txolops Chapter 90 Exchanges Between Friends
Chapter 90 Exchanges Between Friends
5:30 p.m.
Su Qingxue walked out of Yintai Building.
The automatic glass door closed slowly behind her, shutting out the cold air inside, and the stuffy air instantly enveloped her.
She carried the brown paper bag and walked towards the stalls at the edge of the square.
It was rush hour for office workers leaving the building, and since Lin Chen had closed for two days over the weekend, a long queue had already formed next to the flower bed, making the scene extremely popular.
Lin Chen's stall was bustling with activity.
Blue gas flames roared as they licked the bottom of the pot, the iron spatula clanged against the pot with a crisp "clang," and the rich aroma of eggs and scallions wafted across the square on the warm breeze.
Su Qingxue did not use her status to cut in line, nor did she interrupt Lin Chen who was busy.
Like other ordinary diners, she walked to the back of the line and moved slowly forward with the flow of people.
Today she was wearing a simple, light-colored, thin sun-protective jacket over a high-quality silk shirt. Although she had a cool and outstanding temperament, she did not stand out in the queue.
Meanwhile, at the folding table next to the flower bed, Liu Wei, Li Na, and Zhao Qiang finally finished the last grain of rice on their plates and the last piece of chilled radish in their small dishes.
"Phew—this meal was so satisfying!"
Liu Wei pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead and sighed.
"Yes, Mr. Lin's chilled crispy radish is simply a summer heat-relieving wonder; it's not greasy at all after eating it."
Li Na put away the disposable chopsticks, stood up, and said, "Let's go back to the office and continue revising that project plan."
"Let's go, let's go! I feel so energetic after eating!"
Zhao Qiang also stood up.
The three of them tidied up the empty plates and trash on the table, put them in the large plastic basin next to Wang Hai that was used for recycling tableware, and turned to head towards the Yintai Building.
Liu Wei, who had only taken a couple of steps, spotted a slender figure carrying a brown paper bag at the back of the group.
"Hey? Isn't that President Su?"
Liu Wei said in a slightly surprised voice.
Zhao Qiang and Li Na followed his gaze and saw Su Qingxue quietly queuing up.
The three walked to the side of the group and greeted them.
"President Su."
Liu Wei took the lead and shouted, then said with a smile, "Why are you the one who came down to queue up today?"
Didn't you ask Secretary Chen to help bring it up?
Su Qingxue turned her head, looked at the three employees of her own company wearing name tags, and nodded.
"She doesn't need to work overtime today."
"I finished work early today, and the moisture from the food would affect the taste, so I'll just come down and have some freshly stir-fried food."
Have you finished eating?
"Just finished eating."
Li Na smiled and replied, "President Su, it was definitely a wise choice for you to come down and have freshly cooked food today."
Besides the old hen soup, Boss Lin also gave us some chilled crispy radish today, which was absolutely delicious with the fried rice.
"Really? Then I'll try it later."
Su Qingxue nodded slightly.
"Then please take your time, Mr. Su. We'll head back to the office to work overtime."
Liu Wei ended the small talk very politely.
"Go ahead, thank you for your hard work."
After watching the three leave, Su Qingxue continued to move forward with the group.
A dozen minutes later, it was finally her turn.
"Next! How many... Oh? Mr. Su!"
Wang Hai, who was folding tables to collect money and pack orders, looked up and saw Su Qingxue standing in front of him. He immediately greeted her warmly, "Why did you come down here in person today?"
"I'll have a plate of fried rice here."
Su Qingxue took out her phone to scan the QR code.
"Alright! Mr. Su, you're in luck today! Not only do we have old hen soup, but our boss, Mr. Lin, has also specially prepared some refreshing side dishes. I'll serve you a portion to try later!"
Wang Hai pointed to the QR code for receiving payments on the table.
"WeChat payment received, 99 yuan."
As the payment success notification sounded, Lin Chen, who was stir-frying food at the stove, did not stop, but turned his head slightly to glance at Su Qingxue.
Lin Chen was slightly surprised when he saw her come down in person.
"Sit here for a bit, it'll be ready in no time."
Lin Chen said.
"No rush."
Su Qingxue nodded gently.
Instead of immediately looking for a seat at the two folding tables, she turned around and looked at the other side of the tricycle.
Tangtang was wearing her little sun hat and holding a small plastic basket in her hands.
The basket was filled with individually packaged disposable spoons and paper towels.
The little girl was toddling back and forth between the folding tables and the queuing customers.
"Uncle, here's a spoon and some tissues for you!"
Tangtang walked up to a white-collar worker who had just received his fried rice and handed him the utensils.
"Thank you, boss!"
"You're welcome! Eat it while it's hot!"
Tangtang smiled sweetly, then turned and ran off to the next guest.
Su Qingxue watched the little girl's busy and earnest back.
She carried the brown paper bag, stepped aside, and quietly waited for the little girl to finish her work.
After a short while, Tangtang finished distributing the last two spoons in her hand, let out a long breath, wiped the fine sweat from the tip of her nose with the back of her little hand, and turned around to go back to her little stool to rest.
As soon as she turned around, she saw Su Qingxue standing not far away.
Tangtang's big eyes immediately lit up, and she happily ran over.
"Pretty auntie! You're here to buy Daddy's fried rice too!"
"yes."
Su Qingxue smiled gently.
She glanced at the empty small stool next to her, completely unconcerned about her expensive business attire, and pulled the stool over to sit down, keeping her line of sight level with the little girl.
"Tangtang is so capable, she's already helping her dad take care of the guests."
Su Qingxue took out a pack of wet wipes from her pocket, pulled out one, and wiped away the fine sweat from Tangtang's forehead and nose.
"Making fried rice is hard work, and Uncle Fatty also needs to pack some, so I'm helping to hand out spoons!"
Tangtang tilted her little face up and let Su Qingxue wipe her sweat, her tone filled with a little pride.
Lin Chen, who was tossing the food in the wok, heard the noise. He kept working, but his attention was diverted to the two figures interacting.
After wiping away her sweat, Su Qingxue took the brown paper bag she had been carrying and gently placed it in front of Tangtang.
"Auntie brought a gift for Tangtang today, in addition to eating fried rice."
Su Qingxue looked into Tangtang's clear, big eyes.
"Gift?"
Tangtang looked at the paper bag with some doubt, but didn't immediately reach out to take it. Instead, she obediently put her little hands behind her back. "Daddy said I can't take other people's things without permission."
Looking at her sensible appearance, Su Qingxue's smile deepened.
"This wasn't something I just took."
Su Qingxue explained, "On Saturday, Tangtang shared her lunchbox with her aunt in the park, and her aunt really liked it."
So, this is a return gift that your aunt prepared especially to thank you.
This is an exchange between friends, Dad won't be angry.
Upon hearing "bear rice balls" and "friends' exchange," Tangtang blinked her big eyes, seemingly pondering these words seriously.
Then, she turned her head and looked at Lin Chen, who was standing in front of the stove.
"Daddy, the pretty auntie said this is a return gift from Little Bear Rice Balls. Can I accept it?"