With the contract in hand, Liu Yifeng’s heart finally settled, and all that remained was to wait for the vegetables in the greenhouses to be harvested.
By the time he left the freight company, it was already noon. Liu Yifeng called Qiangzi to invite him for lunch.
After hanging up the phone, Qiangzi took off his work clothes and walked towards the elevator.
As the elevator doors opened, Hong Mei appeared with a cup of milk tea.
Seeing Hong Mei, Qiangzi was a bit surprised. "Aren't you Yifeng's former colleague?"
Hong Mei, seeing Qiangzi, smiled and walked out. "This is the milk tea I bought for you!"
Qiangzi couldn't believe his ears. "For me?"
Logically, if anyone were to be treated, it should be Yifeng, as they were closer.
Hong Mei looked at Qiangzi's honest and simple expression and chuckled. "Is there anyone else here besides you?"
With that, she handed him the milk tea.
Qiangzi, bewildered, accepted it. "Thank you. Are you here to see Yifeng? He's not in the company today, but I'm on my way to meet him for lunch. Do you want to come along?" he asked politely.
To his surprise, Hong Mei readily agreed. "Yes, please!"
"Then let's go down, we don't want to keep them waiting." Seeing that she agreed, Qiangzi couldn't refuse and could only bring her along.
However, in his heart, he attributed Hong Mei's agreement to Yifeng, so he didn't think much of it.
In the elevator, Hong Mei glanced at Qiangzi beside her, feeling a little shy. "Qiangzi, are you from the same village as Yifeng?"
"Yes, the same village, but I'm two years older than him!" Qiangzi replied with a nod.
Hong Mei remembered the matter of Yifeng's child and the awkwardness of being questioned by the child last time, so she didn't press further.
But she was very curious to know when Liu Yifeng got married. She asked, "How many years has Yifeng been married? Was that little boy last time his only son?"
Qiangzi didn't know how to answer. He had never met Tongtong's mother.
"What, is it inconvenient to say? If not, it's fine. I was just curious. When we were working, Yifeng told everyone that he was single. It's just that with such a grown son suddenly appearing, I was a bit curious!" Seeing Lu Fei’s prolonged silence, Hong Mei pretended to be nonchalant.
After hearing Hong Mei's words, Qiangzi knew that if this were to get out, many people would think Yifeng was a liar. He explained, "Actually, Yifeng isn't married. He didn't even know about this child's existence. It wasn't until early June this year that the child's mother suddenly brought him to Yifeng, and that's when he learned he had a son!"
Hong Mei’s eyes widened in surprise. "So, this child was secretly born to Yifeng's ex-girlfriend? That sounds like something out of a TV drama, it's too melodramatic."
Qiangzi nodded. "It's indeed the case, so Yifeng didn't lie to you!"
"I see. But with such a grown son suddenly appearing, it's probably not going to be easy for him to find a wife, right?" People nowadays are very practical. Many won't get married without a car or a house, let alone with a child in tow. She, for one, couldn't accept it and would rather not marry than be a stepmother!
Just then, the elevator doors opened on the first floor. As Qiangzi stepped out, he said, "Yifeng is not the same person he used to be. Finding a wife isn't difficult, it's just that he's unwilling to look himself."
Hong Mei just thought he was putting on a brave face for his friend and didn't believe him, nor did she take it to heart.
"We've talked so much, you must be thirsty. Drink your milk tea quickly. I bought it specially from the milk tea shop across the street. See how it tastes!" Hong Mei, knowing the whole story, changed the subject.
Qiangzi wasn't particularly fond of milk tea, but refusing to drink it would seem impolite, so he inserted a straw and took a few symbolic sips. The milk tea was cloyingly sweet. He frowned, wondering if there could be such sweet drinks in the world.
"Isn't it delicious? Bubble milk tea is my favorite!" Hong Mei didn't notice Qiangzi's frown and thought he would like it, believing no one could resist the charm of bubble milk tea.
"It's okay!" Qiangzi replied with a smile, inwardly recoiling from the taste.
The two of them walked out of the lobby and into the open air. The place where they were eating was not far from the office building, only about a seven or eight-minute walk. So, Qiangzi didn't drive his van, as parking would be difficult later.
As their journey was relatively short, they arrived before Liu Yifeng and Qiangzi.
Qiangzi found a booth and sat down, with Hong Mei opposite him. Seeing that Yifeng and his companion hadn't arrived yet, Qiangzi called to inquire. Upon learning they would be about ten minutes away, he decided to order first, so that the food would be ready when they arrived.
"Waiter, we'd like to order!" he beckoned a server.
The waiter approached with a menu. "Hello sir, how many people in total?"
"Four. Two more are on their way."
"Okay, here's the menu!" The waiter handed the menu to Qiangzi.
Qiangzi then passed the menu to Hong Mei. "Order whatever you'd like to eat, don't be shy!"
Hong Mei was surprised that Qiangzi, who seemed so straightforward, was actually quite gentlemanly. Her impression of him improved considerably. She took the menu, ordered two dishes she liked, and then returned the menu to Qiangzi to order. Qiangzi then ordered three more dishes and a soup, considering Yifeng and Lu Fei's tastes. Five dishes and one soup for four people should be about right.
After the waiter left, the atmosphere became awkward. Qiangzi didn't know what to say, and Hong Mei was too shy to ask many questions, as they weren't very familiar with each other.
The awkwardness was broken by the arrival of Liu Yifeng and Lu Fei.
"Huh, Hong Mei, what are you doing here?" Yifeng looked at Hong Mei, who was sitting opposite Qiangzi, in surprise.
They had only met for the first time yesterday, and now they were already hitting it off? Could it be that, as Lu Fei had suggested, Hong Mei was interested in Qiangzi? But even if she was, it wouldn't do. Qiangzi had a wife and child, and he didn't know how to avoid suspicion. If his wife or acquaintances saw them sitting together, the misunderstanding would be hard to clear up.
Seeing Yifeng and Lu Fei approaching, Qiangzi quickly explained, "I just happened to run into your former colleague at the elevator and mentioned lunch, and she agreed!"
Fearing that Qiangzi might think she was frivolous, Hong Mei also explained, "It's been a while since I've seen you, Yifeng. I thought we could catch up. You don't mind me freeloading, do you?"
Liu Yifeng listened and shook his head dismissively. "Why would I mind? We really haven't seen each other in a long time, and we've barely talked online." As he spoke, he sat down next to Hong Mei, while Lu Fei and Qiangzi sat together.