Having won a victory, Cheng Suxin was in high spirits and didn’t want to go home to cook, so she called Ning Ge and Xiao Ya, and then made a phone call to the military district, asking the communications soldier to notify Qi Taiguo to have dinner together at the restaurant.
By the time Qi Taiguo arrived, it was already completely dark, and Cheng Su and the others were surrounding a table, speaking softly and laughing loudly—they seemed to be in the middle of some happy event, exuding an intensely warm atmosphere.
"Big Brother Qi is here!" Ying Xiaoya, with her sharp eyes, spotted Qi Taiguo and called out.
Cheng Su stood up to greet him and, seeing him dressed so thinly, couldn’t help but scold, "Why are you wearing so little?"
"It’s enough, I’m not cold," Qi Taiguo smiled, gently holding her waist as they walked inside, greeting Ning Ge and the others.
After sitting down and having some tea, Qi Taiguo looked towards Ning Ge and asked, "Your sister-in-law said you went abroad? You’re back already?"
Ning Ge’s eyes flickered briefly, and he smiled as he poured Qi Taiguo a drink, "I came back after finishing my business!"
"Where did you go?" Qi Taiguo asked nonchalantly.
Ning Ge’s heart skipped a beat, but he said, "Nowhere much, just took a trip to the United Kingdom. I had a little business venture there with a classmate, and something came up, so I went to deal with it!"
"You’re doing business in the United Kingdom?" Ying Xiaoya looked up to him with admiration.
"What kind of business are you in?" Cheng Su also seemed curious.
"Nothing much, just some information-related stuff—you wouldn’t understand if I told you," Ning Ge chuckled, trying to change the subject.
"There’s nothing your sister-in-law doesn’t understand; last time you mentioned that thing, what was it, the phone you carry around in your pocket? What’s that called?" Qi Taiguo looked at Cheng Su.
Cheng Su covered her mouth and giggled, "Wireless mobile phone."
"Right, that’s the one. Tell him about it, see if you understand," Qi Taiguo said.
Cheng Su then looked at Ning Ge, "The information-related stuff you’re talking about, wouldn’t it be internet-related, like typewriters, computers, those things?"
Ning Ge was startled, "You actually know a lot!"
Cheng Su smiled without saying a word, only remarking, "Who knows when our country will have such technology, but once we do, communication will be so much more convenient!"
Ning Ge looked at her skeptically, his worldview possibly being shaken. The internet, something that only existed abroad, she knew about it? Was there anything she didn’t know?
Seeing the look in his eyes, Cheng Su laughed, "Don’t look at me, I’m just a dabbler, I don’t really understand much; I just read about it."
"What book?"
"I forgot." Cheng Su shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the now boiling hotpot, saying, "The pot’s ready, let’s eat, I’m starved!"
Only then did Qi Taiguo remember to ask about the good news, why they had come to have hotpot. Cheng Su mentioned that the jam issue had been smoothly resolved and took the opportunity to praise Ning Ge.
Qi Taiguo then looked at Ning Ge, "That’s more like it. The company is run by both of you; you should be working together. Your sister-in-law is a woman, and as a man, you need to take on more responsibility. Don’t just drop the load and run off whenever you please, managing things when you feel like it and abandoning them when you don’t. Look how thin your sister-in-law is, she’s been sick, and her hand..."
Cheng Su kicked him under the table, and Qi Taiguo, somewhat embarrassed, swallowed his words and said, "Anyway, you’re a man, and you need to fully take on the responsibilities you should bear, understand?"
"I got it, I just had some temporary matters to deal with, I will definitely work hard in the future!" Ning Ge promised with a beaming smile, feeling a huge relief. He had feared that Qi Taiguo had noticed something amiss and was feeling a bit guilty. It turned out that he was just scolding him out of concern for Cheng Su.