Siheyuan: I am different He Yuzhu

After Fang Erwa left in a hurry, Liu Lan did not dare to delay for a moment and hurried back to the kitchen. She saw a busy scene in the kitchen, with pots and pans colliding with each other and making crisp sounds, and various ingredients emitting tempting aromas. Liu Lan quickly integrated into this tense and busy atmosphere and devoted herself to the preparations for lunch.

She cleaned vegetables, cut meat, and prepared sauces skillfully. Every move was skillful and precise. As time passed, sweat gradually soaked her forehead, but she didn't bother to wipe it off. She just wanted to finish all the preparations as soon as possible.

Finally, when all the preliminary preparations were ready, the chefs in the canteen stood in front of the stoves, lit the fire and heated the oil, and began to cook delicious dishes. At this time, the kitchen assistants like Liu Lan were able to take a breather and get a precious moment of rest.

Liu Lan sat in a corner, gently pounding her sore legs, thinking about what to do next. Should she go to the first workshop to look for Jia Xudong right now, or wait until the lunch rush in the cafeteria is over before going to him to explain the situation?

After careful consideration, Liu Lan finally decided that it would be more appropriate to wait until all the lunchtime affairs in the cafeteria were dealt with before communicating with Jia Xudong. This way, she would not only look less anxious and avoid leaving him with an impression of impatience, but also use this free time to calm down and think carefully about how to organize her words to better express her ideas when she meets Jia Xudong later.

In a blink of an eye, it was already noon and the canteen was officially open for lunch. Just as Liu Lan expected, Jia Xudong really came to the window where she was responsible for getting lunch. Jia Xudong walked to the window with a smile on his face, gently put the food coupons in his hand into the box beside him, and then said, "Two servings of vegetables and four steamed buns."

"Okay!" Liu Lan responded enthusiastically while skillfully picking up a spoon and scooping a full spoonful of delicious food from the steaming pot. She carefully poured it into a special serving bowl, and then poured it from the bowl into Jia Xudong's ready lunch box.

After completing this series of actions, Liu Lan gently raised her head, cast her eyes on Jia Xudong, and said with a smile: "Jia Xudong, the matter you asked me to find out for you yesterday has now made some progress! But don't worry, I will tell you in detail after I finish my work here. So don't leave in a hurry after you finish your meal, just wait for me here."

Jia Xudong was delighted when he heard Liu Lan's words. He never thought that he would get such quick feedback and progress today just because he mentioned it to Liu Lan yesterday. He had expected that it would take a long time to get a result. At this moment, Jia Xudong, who was overjoyed, picked up the lunch box full of delicious food and walked briskly towards Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai saw Jia Xudong walking towards him from a distance, his face full of joy and his steps hurriedly. When Jia Xudong came up to him and handed him the lunch box that still exuded an alluring aroma, Yi Zhonghai asked with concern: "Xudong, we just separated for a while, and you are so happy. Did you hear some particularly exciting good news when you were serving food just now?"

Jia Xudong tiptoed to the bench, sat down slowly, then bent his body slightly, put his head close to Yi Zhonghai, and deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid of being heard by others, and whispered softly: "Master, do you know? Yesterday I asked a kitchen helper in the factory cafeteria to help me find out something. Hey, I didn't expect that she would tell me today that the matter I asked her to find out has already made some progress! She also specifically told me to wait for her in the cafeteria after dinner until she finished the work at hand, and she would tell me the details."

When Yi Zhonghai heard the news, his originally serious face instantly broke into a joyful smile. He nodded with joy, looked at Jia Xudong lovingly, and said earnestly: "Xudong, this is really great! However, when the kitchen helper who helps you get the news tells you the details later, if the price she quotes exceeds your original expectation, you must not reject her outright because you are reluctant to spend that money! As long as the price she offers is not particularly excessive or outrageous, just agree to it happily."

As he spoke, Yi Zhonghai gently patted Jia Xudong on the shoulder and continued, "Also, if the money that Deputy Director He lent you is not enough, just ask me for the difference. I have thought about it carefully. With such generous welfare benefits in our steel plant, it is totally worth it even if it costs a little more! It is better than letting your wife go to work in another factory cafeteria, right? Not to mention the convenience of you and your wife working in the same factory."

Jia Xudong nodded repeatedly, his face full of gratitude, and quickly responded: "Okay, Master, I understand your painstaking efforts and intentions!"

After finishing the meal, Yi Zhonghai wiped his mouth with his right hand, and then said to Jia Xudong earnestly: "Xudong, I'll go back to the workshop and find a place to rest for a while. You just wait here patiently for the other party to arrive. After you figure out the specific situation that the other party said, remember to come back to the workshop and tell me in detail." Before he finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai stood up, picked up his lunch box which still had a little smell of food, and slowly walked towards the canteen door.

Jia Xudong sat alone at the dining table in the cafeteria, and time passed by. About 15 minutes later, the people who came to eat in the cafeteria had left one after another, and the entire cafeteria seemed a little empty and deserted.

Liu Lan finally finished her meal-serving job and cleaned up the area around the meal-serving window. She walked to Jia Xudong with light steps and said apologetically, "Brother Jia, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. I was busy just now and only got time to come here now. Are you not impatient?"

Jia Xudong immediately showed a friendly smile, waved his hand and replied: "Hey, Sister Liu, look at what you said, there is no need to rush. I just want to take this opportunity to sit here and have a good rest." Then, he paused for a moment and continued to ask: "But Sister Liu, are we going to talk outside or in the cafeteria?"

Liu Lan looked around cautiously after hearing this and found that although there were not many diners in the cafeteria at the moment, there were still many busy people in the kitchen area. So, she lowered her voice and said to Jia Xudong, "I think it would be better for us to go out and talk. Although no one is eating in the cafeteria for the time being, there are still a lot of people in the kitchen. Otherwise, let's go to the place where we talked yesterday."

After seeing Jia Xudong nod in response, Liu Lan took the lead and walked towards the cafeteria door.

Jia Xudong followed Liu Lan's graceful figure closely, his feet as fast as the wind, and soon he came to the place where they had had a long talk yesterday.