Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 370 Lunch

This was Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang's second time eating here. The first time, they were downstairs, walking around and looking up, constantly praising how beautiful it was. Chinese people have an innate fondness for wooden things, especially when wooden things are arranged in a particularly beautiful and comfortable way.

The winding paths and covered bridges, with their overlapping eaves and painted beams, complemented by a variety of plants, create a truly ancient and refined atmosphere, blending seamlessly with modern amenities.

Apart from the spotlights above each table, all the lights are hidden in places beyond the reach of sight, creating a sense of light without artificial illumination, adding to the beauty. The sound of the guqin flows through the scene like a babbling brook, clear and resonant yet seemingly silent, as the music has unconsciously blended into the landscape.

Xiao Lu looked around with her mouth agape, muttering, "It's so beautiful, no wonder it's so expensive." Xiao Hong chuckled and glanced at Xiao Lu. The waitress, used to the way new customers acted, walked ahead with a proud and self-satisfied air, swaying her hips as she occasionally stopped at corners to gesture, maintaining a perfectly balanced smile—neither obsequious nor aloof, but serene.

Aunt Wang and Xiao Hong walked in front, Uncle Wang and Xiao Lu in the middle, and Xiao Wei followed slowly behind. While others were admiring the scenery, he was finding fault: the white pebbles that had been accidentally trampled, the sunflower seed shells in the cracks of the wood, the pillars that hadn't been wiped clean, the tablecloths that weren't folded properly, and the ashtrays that hadn't been changed in time. Once people get used to an environment, they automatically ignore many details.

He turned around and waved to Li Na, who was staring in this direction. When Li Na came over, Xiao Wei didn't say anything, but just pointed out the places he saw to Li Na one by one with his finger, making Li Na's face turn pink. She rolled her eyes a few times and then went to scold him with gritted teeth.

Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang were seated by the waiter. Turning their heads, they saw Xiao Wei and Li Na and their actions. When Xiao Wei came over and sat down, they asked, "What's wrong?" Xiao Wei picked up the cigarettes in front of him and tossed one pack to Xiao Lu. He opened another pack and said, "Nothing, just some small issues for her to pay attention to."

Xiao Lu instinctively caught the cigarette and asked in surprise, "It's so good, there's still a problem?"

Xiao Wei offered a cigarette to Uncle Wang, smiling as he said, "What's wrong with that? This is a place to eat, so we have to pay special attention to the details. A messy place would ruin our reputation. It's nothing serious, we'll just be more careful next time." He turned to look and saw that the cleaning lady and the waiter had already come over to deal with it.

Xiao Lu held the cigarettes up to his eyes, then looked up and asked, "Brother, what kind of cigarettes are these? I've never seen them before."

Xiao Wei said, "It's custom-made; they don't sell it outside. Try it, and we'll put a few in the car for you and my uncle to smoke later."

Xiao Lu took the cigarette Xiao Wei offered him, smelled it, and asked, "How much does this cigarette cost?"

Xiao Wei said, "If you wanted to sell it, it would be twenty-five or thirty yuan a box. We don't sell it here, it's a free gift." He then started making tea for everyone. A waiter, tidying up the tableware, quietly asked, "Boss, what kind of wine would you like?"

Xiao Wei looked at Uncle Wang, and Aunt Wang frowned and said, "Why are you drinking at noon? If you don't drink that stuff, won't you drink when Chen Hui's dad comes over tonight?" Uncle Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I won't drink. Let's eat."

Xiao Wei smiled and said to the waiter, "Bring a bottle of champagne, in stemmed glasses." The waiter agreed and quickly took the blue-and-white porcelain cup and glass square glass away, putting them in a cabinet to the side, leaving the stemmed glasses. Then he laid out napkins and tablecloths for the group.

The waitress smiled and said, "Thank you, Auntie. You'll get used to it; it's not a big deal."

Uncle Wang tapped the table with his cigarette and said, "Why didn't you bring any matches? I think it would be more interesting to light cigarettes with matches in this room."

Xiao Wei said, "I initially wanted to order some, but I couldn't find a place to get them made. The matches on the market don't meet my requirements, and it wouldn't look right with a lighter, so I just gave up. Anyway, smokers can still get a light."

Xiao Hong said, "Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be matches. A lighter with a nice design that looks like wood would also work. We don't need to give it away; we can just put it on this table and use it."

Aunt Wang said, "You think you can just say you won't deliver it? We can't chase after you to ask for it back if you take it."

Xiao Hong said, "Make it bigger, like a bronze cannon, or one of those ancient horse-drawn carriages. It's so big and heavy, who can carry it?" Xiao Hong gestured with her hand on the table.

Xiao Wei looked at Xiao Hong's hand and thought for a moment before saying, "That's really good. Where have you seen it before?"

Xiao Hong nodded and said, "Our department head has a small cannon on his desk, a bit smaller, but I think it's quite nice. I'll ask him where he bought it sometime." Xiao Wei said, "You should be able to find them in shopping malls, right? It feels like it's been a long time since I've gone shopping. How about we go shopping this afternoon?"

Xiao Hong clapped her hands excitedly, but Aunt Wang glared at her and made her behave. Uncle Wang said, "Let them go if they want to. It's rare for them to spend a few days together."

Little Lu, a talkative and well-behaved boy, asked Uncle Wang, "Director, aren't they usually together?"

Uncle Wang pointed and said, "Xiao Wei is usually in Longcheng, there's a lot going on there. Xiao Hong is studying at Northeast Institute of Technology. They're both younger than you. Let's hang out together sometime."

Xiao Lu blinked at Xiao Wei and asked, "Is he younger than me?"

Wang Han nodded and said, "Well, Xiao Wei is only twenty-one this year, Xiao Hong is twenty, and I see from your file you're twenty-two, so you're older than them."

Xiao Lu's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Twenty-one? That's amazing! You can make so much money, much better than me!"

Chen Hui walked over, pulled out his mobile phone from the back of his phone, placed it on the table, sat down next to Xiao Wei, and said, "Uncle and Aunt, is there anything you'd like to eat? I forgot to ask you earlier."

Uncle Wang said, "No need, anything is fine. I think everything here is delicious." Aunt Wang also laughed and said, "That's right, everything is delicious. What we order might not even be as good as what you've arranged. Xiao Hui is becoming more and more impressive; he's even got a mobile phone now, acting like a boss."

Chen Hui said, "Come on, Auntie, don't flatter me. Without Xiao Wei, I'm nothing. He's the real boss, my boss." He laughed and put his arm around Xiao Wei's shoulder, saying, "How about it, boss? Shall I get you one? It'll be convenient."

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "No, that's too much trouble. There are so many better things to do with tens of thousands of yuan. By the way, Uncle, do you want one? What about Xiao Hong?"

Uncle Wang shook his head and said, "I won't take it. I have a phone at home and at work, why would I need it? It's not good to give special treatment at work. If Xiao Hong wants to take one, that's fine, it's just more convenient."

Xiao Hong said, "I won't carry it. It's so heavy, like a brick, and it's too tiring."

Aunt Wang laughed and said, "Look at you all, so capable! You're making tens of thousands of yuan worth of stuff sound like a burden. You can't talk like that outside, or people will laugh at you. I think it's fine. Look how stylish Xiao Hui is carrying it."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "He doesn't have to spend money to buy it. Do you think he feels bad about spending real money?"

Chen Hui chuckled. He really hadn't spent any money on this; Chen Xiao had snatched it from Chen Peng.

The waiter came over with a wooden tray, and the waiter served the food: "This is century-old stewed pork ribs, please enjoy. Would you like some soup?" Xiao Wei nodded, and the waiter used small bone china bowls to ladle soup for each person, gently placing them in front of them and inserting a spoon.

(End of this chapter)