Chapter 157: Jiang Xia Brings a Meal
The fiercely independent An Ning walked out of the cafeteria, looking left and right for the way.
"Comrade An, the guesthouse is this way. I’ll take you there."
Secretary Song had followed her out. It was the first time the factory director had ever shooed him out.
This spoke volumes about An Ning’s status.
"Is it hard to find?"
"Not at all. Just walk about a mile this way, and you’ll see it."
After speaking, Secretary Song was about to lead the way, but An Ning refused. "I can go by myself. Thank you."
"I can’t let you do that!"
Secretary Song jogged a few steps forward and was just about to speak when a figure emerged from the shadows.
"An Ning."
A low male voice, the brim of a cap pulled down low, hands in his pockets, and a tall, straight posture.
Secretary Song was about to step forward, but An Ning had already responded to the person.
"Is he back?"
"No."
Jiang Xia stepped out of the shadows and nodded to Secretary Song behind them. "It’s fine, I’ll walk my sister. Thank you."
"Oh? Alright, then I’ll head back."
Secretary Song didn’t suspect a thing. He said goodbye to An Ning and turned to go back to the factory.
As for Director Jin and Vice Factory Director Li, they had been kept behind by Factory Director Zhang to act as witnesses. The two even proactively provided some evidence, and an investigation was now underway.
An Ning said nothing, simply walking down the road.
In the provincial capital during winter, there weren’t many people outside at this hour.
The two walked side by side, their footsteps especially clear in the dark night.
An occasional gust of wind howled past, stinging their faces.
"Since when am I your sister?"
"Just now."
Jiang Xia’s voice had changed; its timbre was different from a moment ago.
An Ning glanced at him sideways. "This voice of yours is also very interesting."
"It’s just a minor skill, nothing to write home about."
Jiang Xia relaxed back into his usual easygoing manner of speaking with An Ning. He led the way toward the guesthouse.
As they neared the place, An Ning grew a little curious.
"How did you make Jiang Dongcheng stay?"
"I beat him up."
An Ning stopped, finding it a little hard to believe.
Jiang Xia also stopped, a bit unnaturally. He looked at An Ning and said, "Don’t look at me like that! I still have some respect for ancient Mysticism, you know. I wasn’t the one who hit him."
"Heh heh..."
An Ning laughed out loud.
"I’m guessing you had something to do with it?"
"Of course! The fact that I didn’t do it myself was already giving him the utmost respect."
An Ning could hear the seriousness in Jiang Xia’s voice. She was genuinely curious. What on earth had happened between the father and son?
But she didn’t ask.
"We’re here. I’m going in."
An Ning stepped up the stairs and knocked on the door.
Jiang Xia turned and walked away. He stood in a spot where no one could see him. Only after he saw the guesthouse door open and a light switch on upstairs did he finally leave.
That night, aside from An Ning who slept well, no one else did. In fact, they hardly slept at all.
The factory directors talked all night, and in the latter half of the night, they launched a direct investigation.
The other seven technicians spent the entire night studying what questions to ask the next day, even pulling out problems that had stumped them for a long time.
When An Ning came down from her room on the second floor of the guesthouse, a staff member handed her a bag.
"This is the breakfast your brother brought."
"Thank you."
An Ning knew this was from her "brand-new" brother, Jiang Xia. She walked outside but didn’t see anyone.
She looked down and couldn’t help but smile. ’It’s as if we’re having some kind of clandestine affair.’
An Ning didn’t realize that even as she was grumbling internally, she was smiling.
Propriety between the sexes was a delicate matter, and rumors were the fastest way to ruin a person’s reputation. Until Jiang Xia understood his own heart, he would never let An Ning be burdened by something like that.
An Ning took the bag and turned to go upstairs, planning to eat breakfast before heading out.
"Your brother is so nice. He came by early in the morning and even brought a portion for me."
The receptionist at the front desk held up a steamed bun in her hand, her smile full of genuine sincerity.
"He is pretty nice."
An Ning carried the bag upstairs. ’Jiang Xia really is very thoughtful,’ she thought.
If he hadn’t brought a separate portion, the receptionist would have been curious about what was in An Ning’s bag.
And the consequences of that curiosity were unpredictable.
An Ning took the breakfast and returned to her room.
She sat on the chair and took a large meal container out of the bag.
It was only then that she discovered that besides the containers, there were also two hot water bags and two water bottles inside.
They were the type of glass bottles used for IV drips at a village clinic, and they were filled with hot water.
There were two hot water bags, one on the bottom and one on top.
The two bottles were on the sides.
When An Ning took out the meal container, it was still warm—even a little hot to the touch.
There were three containers in total, with a note on the very top.
An Ning picked up the note. It was the first time she had seen Jiang Xia’s handwriting. It was beautiful, in a way she couldn’t quite describe.
She herself didn’t know how to write properly, only how to imitate, so she didn’t have her own distinct handwriting.
The words on the note were in Jiang Xia’s typical style.
"I might have prepared a bit too much, but I hope it’s enough to fill you up."
An Ning couldn’t help but laugh, a helpless, amused sort of laugh.
"Is he saying I eat a lot?"
In the room, there was naturally no one to answer.
Her eyes crinkling with a smile, An Ning opened the three meal containers and lined them up.
One container was stuffed with four steamed buns, packed so tightly they looked like they would explode.
Another held rice porridge, but it wasn’t plain white congee. It was filled with ingredients. Upon closer inspection, it looked like seafood congee.
The last container was filled to the brim with white-flour dumplings.
’Just how big of an eater do you think I am?’
These three containers of food were truly an enormous amount.
An Ning also found a pair of chopsticks and a spoon in the bag. At the very bottom, there was a small wooden box. Opening it, she found it was a small box of pickled vegetables.
An Ning couldn’t help but marvel at how much he had prepared, and how thorough he’d been.
She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a dumpling, and took a bite, eating half of it in one go.
Just that one half of a dumpling made An Ning’s eyes widen, practically sparkling with light.
"This is delicious!"
An Ning quickened her chewing. Before she knew it, the entire container of dumplings was gone.
Her gaze shifted to the seafood congee and steamed buns.
’Actually, it’s not that much.’
An Ning held a steamed bun in one hand and a spoonful of seafood congee in the other.
It was so good that she didn’t even want to open her mouth to speak.
One spoonful of the seafood congee was so savory she felt like she could swallow her own tongue.
After she finished the meal, the three containers were spotlessly clean.
An Ning had even scraped the seafood congee container clean with her spoon.
But even so, An Ning’s gaze couldn’t help but drift to the small wooden box.
’The pickled vegetables should be good too, right?’
An Ning picked up a piece of a pickled vegetable she couldn’t name. As soon as she put it in her mouth, the first sensation was its crunch.
It was crisp, refreshing, and cut through any richness.
After she finished the box of pickles, she felt that her stomach, which had been a bit bloated, didn’t feel so full anymore.
"That’s amazing. What on earth is this?"
This meal was the first time An Ning had been conquered by ancient culinary techniques. It was a guiding light on her path to becoming a foodie.
After her hearty meal, An Ning washed the containers, put everything back in the bag, tied the bag’s straps to her backpack, and went downstairs.
Just as she got downstairs, she saw Secretary Song.
"Hello, Comrade An. I’m here to take you to breakfast."
"Thank you, but I’ve already eaten."