Chapter 2703: Not a Good Person

Xing Guodong and Xia Song immediately raised their wine cups and drank with Su Xinghui.

But of course they did not call him Mayor Su; in such a place, they naturally knew not to reveal Su Xinghui's true identity—after all, a vice mayor coming here to eat was somewhat shocking.

Shangjun Daqu was one of the famous wines of Yanbei Province; Su Xinghui had seen this while reviewing materials on Baizhou City today—its main ingredients were high-quality sorghum and wheat grown in Baizhou, fermented and blended.

The sorghum and wheat from this region were of excellent quality, and the rivers flowing through Baizhou City also provided decent water—all mountain spring water, sweet and crisp—so the Shangjun Daqu brewed from these ingredients was deeply fragrant and mellow.

Su Xinghui drank the cup, nodded, and said: "Hmm, this wine is good."

Xing Guodong said: "Yeah, didn't expect such good wine here."

Su Xinghui said: "The barbecue here is great too—eat up, have more."

Xing Guodong and Xia Song each picked up a skewer and began eating; they both found the barbecue delicious—the meat was tender, not tough at all, and the flavor was excellent, and they praised it endlessly.

Xiao Man brought out the barbecue one by one; the last items she served were several skewers of large lamb kidneys—Su Xinghui had heard of northern lamb kidneys in his past life, but this was his first time seeing them.

Of course, such large lamb kidneys existed in Jingcheng too, but Su Xinghui rarely ate barbecue outside in Jingcheng—he ate at home every day; now, in Baizhou City, he was finally trying them.

The lamb kidneys were sizable, glistening with oil, and emitted a rich, appetizing aroma; Su Xinghui curiously picked up a skewer, took a bite, and nodded repeatedly.

The lamb kidneys were cleaned thoroughly, with not a trace of fishy odor—this proved the boss had put real care into preparing them; with such a diligent boss, it was no wonder his barbecue tasted so good and drew so many customers.

Su Xinghui glanced at the boss—a young man under thirty, tall and sturdy, focused intently on grilling, his forehead glistening with fine sweat despite the cold weather.

Besides the boss grilling, there were two women: one, about the same age as the boss, delicate and gentle, was clearly his wife; the other was Xiao Man—both women were busy, carrying trays of barbecue to one table, delivering crates of beer to another, overwhelmed with work.

This barbecue stall differed from others nearby—other stalls were littered with trash everywhere, but the boss's wife swept away every bit of debris thrown down, putting it into a large bin whenever someone discarded anything.

Su Xinghui held a favorable impression of this man and two women; in this era, few people treated their business with such care—people like this were rarely bad.

As Su Xinghui ate, he observed the stall; people were finishing meals and paying, and from the amounts the boss's wife collected, Su Xinghui saw the prices were not high—this stall offered great value, so he might come here occasionally in the future.

Su Xinghui ate slowly, chatting with Xia Song and Xing Guodong as he went; he asked Xing Guodong: "Guodong, how old is your child now?"

Xing Guodong said: "Seventeen—he's in high school, now in his second year."

Su Xinghui said: "That's a critical time for him—aren't you worried your absence might affect his studies?"

Xing Guodong said: "Not too bad—his mother tutors him every day, his grades are solid, always top ten in class; I think he'll get into Jingda without trouble."

Su Xinghui nodded—he knew Xing Guodong's son was a native of Jingcheng, where admission scores were far lower than in other provinces; if he maintained top ten in class, getting into Jingda was virtually guaranteed.

This was obviously unfair, but current policy was this way—until it could be changed, there was nothing to say.

Besides, injustice existed everywhere; compared to other things, the college entrance exam was still relatively fair overall.

Su Xinghui smiled: "You've raised a good son!"

Xing Guodong sighed: "Ah, he's just worked hard himself—I haven't managed him much, and now I'm away from him at this time—I always feel guilty."

Su Xinghui said: "Then make an effort during this period—go back often to spend time with him."

Xing Guodong said: "Yes, I plan to go back at least once or twice a month, spend more time with him—otherwise, he might grow distant from me as his father."

Su Xinghui raised his cup: "Come, let's drink together—to your son's academic progress."

Xing Guodong quickly raised his cup and drank with Su Xinghui.

Su Xinghui turned to Xia Song: "Xia Song, you should drink more with Guodong—he introduced you to a great girl."

Su Xinghui had met Xia Song's girlfriend, Qi Hongyu—she was indeed a fine girl, with excellent qualities; Xia Song should sincerely thank Xing Guodong for this match.

Xia Song raised his cup to Xing Guodong: "Big Brother Guodong, I toast you!"

Given their age difference, Xia Song could have called Xing Guodong "Uncle," but Xing Guodong insisted he call him "Brother"—this was clearly to bridge the gap between them.

Xing Guodong raised his cup and laughed: "Fine—hope we get to drink your wedding wine soon."