Outsider: The Fifth Young Master of the Kang Family

"Guang, Di said she'll be back tomorrow, and she hasn't gone out for dinner with us yet. What do you think?"

At noon that day, the maid called Da Laoguang who was working in the shop. Da Laoguang thought about it and replied: "She is right. We haven't invited her out for dinner yet. How about this, let's go to Nanhai Mingcheng for dinner tonight, and I'll pay the bill then."

The mother naturally had no objection, and the matter was settled. After the mother hung up the phone, she notified the other members of the Kang family one by one. In the evening, the Kang family came to the private room reserved by the boss Guang one after another. When they saw a young man following A Di, no one paid much attention.

"A Guang, look at what Uncle Kang and Aunt Kang like to eat, and order it." After everyone was gathered, A Di said to the eldest brother Guang. The second sister-in-law raised her hand and said, "Let my husband order, he is so slow." After that, she whispered in the second brother's ear, "Hurry up, otherwise she will order something expensive, and then you, the eldest brother, will have to pay for it. It will be a big loss."

Er Lao nodded and called to the familiar waiter, "Aying, come and order." After the waiter came over, he asked if the eggs were fresh today. After getting a positive answer, Er Lao ordered, "Then let's have bitter melon fried eggs, steamed eggs, five-willow bombs, leek eggs, fried eggs with dried radish, fried eggs with tomatoes, and more poached eggs per person."

"Seven dishes!" The second sister-in-law said unhappily when she saw that the second brother ordered seven dishes. Cantonese people are very taboo to order seven dishes when entertaining guests. This is called "seven dishes". Seven dishes are only served during funerals. The second sister-in-law turned around and said to the waiter: "Add another steamed meat pie with salted egg."

Eight dishes were just right, but the problem was that they were all eggs. A-Di had no choice but to wave the waiter to come over to her. She looked at the dishes she had ordered and said with a smile, "Wow, they're all eggs? Why are you being so frugal?"

"As long as there is enough to eat," said the second brother.

"A-Di, this is our consumption level." Dad also thought that the boss would pay for the meal, so he explained. The young man next to A-Di shook his head and said with a smile: "Today our boss is treating us to a meal, so let's have a good meal, don't be polite."

"What? Your boss? Why is your boss inviting us to dinner?" Da Lao Guang asked puzzledly. He had always thought that this was A Di's fellow villager, because when A Di came to Kang's house on the first day, she said that she came with her fellow villager.

The young man stood up, pointed at A Di and said with a smile: "Sister Di is our boss."

"Adi is your boss?" Big Brother Guang was shocked. He remembered a phone call he had received before and asked, "You were the one who called our house that day to look for the boss?"

"Yes." The young man nodded.

A Di smiled and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to have disturbed you these days. I'll be back tomorrow, so I'll treat everyone to a simple meal tonight. Don't be polite to me." Then she picked up the menu and started ordering again.

After ordering several main dishes, she asked, "Do you like the lobster baked with cheese or as sashimi?"

When someone invited us to dinner, the second sister-in-law and Grandpa didn't hesitate to order the same one. Grandma didn't mind and asked the waiter to order the same one without blinking an eye.

As if the boss hadn't reacted yet, he said, "Adi, your village is so poor, how can you afford to spend so much money?"

A-di laughed so hard that her teeth showed. The young man next to her introduced: "Brother Guang, the government lost a lot of money when the highway was built through our area a few years ago. Later, the boss used the money to help us get rich. Now we have many small businesses and our lives have become much better."

So that's how it is. Everyone finally understood. After laughing, A-Di took out an envelope from her handbag and said to Big Brother Guang: "By the way, Big Brother Guang, I have one more thing to settle with you. I know this is out of your affection, but our lives are much better than yours, and my husband has passed away and doesn't need this money. So you should take it back and use it for yourself."

Xianglan, who had been worried, finally felt relieved. It turned out that what A-di was talking about was the two thousand yuan that A-guang sent her. Now A-di returned it to Da Lao Guang intact. Da Lao Guang accepted the envelope with an embarrassed look on his face, and then pretended to smile and invited everyone to eat.

After returning to the Kang family, they returned to their own rooms. Zhu Wanling said with emotion while changing her clothes: "I didn't expect Sister Di to be so rich. My elder and second sisters-in-law were worried that she was here to indulge in drinking and eating." Kang Qirui shook his head and said: "It's understandable. If Sister Di had paid back the money on the first day she came, no one would have misunderstood."

As mentioned before, Kang Qirui could understand Xianglan and his second sister-in-law's ideas. If anyone lent money to a friend for medical treatment, and the friend was not sick and did not need medical treatment, but the friend never asked for repayment and kept asking for money to go here and buy that, everyone would have some strange thoughts.

During this period, Kang Qirui had been busy recording the first phase of "Taste of the Three Kingdoms" and had to go back to school for classes. He was so busy that he finally finished recording the last episode of the first phase. After the recording, the CCTV staff had to rush back to Beijing for the afternoon flight, and they didn't even have time to have a celebration banquet.

The celebration banquet was cancelled, and tomorrow is the weekend. Kang Qirui originally planned to have a good rest, but just after returning to the Kang family, he met a writer who came to ask for help. He said, "Isn't National Day next week? Our editor-in-chief insisted that I write a special report on the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou. What do you think is the connection between the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou and National Day? The most important thing is that I am not even familiar with the geography of Guangzhou, so how can I write about the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou?" "Last night, the wild model fooled me into saying that the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou are the eight scenes in the Wuyang New City. I went to Wuyang New City early this morning, and then I realized that she was fooling me."

Kang Qirui listened for a long time, and all he heard was the writer complaining. He waved his hand to interrupt the writer and asked, "So you came here to ask me what the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou are, right?" After a tiring day, he didn't want to continue listening to the writer's complaints.

The writer nodded and said, "Yes, yes, Professor Kang. I came here specifically to ask you what the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou are." In those days, computers, the Internet, and search engines were not yet popular, and most people lacked effective channels to acquire knowledge. Basically, they either looked up books or asked people.

Kang Qirui said eloquently: "Guangfu has been known as Yangcheng since ancient times, so the Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng, as the name suggests, are the eight famous scenic spots in Guangzhou. Since the Song Dynasty, selecting the Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng has become a tradition, which has been passed down from generation to generation without interruption. As you know, with the development of the times, many new scenic spots will be built, so the results of each selection are very different. If you want to write about the Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng, then of course you should write about the latest selected Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng in the New Century."

The writer listened very carefully and even took out a pen to take notes. Kang Qirui took a sip of tea and continued, "The eight scenic spots of Guangzhou in the new century are: Yunshan Duancuo, Zhushui Yeyun, Yuexiu Xinhui, Tianhe Piaoxian, Gushilingfang, Wuhuan Morning Glow, Huanghua Bright Moon, and Lianfeng Guanhai."

The writer was confused. He scratched his head and asked, "I understand all these eight words, but what scenic spot do they refer to and where is it?"

Kang Qirui smiled and said, "Well, let me give you a brief introduction one by one. Yunshan Diecui refers to the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area. Baiyun Mountain is known as the 'No. 1 Mountain in Lingnan' and 'No. 1 View in Guangzhou'. The highest peak, Moxingling, is known as the 'No. 1 Peak in the South'. It was not included in the selection of the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou in all dynasties except the Ming Dynasty. It has always been on the list."

"The night view of the Pearl River refers to the night view and night cruise of the Pearl River. The 23-kilometer scenic corridor of the Pearl River is full of lights on both sides of the river, which are brilliant and magnificent. Various colorful neon lights are dazzling. The famous night view of the Seine River in Paris, France is just like this. Writer, you have been in Guangzhou for several years, right? Have you ever been to the night cruise of the Pearl River?"

The writer shook his head and said, "I seldom go out. Where are the other six? Where are they?"

Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, Kang Qirui cut to the chase, "Yuexiu Xinhui refers to Yuexiu Park on Yuexiu Mountain, which has always been an important tourist attraction in Guangdong. It has two iconic buildings in Guangdong, the Five Goats Statue and the Zhenhai Tower, and is also famous for its beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains, and its tranquility in a bustling city."

"Tianhe Piaojuan refers to the new city axis of Guangzhou. The main scenery includes the waterscape waterfall of the East Railway Station, which is called 'Guangfu Huangguoshu', and the tallest building in Guangzhou, CITIC Plaza. CITIC Plaza is dozens of meters higher than the Moxingling of Baiyun Mountain mentioned earlier."

"The ancient ancestral temple refers to the Chen Clan Ancestral Temple, also known as the Chen Clan Academy. It is one of the largest existing traditional Cantonese buildings, and also the largest, best preserved, and most beautifully decorated ancestral temple-style building in my country. It is known as the 'Pearl of Lingnan Architectural Art'. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time it has been selected as one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou. You can focus on writing about it then."

Upon hearing this, the writer interrupted Kang Qirui and asked, "Why?" Kang Qirui glanced at him and said speechlessly, "Other scenic spots have been selected several times, and everyone is familiar with them. Chen Clan Academy is selected for the first time, and many people don’t know much about it, so of course we have to focus on introducing it." The writer nodded, not quite understanding.

The reason why Chen Clan Academy was selected as one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Guangzhou this time is that the rapid development of Guangzhou in recent years has attracted many overseas tourists. Foreigners are very interested in the extremely strong Lingnan local characteristics of Chen Clan Academy, so the number of tourists to Chen Clan Academy has gradually increased. Before, not many people visited it, because in the old society, traditional Chinese people would not visit other people's ancestral halls.

"The Five Rings Dawn refers to the Olympic Sports Center, the main venue for the 9th National Games, and a large-scale comprehensive sports and cultural center that integrates competitive sports, mass sports, tourism, leisure and entertainment, and medical rehabilitation."

"The yellow flowers and bright moon refer to the Tomb of the Seventy-two Martyrs in Huanghuagang Park. You all know about the Huanghuagang Uprising, so I don't need to introduce its significance. It is worth mentioning that although it is called the Tomb of the Seventy-two Martyrs, there are actually 86 martyrs. When it was first built, 72 martyrs were found, so a tombstone with the words 'Tomb of the Seventy-two Martyrs' was erected, and that's why it got the name Huanghuagang Tomb of the Seventy-two Martyrs. In 1932, another martyrs were found, so a second monument was erected next to it as a memorial."

"In addition to the martyrs of the Huanghuagang Uprising, revolutionary martyrs such as Mr. Pan Dawei, Deng Zhongyuan, Yang Xianyi, Feng Ru, and Shi Jianru are also buried here."

Kang Qirui was most emotional and serious when he talked about Huang Hua Hao Yue. After a pause, he continued, "The last Lotus Peak Sea Viewing Point refers to the Panyu Lotus Mountain Scenic Area. On the second peak of Lotus Mountain is the Lotus Ancient City, which is the throat of Guangdong and Guangzhou. During the Opium War, Lin Zexu set up defenses here. By the way, it is also the first Panyu scenic spot selected. It has a special meaning. You can also focus on describing it when the time comes."

When the writer saw Kang Qirui had finished speaking, he closed his notebook and said gratefully, "Professor Kang, what you have told me is enough for me to finish the manuscript. So, after I earn the royalties, I will treat you to a meal first."

Kang Qirui waved his hand and said, "No need to eat. You should save the money and pay the rent on time." Speaking of which, Kang Qirui can also be considered the writer's landlord.

"Okay, okay, that's it for today. I'm leaving now and going back to write my manuscript." The writer also knew that he often didn't pay the rent on time, so he scratched his head, smiled awkwardly, and left. (End of this chapter)