Chapter 61: Equally Matched and Shining Twin Jewels

Li Jianguo was just an ordinary person. Accustomed to being flattered by others, he would inevitably get a little carried away and lose his bearings sometimes. However, he had one redeeming quality: he was open to advice and had a good temper. So, when his son, Li Xiuyuan, said that to him, it immediately clicked.

That was right! What was his culinary skill when he first opened the hand-pulled noodle restaurant, and what was it now? Why had the number of customers increased so much lately? It wasn't because his cooking had suddenly gotten better, but rather because the people in the residential complex were giving him face.

"All right, Xiuyuan, Dad understands now. Get to bed early," Li Jianguo said with a trace of desolation in his voice.

Li Xiuyuan originally wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but upon second thought, there was nothing really to comfort. Having lived through so much in their lives, what did a small matter like this even amount to for his parents?

"Oh, right, Dad, tomorrow after work, I'm going to the provincial capital. I’ve arranged to meet a college classmate there regarding some work matters, so I won't be home this weekend," Li Xiuyuan said, looking at his father.

Li Jianguo nodded and went back into his room, only to emerge a moment later holding an envelope.

"Dad?"

"What is this?"

"You mentioned before that you put all your money into the stock market and didn't have much cash left on you. There are a lot of social obligations once you start working, and our family doesn't have any special connections to help you out in your career. But we can at least chip in a little pocket money for you. Take these five thousand yuan to spend." Li Jianguo handed the envelope to his son, Li Xiuyuan.

He was an honest man who saw things very clearly. It wasn't as if his son could sit back and relax just because he had passed the civil service exam; working in a government office wasn't that easy either. Look at the living conditions of his colleagues compared to their own family's. He needed to help out wherever he possibly could.

"Dad, this..." Li Xiuyuan opened his mouth to refuse, but knowing he was going to the provincial capital on business, having a bit more cash on hand certainly wouldn't hurt. It wasn't about giving bribes or anything like that, but treating people to meals and such meant he couldn't afford to be stingy.

"Just take it. Your dad doesn't have any great skills and can only pull noodles for a living, but as long as you're living a good life, your dad can rest easy." Li Jianguo patted Li Xiuyuan on the shoulder, stood up, and walked back into his room.

Clutching the envelope in his hand, Li Xiuyuan suddenly felt his eyes stinging with warmth. After sniffing hard for a moment, he stood up and returned to his own room.

That night, Li Xiuyuan revised his manuscript until the middle of the night. When he woke up in the morning and arrived at the office, he was almost late—not technically late, but arriving just at the absolute deadline.

Yet the others had arrived even earlier. By the time Li Xiuyuan got there, everyone was already present. Apart from Wu Yiyi, even Qu Hui was waiting in the office.

Glancing at Li Xiuyuan, Qu Hui let out a cold snort, but didn't dare say anything. After all, he had learned yesterday that Li Xiuyuan was not someone to be trifled with.

"Today is Friday. Everyone wrap up whatever work you have on hand. I won't assign any new specific tasks. Let me just remind you all to be conscious of your responsibilities. We'll report on this week's work next Monday, and if anyone has issues with their work, don't say I didn't warn you beforehand."

After speaking, Qu Hui let everyone get to work. However, he showed no intention of leaving all day, frequently strolling over to the main office area. Even Wang Zhitao and Li Boyang didn't dare come over to talk to Li Xiuyuan. To a certain extent, Li Xiuyuan had been isolated.

Yet Li Xiuyuan couldn't care less. He simply went over his revised manuscript one more time, printed it out using the office printer, and then confirmed the time and place for the evening gathering with his university classmate.

During lunch, Wang Zhitao and Li Boyang finally managed to sit with Li Xiuyuan.

"Xiuyuan, how did your talk with Wu Yiyi go last night? Is she willing to help you figure something out?" Wang Zhitao asked in a lowered voice while eating.

"I didn't ask her for help," Li Xiuyuan shook his head.

"You..." Wang Zhitao sighed.

In the afternoon, Li Xiuyuan grew somewhat distracted. As it neared five o'clock, he packed up a file, told Wang Zhitao, "Brother Wang, I'm heading out to other offices to get some signatures. I'll leave a bit early," and stood up.

"At this hour, you..." Wang Zhitao was momentarily stunned before realizing Li Xiuyuan was leaving early. "Fine, go ahead. If the leadership asks, I'll tell them that."

Li Xiuyuan nodded, packed his belongings, headed straight for the bus station, and managed to catch the very last 5:00 PM bus heading to Zhongbei, the provincial capital.

Buying a ticket and boarding the bus, Li Xiuyuan finally let out a long sigh of relief.

The distance from Huangyuan County to the provincial capital of Zhongbei wasn't particularly far—only about one hundred to nearly two hundred kilometers. How long the trip took depended entirely on how fast the driver went. If the driver pushed hard, they might make it in an hour and forty minutes; if they took it slow, it could take two hours.

Back then, bus station regulations weren't as strict as in later generations. Later on, coaches were equipped with GPS tracking, and there were strict speed limits for passenger buses on highways—any speeding would trigger an immediate warning from the dispatch center. But at this time, there was no such thing; it all depended on the driver's mood.

Fortunately, the driver's mood seemed quite good today, driving at a steady, moderate pace. At 6:40 PM, the bus arrived at the provincial capital's bus station. Stepping out of the station, Li Xiuyuan hailed a taxi directly to the address Kang Yuxuan had sent him.

Arriving at the destination, Li Xiuyuan got out of the taxi and looked up. The restaurant's storefront looked quite decently decorated. He walked inside and called Kang Yuxuan.

Kang Yuxuan emerged from a private dining room almost immediately.

"Ah, Xiuyuan, old classmate! Long time no see, long time no see!" Kang Yuxuan's face beamed with smiles.

"Old squad leader, long time no see! I've missed you a lot. Look at you, still just as handsome—truly living up to your name as our class's heartthrob," Li Xiuyuan said.

"Haha, come on now! We're neck and neck, a regular Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang of our time," Tang Yuxuan joked.

Pleasantly exchanging greetings, the two of them sat down in the private room—which was actually just a semi-enclosed booth.

"What are you up to these days, old classmate?" Kang Yuxuan asked with a smile while pouring tea for Li Xiuyuan.

This was typical of adults who had entered society: the very first question out of their mouths was about one's current job. If they valued classmate bonds a bit more deeply, the opening line would usually be, "What brings you to Zhongbei?"

"I'm working at the county government office," Li Xiuyuan said, handing Kang Yuxuan a cigarette.

A flash of surprise crossed Kang Yuxuan's eyes. After looking at Li Xiuyuan, the smile on his face grew even warmer. "Doing well for yourself, huh? Working in the government office—the two offices and one committee are the most powerful departments in the county. When you become a leader someday, don't forget us old classmates!"

"Oh, old squad leader, you're just making fun of me. I'm just scraping together a living and looking for stability," Li Xiuyuan hurriedly replied with modesty.

"By the way, when are you and your girlfriend from the neighboring class getting married? Don't forget to notify us old classmates when you do. I'll organize all our classmates here in the provincial capital to come over and liven things up for you," Kang Yuxuan asked with a smile.

Hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's expression turned bitter. He had known this question was coming. With a helpless sigh, he said, "We broke up."

"Broke up? What happened? You didn't pull one of those classic moves people talk about—ditching your partner the moment you secure a stable job, did you?" Kang Yuxuan asked, seemingly joking yet sounding quite earnest.