Zhou Xuan asked in surprise, "Who is it?"
"You'll know when you get here. Anyway, we're friends," Fu Yuanshan replied with a smile, but he refused to say which one it was.
Zhou Xuan answered Fu Yuanshan on the phone, then said to Fu Ying and Jin Xiumei, "Mom, Yingying, I'm inviting Brother Fu to dinner. Yingying, would you like to come along?"
"I'm not going. I'll stay home with my mom. Besides, I feel so sleepy today, and my whole body aches," Fu Ying replied casually. Suddenly, she realized what she had said and her face turned red. However, she secretly glanced at Zhou Xuan, Jin Xiumei, and the others and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was paying attention to her.
Zhou Xuan was just asking because he thought it would be better if Fu Ying stayed with her mother instead of going. After what happened, her mother hadn't had much time to recover and would need more time. Fu Ying was sensible and gentle, and Jin Xiumei especially liked and doted on her. It would be better for the two of them to be together than for him to stay at home, so there was no need to worry too much.
Fu Ying wasn't worried about Zhou Xuan either, because it was Fu Yuanshan who invited Zhou Xuan over, and Fu Yuanshan would never take Zhou Xuan there or have him do anything dangerous.
Zhou Xuan was not familiar with the roads in the capital, so he did not drive there, but took a taxi. After getting in the car, he told the driver the destination, and the driver drove directly to the destination.
Zhou Xuan didn't have time to look at the scenery while in the car. He was terrible with directions, and even if he had been to a place several times, he would easily get lost when he went there again.
Thinking about the events of the past few days, Zhou Xuan had a headache. Since returning home, apart from the incident involving his mother, things had indeed been much calmer and more peaceful.
Zhou Xuan didn't know who else Fu Yuanshan had to eat with, but he guessed they were his capable subordinates. After all, they had done a lot of work on his mother's matter yesterday, so it was only right for him to treat them to a meal.
The taxi ride took an hour. Zhou Xuan hadn't expected Fu Yuanshan to choose such a remote place, ten kilometers outside the city. The place was secluded, with lush forests on both sides, and vegetable fields could be vaguely seen behind the trees.
This is a resort, but Fu Yuanshan is not at the resort, but at a farmhouse restaurant next door.
The restaurant looks quite large, with a very spacious area, but it is all single-story bamboo and wood buildings that resemble mountain farmhouses, giving people the feeling of entering a deep mountain countryside.
As soon as Zhou Xuan parked his car in the courtyard of the farmhouse restaurant, a waiter came out to greet him. Zhou Xuan paid the fare first, and then turned around to ask the waiter for directions.
The waitress, a woman in her thirties, asked with a smile, "Boss, how many of you? What would you like to eat?"
Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "I have a friend here, a Mr. Fu. May I ask..."
The waiter said "Oh," and quickly added, "Oh, you're Mr. Fu's guest. Please follow me." He then immediately led the way.
The waiter's actions and attitude were quite different from those of waiters in big hotels, but Zhou Xuan found it more natural because the waiter seemed unpretentious and easygoing, which gave people a sense of security.
No matter how you look at it, this restaurant gives Zhou Xuan the feeling of a "green food" restaurant with a sign in a supermarket. The waiter led Zhou Xuan through several alleys, far away from the restaurants outside. Even the waiters rarely passed by, making it extremely quiet.
The waiter stopped in front of a door with a green curtain hanging over it, then turned to Zhou Xuan and said, "This is the room, sir. Please make yourself at home."
Zhou Xuan smiled and nodded, then lifted the curtain and entered the room. Sure enough, there were only two people in the room: Fu Yuanshan and Wei Haihe.
Zhou Xuan was stunned, never expecting that the person Fu Yuanshan was referring to was Wei Haihe. After a moment of hesitation, he stammered, "Secretary Wei... Secretary Wei."
Wei Haihe's expression was quite stern, but he smiled and waved to Zhou Xuan, pointing to the chair next to him and saying, "You're not from the government office, and I'm not working here either. Hehe, just call me Second Uncle, it'll sound more comfortable."
Wei Haihe indeed did not treat Zhou Xuan as an outsider. In the Wei family, Wei Haihe was actually the most valued son of Old Master Wei. The third son, Wei Haihong, was a playboy and had already passed away. Although the eldest son had achieved a high position, his personality, understanding, and calm attitude in the face of problems were far inferior to Wei Haihe. Therefore, Old Master Wei always regarded the second son, Wei Haihe, as his successor.
The old man naturally told Wei Haihe everything, especially his high regard for Zhou Xuan. The old man repeatedly instructed Wei Haihe that although Zhou Xuan was just an ordinary person, his special ability could save the Wei family. Although he did not want his relationship with Zhou Xuan to be so utilitarian and did not want to exchange survival for benefits, that was the reality.
The old man told Wei Haihe to treat Zhou Xuan as the most important person in his family from now on. Wei Haihe was far more profound than his older brother Wei Haifeng. He had always admired and respected the old man's insight and ability. He figured that someone the old man valued so much must be extraordinary. Therefore, Wei Haihe paid close attention to Zhou Xuan's affairs. For example, he deliberately brought up Fu Yuanshan, giving him some conveniences in a subtle way.
If it weren't for some things Wei Haihe did in secret, how could Fu Yuanshan have been promoted so smoothly?
At this moment, Fu Yuanshan had become the one with the lowest status in the small house, taking the initiative to pour tea and add water.
Seeing Wei Haihe smiling at him, Zhou Xuan immediately smiled back and replied, "Then I won't stand on ceremony, Second Uncle."
"Hey... Xiao Zhou, let's not talk about some things between us. I've never really cared much about our children's affairs, haha. Since we're here for dinner, let's not discuss those serious topics."
Wei Haihe waved his hand and said with a smile, "Little Zhou, sit down, sit down..."
Zhou Xuan sat down next to him, and Fu Yuanshan poured him a cup of tea. He then smiled and said, "Brother, you can't blame me, can you? I wanted to tell you first, but Secretary Wei wouldn't let me. So I had no choice but to obey. Hehehe, Secretary Wei, please have some tea." Although Fu Yuanshan tried his best to calm himself down, he really couldn't stay calm when he was with the municipal party secretary, especially in such a private setting.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Second Uncle, Brother Fu, why did you think of coming all the way here to eat?"
“Of course, it’s because this place is remote and not well-known. Secretary Wei’s biggest requirement is that it be remote and quiet.” Fu Yuanshan replied while lifting the glass kettle and pouring water into the teapot.
The more casual Wei Haihe was, the more uneasy Fu Yuanshan felt. He wanted to act more naturally, but the person in front of him was the municipal party secretary, his superior. How could he act naturally?
However, Wei Haihe's friendly and casual words made Fu Yuanshan feel much more relaxed, and Fu Yuanshan also seemed to have made arrangements so that the restaurant would serve the dishes as soon as Zhou Xuan arrived.
The dish was very ordinary; it was just a large bowl, and inside, when the lid was lifted, was a whole steamed chicken.
Of course, this was only what Zhou Xuan thought was ordinary. In fact, it was not ordinary at all. This chicken was not an ordinary chicken, but a "Princess Chicken" raised in the deep mountains. As the name suggests, you can tell that this chicken is precious. Ordinary chickens are either fed with feed or native chickens. Feed chickens are the cheapest, costing only about ten yuan per kilogram, while native chickens are much more expensive, costing about forty or fifty yuan per kilogram. But the "Princess Chicken" that was served was more precious than Zhou Xuan could have imagined.
These chickens are generally not raised very large; an adult chicken weighs only about three to four pounds. A single chicken costs around two thousand yuan, and each pound is worth seven or eight hundred yuan, making them truly "princess chickens."
The waiter served three small dishes of dipping sauce and then introduced them to the three people: "This Princess Chicken is specially raised by us on the mountain. It's basically self-produced and sold directly. It's very rare and expensive in the market; you can't buy it even if you have the money. The chicken is steamed using a secret method. Please try it."
This "Princess Chicken" is a whole steamed chicken, not cut, so it seems to be torn by hand and then dipped in sauce before eating. Fu Yuanshan chuckled and tore off a chicken leg, placing it on the plate in front of Wei Haihe, saying, "Secretary Wei, the restaurant's customs can't be changed overnight, so let's do as the Romans do and tear it by hand. Let's pretend we're savages and try it out."
Fu Yuanshan then tore off another chicken leg and placed it on Zhou Xuan's plate, saying, "Brother, give it a try, it tastes pretty good."
Then, pointing to the other garden vegetables served by the waiter, he said, "Try these vegetables too. They are all grown and freshly picked from the fields here. They are absolutely organic food, and from planting to now, not a single pesticide has been added to them."
Zhou Xuan laughed and said, "Big brother, you gave your two legs to me and second uncle, so what will you eat?"
Fu Yuanshan waved his hand and said, "I've been here many times and eaten here many times, but Secretary Wei and Brother, this is probably your first time here, isn't it?"
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Volume 1, Chapter 529: If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth.
Chapter 529 If a man doesn't look out for himself, he'll be punished by heaven and earth.
Although Zhou Xuan had experienced many things and possessed extraordinary abilities, he had very little time to talk with Wei Haihe, having only met him once or twice in total, so he felt there was nothing to say to him.
In ancient times, Wei Haihong was a high-ranking official of the first or second rank. It was already remarkable that a commoner like Zhou Xuan could remain calm and unafraid, let alone eat and drink with him. Zhou Xuan was more at ease with the two old men. Li Lei treated him like a brother, but now that his son had become his brother-in-law, the title had been forcibly changed. Zhou Xuan never felt the slightest bit constrained when he was with them.