HCB Chapter 197 Dongcheng District
Chapter 197 Dongcheng District
He secretly admired Mr. Zhao, who was indeed very wealthy and powerful, buying a villa as easily and casually as picking out cabbages at the market.
After all the formalities concerning the three villas were completed, the clock had already quietly struck noon.
So, Zhao Yuan, Zhou Jiefang, and Wen Haibo drove to the "Zhao's Kitchen" restaurant.
At this time, Wen Haibo had already arrived and had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as he entered, Zhao Yuan greeted him with a broad smile:
"I really owe a huge debt to Premier Wen's great help today, which allowed me to successfully purchase these three properties. And since this is my property, I absolutely have to treat everyone to lunch today. Please don't try to take it from me!"
His excitement and joy were palpable in his words.
Just then, the store employees saw Zhao Yuan and Zhou Jiefang enter the store and greeted them warmly:
"Hello, Mr. Zhao! Hello, Mr. Zhou!"
Upon hearing the greetings, Zhao Yuan and Zhou Jiefang smiled and nodded slightly in response to the employees.
Immediately afterwards, store manager Shang Kun and Jiang Yunfeng quickly stepped forward and respectfully asked:
"Mr. Zhao, Mr. Zhou, do you have guests at noon today?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan smiled and introduced:
"This is Mr. Wen Haifeng, General Manager of 'Hucheng Minghua Architectural Decoration Company.' His younger brother, Wen Haibo, had already reserved a table. However, I'll be treating everyone to lunch today!"
"Alright, Mr. Zhao. Please come this way, Mr. Wen."
Shang Kun quickly agreed to Zhao Yuan's instructions, while politely greeting President Wen and leading them to the room that Wen Haibo had booked.
Along the way, everyone chatted and laughed, creating a particularly harmonious atmosphere.
After a morning of lively exchanges and conversations, the relationship between Zhao Yuan, Zhou Jiefang, and Wen Haifeng quickly warmed up and became exceptionally close and friendly.
Around noon, the atmosphere at the lunch table was harmonious, filled with laughter, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal!
After a satisfying meal, the three left the restaurant and got into their car to continue their journey.
This time, they were heading to Dongcheng District. Fortunately, Wen Haifeng, who was traveling with them, was a native of Shanghai and had lived in Dongcheng District since childhood. He was a veritable "living map" of the area.
With him as their guide, Zhao Yuan and Zhou Jiefang were able to gain a more in-depth and comprehensive understanding of Dongcheng District.
As the car entered Dongcheng District, the scene that unfolded before one's eyes made one frown.
This area is a typical example of a dirty, chaotic, and substandard area:
The streets were narrow and crowded, littered with garbage; the houses were dilapidated, some even on the verge of collapse; sewage flowed freely, and a foul odor permeated the air…
Worse still, due to its low-lying location, the area is frequently flooded every spring and summer, leaving large tracts of land barren and abandoned.
Speaking of Wen Haifeng's family situation, it is truly heartbreaking.
His parents both passed away from illness during that special era, leaving his elderly grandmother alone to look after their old home.
Although Wen Haifeng and his younger brother Wen Haibo had already purchased a brand-new and comfortable house in Dongcheng District, their grandmother was unusually stubborn and insisted on not leaving the old house where her ancestors had lived for generations.
After all, this place holds too many memories and emotions for the elderly. As people get older, they become more attached to their hometown and are reluctant to give up that deep feeling.
Fortunately, her filial granddaughter Wen Yunfang often takes time to return home to keep her grandmother company, bringing her some warmth and comfort.
Before setting off, the thoughtful Zhao Yuan specially brought out a box of instant noodles and a box of ham sausages from his own "Zhao's Kitchen" and placed them in the trunk of his car for emergencies.
When they arrived at Wen Haifeng's house, Zhao Yuan and Zhou Jiefang parked the car at the door and quickly unloaded a box of instant noodles and several bags of sausages from the car.
As soon as Zhaoyuan stepped through the gate, he spotted his grandmother sitting in the main room. He greeted her with a broad smile and said:
"Hello, Grandma! My name is Zhaoyuan, and I'm a good friend of Wen Haifeng. I've come all this way to visit you today, and I'm sorry to trouble you! These are just some small trinkets I made myself; they're nothing special, and I hope you won't mind!"
Hearing the sound, Grandma looked up at Zhaoyuan, her face immediately breaking into a kind smile, and quickly replied:
"Oh my, it's Haifeng's friend! Come in and sit down! I'm so happy that you could come and visit an old woman like me. What did you bring?"
Although he said that, his eyes were full of joy.
Grandma muttered to herself as she slowly stood up and walked toward the kettle, preparing to boil water and make tea for the guests.
At this moment, Wen Haifeng quickly stepped forward to support his grandmother and whispered:
"Grandma, you rest, I can do these things!"
After saying that, she carefully helped her grandmother back to her favorite chair.
Immediately afterwards, Wen Haifeng turned around, picked up the kettle, and skillfully began to boil water.
Seeing this, Zhaoyuan quickly went over to help, while continuing to find topics to chat with his grandmother:
"Grandma, look how healthy you are! You're so blessed!"
Grandma smiled broadly upon hearing this, nodding repeatedly and saying:
"Yes, thank goodness! My grandchildren are all very filial and treat me so well! Haifeng, you're so busy with work, you don't need to always worry about coming back to see me. As long as you're safe and sound, Grandma can rest assured! By the way, didn't Yunfang say she was coming back yesterday? Where is she?"
"Yunfang has been temporarily assigned to a business trip out of town due to work needs, and she should be back in a couple of days. This gentleman is Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhou, who have come all the way from Beijing. You may not know this, but the well-known advertising slogan, 'Zhao's Foods, everyone on Earth knows, delicious,' refers to the products produced by Mr. Zhao's family!"
Wen Haifeng enthusiastically introduced it to his grandmother.
Upon hearing this, Grandma's eyes lit up, and she turned to Zhaoyuan, asking curiously:
"Oh? So 'Zhaoshi Foods' is yours?"
With a friendly smile on his face, Zhao Yuan quickly nodded in response:
"Yes, Grandma, it's from our family. I brought you some of our homemade Zhao's instant noodles and Zhao's ham sausages to try."
As he spoke, he handed the gift bag he was carrying to his grandmother.
Grandma happily accepted the gift bag, her smile beaming from ear to ear: