Chapter 193: He Jiaxiao

With a fire suppressed in my heart, I almost didn't speak the whole way.

He Jiaxiao was a clever little man with an exceptionally good memory. Without my guidance, he relied on his memory to drive the car back to the entrance of the Lin Yin Restaurant smoothly.

The bald man was turning anxiously at the door. Seeing our car coming, he ran over with a beaming face to open the door, bowed his waist and called out with extreme humility: "Young Master He, you're back."

He Jiaxiao didn't know what kind of sacred person this bald man was, so he looked straight at me.

The bald man nimbly took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to He Jiaxiao with both hands respectfully: "I am the General Manager of the new Lin Yin, surnamed Gou, Gou Butong. In the future, you can just call me Old Gou."

"Old Dog?" He Jiaxiao held the business card with two fingers and laughed suspiciously: "How can I call you Old Dog? Hehehehe, are you the boss of this restaurant?"

Gou Butong answered with a fawning smile: "I am not the boss. Our boss is surnamed Li. Boss Li is a deputy to the Municipal People's Congress. I am his General Manager."

He Jiaxiao locked the car door and asked: "Where are my dad and the others?"

Gou Butong bowed his waist and said: "I'll take you there. Secretary He is in a hurry, the dishes are already on the table."

"Lead the way." He Jiaxiao was clearly very satisfied with this treatment, stepped forward and followed Gou Butong into the hotel.

When the door opened, I was shocked. A room full of people, most of whom I didn't know. Secretary He was sitting on the sofa, next to Aunt Wanru, and Aunt was greeting various people like a flower butterfly.

Several Municipal Party Committee cadres with drunkenness surrounded Secretary He like stars around the moon, each of them accompanying him with a humble smile.

As soon as we entered, Secretary He waved his hand and said: "Everyone, today is my family dinner, please go about your business."

The cadres all retreated knowingly. After everyone had left, Secretary He's face sank and he shouted: "Jiaxiao, where have you been?"

He Jiaxiao was clearly not afraid of his father, and said with a smile: "I went out for a stroll with Brother Chen. Dad, I think, although the roads in Hengyue City are not as wide as those in Zhangjiakou City, they are more luxurious than those in Zhangjiakou. The street lights are beautiful, and the cars are beautiful. It is indeed a city close to the coast, how you look at it, it looks like an upstart."

Secretary He scolded: "What do you know as a child? Talking nonsense. I warn you, keep your tail tucked and behave yourself." He turned to me and said: "Little Feng, you are older, watch him for me."

I nodded hurriedly and said with a smile: "Uncle, don't worry. Jiaxiao is a talent. As soon as he arrived, he saw our shortcomings here. I want to learn from him."

Secretary He patted the sofa armrest noncommittally, called Aunt over and said: "Xiaoyue, who told you they were coming back today?"

Aunt laughed: "Brother, heavenly secrets cannot be leaked."

"Hiding things from me? Was it Little Feng?"

I hurriedly defended myself: "Uncle, it wasn't me. It really wasn't me."

Secretary He laughed. When he laughed, the air in the whole room relaxed.

"I didn't blame you, what are you nervous about?" Secretary He got up and walked to the table: "Actually, Xiaoyue, your sudden appearance, I am still moved. After all, we are a family. Having relatives to receive you is more comfortable than eating a fairy fruit. However, for a family meal, there is no need to come here. It would be much warmer to find a small restaurant and have simple tea and rice. Don't you think so?"

I, Aunt, and Uncle all nodded hurriedly in agreement. Aunt took over the conversation and said: "Sister-in-law coming home is a great event. How can other places match Sister-in-law's status?"

"What status or not, we are family, don't be too polite in the future." Secretary He sat in the middle position, and we spread out around him.

The wine and dishes were on the table, and as usual, the wine came first.

Aunt was very careful, serving three kinds of wine: red wine, white wine, and foreign wine.

Red wine nourishes the face, promotes blood circulation, and has a low alcohol content, so it doesn't cause people to lose their minds after drinking, but it can flirt, making it a rare gentleman among wines. White wine goes to the head and can make people crazy after drinking, only for the bold husband. Foreign wine is, after all, brewed from foreign grapes; no matter how good the wine is, it cannot compare to the truth and intimacy brewed from our five grains.

Aunt Wanru chose red wine without hesitation, and Aunt accompanied her to drink it. In the two large-bellied high-footed glass cups, the blood-like red wine made people dizzy and fascinated.

Naturally, Uncle and I had to drink white wine. Uncle was a soldier, and drinking and eating meat was his profession. People from the army who don't drink are rare.

Secretary He was also a soldier, so naturally he was the same as us. Only He Jiaxiao wanted to drink foreign wine.

Just after a glass of wine, Gou Butong flashed in like a ghost, followed by a beautiful girl, smiling faintly like a narcissist.

Gou Butong was familiar, shouting for the waiter to bring wine glasses, and introduced that the girl was the restaurant manager, a girl from the Northeast, who graduated from a dance academy, named Xuelai.

Hearing this name, I wanted to laugh. This family must be knowledgeable, giving their daughter the name of a foreign poet, but mixing in life amidst the clinking of glasses.

He Jiaxiao was originally bowing his head to deal with a crab, but suddenly heard a burst of warbling, raised his head, and his eyes happened to meet Xuelai's gaze. The two looked at each other, each smiled faintly, looked away, but couldn't help but peek a few times.

These two people were a typical talented man and beautiful woman, complementing each other.

Xuelai first toasted us one by one, and finally went to toast He Jiaxiao. He Jiaxiao watched Xuelai walk over gracefully, and hurriedly stood up, still holding a crab leg in his hand.

"I don't drink white wine." He Jiaxiao shook the glass in his hand.

"Okay, I'll drink foreign wine with you." Xuelai changed a glass, poured half a glass of wine, and the color of the wine was like the rainwater dripping from the eaves of a thatched cottage on a rainy day.

The two glasses rang ethereal, and after the wine went down, Gou Butong wanted to leave, but He Jiaxiao was relentless, saying that drinking foreign wine must have an atmosphere and must be drunk with the right person. Drinking randomly not only ruins the connotation of the wine, but also loses the culture of foreign wine.

Gou Butong was also a smart person, and understood He Jiaxiao's meaning as soon as he heard it, so he said to Xuelai: "Manager Xue, you accompany the leader, I'll go for a moment." He then said to Secretary He with a fawning smile: "A cadre from the province has come, and Minister Huang of the Organization Department is receiving him, I have to go and greet him."

Secretary He said readily: "You go, don't worry about us."

Gou Butong opened the door and went out. Xuelai called the waiter to move a chair, sat next to He Jiaxiao, and said gracefully to Aunt Wanru: "I heard that Aunt came from the North, so we are fellow villagers. I hope Aunt will take care of me in the future."

Aunt Wanru asked indifferently: "Where is the girl from?"

Xuelai looked ashamed and opened her vermilion lips: "I am from Hebei, Baoding. Manager Gou always thinks Baoding is also in the Northeast, saying that anyone from the North is from the Northeast."

"Old Gou, this person, has no culture." He Jiaxiao took over: "People who don't read can't distinguish east, west, north, and south. Baoding and the Northeast are separated by more than thousands of mountains and rivers."

As soon as Aunt Wanru heard that Xuelai was from Baoding, it was not thousands of mountains and rivers away from her Zhangjiakou. Coming from the same province, she felt extra close, and beckoned Xuelai to sit beside her. She said that as soon as she landed, she met such a fellow villager, if it wasn't fate, it really couldn't be explained.

Xuelai smiled apologetically at He Jiaxiao, got up obediently and moved to sit beside Aunt Wanru.

Aunt kicked me under the table. I looked at her, but she pretended to know nothing, and lowered her head to drink a bowl of shark fin soup calmly. Uncle beside her was chewing on a steak.

I understood what Aunt wanted me to say, but in such an occasion, I couldn't open my mouth no matter what.

Aunt was still bold, smiling and holding a wine glass to toast Uncle, and kicked Uncle again, scolding: "Why don't you fill Secretary He's wine."

Uncle came over happily holding the wine glass, Uncle had no choice but to pick up the wine glass and touch it lightly. Before drinking, Aunt whispered: "Brother, the company of my family..."

Uncle stopped his hand vigilantly and stared at Aunt: "Xiaoyue, don't say anything. I know."

Aunt drank a glass of wine, and her face was full of peach blossoms. Uncle's attitude was actually telling us that some things are understood without being said, there is no need to make a big splash, and letting nature take its course is the foundation.

Aunt sat down, quietly reached out, and pinched my thigh hard, which made me almost distort my face in pain.

Xuelai seemed to see the clues on my face and pursed her lips, wanting to laugh.

The topic turned to the car again. He Jiaxiao requested to buy a car tomorrow, an off-road vehicle, spacious, with strong off-road performance. Hengyue City has many mountains, so he wanted a car with good climbing performance.

Secretary He didn't express his stance, and Aunt Wanru interjected: "A car must be bought, as for what car to buy, let's see."

Aunt smiled and asked: "Jiaxiao, do you like the car you just drove?"

"Of course I like it, although it's not off-road, it's a Japanese product after all." He Jiaxiao spat out a bone and picked up a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth.

"Lend it to you to drive, okay?" Aunt reached out to Uncle, signaling him to take the keys.

Uncle was still hesitating, but Aunt had already snatched it from his hand, walked to He Jiaxiao herself, put the keys in his hand, and said sincerely: "You take it and drive, consider it lent to you by me. An aunt lending a car to her nephew, it can be justified inside and out."

He Jiaxiao was beaming with joy, and just as he was about to reach for the keys, Secretary He shouted sternly: "Jiaxiao, how can you take things from your aunt's family randomly?"

He Jiaxiao said indifferently: "I didn't ask for it. Aunt wants to lend it to me, if I don't take it, wouldn't I be rejecting Aunt's kindness?"

He picked up the keys, shook them at Xuelai and said: "Let's go for a ride later. You know the way."

Xuelai nodded in surprise. Unexpectedly, Aunt Wanru was firmly unwilling, saying that Jiaxiao had drunk a lot of wine and could not drive drunk. If he wanted to go out for a walk, he had to call a driver to drive, so she asked me if I could drive, and take them to see the night view of Hengyue City.

I was just about to answer, but Aunt kicked me under the table again, and I understood immediately, so I hurriedly said: "Aunt, don't worry, I'll call a driver to drive, I'll accompany Jiaxiao."

The meal lasted until after ten o'clock. Aunt also wanted to invite Secretary He to sing, but Aunt Wanru was very sleepy and insisted on going home. Only then did they get up together. Uncle's driver had been waiting outside the door for a long time. Seeing us come out, he immediately ran to open the car door.

I walked at the very end, He Jiaxiao and Xuelai walked in front of me, the two walked close together, whispering to each other as they walked. ===== CHAPTER 194 =====