Chapter 53: Qiao Yuan
There are two and a half hours at noon for eating and resting. Su Ning, who hadn’t tried the factory canteen yet, decided to eat a meal there.
As one of the top factories, Gu City Textile Factory has two canteens. One is the First Canteen where most workers choose the large pot rice, and the other is the Second Canteen that specializes in stir-fries and hosting various banquets.
Seeing the long line for rice in the First Canteen, she thought about it and turned to go to the Second Canteen instead.
Although the Second Canteen was also crowded, the queue wasn’t that terrifying, and at least she could see the window for getting the food.
Featuring Hunan dishes with some Sichuan and Cantonese dishes, the specialty stir-fries alone made one’s appetite surge just looking at the bright red chilies in the basin.
Su Ning, who liked sweets and especially loved spicy food, didn’t hesitate and ordered sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried pork liver, a small bowl of tomato and egg soup, and then bought a portion of rice.
She found an empty seat and sat down. Looking at the dishes in her lunchbox, she first picked up a rib and started gnawing on it.
The sourness was just right, the sweetness perfect, and both sides were fried golden brown. Delicious!
She spat out the bone, took a bite of rice, then tried the pork liver. The stir-fried pork liver had special spicy sauce added, salty and fragrant, tender and smooth, with an indescribable deliciousness paired with cilantro roots.
The little person in her heart silently gave two thumbs up. The master chef in the Second Canteen really had great skills, no worse than the state-run restaurant outside. If there was a chance, she had to try all the master chef’s signature dishes.
She ate happily and freely, unaware that she had become the center of attention in the canteen.
……
“How about it? Did you find out?”
Qiao Yuan nudged the person next to him with his elbow, his face full of anxious impatience.
She was so outstanding-looking and unfamiliar, definitely new to the factory not long ago. Seeing her wearing a Shanghai City new style blouse and watch, and ordering two meat dishes, her family background must be good too!
She was simply the perfect partner of his dreams!
“Who am I? Chen Baisi! There’s nothing I can’t find out!”
Chen Baisi patted his chest proudly and leaned closer, “I just asked the personnel department. She’s the new cadre in the Purchasing Department, Su Ning from Beijing City. How about it?”
“Awesome, brother!”
She’s new and from Beijing City, so she definitely doesn’t have a partner yet!
Delighted inside, Qiao Yuan patted his shoulder. Looking at Su Ning over there, the more he looked, the more he liked her. She was perfect in every way, right up his alley.
But unlike those women he casually played with before, this time he was serious. “Tong’er, what do you say I should do to pursue her without being abrupt?”
Lately, no fewer than seven or eight bold guys had gone up to chat her up, but all returned defeated without exception. She looked gentle and soft but seemed not that easy to approach?
“Hey? Serious?”
“Of course, love at first sight, understand?”
He always said that, but love at first sight was just lust at first sight.
Chen Baisi curled his lip but didn’t expose his little thoughts. Who could blame the guy’s dad for being the number two in the city? He had to butter him up nicely.
Just about to give him some advice, Chen Baisi caught sight of the situation over there out of the corner of his eye, lifted his chin toward her, and said, “Yuan Bro, something’s off.”
“What’s off? Someone else went over? Won’t they just get chased away like… hey, that’s Jiaming?”
Squinting to see clearly the person approaching again, Qiao Yuan’s face turned iron blue, his sunny and handsome face clouded over like storm clouds: Where did this dog thing come from!
Without thinking, he stood up and headed that way. Chen Baisi next to him couldn’t hold him back and could only follow hurriedly with a bitter face.
……
Over here, Su Ning was eating happily, though it would be even better without the ‘flies’ disturbing her from time to time.
“Su Ning, heh heh heh~”
“Cough cough~ cough cough cough~”
Suddenly startled from behind by someone popping out, how could she not choke?
Luckily, she choked on rice, not a bone, or she might have met her end right there.
She glared at him irritably. Su Ning covered her mouth and coughed hard a few times, then picked up the tomato and egg soup on the table and took a big gulp.
“Sorry, sorry. Seeing you, I got too excited and couldn’t hold back. I’ll pay attention next time, definitely! All good now?”
Jiaming, standing on one leg, sat down next to her without ceremony while talking, ignoring the fiery stares around them.
He had no idea that if gazes could take form, he’d already be turned into a porcupine by all these blades.
“Why are you back? Did Comrade Yan get discharged?”
“That guy could never stay put. As soon as he felt a bit better, he clamored to leave the hospital. He’s probably already back at the research institute working now!”
Jiaming waved his hand. Though he complained, he was still a bit worried about his buddy deep down and planned to go catch him after work.
The patient at least needed to act like one, right?
“By the way, this is for you!”
“What?”
Putting down her chopsticks, Su Ning looked down at the bag he shoved over, opened it, and saw it was a floral bubble-sleeve dress.
Recalling that day’s conversation, she felt both amused and exasperated. “You’re still serious? I don’t want it. Keep it for your partner.”
“Can’t refuse. I bought it in your size. Besides, my partner is still lost at her mother-in-law’s house without finding the way back. Keep what?”
Jiaming dodged her movement, his body agile without any sign of his leg inconvenience. “We agreed back then. Besides, Yan Qi and I worked hard half the day to pick this one!”
To be precise, he rejected everything that guy picked; this one was his sole decision, and for that, Jiaming even tricked him into paying…
Cough~
Clearing his throat, regardless of who paid, this was his apology and kindness anyway.
“If you think it’s inappropriate, just treat us to a meal! I heard you don’t live in the factory dormitory but outside. As a friend, warming the pot for you is obligatory!”
Good grief, his face was really thick.
He called it an apology and kindness, but still mooched a meal. What an operation.
Thinking about it, the new house really needed a warming pot. Brother Zhang and Brother Mao hadn’t returned, and besides Xi You, she didn’t have many friends here.
If adding these two, warming the pot together to liven up the house didn’t seem like a bad idea?
Seeing her expression clearly soften, just as he was about to say something, a voice cut in directly, interrupting their conversation.
“Yo, who do I see? Isn’t this Young Master Fu?”
Standing not far away, he had heard their entire conversation clearly. Seeing that he hadn’t even started getting to know her yet, and this Fu guy was about to brazenly visit her home, how could that fly?!
Qiao Yuan immediately spoke up to interfere, absolutely not letting this kid have his way.
“Little master has no mood to argue with you today, nor convenient to fight. Qiao Yuan, just be happy on the side, get lost!”
Seeing his shifty eyes, Jiaming knew this guy’s old habit was acting up to pick a fight, but with serious business at hand, he was too lazy to bother.
About to continue talking to Su Ning, he suddenly realized something belatedly, immediately stood up. “Su Ning, if you have something, why not go first? Wait, we’ll talk back at the office.”
“Okay, I need to go back anyway to check on Little Round Circle. We’ll talk in the afternoon.”
Only after she left did Jiaming turn to look at Qiao Yuan. Sure enough, the guy was still staring dead at Su Ning’s back.
Incorrigible, unrepentant.
That described people like him, right?
“Looks like I didn’t beat you hard enough last time. Qiao Yuan, I warn you, stay away from Su Ning, or this time it won’t be just a little lesson!”
“Heh heh heh, funny. Why should I listen to you? Jiaming, I took the loss last time, but this time I tell you, I, Qiao Yuan, absolutely won’t lose again!”
“Let’s go!”
Since the person had already left, Qiao Yuan dropped his tough words and swaggered off with Chen Baisi.
Walking far out of the canteen, Qiao Yuan, still fuming inside, viciously kicked a stone underfoot.
From childhood to now, he had never suffered a loss at anyone’s hands, yet this Jiaming made him eat two silent losses from the same person. Just thinking about it made his heart, liver, and lungs ache with anger!
“Baisi, what do you think is the relationship between Jiaming and her? Are they partners?”
Chatting and laughing, yet giving clothes to a female comrade?
Qiao Yuan gritted his teeth, his words’ emphatic ending sounding like they were squeezed straight from between his teeth.
“Doesn’t seem like partners. Their relationship seems just like coworkers, right? Yuan Bro, even if you want to, they’re in the same department, but Su Ning just met him a couple days ago. How close could they be?”
Chen Baisi knew his temper and could only smooth things over. Besides, he wasn’t talking nonsense; from just that bit of time eating in the canteen, it was clear Su Ning wasn’t easy to deal with.
She wouldn’t agree to a pursuit so quickly, would she? Of course, no need to say that out loud.
“Let’s go, out of the factory to see if we can catch up to her!”
