When Jiang He and Song Hui returned with the children, the three men had already returned to leaning against the railing in boredom.
Although it was not a big deal to let them know, it was very satisfying to be secretive and not tell them.
It was probably the bad taste of middle-aged men.
It was a very lucky thing to be able to do stupid things with his friends at the age of 30, just like in the past.
Seeing the three men smiling mysteriously, Jiang He and Song Hui were a little suspicious. However, they looked left and right and did not know what the three men were doing. They could only attribute it to the inexplicable happiness of the men.
Not far away, the sound of circus music could be heard. A group of people brought the children over to watch.
They had lunch at the zoo and played until the afternoon. The children were tired, but they still wanted to continue.
The lanterns were lit.
The streets were bustling with people and carriages.
"I might have superpowers."
Wang Zijun said with a solemn expression. "Or rather, it's a useless superpower."
"Didn't an expert say that most people have superpowers? It's just that they rarely discover it. For example, you have the ability to remember music scores, but you have never looked at them. You are a civil engineer, so this talent may not be discovered in your lifetime. Some people's talents are discovered, so they become experts in their respective fields."
Wang Zijun's words were very familiar. Xu Qing seemed to have seen it somewhere before. Thinking about it carefully, it was possible. For example, some people were very talented in music, some were naturally sensitive to numbers, and some were stronger than those who regularly went to the gym even if they did not exercise much.
Qin Hao frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Then … your superpower is to sit in a wheelchair?"
"No, my left knee sometimes hurts for no reason." Wang Zijun shook his head and pointed to the sky. "Then it will definitely rain the next day."
"This is called rheumatism. It's an illness," Xu Qing said.
"Oh, then it's fine."
Xu Shi 'an's wish to let Jiang He stew the goose did not come true. They walked around outside twice and chose a barbecue restaurant to eat.
"It's hard to even find a passable Chinese restaurant these days."
Wang Zijun complained. He didn't know when, but the streets were filled with all kinds of hot pot, grilled fish, and grilled meat franchises. If he didn't deliberately drive to look for them, he wouldn't even be able to find a few Chinese restaurants.
"Times are changing."
Xu Qing sat down and looked out of the window. The small shops of the past had all disappeared, and the streets were filled with all kinds of gorgeous signboards.
Rivertown was developing rather quickly.
"You have to accept it, or you'll be abandoned by the times," he joked.
"So what if we abandon them?" Wang Zijun handed the menu to the two women.
"Nothing much, it's just …"
Xu Qing paused for a moment and looked at the signboard of the grilled fish shop outside before continuing, "… I won't be used to it."
Subconsciously watching the development of Rivertown, he didn't feel too uncomfortable. It was only when he occasionally thought of the past that he realized that this city was gradually becoming unfamiliar.
"Will it be popular if I open one myself?" Wang Zijun was still missing his Twice-Cooked Pork.
"Are you stupid?"
"How am I stupid?"
"It's becoming less, which means that the market is like this. It's like buying a stock. Seeing that it's going to be capped, you excitedly rush over to buy the bottom. If you're not stupid, who's stupid?"
"I think you're just lazy." Wang Zijun didn't take it seriously.
"It's chosen by the market. You have to know how to cook to open a restaurant, right? From picking the lotus, helping the chef, and cooking vegetables, it'll take you five to eight years to become a master chef. Here, you only need to train for half a month, and the machine will directly cook the food and serve it to you. Which one do you choose?" Xu Qing turned his head and said.
"I'll hire someone."
"This kind of hot pot restaurant, anyone can leave. You hire someone who doesn't know anything to train for half a month, and they'll immediately get the hang of it. There's no difference in the taste. When you open a branch, you can just copy the template and quickly copy it. You hire a master chef from outside. It's fine without you, but it's not good without the master chef. He's more hardcore than you, and you have to worry that he'll quit. If you change the chef, the taste will change, and it'll affect the regular customers. Which one do you choose? "
"Is it so serious?" Wang Zijun stroked his chin and pondered.
"Let me put it another way. You have no education and no background. If you want to learn a skill, will it be more comfortable to go to the kitchen and be the grandson of the master chef for five to six years, or to train for half a month and get a salary of four to five thousand yuan and have a promotion channel?"
"A mature business model and an old model." Qin Hao understood and looked at the shop outside and praised.
"Why do you think so many stars like to open hot pot restaurants? They throw in ready-made ingredients, and anyone can do it. The dishes are served quickly." Xu Qing fiddled with the chopsticks. "This is what the capitalists have always been pursuing. They don't need to be constrained by the chef. Fast, standard, unified, and stable business model." He glanced at Wang Zijun. "You're a disgrace to the capitalists."
"You're the capitalist! You're the capitalist! "Wang Zijun didn't want to be hung on the lamppost at all.
Speaking of capitalists, his brother was the one.
"According to what you said, there's no more Chinese food."
"There will always be occasions. Formal gatherings, business dinners, we can't always have a group of leaders fishing in hot pot with chopsticks. We still have to stir-fry. The market is smaller, but it's more upscale."
Xu Qing glanced at the Xu siblings, who were drinking water from their cups, and shook her head. "When we were in school, we could enjoy a plate of twice-cooked pork, peanuts, and two bottles of wine by the side of the school. It's probably hard for them to enjoy that."
Qin Hao agreed and said, "I passed by our school the other day. Most of the snacks on the street have become spicy soup skewers, or fast food like braised chicken. Yuxiang shredded pork is not stir-fried anymore. I'll give you a spoonful from a big box. "
Occasionally, when he quarreled with Yu Li, he would turn on his phone and order takeout. It was all semi-processed fast food, and then he would go to Yu Li to admit defeat.
In a way, it was good for their relationship …
"Yes, semi-processed, duck leg rice, chicken leg rice, fast meal, standardized ingredients, unified production process, stable taste, this is the general trend." Xu Qing took a sip of tea and missed the tiny restaurants from back then. He hadn't eaten fried pancakes in a long time. He had to go to the corners of the old streets to find them.
"Society is improving. In fact, our generation has taken advantage of it. Our classmate in the past wondered why we didn't form a fast food culture like Murica. Instead, there were advertisements for New Oriental chefs everywhere. Things have changed now. It's been delayed for many years."
Speaking of advertisements, Wang Zijun also sighed. It was almost imprinted in his bones. When he said to learn to be a chef, he could immediately follow up with the second half of the sentence. It was the same for learning to be an excavator.
Looking at the advertisements now, there were all kinds of goods, franchises, and used car platforms to find jobs.
"I'm not used to it …"
"Are you guys planning to open a restaurant?" Song Hui asked casually. It was very strange. Women gathered together to talk about children, clothes, and cosmetics, but men were amazing. They could talk about everything excitedly, even if it had nothing to do with them.
"Just chatting." Wang Zijun shook his head. He took the menu from her and took a look. He added soup and two bottles of wine and called the waiter to hand it over.
"It's not just food. All other handicrafts, as long as they can be standardized, have this trend."
Xu Qing patted Xu Shi 'an's head and looked at his ignorant eyes. He sighed and said, "We have to let them study hard. In the past, we didn't have to study, but we could still learn a craft and eat all over the world. It was also amazing to become a master. Now, the situation of craftsmanship is getting more and more difficult. Most of them can only be screws."
"F * ck … Is this progress or regression?" Qin Hao thought of that kind of future and couldn't understand why the world was becoming more and more unfamiliar.
"The progress of society is to constantly improve efficiency."
The efficiency was very high. The ingredients in this shop were all half-processed and prepared. When they were directly placed in the oven and set, they could be served with a ding.
Now that the child had grown up, it was fine to drink a little wine occasionally. It was the New Year, and even Qin Hao made an exception to drink a little.
"You oily skin …"
"That's called UP." Xu Qing corrected Qin Hao. This guy still hadn't changed after so many years.
"Anyway, it's that thing. Now that the official regulations have been announced, it has affected you a lot, right?"
Qin Hao was talking about the issue of film editing. There had been rumors about it for a long time, but it had been delayed. Now, the official restrictions had been put in place.
"Of course … there will be some impact." He paused and smiled. "But it's mainly targeted at those who infringe on copyright, watch XXX in three minutes, and those who specially edit and repost the exciting scenes. Mine is still fine."
Xu Qing fiddled with the cup. In fact, it wasn't as easy as he said, but it had a big impact.
Although the restriction on video editing was to restrict copyright infringement, it didn't affect normal editing and creation. It would even encourage it. This was because it was a win-win situation. The film gained popularity and helped spread.
But the freedom of creation was gone.
The right to speak was in the hands of others. It was fine now, but they didn't want anything to happen. If they made a video to complain, it would have a big impact. They could get you legally.
This was a pair of shackles.
"Let's see how it goes. Anyway, I'm free for the time being," Xu Qing said.
"Why don't we build a wheelchair together?" Wang Zijun joked.
"You build it. I won't build it."
They clinked glasses. Next to them, Jiang He held a spoon and performed magic for the children.
"Look, just gently rub the spoon handle like this, touch it a few times, and then …"
Under the surprised gazes of the children and Song Hui, the spoon was easily bent by Jiang He with two fingers and then bent back.
"Amazing!"
"How did he do it?!"
"It should be …" Song Hui had seen this magic before. First, he took a spoon without a handle. Strictly speaking, it was half a spoon and hid it. Halfway through, she frowned.
Jiang He couldn't be carrying half a spoon like the one in this shop, could he?
Jiang He smiled mysteriously, his long hair falling over his shoulders.
"Magic is magic. Of course, I can't tell you."
"Tsk …"
Xu Qing secretly sneered. It was a magic trick, but hers was a bullsh * t magic trick.
He had bent the other party with pure strength.
Fortunately, the spoon in this shop was sturdy. Otherwise, he might have to pay for it.
It was rare for the three families to have a family dinner together. Everyone had their own work to do. Except for Wang Zijun, they didn't have weekend jobs, so it was difficult for them to find time at the same time.
Even without Qin Hao's wife, it was still harmonious. The children didn't have any conflicts with each other and played well.
In the end, Jiang He took out her bag to pay the bill. She was now a boss and a rich family.
"Look at this bag," Wang Zijun whispered when he saw Song Hui looking at Jiang He's bag. He took out his phone and showed it to her.
Song Hui glanced at it, uninterested. "It's so ugly."
"Twenty-six thousand."
"…"
Song Hui snatched the phone and looked at it seriously. She nodded and said, "You don't say. The more I look at it, the better it looks."
"I'll send it to you if you like it. Take your time."
"…"
Seeing Wang Zijun grimacing and rubbing the soft meat on his waist, Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh.
The group of people went out. It was already late at night.
As the cold wind blew, some of them bent over and some of them squatted down, covering their children's scarves and hats tightly.
"Why aren't you in the wheelchair?"
Xu Qing and Wang Zijun walked in front. Seeing that they had stopped to take care of the children, they stood there and waited for them.
"I don't sit often. I just play occasionally to satisfy my craving." Wang Zijun exhaled and searched for a cigarette. When he didn't find it, he remembered that it was the first day he had quit smoking.
After successfully quitting smoking for a whole day, he would reward himself with a cigarette when he got back.
The men all drank. Wang Zijun, who had ordered from the menu, sat in the front passenger seat and greeted them. Song Hui sat in the driver's seat and drove away.
Leaving Xu Qing and Qin Hao standing in the cold wind, they looked at each other and gave the car the middle finger.
Qin Hao bought a second-hand scooter. He usually rode it when he went out and only drove it when he took care of the children. Now he had no choice but to call a scooter with Xu Qing.
Jiang He watched Wang Zijun's car drive away thoughtfully.
"Should I learn to drive too?"
On the way back, Jiang He held the tired siblings in her arms and asked Xu Qing.
"If you want to learn, you can. I'll help you find a driving school. It's very convenient."
Although Xu Qing said so, he didn't think Jiang He would learn. When she learned that she had to memorize a whole notebook, she might mumble something like "Actually, learning to drive depends on fate. I'm not cut out for it …" and then leave it at that.
After drinking some wine, Xu Qing closed his eyes and rested in the car. When the car arrived downstairs, he realized that he had just taken a nap.
The brother and sister slept like pigs. They didn't wake up even when Xu Qing and Li Yunhong carried them to bed. After wiping their faces with towels and tidying up their bodies, the brother and sister rubbed their eyes while murmuring to themselves. Then, they tucked themselves into their respective beds, turned off the lights, and continued to sleep.
Jiang He came out of the living room and saw Xu Qing sitting in front of the computer, reading the web page about video editing again. After drinking, he didn't look as tired as he did on the road. His eyes were bright as he read carefully.
Even though he had read it many times, he was still so serious.
"It's time to take a shower and go to bed, right?" Jiang He leaned over and gently pressed his shoulders with both hands.
She knew that Xu Qing had been worried about this since last year. Otherwise, he wouldn't have drunk tonight.
"You go first. I'll sleep later."
"…"
Jiang He didn't leave. She silently squeezed his shoulders for a while, and her hands moved lower and lower.
"Heroine …" Xu Qing was helpless.
"It's time to rest." Jiang He rubbed her nose against his ear. "Be good."
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