novelones Chapter 109 The Battle for Su Peixue
Chapter 109 The Battle for Su Peixue
Chen Leyao almost choked on her lemonade. She had forgotten. The last time Hu Zhangpeng invited her to dinner, she casually agreed, not taking it to heart at all. But Hu Zhangpeng remembered it for a whole week.
She wiped her mouth and typed back: "I'm treating Uncle Lin Ran to dinner at a Thai restaurant."
Hu Zhangpeng replied instantly: "I'll be there right away."
Lin Ran handed a menu to Su Peixue, who took it, flipped through it from beginning to end and then from end to beginning, before putting the menu down and tapping her fingers lightly on the edge of the table.
Indecisiveness.
I want to eat them all...
Hu Zhangpeng arrived in less than fifteen minutes. He was wearing a dark blue sports jacket today. He pushed open the door and immediately saw their table. He walked up to Lin Ran, his attitude even more sincere than at the last sports meet:
"Uncle, I misunderstood last time. This time, it's my treat!" Then he saw Su Peixue sitting next to Lin Ran, paused for a moment, and asked, "Su Peixue? Uncle, your girlfriend?"
This popular internet celebrity was actually his "uncle's" girlfriend. Without thinking twice, he blurted out, "Hello, Auntie."
Su Peixue's mood visibly improved. She had been taken aback when Chen Leyao called her "Auntie" earlier, but now, hearing it from Hu Zhangpeng, she nodded her head slightly in satisfaction, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling into a smile.
She looked at Hu Zhangpeng, then at Chen Leyao, and said happily, "I agree to your marriage."
Lin Ran: "..."
Hu Zhangpeng beamed with joy and turned to Chen Leyao, saying, "That's wonderful!"
Chen Leyao kicked the rattan chair leg with her platform shoes. "Don't talk nonsense! I haven't even accepted his advances yet."
She spoke toughly, but deep down she knew that among her many suitors, Hu Zhangpeng was the most handsome and came from a good family. So she tacitly allowed him to pursue her, but they never officially became a couple.
She felt she couldn't be too casual; if she were easily obtained, she wouldn't be cherished. He came in second in the 10,000-meter race at the last sports meet, but he hadn't kept his promise to Chen Leyao. She ignored him for three whole days without replying to his WeChat messages. Later, he came to her dormitory every day to play guitar and sing, and only then did she reluctantly agree to have dinner together.
Hu Zhangpeng wasn't discouraged; he remained cheerful despite the rebuke. He diligently unscrewed the beverage bottles, poured a glass for Lin Ran first, then for Su Peixue, and began introducing the dishes on the table:
"Auntie, please try this Tom Yum soup. It's sour and spicy, very appetizing. The green curry chicken with rice is amazing. The pork neck is served with tamarind sauce; please give it a try."
Su Peixue tasted a bite of each dish, and her eyes crinkled when she ate the mango sticky rice. Lin Ran moved the sticky rice closer to her, saying that this restaurant gave a lot of mangoes, and she nodded and finished the sticky rice.
After finishing the meal, Hu Zhangpeng took out a small box from his pocket, saying it was a small gift for his uncle and aunt.
Lin Ran waved his hand, but Hu Zhangpeng insisted on giving it to him. Chen Leyao glared at him, so he had to take the box back and said he would treat his uncle and aunt to Mexican food next time.
Su Peixue said in a serious tone from the side, "I will give you a red envelope when you get married."
Chen Leyao almost choked to death on a mouthful of salt soda, and Lin Ran covered Su Peixue's mouth and pulled her away.
Zhao Jin's honey processing plant went into operation very quickly; as soon as the factory building in Guishu Village was completed, the equipment was installed.
After the first batch of honey concentrate was produced, he successively launched honey grapefruit tea, honey osmanthus sugar, and honey twisted dough sticks, which were placed on the shelves of several chain supermarkets in Lu'an.
In the office of the Economic Development Office of Guishu County, Fang Shaohui looked at the sales report sent by Zhao Jin, took a sip of tea, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.
Yan Xiao made a copy of the report for archiving.
"Director, General Manager Zhao said that the next batch of production capacity will be expanded, and he plans to include two surrounding villages in the honey source base."
He paused for a moment, then said, "It's all because of Su Peixue's video. In the era of self-media, high-quality media professionals are extremely important for publicity and promotion."
The news spread like wildfire. Lanhu City and Zehuai City, located in the east and west of the province respectively, almost simultaneously took notice of Su Peixue's name. Both cities were vying for ownership of the "Deep Mountain Original Lotus Root Powder" specialty product, one holding the ancient recipe, the other dominating market share.
Cao Qihang from the Economic Development Office of Zehuai City acted the fastest.
He went through all of Su Peixue's videos, from plum wine to honey osmanthus cake, and read every single comment below them.
He called Lin Ran, his tone sincere: "Lin, lotus root starch is a specialty of our Zehuai City. We would like to invite you and Su Peixue to film a video about making lotus root starch. We will cover all expenses and provide promotional resources."
Lin Ran listened to the phone call while looking at Su Peixue, who was dozing in his arms.
She felt sleepy after lunch, curled up on the sofa and rested her head on his lap. The cuffs of her cream-colored sweater covered her fingers, with only her fingertips showing.
Lin Ran moved his phone slightly away, his gaze falling on her face. Su Peixue slightly opened her almond-shaped eyes, tilted her head back, rubbed against his leg, and nodded slightly.
He said to the phone, "Okay, we'll take it."
Just as she hung up, her phone rang again. Qiao Zhenhai from Lanhu City's Culture and Tourism Bureau had also come to her, with the exact same intention: to ask Su Peixue to film a video about lotus root starch.
Lin Ran leaned back on the sofa, gently scratching the back of Su Peixue's neck with one hand. "Director Qiao, I'm sorry, I already promised Zehuai City. They also said that lotus root starch is a specialty of their area."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. Qiao Zhenhai's voice noticeably lowered: "I see. That's a real pity. Let's cooperate again sometime."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ran looked down at Su Peixue. She was already asleep, breathing evenly, her cheek resting quietly on his lap, the wisps of hair on her forehead fluttering slightly in the breeze from the fan. He continued to scratch the back of her neck, very gently, like petting a cat.
In Lanhu City, Qiao Zhenhai hung up the phone and dialed Peng Zhao from the Economic Development Office.
As soon as the call connected, before he could even speak, Peng Zhao asked, "Did you get him?" Qiao Zhenhai relayed Lin Ran's words.
Peng Zhao remained silent for a while, then began to complain: "Zehuai's lotus root powder is not authentic at all! Our Lanhu is the original and authentic lotus root producing area. The lotus ponds are hundreds of years old, with deep layers of silt, thick lotus roots, and high starch content. Our lotus root farmers still use the ancient method of hand-grinding the powder, repeatedly using well water to settle it, filtering it with gauze, and naturally drying it in the sun."
What about Zehuai? A newly developed riverside city, with vast greenhouses, lotus roots grown with chemical fertilizers, and machine-made hot-air drying lines. The resulting powder looks white, but tastes bland and tasteless when brewed. As a result, they rely on aggressive marketing with capital, preemptively registering origin trademarks, and controlling online reviews, claiming to be the authentic source, dumping their products at low prices and suffocating our local, traditional craftsmanship.