Chapter 13: Can Only Smash Into the Wall
Jia family residence, 9 a.m.
Jia Shengnan was still sitting in the same spot as that day, his slightly chubby body leaning into the wide, luxurious sofa, his face filled with an enthusiastic smile.
Lu Yuan sat properly across from him, smiling faintly without speaking.
In comparison, Jia Xuanxuan’s expression was far more colorful—anger, resentment, and deep confusion all mixed together.
The anger came from the phone call this morning, where she had been inexplicably humiliated by Xiaobing. The resentment was because she didn’t want to see Lu Yuan at all, yet her dad forced her to stay and accompany him.
As for the confusion—there was just too much of it.
On her dad’s side, why would he formally invite a poor student to the house? That was extremely rare. A few days ago, Lu Yuan had come to the Jia house too, but that was only to pick up review materials. That was completely different from today’s formal invitation.
On Lu Yuan’s side, what did this attitude of completely ignoring her even mean? Jia Xuanxuan knew Lu Yuan had always liked her. Before, she found it annoying that Lu Yuan kept staring at her and wished he would never look at her again. Now that he truly wasn’t looking at her anymore… she found it even more irritating.
Women… sigh.
What puzzled Jia Xuanxuan the most was what exactly her father and Lu Yuan were playing at.
They weren’t discussing anything at all. The two of them were drinking tea while watching TV.
On the TV was a melodrama about rich housewives tearing each other apart. Two grown men watched it cheerfully for over an hour!
“Xuanxuan, pour more tea for Lu Yuan.”
“Me?!”
Jia Xuanxuan wanted to refuse, but her father shot her a fierce glare. Left with no choice, she unwillingly poured another cup for Lu Yuan.
“Little Lu, come, try this tea. This is top-grade Needle Hao from my personal collection. You can’t even buy it outside.”
Jia Shengnan greeted him warmly. Lu Yuan nodded lightly in response. He lifted the exquisite purple clay teacup; the tea was clear and bright, indeed as Jia Shengnan said—a fine tea.
“Not bad,” Lu Yuan said after taking a small sip, then set the cup down.
“Little Lu, you know tea too?”
“I don’t understand tea. But if President Jia says it’s good tea, then it must be good.”
“Haha!”
“Hahaha!”
Jia Shengnan laughed outwardly, but inside he was cursing. This student was really hard to deal with!
Just as Lu Yuan had expected, Jia Shengnan wanted the exclusive rights to sell the zongzi. After last night ended, Aunt Zhang, the store manager, had given him a detailed report.
Before Lu Yuan arrived, Jia Shengnan already had a plan: treat him well with food and drink, say some flattering words to make the kid float with pride, and finally take out ten thousand or so as compensation to settle the matter.
Jia Shengnan believed there was nothing wrong with this approach—and in fact, there wasn’t.
In the food industry, individual dishes don’t really have patent rights. If you can make stir-fried greens and tofu, so can I. Just because you made it first doesn’t mean I copied you.
In reality, Jia Shengnan could have simply continued selling the zongzi without consulting Lu Yuan. It wouldn’t be illegal, but it would damage his reputation. For a large chain like Shiweixuan, they couldn’t act so carelessly.
Besides, Lu Yuan was his daughter’s classmate, so there was at least a slight connection.
That was the reason Jia Shengnan invited Lu Yuan over early in the morning.
But when he saw Lu Yuan arrive in formal attire and insist on calling him “President Jia” instead of “Uncle Jia,” he knew things wouldn’t be simple.
And sure enough, this student was completely impervious!
If you joked with him, he joked right back. Jia Shengnan praised Lu Yuan as a once-in-a-generation genius, and Lu Yuan praised Jia Shengnan as an outstanding dragon among men.
Jia Shengnan rubbed his temples in frustration. This feeling—it was like facing his business rivals.
Were students these capable nowadays?
He glanced at his daughter sitting to the side, still fuming, radiating a kind of pure stupidity.
…Alright, it seemed Lu Yuan was just special.
After all, Lu Yuan had lived two lives. In his previous life, he had spent decades struggling in the food industry and knew all the ins and outs. Treating him as a mere student had already put Jia Shengnan at a disadvantage.
On the TV, two housewives were arguing loudly.
“You’re a stupid pig!”
“You’re the stupid pig!”
The noise annoyed Jia Shengnan, so he picked up the remote and switched the channel.
Ningcheng TV was broadcasting a Dragon Boat Festival program. The content was precisely about the zongzi that had just appeared in Ningcheng yesterday and had already sparked a whirlwind trend today.
On screen, reporter Ding Lin introduced:
“Dear viewers, that was just a live report from our field reporter. In less than a day, this novel food—zongzi—has already become widely known throughout Ningcheng.
There are rumors that in ancient times on Earth, people ate zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Regarding this claim, we are fortunate to have interviewed Mr. Fang Daozhang, director of the Ningcheng Cultural Center, to discuss this matter.”
The screen showed an elderly expert with a full head of silver hair.
Ding Lin asked:
“Director Fang, did ancient people eat zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate Qu Yuan?”
“Whether they ate flatbread or zongzi to commemorate Qu Yuan cannot be confirmed,” the old man said seriously while holding a zongzi toward the camera. “However, zongzi as a food did indeed exist in ancient times.
Scholars have found scattered references to the word ‘zongzi’ in very ancient records.
Based on contextual analysis, it is believed to be a kind of food.
But what exactly it looked like—no one knows.”
Ding Lin smiled and asked, “Is it possible that it looked like what you’re holding now?”
“Very possible! Very possible that ancient people on Earth held something like this to commemorate Qu Yuan!” the expert said excitedly. “The archaeological community is already in an uproar!”
…
Jia Shengnan nodded. “Not bad, Little Lu. The food industry hasn’t even had time to react yet, but the archaeological world is already shaken.”
Lu Yuan smiled awkwardly. This was definitely beyond his expectations.
“Little Lu, I’m actually quite curious—how did you recreate the ancient method of making zongzi?”
Lu Yuan calmly made something up. “I read some ancient books and added a bit of my own ideas.”
Jia Shengnan sighed, suddenly showing a trace of genuine emotion.
“Lu Yuan, I’ll be honest with you. I’ve been in the food business for so many years, and I never thought one day I’d be associated with the great poet Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan is the poet I admire the most. Right now, I feel both honored and a bit overwhelmed.”
Lu Yuan nodded in agreement. He did believe part of what Jia Shengnan said.
Qu Yuan was indeed one of the greatest poets in the history of their people. Later generations should remember him with reverence.
Jia Shengnan wasn’t finished. Closing his eyes as if reminiscing, he said:
“Qu Yuan’s poetry carries a kind of simple, pure emotion that is deeply moving.
My favorite is his poem ‘Quiet Night Thoughts’…”
Lu Yuan: ???
Suddenly inspired, Jia Shengnan gently swayed his head and recited:
“Before my bed, the bright moonlight,
I suspect it is frost upon the ground.
I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon,
I lower my head and think of home.
What a great poem!”
Lu Yuan stood up, walked straight to the wall, and began smashing his head against it.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Jia Shengnan and Jia Xuanxuan were shocked and exclaimed in unison, “Lu Yuan, what’s wrong with you?!”
“The poem is too good. I got too excited and needed to calm down,” Lu Yuan said with a dry laugh. He adjusted his hair and calmly sat back down. “Let’s continue.”
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and then Add to home screen.