Chapter 304: A New Reason to Ask For Leave
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
Yuan Zhou heaved a sigh dumbly in the heart and let his thoughts wander freely for a while. After that, he stopped the random thoughts and started to prepare the dishes earnestly.
After a short moment, the dishes ordered by Li Jing and her intimate friend Yuan Er were done.
It was also Yuan Zhou himself who carried the dishes to them, this time.
"Here are the dishes for you two. Please enjoy." Yuan Zhou set down the dishes and said courteously as usual, but not gently at all.
"Wow. Yuan Er, see? This cook is so manly." Seeing Yuan Zhou turn around, Li Jing said at Yuan Er’s ear secretly.
Her tone was filled with teasing.
"A Jing! Why are you talking nonsense, again?" Yuan Er pinched Li Jing lightly, discontentedly.
"He’s really handsome and seems a little familiar, as if I knew him before." Li Jing was a little puzzled.
"Stop it, please. So much food cannot even get your mouth stuffed? Remember, we still have something to do after the meal. Haven’t you been looking forward to the dishes for a long time?" Yuan Er said while pointing at the delicious dishes on the table.
"Ok, ok. Let’s hurry then. I’m quite expectant." Li Jing turned her attention back to the dining table and became expectant of the delicacies.
"Humm Humm. Let’s eat." Yuan Er nodded the head.
After that, they started to eat.
The first dish that Li Jing started to eat was naturally the Egg Fried Rice Set.
"There’s surprisingly no egg and not even the chopped green onions, yet the color is golden yellow. Is it really that delicious as described?" Li Jing was a little puzzled. Having searched for the place so hard, however, she would definitely give it a try.
She scooped some up with the spoon and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Yum, the taste is so good." With a twinkle in her eyes, Li Jing gasped in admiration instantly.
Then, she started to eat the dish like the wind puffing the clouds away. The same went for Yuan Er at the side.
The two beautiful girls ate the dishes cooked by Yuan Zhou quickly and appeared quite satisfied.
Meanwhile, they occasionally savored the aftertaste and heaved a sigh of admiration in a low voice.
"Yuan Er, this Dongpo Pig Knuckle is super tasty. Why don’t you taste it? Don’t always try vegetable dishes." Li Jing generously shared some of the dish with Yuan Er.
When girls got delicious things, they always liked to share with her friends, therefore the two girls started to feed each other.
While cooking at the side, Yuan Zhou cast his eyes on them from time to time.
There was slight distance, but his gaze contained more memories of the past. However, it didn’t look like he was missing any person, but a particular period of old days.
Like other ordinary customers, Li Jing and Yuan Er left after they finished the meal. Yuan Zhou didn’t speak another sentence to them.
Neither did he go to remind Li Jing that they were actually the classmates once upon a time and they knew each other.
Even if Li Jing seemed to be leaving for a faraway place and they might never meet again in future.
As a matter of fact, Yuan Zhou could have gone up to her and told her about his former affections on her. After all, the invitation card was precious. But he didn’t. Li Jing might have already forgotten that she once had a classmate called Yuan Zhou who once had an unrequited love towards her.
Yet, this was just what Yuan Zhou wanted. "It’s my business to like you and you don’t need to know."
Just like right now, the reason why Yuan Zhou wanted to see Li Jing was actually for a farewell and a reminiscence, of which Li Jing needn’t know.
After the two of them left, Yuan Zhou was lost in thought while looking at Li Jing’s figure from behind her, but he recovered to the normal state in an instant.
He probably didn’t really like Li Jing, but just liked the feeling of loving a girl secretly.
Having stayed calm, he finished the business hours for lunch as usual.
A moment later, Zhou Jia wiped the tables and chairs, washed the duster and hung it.
Only then did she turn around and say to Yuan Zhou who had been idling, "Boss, I’m leaving. See you in the evening."
"Humm. Goodbye." Yuan Zhou answered habitually.
"Bye." Zhou Jia nodded the head earnestly and then turned around, preparing to leave.
"Wait. You don’t need to come this evening." Yuan Zhou suddenly said that.
"Ah? Why?" Zhou Jia instantly asked in surprise.
Then she began to think what she had done wrong and why Boss Yuan suddenly told her not come to work.
Her complexion and nerves immediately became taunt.
"I mean I have something else to do this evening and the restaurant won’t be open. But your salary remains the same." Seeing the shocked expression of Zhou Jia, Yuan Zhou then reacted and explained to her.
"Do I need to write the Leave Request for you?" Zhou Jia let out a sigh of relief and then asked calmly.
"No need. I can manage it myself." With a frown, Yuan Zhou thought for a while and refused her.
"Boss, I’m leaving now." Zhou Jia knew that her boss wouldn’t change his decision easily, thus she left flat.
"Ok, go ahead. Don’t be late tomorrow." Yuan Zhou instructed her as usual.
After Zhou Jia disappeared in his sight, Yuan Zhou went upstairs and took out a blank A4 paper and then prepared to write a reason for leave.
As a principled person who had decent moral integrity, he would always give a good reason every time he asked for leave.
"Got it. This holiday is good and I should have a rest." Yuan Zhou checked the holidays of every country on the particular day earnestly and then chose one at the first glance.
The touch of the pen point and the paper emitted a sound of "Shua Shua Shua". After that was the reason for leave that was written neat and orderly on A4 paper.
[As it’s the International Reporters Day today, I decide to take half a day off to show my respect to the journalists. Furthermore, I will compensate you guys with a night BBQ, which starts at 12:00 midnight and ends at 2:00 a.m.]
The signature was naturally Yuan Zhou himself. This time, he specially added a line at the bottom, [We reserve all the rights for the final explanation.]
Yuan Zhou had always believed that these few words were quite principled and complied with his taste very much.
"Alright. Now I have to look for someone." Looking at the Leave Request on the table contentedly, Yuan Zhou took out the phone and muttered to himself.
"Who shall I get?" Yuan Zhou checked the contacts in his phone and felt rather worried.
Due to his isolated character, Yuan Zhou didn’t like interpersonal communications. Actually, he liked to have fun with himself. Therefore, there weren’t many people in his contacts.
"Sun Ming is running the store, so he can’t. And KFC is working now." While looking through the names in his phone, he ruled out the candidates one by one.
Then, he saw a person whom he had only contacted once, Jiang Changxi.
"Is this the phone number I kept last time because of Shen Min?" Yuan Zhou thought carefully.
Thinking of Shen Min, Yuan Zhou remembered that Jiang Changxi seemed to take the same taxi to come and leave every time. They were supposed to be familiar with each other.
Yuan Zhou hesitated for a while when he thought of the usual teasing manner of Jiang Changxi and then dialed the number.
The phone was answered soon. It was put through on the first beep.
Before Yuan Zhou said something, however, Jiang Changxi uttered first with a smiling tone.
"Such a rare visitor. Are you calling to tell me that you are prepared to try my new mattress?"
"Cough cough. I have a proper matter to ask you." Yuan Zhou tried to keep a taut face and make his voice more solemn.
"Whoops. Boss Yuan, you are not asking me to pick up a girl again, are you? It’s the day time." There was an apparent teasing tone in her voice.
"No, I want to ask the taxi driver that you know well of to drive me to Meishan. I’ll come back before 10:00 in the evening." In order to keep himself from being teased, he immediately brought out his purpose.
"So simple?" Jiang Changxi was a little surprised.
"Humm, yes." Yuan Zhou nodded the head subconsciously while taking the phone.
"I can help you if you don’t mind me going with you?" Jiang Changxi answered without any hesitation.
"Are you also going to Meishan?" Yuan Zhou wouldn’t believe that she was going there to accompany him and hence guessed.
"Yes. I have something to collect there." Jiang Changxi was fairly serious when she talked business.
"No, I don’t mind. But I want to go right now." Having thought for a while, Yuan Zhou didn’t feel any problems with the carpool.
"Ok. We are going to your restaurant to pick you up now." Jiang Changxi straightforwardly hung up the phone after she said that.
"This woman surprisingly hangs up the phone quicker than me. Luckily, I called her." Looking at the phone that was hung off, Yuan Zhou felt rather lucky.
Since he needed to go out in no time, Yuan Zhou took the Leave Request and walked to the entrance. He first looked around and then took out the paper with glue on its back and directly pasted it on the door.
"Done." After that, Yuan Zhou pulled down the door quickly as if he had practiced the actions again and again. After the door was shut, he said that breezily.
At the other side, Jiang Changxi called Master Bai to drive her to Yuan Zhou’s restaurant.
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