It was just past six o'clock after breakfast. Zhang Hongmei wrapped up the leftover steamed buns to take with her later, and Xiao Li brought her two boxes of Daoxiangcun pastries.
"Hongmei, this is food for you on your journey. Things are different out here than at home. I'm really worried about you. Maybe you shouldn't go?"
"Brother Zhang, that's enough. What's there to worry about? I even steamed some buns for myself. Let's take the rest of the meat to Xinyuan later, since you're not coming back for dinner anyway."
"Okay, I'll wait for you to have dinner together when I get back tomorrow night."
"You don't trust me that much? Okay, I'll definitely be back before dark."
"How about I take you there first?" Zhang Hongmei thought it was still early and she could get to the school gate by seven o'clock.
"No need, I'll take you there in a bit."
Can you be late?
"How could it be late? I always arrive early. It's not too late to go after I've dropped you off."
"Okay, shall we set off now?"
“Great! I’m going to pick up the sesame seed cakes. I’ve already ordered them; you can take them with you on the way.”
Zhang Hongmei smiled and nodded, just like a daughter being seen off by her father.
Zhang Shouyi looked at the little girl who was smiling like a cat that had stolen cream, and rubbed her head.
Zhang Hongmei dodged him, giving him a resentful look. He was so annoying.
Upon arriving at the restaurant entrance, the manager ran out carrying five packages of sesame seed cakes wrapped in parchment paper.
Zhang Hongmei got off the bus and said, "Thank you for your help!"
The manager was truly flattered. "No trouble at all, no trouble at all. It's my honor."
The car arrived at the school gate at 5:00 PM. "Brother Zhang, didn't I bring way too much food?"
"Not much. You're not the type to eat alone. I'm afraid there won't be enough for three people.
"Hehe. How could that be?"
When Shan Mianzhi drove over, he saw Zhang Shouyi's car parked on the side of the road in the distance, so he quickly stopped and got out.
Zhang Shouyi and Zhang Hongmei also got out of the car.
Good morning, boss.
"Good morning, Mianzhi. This girl insists on going to see you. Please take care of her."
"Don't worry, boss."
At this moment, Yang Yongxin also came over. He was startled when he saw Zhang Shouyi. Was this the leader from the newspaper?
Xiao Li took the prepared food down and put it into Shan Mianzhi's car.
Zhang Shouyi put his arm around Zhang Hongmei's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "I'll wait for you to come back for dinner on Sunday."
Zhang Hongmei struggled but didn't open her eyes. She glared at Zhang Shouyi and said, "I already told you, don't worry, I definitely won't be late. Tell Aunt Wang that I'll eat the eight-treasure porridge she made."
"Okay, be careful on the road. Do you have enough money?"
"That's enough, go to work now."
Zhang Shouyi looked at Shan Mianzhi and said, "Be careful on your way. Hongmei, I'm going to work."
"Go on, go on," Zhang Hongmei waved her hand as if shooing away flies.
The three men watched Zhang Shouyi's car leave before getting in.
Zhang Hongmei voluntarily sat in the driver's seat.
"Hongmei, let me go first."
"I'll do it, Chairman Shan, you just need to give directions."
Yang Yongxin didn't react at all, and dumbfoundedly opened the back door. Good heavens. The car was almost full, barely enough for one person to sit down.
It took Yang Yongxin half an hour to realize what had happened. That really was a leader; he hadn't expected the vice chairman to have such powerful connections.
I glanced at the young woman in front of me, who was gripping the steering wheel firmly. She's not someone to mess with!
Shan Mianzhi's initial excitement about going out with Zhang Hongmei vanished. Zhang Shouyi was clearly asserting his dominance over him.
How interesting. I never expected it to turn out like this. Looking at this clueless, naive little girl, I'm thinking that maybe I still have a chance. If I could really win over Zhang Shouyi's woman, that would be an achievement!
Zhang Hongmei was unaware of Shan Mianzhi's despicable intentions and was focused solely on driving.
Throughout the journey, Shan Mianzhi kept talking to Zhang Hongmei, and they were all lighthearted topics that didn't annoy her.
Yang Yongxin tried to keep his presence to a minimum, as he couldn't afford to offend anyone.
We left the capital and entered L city at 9:30 a.m. The main problem was that the roads were extremely congested and full of potholes.
"Red Plum, shall I bloom it?"
“Okay, it’s your turn. I’m not familiar with the roads in L City, so you can sit in front, Yang, and I’ll lean back and rest for a while.” Zhang Hongmei was also feeling tired.
"OK."
"It's too bumpy behind Hongmei, you should sit in the front."
"No need, I can lean against the clothes and take a nap. Wake me up when we get there."
Actually, Zhang Hongmei wanted to avoid Shan Mianzhi's gaze; this guy always looked at her with strange eyes.
I sat in the back, picked up the water bottle on my back, and took a few sips. I rubbed the back of my neck and stretched. Driving this kind of car without shock absorption is too bumpy and tiring.
How can anyone fall asleep on such a bumpy ride? The only good thing is that the car is going at a decent speed.
The two people in front of her were talking in hushed tones. It was all trivial stuff, and Zhang Hongmei wasn't really listening. It was so boring; she'd only come out once, and she was never going out again.
I was vaguely thinking about how to shake them off and go shopping on my own, but then I thought dejectedly that it was probably impossible, so I should just stay put. I figured there wouldn't be anything I needed there anyway.
Shan Mianzhi drove the car directly to the side of the building.
"Hongmei, we've arrived."
Zhang Hongmei checked the time; it was almost midnight.
"Chairman Shan, let's find a place to eat first. We don't need to buy any staple food; I brought some steamed buns. But we also need to get off the bus and rest for a bit."
"Okay, I see the restaurant sign. Let's go over there now."
The three of them got off the bus. It was past lunchtime, and the staple food, the three-ingredient noodle pancake, was all gone. In the end, each of them had a bowl of clear soup, and there was really nothing else.
Zhang Hongmei took out steamed buns and a packet of sesame seed cakes, and the three of them ate the clear soup with relish. The waiter kept glancing at them, surprised that they even had steamed buns and sesame seed cakes—they were really quite wealthy!
"Hongmei, thank goodness you were here, otherwise I would have gone hungry. Why didn't I think of bringing food?" Even food couldn't shut Shan Mianzhi up.
Yang Yongxin didn't even look up, his mouth still full of steamed bun, and mumbled, "I did think of that, but I didn't bring any. When I went in, I saw that the canteen only served porridge, so I couldn't bring any."
Zhang Hongmei had no appetite, but she still ate half a steamed bun and then stopped eating, because the jostling made her stomach uncomfortable.
"Hongmei, why are you eating so little?"
"Hehe, I'll eat less so you can eat more!"
"Hehe. You should eat more then, I'd rather eat less."
Zhang Hongmei ignored Shan Mianzhi. Instead, she picked up her water bottle and sipped water slowly. In the end, there were three steamed buns and five sesame seed cakes left.
Zhang Hongmei was envious of their strong stomachs; after such a bumpy ride, they could still eat so deliciously.
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