"We're still missing a necklace." Meng Wanqing took out a pearl necklace from the jewelry box and helped Lou Fengyun put it around her neck before saying seriously, "Now you look like a factory owner."
Lou Fengyun looked down at her outfit and laughed self-deprecatingly, "What kind of factory owner am I? I just feel like a monkey, waiting to be laughed at by everyone."
After speaking, Lou Fengyun looked around Meng Wanqing's boudoir and saw a double bed, an antique mahogany dressing table, two pots of evening primroses placed in front of the window, a Western record player, a bookshelf, and a writing desk. The bookshelf was neatly filled with many foreign magazines on clothing and accessories, as well as some classical Chinese poems. There was also a small room next door, which was used by Meng Wanqing to display her clothes and serve as a wardrobe.
Just by looking at Meng Wanqing's boudoir, one could imagine how carefree and comfortable this woman's life was now. Lou Fengyun couldn't hide the envy in her voice. "A-Yao is so good to you."
Whether it was Angie Perlis or Lou Fengyun, they were all being manipulated by Song Tianyao like spinning tops that never stopped. Only Meng Wanqing seemed to always be leisurely. When her father's tailoring business was busy, she could help out if she wanted, or there were other workers if she didn't. If she didn't want to go, she would learn a few new dishes in the kitchen, grow flowers and plants, and spend the rest of her time reading magazines, reciting poetry, and going shopping or taking walks in department stores. This was practically Meng Wanqing's entire life.
Lou Fengyun even knew that Song Tianyao Meng Wanqing's place to sit for a while or stay overnight after he was tired or had been drinking. He would write a few strokes of calligraphy at the writing desk, taste the new dishes that Meng Wanqing had learned, and when he had enough time, he would even accompany Meng Wanqing to the department store to buy clothes and watch a movie.
This is the life a woman should have. Lou Fengyun thought about herself and realized that she was almost completely entangled in the trivial matters of the factory. Not to mention going shopping, it was even difficult to get a good night's sleep. Moreover, she was now scheduled to meet with other bosses who had already built their factories and were just waiting for the machines to arrive before starting work. It seemed that in the future, not only would there be trivial matters in the factory, but also a lot of social engagements outside.
The busier Lou Fengyun was, the more she felt that the aloof and beautiful Meng Wanqing was the one who truly lived like a pure woman.
Meng Wanqing took out a bottle of perfume and lightly sprayed it on Lou Fengyun's neck and cuffs twice. She said softly, "You can't envy this kind of thing. Actually, I envy you, Sister Yun, for being able to share his burdens. But I can't do that. He only thinks of coming to sit with me when he's tired or has free time. On the other hand, you, Sister Yun, can be with him almost every day."
"If a man only thinks of you when he's doing something, then he doesn't see you as a woman. He only sees you as a helper. The woman he only sees when he's tired or has free time is the real woman," Lou Fengyun suddenly said, as if it were a profound insight into life.
Meng Wanqing looked quietly at Lou Fengyun. Lou Fengyun smiled self-deprecatingly, then twirled twice in front of the mirror. "I wonder if the bosses will laugh at me for dressing like this."
"Brother Xiu, you're about to graduate and your studies are over, could you consider helping me out? That way, you won't have to look for a job after graduation?"
While Lou Fengyun and Meng Wanqing were trying on clothes, Song Tianyao, sitting in a secluded seat in the lobby of a small tavern on Pok Fu Lam Road, asked Hong Lai-sau, who was picking up a round, stir-fried pea with his chopsticks.
Hong Lai-sau ignored Song Tianyao's words, focusing intently on picking up a pea with his chopsticks, putting it in his mouth, and closing his eyes to savor the taste. Across from him, Song Tianyao had already scooped up a spoonful and handed it to him. "Brother Xiu, you've only eaten three peas in ten minutes, why don't you use a spoon?"
The other dishes on the table were all made at the restaurant, but the stir-fried peas were made by Meng Wanqing. Song Tianyao tasted them and thought they were to his liking. He tried to cook them himself a few times, but he could never replicate Meng Wanqing's skill of making the peas tender yet retaining their emerald green color. In order to come see Hong Lai-sau, Song Tianyao specially asked Meng Wanqing to make this dish that he couldn't learn, and bring it to Hong Lai-sau to show off, hoping to win over the other man's stomach first.
Hong Lai-sau glanced at Song Tianyao with displeasure. "It looks prettier when you pick one up alone, and it tastes better that way too."
"But if you eat like this, even if the restaurant closes, you might not finish this plate," Song Tianyao said to Hong Lai-sau.
Hong Lai-sau sighed and put down his chopsticks, "Are you really doing business? Or are you just bragging?"
"Really, why would I lie to you?" Song Tianyao nodded seriously.
Hong Lai-sau took a sip of rice wine before casually asking, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"I'd like to provide the funds for you to open a newspaper office," Song Tianyao said to Hong Lai-sau.
Hong Lai-sau paused for a moment, then reached out and touched Song Tianyao's forehead. "Are you out of your mind? You want me to help you start a newspaper? It's true I graduated with a Chinese literature degree, but running a newspaper isn't something you can just do by hiring a Chinese literature major. If you're the boss and want to start a newspaper, you should at least hire a well-known and influential editor-in-chief, and a few famous authors to write columns. Only then can the newspaper possibly succeed. You're stupid. Do you think starting a newspaper is just about hiring a few Chinese literature majors to write articles, publish them, and then sell them for money? It's not that easy. Even tabloids know to hire authors who are good at writing about love and romance to create sensational stories to entertain readers."
"In your eyes, have I always seemed like an idiot? How could I not know that newspapers need to hire well-known editors-in-chief and authors?" Song Tianyao asked Hong Lai-sau, speechless.
Hong Lai-sau withdrew his hand, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said disdainfully, "Of course, would you be an idiot to sit in the library reading for two whole months? Would you be an idiot to come and see a college student like me, offering to pay me to start a newspaper? A-Yao Yao, let me tell you a secret you might not know yet."
"What secret?" Song Tianyao looked at Hong Lai-sau, suppressing the urge to beat Hong Lai-sau up, and asked.
Hong Lai-sau downed the rice wine in one gulp, then picked up a pea and popped it into his mouth, savoring the taste. He then swaggered around, saying in a cheeky tone, "The Earth is actually round."