Chapter 38

While waiting for the dishes to be served, Gu Youlian was stunned when he saw the first dish, a salad. “This… do we eat it raw? Is this restaurant trying to scam us? They didn’t even cook it for us?” 

“This is how it’s eaten. Try it.” Du Gen said, also shocked inside, but he forced himself to act knowledgeable. After taking a bite, he found the taste acceptable.

Gu Youlian reluctantly took a couple of bites. After all, it was just eating lettuce leaves; he couldn’t say if it was good or bad.

When the steak arrived, Gu Youlian was completely overwhelmed: “How are we supposed to eat this? Do we use chopsticks? Or do we just use our hands?” He then saw Lin Qingping using a knife to cut it, and blood started to flow out. He immediately refused to eat, saying: “Raw meat? No way, no way! Are these foreigners uncivilized? Why do they eat everything raw? Pingzi, don’t blame me for being uncultured. I know this meal must have been expensive, but I…”

Gu Youlian felt a bit embarrassed.

“It’s fine! If you don’t like it, then you don’t like it. Waiter!” Lin Qingping called the waiter over and asked them to cook the steak well done.

The waiter clearly showed disdain. “Who eats steak well-done? How uncultured!” 

Gu Youlian and Du Gen instantly turned red in the face. Some people nearby turned to look, whispering and pointing, as if mocking them.

“Forget it, Pingzi.” Gu Youlian said, his face flushed.

“No, I want it well done! It’s my choice how I want to eat it. If you can do it, do it. If not, forget it.” Lin Qingping said firmly.

In his past life, Lin Qingping worked in the restaurant industry. While he didn’t like customers who caused trouble without reason, he believed that the normal demands of customers should always be met. Employees who didn’t respect customers were unqualified.

“What’s going on?” the boss arrived.

Lin Qingping looked at the fat old man, who had once been called “Uncle.” and politely made his request. The boss immediately took the plate away to be cooked further and apologized to them.

“If you don’t like it, just say so. It’s no big deal.” Lin Qingping said, sitting upright and noticing the people around them whispering. “Whatever others say, just remember one thing: it’s none of their business.”

Gu Youlian chuckled softly.

“I just… didn’t want to be laughed at for being a country bumpkin.” Gu Youlian said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“What’s wrong with being a country bumpkin? Country folk work hard and earn an honest living, that’s something to be proud of!” Lin Qingping replied.

“Well said.” someone from behind commented.

Lin Qingping turned to see the boss himself bringing the well-done steak.

“Is there anything else you need?” the boss asked as he set down the steak.

“Could we have some chili powder?” Lin Qingping asked. He knew Du Gen wasn’t from the province; his family was from another province, and he loved spicy food. Over time, Gu Youlian had also developed a taste for it.

Du Gen felt a bit embarrassed, but the boss didn’t show any signs of disdain. He quickly brought a dish of chili sauce and said: “I’m sorry, the kitchen doesn’t have chili powder, only chili sauce. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, that’s fine!” Gu Youlian quickly tried to smooth things over.

Lin Qingping, seeing that the situation was under control, decided to leave it at that.

Later, when the roasted pigeon and desserts were served, Gu Youlian enjoyed them. As an apology, the restaurant also gave them a complimentary ice cream. Gu Youlian was full of praise for it and even wanted to bring one back for Xiao Mai. Lin Qingping laughed: “That won’t work. If you take it back, it’ll melt.”

When they went to pay the bill, Gu Youlian stuck out his tongue. “Wow, that’s a lot of money! How many pounds of meat could we buy with this?”

“Well, we’re just here to broaden our horizons. We don’t eat like this every day, so it’s nothing.” Lin Qingping said. “Come on, let’s go to the department store!”

Lin Qingping packed two desserts with a shelf life of two or three days to bring back for the kids. As they were leaving the restaurant, a young man, no older than 20, rushed in and nearly knocked over the desserts Lin Qingping was holding.

“Sorry!” The young man quickly apologized, then shouted inside: “Dad! Are you going to give it to me or not?”

Lin Qingping, seeing this familiar face, chuckled to himself and shook his head: He really is still a rebellious youth!

“Let’s go.” Lin Qingping said as she led Gu Youlian and Du Gen towards the shopping mall.

Gu Youlian enjoyed browsing the stores, but once they entered, the vast array of items left her unsure of what to buy. Lin Qingping stopped at the cosmetics counter to buy some face cream—for herself and Second Sister. She also picked out a set for Gu Youlian.

“This… I get this too?” Gu Youlian said shyly: “I’ve never used anything like this.”

“Just try it out!” Lin Qingping urged.

In the countryside, people like Gu Youlian, Second Sister, and even Lin Qingping herself, when she was at her maternal family’s, often worked in the fields. In the summer, their skin would frequently get sunburned, peeling, and turning dark—though the darkening of the skin wasn’t a big concern.

Gu Youlian didn’t refuse any further, though she secretly gave Du Gen a look. Du Gen understood, and he quietly walked away. So, when Lin Qingping went to the counter to pay, the cashier informed her that the purchase had already been settled.

“You all are treating me like this?” Lin Qingping hadn’t even considered the cost of the shopping trip, but Gu Youlian and her husband’s actions still made her feel warm, so different from the brother and nephew in her past life who only knew how to take.

Gu Youlian laughed in embarrassment. “Everyone’s money is hard-earned, right? How can we just take from one person? I’m still the older sister here!”

This made Lin Qingping feel even better as she happily carried a large bag of purchases back to the inn.

After spending a day shopping and browsing around the Provincial Capital, on the third day, Director Hu arrived, carrying an introduction letter from the factory along with the official seal. He smoothly signed a contract with Mei Sheng, and then signed a temporary designer contract with Lin Qingping personally.

“Xiao Lin, the 1980s are about to begin, and everything is flourishing. You can be confident and bold in your work! As for the other matters, I’ll take care of them.” Director Hu said. This time, he didn’t just witness the tremendous success of Lin Qingping’s clothing selling well at Mei Sheng and other shopping malls in the Provincial Capital, but also saw Lin Qingping’s sharpness and talent in fashion design. Having spent his life in the clothing industry, he greatly appreciated Lin Qingping as a young talent.

Lin Qingping then raised the issue that, with such a large workload and such a tight deadline, she wouldn’t be able to manage everything on her own. She hoped the factory could hire Gu Youlian and her husband as temporary workers, paying them a temporary worker’s salary. Director Hu agreed without hesitation.

Lin Qingping thought that Gu Youlian and her husband would receive their salary from the factory, learn the ropes, and that she would provide the bonus from her side. However, she didn’t mention it. In her past life, she had been too open-hearted and had suffered for it. This time, she decided to be more cautious, observing for a while before making any further moves.

Once everything was settled, Lin Qingping made her way back home. The clothing factory would first produce 1,000 pieces of the old designs. The design drafts and sample clothes were already prepared, so Lin Qingping didn’t need to rush to the factory. She planned to go home first and check the first batch of clothes the next day. 

However, to her surprise, Du Gen was eager and restless, unable to stop thinking about the factory. “I should go now, go with the factory manager. I want to supervise the factory to make sure everything runs smoothly. I’m worried that, without experience, they might make mistakes on the first batch.”

Lin Qingping thought about it for a moment and agreed. “Alright, you go ahead. I was planning to give you some more responsibility anyway.”

So, Lin Qingping and Gu Youlian headed home, and this time, Lin Qingping didn’t expect to encounter a benefactor during their return.