The front hall was almost full and bustling with people.
And beside a table near the kitchen door, a familiar figure was hunched over, holding a mop in his hand, wiping the table very diligently. It was Zhao Rui!
Zhao Rui obviously heard the noise and looked up subconsciously.
Their eyes met and they both froze instantly.
Zhou Zhe widened his eyes, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing!
Zhao Rui?
Zhao Rui, the student with excellent grades in the class, who seemed to come from a well-off family and always had a bit of arrogance, was actually here... wiping the table?!
The scene was so shocking that Zhou Zhe stood there for two full seconds while holding the pile of scalding hot bowls, waiting for his brain to process this unbelievable information.
He was mentally prepared for the possibility that his classmates would find out, but it was still the time when he was most flustered, with his hands covered in oil and wiping the cloth.
As the busy peak period passed, the aroma of employee meals wafted into the air and a small table was set up in the backyard.
Zhou Zhe was stunned again when he looked at the pot of braised pork piled high on the table with rich sauce and overbearing aroma, the plate of home-cooked tofu that looked so greasy and delicious, the pot of stir-fried seasonal vegetables and the pile of white flour buns.
This... is this the staff meal? The size, the quantity, the aroma... it's better than what he's seen in the school cafeteria, or even better than what he ate during Chinese New Year back home!
The pieces of braised pork were trembling and shiny, with fat and lean parts alternating, emitting the tempting aroma of sauce and meat, which almost dazzled his eyes.
He swallowed unconsciously and felt his empty stomach begin to twitch violently.
Liu Dong served him a bowl of rice, and Ma Hongxia directly put two thick pieces of braised pork into the bowl and greeted him warmly:
"Brother Zhou Zhe, don't just stand there, sit down quickly! Eat as much as you can, you'll be full!"
Zhou Zhe sat there at a loss, looking at the two pieces of braised pork in the bowl that almost covered the rice, his hand holding the chopsticks trembling slightly.
This meat... can you really eat whatever you want?
He hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the tempting aroma. He carefully picked up a piece and put it into his mouth.
He no longer cared about his image and started to eat rice and meat. A feeling of happiness mixed with a bitterness surged in his heart.
Just then, Zhao Rui also came to the backyard to eat reluctantly.
He obviously had not fully recovered from the embarrassment just now. He deliberately avoided looking at Zhou Zhe, found a seat a little further away from him, picked up a steamed bun, and took a vicious bite, as if he had a grudge against the steamed bun.
There was a subtle silence in the atmosphere for a moment, with only the obvious swallowing sound that Zhou Zhe tried hard to suppress.
In the end, it was Zhao Rui who couldn't hold it in anymore.
He was gnawing on a piece of sauced bone and suddenly said:
"Hey, nerd, don't look at you like that. Let me tell you, you didn't come here for the pay."
Zhou Zhe raised his head from his rice bowl, with a little sauce still on the corner of his mouth, and looked at him blankly.
Zhao Rui saw that he had attracted Zhou Zhe's attention, and as if he had found a reasonable explanation, he pointed to the almost empty pot of braised pork and sauced bones on the table:
"놖 is for this!"
"As for Mr. Chen in the kitchen, he is a descendant of an imperial chef. His cooking skills are incredible. You can't get such authentic food no matter how much money you spend outside." He
He sucked a mouthful of marrow from his bones, his face intoxicated. "Wages? That's just a few cents. The key is the staff meal, it's worth it! Otherwise, why do you think you're suffering here?"
If everyone eats this kind of food, it seems that... wiping the table and clearing away the dishes is not something that is difficult to accept.
Even, become... very worthwhile?
When Zhao Rui saw that Zhou Zhe did not refute but seemed to have listened to him, the awkwardness in his heart immediately dissipated a lot.
…
Late at night, Lu Qingyang leaned against the headboard, flipping through his class notes and a thick professional book in the light of the lamp.
Chen Mo pushed the door open and walked in, looking tired.
With an obvious look of fatigue on her face, she put her heavy schoolbag on the chair and sighed softly.
"Are you back?" Lu Qingyang put down his book and raised his head, his eyes filled with concern. "Why are you so late again? Come sit down and have a rest."
"Well," Shen Mo rubbed the back of her neck, which was a little sore, and walked to sit on the bed. "After evening self-study, I discussed a topic with my tutor. The homework has been getting harder and harder recently. I feel like I can't keep up. I feel a little stressed."
The study in college was not easy for her, especially the medical major, which required a lot of professional knowledge.
Lu Qingyang stretched out his hand and gently massaged her knuckles with his fingertips.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Take your time. You're so smart, there will be no problem. Coincidentally, here are some brain-boosting pills. Try them."
"Okay, your pills are very effective. By the way, I heard you helped out at the Hotel 땢学都뇽누?"
"Yeah," Lu Qingyang nodded and continued to help her press her hands, "We are short of manpower, and they are suitable."
Shen Mo blinked, somewhat puzzled: "Zhao Rui? With his personality, would he be willing to serve dishes and wipe the table? Besides, isn't his family well off? He shouldn't lack this little salary and a meal, right? Zhou Zhe understands, that child is really suffering too much."
Lu Qingyang smiled and slowly expressed his thoughts:
"Zhao Rui, his family is indeed not simple. I vaguely heard that his father seems to be a scientist from a confidential unit specializing in missile and satellite research. He is a true national treasure. Such a family, although not conspicuous, is extremely important."
Shen Mo opened her eyes slightly in surprise. This was the first time she heard this information.
Lu Qingyang continued, "Zhao Rui isn't a bad person, but his family background and intelligence have made him a little arrogant. He needs to be disciplined. Letting him work in the hotel, meeting all kinds of people, and seeing the difficulties of life won't do him any harm. Building good relationships with people like him will always be beneficial in the future."
Shen Mo listened thoughtfully. She didn't expect Lu Qingyang to think so deeply.
She always thought that Lu Qingyang was just being clever and doing things, but she didn't expect that he also had such thoughts in terms of human relationships and long-term situations.
"What about Zhou Zhe?" she asked again.
"Zhou Zhe is an extremely bright student, willing to endure hardships, resilient, and possesses a righteous character. Look at his enthusiasm for learning and his comprehension. Given the opportunity, he's bound to achieve great things in the future."
Now that he is in trouble, we help him to the best of our ability, giving him a chance to eat well and study in peace. What is formed is a friendship that comes in handy in times of need. Such friends are worth making."
Chen Mo seemed to be thinking: "You are right, I thought too simply. It turns out that there is a deeper meaning behind asking them to help."
Lu Qingyang smiled, stretched out his hand to hold her in his arms, and gently rested his chin on the top of her head: "Don't think too much about it. I helped Zhou Zhe mainly because I saw that he was in a difficult situation. I tempered Zhao Rui because I felt that he could still be saved.
As for the rest, just go with the flow. Our first priority is to live a good life and take good care of our two children. The same goes for you. Just do your best in your studies and don't push yourself too hard. There's still time."
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