Fireworks in the Human World

The two sat in the waiting area, waiting for their number to be called like ordinary customers.

Zhang Yang spoke casually, but Bei Jiajia listened with eyes full of admiration, her gaze sparkling.

Please dine at table A58.

Please dine at table A58.

The store called out a number again.

Zhang Yang glanced down at the number in his hand and smiled, "Let's go, it's our turn."

"What a coincidence, I just started to get hungry." Bei Jiajia stood up with a smile.

Soup King Hotpot restaurant was packed with customers. The overall decoration style was simple and light yet textured, filled with a sense of calm and comfort amidst the hustle and bustle, allowing diners to immerse themselves in the pleasures of food.

The decor of every Soup King Hotpot is simple yet sophisticated.

The two didn't request a private room, but instead followed the crowd and chose to dine in the main hall. The surrounding area was bustling with noise, and waiters were moving around, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.

Each booth has a touchscreen for ordering food, while continuously playing the story behind each dish at Soup King Hotpot.

The display screen on the wall continuously plays a real-time ranking of the number of dishes ordered.

These are all recent changes made by Soup King Hotpot, and in the future, all stores will iterate in this way, adhering to the core principle of product-centricity.

Bei Jiajia stared wide-eyed at everything around her, her eyes filled with shock.

She never knew that a hot pot restaurant could transform its dishes like this... Sticking to traditional hot pot is certainly not wrong, but compared to this kind of approach, it's truly... beyond her reach.

"Brother-in-law, I suddenly thought, many years from now, will there be a book called [The Soup King Hotpot, You Can't Learn It]?" Bei Jiajia made no attempt to hide her surprise.

"That's an exaggeration." Zhang Yang smiled, then looked at the waiter who had been standing to the side smiling for a while.

She's a very friendly young lady.

"Sir, would you like me to recommend some dishes?" she said.

Zhang Yang nodded, wanting to experience the service quality of the staff at his store.

"Okay, let me first prepare the soup base for you. Our soup base is a three-flavor pot, which you can mix and match as you like. I recommend our wild mushroom soup base as your first choice..." The waiter introduced the dishes with great professionalism and enthusiasm.

How could Zhang Yang not know his own family's dishes?

After some preparation, the hot pot base was made with mushroom broth, butter, and tomatoes, offering a sweet and sour, spicy, and stomach-friendly flavor profile.

Regarding the dishes, Zhang Yang left the decision to the waiters.

The two ordered the signature tripe, lamb rolls, duck blood, and shrimp paste...

"Sir, this should be enough for the two of you. If you would like to order more, please feel free to call me, or you can use the screen here," the waitress said with a smile and a slight bow.

Zhang Yang nodded and thanked him.

The waitress will leave for now.

The sounds of laughter and conversation filled the air, and nearby, guests were busy taking photos and posting reviews.

Every small action taken by everyone seems to have a butterfly effect, providing a tiny bit of strength that, though seemingly insignificant, is enough to build a tower from grains of sand for the future prosperity and growth of Soup King Hotpot.

As evening fell, Zhang Yang and Bei Jiajia sat idly, enjoying hot pot and chatting about everyday things.

The tripe was crisp and refreshing, the duck blood was tender and smooth, and the fragrant mushroom soup was so delicious that just one sip was enough to make you swoon.

"Delicious, delicious!" Bei Jiajia exclaimed, coating the tripe in her hand with her special sauce.

"You're quite the expert, can you help me evaluate the ingredients?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

"Two words: fresh." Bei Jiajia thought for a moment, then tentatively added, "Brother-in-law, please don't mind me saying this."

"Go ahead and say it," Zhang Yang said casually.

"I don't know if it's just psychological suggestion, but look, the screens on each booth table introduce the ingredients, explaining how special they are and how strict the selection process is. Subtly, it seems like the actual taste is different," Bei Jiajia said, blinking.

Zhang Yang ate the crunchy and slightly sweet potato slices without answering Bei Jiajia. Instead, he casually and unceremoniously scooped out the lamb roll that Bei Jiajia had just put down and ate it.

The selection of materials is indeed rigorous; as for whether the promotional video contains any psychological suggestions...

What are you going to tell him...?

As he was thinking this, Zhang Yang brought the last piece of freshly cooked mutton roll on his chopsticks to his mouth.

"Huh? They're all gone." Bei Jiajia grabbed at the empty bowl, then glanced at the lamb roll near Zhang Yang's mouth, and without thinking, grinned and snatched it back. "It's mine now."

"No..." Zhang Yang was taken aback.

The meat that was practically in her mouth flew away? The lamb was almost at her lips, Bei Jiajia really has no sense of boundaries...

He wanted to say something, but then he saw Bei Jiajia had already put a piece of lamb roll into her mouth with her chopsticks, so he shook his head and chuckled, saying nothing.

Towards the end of the meal, Bei Jiajia suddenly received a phone call.

"Go back... I won't."

"You want to set me up with someone again... No way, I won't!"

Bei Jiajia answered the phone and said "no" several times in a row; it was obvious that the call was from home.

Urging me to go on blind dates?

After a while, Bei Jiajia hung up the phone in a sullen mood, focusing only on drinking the special milk tea made by Soup King Hotpot.

"What's wrong? Is it the home phone?" Zhang Yang asked, amused.

"My mom called... urging me to go back home, saying she wants to introduce me to someone... What a worry! I have plenty of guys chasing after me, why would I need to go on blind dates? She's really looking down on me!" Bei Jiajia said angrily.

She felt deeply hurt.

"Then why don't you take one back and show it to them? That'll shut them up, what's the trouble?" Zhang Yang was a little confused.

Bei Jiajia didn't say anything, she just silently drank her milk tea, and then she inexplicably glanced at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang was startled by what he saw, and without thinking, he scalded a piece of tripe and put it in Bei Jiajia's bowl.

"Come on, eat quickly, I'll take you home after you're done."

"No! Brother-in-law, look at you, you're rushing me to eat!" Bei Jiajia complained angrily.

···

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhang Yang always had to go home.

Bei Wei didn't go anywhere this year, busy organizing a Mid-Autumn Festival reading event at Youjian Book Cafe, and she was having a great time. Naturally, she stayed home and focused on her small business this Mid-Autumn Festival.

As usual, Zhang Yang returned home alone.

On the eve of the holiday, Zhang Yang sat alone in his office, talking on the phone with his father, Zhang Zhaohai.

"Dad, how's the restaurant at home doing?"

"Everything's going well, smooth sailing, and business is good too." Zhang Zhaohai's laughter was as hearty as ever.

Traditional restaurants, naturally, cannot offer anything too elaborate, so they rely on the passage of time to gradually build their reputation.

In the future, no matter how well or how big you do, the upper limit will naturally not be very high.

But for Zhang Yang, how big does his parents' business have to be? As long as the couple has a business to support them, their lives aren't boring, and they live a fulfilling life, that's enough.

They're short of money, but they have a son.

The father and son talked on the phone for a long time, with Zhang Zhaohai on the other end talking about his recent successes.

The Maybach assigned to him has ultimately proven its worth, making him quite the high achiever recently and allowing him to make many influential friends.

Different levels of ability lead to different circles.

"Oh right, about that car you said you wanted to buy for your mom last time..." Zhang Zhaohai suddenly remembered something and asked.

"I won't forget it, I'll bring it up when I get back," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

If his parents hadn't been worried about not being able to accept buying things at the same time last time, he would have done it all at once. The delay was just in time to consider the couple's financial situation.

As for what to buy...

Last time I said I'd get my mom a BMW 7 Series, but now that I think about it, the 7 Series seems a bit too cheap. Shouldn't it be at least comparable to my dad's Maybach?

We'll discuss the specifics when we get back.

As they were talking, the office door opened, and Bai Xiaomi walked in, carrying tea.

As Zhang Yang said goodbye to his father, he watched Bai Jingyi put down the tea.

"You haven't gone home yet?" he said gently, pulling Bai Xiaomi into his arms. "When are you going home?"

"The train ticket for tomorrow morning." Bai Jingyi gently hugged Zhang Yang's neck, her eyes filled with tender, watery eyes. "Chairman Zhang, you haven't visited me in so long."

"Has it been a long time?" Zhang Yang suddenly realized.

Thinking about it carefully, it really has been a long time since I've been to Bai Xiaomi's place.

"How about tonight?"

"Tonight? Really?!" Bai Xiaomi's eyes lit up with surprise in an instant.

A moment later, the two walked out of the company side by side.

Generally, if the boss doesn't leave, the managers below him won't leave either, and if the managers don't leave, the employees below them won't leave either.

But Zhang Yang felt it was unnecessary.

Sometimes he likes to stay in the office alone until very late. Does he expect the whole company to work overtime with him?

Therefore, on the eve of this Mid-Autumn Festival, he arranged for his employees to leave work early and go home early.

As they walked out of the office building, the two of them turned back to look at it simultaneously. The building was still brightly lit, though perhaps due to the bad weather—there were many dark clouds and the moon was barely visible.

However, none of this could dampen Bai Xiaomi's good mood.

On the way to pick up the car, Bai Xiaomi pestered Zhang Yang, wanting to go buy some groceries together, saying she wanted to show off her cooking skills that evening.

He naturally granted this small wish.

"Let's go to the farmers' market near my house. I used to buy groceries there all the time," Bai Xiaomi suggested.

"Sure, then you can give me directions." Zhang Yang readily agreed.

People should always be down-to-earth. Just because you have money doesn't mean you have to go to the most upscale markets to buy things. You can go to high-end places, but you can also go to places full of everyday life.

Life has many flavors, and everyone has to experience them. Besides, how long has he been rich? Half a year? He's not likely to have forgotten his roots.

As evening fell, the Cullinan pulled up outside a bustling farmers' market.

At this time, the farmers' market is bustling with activity. Residents coming and going are almost always carrying cash.

Zhang Yang and Bai Xiaomi got out of the car together. They didn't seem like a boss and secretary, but rather like a young couple living together, strolling around and stopping.

"Come on, let's take a look together." Zhang Yang took Bai Xiaomi's hand.

Bai Jingyi felt as sweet as honey in her heart, cherishing every moment she spent alone with Chairman Zhang.

"Boss, how much is this?"

What about this one?

"How about the change? Round it down, and give me some scallions and garlic." Zhang Yang stopped in front of a stall, engaging in familiar haggling.

Bai Xiaomi stared blankly at Zhang Yang at this moment, and for a moment she felt a simple happiness of two people sharing three meals a day, four seasons, seven emotions, six desires, five flavors, and a hundred years.

"Okay." Zhang Yang turned around, his hands already full of plastic bags.

"Chairman Zhang, so you bargain when you buy groceries too?" Bai Xiaomi stepped forward and hugged Zhang Yang's arm.

"That's a different story. Having a lot of money and giving money away for free are two different things." Zhang Yang reached out and pinched Bai Xiaomi's cheek. "When you used to buy groceries, you weren't shy about bargaining, were you?"

"Where did I go?" Bai Xiaomi blushed and denied it outright.

Young people have always been a vulnerable group at the market. When she first started buying groceries by herself, she was always too embarrassed to ask the price or bargain, and would just say whatever was available. But she later found that this didn't work.

You might be embarrassed, but the stall owner is quite shameless and will try to rip you off.

Fortunately, for the rest of the time, Bai Xiaomi watched Zhang Yang dominate the market, observing the extremely unpleasant expressions on the faces of the vendors, and she was overjoyed.

Later that evening, the two returned home laden with their spoils.

As night fell, Bai Xiaomi's residence was brightly lit.

Zhang Yang sat comfortably on the sofa, eating the fruit that Bai Xiaomi had brought him while watching her busy in the kitchen.

The sound of the range hood filled my ears, and outside the window, I could hear children playing outside, some from downstairs.

The aroma of food wafted faintly from the tip of my nose...

He would never tire of this mundane world, not just for a lifetime, but even for ten lifetimes.

"Time to eat." After some time, Bai Xiaomi brought out the last dish. "Come on, try my cooking."

Bai Jingyi is from Guangling, and the dishes she makes are similar in taste to those from her hometown, both belonging to the Huaiyang cuisine, and they look and smell delicious.

Zhang Yang's appetite was whetted, and he wanted to pick up his chopsticks.

"Wait!" Bai Xiaomi suddenly called out.

"What's wrong? Is there some... special ceremony?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.

"I'll go open a bottle of wine." Bai Xiaomi smiled and jogged away, returning with another bottle of red wine. "Isn't it almost Mid-Autumn Festival? Let's celebrate a little early, shall we?"

A moment later, each of them had a glass of red wine.

"Chairman Zhang, I'd like to toast you." Bai Xiaomi raised her glass, her eyes gentle and smiling.

The two drank and ate, the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable.

Bai Xiaomi seemed to have a low alcohol tolerance; after downing a glass of red wine, her face was flushed, yet she kept wanting more.

Towards the end of the meal, Bai Xiaomi suddenly looked out the window, her eyes filled with delight, and ran out.

"Chairman Zhang, come quick! The moon is out!"

"So what if he comes out? What's so strange about it? We see it every day, don't we?" Zhang Yang said with amusement as he walked onto the balcony.

"Look." Bai Xiaomi looked up and pointed to the sky.

Zhang Yang looked up and saw that the moon, which had been covered by dark clouds, was now shining brightly, hanging in the sky like a round plate.

It's not Mid-Autumn Festival yet.

"This is what they call 'after the clouds disperse, the moon shines bright.'" Bai Xiaomi's upturned face was bathed in moonlight, and her slightly tipsy face was even more beautiful than usual... indescribably so.

"I have a feeling that what you said is a bit..." Zhang Yang chuckled.

"No way!" Bai Xiaomi said lightly, then suddenly hugged him, tiptoed closer to his face, "Chairman Zhang, Jingyi wishes you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance!"

Happy Holidays to you too!

His gaze was gentle and tender as he drew near.

Zhang Yang wrapped his arms around Bai Xiaomi's slender waist and kissed her in the moonlight with a smile.