The restaurant was making money, and Cheng Su’s mood lifted. She didn’t stop to rest until she got home in the evening, whereupon Li Qiumei, the daughter-in-law of Platoon Leader Lu who lived upstairs, came downstairs with her sister, Li Qiulan, and a baby in her arms.
"...Sister Su opened a small restaurant?" After exchanging pleasantries, Li Qiumei inquired about Cheng Su.
Cheng Su paused for a moment, then laughed, "I don’t think I mentioned it, how did you know?"
It was indeed strange. She hadn’t really told anyone around here, so how did they know she had opened a restaurant?
Li Qiumei glanced at her younger sister and said, "If this girl hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have known Sister-in-law Qi that you had such a skill."
Cheng Su was taken aback and looked at the younger sister. At the tender age of a budding flower, she was very simple. Cheng Su knew that Qiulan had come from their ancestral home especially to help her older sister care for her newborn during her confinement period.
Li Qiulan, seeing Cheng Su looking over, felt a little shy and said with her head lowered, "Today as I was looking for a job, I passed by your restaurant. I’ve walked down that road a few times and noticed it used to be the Wang Family restaurant, but it changed today. And since I saw you locking the door, I boldly guessed it might be yours?"
Cheng Su cut a plate of watermelon and set it on the table, smiling, "Yes, I just opened for business these past few days. Have some watermelon."
Li Qiumei had just noticed the plate of bright red watermelon and, after politely demurring for a bit, couldn’t resist taking a piece and crunching into it. It was so sweet and delicious!
It seemed Commander Qi’s days were truly good. Looking at the table, whether it was apples or watermelon, these were items ordinary households couldn’t afford to enjoy so freely. Right as she relished the fruit, a sudden tug on her sleeve made her turn; it was her sister, who then puckered her lips toward Cheng Su.
Li Qiumei then averted her gaze to see Cheng Su holding a slice of watermelon. She didn’t eat it right away, but rather took a toothpick and began picking out the watermelon seeds onto a small plate at the side. Then, she slightly turned her body and began to eat the watermelon with small bites, not making a single sound.
Her eating style was indescribably refined and elegant, and her own way of eating just now...
Li Qiumei felt a slight warmth on her face, a mixture of embarrassment and shame, as she put down the watermelon rind and took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. She began to observe Cheng Su more closely.
Cheng Su’s hair was tied up high, she was dressed in a dacron blouse and slacks, sitting sideways yet with her feet together and her back straight, maintaining a very proper and neat posture.
She was so refined, so dignified, so elegant. Wasn’t it said that Sister-in-law Qi was from the same town as her husband, and from a rural background too?
But her bearing resembled that of urban folk.
Li Qiumei found it a little perplexing.
"Eh, why aren’t you eating?" Cheng Su put the watermelon rind down and saw Li Qiumei staring blankly at her, which made her laugh.
Li Qiumei laughed awkwardly, and Li Qiulan then asked, "Sister Su, are you looking to hire people for your restaurant?"
Cheng Su’s mouth hung open slightly as she looked at the two sisters.
"It’s like this, my sister has been job searching lately. If your place is hiring, would you consider her?" Li Qiumei also stated her purpose of the visit.
"You want to work at the restaurant as a waitress?" Cheng Su looked at Li Qiulan. "But aren’t you supposed to help your sister take care of the baby?"
"She came here just to look after me during my confinement, but since I’ve finished with it and there’s not much to do daily, I can manage the baby easily. As for her, she doesn’t want to return to our hometown and has been thinking of finding a job." Li Qiumei spoke with a smile: "Since I saw you’ve opened a restaurant and if you’re hiring, anyone would do, but my sister working with someone familiar would ensure she’s looked after a bit."
A smile flickered across Cheng Su’s face; she truly hadn’t anticipated hiring someone she knew.


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Back To The 80s: President's Doted Wife