Chapter 2786

The poem about washing one's hands to make soup had been used in poems by others several times in ancient times. Among the more famous ones was Zhuo Wenjun's "From now on, I'll sell wine at the counter in my long skirt, washing my hands to make soup for you," which told the story of her giving up a wealthy life to marry the impoverished Sima Xiangru.

Another was the poem "The New Bride" by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Jian, which was once selected for the Three Hundred Tang Poems. The entire poem reads: "Three days after entering the kitchen, I wash my hands to make soup. Not yet knowing my mother-in-law's tastes, I first have my sister-in-law taste it."

Both poems describe a wife cooking for her husband or his family. Liu Xin was naturally joking when she quoted this line, but it wasn't appropriate for Su Xinghui to respond; if he did, it would become awkward, so he could only pretend he hadn't heard it and bury his head in his food.

Liu Xin actually felt some regret; she had spoken too quickly. But as soon as the words were out, she realized they were inappropriate. It would be bad if she made the atmosphere at the table awkward, and what would Mayor Su think of her? Would he think she was too frivolous?

Liu Xin stole a glance at the other three at the table. Su Xinghui and Xia Song were still buried in their soup, while Xin Jing was still blushing, her eyes darting about with a touch of girlish sentiment. Liu Xin was all too familiar with such an expression. She couldn't help but feel a stir in her heart, followed by a sense of sourness.

This feeling was truly sudden and groundless, yet Liu Xin just felt sour. Xin Jing was inviting Su Xinghui to dinner today but had called her along; it seemed she wanted her to act as a cover. It looked like Xin Jing had also taken a fancy to Su Xinghui.

Liu Xin knew that she herself had taken a fancy to Su Xinghui. She hadn't expected that Xin Jing, who was usually stern and humorless with everyone, would also have fallen for him.

But this wasn't strange; Su Xinghui was simply too outstanding, with almost no flaws. Compared to those greasy middle-aged or bald elderly leaders, he was a dragon, while those leaders were just snakes surrounding him.

A woman's admiration for a successful man is innate, let alone for a perfect man like Su Xinghui who had no flaws. Every time Liu Xin met with Su Xinghui, she would be excited for a long while, and her hard work was also aimed at attracting his attention.

Although Liu Xin felt sour inside, she didn't show it at all on the surface. She picked up her wine glass again and said, "Come, leaders, Section Chief Xia, I'll toast you all. I wish you boundless prospects and a smooth rise in your careers!"

Everyone picked up their glasses and drank this toast.

Xin Jing looked at Su Xinghui with some guilt, and seeing no change in his expression, she said to him, "Mayor Su, please eat more; don't be a stranger."

Su Xinghui nodded, "Mm, I'm never a stranger."

Xin Jing said, "Mayor Su, I truly admire you. How long have you been in Baozhou? All the work you are in charge of now has shown great improvement."

Su Xinghui said, "This is the result of the hard work of the comrades below. Comrade Liu Xin's work performance is also quite good."

Liu Xin said, "Mayor Su, you flatter me. It is my duty to work hard."

Xin Jing said, "This is also because Mayor Su has the ability to attract investors. Someone like me can't do it. When I worked in the Youth League Committee, I didn't know any big bosses and just couldn't attract any investment."

Su Xinghui said, "That's nothing. Everyone has their own field of expertise. Attracting investors is not your strength, but you have done your other work very well, and I admire that."

Xin Jing laughed, "Mayor Su, please don't say such insincere things. In terms of ability, I feel ashamed of my inferiority. Forget it, let's not talk about work matters. I'll toast you again!"

Su Xinghui could only pick up his glass again and drink this toast with Xin Jing.

After three glasses of red wine, Xin Jing's face was already slightly flushed, but it only made her look more like a blooming peach blossom, her beauty pleasing and charming, to the point that Su Xinghui didn't dare to look at her directly. He could only ladle a bowl of mutton soup and lower his head to drink it.

Liu Xin also toasted Xia Song. Although Xia Song's rank wasn't high, he was Su Xinghui's secretary and had a high level of education, having followed Su Xinghui for several years. Liu Xin naturally didn't dare to slight Xia Song; she was very polite when toasting him, and Xia Song also very politely drank the toast with her.

After finishing the wine, Xia Song wanted to pour more, but Liu Xin quickly grabbed the bottle to pour it herself. At today's banquet, she took the initiative to take on the responsibility of pouring the wine, putting herself in the lowest position, and she frequently cracked jokes to liven up the atmosphere, which kept the mood at the table very good.