Although these two text messages reassured him, they were very much in the style of the news broadcast, similar to the way in which the leadership informs the people about everything from environmental pollution to economic trends.
'Sister, I'm done!' He stuffed the bowl of rice in one go.
'Hey, you're eating another bowl of rice? I cooked so much rice and fried so many dishes,' Feng Yuxuan shouted from her seat.
Huang Jingping's phone rang for a long time before it was answered. "I knew you'd call. I was just looking for a place to park," she said, her tone of voice indicating that she was quite relaxed, as car and people noises and the howling of the cold wind by the river could be heard in the background.
Feng Yiping repeatedly emphasises that holding the phone with one hand while holding the steering wheel with the other is a recipe for disaster. If you really die, it's fine, but I'm afraid that if you survive, you'll be disfigured.
Neither of these two things is acceptable to Huang Jingping, so she is very conscious of this and never answers the phone while driving.
'Back home so soon? Have you had lunch?' Feng Yiping doesn't dare to ask directly how the meeting went.
'We talked for over an hour, and it was all very good. We didn't fight as soon as we met. You can rest assured!' Huang Jingping of course knew why he was so anxious to call.
'Why would I worry about that? Don't you know me?' Feng Yiping smirked, 'It's just that you guys are all so diplomatic, that's why I wanted to ask.'
'Oh, what did she say?'
'The content is exactly the same as yours.'
'Haha,' Huang Jingping chuckled softly at the other end of the line, 'That's not bad at all, it was just a friendly and calm meeting,'
Well, that's even more in the style of the news broadcast, similar to an exchange of views on hot international and regional issues of common concern in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, and a number of consensuses have been reached.
Of course, Feng Yiping also understands that, specifically, they are unlikely to say anything, but the fact that Huang Jingping can still laugh now is a very good result.
'Okay, drive carefully on the way, and call me when you get home.'
Later, when he tried to call Zhang Yan, it didn't go so well. He called three times and sent a text message within forty minutes, but she didn't answer or reply. Maybe she was busy with something? Feng Yiping comforted himself.
'Brother, where are you going this afternoon?' Feng Yuxuan came over and knocked on the door.
'Take me to Youjia,' where there were more people and things to do.
In fact, there aren't many things that require his attention at the end of the year, as he is mostly dealing with summary work and the distribution of salaries and benefits. He has already authorised Jin Ling to sign for many documents that originally required his signature.
He came today to help Jin Ling share some of the workload. She is really busy, and after the 25-person staff meeting here, she can't even attend the dinner gathering, and has to rush back to the capital overnight. Before the holiday, she, as the person in charge, has to make an appearance.
'Here, take these,' Jin Ling quickly and efficiently divided some from the table and gave them to Feng Yiping. 'In the few days since I've been back, I've only had one lunch with my father, and he says I'm busier than him.'
Jin Ling complained, but she was in a good mood. This was a workaholic woman of strength.
'Of course you're busier than him. Director Jin only oversees some matters in one province, but you oversee five provinces, one municipality directly under the central government, and one special administrative region,'
Jin Ling shakes her head. In front of unfamiliar people, Feng Yiping doesn't say much, but in front of acquaintances, he is even more quick-witted than a girl.
The office is not very soundproof, and the lively atmosphere outside can be clearly felt. Feng Yiping is also familiar with this atmosphere. When the company is about to go on holiday and there is still no word on whether bonuses will be paid, even the most negative and lazy employees will suddenly become motivated. It's like a final sprint, and after it's over, a holiday awaits.
What's more, there's also a bonus before the holiday! So whether they're talking on the phone or with colleagues, they're all speaking in a very cheerful tone. This atmosphere is particularly infectious.
'Have a sip,' Jin Ling makes her own coffee and doesn't forget to top up Feng Yiping's cup. She's the same. In front of people she doesn't know, she's a bit like an iceberg. In front of acquaintances, she's actually a pretty normal girl who's very attentive.
Feng Yiping was about to crack a joke or two when his phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number. 'Hello,'
came a somewhat familiar laugh. "Yiping, can you hear who it is?'
The voice was familiar, but Feng Yiping couldn't quite place it. "You are...,'
'I'm Lin Hui,' and she didn't let him guess any longer.
'Lin Hui, hello! It's been years, how's the family?'
It really had been a long time since he and Lin Hui had last seen each other. It had been almost five years since they graduated from junior high school. He had heard some news about her in the meantime, but they had never met. Lin Hui had gotten married when Feng Yiping was in high school, so she should have children by now.
'Everyone is doing well, of course, but they can't compare to you,' Lin Hui's laughter over the phone sounded a little more sincere than usual.
'Not at all,' it's not easy to talk about these topics between old acquaintances. If you don't say it right, people will think you're arrogant and forget your roots once you become successful. 'We're all family, we know our own business. I just seem to be doing well.'
'Haha, you're still so humble. By the way, my husband and I are in the provincial capital now. Do you want to meet up? Is that convenient?'
'Of course it's convenient, it has to be convenient,' just because he called Lin Kaiming his aunt, no matter how busy he was, Feng Yiping had to make time for her.
'Really, then we'll come to you, where are you now?'
Feng Yiping was waiting under the office building when he saw a white two-boxed Fukang drive up. Lin Hui, wearing a red coat, and a man with black rimmed glasses got out of the car, and that must be her husband.
Lin Hui was delighted to see Feng Yiping waiting downstairs. 'You've grown so tall in just a few years, and you've blossomed into such a handsome young man! By the way, this is my husband, Wang Chenglin.'
'Hello, Yiping. Lin Hui has told me a lot about you. It's really not easy to build such a successful career at such a young age!' Wang Chenglin extended his hand to him.
Compared to Lin Hui, Wang Chenglin was much more reserved. Perhaps it had something to do with his accounting profession, as he didn't seem to be a person who was good at expressing his feelings.
'Hello,' Feng Yiping shook his hand. "We're all family here, so let's not stand around chatting, shall we? Let's go upstairs,'
'Yes, I haven't seen your company yet!'
'Yiping, you're being too frugal," Lin Hui sighed when she saw how crowded the office was.
'Haha, I'm always against spending a lot of money on renting office space, but it'll be fine by the second half of the year.' In the second half of the year, some departments can be moved to the hotel to work.
Lin Hui looked at the busy scene in the office and knew that Feng Yiping was also busy. After chatting about the latest developments in the small meeting room for ten minutes or so, she came straight to the point and told Feng Yiping why she had come.
'Yiping, here's the thing. My husband has been working in the south for a while now, and his work is quite good and his income is OK. It's just that his parents are getting older and it's not good for them to live far away from home, so we're planning to come back. But it's hard to find work with the same income as there, so we want to do something on our own. We have an idea, so just tell us. Chenglin,'
'I saw such an opportunity and would like to ask Yiping for your help,' Wang Chenglin said very humbly.
'Don't say that, I definitely don't know as much as you do, but you can tell me your idea and we can exchange ideas,' Feng Yiping originally thought that Lin Hui wanted Wang Chenglin to come here for a job, but now it seems that this is not the case.
'Yiping, as you know, more and more companies are being registered these days, but in the end, some people spend a month or two trying and still can't get it done. So agency registration companies came into being, and they're doing quite well. After I got back, I took a look around the city and found that there are agency companies, but only a few. I think this is an opportunity,'
Lin Hui continued, 'We came today because we really want you to help us check it out. Also, if you think this is a good idea, we don't have enough capital. You know, registering a company requires an advance payment. We've done the math and we need at least 500,000 yuan to get started. After deducting all the expenses of starting a company, we only have less than 200,000 yuan on hand, and we still have to mortgage our house to get that together, so we want to ask you to think of a way.'
This is really a difficult problem.