Chapter 280: Chapter 280: An Invitation to a Banquet
"Lili has a good eye. If you all don’t work hard, the Song Family might just surpass our Xi Family in a couple of years."
Old Sir Xi chuckled as he praised his granddaughter, making his niece, Xi Siya, very jealous.
She was eighteen and had just finished her college entrance exams. Surpassing Xi Li had always been her driving motivation.
Xi Li’s father had used a guaranteed admission slot to send her to a university in the Imperial City. This year, the Xi Family’s slot had gone to Siya’s own second older brother.
That meant she had to rely on her own merits to get into a university in the Imperial City. But Heaven rewards the diligent, and she finally managed to get into Imperial University.
She had chosen an arts major, so the required score was relatively low, but she had made the cutoff all the same.
Xi Siya spent the entire summer at home practicing the piano and dancing, completely oblivious to the world outside.
She didn’t know anything about some Su Shuochi, the Song Family, or the Xiao Family. She shot Xi Li a hateful glare.
Feigning surprise, she asked, "Ms. Lili, have you taken a liking to one of the talented young men from the Song Family?"
"I know! It must be Song Zijie. He’s incredibly handsome and very capable..."
Uncle Xi’s eldest son, Xi Guobing, blabbered on. He admired Song Zijie, too, but he idolized Su Shuochi.
A blush crept onto Xi Li’s face, but she didn’t deny it. She had, in fact, taken a liking to Song Zijie.
Seeing her cousin blush beet-red, Xi Siya knew she’d guessed right. This time, however, she didn’t feel a shred of jealousy.
She knew that the second son of the Wen family liked Xi Li, and she, in turn, liked the Wen family’s second son. He was handsome and had already accomplished so much at such a young age.
"Ms. Lili, if you like him, you should be bold and go after him."
"Haha... Our Siya is all grown up. She’s even teaching her older cousin how to chase after love now," Old Sir Xi laughed, clearly pleased.
"Grandpa~ What are you saying~" Xi Siya whined playfully, her mood light.
Old Sir Xi roared with laughter at her response. He loved seeing his children and grandchildren getting along harmoniously.
As the Xi Family was discussing him, Song Zijie was talking with his parents about their own family’s future development.
Although no official documents had been released, Gu Jiaojiao had already told him that the state-owned restaurants and department stores in the Imperial City were already being privatized under a contract system.
In a year, at most, the state-owned restaurants and department stores in Qing City would also be opened up to private contracts.
His eldest uncle was in charge of Qing City’s department stores, and his father managed the state-owned restaurants. Once the contract system was implemented...
...then his father would surely contract several of the large restaurants and enter the hotel and catering sector.
"Zijie, is this true? They’re really going to allow private contracts?" Uncle Song asked, seeking confirmation.
"Dad, it’s a hundred percent true. My sister-in-law met some major players in the Imperial City, and the privatization process has already started there."
Song Zijie said, full of confidence. While the information had indeed come from Gu Jiaojiao, the part about her meeting important people was just his own guess.
What he didn’t know was that while Gu Jiaojiao had, in fact, met several influential people, the information about the contracts came from what her grandfather in her previous life had told her.
Her grandfather from her past life had built his fortune on this exact opportunity, and he often recounted the story to Gu Jiaojiao, reminding her to appreciate the good times by remembering the hard ones.
That’s why she remembered so clearly what major policies were implemented, where, and when.
"If it’s a sure thing, then let’s keep it quiet for now and just focus on gathering more funds. What about that medical equipment you invested in recently? Does it have a future?"
Uncle Song’s meaning was clear: if it had no future, abandon it so they could contract more restaurants when the time came.
"Dad, I haven’t used a cent of your money. My medical treatment didn’t cost you or Mom anything, either. So don’t even think about touching my funds."
Song Zijie didn’t tell his father that he and Gu Jiaojiao had already planned to take over the contracts for the two largest department stores currently managed by his eldest uncle.
"Haha, when the time comes, I’ll partner with Brother Su to get the contracts. Eldest Sister-in-law Su is so skilled she can train her own apprentices. We won’t even need to hire a head chef! Haha..."
"Zijie, your father has a good idea, but I’m not sure your grandfather will agree,"
Aunt Song said with concern. "It’s not that I want to pour cold water on his plans, but my gut tells me your grandfather will insist that the two Song brothers stick together."
"Mom, that’s a very good point. You really live up to your reputation from the Women’s Federation. But Grandpa is getting old.
Besides, my eldest uncle’s household is in constant chaos. Even if Grandpa wants to help them, they need to have some backbone of their own, don’t they?
When the time comes, I’ll get my sister and brother-in-law to invest with my eldest uncle. My brother-in-law’s side of the family isn’t interested in the restaurant business anyway."
"It’s getting late. Zijie, you’re still recovering from a serious illness, so you should get some rest. The annual exchange meeting is in a few days. Why don’t you take your two younger sisters this year?"
"Alright. Have Brother Su and his wife been invited?" Song Zijie asked.
It would be the first time in his life he’d attended such a gathering, and he’d feel more at ease if he knew some people there.
In previous years, his health had been too poor, so his grandfather had always taken Song Zijin instead.
"I’m not sure about that. It’s being organized jointly by the Xi Family and the Xiao Family," Uncle Song said. He himself was still just tagging along behind his father and older brother.
"Since the Xi Family is hosting, they’ll definitely invite Brother Su. Mom, Dad, I’m going to bed."
’I’ll go find Xi Guodong tomorrow and ask,’ Song Zijie thought.
「The next day at noon.」
Second Uncle Dong made a special trip to the Su family home, gifts in hand, to invite Gu Jiaojiao and her family to a wedding banquet.
This was the first time this particular uncle from the Dong family had ever visited the Su household. "Jiaojiao, your Second Uncle here is getting married again tomorrow. I’d like to invite your family to the reception."
Gu Jiaojiao had just finished an acupuncture session for the Ren family’s grandfather and was washing her hands after putting away her silver needles.
She looked at Second Uncle Dong, her eyes filled with confusion. ’I’m not close with the Dong Family at all!’
Dong Yuanyuan hadn’t even invited her to her wedding, though she hadn’t been home at the time. Gu Jiaojiao paused for a moment, then readily agreed.
"Second Uncle, getting married is a wonderful thing. Shuoci and I will be there tomorrow to celebrate with you."
"Thank you, Jiaojiao, for not holding a grudge and agreeing to come to my wedding with Su Shuochi."
Second Uncle Dong made sure to emphasize that Su Shuochi should come as well. He hadn’t expected his niece to agree so readily.
After all, they barely interacted. He had been reluctant to come, but in the end, he had braced himself and done it anyway.
After all, Su Shuochi’s power was undeniable! Who in all of Qing City didn’t want to get on his good side?
Second Uncle Dong’s primary goal was to invite Su Shuochi. He didn’t think Gu Jiaojiao had any capabilities of her own; she was just lucky enough to have married the right man.
He would be incredibly grateful if Su Shuochi could attend the wedding. He had even considered offering Gu Jiaojiao money to convince her.
Who would have thought she’d agree so readily? This made Second Uncle Dong take a second look at Gu Jiaojiao. ’She really is beautiful.’
"Jiaojiao, you’re getting more and more beautiful. So you’re both agreeing to come tomorrow?"
"Yes. Go on and get back to your business, Second Uncle. In our home, whatever Jiaojiao says, goes," Su Shuochi said, seeing Second Uncle Dong looking at him with eager eyes.
He didn’t like the way Second Uncle Dong looked down on his wife. Everything he had now was because of her.
But this uncle from the Dong family was a poor judge of character, and Su Shuochi certainly wasn’t going to correct him. It was better to let him remain mistaken; it would keep his wife from becoming a target of envy.
"Thank you, Jiaojiao. You two must come tomorrow," Second Uncle Dong said, thanking her sincerely.
