CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 248: SCAMMER (PART 6)_2

Gong Liang could only nod awkwardly and went back.

Gong Liang went back, but Qin Huai didn’t. He stayed at Jinglixiang’s house to watch the three of them count the winter melon candy.

Jinglixiang wasn’t wrong. The room full of winter melon candy looked like a lot, but actually, the oil paper at the bottom increased the visual impact. When it was really counted, there were only 9 jin and 4 liang, among which 5 jin and 6 liang were exchanged by Zheng Da for a beating.

To make mixed fruit filling, 9 jin and 4 liang of winter melon candy were enough.

Jinglixiang nodded, indicating that the winter melon candy was fine, and continued counting the next item on the list with Huang Shengli.

Zheng Da didn’t participate in the ingredient procurement and didn’t know how much was needed for what. He foolishly asked, "Master, is the winter melon candy enough? If not, I remember my uncle’s house has a bit more. I can’t take a beating for nothing. How about I go to my uncle’s house to get some more tomorrow."

Zheng Da didn’t get an answer but got a hearty laugh from Jinglixiang and Huang Shengli.

After counting the ingredients, Jinglixiang told the two apprentices to stop chatting and quickly go to bed, especially Zheng Da.

Now that Zheng Da has been promoted, he can take on the important task of making buns and steamed buns at the state-owned restaurant in the morning. Being late would delay everyone’s breakfast and could result in a salary deduction.

Under the threat of a salary deduction, Zheng Da quickly went to bed.

Qin Huai went back to Gong Liang’s house and found that Zheng Da had already fallen asleep at high speed, while Gong Liang was still organizing information under the kerosene lamp’s glow.

The notebook was densely filled with many things, some circled and noted, others underlined and bolded. Besides the information, there were also some insights written.

The latest page’s top had a line written with such force that the pen pierced the paper, soaking the words into the next page.

’Gong Liang, be confident. What are you afraid of? Why do you tremble, fear, and retreat at big occasions, eager to back out? Is such cowardly timidity worthy of colleagues, leaders, friends, and Master Jing?’

When organizing materials, Gong Liang would flip through the previous content from time to time. No matter how many pages he flipped, this sentence was always at the top of each page.

The next day, Gong Liang went to work as usual.

Mr. Chen sorted some new newspapers for Gong Liang and also gave him an apple to wish him a happy birthday. Gong Liang was overwhelmed, and he recapped the information he organized last night to Mr. Chen. The two discussed it all morning, while Qin Huai, listening from the side, was a bit bewildered. After a few sentences, he stopped listening and went to watch another young man in the office slacking off.

Say what you will, this guy shares the same hobby as Luo Jun; they love reading novels, specifically martial arts novels.

The plot was somewhat clichéd, but the writing was outstanding. The slacking young man was enthralled, and Qin Huai also found it fascinating from the side. Before they knew it, the morning had passed.

After lunch, the young man continued to read the novel eagerly, and Qin Huai also followed along quickly. The day passed just like that.

The slacker had a field day of slacking, while the sales champion conscientiously worked a full day.

At the end of the day, the apple Mr. Chen gave hadn’t been eaten by Gong Liang; he washed it and took it to his partner waiting for him to finish work at the Silk Factory gate.

Guo Mingzhu happily took the apple and asked, "Where did this apple come from? It looks sweet."

"Mr. Chen gave it to me," Gong Liang said. "Mingzhu, why aren’t you eating it?"

"We’re about to have a big meal. Why eat an apple now and fill up my stomach?" Guo Mingzhu put the apple into her bag. "I’ll take it back and save it for breakfast; I haven’t had an apple in such a long time. The last time our unit issued apples was last year."

"Next time I go on a business trip, I’ll keep an eye out for you. If there are any apples, I’ll trade for more to bring back for you."

"Hmm, the apples you trade for are sure to be sweeter than those issued by our unit." Guo Mingzhu wrapped her arm around Gong Liang’s, didn’t hold his hand, and like a magic trick, pulled a scarf from behind her clothes.

"Ta-da! Look, I prepared a birthday gift for you!" Guo Mingzhu shook the scarf. "When my parents locked me at home, I was bored and used all my mom’s yarn to knit scarves. This is the best-looking one; the ugly ones were all unraveled by my mom."

"Isn’t it nice!"

"It’s nice." Gong Liang nodded emphatically.

"Why aren’t you surprised at all? Did you know I was knitting a scarf for you?" Guo Mingzhu asked.

"Ah, it’s really surprising." Gong Liang pretended to just notice the scarf, making Guo Mingzhu laugh before explaining, "You hid the scarf behind your back, inside your shirt. It was bulging, and I saw it as soon as I came out."

"Oh dear," Guo Mingzhu was a bit annoyed. "Blame yourself for having a birthday in May. If it were winter, you wouldn’t be able to see it through all the layers."

"Yes, yes, it’s all my fault for having a birthday in May." Gong Liang agreed readily. "Let’s go eat. I’ll secretly tell you, Master Jing must have made an especially sweet snack that you’ll love, using lots of winter melon candy."

The two walked side by side, not holding or linking hands, but their shadows blended together.

Qin Huai followed behind, silently swallowing a bite of dog food.

.

At the state-owned restaurant entrance, a child who was licking bowls for food had finished eating and went home. The door was ajar, and when Gong Liang and Guo Mingzhu pushed the door in, the waiter was clearing the bowls they had just eaten from.

"It’s closed, closed. Come earlier next time to eat." The waiter didn’t even look to see who was coming in, and instinctively said. Upon looking up and seeing it was Gong Liang and Guo Mingzhu, squeezed out a smile and spoke more warmly, "Xiao Gong, Master Jing reserved a room for you. Turn right when you go in."

"Ah, is this Xiao Gong’s partner? So fair!" praised the waiter, making Guo Mingzhu a bit embarrassed and lowered her head.

The waiter was about to say more when the young person Qin Huai likely met in the memory, suspected to be Xu Nuo, came running out of the kitchen.

"Sister Zhang, Master Jing says he made extra rice balls and asks if you want to take some home."

Sister Zhang’s eyes instantly lit up, her smile broadening as if finding money, "Yes, yes, that’s great; my little kids at home love rice balls."

"Xiao Xu, keep an eye outside for a while, I’m going to pick the rice balls."

With that, Sister Zhang went into the kitchen with the dishes.

Xu Nuo smiled at Gong Liang, "You’re Salesman Gong, right? I heard your Silk Factory secured a big order at the trade fair, and the province specially commended it. Congratulations."

"No, no, I just heard the provincial leaders praised us a bit, not really a commendation."

"Don’t be modest, my dad was saying at home that with a salesperson like you, the Silk Factory has struck gold; the silk will surely sell easily now." Xu Nuo smiled, "The private room is inside, Master Zheng is already there."

Gong Liang nodded and headed to the private room with Guo Mingzhu.

Guo Mingzhu curiously whispered, "Was that just Mr. Xu’s youngest son? I heard he liked fermented rice with steamed buns, but since food tickets weren’t enough, he took 20 jins of flour from home to ask Master Jing to make fermented rice with steamed buns for him."

"So much that Mr. Xu was chasing him all around the cotton factory, is that true?"

Indeed, even someone from the Cultural Troupe has a heart for gossip.

"Seems true," Gong Liang wasn’t very sure either. "I don’t know about the 20 jins, but he did ask Master Jing to make fermented rice with steamed buns for a long time, ate for over two months and got tired of it."

Guo Mingzhu gasped, thinking, ’Really Mr. Xu’s son, so extravagant, getting tired of eating fermented rice with steamed buns.’

She could eat fermented rice with steamed buns for a lifetime and never get tired of it!

The two walked to the private room door and pushed it open.

The private room’s decoration was very simple, just a small round table inside, providing a relatively quiet environment. There weren’t any decorations or extra adornments, no tablecloth on the table, but the dishes and utensils were arranged in advance.

"You made it," Zheng Da waved for them to sit. "If you hadn’t come soon, I would’ve gone looking for you. The meal is about to start."

Just as Zheng Da finished speaking, Huang Shengli’s voice came shouting from the kitchen, "Zheng Da! Where are you? Come quickly and carry the rice balls."

"Coming." Zheng Da ran out and came back a minute later, carrying a big pot of rice balls into the private room.

An absolute big pot, larger than the one used at Zheng Da’s house when having rice balls.

"Master said the other dishes will take a while, so let’s have some Four Happiness rice balls to fill our stomachs first."