The kitchen came alive with the crackling sound of stir-frying, followed by the thudding of footsteps on the stairs.
"Coming!"
Immediately after, a face that strikingly resembled Lu Jiaying's appeared in view.
Tong An'an, wearing a short black cotton jacket and her hair tied up in a high bun, ran down the stairs.
Seeing guests, she first went to the corner of the kitchen wall, picked up a thermos, and then placed two disposable cups in front of them.
As she poured water, she realized the assistant was the person who had greeted her at noon.
"It's you. Come for business, and you're still here?"
The assistant replied, "Yes, I'm a bit hungry. I'll leave after dinner."
"Alright, you two drink first. I'll leave the teapot here. If you want more, I can add it, or I can pour for you."
The assistant politely said it was fine and she didn't need to trouble herself.
Seeing Jiang Jingyu pick up the water and take a sip, she then picked up her own teacup.
Jiang Jingyu took a sip of tea, then glanced at his watch. It was 5:40 PM.
At this hour, it should be the peak business time for a restaurant. Perhaps it was because of the impending demolition that they had no customers.
He felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. He put down his teacup and said to the assistant,
"I don't like this. Go see if there's any good soup."
It was normal for the president to visit a roadside fast-food restaurant for the first time and not be accustomed to plain water in a plastic cup.
However, there might not be any soup that he would find appealing.
He quickly turned to find Tong An'an.
Tong An'an was wiping tables with gloves. Sensing his gaze, she ran over with a rag.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you have any good soup recommendations? Something light, not greasy, and thirst-quenching."
"Soup."
Tong An'an raised her hand and looked up at the wall. After a long moment, she suddenly pursed her lips and smiled.
"It's hard for me to recommend anything, I'm not very professional. How about you wait a moment, and I'll go ask my mom?"
The assistant, hearing her sincerity, wanted to laugh but dared not.
This was his first time encountering such an unprofessional waitress. The president had always been very strict about work ability. He hoped she wouldn't be angered by her unprofessionalism.
Jiang Jingyu was not angry. Instead, he felt a sense of warmth from Tong An'an's honesty.
He nodded, agreeing to Tong An'an's suggestion.
Tong An'an, holding the rag, went into the kitchen.
The dishes were already stir-fried, and the rice had been steamed in advance. Tong An'an's mother was reprimanding her as she plated the food.
"You've read yourself silly! You don't even know what soup to recommend to customers. What good are you?"
"Everyone said you were smart since you were little, that I'd enjoy the fruits of your labor in the future. But after supporting you through so many years of schooling, you can't find a job, and now you can't even help out properly. What good are you?"
"You're so stupid your brain doesn't even turn. Just recommend the most expensive item on the menu!"
After a string of petty complaints, Tong An'an, with a dejected face, carried two plates out.
"Here's your meal—how about trying the pigeon soup?"
Her eyes weren't blind. She had studied in Nancheng for several years. Although she hadn't found a particularly good job, she had worked many part-time jobs and had some ability to assess people's identities.
Jiang Jingyu and his assistant, with their attire, demeanor, and temperament, were clearly not people to be easily fooled.
They were probably just hungry and happened to see a restaurant here, so they came in for a meal.
Expecting to earn money from their pockets wouldn't amount to much. Why embarrass herself?
"Honestly, there's no soup that's particularly light and thirst-quenching. Only the pigeon soup is decent. If you want to order it, order it. If not, just drink plain water."
She lowered her voice, afraid her mother would hear.
"Alright, eat slowly. Call me if you need anything."
As she finished speaking, she hadn't even left the dining table when her mother came out, wiping her hands, with a fake smile on her face.
"Want to drink soup? We have soybean and pig trotters soup..."
She rambled on.
The assistant really didn't know what to order and was in a dilemma. Jiang Jingyu said,
"This is my first time in your area, so it would be good to try your local specialties. Give me one of each."
Not only the assistant but also Tong An'an and her mother were stunned.
These two looked refined and elegant, clearly not foodies. Could they finish so much food?
Just as Tong An'an was about to ask Jiang Jingyu, her mother's fake smile turned into a real one.
"Okay, I'll serve it to you now. What are you waiting for? An'an, come help!"
Tong An'an was speechless for a moment, then followed her into the kitchen.
Even with so many dishes ordered, the meal cost less than 200 yuan.
While they were eating, Tong An'an's mother sat at a nearby table and chatted with them.
"I don't know which heartless person is trying to ruin our livelihood. We've been running this restaurant for half our lives. We've raised our children, saved some retirement money, and were about to retire. Now they're saying it's demolition and forcing us to move."
"Who have we offended? Leaving the place where we've lived our whole lives to move into those cramped apartments. Not only is it crowded, but what will we eat and drink in the future?"
Ever since the demolition was decided, business had been getting worse. Her mother complained about these things to everyone.
Tong An'an was tired of hearing it, but she didn't dare to say anything.
But today was different. It was obvious these two couldn't stand the nagging of common folk, so she quickly stopped her.
"Mom, they're eating. What are you babbling about?"
"What am I babbling about? I'm speaking the truth. They eat their food, what's wrong with me chatting?"
"I don't meet many people all day, and you won't let me speak my mind?"
"I'd like to talk to you, but do you even pay attention to me? All day long you just read and read and read. What's the use of reading for so many years? In the end, you can't even find a job."
"If you and your brother had any prospects, your father and I wouldn't have to..."
Tong An'an's face turned red, wishing she could disappear into a hole.
Being humiliated by her mother in front of people her own age, she had truly had enough.
But she also blamed herself for not being more capable. She had sent out so many resumes and interviewed with so many companies.
Either her applications were ignored, or the benefits were too poor. Otherwise, she would have left home long ago.
It was at this moment that Tong An'an made up her mind. When the next recruitment call came, no matter how poor the benefits, she would try.
It was better than staying at home, no matter what.
The assistant, with high emotional intelligence, seeing her mother speak to Tong An'an like that, smiled and interjected to smooth things over.
Tong An'an's mother then launched into another round of complaints.
Jiang Jingyu listened, taking her words to heart.
To be honest, he had the ability to help Tong An'an.
It was rare to find someone who looked so much like Lu Jiaying, and he was happy to see her again.
If for no other reason, it would be a solace, a way to alleviate his longing.
However, he didn't want to do it.
If he hadn't stubbornly pursued Lu Jiaying back then, she wouldn't have had the accident.
The men of the Zhan family seemed to have a hereditary trait.
Whichever woman they liked, they seemed to bring her some undeserved misfortune.
He absolutely did not want to harm any more girls.