?"

The woman shook her head. "Nothing. Maybe I saw the wrong person."

Because apart from her face, that person was completely different from the Song Xiaomei in her memory, and her temperament was even more different, so she was not sure whether it was Song Xiaomei. Moreover, she heard that Song Xiaomei had already smuggled to the other side, so how could she appear in Shenzhen?

The next day, the woman returned to the village and met Aunt Song. She called her and wanted to say something but in the end she didn't open her mouth.

Aunt Song glanced at her and said, "I don't want to say anything, you are so weird."

Thinking of something, Aunt Song couldn't help but look her up and down, took a few steps closer, and gossiped, "I heard that your family found someone for you, how much dowry did they give to your family?"

The woman pulled the corner of her mouth and said politely, "Not much."

After hearing this, Aunt Song curled her lips, obviously not believing it. "If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. I don't want to hear it. Hey, if that damn girl Song Xiaomei in my family hadn't run away, my family would have gotten a lot of money. We could have built a house and married a wife if we got rich. She's such an ungrateful person. She actually ran away without making a sound. Don't let me find her or I'll skin her alive..."

As Song Bo-niang spoke, there was a grim look on her face, filled with hatred for having lost an opportunity to make money.

The woman felt a chill in her heart as she listened to her words and looked at the expression on her face. She was glad that she didn't tell her, for she was afraid that the woman she saw last night was Song Xiaomei, and that Song Bo'niang and her family would come to her house and she would continue to be harassed by this family of vampires.

The affairs of the Song family were no secret in the village, and everyone in the village knew how Little Sister Song lived. Since they were not related to her and the eldest sister-in-law of the Song family was very powerful, no one dared to help her openly. Usually, everyone just gave her some food secretly.

Later, I heard that Uncle Song had arranged a marriage for his niece, saying that the family was very rich and that Sister Song would live a happy life after marrying into the family.

The villagers didn't believe it. Everyone in the village knew who Uncle Song was. How could he find a good marriage for his niece? The sun must have risen in the west.

Some curious people went to ask around and found out that the man who was told to his niece was a widower. Not only was he disabled, but he was also old enough to be Song Xiaomei's father. Wow, he is really an uncle. How could he let his niece enjoy a good life? He is clearly pushing her into a fire pit.

Therefore, the villagers secretly cursed him for being a hypocritical beast and not being a human being. Some people who couldn't stand it secretly told Song Xiaomei about it. Soon after, they heard that Song Xiaomei had escaped and seemed to have fled to the opposite side.

After that, Aunt Song cursed Xiaomei Song every day in the village, wishing her to drown in the sea. She also hoped that Xiaomei Song could be sent back, and then they would take her away and marry her off.

The woman watched Aunt Song walk away cursing and shook her head. She thought it was better for Xiaomei Song to escape. Even though there was no news from her now and she didn't know whether she was alive or dead, it was better than staying in this house.

＊

Song Shu didn't know that this incident would happen to her later. That night, after she and Jiahui came out of the night market, they took the things they bought back to the hotel.

After watching TV with Jiahui for a while, the little one couldn't resist the sleepiness and fell asleep first. Song Shu then carried her to the bed so that she could sleep more comfortably. She walked out of the room and went to the living room to continue watching TV. After watching for a while, she couldn't help but glance at the door from time to time. She didn't know when Chen Zonghao would come back.

In a restaurant, walking past the elegantly decorated pavilion, the waiter pushed open the door of a private room, served the dishes silently, then quietly and orderly left the room and closed the door.

There were five men sitting in the box. A middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table raised his glass and said to the man sitting next to him, "Come on, let's all toast to Mr. Chen and thank our Hong Kong businessman Mr. Chen for investing in a factory in Shenzhen."

After hearing this, the others raised their glasses and said, "Cheers to Mr. Chen."

Chen Zonghao picked up a glass of wine and toasted everyone, "Director, you are too polite. Mainland China is my hometown. It is my honor to return to my hometown and invest in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. I toast to everyone."

The others were moved by Chen Zonghao's words, and the director patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "It is precisely because of patriotic businessmen like you that I believe the country will develop better and better."

Director Wu was very pleased and looked up to him. Now, other countries' investment and factory construction in electronic technology are concentrated in the other four little dragons and will not come to the mainland. It would be a blessing if they do not hinder the development of high-tech in the mainland.

Therefore, when he heard that a Hong Kong businessman was going to invest and build a factory in Shenzhen, he thought it was just a daily necessities factory or a building developer like usual. But when he heard his subordinates report that it was related to electronic technology, Director Wu immediately summoned the visitor, and when he saw the electrical appliances he demonstrated to him, Director Wu was delighted.

This is a rare high-tech industry, and it is a product that has not yet been developed in the world. In this sense, they have a unique piece of cake. The benefits can be imagined. Thinking of the foreign exchange that can be earned for the country, Director Wu is smiling even in his dreams. Therefore, he asked his subordinates to value Mr. Chen's factory and not allow any losses.

Director Wu withdrew his hand and continued to say to Chen Zonghao: "Mr. Chen, we have also contacted some TV commercials for you. We are promoting it in all aspects. I believe that your DVD player will be a best-seller in the whole mainland." Even in the world.

Chen Zonghao nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you Director Wu for your support. I will ask my assistant to coordinate with you on the publicity expenses."

Although Chen Zonghao chose the mainland partly because of Song Shu at the beginning, after dealing with things during this period of time, he felt a sense of pride in his heart to contribute a small part to the construction of his country.

Director Wu nodded with satisfaction and said, "No problem." Mr. Chen is very popular in his work. He is a business person and never takes advantage of anyone.

Several people started chatting in this heated atmosphere. Chen Zonghao took a sip of tea and casually said, "I heard that the clothing factory near my factory is being sold in your Foreign Trade Department?"

The previous owner of the clothing factory was a Malaysian businessman, and it was considered foreign trade assets, so it was mortgaged to the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

Director Wu was a little confused. What kind of clothing factory was it? It was not until his secretary explained it to him that he remembered. He remembered that he had heard recently that Mr. Chen seemed to be looking for a site to build a clothing factory, so he said, "Mr. Chen is planning to open a clothing factory? That clothing factory is mortgaged to the Foreign Trade Department. If you are interested, we can sell it to you at a lower price."

Director Wu welcomes people who want to invest in building factories. The more the better. They say it is a good deal, but in fact they are not losing out. In the long run, it is still beneficial. If a clothing factory is opened, it will provide many jobs and boost the economic growth of Shenzhen.

Chen Zonghao put down his teacup and shook his head. "It's not me who is interested in the clothing factory, but my wife is planning to open a clothing factory in the mainland."

Director Wu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he couldn't help but say, "Great! I didn't expect that Mr. Chen and his wife are both righteous and courageous people. Our Foreign Trade Department plans to sell this clothing factory at a third of the price. If my wife is willing, we can sign the contract directly."

After hearing this, Chen Zonghao curled his lips and raised his teacup, "It's a pleasure to work with you, Director Wu." This price can be said to be very cheap.

"It's a pleasure working with you." The guests enjoyed the dinner very much.

Before saying goodbye and leaving, Chen Zonghao packed a portion of seafood casserole porridge to take away. Under the gazes of others, he calmly said, "I'll take it back for my wife to try."

Director Wu patted Chen Zonghao on the shoulder and said, "It seems that our Mr. Chen has a good relationship with his wife."

When he saw something delicious while dining out, he actually thought of bringing it back for his wife to try. For a moment, Director Wu, who is fifty years old, felt ashamed. He had never done such a thing for his wife. He couldn't help but ask the waiter, "Please pack a portion for me as well."

The other singles could only look at them with their heads tilted.

Not to mention that Director Wu brought food back to his wife for the first time, and his wife pinched his ears and asked him, "Did you do something shameful outside?"

Director Wu felt wronged, so he could only quickly explain the matter one by one, "Today, a child at the dinner saw that the porridge was delicious, so he packed a portion to take back for his wife. I thought it was delicious, so I thought of packing some for you too."

The old man drank a mouthful of porridge and glared at Director Wu, "Look, other young people love their wives so much, and then look at you, in all these decades, I still relied on others to eat the food you brought me for the first time. There is really no comparison."

Director Wu apologized repeatedly, thinking that this was really not an easy task.

＊

Song Shu watched a few episodes of TV and felt sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and checked the time. It was already past ten o'clock, almost eleven o'clock, but Chen Zonghao had not come back yet.

Song Shu yawned and turned off the TV, thinking about going back to her room first. At this time, she heard the sound of a key turning at the door. Song Shu couldn't help but stand up and look at the door. The door was pushed open and a familiar figure walked in. Song Shu said, "You're back?"

Before Chen Zonghao opened the door, he thought she had gone to bed, after all, it was late. But when he opened the door, he saw the woman standing not far away. She looked at him and smiled at him, "Why are you back so late?"

The light in the living room is warm yellow, which makes the woman's figure look even softer, and standing there makes people feel warm.

Song Shu saw him standing there stupidly after he opened the door, neither saying anything nor coming in. She walked over in confusion, "What are you doing standing at the door?"

Only when I walked in did I smell the smell of alcohol coming from the man. When I looked up at the man, I found that his ears were red, his face was a little red, and even his eyes didn't seem as clear as usual. He looked like he was drunk.

Song Shu stretched out her hand and waved it in front of his eyes, "How much did you drink tonight? You won't be drunk, right?"

Chen Zonghao looked down at her, reached out and held her hand, and with his other hand he held up the packaged seafood porridge, and said, "You're not drunk, I packed a portion of seafood porridge for you, I tried it tonight and it tastes good."

He kicked the door shut and led her to the living room. He sat on the sofa, put the porridge on the table, and looked at her. "Want some?"

Song Shu was led by him to sit on the sofa. The man's hand holding her was a little warm and tight. Song Shu wanted to withdraw her hand, but the man was still squeezing it tightly, and it became even tighter. For a moment, Song Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "How can I eat like this?"

After saying that, the man just said "Oh" and slowly took his hand back. Song Shu saw that he seemed to be reluctant to let go. It was rare to see such an extroverted expression of emotion. Usually, this man was reserved. Seeing him like this, Song Shu believed that he was drunk.

Song Shu withdrew her hand and lowered her head to open the seafood porridge on the table. She was a little hungry at that time, and the aroma came to her nose as soon as she opened it. The seafood porridge was cooked just right, neither too thick nor too watery. It was filled with crab legs and shrimps, and some tender green onions were garnished in it. It looked very appetite-stimulating.

Song Shu looked up at the man next to her and asked, "Would you like to eat something?"

Chen Zonghao leaned back on the sofa, resting one hand on the armrest to support his face, and shook his head, "No, you eat it."

Song Shu stopped being polite after hearing this. She scooped up a spoonful of soup and blew on it a few times. When it was not so hot anymore, she put it in her mouth. It tasted just as good as Chen Zonghao said. She couldn't help but nod at him. "It's delicious."

The man raised his lips and said, "Well, I brought it back for you because it tastes good."

Song Shu listened to the man's straightforward words and silently withdrew her gaze, thinking in her heart that this man was drunk.

After Song Shu quietly finished most of her work and packed up the lunch boxes, she turned around and found that the man had fallen asleep on the back of the sofa without knowing when, with his long legs bent between the table and the sofa.

Song Shu couldn't help but move closer to him and patted his hand. "Hey, is Chen Zonghao asleep? Go back to your room and sleep. It's not comfortable here."

The man was woken up by her slap for a while, opened his eyes and looked at her, then he hummed, put his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes again.

Song Shu looked at him helplessly, muttering in her heart how much alcohol this guy drank tonight to get so drunk. Looking at him like this, she felt a little guilty about leaving him to sleep on the sofa. Fortunately, the living room was only a few steps away from his room.

Song Shu stood up, held his hand and pulled him up, "Get up, go back to your room and sleep."

The man didn't seem to be sleeping so soundly. When he heard her voice, he stood up with her movements, half of his body leaning against Song Shu. Song Shu almost couldn't keep her balance under his weight. She exhaled and muttered, "Why is he so heavy?"

As she spoke, she helped him walk towards his room, as if a drunk man would not go crazy and just listened to her actions obediently.

Song Shu struggled to help him into the room and put him on his bed, but this action caused Song Shu to fall onto the bed with his force, and her body hit his chest, with the hand on his shoulder holding her.

With this movement, Song Shu could feel his heart beating strongly. Looking up, she could count his eyelashes one by one. The warmth from his body was transmitted to her continuously, making Song Shu's breathing hot, as if she was drunk too.

Song Shu was in a daze for a moment, then she slapped her face to wake up, removed the hand on her shoulder, and stood up with the help of the bed. She glanced at the man, and walked towards the living room as she thought of something. There were no ingredients for sobering soup here, so Song Shu could only make him a bowl of brown sugar ginger water, which was better than nothing.

Song Shu walked back into the room with ginger water, sat on the bed and patted his face, "Get up and drink some water."

The man opened his eyes confusedly, "What."

Song Shu passed the bowl to his mouth and said, "Drink some water."

Song Shu just saw the man looking at her. Just when she thought he would not drink, the man lowered his head and drank obediently. After taking the first sip, Song Shu saw the man frown, obviously overwhelmed by the taste of the ginger water. Then he drank it in one gulp without changing his expression. After drinking, he lay down again, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Song Shu stood up and looked at him for a while, then pulled the quilt beside her to cover him, then walked out, turned off the lights and closed the door.

＊

In the morning, Song Shu ordered a breakfast from the hotel. After the food was delivered, she and Jiahui sat at the dining table and ate it, leaving the other portion aside untouched.

Jiahui took a bite of the meat bun, her big eyes rolling with surprise, "Is Second Uncle not up yet?" Usually, Second Uncle gets up earlier than her sister.

Song Shu paused while eating breakfast and said, "Well, I haven't gotten up yet."

Jiahui swallowed the bun and nodded, "Okay, Uncle is a lazy guy today."

As the two were talking, footsteps were heard behind Song Shu. The man came over, pulled out a chair and sat next to Song Shu and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Jiahui opened her mouth and said, "They said that Uncle is a lazy bug today and he just got up now."

Chen Zonghao listened, glanced at the woman next to him, touched his nose, and said vaguely: "Yeah."

Song Shu turned her head to look at him. The man had just come out of the shower. His hair was combed back, and he had changed his clothes. The smell of alcohol on his body was gone. "Do you have a headache?" After all, he drank so much last night and didn't drink any sobering soup.

Chen Zonghao looked at her dimly, "It doesn't hurt. I drank the brown sugar ginger tea you fed me last night."

Song Shu nodded without changing her expression, "Well, you should thank me." It seemed that this man was not drunk to the point of losing his mind.

Chen Zonghao choked and touched his nose. He was to blame for this. He clearly remembered that he was still conscious when he came back last night. He just sat on the sofa and saw her sitting next to him and drinking porridge mouthful by mouthful. He felt satisfied in his heart. The heat and the alcohol might have made his mind confused, and he fell asleep without knowing how.

In a daze, he still remembers the woman helping him into the room and giving him some water.

Song Shu glanced at him and said with a smile: "Okay, eat your breakfast first, then, that portion is yours."

Following her movements, Chen Zonghao looked at the untouched breakfast beside him, reached out and took it, and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After the three of them finished breakfast, Chen Zonghao cleared the table, and Song Shu took Jiahui to sit on the sofa in the living room to watch the morning news.

After Chen Zonghao finished packing, he came over and sat on another sofa and said, "The foreign trade department of that clothing factory can offer you a discount of one third of the price. What do you think?"

Song Shu was originally leaning on the sofa lazily watching the news. When she heard his words, she sat up straight with a look of surprise on her face. "Really? A price one-third cheaper is beyond my expectation. This price is very favorable."

Seeing her happy, Chen Zonghao continued, "Well, if you are satisfied, you can go over today and complete the purchase."

Song Shu thought for a while after hearing this. The money she earned in the past few months was enough to pay the price with a lot left over. Moreover, this clothing factory had a good location and complete supporting facilities. There were no major shortcomings at all. So she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll buy it. Let's go there today."

Chen Zonghao nodded, "Then let's go there now."