"Xiaoqi wants to see the monkey lanterns too!"
Xiao Wu, clutching his DSLR camera, exclaimed, "I'm going to the lantern festival to photograph the lanterns!"
"Grandpa went to discuss business, so he inevitably won't be able to take care of you."
Xiao Wu wanted to try again, but Xiao Qi had already obediently nodded: "Grandpa earns money to support Xiao Qi, and Xiao Qi can't disturb Grandpa's money-making!"
Han Fei couldn't resist pinching the little girl's noticeably chubby cheeks: "Little Qi is so good! Grandpa will bring you a monkey lantern when he comes back!"
"Yay! Grandpa, come back soon!"
Han Fei told Han Chengda to take good care of his younger siblings before heading to the lantern festival with Old Man Xu.
The lantern festival was packed with people and very popular with young people. There were many activities and prizes, as well as a red rope connection activity.
Unmarried men and women who are interested in finding a partner can choose a lantern from the "Love Pool" if they are girls, and choose a lantern from the "Wishing Pool" if they are boys. Each lantern is tied with a red thread. The two groups will meet at the lantern riddle venue and find the other end of the red thread!
Passing by the wishing well, Old Xu joked, "Old Han, why don't you give it a try? If the other end of the red thread is an eighteen-year-old girl, she might cry when she sees a grumpy old man pulling the thread!"
Han Fei glanced at him sideways: "Heh, why aren't you going?"
"I'm trying to win back my ex-wife, I don't need a partner."
"My fiancée has passed away, and I am a widow," Han Fei said calmly.
The two were almost disoriented, and were pushed and shoved by the crowd to the lantern riddle festival venue. Old Xu suddenly exclaimed, "Old Han, look, isn't that a foreigner?"
Han Fei looked in the direction he was pointing, and in the crowd, a striking blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner, over 190 cm tall, with a high nose and a double chin, stood out. Standing next to him was a sprightly little old man wearing sprint spikes.
A riddle-guessing competition is underway at the lantern riddle fair. The winner will receive a 100g gold bar. There are so many participants and onlookers that even though Han Fei and Old Man Xu can see the direction of the two people, they can't squeeze through the crowd for the time being.
"Old Han, look, it's the park manager!"
A stylishly dressed man, decked out in designer brands, walked toward the foreigner, followed by four professional bodyguards in sharp suits and sunglasses.
They were too far away to hear what the other person was saying to the foreigner. They only knew that the foreigner followed the fashionable man, with four bodyguards clearing the way. They quickly disappeared from the crowd.
Han Fei and Old Man Xu were unable to move an inch and had no way to catch up, but they did get close to the old man who was a former national sprinter.
"Breakfast cart owner, are you here to see the lanterns too?" the old man greeted them.
Old Xu was straightforward and asked directly, "Speedy Legs, where did the foreigner who was with you go?"
The old man wasn't angry. The nickname was given to him by the elderly people in the park, and he quite liked it.
"You mean that foreign friend? He and his friend went to the coffee shop in front for coffee."
"You didn't recognize that was the park manager?" Old Xu asked, puzzled.
"The park manager?" The old man shook his head. "He usually dresses quite properly in the park, but I didn't expect him to be dressed so flamboyantly after get off work. Now that you mention it, I recognize him. He does have the face of the park manager. He's quite handsome, but his eyes aren't very good; they're triangular."
Han Fei asked, "Are you sure, about the coffee shop up ahead?"
"Yes, that's what they said. It sounded like they wanted to talk about a frozen food business, but I didn't quite understand."
"Thank you, I'll treat you to dinner sometime."
"I don't need a meal, I'd be happy if you could come down from the mountain and sell me some meat buns!"
"I'll send you 100 meat buns later!"
"Great! That's very kind of you!"
Inside the coffee shop, Yu Xunteng looked confident and said in English, "Don't worry, I can get the recipes for meat buns and scallion and pork rolls. I've also found a manufacturer. As long as Mr. Henry signs a contract with me, we're sure to make a fortune in the next ten years."
Henry didn't respond immediately. Instead, he picked up his coffee, took a sip, put down the cup, and sighed, "I'm worried that things will taste different, like how our coffee and yours don't taste the same, even though we use the same coffee beans."
“Mr. Henry, the most important things in coffee are the coffee beans and the barista who brews them. If the taste is different, it must be because the barista’s skills are not good. Frozen products are not the same as coffee. Customers can boil or steam them at home and the taste will not be different.”
"Can you guarantee that the ones I steam myself will taste the same as the ones I eat at the steamed bun shop?" Henry savored the taste of the scallion and pork steamed buns, as if the aroma of scallions and cured pork was still lingering on his lips and teeth.
"Of course, with the same recipe and the same ingredients, the freshness may be reduced, but the taste will definitely not be different."
"Then you should try it first, let me taste the samples produced by your factory, and then I will make a decision."
"Okay, with Mr. Henry's words, I can proceed with the operation with greater confidence."
Henry offered to pay for the coffee, but Yu Xunteng refused, saying, "I'll pay!"
Henry frowned unhappily: "We haven't established a cooperative relationship yet, nor are we friends. You have no reason to buy me coffee, and I don't like drinking coffee from strangers."
Henry insisted on leaving the money and got up to leave the coffee shop.
Old Xu and Han Fei were waiting outside the coffee shop. When they saw Henry come out, they hurriedly went up to greet him.
Old Xu only knows how to talk, he doesn't know anything else, he just keeps talking to people.
Henry nodded politely: "Yes."
Old Xu exclaimed excitedly, "Old Han, I've spoken to a foreigner!"
Han Fei pushed the man behind him and stepped forward to talk to Henry, speaking with a perfect British accent.
Old Xu was still somewhat dissatisfied when he was pushed away, but when he heard Han Fei speak, he was so shocked that he froze, staring straight at Han Fei.
Good heavens! Is this really the Lao Han I know?
Did Lao Han work illegally abroad when he was young? How come he speaks English so fluently?
"Hello, let me introduce myself first. My surname is Han, and my given name is Fei, which means to distinguish right from wrong."
"Hello, Mr. Han, you can call me Henry."
“Mr. Henry, I would like to invite you to my home so you can experience the hospitality of the Dragon Kingdom.”
“But we’re not friends, so I can’t go to your house.”
"Do you know him?" Han Fei pointed to the fast-moving old man who was walking over from not far away.
"Of course I know him. He was my guide and the first friend I made in China!"
“He is my friend. There is an old saying in our country, Dragon Kingdom, that a friend of a friend is a friend. So Mr. Henry and I are good friends.”
"I love this saying: A friend of a friend is a friend! Mr. Han, thank you for becoming my second good friend in China!"
"Stop calling me 'friends' all the time, Lao Han, when are you going to deliver on those 100 meat buns?"
Seeing the swift-footed old man approach, Han Fei put his arm around his shoulder in a friendly manner: "Come on, come home with me now, and I'll make the payment right away!"
The group headed towards Old Xu's self-built house. Old Xu secretly tugged at Han Fei and whispered, "Old Han, what are you talking about?"
"I'll invite him to visit us, and I'll make him some steamed buns and twisted rolls."
"How come your English is so fluent? Did you work illegally when you were young?"
"Do I look like someone working illegally?"
"picture!"
Han Fei gave him a disgruntled look and ignored him.
Back at the self-built house, Xiaoqi excitedly ran out. Seeing the unusual foreigner, she blinked her big eyes and looked at him, finally calling out in her childish voice, "Hello, Uncle Sun Wukong!"
Henry happened to hear the words "Sun Wukong" and asked Han Fei with a smile, "Is she saying I look like Sun Wukong?"
"Yes, this is my granddaughter. This is her first time meeting foreign friends. She has been enjoying watching Journey to the West lately. It might be because your hair is blonde and you look like Sun Wukong in the show. Children say the darndest things, so please don't be offended."
"Haha, how could I blame her? Actually, I really like Sun Wukong from the Dragon Kingdom. He's a powerful figure who can somersault 108,000 li in one go. I admire the strong!"
"It seems Mr. Henry is very knowledgeable; he has indeed read Journey to the West."
“We’re all friends, Han, just call me Henry.”
"Okay, Henry, please come in."
Little Qi grabbed Han Fei's sleeve, her soft, childlike voice asking, "Grandpa, where's my lantern?"
Han Fei smiled and patted her head: "How could Grandpa forget? I asked your Grandpa Xu for it, and he keeps it safe."
"Yay!" Xiao Qi skipped and hopped to find Old Man Xu.
Old Xu couldn't understand what Han Fei and the others were saying, so he didn't follow them. Instead, he took Xiao Qi to play. They bought lanterns as soon as they entered the lantern festival, and Old Xu carried them all the way.
"Xiao Qi, do you like this lantern?"
Xiaoqi took the lantern and, seeing the lifelike Monkey King on it, jumped for joy: "I love it! Thank you, Grandpa Xu!"
In the kitchen, Han Fei took out the risen dough and said with a smile, "Henry, steamed buns taste best when they're freshly made and eaten right away. Watch closely, I'm going to show you how to make them."
Henry exclaimed in amazement, staring at Han Fei's hands in disbelief: "Han, how did you do that! How did you wrap such a big piece of meat inside? I can't even count how many times you folded the opening of the bun!"
"16 pleats."
"Amazing, Han, I really admire you!"
"It's not too late to say it's amazing after you've tried it."
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