Gao Yuzhu watched with wide eyes as He Xuewen and that distinguished-looking bespectacled man, who clearly seed important, walked into the restaurant. He witnessed Xuewen, without as much as batting an eyelid, ordering so many fine dishes. Those dishes must cost at least six or seven dollars, right?
Wistfully observing the lavish al inside, then glancing down at his own pathetic sesa cake and tap water, Gao felt a sourness welling up inside. Comparing oneself with others could be such a bitter experience!
In fact, He Xuewen had noticed Gao Yuzhu by the door a while ago. Seeing him looking so pitiful, Xuewen couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Not the slightest bit of sympathy emanated from him. This ti, because he was in high spirits for finding his daughter, he hadn’t been too harsh, only arranging for Yang Wenbin to demote Wang Shouwang and reassign Yuzhu away from the accounting position. It was nothing that could seriously harm their prospects. Had it been back in the days when his temper ran hot, both Wang Shouwang and Gao Yuzhu would have been tornted within an inch of their lives.
"Xuewen, do you know that man at the door? He seems to have glanced inside several tis," Yang Wenbin had noticed Gao Yuzhu peering in long ago and felt a strong distaste for the man with his shady deanor.
"That’s the very Gao Yuzhu I told you about before, the one who wanted to report for taking the capitalist road and being a bad elent. I bet he’s thinking about getting so connections in town for his brother-in-law," Xuewen remarked nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Wenbin’s dislike for Gao Yuzhu deepened. Coming from a military family, though not a soldier himself, Wenbin was deeply influenced by military life and detested backstabbers the most. Frowning, he said, "Even if he offered a mountain of gold, nobody would dare to speak up for his brother-in-law. Xuewen, in my opinion, you’re being too soft-hearted. Strike the snake at its head, weed out the root—demotion isn’t deterrent enough. You shouldn’t be lenient with the enemy."
Xuewen smiled, shaking his head, "Let it be, I’ve just recognized a goddaughter and should accumulate so virtue. Besides, it’s always best to leave so wiggle room. And frankly, Gao Yuzhu and Wang Shouwang aren’t my enemies; they’re just two ignorant fools. A small lesson this ti should suffice."
Yuzhu, of course, didn’t overhear this conversation. If he had, tears would’ve certainly stread down his face. Your "small lesson" cost him half of his belongings—had it been your old self dealing with this, wouldn’t that have been the end of him? Yuzhu truly realized this; if He Xuewen had been as hot-tempered as before, both he and Wang Shouwang’s lives would have been in grave danger.
Wenbin didn’t have much else to say. To him, these two were just insignificant grasshoppers post-autumn—not worth wasting words on. He would rather spend the ti indulging in more liquor!
Master Wang looked on enviously as the two n sipped their fine wine, his eyes almost glowing green with longing. Being an "alcohol commander" himself, the agony of being able to sll but not taste the wine was like mice gnawing at his insides.
"Don’t be envious, Master Wang. When we’re in Yuequan Village tonight, I promise you’ll drink your fill," He Xuewen said with a laugh.
"Good, I’ll have a proper drink tonight," Master Wang exclaid. "Dammit, I’m dying of envy here. Mr. He, your wine is simply superb. It’s the first ti I’ve tasted sothing this good. If only I could drink such fine wine every day, not even being a god would tempt to swap."
Master Wang, a retired military driver from Yang Wenbin’s elder brother’s troop, was skilled at driving and capable in many aspects. Rough-looking on the outside, he was ticulous on the inside, considering every detail. Moreover, he was tight-lipped about work, never talking about it to a third party; even his wife and children believed he was just a transportation driver.
If Master Wang had one flaw, it was his love for liquor. Yet, despite his indulgence, he drank with principle, never while driving or on duty, nor in the presence of strangers. He never got drunk even when he did drink. Therefore, Wenbin trusted him imnsely, often entrusting him with business matters. In fact, Master Wang was Yang Wenbin’s right-hand man.
"He Family Wine was once nationally renowned for its quality, and you’re lucky to have a taste of the wine personally brewed by the He Family’s successor," Yang Wenbin said with a smile.
"Heh heh!" Master Wang chuckled heartily.
At that mont, in the kitchen, Niu Sanxian and his daughter Niu Guiyuan were enjoying their lunch—a hearty bowl of pan-fried tofu, a bowl of braised pork, and a bowl of stir-fried greens. Niu Sanxian was savoring the braised pork with delight. Noticing that his daughter wasn’t eating any at today, he couldn’t help but express his astonishnt, "Guiyuan, what’s the matter? Not feeling well?"
"No, Daddy, I’m going on a diet. Starting today, I’m not eating at. You shouldn’t either. Watching you eat makes uncomfortable. We might as well both stop eating at," Fat Guiyuan said, taking a bite of her greens and deliberately turned her face away from the enticing braised pork.
Niu Sanxian imdiately pulled a long face, "Guiyuan, if you want to diet, don’t drag your Daddy into this. At ho, Mama won’t let eat at, and if you do the sa here at the restaurant, what’s the point of living for ?"
Feeling sympathetic, Guiyuan proposed, "How about this, you cook less at from now on, just enough for one, and if you want to eat it, just don’t eat in front of . Seeing it will definitely make crave it. Rember, Daddy, just cook veggies for ."
"Guiyuan, you look fine as you are now, Daddy doesn’t think you are fat at all. Daughter, let’s not be on a diet, isn’t it painful to not eat at?"
Niu Sanxian sincerely thought his daughter was pretty; fair and plump like a big at bun, quite beautiful indeed! In his eyes, those n who thought his daughter was too fat were simply blind.
"No, I want to diet. It’s all your fault, Daddy. If you hadn’t let eat so much at since childhood, I could have been as slim as Mama."
Fat Guiyuan was almost resentful of her father. Having a daddy who’s good at cooking wasn’t necessarily a good thing; she’d been spoiled with at from a very young age, and look where that had gotten her now.
Niu Sanxian instantly zip his lips, better focus on enjoying his at—that’s the only pleasure he had in the restaurant these days. At ho, his wife kept a tight leash on him, restricting him to vegetables. Suddenly, his nose twitched like a dog, sniffing eagerly. That enticing aroma, this was definitely not the ordinary liquor of his humble eatery; they didn’t stock such fine drinks.
"Guiyuan, did the custors today buy any liquor?"
"Nope, they just ordered four dishes with two kilos of rice."
So, they must have brought the liquor themselves. Niu Sanxian, carrying his bowl, left the kitchen. There was only one table with guests—He Xuewen’s—midday, making it easy for him to spot the liquor on the table. With a speed that was strikingly out of character for his corpulent figure, he dashed to He Xuewen’s table and grabbed the wine bottle to take a deep whiff.
He Xuewen and his two companions were taken aback by the sudden approach of the hefty man. Master Wang swiftly stood up, defensively placing himself in front of Yang Wenbin, but upon realizing the white-coated man was rely sniffing the bottle with an unmistakable look of an ’alcohol commander’ just like him, Master Wang relaxed and sat back down to continue eating.
(To be continued. If you like this work, welco to Qidian (qidian) to vote for your recomnded monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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