Chapter 2847 - 1766: Huh?!

Chapter 2847: Chapter 1766: Huh?!

Cai Ma’s Pickle Shop.

On the way here, Hong Xiaoyu was full of confidence, saying how this place was close to the hotel where his sister-in-law was staying, and it offered a wide variety of dishes, with representative dishes from the province. But when they arrived and saw the crowd sitting on plastic stools at the entrance, he was lost for words.

"Did you make a reservation?"

Duan Xueying turned her head to ask after parking the car in the lot across the street.

Hong Xiaoyu, embarrassed and lacking confidence, replied, "...I thought since it’s not the weekend, there wouldn’t be so many people."

"People here do have a fondness for food and drink," Li Shuru said with a smile.

He made a fool of himself.

If this were a business meeting, it would be a disaster.

It wasn’t really Hong Xiaoyu’s fault. He had been here a few times, but always following his boss or during team-building dinners, so he never needed to make arrangements. He always went straight in, never paying attention to the queue outside.

His impression was just that the restaurant was bustling; the concept of "waiting for a table" never occurred to him.

Plus, he was too caught up in the excitement of finally meeting his real sister-in-law to notice such details.

"I’ve thought of your next department, the PR department."

Duan Xueying defused her boyfriend’s embarrassment with a joke, then turned back, "Sister Shurui, shall we find another place?"

"No need. In such cold weather, so many people are queuing, which means this place must be good. Also, at other places, we’d probably have to queue too, right?" Li Shuru replied with a half-smile.

Hong Xiaoyu blushed slightly.

Duan Xueying remained composed, "Alright, we’ll follow Sister Shurui’s lead."

The three of them got out of the car.

They crossed the street.

Walking beside his girlfriend, Hong Xiaoyu secretly signaled to her, murmuring, "Should we think of a way?"

It was his first time meeting his sister-in-law, and as the host, he couldn’t actually let her wait for a table.

Not to mention how precious his sister-in-law’s time was.

If word got to his older cousin, how could he face it?

"Sister Shurui said to wait, so we’ll wait," Duan Xueying replied softly in a voice only the two could hear, with layers of meaning.

Hong Xiaoyu didn’t fully understand, but somehow he did, so he pursed his lips and said no more. After crossing the street, they entered the restaurant and scanned the code to queue.

Gosh.

It showed there were still eleven tables ahead. Fortunately, the place had three floors, with plenty of tables and a fast turnover. Had it been a small shop, they might have left immediately.

"No rush. Let’s go have a seat,"

Li Shuru remained quite calm, heading towards the "waiting area," and Hong Xiaoyu quickly followed.

"Sister Shurui, do you want some candy?"

Duan Xueying opened her palm, revealing mint candies taken from a tray. Besides candy, the pickle shop considerately provided snacks like sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruits, and cookies for waiting guests.

"Thank you."

Li Shuru smiled gently, taking the candy. Amidst the hustle and bustle, she remained completely at ease, blending seamlessly with her surroundings, differing greatly from Hong Xiaoyu’s initial impression of her.

Indeed.

People can’t be judged by appearances.

"Sorry, sister-in-law..."

He apologized awkwardly.

"There’s nothing to apologize for. Isn’t it nice to chat?"

Li Shuru rubbed the mint candy, "Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?"

Hong Xiaoyu shook his head without thinking, "...I don’t have much deficient."

"It’s not about competence, right?"

Li Shuru’s eyes twinkled with a smile, almost seeing through to his heart, "You’re worried about gossip, aren’t you?"

"...That’s part of it."

Hong Xiaoyu didn’t falsely deny it.

"If you checked out Tianci, you’d know there’s nothing to worry about. Your brother always values talent over nepotism. If the job skills are equal, why not hire someone close?"

Watching her unwrap the candy and pop it into her mouth, Hong Xiaoyu was momentarily speechless.

"I think Sister Shurui is right. As long as it doesn’t go against principles, there’s no reason not to help family."

Li Shuru nodded with a smile, "You might not believe me, but surely you trust Xue Ling, right?"

Hong Xiaoyu blushed, "Sister-in-law..."

"Don’t burden yourself with too much overthinking. This project is quite large and far-reaching, so there’ll be many involved. We’re not asking you to lead; just be a small cog in the wheel."

Li Shuru’s words made both Duan Xueying and Hong Xiaoyu chuckle. He relaxed instantly, nodding slightly, "That way, it does seem possible."

"You’ve got it."

Hong Xiaoyu’s smile broadened, clenching his fist with determination, "Since sister-in-law needs me, I’d gladly oblige."

Not only Li Shuru, but even Duan Xueying was momentarily stunned before she smiled.

He’s truly figuring it out.

"Alright, just for that, let’s give you a 50% raise."

Even though the CEO of Tianci Capital couldn’t dictate Jinhai Industry’s benefits, as the daughter of Jinhai Jiang City’s top executive, Duan Xueying raised no objections, and Hong Xiaoyu immediately said, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Becoming more natural.

Becoming more fluent.

The three of them chatted and laughed, surrounded by the hustle and bustle.

Li Shuru suddenly raised her wrist to check the time.

It was almost six-thirty.

The sky outside was still cloaked in night.

"Three more tables."

Noticing her movement, Hong Xiaoyu quickly checked his phone’s queue information.

Li Shuru looked at him and smiled, "I was just checking the time."

"It should be soon."

Hong Xiaoyu, assuming she was getting impatient, immediately got up to fetch a paper menu, "Perhaps sister-in-law could start looking over what to eat."

Understanding his intent, Li Shuru took the menu but didn’t rush to look, instead saying, "I’ll send a message first."

She took out her phone, sent a message, and then leisurely looked at the menu.

"Fried Pepper and Intestines? What’s fried pepper?"

"It’s a famous dish around here, my brother really likes it."

"Really? I’ve never heard him mention it. Ask him what he wants, and he always says ’whatever.’"

"Haha, my brother isn’t picky; he’ll eat anything."

Li Shuru nodded, "Then let’s order that, I’ll learn to make it."

"Huh?"

Hong Xiaoyu was surprised, looked at his girlfriend, who seemed calm, and then back, asking doubtfully, "Sister-in-law can cook?"

"I’m not great, but I can make a few things. Edible," Li Shuru humbly replied, continuing to browse the menu.

Hong Xiaoyu was speechless, taking another look at the seemingly flawless woman before him. He didn’t dare to express random thoughts, pursed his lips but couldn’t suppress his inner voice.

Ever since he was a little boy running after his older cousin, he had the sense.

His older cousin was someone he would look up to all his life.

Indeed, that was true.

"Table 502, your table’s ready, 502."

"Here!"

Hong Xiaoyu raised his hand.

The server quickly came over, "Thanks for waiting, please follow me. Party of three?"

Hong Xiaoyu stood, about to nod, when he heard, "Four."

He turned to see his sister-in-law rising leisurely.

"Sister-in-law, who else?"

"Your Sister Fang Qing."

"Huh?!"