Chapter 553 – Women at forty!
Afternoon.
Ping An Street Restaurant.
Chu Qinghua jumped when he heard Geng Yuehua and Madam Yan had arrived. He quickly dragged his son and daughter-in-law out to welcome them. Geng Yuehua had entered the restaurant, and she was not wearing Dong Xuebing’s suit. She must have changed this morning. The suit she is wearing now looks good on her, and the middle-aged woman beside her looks average.
Many people stood up to welcome them.
Chu Qinghua smiles and apologizes. “Sorry for not receiving you at the entrance as I don’t know you are coming.”
The bride and groom look restrained. They had sent an invitation to the District Government, but they thought the Leader would be too busy to attend. That’s why they are panicking.
Dong Xuebing also did not expect the District Mayor to appear, but who is that Madam Yan? He asked Wang Yuling. “Director Wang, who is Madam Yan?”
Wang Yuling replied softly. “She is my aunt.”
Your aunt? Does that mean she is the District Party Secretary Wang Anshi’s wife?!
Dong Xuebing is surprised to know the District Mayor and the District Party Secretary’s wife had come to attend Chu Qinghua’s son’s wedding. He must have strong backings, or his Subdistrict had achieved outstanding results, and the District Government is giving them special attention. In contrast, Guang Ming Subdistrict looks like they had been forgotten. They had followed the District Government’s orders to crack down on illegal buildings, and they were almost punished for doing that.
Many people start to crowd around Geng Yuehua and Madam Yan, and Dong Xuebing doesn’t want to join them. He went to the restroom to wash his hands and face, as he was feeling tipsy from the glass of alcohol he drunk earlier.
One minute….
Two minutes….
Three minutes….
Dong Xuebing returned to his table after coming out of the restroom.
“Mayor Geng, Madam Yan. If I know you two are coming, I will not start the banquet so early.” Chu Qinghua said.
Geng Yuehua waved her hand with a straight face. “It’s alright.”
Madam Yan smiles. “Oh, carry on with what you are doing, and you don’t need to accompany us. Yuehua, let’s sit here.”
Wang Yuling smiled sweetly and held Madam Yan’s arm. “Aunt, I will accompany you.”
“You ah….” Madam Yan smiles.
Dong Xuebing returned to his table and greeted them. “Mayor Geng, Madam Yan.”
Geng Yuehua nodded without saying anything.
“This is?” Madam Yan had never met Dong Xuebing before.
Geng Yuehua replied. “Guang Ming Subdistrict Office’s Director Xiao Dong.”
“Oh…”
Madam Yan might have heard of him and nodded.
After exchanging some pleasantries, everyone returned to their seats. Geng Yuehua and Madam Yan insisted each other sit at the central position. It was settled after the waitress brought another chair to the table. Both of them are sitting in the central position, and they start chatting. Dong Xuebing is quiet at the table and does not join other people’s conversations. He didn’t know anyone and sat there observing everyone.
Wang Yuling spoke the most at the table. She chatted with Madam Yan and addressed her as Aunt openly. It seems that she doesn’t mind others knowing they are relatives. This is also because she only wants to past time at the Subdistrict Office and is not ambitious. That’s why she doesn’t hide her relationship with the District Leaders to prevent gossips.
Geng Yuehua is talking to Pang Zhengyi. Compared to the time she faced Dong Xuebing, she has more things to say to him. When Dong Xuebing overheard their conversation, he almost burst out laughing. They are not chatting, and she is talking about the District Investment Promotion Agency’s target. That’s right. She is not interested in chatting with others. But how can you talk about work at a wedding banquet?
Pang Zhengyi was sitting upright and kept nodding. Dong Xuebing felt Pang Zhengyi might be from Geng Yuehua’s faction.
“Dad.” The groom asked his father. “Should we change the dishes at this table?”
Chu Qinghua nodded and called the waitress over. “Replace all the dishes at this table with new ones. Bring the menu over.” The guests had eaten the food at this table, and he could not let the District Mayor eat their leftovers.
The dishes were cleared, and Chu Qinghua passed the menu to Madam Yan and Geng Yuehua to order.
Madam Yan laughed. “Those dishes are fine. Why did you remove them? I also don’t know what the rest are like. Let Yuehua order.”
Geng Yuehua doesn’t like to waste time. “Each of us will order one dish.”
“Ok.” Madam Yan flipped the menu. “I will order Green Dragon lying in Snow.”
Geng Yuehua looks at the menu and orders a dish called Volcano in the Snow.
Wang Yuling and Pang Zhengyi ordered Phoenix Dance and Yellow Crane Flying Off. These dishes have fanciful names.
Dong Xuebing looks at the menu on his turn and is amused. The menu shows the pictures of the dishes, and Green Dragon lying in Snow is just cucumbers with white sugar sprinkled on it. Volcano in the Snow is a tomato appetizer, and Phoenix Dance is a roast chicken. Yellow Crane Flying Off is a lotus and chicken soup. He flips to the next page and sees a picture of a dish. It looks like a snow mountain with chili flacks on it, but he doesn’t know the ingredients. The name of this dish is called Women at forty. He thought for a while. Geng Yuehua is in her thirties, approaching forty, and Madam Yan is in her forties. This is a good dish.
“Women at forty.” Dong Xuebing ordered as he felt this should be a nourishing dish for women around this age.
The other Leaders looked at Dong Xuebing and felt he was sucking up to Geng Yuehua and Madam Yan.
The waitress took down their orders and left.
Five minutes….
Ten minutes….
Twenty minutes….
The dishes are served.
When Dong Xuebing looked at the table, he noticed something that made him speechless. The alcohol glasses of all the Leaders, who were drinking before Geng Yuehua came, were gone except for his. Some had switch to fruit juice, and he was the only one with some alcohol in his glass. They must have gotten the waitress to remove their alcohol glasses when he went to the toilet earlier.
Damn!
Why didn’t you all remove all the alcohol glasses?!
Are you all trying to get me in trouble?
It is a weekday, and everyone still has to work in the afternoon. The Government Service had rules on drinking during office hours. Dong Xuebing can tell that the other Leaders are not afraid of Madam Yan. They are afraid of District Mayor Geng. Although drinking at a wedding banquet is fine, and Geng Yuehua will not penalize them, it shows she has high prestige in Nan Shan District. Everyone knows her working style, and that’s why they removed their alcohol glasses in a hurry.
By doing this, they are putting Dong Xuebing in a spot.
If everyone is drinking at his wedding banquet, it will be fine. But Dong Xuebing is the only one with a glass of alcohol there! It is too obvious!
Luckily, Chu Qinghua came over with the bride and groom to offer a toast
The groom is not good with words. He raised his glass and said. “Leaders, Elders, I will offer you all a toast.”
Chu Qinghua scolded. “You must offer a toast to everyone personally.”
“Huh? That’s right.” The groom walks over to drink with Madam Yan and Geng Yuehua.
Geng Yuehua picks up her cup. “I have a meeting this afternoon. So, I will drink tea.”
Chu Qinghua doesn’t dare to reject, and no one dares to force the District Mayor to drink.
Dong Xuebing saw everyone is looking at the groom. He quickly finished the alcohol in his glass and poured tea into it.
Ding… ding… ding…. The sounds of glass knocking continue.
“Congratulations.”
“We wish you a harmonious union lasting a hundred years!”
“I am working this afternoon, and I will drink tea too.”
The groom had drunk with them earlier, but after Geng Yuehua and Madam Han came, he had to offer toast again to show his respect.
Dong Xuebing finished his glass of tea and sat down to eat.
Eh? What is this? Dong Xuebing almost spat out the food. It tasted gross, but he forced himself to swallow it. He took a spoonful of food from a greyish dish garnished with chili and spring onions earlier. It looks good, but it tasted gross. Who ordered this?!
Pang Zhenyi also tried this dish, and he frowned immediately.
Madam Yan saw his reaction and did not take food from that plate. The rest also avoid that dish.
“Is this Mapo Tofu?” Pang Zhengyi asked.
Chu Qinghua looked closer, and his face changed. “I think this is soybean pulp. I don’t remember this dish is on the menu.”
A Leader shook his head. “No one ordered this.”
Chu Qinghua waved a waitress over and pointed to that dish. “Take that away!’
Soybean pulp?! How can you all serve such things to my guests?!
The waitress is stunned. “We served based on what you all ordered, and all the dishes are correct.”
Pang Zhengyi shook his head. “No one ordered this dish. Please remove it.”
The waitress suddenly said something shocking. “You all did order this dish. This dish is called Women at forty.” Her voice got softer towards the end, but everyone heard her!
Madam Yan’s face changed!
Geng Yuehua immediately frowned!
Dong Xuebing’s face turns green!
Damn! This is the dish I ordered?!
Women at forty?! Women at forty are soybean pulp?!
Damn! Are you all trying to get me into trouble?!
Translator’s notes: This is a Chinese saying: Men at forty are flowers in bloom, women at forty are soybean residue.
