Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 148 Su Mingyuan

Marty nodded to Li Zhe, then said to Shen Yanan, "Boss, most of the customers have left. If there's nothing else, I'll go to Beijing Foreign Studies University to recruit."

Shen Yanan rubbed her right thumb against her wine glass: "Um... I think that, in addition to hiring English-speaking waiters, it would be best to also hire someone who understands Russian."

Although there weren't many Russian customers at the restaurant, there were definitely some. Marty took out his notebook and asked, "Boss, are there any specific requirements?"

"Um, preferably male, between 1.7 and 1.75 meters tall..." Shen Yanan stopped there, the events of yesterday still fresh in her mind. That thief was truly despicable, causing her to twist her ankle.

She was very grateful to the man who helped her get her bag back.

They stood up for her when she was at her most vulnerable and helpless, and helped her.

She disliked owing favors and wanted to find the person to thank them, but thinking about the man's attitude that day, she felt it was pointless. She needed the person to be willing to accept her thanks.

She waved her hand and sighed, "Forget it, let's just stick to the previous recruitment process. You can decide for yourself."

Marty was also a bit confused. He had just noted down Shen Yanan's job requirements and was thinking that specifying even the height was a bit too detailed, but then Shen Yanan changed her mind.

What's wrong with the boss today?
She was observant and sensed something was amiss. She greeted them and went downstairs, lost in thought.

Li Zhe chatted with Shen Yanan for a while, then drank two glasses of red wine before riding his bicycle home, slightly tipsy.

……

The backyard of No. 7 Hutong, Suzhou.

Inside the east wing.

The east wing was not heated and was cold and damp, but Ji Hongbin had been enjoying the quiet in the east wing for the past few days.

His life was originally very smooth. His mother always doted on him since he was a child. After he grew up, his older sister went abroad and became an overseas Chinese. His ancestral home was returned to him, and he married a beautiful and virtuous wife.

However, ever since he went south to do business and had 20,000 yuan stolen from him, his life has taken a sharp turn for the worse. He sold gold bars, sold his house, and now his wife wants a divorce...

One unpleasant thing after another made him wonder: was his decision to go abroad a mistake?

If I don't go abroad, my wife is here, the house is here, and the money from selling gold bars is enough to live on. If I also start a business, life should be pretty good.

"Knock knock knock..." A knocking sound came from outside the door.

Ji Hongbin was inexplicably irritable; now, he would become very irritable if things didn't go his way.

He used to never have to worry about small things like opening the door, but now that neither of the two women are involved, he has to do it himself.

He walked to the back door and asked, "Who is it?"

"Mr. Ji, it's me." A familiar voice sounded from outside the door.

Upon hearing this voice, painful memories resurfaced in Ji Hongbin's mind, and his anger flared up instantly.

Even though he knew in his heart that Zhou Yongqiang had been manipulated by the thief to use drugged water to brew the tea, he still felt uneasy. Seeing, or rather, just thinking about, Zhou Yongqiang made him feel terrible.

"I've been quite busy lately and don't have time to receive you." He had no time for pleasantries with Zhou Yongqiang and directly issued an order to leave.

"I heard you're going abroad, and I wanted to say goodbye." Zhou Yongqiang's voice was tinged with sadness and helplessness.

"I understand, you can go now." Ji Hongbin said, and walked directly into the courtyard.

Zhou Yongqiang heard footsteps leaving, waited a while longer, but there was no movement. He sighed softly, turned around and left.

He never expected things to escalate to this point. If he had been more careful and hadn't used that pot of hot water, would things have been different?

The problem is, who would have thought someone would put a drug in the hot water? They were already being careful enough when they went out, but they still fell for it.

What's even more infuriating is that after their money was stolen, they were also threatened that if they didn't leave Shanghai immediately, they would be thrown into the Huangpu River to feed the fish. Not to mention Ji Hongbin, even he felt a pain in his chest when he thought about it.

Zhou Yongqiang walked to the front yard of No. 7 Courtyard and happened to run into Li Zhe, who was riding his bicycle home.

"Brother Li!"

Li Zhe was also a little surprised: "Brother Zhou? It's been a while. Come over to my place for a bit?"

"Won't this interfere with your work?"

"Look at what you're saying, how could that be?" Li Zhe pushed the cart through the doorway and invited Zhou Yongqiang into the living room.

Li Zhe turned on the coal stove, boiled a kettle of water, and asked while warming himself by the fire, "Brother Zhou, what have you been busy with lately?"

Zhou Yongqiang forced a smile: "Isn't it close to the end of the year? There's been a lot of work at the factory lately."

"Did you just go to Boss Ji's house?" Li Zhe knew that Ji Hongbin and Zhou Yongqiang had gone south together to trade Taiwan's treasury bonds, but he wasn't very clear about what happened afterward.

However, judging from their reactions afterward, it's highly likely they lost money.

If he had made a profit, Ji Hongbin wouldn't have sold the house, nor would he have been in such a hurry to go abroad.

The matter of Zhou Yongqiang seeking investment from me will likely continue.

Ever since his trip south to dabble in treasury bonds and the ensuing scandal, Zhou Yongqiang felt like a millstone was pressing on his chest. The man who handed him the hot water laced with medicine kept appearing in his dreams—a fawning smile plastered on his ashen face, a centipede-like scar on the back of his hand that handed him the kettle.

He fantasized countless times about catching the other person, beating him up badly, and then taking him to the police station to be executed.

He had been wanting to confide in someone about his troubles, but there were some things he couldn't say to his wife, let alone his family. So, he simply drank tea and ate peanuts, chatting with Li Zhe. Li Zhe had guessed that their initial attempt hadn't gone well, but he hadn't expected this twist of fate. Seeing Zhou Yongqiang sighing repeatedly and looking somewhat dejected, he comforted him, "Brother Zhou, as the old saying goes, 'A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit.' This experience might not necessarily be a bad thing for you."

“Brother Li, you’re right. This is indeed a lesson and an experience for me. But I just feel a little sorry for Hongbin…” Zhou Yongqiang’s eyes were a little red.

He had known Ji Hongbin for many years. Ji Hongbin was arrogant and had many shortcomings, but upon closer reflection, he had never suffered any losses following him; on the contrary, he had benefited greatly from him.

Li Zhe said, "Isn't Boss Ji going abroad? Perhaps this is an opportunity for him. If he hadn't had that experience going south, he might not have been able to make up his mind to go abroad. Let bygones be bygones; the future is what matters most."

The two chatted for a while longer, and Zhou Yongqiang poured out his troubles, feeling much better. Seeing that it was getting late, he said goodbye to Li Zhe and went home to cook.

As he walked along the road, he thought about how he had met Li Zhe. The two had first met on a dirt road in the countryside.

The family of three was traveling back to Beijing by horse-drawn carriage when it broke down. Li Zhe and Wang Jianjun happened to be passing by in their tractor, so they hitched a ride to the capital. Later, knowing that Li Zhe wanted to rent a house, and that Ji Hongbin was looking to raise money to trade treasury bonds, he introduced Li Zhe to the front yard of No. 7 courtyard.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and everything has changed beyond recognition, leaving him with a deep sense of melancholy. Ji Hongbin is going abroad, while Li Zhe has become the owner of this courtyard house; life's opportunities are truly incredible.

As Zhou Yongqiang thought about it, he felt more admiration for Li Zhe. It was truly remarkable that a rural person from another province could own such a large property in Beijing.

Next year, his younger sister will be starting high school, making life even more difficult for the family. He'll have to find ways to earn money.

If Li Zhe can succeed, there's no reason why someone from the capital like him can't.

He recalled Li Zhe's words; trading treasury bonds in the south was indeed an unforgettable experience for him, though he hadn't suffered significant losses that time. In a sense, this experience was a valuable asset.

The desire to strive was rekindled in his heart.

……

Beijing Foreign Languages ​​Institute.

Not far from the girls' dormitory building, a man in a military overcoat was loitering around, occasionally stretching out his arm to check his watch.

After a while, he saw a girl with short hair coming downstairs. The man took off his military overcoat and draped it over his right arm, revealing a black leather jacket underneath.

He waved to the girl with short, ear-length hair: "Ju Zi, I'm here!"

The girl nicknamed "Orange" said, "Su Mingyuan, I forgot to tell you, I have something to do today, so I'm not going to the library."

Su Mingyuan patted his chest, "Ju Zi, what's wrong? I'll help you."

“My roommate said there’s a Western restaurant near the school gate that’s hiring waiters, so I’m going to give it a try.”

Su Mingyuan frowned: "Ju Zi, if you need money, I have some. Why are you working as a waiter?"

Orange said, "I don't lack money, I just want to interact with more foreigners and practice my spoken English."

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Orange laughed and said, "The restaurant only hires people who speak English. What are you doing here, someone who studies Russian?"

Su Mingyuan's eyes lit up: "Just because I'm not a waiter doesn't mean I can't eat at their restaurant! I've never had proper Western food before, so I might as well give it a try."

Orange teased, "Western restaurants are expensive, so don't be stingy when you go there."

Su Mingyuan raised his chin slightly. "No way! I, Su Mingyuan, have even eaten cucumbers that cost ten yuan each. How could I not afford a Western meal?!"

During their conversation, the two arrived at the school gate. In the corner to the right of the gate, there were two tables with a recruitment sign that read: "Mona Lisa Restaurant is recruiting 6 waiters/waitresses for foreign staff. Requirements: fluent in English, able to communicate with foreigners on a daily basis, in good health, responsible, salary negotiable."

Orange walked up to the recruiter and asked, "Comrade, where is the Mona Lisa Restaurant? Is it far from our school?"

Marty looked at the man and woman in front of him: "It's not far, just outside Jianguomen. You can take bus 323 directly there. Are you interviewing for a foreign affairs service worker?"

"Yes, my name is Chen Ju, and I am a sophomore in the School of Foreign Languages." Chen Ju handed over her student ID.

Marty glanced at it and handed it back to the other person: "How's your spoken English? Do you have any experience communicating with foreigners?"

Chen Ju spoke with considerable confidence, "Although I don't have many opportunities to communicate with foreigners, I think it's alright."

"Can you speak a few words in English?" Yesterday, Marty interviewed some English majors, and they all got nervous during the conversation, showing very poor oral communication skills.

Ju took a deep breath and said in English, "My name is Chen Ju, and I'm a sophomore. I believe my spoken English is excellent, and I'm more than capable of handling this job."

After listening, Marty asked, "Have you ever worked as a restaurant server?"

"I haven't done this before, but I'm a quick learner."

Although some notes were off and the pitch was a bit flat, it was better than the previous ones. Marty wrote down her name. "Great, you passed the interview. You can go to Mona Lisa Restaurant for the second interview tomorrow. Whether you pass or not, you will receive a gift from our restaurant."

Thanks.

Marty then looked at Su Mingyuan beside her: "Are you also going to have an interview?"

Su Mingyuan touched his nose: "I would like to go, but I'm afraid you won't accept me. I study Russian."

Marty instinctively asked, "How tall are you?"

"1.77 meters." Su Mingyuan was a little puzzled, straightening his back. "Does your restaurant have a height requirement?"

Marty looked him up and down, thinking to herself, "What a braggart, he's at most 1.74 meters tall!"
(End of this chapter)