She’d thought Xiao Ming wouldn’t come. But unexpectedly, the next morning, Xiao Ming appeared in the village.
He came by car, driving directly to Granny Cui’s doorstep. Tian Tian had originally planned to go out, but just as she came out of her room and stood on the balcony, she saw the car parked at the entrance.
A high-end imported car with five rings—not Zhou Haoting’s.
The car door opened, and the person who got out was indeed Xiao Ming.
Tian Tian raised an eyebrow. So this person really did come. From yesterday’s communication, he’d seemed completely indifferent to Granny Cui. It had made Granny Cui leave her light on all night. At her age, it really pained Tian Tian to see.
Just then, Xiao Ming, standing at the courtyard entrance, suddenly looked up and waved at Tian Tian. He even smiled.
Tian Tian didn’t have much hostility toward this person. She nodded slightly in greeting. She headed downstairs and went over to open the courtyard gate.
“So early!”
Xiao Ming said, “Not early. If I didn’t come, your Mr. Zhou would probably put me on a blacklist.”
At this, Tian Tian spread her hands. “My Mr. Zhou isn’t that petty. Come in and sit. I’ll go see if Granny Cui is awake.”
Granny Cui had probably slept very late last night. Anyway, when Tian Tian got up in the middle of the night, her room light was still on. Now the door was shut tight with no sound inside. Tian Tian thought about it and still went over to knock.
Someone responded quickly. “Who is it!”
Tian Tian said, “Good morning, Granny Cui! It’s me, Tian Tian!”
“Tian Tian!” A cough suddenly sounded. After a while, Granny Cui continued, “What is it? Wait a moment, I’m getting up now.”
Tian Tian quickly said, “Nothing major. Granny, take your time. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Hearing the sound of furniture being moved in the room, Tian Tian knew Granny Cui was up. She didn’t squat by the door waiting, to avoid giving the impression of rushing her.
She turned to go to the kitchen to make something to eat, but saw Xiao Ming acting completely at home, walking around the courtyard, looking and touching things.
“Oh, what are you doing?”
Xiao Ming shrugged. “Just looking around. Hey, wait. Miss Tian, I heard you and Mr. Zhou are stuck together every day. How come Mr. Zhou isn’t around today?”
Tian Tian glared at him. “My Mr. Zhou isn’t as idle as you.”
Zhou Haoting had to go handle the Canton Fair matter today and had left early. So Tian Tian had originally planned to go out and buy breakfast. But now that Xiao Ming had come, she still had to wait for Granny Cui to come out. She might as well cook breakfast herself.
“Have you eaten breakfast?” He was a guest, after all, so Tian Tian asked politely.
Turned out the guy really was thick-skinned and said directly, “Not yet. Are you going to make breakfast for me?”
“Heh, you wish. At most I’ll add an extra handful of rice noodles.”
With that, Tian Tian went straight into the kitchen. In one go, she decided to cook Granny Cui’s portion too.
In five minutes she had the rice noodles in the pot. Another five minutes and they’d be ready. She added a handful of lettuce and cracked in two fried eggs. Mm, right. Xiao Ming got plain rice noodles—no fried egg or lettuce for him.
But with five minutes left, Granny Cui’s door creaked open. Tian Tian covered the pot and hurried out. She happened to see Granny Cui standing at her door, eyes fixed on Xiao Ming standing in the courtyard.
“Tian Tian!” Granny Cui called. “That young man, that young man, is he…”
Eyes brimming with tears, Granny Cui stared at Xiao Ming’s figure.
Tian Tian knew Granny Cui had presbyopia. From where Xiao Ming stood, Granny Cui couldn’t see his face clearly at all.
So she called out loudly, “Xiao Ming, come over here quickly.”
Only then did Tian Tian catch Xiao Ming’s footsteps pausing for two beats.
Mm, so this person wasn’t completely unmoved after all.
When the person walked up to them, Tian Tian introduced the two sides. “Granny Cui, this is Xiao Ming. Xiao Ming, this is Granny Cui.”
Then she saw Xiao Ming standing there like a wooden post.
“Hurry up! Xiao Ming. Be sharp, come help Granny Cui.”
With that, she went back to the kitchen to turn off the heat under the rice noodles.
She filled herself a big bowl, with vegetables and egg. She didn’t go out to disturb the two of them. Instead, she carried the big bowl and sat on the kitchen doorstep eating.
While eating, she observed the two outside. But the two were like a silent play—barely talking, just looking at each other.
Only when Tian Tian was full did she hear broken snatches of conversation.
After a long while, Tian Tian finally pieced together the rough story of Granny Cui’s son over the years. Mainly because Xiao Ming spoke vaguely.
It turned out that back then, Granny Cui’s son had accidentally walked into a fight on his way to work. He’d been slashed with a knife, and having witnessed that kind of violent scene, he had no choice but to flee with one side of the fight to avoid being silenced.
At first he wasn’t in Hong Kong. He ran to America with those people. Only after several years in America did he reach Hong Kong.
After that, there was nothing more. In short, Granny Cui’s son had reached Hong Kong and been killed by his old enemies.
Xiao Ming spoke vaguely. He didn’t say who the enemies were, nor did he detail his own years in Hong Kong. He only said he hadn’t been able to return to the country before. Now that he had, he’d come back to find his grandmother, as his father had instructed.
Tian Tian nodded silently. She understood Xiao Ming’s concealment. Saying too much, Granny Cui probably wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Looking at the scene before her, after learning her son had passed away, Granny Cui was already crying uncontrollably.
Tian Tian simply didn’t appear. She kept squatting by the kitchen door.
When she caught Xiao Ming’s glance sweeping over, she pretended not to see it. But inwardly, she organized what Xiao Ming had said and confirmed that the enemies he spoke of were He Cheng.
So then a question arose. Just how powerful was He Cheng back then? Powerful enough to make the Xiao father and son hide for so many years. And to make Xiao Ming go undercover in He Cheng for so many years under a false name.
The little bit of He Cheng activity in Shenzhen obviously couldn’t be He Cheng’s full strength. And no one knew who had destroyed their power in Hong Kong.
Tian Tian felt her curiosity was completely piqued.
But after that, Xiao Ming didn’t say more. He just supported Granny Cui and talked to her about his current life and work.
Another hour passed like this. Tian Tian patted her bottom and stood up, pointing toward the kitchen at Xiao Ming. Meaning: Granny Cui hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, let her eat first.
Xiao Ming nodded. He helped Granny Cui to a chair in the courtyard. He personally went to the kitchen and filled two bowls of rice noodles. Smiling, he invited Granny Cui to eat breakfast.
Seeing this, Tian Tian figured there was nothing more for her to do. She nodded silently and walked out.
Today she didn’t want to work. Actually, there wasn’t much work to do. She might as well go to the home appliance factory and wait for Zhou Haoting to come back.
And where was Zhou Haoting at this moment? He was chatting with an acquaintance.
“Brother Zhou, let me tell you. This person is a real big boss. Old Mi, you know? A person who’s made it big in America.”
The acquaintance held up his thumb, his face full of exaggerated expression. “I heard he just got off the plane today. I figure in a couple days he’ll hold some kind of meet-and-greet. I’ll take you along to check it out. Who knows, maybe we can get some orders first.”
Zhou Haoting smiled and thanked him. But inwardly, he was curious about what big boss—and from America, no less.
He silently kept this matter in mind. Then he chatted about other things with the acquaintance. After that, he was taken out drinking. Yes, meeting, socializing, eating, and drinking with people related to the Canton Fair. Whether it was useful or not, get familiar first. Then whatever came later would be easier.
He had no idea that soon, participating in the Canton Fair wouldn’t be a problem for him at all.
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