“Er Ming, let me tell you something that will surely scare you to death!” Xu Jianshe puffed out his chest, his chin held high.
Sun Erming snorted, suddenly intrigued. “What could possibly scare me to death? That’d be quite impressive!”
Xu Jianshe’s smile widened with pride. “Not only will I work as a salesperson at the food factory, but I’ll also be a salesperson at the textile factory!”
Sun Erming wasn’t scared to death, but his jaw dropped in astonishment. “Really? You’re not lying, are you?” In these times, finding even one job was a struggle, yet here was Xu Jianshe talking about finding two as easily as picking jelly beans from a pile of candy.
Xu Jianshe scoffed, thoroughly pleased with himself. “Why would I lie to you? Is your Brother Jianshe that kind of person?”
“Brother Jianshe, is being a salesperson really that good now?” Sun Erming asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
Xu Jianshe waved a dismissive hand. “How could it be? Jobs are so hard to come by these days! I just happen to have a good niece. She helped me find these jobs. But the main thing is, your brother had these skills. Otherwise, no matter how good my niece is, she couldn’t find me several jobs.”
Sun Erming curled his lips, a flicker of annoyance at Xu Jianshe’s arrogance. But if Brother Jianshe really did get a job at the textile factory, those two people would be furious. And, in his opinion, they deserved it. Brother Jianshe had been so kind to Fan Qingqing, but that woman was never satisfied. She disliked him for not having a steady job, and whenever someone else pursued her, she’d turn her back on Brother Jianshe and settle for them. And to make matters worse, that person was their childhood friend, now Brother Jianshe’s sworn enemy. It was because of this that Xu Jianshe had vowed to work at the textile factory, purely to get his revenge.
“Come on,” Xu Jianshe said, his face beaming with pride. “Let’s go meet my niece. Her cooking is out of this world.”
Sun Erming had heard whispers of Master Xiao Xu’s culinary prowess, but he never imagined that Master Xiao Xu was Brother Jianshe’s niece. “Your niece is Master Xiao Xu? I’ve always heard that a Master Xiao Xu came to our county, and her cooking rivals, even surpasses, Chef Ge’s! I never expected it was your niece! If her cooking is that delicious, how amazing must yours be?” Sun Erming’s eyes gleamed.
Xu Jianshe chuckled, raising his hand and snapping his fingers lightly on Sun Erming’s head. “You’re joking, right? How can a man possibly enter the kitchen!”
Sun Erming rubbed his forehead, shooting him a disgusted look.
Xu Jianshe was about to retort when suddenly, a man in tattered clothes burst out, nearly colliding with him.
“Watch where you’re going! How can you run into me on such a wide road? I’ll ride my horse—” Before Xu Jianshe could finish his scolding, something was thrust into his hand. “Give it to Xu Ying.”
“You’re Huo Chen!” Uncle Xu gasped, utterly shocked to see him dressed like a beggar. “How did you end up like this?”
Huo Chen lowered his head, mumbled an apology, then turned and quickly walked away.
“Brother Jianshe, who was that?” Sun Erming asked, his curiosity piqued.
Xu Jianshe glared at him. “Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t, or you’ll land yourself in trouble. You’re married and have children.”
Sun Erming’s face twisted, looking more uncomfortable than if he’d eaten something foul. “Uh…” Brother Jianshe saying something like that? It’s truly a rare sight, like the sun rising from the west.
The two men continued their conversation as they walked, soon arriving at the state-owned restaurant. As soon as Third Uncle Xu stepped inside, he boomed Xu Ying’s name, as if to ensure everyone knew their connection. “Yingying, Third Uncle is here to see you! Let’s get some food while we’re at it!”
His loud voice made every diner turn and stare. Xu Jianshe, utterly pleased with the attention, strutted to the kitchen door. “Yingying, Third Uncle wants to eat! Here, this is for you. Huo Chen gave it to me.” Though he didn’t understand why the boy had written a letter to his niece, he faithfully delivered it.
Xu Ying’s eyes lit up at the mention of Huo Chen. She knew then that he was alright. She quickly instructed Liu Guohua to start cooking and, clutching the letter, hurried to a quiet corner. Opening the envelope, Xu Ying scanned its contents and breathed a sigh of relief.
Huo Chen was indeed fine, though he needed some time before he could return. It was still too risky for him to show his face, which was why he had resorted to disguising himself as a beggar to deliver the letter through Third Uncle Xu. Zhou Kun had been arrested because he had swindled someone during a past business deal. In retaliation, that person had set a trap for him, using that specific batch of goods as bait. Unfortunately for Zhou Kun, he hadn’t received payment before the police intervened. Fortunately, Huo Chen had been cautious, minimizing their losses on that particular batch of goods. He had invested money with Zhou Kun, and if the goods couldn’t be sold, he would lose a significant amount.
Huo Chen’s letter reassured Xu Ying not to worry, promising he would be back in about a week.
After reading the letter, Xu Ying quickly put it away. She then rushed to Master Ge, requested half a day of leave, and hurried back. She was terrified that Zhou Kun might implicate Huo Chen. If the police came looking and Huo Chen wasn’t home, he would undoubtedly fall under suspicion.
Xu Ying pedaled her bicycle furiously. As she reached the Huo family’s door, she saw Lu Daya’s second brother, Lu Aimin, talking to several police officers right there! Seeing Xu Ying, he seemed to have found his savior. He pointed at her. “If you don’t believe me, ask this girl! She and Huo Chen went to the county together. Huo Chen really did go out of town for something! Why won’t you believe me?”
“I can testify that Huo Chen did go elsewhere,” Xu Ying stated, her face serious. “Do you have any business with him?”
When the policeman saw Xu Ying’s face, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He spoke in a routine tone, “A group of smugglers were caught a few days ago, and one of them reported Huo Chen, claiming he participated in the smuggling. Did Huo Chen really go out of town? If we find out you lied, the consequences will be very serious.”
Xu Ying quickly shook her head. “My father is the captain of our village. As his daughter, how could I lie?”
The mention of Xujiacun’s captain resonated with the policemen. Just days before, a high-ranking leader had visited the countryside and highly praised Xujiacun. The captain of Xujia Village was not only dedicated to his people but had also led the village to prosperity. And his daughter was exceptionally bright. One of the officers had a friend who worked at the food factory and had heard that the braised duck product, which had caused such a stir in the county recently, was made by the very daughter of Xujia Village’s captain. So, if this girl claimed her father was the captain of Xujiacun, then she was Master Xiao Xu. His own wife adored Master Xiao Xu’s cooking; especially now that she was pregnant, she could eat nothing else. Without Master Xiao Xu’s dishes, his wife and child might have starved. It was no exaggeration to call Master Xiao Xu his benefactor.
“You are Master Xiao Xu! What a coincidence! My wife absolutely loves your cooking. She goes to the restaurant to buy your dishes three times a day now.”