Chapter 21, Female Supporting Character in a Historical Fiction
Xu Qingzhou was stunned, somewhat puzzled.
"Director Cheng?"
The guards didn't hide it from him.
"The research institute's operations director."
Xu Qingzhou mentally considered all the possible scenarios, then nodded gently without showing any emotion.
"Okay, wait a moment, I'll change my clothes."
"It's okay, no rush."
Xu Qingzhou quickly changed his clothes and came out.
Let's go.
They arrived at a state-run restaurant.
Although private ownership has been opened up, state-owned shops will not disappear overnight.
Even in later generations, state-run restaurants still existed.
This state-run restaurant, called Jufuzhai, was exclusively for entertaining dignitaries and had a very high-class atmosphere.
Xu Qingzhou, as a rising star in Kyoto, has only been here a few times.
The guards only led Xu Qingzhou to the outside of the private room before stopping.
"Mr. Xu, Director Cheng is inside. Please go in."
"Thanks."
You're too kind.
There was only one woman in the private room.
Xu Qingzhou paused for a moment, a gentle smile on his face, subtly observing the woman.
The woman was probably in her thirties. Her well-tailored suit accentuated her figure, and her hair was pulled up high, giving her a neat and simple look. Her narrow eyes revealed a shrewdness.
She is a strong woman who is good at giving orders.
"Director Cheng?"
While Xu Qingzhou was sizing her up, she was also sizing him up.
Xu Qingzhou doesn't like wearing suits. This time, he still wore a comfortable Zhongshan suit, which was carefully designed so as not to be considered impolite.
He had a gentle face and seemed to be a good-tempered person.
But considering what he did in the documents, women wouldn't think he was a good person to get along with.
"Mr. Xu, please have a seat."
After Xu Qingzhou sat down, the woman pressed the bell on the table to signal them to serve the dishes.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Cheng Yanqiu, the operations director of the Kyoto Research Institute."
Xu Qingzhou smiled in response.
"Hello, my name is Xu Qingzhou, the owner of Zhouqi Technology."
This kind of self-introduction can be considered very humble.
Cheng Yanqiu's gaze softened considerably when she looked at him.
There was a knock on the door of the private room, and the waiters filed in, placing dishes on the table one by one before retreating in a well-trained manner.
Throughout the entire process, I didn't look around aimlessly or make any unusual noises.
Such quality and service attitude can be achieved by any restaurant of a certain standard in later generations.
However, it is not very common in this era.
Xu Qingzhou, however, showed no particular emotion, his expression remaining indifferent throughout.
Cheng Yanqiu raised an eyebrow and took the initiative to invite him to dinner.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what Mr. Xu liked to eat, so I just ordered some random things."
Although they said to order whatever you wanted, almost all the dishes on the table were their signature dishes.
This wasn't something you just randomly ordered.
Xu Qingzhou understood perfectly, and smiled knowingly.
"Thank you for your trouble, Director Cheng."
During the meal, Cheng Yanqiu kept subtly observing Xu Qingzhou and found that his dining etiquette was excellent.
But considering his background, it makes sense.
Both of them were very polite and did not make a sound throughout the entire process.
It wasn't until they had almost finished eating that Cheng Yanqiu opened a bottle of wine and prepared to pour him some.
Xu Qingzhou gently covered the wine glass with his hand and smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry, my partner isn't home, so it's not convenient for me to drink."
Cheng Yanqiu raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She simply poured herself a glass and sipped it slowly.
"Isn't Mr. Xu curious about why I called you here?"
Xu Qingzhou remained calm and composed.
"Is it related to my partner's new research?"
As early as when Yu Wanwan entered the research institute, the people around her had already been thoroughly investigated.
As her husband, he naturally wouldn't be overlooked.
It could even be said that he has been living under their protection and surveillance all these years.
What he did and his interactions with Yu Wanwan could not be kept secret from those above.
At this point, Xu Qingzhou had no need to pretend to be stupid.
Cheng Yanqiu gave a short laugh.
"Mr. Xu is a smart man."
She took a contract out of her bag and pushed it toward him.
"Take a look at this."
This is a project proposal.
Xu Qingzhou hesitated for a moment, but still took it and began to read it carefully.
After reading only two or three lines, Xu Qingzhou's brow twitched.
From a later perspective, this proposal may not seem like much, but from today's perspective...
Xu Qingzhou looked up.
"Are you really comfortable entrusting this to me?"
Cheng Yanqiu lowered her head and pecked at the wine in her glass.
"We only need to master the core technologies; as for the rest..."
She paused, then gave him a meaningful look.
"Mr. Xu just got a piece of land in the suburbs from your father today. That land is perfect for building a factory."
Xu Qingzhou was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled slowly, closed the proposal, and extended his right hand.
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
Cheng Yanqiu smiled and squeezed his knuckles.
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
The two did not linger and got up to leave the restaurant.
Specific details regarding the cooperation will be followed up by a designated person.
It's impossible to finalize the details of such a large project over a meal.
After seeing Xu Qingzhou off, Cheng Yanqiu stood at the restaurant entrance and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"This couple is really something, one more impressive than the other."
Someone came forward and draped a coat over her shoulders. Cheng Yanqiu chuckled and got into the car in her high heels.
The day after returning, Xu Qingzhou instructed Yang Qiang to put other projects on hold for the time being and put the construction of the factory on the agenda.
To be honest, this piece of land is far from urban areas, in the middle of nowhere, and has been abandoned for a long time.
Mr. Xu had wanted to sell this land for a long time, but unfortunately, private sales were not allowed before, and now, no one is willing to take over such a remote piece of land.
Kyoto today is not like the place where land was incredibly valuable in later generations.
Xu Qingzhou took over this land to build a factory, and even to develop it into an industrial park.
He had made all the preparations and was just waiting for the right opportunity.
And now, the east wind has arrived.
The research lab where Yu Wanwan works has successfully developed a mobile phone.
It wasn't a telephone, nor was it one of those bulky mobile phones; it was a cell phone.
Although it was just a flip phone, which he considered very old-fashioned.
However, compared to the bulky mobile phones, flip phones are much smaller, making them less prone to accidental touches and easier to carry.
He couldn't remember exactly when flip phones appeared in his world, but he was certain it was much later than it is now.
Xu Qingzhou let out a breath.
Our country is now truly taking a step ahead of the world in communication technology.
It wasn't fast, just one or two steps, but those simple steps were enough to leave other countries behind and put them in a dominant position much earlier than in the original world.
Xu Qingzhou couldn't quite explain what kind of feeling he was in.
There was melancholy, excitement, and exhilaration, but even more so, a nameless surge of boundless pride.
The collaboration project that Cheng Yanqiu offered was the production and sale of mobile phones.
He had previously thought that once the news was released, he would proactively apply to participate in the bidding.
Unexpectedly, before the news was even released, they handed the project directly to him.
Xu Qingzhou knew very well that this must be related to Yu Wanwan.
If it weren't for her connections, why would the higher-ups have chosen him, a newly established sole proprietor, to take over this project?
While Yu Wanwan was busy at the research institute, Xu Qingzhou also turned his attention to the construction of the factory.
The couple were not together, but they were both moving forward towards their own goals.
Three years later.
Maolin Brigade should now be called Maolin Village.
The door to the village secretary's office was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang.
"Captain! Captain!"
The captain was so startled that his hand trembled, and he spilled tea from the enamel cup onto his hand.
He put down his enamel mug, hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands, and looked up while cursing.
"What are you doing, acting so recklessly?!"
When the household contract responsibility system for land was first implemented, the brigade leader was already prepared to step down and go back to farming.
But to everyone's surprise, his application to remain in office was approved.
Now, three years later, the former village party secretary has been transferred and promoted, and he has become the new village party secretary of Maolin Village.
Even so, the villagers still habitually call him the brigade leader.
"oops!"
The person slapped his thigh.
"Xu Zhiqing and your Huihui are back!"
"What?!"
The captain was stunned, somewhat taken aback.
Over the years, Xu Qingzhou would come back every winter and summer vacation when he was in college. Even after he graduated from college and no longer had winter and summer vacations, he still came back at least once a year without fail.
It's not surprising that Xu Qingzhou came back, but Yu Wanwan hasn't returned since she went to university.
It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she couldn't leave the research institute and could only contact them by phone.
The captain and his wife understood her, but they were still saddened.
Upon suddenly hearing this news, the captain was completely stunned.
"It's your Huihui! She came back with Xu Zhiqing!"
The captain finally came to his senses, slapped his thigh, stopped wiping his hands and cursing, grabbed his coat and ran outside.
When he got home, Yang's mother had already been holding Yu Wanwan and crying for a long time.
Xu Qingzhou stood to one side, patiently comforting her.
Looking at the girl with a gentle face and an air of nobility, the captain suddenly hesitated and dared not step forward.
Yu Wanwan noticed him first, looked up, and smiled gently.
"dad."
Upon seeing the familiar face and hearing the familiar voice, the captain's eyes reddened. He turned away, rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and uttered a soft "Hey."
"You're back! It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!"
Yu Wanwan simply smiled gently throughout.
Xu Qingzhou glanced at her gentle smiling face, feeling a little helpless.
"Dad, don't just stand there, come in."
The captain nodded, closed the gate, and went home.
They hadn't seen their daughter for almost five years.
Although technology has become more and more advanced and the conditions in the village have improved over the past five years, they still feel bitter because their daughter is not by their side.
After five years apart, they had become strangers to Yu Wanwan, even less familiar with her than they were with Xu Qingzhou.
Fortunately, with Xu Qingzhou mediating, they quickly rediscovered their former sense of familiarity.
After carefully inquiring about Yu Wanwan's situation, Yu Wanwan and Xu Qingzhou also faced the problem that every couple would encounter.
"Huihui, you've been married for so many years now, and you finally have some free time. Shouldn't you consider having a child?"
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