"Stingy!" Mr. Hai said cheerfully to Sheng Ning, "Little one, don’t mind their stinginess. Just come to cook at my place in the future, and I’ll give you a bonus for every dish you make!"
"How much?" Sheng Ning asked, her eyes sparkling, drawing the sidelong glances of those present.
Mr. Su’s heart ached; he knew this girl must come from a very poor family and surely had suffered a lot.
"Ten yuan for each dish!" Mr. Hai gestured a ten with his hands, "What do you say? We’ll settle up monthly!"
Sheng Ning pursed her lips. The offer was indeed hard to refuse. In her past life, even though she had clashed with Hai Lan to the bitter end, Mr. Hai had never done anything unfair...
He was a respected old revolutionary, and it was truly difficult to turn him down.
Mr. Su watched Sheng Ning anxiously, with a thousand hopes she would accept.
"Grandpa Hai, I am honored by your invitation. But I’m sorry, our troupe’s training is really busy. I’ll definitely come over when I have the chance."
"Of course, of course," Mr. Hai graciously said. "Whenever you want to come is fine. I’ve heard you’re quite talented, and you mustn’t give that up."
It was the first time Su Jiang heard about this. He turned his head and glared at his son.
"Dad, Sheng Ning can hit the bullseye every time. It’s said she’s never trained before; she must have a natural talent like Grandpa!" Su Huai’an hurried to explain.
Su Jiang’s gaze deepened with solemnity. If the Su family truly had such a girl, it would be a blessing for them. But guesses couldn’t be taken as evidence; resemblance did not guarantee certainty.
Regarding family bloodlines, he valued facts more. It didn’t matter whether the girl from the Su family was excellent or not, as long as she was his niece, she would be the best in his eyes.
The meal ended quickly, with the girls from the Song and Dance Troupe scampering away even faster than last time.
This time, they were indeed frightened! On the way back, Chen Huaying exaggeratedly said, "Everyone knows about that airplane from the Southern District that came to the General Union today, right?"
"Mhm! I heard it was for an exchange."
"What a hell of an exchange. It was Uncle Su Jiang who flew the plane back, all because of the Su family’s lost girl. He even flew back in a plane for her. This is unprecedented!" Chen Huaying couldn’t hold back her admiration.
Listening to this, Sheng Ning’s fists slowly clenched. Things were certainly different from her previous life. If Qin Cuifen managed to have Su Jiang personally fly back, she must be laughing to herself, right?
She had originally planned to kick Qin Cuifen out of the Song and Dance Troupe before New Year. Now, it seemed she couldn’t do anything.
Su Jiang’s level was much higher than Su Hai’s, and she didn’t want her little maneuvers to be detected, left to wonder how she died without knowing.
Sheng Ning sighed. With the Su family as Qin Cuifen’s big backer, it was going to be very difficult.
That evening, the family meeting at the Su household continued.
Old Mr. Su, quite satisfied with his meal, sat in his study on a sofa, leisurely sipping a cup of Da Hong Pao Tea.
"Dad, drinking strong tea at night isn’t good for your sleep," Su Jiang disapproved, then glared at his son, "Who asked you to brew such strong tea?"
Su Huai’an shrugged helplessly. Did Grandpa need his permission to do as he wished?
"Don’t blame Huai’an; I wanted to drink it myself. Besides, I haven’t been sleeping well lately anyway," Mr. Su admitted, having been plagued with insomnia ever since his encounter with Sheng Ning and the doubts that followed.
"Dad, I’m sorry. Your son has failed you."