I Treat You as My Sister, But You Want to be My Wife?!
Chapter 440 Banquet_1

Chapter 440: Chapter 440 Banquet_1

The two hadn’t walked much further when Zhou Wenbin came back with the tea leaves and the tricycle.

Seeing Shen Dong, Zhou Wenbin hurriedly explained, "Shen Dong, there are many investors from outside Hai City, and I was afraid that I’d mess up your business. Don’t worry, I made that kid squat on the ground and pick up the tea leaves. If one leaf was missing, I would’ve beaten him."

Shen Dong ’hmmed’ and didn’t pay too much attention to it.

He saw Zhou Wenbin holding the tea leaves, pointed at the teapot, and said, "Make me a pot; I want to taste it."

The tea leaves smelled fragrant, were green with a mix of white petals, and were pleasing to the eye. Once steeped in water, the aroma was even more enticing.

"Shen Dong, the real tea looks pretty good." Zhou Wenbin made the tea and walked towards Shen Dong with the teacup in hand.

Small white flowers floated on top of the tea bowl, and as the steeping time increased, the tea became greener and more pleasing to the eye.

Both of them were rough men who did not understand the subtleties.

Shen Dong pointed outside the door with some surprise and said, "See if Kang Yue or Tang Yuchan are around, have them come and taste this."

"Ah." Zhou Wenbin let out a sigh of relief.

He was really afraid of upsetting Shen Dong. Nowadays, with Mr. Biao becoming a materials merchant, Zhou Wenbin was the one whose word was law in the Hai City underworld, a status wholly reliant on Shen Dong.

Zhou Wenbin was constantly reminding himself of this, so much so that his attitude toward Kang Yue and Tang Yuchan had become more humble, "Sister, Shen Dong is looking for you two to taste some tea."

Kang Yue and Tang Yuchan could be considered a powerful alliance. While Shen Dong was away, they discussed the possibility of holding a concert ahead of schedule.

As soon as they entered Shen Dong’s room, both women exclaimed in unison, "It smells so good, where did this tea come from?"

"Try it and see if it’s up to the mark," Shen Dong said, full of expectation, pushing two cups of tea towards the women, his face filled with anticipation.

To be ’up to the mark’ referred to Huaxu’s leading brand under its name.

"This tea, it’s hard to say," Tang Yuchan put down her cup after drinking the tea, and said earnestly, "It’s delicious, but most people don’t like to drink tea.

To those who know how to enjoy it, this tea is still lacking something. In Chuan Province, there’s a kind of scented tea called Bi Tan Piao Xue that tastes even better than this one, and it’s not expensive, a little over thirty yuan per 50 grams."

"You’re off course," Kang Yue put down her teacup and looked at Zhan Yue with a disagreed opinion, "Apart from the cosmetics blind box, none of our products are targeted at the high-end market, and the same goes for this tea."

"If you ask me, being tasty is enough."

"Hai City has the healthiest volcanic stone water, there’s tea and traditional Chinese medicine, put them together and it’s health preservation. A health tea that most people can afford to drink is worth considering."

Shen Dong’s eyes lit up. Different mindsets reveal different values, and it’s the same with goods. What is chicken ribs in the eyes of some, may be a treasure in the eyes of others.

"Let’s try it first. If there’s a market for it, we’ll have one more bargaining chip in our negotiations with the authorities," Shen Dong’s heart was full of anticipation, the unexpected gain driving him to take another look at Shishan.

If Hai City Real Estate were to flourish, then the local residents need to have the money to buy apartments, to be scrambling to buy them.

How can the local residents have money?

Huaxu is suitable for a part of the people of Hai City to get rich, but it’s definitely not suitable for everyone. Tea trees could become a pillar of the agricultural industry.

Shen Dong envisioned that they could develop bases for vegetables, fruits, tea leaves, and fish products. On the one hand, this would control the quality of raw materials for Hai City’s catering industry; on the other hand, it would form a self-sufficient internal cycle.

With this, the authorities would have no reason not to give face to him.

Eager to return, Shen Dong waited until Tang Yuchan and Kang Yue went back to their busy roles and, along with Zhou Wenbin, rode the geared bicycle back to Shishan.

Over ten miles, the same bike ride back, yet with a completely different state of mind.

In his previous life, Shen Dong dreamt of zooming by in a car and even envied those who rode big motorcycles, but now, with a relaxed and sunny disposition, he admired the roadside scenery and occasionally chatted with Zhou Wenbin, quite at ease.

"Zhou Wenbin, do you envy those who drive cars?"

"I used to envy them." Zhou Wenbin cycled, swaying like a drunken man.

His smile was radiant as he seized the opportunity to flatter, "Now, following Shen Dong, what car can’t I afford? If I can afford it, what’s there to envy?"

If you can afford it, there’s nothing to envy.

Shen Dong thought about it and realized it seemed to be true, that envy often arose from not being able to possess something, but once owned, it no longer seemed so impressive.

This notion was fully evidenced in Shishan Village, where a marble slope in the center had been set for a banquet with flowing water.

The household to the east provided cured sausage, the household to the west offered braised pig’s head meat, canned honey fruit from the north of the village, and wild bass costing hundreds per kilo were all served at the table; the people of the village were radiant with happiness and full of laughter.

"What’s going on, why is it so lively?"

"Come, come, sit down."

Their smiles were as radiant as the sun, warming one’s heart.

Amidst the warm crowd, Shen Dong sat before the delicious dishes, simple home cooking like braised meat and braised ribs, yet Shen Dong smelled them and felt there was nothing more fragrant in the world.

Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he suddenly felt a chill underfoot.

One of the aunties unhesitatingly pulled off Shen Dong’s shoe and stuffed in an insole embroidered with little figures, earnestly advising, "Be extra careful out there, don’t get tricked. Stepping on ’little men’ brings good luck."

"And this."

Cotton trousers, made of blue and white striped fabric.

The auntie looked at Shen Dong with expectancy, "How about it? I asked several young girls; they all said it’s pretty fashionable."

Besides these, sweaters, scarves, and various gifts piled up beside Shen Dong like a little mountain.

You could imagine them knitting cotton trousers and sweaters while also fretting, ’Would Shen Dong like this style?’

They say that poor and difficult living conditions produce crafty people, but that is nonsense.

The villagers don’t engage in empty talk; when they are poor, they worry about essential living expenses and are penny-pinching.

But if they owe someone so much as an onion, they make sure to repay it with a bunch of leeks.

And here, the sweaters and cotton trousers were the leeks that Shishan Village returned to Shen Dong, not valuable but certainly made with care by the aunties.

Shen Dong didn’t say thanks, but instead joked, pointing at the delicious food on the table, "Let me have a bite, I’m really hungry."

"Yes, yes, eat!" An aunty to the left poured wine, while an uncle to the right passed him chopsticks.

Seventeen or eighteen people stood, smiling warmly as they watched Shen Dong eat, their smiles as sweet as if they’d been dipped in honey when he gave a thumbs up.

"It’s wonderful, home cooking is the best. Ah, do you have Laba garlic? Give me some." Shen Dong devoured the food voraciously, unabashedly shouting to the villagers.

"Got it, I’ll get it for you!" Nobody took it as an order; they all smiled even more brightly instead.

In the crowd, some aunties whispered, "Shen Dong is still the same, doesn’t act like a stranger. If he doesn’t act like a stranger, he’s still someone from Shishan Village."

"Nonsense, if he isn’t from Shishan Village, then where is he from?" Zhu Dunzi, carrying a jar of smoked meat, pushed through the crowd to join in.

In the village, the concept of male superiority still existed. When Zhu Dunzi spoke, the women kept silent.

Zhu Dunzi laughed heartily, placing the jar of smoked meat on the table and teasing with the unique loud voice of the mountain people.