Standards Above the Moon

After seeing Gao off, Liu Yuewang finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed from her awkward mood. Although she could never give Gao Yening hope, as a woman, a thirty-six-year-old woman, being able to attract the crazy pursuit of young men at this age was, objectively speaking, quite a boost to her confidence.

Especially since this young man is quite eligible, and he's not the kind of person who couldn't find a partner among his peers and only then set his sights on her.

Of course, Liu Yuewang was very confident; for example, she believed that the age on her ID card was deceiving her.

"This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last." An Nuan cleared her throat, looking serious as if she wanted to have a serious talk with Liu Yuewang about this issue. "So, what exactly are your standards?"

Liu Yuewang raised her hand and pressed it against her shoulder, controlling the subconscious movement of turning her head that was caused by certain thoughts.

"I said I like astronauts. Whoever can take me to the moon, I'll marry them." Liu Yuewang's tone was calm but with a hint of seriousness, in response to An Nuan's earnestness.

Liu Chang'an couldn't help but look up at the sky; there was no moon tonight.

An Nuan chuckled. If she had actually made such a request, the stunned and surprised expression on Gao Yening's face would probably have been quite amusing.

Ke An Nuan felt that the conditions couldn't possibly be like that; otherwise, why would Gao Yening look at Liu Chang'an with that kind of gaze?

An Nuan didn't ask any further questions. It was getting late, so she and Liu Yuewang saw Liu Chang'an off as he walked slowly towards the east bank of the River East before the mother and daughter turned back.

An Nuan took Liu Yuewang's arm.

The night was a bit chilly. Liu Yuewang brushed her hair aside and casually asked, "How exactly is Liu Chang'an's face cream made?"

"How would I know? Maybe it's a family secret recipe." An Nuan didn't have the habit of digging into things that weren't very important.

She was aware of the cream's miraculous properties and economic value, but she believed that Liu Chang'an's decision to keep a low profile and avoid public disclosure and mass production must have its own considerations and reasons.

"This is a really good product, much better than any flower tea. This flower tea is really just a placebo effect; it tastes nice, but I drink it like a beverage. But that face cream is truly effective; it can be used both externally and internally." Liu Yuewang sighed with some regret because Liu Chang'an wouldn't let her take it anymore.

An Nuan listened and couldn't help but feel that she was implying that flower tea was far inferior to face cream, and that people who made flower tea were far inferior to those who made face cream.

In this respect alone, Gao Yening cannot compare to Liu Chang'an. Has Mom thought so too?

"Mom, the request you made to Gao Yening just now wasn't about asking him to make the same face cream as Liu Chang'an, was it?" An Nuan asked tentatively, somewhat tactfully.

"No!" Liu Yuewang turned her head and saw An Nuan's eyes darting around. She knew what kind of nonsense the little girl was thinking, and said irritably, "Don't worry, you're the only one who cherishes your Liu Chang'an. Nobody else cares!"

"You really don't care?"

"How dare you talk to me like that?"

"Hehe, Liu Chang'an asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't use face cream like a health supplement, but he didn't say he wouldn't make face cream for you anymore."

"That's more like it."

Liu Yuewang pulled An Nuan back home. She felt a little sleepless today, and her skin must have been damaged from being exposed to the cold wind for so long. Besides, she had already eaten so many times, so why not have just a little bit more tonight?

Liu Chang'an strolled slowly across the Juzhou Bridge. At the bridgehead, he glanced at the riverside scenic belt on his right. Many elderly people were gathered there, enjoying a variety of recreational activities: some were playing chess, some were playing cards, some were singing Huagu Opera, some were dancing in the square, some were writing on the ground with mops, and some old men and women were chatting and dancing ballroom dances.

Liu Chang'an recalled that in the early years, before the area was regulated, middle-aged women often carried umbrellas and offered massage services to the elderly. Once, an accident occurred when a woman and an elderly man reached an agreement to make a further transaction. They laid out a blanket on a slope by the river, and the two rolled into the river and drowned.

Enriching the cultural and recreational life of the elderly is also a concrete manifestation of the core socialist values! Liu Chang'an nodded happily as he looked at the lively cultural and recreational activities.

He was just about to show off his skills and find a chess game to bully some kids when the phone rang. He answered it casually and found it was Zhong Qing.

"Let's go get some barbecue today, it's on me," Zhong Qing said.

Liu Chang'an remembered that Zhong Qing had invited him to have barbecue a while ago, and he had agreed. So he said, "Okay, you go ahead, I'll be there in a bit."

"No, where are you? I'll come pick you up." Zhong Qing knew that Liu Chang'an often walked to places tens of miles away, so his "I'll be there soon" meant he would arrive at the barbecue place an hour later.

Liu Chang'an then walked down from under the bridge, sent his location to Zhong Qing, and waited by the roadside while watching the person playing with the spinning top.

This person was playing with a spinning top, and no one dared to get close within a radius of at least five or six meters. Moreover, the spinning top made a crackling sound like thunder. So Liu Chang'an took some pebbles and threw one at the top whenever it started spinning, knocking it over.

After a short while, the old man probably thought he had seen a ghost today, so he finally stopped playing with it, put away the spinning top, and walked away cursing.

It's much quieter now.

Zhong Qing's car stopped next to Liu Chang'an.

Liu Chang'an walked past the front of the car and had just opened the door when he saw Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong sitting in a row in the back. He then said to Zhong Qing very sincerely, "You've spent money today."

"What are you doing here?" Zhong Qing asked casually.

"I exchanged tips and techniques with top-spinning experts," Liu Chang'an said truthfully.

Zhong Qing knew absolutely nothing about this and had absolutely no interest in it. The slight upturn of his lips indicated that this was the only way to respond to Liu Chang'an's likes and dislikes.

"What brings you two here?" Liu Chang'an turned around and spoke to the two powerful figures behind him... As for who those powerful figures were, everyone knew.

"We came because there was food!" Zhou Dongdong leaned against the back of the chair, her feet not touching the ground, and crossed her legs.

"You too?" Liu Chang'an looked at Shangguan Dandan, who was studying the car's TV.

Unable to find a button to press, Shangguan Dandan shifted her attention and nodded.

"They were playing in the restaurant, and I saw that Dongdong's mom was quite busy, so I took them away," Zhong Qing explained.

"Thank you." Zhou Shuling was indeed quite busy. Not only was she busy with the restaurant, but she was also knitting sweaters until very late every day. Liu Chang'an wasn't used to being considerate of others, but Zhou Shuling was, after all, Zhou Dongdong's mother and had some status. He had to think of a way to help her recover, lest she really overwork herself. Who would be Zhou Dongdong's professional caretaker then?

"The restaurant is doing too well. In my opinion, we should hire a manager and two more staff," Zhong Qing suggested.

"She felt it was too expensive. She's capable of doing it herself, and hiring someone else would mean paying an extra salary and increasing costs." Zhou Shuling, a woman who appears gentle, delicate, and timid, has some stubborn beliefs deep down, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

"In the future... I also want to open my own little restaurant, but I won't be as busy as her, and I won't be too Zhang Sheng is good or not. It would be best if it were in an ancient town." Zhong Qing had some longing, but also felt that it was too far away and impossible, and felt a little regretful.

"That's good." Liu Chang'an nodded.

Zhong Qing suspected that what he meant by "pretty good" was not actually that, judging from the calmness in his nod.

Calmness is indifference, indifference is arrogance, and arrogance is thinking that her ideas are impractical, vulgar, and pretentious.

Zhong Qing didn't care. Anyway, she was just saying it. After all, she was the Third Mistress... Miss Su's person for life, and she couldn't do whatever she wanted.

Liu Chang'an sensed that Zhong Qing had something on her mind today, but he didn't ask her directly. He just glanced at her a few more times. Maternal lineage determined more of her physical attributes. As Bai Hui's cousin, Zhong Qing had a great figure. Liu Chang'an still remembered that Zhong Qing had a pair of beautiful little feet that were no less than Su Nanxiu's. It was a pity that she wore high heels every day.

The car arrived at the usual spot. Zhong Qing got out, and Liu Chang'an opened the back door and helped Zhou Dongdong, who was climbing down, out of the car. Shangguan Dandan noticed that Liu Chang'an didn't intend to help her get out, so she calmly got out of the car from the other side.

Because she had studied and pressed most of the buttons in Qin Yanan's car while sitting in it, she knew how to open the door and get out of the car by herself.

On the surface, Zhong Qing, Shangguan Dandan, and Zhou Dongdong appear to be girls of three different ages. Zhong Qing's looks and figure, along with her OL (office lady) aura and attire that most men find most Heartbeat, and Shangguan Dandan, though still showing signs of immaturity, is undeniably a beauty in the making.

Such a group naturally attracts attention, especially the youngest little girl, whose round face is exquisitely beautiful. She always hops and wobbles when she walks, always looking happy and carefree, which makes people feel good just looking at her.

"We get to have barbecue again today." Zhou Dongdong wiped her mouth, because she could already smell the barbecue.

"Do you have roasted tiger?" Shangguan Dandan turned to ask Liu Chang'an. Her grandfather used to go hunting and kill a tiger, and roasted one of its legs to eat.

"We'll get roasted tiger!" Zhou Dongdong exclaimed excitedly.

"No!" Liu Chang'an dashed their hopes. For various reasons, the two, one big and one small, were both innocent and ignorant children, saying childish things that made people laugh.

"I've ordered a whole roasted lamb for you." Zhong Qing had already made the reservation by phone, and smiled upon hearing this.

It was a bit chilly, so we didn't eat by the river anymore. Instead, we went to a private room on the second floor. It had a large window, and the room was warm and cozy. Looking at the night view of Xiaoxiang outside the window was a comfortable and relaxing experience.

Besides the whole roasted lamb, Liu Chang'an also ordered some vegetables and snacks. He didn't order lamb kidneys and testicles today, Zhong Qing ordered beer.

Liu Chang'an discovered that Zhong Qing invited him to barbecue mostly because she wanted to drink, and then she would hire a designated driver. If a woman like her got drunk, he would definitely not feel at ease if there was only the designated driver and herself in the car. With Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong in the car, he felt that it wouldn't be a problem.

"This world is incredible... some people can stay young forever." Zhong Qing had a few drinks and started talking nonsense, because she knew that what she was saying was definitely nonsense. Could it really be true?

She recently learned some things that made her feel like her worldview had been completely turned upside down.

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I recommend a book called "Master Director". It tells the story of a young, master director who, after eighteen years of hard work in the system, finally emerges and plunges headlong into a dazzling, glamorous world.