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He Wenyuan has been acting increasingly outrageously lately.

In the past, they would secretly curry favor with Suning, serving tea and water, massaging shoulders, and at least they would find a pretext.

Now, she's completely stopped pretending and follows Su Ning wherever she goes.

When Suning inspected the Gulou store, she was also at the Gulou store; when Suning held a meeting at the Qinhuai store, she was also at the Qinhuai store.

No one knows where He Wenyuan found out about the itinerary, but as soon as Su Ning arrived, she followed closely behind, even more closely than a secretary.

On one occasion, in a shop warehouse, He Wenyuan took advantage of the fact that no one was around and actually hugged Su Ning.

She directly used her youthful body to seduce Su Ning, saying, "Brother Ning, I like you."

"Wen Yuan, do you know what you're doing?"

"I know! I'm willing to do anything as long as I can be with you, Brother Ning."

"Stop it! Wenyuan, I have no feelings for you and I would never do anything to betray Maixiang."

"Brother Ning, am I not pretty?"

"Wen Yuan, we're not right for each other. I'm not the right person for you."

"..."

Su Ning pried He Wenyuan's hands off and then left the warehouse.

The main reason was that Su Ning knew how extreme He Wenyuan's personality was, and she didn't want to get involved with a woman who wasn't quite right in the head.

There are so many beautiful women in the world, there's really no need to make trouble for yourself.

……

However, the people in the shop aren't blind; after a while, who wouldn't notice?
"He Wenyuan wants to be Mrs. Su, doesn't he even look in the mirror and see what he looks like?"

"The boss's wife treated He Wenyuan well, paying him a high salary and providing good benefits, but she repaid kindness with enmity."

"President Su is a good person in every way, except he's too soft when it comes to women. Anyone else would have gotten rid of this girl long ago."

Suning wasn't unaware of the situation, but rather too embarrassed to confront them directly.

He Wenyuan is He Wenhui's younger sister. Back then, Yu Qiuhua begged him for help, and he agreed. Now that he's driving her away, what do Yu Qiuhua think? What do He Wenhui think?
What will my relatives and friends think?
People won't say He Wenyuan is shameless; they'll just say that Suning has become successful and no longer recognizes its people.

They might even turn around and accuse Suning of trying to take advantage of He Wenyuan, which would definitely cause them a lot of trouble.

Suning isn't afraid of offending people, but it's not worth offending people over something like this.

Su Ning could only temporarily avoid going to the store where He Wenyuan worked or to any other place where she might appear.

But Nanjing is only so big, and there are only a few stores, so where can they hide?

Ultimately, with no other option, Suning went directly to Shanghai to personally take charge of developing the East China market.

……

Yang Maixiang had been holding back for quite some time.

After all, she wasn't the type of woman who got jealous easily, nor was she the type who was unreasonable.

When Suning is out socializing and having meals with female clients, she never asks him anything.

Suning brings his female assistant on business trips, and she never checks her records.

The main reason is that Yang Maixiang trusts Su Ning. Despite his smooth talk, Su Ning is sensible and knows what he should and shouldn't do.

But He Wenyuan is different.

This girl isn't some random outsider; she's a friend of the family, and she got in through connections.

If you don't keep her under control today, she might dare to climb into your bed tomorrow.

Yang Maixiang had seen and heard about this kind of thing many times, and she knew that this matter could not be delayed any longer.

That night, Su Ning returned from Suzhou, exhausted. After taking a shower, she went straight to sleep.

Yang Maixiang was not asleep. She sat in the living room and dialed He Wenhui's phone number.

He Wenhui answered the phone, her voice languid, as if she had already lay down.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Yang Maixiang went straight to the point: "Wenhui, are you aware of your sister Wenyuan's situation at the shop?"

He Wenhui was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

Yang Maixiang recounted everything in detail, without embellishment or exaggeration, simply telling He Wenhui what she saw, heard, and felt.

He Wenhui remained silent for a while on the other end of the phone before finally saying, "I understand, I will keep an eye on her."

"If you can't handle this, I'll have to fire her."

Yang Maixiang hung up the phone and sat on the sofa, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

This time, she wasn't there to complain or to interrogate anyone; she was there to give He Wenhui a heads-up.

If your sister continues to cause trouble like this, she's not only losing face for herself, but also for you, He Wenhui, and for the entire He family.

If this causes a huge uproar, who will look good?
……

The next day, He Wenhui went to the Drum Tower branch of the Imperial Kitchen of the Ming Dynasty and found He Wenyuan.

The two sisters went straight to the small warehouse behind the shop. "Wen Yuan, you should resign! The Imperial Kitchen of the Ming Dynasty is not suitable for you. You should find another place to work."

He Wenyuan looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot. "Why? I've been doing a good job, why should I leave? I haven't made any mistakes, and I haven't caused any losses to the store. Even President Su hasn't said I should leave, so why should you?"

He Wenhui took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, "Wenyuan, stop pretending. Do you think others can't see what you're thinking about Su Ning? You're not ashamed, but I am. He's a married man with a wife and children. You're just a girl who hasn't left home yet, and you're always clinging to him. What will others think of you? What will they think of our family?"

He Wenyuan's tears fell. "I'm shameful? How am I shameful? I like him, I pursue him, that's my business, what does it have to do with anyone else? That wild girl Yang Maixiang can marry him, why can't I?"

He Wenhui was so angry that her hands were shaking. "Wenyuan, are you out of your mind? There's no way you can be with him. Give up on him."

He Wenyuan wiped away his tears and sneered, "Sister, leave me alone. Just take care of yourself. You don't need to worry about me. Aren't you doing just fine? Li Jianbin treats you well, your mother-in-law doesn't bother you anymore, your job is easy, and you don't have to take care of the kids. Just live your life and leave me alone."

He Wenhui opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Looking at my sister's stubborn face, I suddenly felt a deep sense of unfamiliarity.

This wasn't the younger sister Wen Yuan she knew, nor the little girl who followed her around calling her "sister."

Wen Yuan has grown up and has his own thoughts and ideas, which she can no longer control.

"Wen Yuan, you don't have to leave. But remember, if anything happens in the future, don't blame me for not warning you."

He Wenyuan didn't reply and turned to leave.

He Wenhui stood at the warehouse entrance, watching her sister's figure disappear at the end of the corridor. She stood there for a while before turning around and leaving.

……

When Li Jianbin got home, he was watching TV when he noticed He Wenhui's pale face. "Wenhui, what's wrong? You look so pale."

He Wenhui shook her head, "It's nothing!"

Then He Wenhui went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, held the glass in front of the window, and stared blankly at the night outside.

She recalled what Yang Maixiang had said on the phone, and how Su Ning had helped Yu Qiuhua treat her eyes and found jobs for Wen Yuan and Wen Tao.

She suddenly realized that she owed Su Ning a lot.

But she couldn't pay it back, and her sister was still causing trouble for others.

He Wenhui didn't know what she could do, and perhaps she couldn't do anything at all.

He Wenyuan neither resigned nor changed his ways. He still worked in the store, still served tea and water and massaged shoulders, exactly the same as before, even more excessive than before.

It's like she's deliberately going against He Wenhui. You don't want me to do it, but I'm going to do it anyway, and it's none of your business.

……

When the news reached Yang Maixiang's ears, she didn't make any more calls.

She is now disappointed in He Wenhui, not because she is disappointed that He Wenhui cannot control her sister, but because she is disappointed that He Wenhui has not taken the matter seriously at all.

You talked to your sister for ten minutes, but she wouldn't listen, so you gave up?

That's your own sister. Why don't you say a few words to her, scold her a few times, or slap her a couple of times?

Yang Maixiang is not He Wenhui, and she cannot control He Wenyuan.

All you can do is take good care of your home and your man.

As for He Wenyuan, let her do whatever she wants; Su Ning won't even glance at her.

Yang Maixiang knew this better than anyone else.

However, Su Ning couldn't stand it anymore and fired He Wenyuan directly.

Furthermore, they completely severed ties with the He family, and the two families no longer needed to have any contact.

……

By the late 1980s, Daming Imperial Kitchen had already opened hundreds of branches in East China.

From Nanjing to Shanghai, from Suzhou to Hangzhou, from Wuxi to Ningbo...

The red signboard of the Imperial Kitchen of the Ming Dynasty can be seen everywhere on the commercial streets of major cities in Jiangnan.

Three central kitchens were built: one in Nanjing, one in Shanghai, and one in Hangzhou. Each one occupies dozens of acres and employs thousands of people.

Suning's name began to appear in various newspapers and magazines, with titles such as "private entrepreneur," "reform pioneer," and "restaurant king" appearing one after another.

Yang Maixiang had two children, the eldest being a son named Su Chen, and the second being a daughter named Su Yao.

Su Chen is like Su Ning; he doesn't like to talk, but he likes to think things through. When he was eight or nine years old, he could use a calculator to help the store with the accounts, adding up the numbers column by column, and he could calculate faster than the cashier.

Su Yao is like Yang Maixiang, outgoing, loud, and always laughing. She runs around the store, and all the staff know her.

Suning bought a detached villa in Nanjing at the foot of Zijin Mountain, with trees, flowers and a lawn in the yard.

Yang Maixiang wasn't used to living there at first; she felt it was too big, too empty, and that her voice echoed.

After living there for a while, I got used to it and thought it was quite nice. The children could run around freely in the yard, and there was a place for guests to stay.

Liu Hongchang was still working in the second canteen. He rose from cook to squad leader, and from squad leader to deputy director of the canteen, managing both the second and third canteens and dozens of people under his command.

But Liu Hongchang still couldn't forget He Wenhui. He still didn't talk much, still didn't like to interact with people, went home after get off work, cooked, and waited for his wife and children to come home to eat.

Liu Hongchang's wife was laid off from the textile factory and stayed at home to take care of the children. The family of four squeezed into a small but clean two-bedroom apartment allocated by the factory.

Later, Yang Maixiang hired Liu Hongchang's wife to work in the Ming Dynasty Imperial Kitchen.

Yang Maixiang gave birth to a son for him, whom she named Liu Nian.

Liu Hongchang also treated his daughter, who came with his wife, well. He spent money on her and bought her the things she needed to buy, treating her equally.

He Wenhui worked her way up to deputy section chief in a government agency, working nine to five every day and having weekends off. Her life was regular and uneventful.

Li Jianbin rose to the position of section chief in a public institution, but he had many social engagements and was often away from home.

The two had no conflicts and didn't talk much; they were like two parallel lines, each going their own way.

He Wentao rose from apprentice to deputy workshop director. He was skilled, popular, and highly regarded by his superiors.

After we got married, my wife became the factory's accountant.

He Wenda is still in school and has good grades; he has always been the hope of the He family.

He Wenyuan is still single.

She worked in the imperial kitchen of the Ming Dynasty for several years before being fired by Su Ning, who could no longer tolerate her.

Later, I went to another restaurant, worked there for a while, and then quit again. I kept jumping around, never staying in one place for long.

I've had two boyfriends, but neither relationship lasted.

He Wenhui introduced several potential partners to He Wenyuan, but He Wenyuan didn't like them, and they didn't like her either. After being picky for so long, she was still single even in her thirties.

Yu Qiuhua is still alive, over seventy years old. She is a little hard of hearing and her legs are not very nimble, but she is in good spirits and watches TV at home every day.

When Wen Yuan sometimes went back to see her, Yu Qiuhua would nag, saying, "You're not young anymore, hurry up and find a partner."

Wen Yuan remained silent throughout.

Suning saw Liu Hongchang again at the 15th anniversary celebration of Yangzi Petrochemical.

When Suning returned as a special guest, he was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair was neatly combed, and his leather shoes were shiny.

Liu Hongchang was busy in the second canteen and couldn't leave, so he didn't go to the main venue.

Suning took a walk around the second canteen. The stoves were still the same, and although the pots and pans had been replaced several times, the smell of cooking oil was still the same.

Liu Hongchang stood behind the stove cooking, his apron covered in oil splatters and his forehead beaded with sweat, just like he had been more than a decade ago.

"Hong Chang," Su Ning called out.

Liu Hongchang turned around and saw Su Ning, then paused for a moment. "You're here? Sit down, I'll cook you two dishes."

Su Ning didn't sit down; she stood by the stove watching him cook.

Liu Hongchang's skills haven't been lost; his wok-tossing technique is still as nimble as ever, and his control of the heat is still as precise as ever. He sprinkles in just the right amount of salt.

Liu Hongchang served the dishes and placed them on the table. He also opened a bottle of wine, and the two sat down.

Su Ning raised her glass and clinked it against Liu Hongchang's. "How have you been lately?"

Liu Hongchang took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, "It's alright. My son is in kindergarten now, and he's doing well, ranking among the top students in his class. My daughter graduated from vocational school and is working as a sales clerk in a shopping mall; she's doing quite well."

Suning nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The two drank three glasses of wine without saying a word.

Liu Hongchang wasn't the talkative type, nor was Su Ning. The two quiet people sat together, drinking in silence, and then went their separate ways.

After leaving the factory, Yang Maixiang waited for Su Ning in the car. "How's Liu Hongchang doing lately?"

"Not bad! Just look a lot older, all my hair is white."

Yang Maixiang sighed, "Liu Hongchang is a man who never competes or fights in his life. He's always a step behind others in everything. He was like that when he was pursuing He Wenhui. If you had pulled him out of the second canteen a few years earlier, he wouldn't be like this now."

Suning didn't reply and started the car.

As the car drove onto the main road, the streets of Nanjing became much wider, and the plane trees were taller and denser than they had been a decade or so ago.

The red sign of the Imperial Kitchen of the Ming Dynasty was lit up at the corner of the road ahead, with white characters on a red background, and could be seen from a distance.

There was a long, winding queue at the entrance; it was lunchtime again.

Just like ten years ago, nothing has changed, yet everything has changed.

...(End of this chapter)