stonecrandall Page 42
Page 42
Today's events also gave Lu Mingfei some confidence; he felt that he seemed to have a talent for acting.
Gu Ran asked Lu Mingfei, who was standing next to her, "Do you have any other plans for the summer vacation?"
Chapter 45 New Mission
"Um……"
Upon hearing Gu Ran's question, Lu Mingfei frantically pulled at his hair for a while before replying, "No."
"Are you still working?" Gu Ran continued to ask him.
"do not know……"
"How about trying to work at a senior citizen's entertainment center or McDonald's? Or chain supermarkets? These places are more reputable and have higher working hours."
“But they won’t want me, will they…” Lu Mingfei slumped down, hunching his shoulders as he uttered these words.
Seeing his expression, Gu Ran didn't say anything more.
Anyway, Su Enxi has made countless amounts of money, and if Lu Mingfei wants to use money, the whole world will serve him.
Going to work is just to experience life.
Gu Ran drove the car to Lu Mingfei's residential area and parked it.
Lu Mingfei unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to get out of the car.
"Wait, take this grilled fish and eat it." Gu Ran handed him a bag of grilled fish that had been packed up.
"Didn't you want to eat this?" Lu Mingfei swallowed hard.
This grilled fish smells really good; Lu Mingfei has been craving it for a long time.
There are generally two ways to prepare grilled fish at street food stalls for late-night snacks. One is dry grilling, where the fish is grilled until cooked and dry, then seasoned with spices such as salt and pepper, cumin, and sesame seeds, and then slowly grilled until fragrant.
Another method is to grill the fish, place it in a pot, add hot pot broth and some side dishes, and slowly cook it over charcoal.
The grilled fish that Gu Ran bought today was dry-grilled, which is also what Lu Mingfei most wanted to try.
Gu Ran smiled slightly and said to him in a serious tone, "Take this grilled fish home and eat it with your family. Believe me, after you finish this fish, your aunt will give you more pocket money."
"Really?" Lu Mingfei was skeptical; his aunt was known for her shrewdness.
"You'll see once you try it," Gu Ran said with a smile. "By the way, you have to say that you bought this fish with the money you earned from your part-time job."
"Oh..." Lu Mingfei took the grilled fish with some doubt.
"gone."
Gu Ran waved to him and drove off.
"Thanks for today!" Lu Mingfei waved goodbye to the departing car.
He thought about Gu Ran's words and went upstairs, but he couldn't figure out why his aunt would give him extra pocket money for no reason.
Lu Mingfei opened the door and walked into the living room, where his aunt and uncle were watching TV on the sofa.
"It smells good!" The one who spoke was Lu Mingze, the chubby guy who was 1.6 meters tall and weighed 160 pounds.
He was originally online in his room, waiting for the sunset's etched marks to appear online.
But for some reason, the marks left by the setting sun seem to have disappeared during this period.
As expected of a foodie, Lu Xiaopang came out as soon as Lu Mingfei entered the door, drawn by the aroma.
"I bought some grilled fish for everyone to have as a late-night snack." Lu Mingfei placed the grilled fish on the coffee table in the living room, and at the same time handed his uncle the beer he had bought from the convenience store on the way.
"Beer and grilled fish, a perfect match!" The uncle smiled as he took Lu Mingfei's beer, opened it, took a sip, and let out a satisfied burp.
Drinking an ice-cold beer on a hot summer day is so refreshing.
My aunt went to the kitchen, got some chopsticks, took a bite, and thought it tasted good.
She looked at Lu Mingfei with some confusion:
"Did you buy it?"
“Yes…” Lu Mingfei is also someone who lies without hesitation.
"Nonsense!" Lu Xiaopang exposed his cousin's lie. "Where would you get so much pocket money? This grilled fish costs at least fifty-eight yuan. I ate it with my classmates when we had a late-night snack before."
At this moment, Lu Mingfei's uncle and aunt also looked at him, wanting to know where the fish came from.
Following Gu Ran's instructions, Lu Mingfei said, half-jokingly and half-seriously:
“I’ve been working these past few days, washing dishes for people at noon and in the evening. I got paid today, so I wanted to buy some late-night snacks to eat with everyone.”
The aunt thought to herself, "So that's why Lu Mingfei has been frequently away from home after lunch and dinner lately; he's been going to work."
Uncle took a sip of beer, patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder and said, "Working is good. Going out to get some experience and gain more social experience is great. Mingfei is such a good kid to be thinking about independence so early."
Lu Mingfei responded to his uncle's words: "I didn't really think that much about it. I just wanted to earn more money so I could have more money for travel expenses when I went to the United States."
Hearing Lu Mingfei's words, his aunt felt a little uncomfortable, as if he were saying something that would make her give him less money for his travel expenses.
Lu Mingfei took another bite of the fish. The grilled fish was made of tilapia, which had no small bones, and every bite was pure meat.
Lu Xiaopang was not to be outdone. He was a foodie, and having a grilled fish late at night made him very hungry. He tore off the tail part of the fish.
Lu Mingfei stared at him, thinking to himself, "How can this fat guy be so ungrateful?"
"Eat less! Look how fat you've gotten!" Auntie scolded Lu Xiaopang.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaopang took the fish tail and went back to his room. He hated it when people called him fat.
A pound of grilled fish isn't much for four people, and Lu Mingfei thought he should leave some for his uncle to drink beer, so he didn't eat any.
"I'm going to take a shower." With that, he went back to his room to get his clothes and then went to take a shower.
In the living room, the aunt said to the uncle, "Did Lu Mingfei go to work because he thought the allowance I gave him was too little?"
Her uncle glanced at her and said, "You don't usually give him much either."
The aunt was speechless, but immediately retorted, "You heartless woman! You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge of the household. Do you know how hard it is for me to manage this whole family? I..."
"Alright, alright, it's late at night, don't disturb the neighbors." The uncle seemed to know that the aunt was about to yell again, so he interrupted her.
The uncle and aunt exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning.
Everyone knows exactly how much of the living expenses Lu Mingfei's parents gave him, and how much of it actually went to Lu Mingfei.
"Mingfei is not young anymore, we should give him more pocket money, otherwise he'll be so stingy when he goes out with his classmates." The uncle spoke his mind.
The aunt thought to herself that she would have to ask Mingfei to scout out the way and smooth things over for her son's future studies abroad.
During this period, we should try our best to build a good relationship with Lu Mingfei.
When Lu Mingfei came out after taking a shower, his aunt called out to him, "Mingfei, come here for a moment."
"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei asked, drying his hair with a towel.
My aunt took out two hundred yuan from her wallet: "I've thought about it, and I think you shouldn't go to work. You should spend more time studying, going to the library, and starting to preview your university courses... Take this money, and tell me if you need more pocket money."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Lu Mingfei happily accepted the pocket money, thinking that Gu Ran was right after all.
How come he seems to know my aunt better than I do?
……
the other side.
Before Gu Ran could even drive home, he received another call from Raymond.
There's so much to do tonight.
I don't know why he called so late.
"Hey, Gu Ran, I have an internship opportunity that I'm wondering if you'd be interested in."
"What mission?" Gu Ran asked as he put on his Bluetooth headset while driving.
Raymond said, "We'll discuss the specifics when we meet, but... we need to go to South Korea."
South Korea?
Gu Ran was very puzzled: "To be honest, I have no internship experience at all, and I haven't even enrolled in school yet. It seems a bit abnormal that I'm being asked to participate in the execution department's tasks."
Raymond smiled and said, "Theoretically speaking, we would not allow an unenrolled student to participate in an executive department mission, but considering your skills, strength, and record, we think you are qualified to participate."
Chapter 46 Parting
Raymond continued, "And according to Norma's calculations, this mission is indispensable for you, which is why the principal specifically requested your participation."
"headmaster?"
Gu Ran was stunned for a moment.
Raymond said, "The principal said that as long as you are willing to participate in this internship, you will get a 4.0 GPA in his courses for the first semester, and you will also receive a special reward."
"Special reward? If it's just afternoon tea with the principal, I'm not interested. Compared to Ceylon tea and Darjeeling tea, I prefer domestic Lapsang Souchong and Yinghong No. 9."
“Oh, dear Gu Ran, the principal’s afternoon tea is an honor that only a few outstanding students can enjoy. I was very proud of it when I was in school… But the tea is definitely better from China. I go to Hong Kong-style teahouses for morning tea, and I usually like to drink Phoenix Dancong.”
"What kind of tea is Phoenix Dancong?" Gu Ran asked, not knowing the answer.
"A type of oolong tea."
Gu Ran chuckled: "You foreigner actually know so much about tea!"
“My father-in-law loves tea… Okay, let’s get back to the point.” Raymond steered the conversation back on track. “This mission is a great opportunity for you to gain experience, and I assure you, there will be no danger to your life.”
Gu Ran saw that Raymond had been trying to persuade him for a long time, as if he was the only one who could do this task.
He couldn't very well refuse, so he asked, "Alright, I can go on the mission. How long will it take?"
"About twenty days."
Gu Ran calculated the time; if it was twenty days, by the time he returned, Su Xiaoqiang's birthday wouldn't be here yet, so there was plenty of time.
"Okay, but I'm telling you in advance, I won't do it if it takes more than twenty days."
"Don't worry, it might not even take twenty days," Raymond said. "Since you've agreed, I'll send a helicopter to pick you up right away."
"So urgent?" Gu Ran was taken aback. "How about I drive over? It's quite disturbing for the neighbors if a helicopter lands in a residential area so late at night."