Chapter 166: The Meeting

Aside from clueless non-staff members who got so engrossed in reading at the library that they missed lunchtime and had no choice but to grab a quick meal there, the only people brave enough to queue in Shazhu's line were either library leaders or employees resilient enough to tolerate Shazhu's incessant, nagging mouth. And even then, you had to be good at playing the straight man to his comedic routine; otherwise, Shazhu wouldn't even bother giving you the time of day.

Back when Old Man Lu was still the director, this little bastard Shazhu doled out food entirely based on his mood. If his wife hadn't chewed him out that day, he would scoop out a slightly more generous portion of meat and vegetables. But if his wife had given him an earful, Shazhu would turn vicious—guaranteeing that a single sweep of his ladle wouldn't let you catch even a hint of grease! Apart from Xiaoyu and Old Man Lu, name a single person in the back kitchen whom Shazhu hadn't tormented!

Depending on his exceptional culinary skills, Shazhu had successfully bullied his way into becoming a tyrant of the back kitchen—the lawless, completely unbridled kind.

An old saying goes that you shouldn't hit someone in the face or expose their shortcomings when scolding them, but Chen Liang didn't care about that; he deliberately wanted to expose Shazhu's flaws.

Unwilling to look at Shazhu's weathered face, Chen Liang turned his head and said to He Yushui, "Yushui, your brother is a celebrity here at the library. Don't panic if anything comes up in the future; just finding your brother is the right move!"

Hearing Chen Liang's words, Shazhu wore an expression of sheer embarrassment. After all, with such a reputation preceding him and now discovered by his own younger sister, it felt rather peculiar deep down.

Yet Shazhu's hide was thick enough. After a brief moment of awkwardness, he acted as if nothing had happened and handed the lunchbox to Chen Liang. "Liangzi, let's have our two families have a meal together tonight to celebrate!"

"Fine by me, you figure it out! Anyway, I'll just bring my mouth and eat the ready-made food when the time comes," Chen Liang said indifferently.

"It's settled then. Do you have any of that red wine left? Care to contribute it tonight?" Shazhu figured that since everyone would be drinking together, wouldn't he have an excuse to have a couple of cups himself?

Ignoring him, Chen Liang lifted his lunchbox and leaned to the side, making space for Yushui behind him.

"What would you like to eat, Yushui? This braised pork chunk looks good, and how about some potato and chicken chunks?" Without waiting for Yushui to reply, Shazhu pulled out a lunchbox and scooped two generous, overflowing ladlefuls for her.

Then he pulled out a brand-new lunchbox, filled it with several steamed buns, and handed it over. "My treat today, you and Xiaorong go ahead and eat together!"

"Really? Then, Brother He, I also want that trio of earthy delicacies and Mapo tofu!" Hearing that someone else was treating and knowing that Shazhu and Chen Liang were on extremely close terms—completely unfamiliar with the concept of politeness—Chen Rong poked her head out from behind Yushui.

"Just say whatever else you want to eat, Xiaorong!" Hearing Chen Rong's request, Shazhu pulled out yet another lunchbox and filled it to the brim.

"Thank you, Brother He," Chen Rong obediently muttered her thanks before grabbing Yushui and their lunchboxes, walking away without even looking back!

Waving goodbye to Shazhu, Chen Liang was just about to leave when he heard Shazhu stick his head right out of the serving window. "Liangzi, don't forget that wine!"

"Got it, got it! Why is a grown man such a chatterbox!" An impatient Chen Liang tossed back a retort and slipped away.

Upon entering Xiaoyu's office, Chen Liang locked the door. Experiencing that kind of loss once was probably enough to remember for a lifetime!

During the lunch break, just as Chen Liang was maneuvering Lü Bu to unleash his ultimate move, a sudden, urgent telephone ring pierced the air. Startled, Chen Liang shivered, and his ultimate move missed completely.

Damn it! A phone that wouldn't even ring once a month had to go and ruin the mood at such a crucial moment!

Consumed by frustration and anger, Chen Liang executed a magnificent high-speed drift and suddenly accelerated, making Xiaoyu, who was along for the ride, roll her eyes in sheer exhilaration.

Refusing to let Xiaoyu get off, Chen Liang carried her along as he walked over, picked up the receiver, and barked irritably, "Hello!... What did you say?"

"What? You want to eat iron-pot-stewed goose?..."

"Ah! Yes, this is the municipal library! It's going to rain and thunder?..."

"What? It's about bringing in the laundry before the rain?..."

After shouting past each other like a duck talking to a chicken for ages, Chen Liang finally figured out what was going on!

As the National Day of October 1st was approaching, the Municipal Education Bureau was arranging a work meeting and wanted Xiaoyu to report to the Education Bureau at three o'clock that afternoon!

Damn it, telephones from this era were truly as infuriating as they could possibly get. Not only was the volume low and the quality abysmal, but they also came with a mountain of static, forcing people to guess their way through just to understand a word.

In less than three minutes of this exchange, Chen Liang had shouted until his throat was practically raw!

That completely broke Xiaoyu's heart, and she quickly rushed over to offer him a cup of honey water with a pinch of salt to soothe his throat.

Since they still had matters to attend to in the afternoon, the young couple didn't play around for too long—just a mere hour or so. Such understated modesty was truly terrifying.

Once Chen Liang and Xiaoyu concluded their human embryo incubation project, they cuddled together for a quick nap before finally setting off for the Education Bureau!

Passing the second floor, Chen Liang dropped by Xiaoyu's former office. That once-secret little garden now belonged to He Yushui and Chen Xiaomei.

Knocking on the door, he said to a sleepy-eyed Chen Rong who was rubbing her eyes, "Xiaomei, head back by yourself after work later. Your second sister-in-law and I are heading to the city for a meeting!"

In the September weather of Four Nine City, the "autumn tiger" heat was at its most ferocious. The blazing afternoon sun at two o'clock could literally bake a person alive.

Chen Liang stood at the doorway for a moment, then looked at Xiaoyu's delicate and fair face, finding it impossible to bear the thought of exposing her to the scorching sun outside.

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Liang asked Xiaoyu to wait for him for a moment. He hopped on his bicycle and sprinted to a nearby supply-and-marketing cooperative to buy a pair of straw hats.

Placing a straw hat on Xiaoyu's head, Chen Liang put one on himself as well. Surprisingly, at a glance, it even carried a faint hint of matching couple's hats.

Whenever people were handsome or beautiful, anything they wore looked good. Even with crude and remarkably ugly straw hats, this young couple managed to pull off an aristocratic British vibe.

Along the way, the hat-wearing duo of Chen Liang and Xiaoyu—this golden boy and jade maiden—attracted countless adoring gazes. Passersby, regardless of gender, stared with envy at the two hats; they simply looked too stunning and too handsome.

No, truly, who would have thought that such a humble straw hat possessed attribute bonuses like sheer attractiveness? I must buy one for myself right away.

As a result, when those passersby hurried to the supply-and-marketing cooperative to buy straw hats and put them on themselves, they realized that the hats possessed precisely zero attribute bonuses.

Staring at their reflections in the mirror, looking no different from rural peasants, they fell into deep contemplation. Could it be that the hat they bought was of the female variety? Otherwise, why would a straw hat seal away their good looks?

Hmph! A bunch of ugly folks making a fuss. The young couple looked great purely because of their own exceptional genetic conditions, didn't they? What did it have to do with the straw hats? Even if Chen Liang and Xiaoyu wore bird's nests on their heads, they would still be a pleasing and picturesque sight!

After escorting Xiaoyu to the Municipal Education Bureau and watching her step into the office building, Chen Liang slipped into the gatehouse—pardon, the elderly gatekeeper's office.

Lighting a cigarette for the old man, he pulled out a Chinese chess set, and the two of them immediately set up the battlefield.