Chapter 46.2

Li Xiao drove his old van and took Jiang Rou to the exhibit.

The venue was a bit far, and it took nearly an hour to get there.

When they arrived, the parking lot was full, so Li Xiao had to park on a distant roadside.

As Jiang Rou walked with Li Xiao towards the entrance, they ran into Chang Yong at the door. Chang Yong was accompanied by a young, beautiful woman.

The woman was not afraid of the cold; she wore a black suit with a red slip dress underneath and had her hair styled into large waves.

She was wearing high heels—she was taller than Chang Yong by half a head.

Seeing them, Chang Yong greeted them first: “What a coincidence! I thought you were coming alone. I didn’t expect you to bring sister-in-law as well.”

Li Xiao smiled and said, “Is sister-in-law here too? I heard she’s majoring in English. Looks like today’s the big brother’s stage.”

Chang Yong was pleased by the compliment and waved his hand modestly, “Not a big stage or anything, I’m just here to join the fun.”

The girl standing next to Chang Yong glanced at Li Xiao and then smiled and nodded. Li Xiao’s comment seemed to please her, making her feel a bit more confident.

Jiang Rou, trying her best to force a smile for Li Xiao, muttered “Gross” under her breath with gritted teeth after Chang Yong and his group left.

Li Xiao found this amusing and realized that Jiang Rou only used those two words when expressing her frustration and disgust.

Li Xiao took her inside. They first went to their own exhibit booth. The two-meter-long counter displayed not only nuts and pork jerky but also several other snacks, including small cakes, crispy rice, and duck necks…

Everything was attractively packaged.

Behind the counter stood three employees in suits, two men and one woman. The young man and woman looked particularly good, with tall, upright postures and handsome faces. Li Xiao had specifically hired them from a university at a high price of five hundred a day.

So, they were very dedicated and knew their scripts by heart.

When they saw Li Xiao, they called out, “Boss, Madam.”

Jiang Rou felt a bit awkward being addressed like that, but Li Xiao appeared unfazed. He called over the slightly shorter person in charge and asked, “How’s everything arranged?”

The person in charge quickly replied, “Everything’s set up. I’ve already briefed the two of them. When the guests come over to take photos later, remind them to smile warmly. I also found seven or eight people who will pretend to be interested in the products.”

Li Xiao nodded, “It’s fine if no investors show up. After those people finish taking photos, get a copy of the photos for me. I’ll need them.”

“Understood.”

Li Xiao glanced at the counter, saw that there were no issues, and then took Jiang Rou to explore other areas. Jiang Rou noticed that almost no one was interested in the food section.

Unable to help herself, she asked, “How do you know no one will come to invest?”

Li Xiao looked around and said calmly, “This exhibit is geared toward foreign businessmen. Those foreigners only have an interest in our country’s handicrafts. Such items can be sold abroad for several times their value, but consumable products won’t work. They think they’re dirty and unhygienic.”

He spoke in a steady tone. Noticing Jiang Rou’s silence, he added, “There’s no need to be upset. Our country has a large population, and development is just a matter of time. These ingrained stereotypes will take time to change. All we need to do is to focus on doing our best.”

Jiang Rou was surprised and turned to look at him, “I didn’t expect you to have such a deep perspective on things.”

Li Xiao shrugged nonchalantly, “Really? But isn’t it quite obvious?”

‘Obvious?’

Not really. At that time, many Chinese people were still mired in a sense of inferiority comparing themselves to the West, believing that everything Western was superior to what China had.

Jiang Rou had once heard an old detective say that when China first implemented the reform and opening-up policy, Country M had already predicted that China would become their greatest adversary in the future. They devised a series of suppression policies, supported neighboring countries, engaged in cultural infiltration, and carried out malicious media campaigns… The tactics were endless.

Jiang Rou followed Li Xiao as they walked and then accidentally bumped into Chang Yong again. Chang Yong was too busy to pay attention to them at the moment; he was chatting with his mistress and a few foreigners.

The girl’s spoken English wasn’t very good; she used written language and had some pronunciation issues.

But Chang Yong seemed quite pleased with himself, speaking loudly as if afraid that no one around could see.

Jiang Rou pouted and said to Li Xiao, “I speak better than her.”

Li Xiao led her away, “Forget it. I don’t want to offend Chang Yong openly right now. Let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything.”

Since Chang Yong wanted to maintain his image as a good brother and a good boss, Li Xiao would play along. It was advantageous for him; leveraging Chang Yong’s connections would make his tasks smoother. Chang Yong was likely to use only small, covert tactics behind the scenes, and he wouldn’t dare to act out publicly.

Otherwise, it would be embarrassing for him.

Jiang Rou nodded, “Alright, I’ll listen to you. How about I go back and teach you English? It will definitely be useful for business in the future.”

She had previously seen his English homework, which was a mess, showing that it was his weak point.

Li Xiao pondered for a moment and then agreed, “Okay.”

Learning an additional skill wouldn’t hurt.

They continued to explore other sections. Nearby was an exhibit of various wines. Jiang Rou couldn’t resist and pulled Li Xiao over to look.

As they walked a few steps, Jiang Rou suddenly tugged on Li Xiao’s sleeve, urging him to look ahead.

Li Xiao followed her gaze and saw a middle-aged man in a suit. He was confused so he asked: “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Rou whispered, “Remember I told you about the first day I worked as a sales assistant at the supermarket? There was a man who bought five pounds each of pork jerky and nuts and praised An An as cute. That’s him. I didn’t expect him to be here too.”

The man had a distinguished air about him. Jiang Rou had thought he was some kind of scholar or teacher at the time, and his large purchase had left a strong impression on her.

Li Xiao raised his eyebrows and looked at the man more closely. The man was currently picking up a bottle of wine, his hair slightly graying but his face still youthful. He wore thin-framed glasses, had a clear and refined face, and an elegant demeanor.

After thinking for a moment, Li Xiao led Jiang Rou toward the man.

Jiang Rou hurriedly grabbed his arm and whispered urgently, “What are you doing? He probably doesn’t remember me.”

Li Xiao paid her words no mind. As he approached the man, he extended his hand and smiled, “Hello, I’m Li Xiao, the person in charge of the Zodiac products. As we were walking around, my wife mentioned that you looked familiar, and remembered that you had bought ten pounds of our products at the supermarket. So I wanted to come over and thank you.”

The man seemed taken aback for a moment. Seeing Li Xiao extend his hand, he put down the wine bottle and shook Li Xiao’s hand. Upon hearing this, he instinctively glanced at Jiang Rou.

Then, as if recalling something, he exclaimed, “Oh, it’s you! Hello, I’m You Cheng’en.”

He quickly added a compliment, “Your child is very cute.”

Li Xiao’s eyes lit up at the name, his smile growing wider. He continued in a friendly manner, “Thank you. Business was not so great before, and when my wife was on vacation from college, she volunteered to help me out. She took our baby to the supermarket, and worked as a temporary sales assistant.”

“I didn’t think much of it, but to my surprise, she sold quite a lot in one morning. When I went to pick up her and our baby at noon, she told me with great excitement that a very kind person had bought ten pounds of our products. Because of that, we bought a bag of strawberries home, which made my daughter very happy.”

The man smiled with understanding, imagining how happy she and the child must have been. For him, it was just a small gesture, but it reminded him of the challenging yet joyful times he and his wife had experienced during their own entrepreneurial days.

“Your snacks are very delicious. My family loves them.”

Li Xiao laughed heartily, “We’re very grateful for your support. It’s a coincidence that we met here today. I heard you have a son about the same age as my daughter. If there’s an opportunity, we should arrange for the kids to play together.”

Then he said, “Please continue with your work; I won’t take up any more of your time.”

It seemed like he was genuinely just stopping by to say hello.

The man smiled, seemingly reminded of his own son, and said, “Alright, take your time browsing.”

Li Xiao nodded and led Jiang Rou away.

As they walked further, Li Xiao muttered thoughtfully, “You Cheng’en. The name sounds quite familiar.”

Jiang Rou agreed, “Maybe it sounds similar to the author of Journey to the West, Wu Cheng’en.”

Li Xiao shook his head, “No, I think I’ve heard someone mention this person before.”

To avoid any misunderstanding, they headed in a different direction. After a few steps, Li Xiao suddenly stopped, “I remember now. So, it’s him.”

Jiang Rou asked curiously, “Who is he?”

Li Xiao turned to her with a gleam in his eye, “He’s not well-known in G Province. Over a decade ago, he and his wife started from scratch, secretly moved to Hong Kong, and built a large business empire. In recent years, they’ve shifted their focus back to the mainland and have made significant investments here.”

“He and his wife didn’t have children for over a decade. A few years ago, they visited a temple here on the mainland, and after that, his wife became pregnant. They are quite superstitious and gradually moved their business back to the mainland.”

Jiang Rou was amused and asked, “Is that true?”

Li Xiao laughed, “Yes, I’ve heard that their son even adopted a tree in the temple as his godfather and goes there to pay respects during festivals. It’s quite interesting. Maybe wealthy people are more superstitious.”

He had heard many wealthy people talking about which master was accurate or which temple had the best first incense.

They explored many places, and as they were about to leave, the person in charge of the Zodiac section rushed over excitedly and said, “Boss, someone named Mr. You just invested a large sum of money with us.”

Li Xiao was taken aback and asked, “Where is he? Is he still here?”

The person in charge shook his head, “No, he left. His assistant came, but he left a business card for their boss.”

The person in charge then handed the check and the business card to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao took them.

Jiang Rou glanced at the check and gasped when she saw the amount—one million. It was a substantial sum.

She couldn’t help but suggest, “Shouldn’t you call to say thank you?”

Li Xiao, feeling a bit excited, hadn’t expected such a reward from just a casual greeting. He had been planning to take things slowly.

He nodded, “Wait for me a moment. I’ll step outside to make a call.”

The person in charge quickly added, “Madame, I need to go now. I can’t leave the booth unattended.”

Jiang Rou smiled, “Go ahead.”

Jiang Rou waited for a while. Li Xiao came back after about five or six minutes of talking on the phone, looking quite excited. “I’ve arranged to have a meal with him at the beginning of the year.”

“So soon?” Jiang Rou was surprised at his speed.

Li Xiao lowered his head and quickly gave her a peck on the cheek, “You really are my lucky star.”

Jiang Rou concerned that he might have smudged her makeup, touched her face but didn’t mind his comment. “It’s also about you seizing the opportunity. If it were me, I would have probably just ignored it.”

She said this sincerely. She was okay with working as a sales assistant at the supermarket where no one knew her, but making a proactive effort to build relationships required a thicker skin.

Jiang Rou felt she might not have been able to do it, worrying about others mocking her in their hearts.

Since they were done with their exploration, Li Xiao, in a good mood, suggested to Jiang Rou that they go see a movie in the afternoon.

Jiang Rou hesitated a bit, considering An An was still at home waiting for them. But after a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded decisively, “I also want to have a seafood feast.”

“Alright.”

Li Xiao couldn’t help but comment, “Seafood is mostly just shells. I don’t even know what you like to eat.”

Jiang Rou ignored him. She simply liked seafood.

As they reached the entrance, they ran into Chang Yong again. He was with the young woman, getting into a car, which quickly drove away.

After they saw them off, Li Xiao and Jiang Rou were about to leave when someone suddenly patted Li Xiao’s shoulder from behind.

He turned around and saw a familiar face, breaking into a smile. “Brother Feng?”

Chen Feng didn’t let go but instead squeezed Li Xiao’s shoulder. “I heard you had a falling out with Chang Yong? I told you that guy wasn’t trustworthy, but you didn’t believe me.”

Li Xiao didn’t follow up with negative comments about Chang Yong. Instead, he said, “It wasn’t really a falling out. It’s just that the job didn’t suit me.”

Chen Feng scoffed, “You’re still defending him? Now he’s going around saying he gave you a big house. People who don’t know better might think you’re an ungrateful person. It’s really boosting his ego.”

Li Xiao smiled, “He did give me a big house, and I took it. If it’s free, why not take it?”

Chen Feng laughed heartily. “I like your attitude. If you run into any trouble, come to me. I’ll definitely help.”

Li Xiao joked, “Then I’ll take you up on that.”

“Do you think I’m joking with you?”

Chen Feng waved his hand and left, nodding briefly to Jiang Rou before he went. His demeanor wasn’t particularly warm.

Jiang Rou quickly smiled at him, and once he was gone, she asked, “Is he also your friend?”

Li Xiao nodded, “Chen Feng. I mentioned him to you before.”

Jiang Rou remembered the name. He was the rich second generation who almost got scammed by a pyramid scheme. Looking at his departing figure, she remarked, “He seems like a nice person.”

Li Xiao responded, “He’s alright. He hangs out with a bunch of wealthy young people, so I don’t get too close. When trouble comes, people around him become scapegoats.”

Li Xiao was very clear on this point. He didn’t regret his choice of working with Chang Yong. Given the chance, he would make the same choice again. At least, working with Chang Yong had earned him a house and a substantial amount of money.

With this, Jiang Rou discovered that her judgment of people was often unreliable.

After leaving the exhibit, they went to a restaurant to eat seafood. Li Xiao was not fond of the crabs and shrimp. He preferred braised pork. For him, seafood was too much trouble to peel, and didn’t have much meat. However, despite his complaints, he dutifully peeled seafood for Jiang Rou as well.

After the meal, they went to watch a movie. Jiang Rou chose Toy Story. The animated film was well-known, though she had never seen it before. Since it was showing in theaters, she decided to watch it.

Li Xiao was puzzled. “Isn’t this a movie for kids?”

“It’s for adults too.”

When they entered the theater, they found that it was mostly adults with children; they were the only two adults without kids.

Li Xiao laughed once he sat down. “Next time, we should bring An An. She would definitely like it.”

Jiang Rou gave him a look.

After watching the movie for the entire afternoon, it was already past three o’clock. To soothe their daughter, Jiang Rou bought two tanghulu and a balloon after leaving the cinema.

—o—o—o—

An An had been anxiously waiting at home. When she saw her parents return, she hurriedly tried to get to them by holding onto a stool.

Afraid of any accidents, Jiang Rou quickly went to pick her up.

An An was easily pleased. A single tanghulu made her smile. She sat on her mother’s lap, holding one balloon in one hand and Tanghulu in the other hand.

Jiang Rou let her lick the sugar from the hawthorn.

Not wanting to give her too much, Jiang Rou ate one piece for every lick An An took. Soon, the sugar-coated hawthorn was finished. When An An saw that her aunt had also finished eating her own, she pouted a bit.

Tomorrow would be New Year’s Eve, An An, had missed her parents all day yesterday, so she was particularly clingy in the evening and didn’t go to sleep until very late.

—o—o—o—

The next morning, the family of three lazily stayed in bed until nine o’clock. Li Xin went out early to buy breakfast. She particularly loved a type of pork lard congee from a popular stall. She had gone to line up before dawn, bought four portions, and brought them back along with some youtiao (fried dough sticks), jianbing (savory crepes), and buns.

After eating her own portion, she put the rest in the pot to keep warm and then began cleaning the house.

The first thing An An did upon waking was to call for her aunt. After spending the whole day with her aunt yesterday, their bond had deepened significantly.

Li Xiao dressed her and put her outside, then crawled back into bed, hoping to get a bit more sleep. However, as soon as he lay down, An An started banging on the door.

“……”

Jiang Rou also woke up, yawning and slowly getting out of bed. “She really is a little tyrant.”

Li Xiao lay on the bed. He couldn’t help but laugh: ‘Only An An could get her out of bed like this.’

They got up, washed, and had breakfast. After dilly-dallying until half past ten, Jiang Rou began preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Since they were spending the New Year outside this year, Li Xiao didn’t have to go to the temple to burn incense. Instead, he helped Jiang Rou with preparations at home.

The house was quite old. The kitchen didn’t have a modern setup like using liquefied gas; instead, they used a coal stove.

Li Xin was in charge of cutting the vegetables.

Li Xiao was outside with An An, washing vegetables in the yard.

An An wasn’t really washing vegetables; she was playing with the water. Her small hands tore up the vegetables in the basin as she was laughing joyfully.

Li Xiao glanced at the kitchen and said softly, “Your mom will scold you later.”

An An looked at him, then at the basin. Her hands continued splashing in the water, but she seemed to understand she might have caused some trouble.

After a while, she suddenly stood up, trotted off to the kitchen, and clung to her aunt, burying her face in her embrace.

Li Xin didn’t understand what had happened at first, but seeing An An’s cold little hands, she rubbed them warm next to the stove.

When Li Xiao brought the washed vegetables back to the kitchen, An An turned her back to him and faced Jiang Rou, showing her big smile.

Unsurprisingly, Li Xiao was blunt and said to Jiang Rou, “Your daughter made this mess.”

Jiang Rou looked at the basin of torn-up vegetable leaves and gave him a playful slap on the arm. “And you let her wash the vegetables?”

Li Xiao had anticipated this response.

After lunch, Li Xiao went out for a bit and came back carrying a new television.