The Su family had many people attending Su Ciliang's award ceremony, and their return was even more crowded. Grandma Su and Grandpa Su were startled.
"Why are so many people here? Did one of the kids cause trouble?" Grandpa Su's first thought.
Yu Ruiyuan introduced the guests to Grandpa Su. Grandpa Su, being a sensible person, knew these were important figures and busied himself with welcoming them.
Su Xiaotian chirped, "Grandpa, Mr. Wu here will get a fifteen percent discount at our restaurant from now on. I've already promised him."
Elder Wu was surprised that the little girl had actually remembered and promised him a discount. Well, fifteen percent it was.
Grandpa Su ushered the guests into a private room. Su Xiaotian served them tea and arranged some pastries and fruit.
Minister Gu exclaimed, "Yi Ming Ge's restaurant service is truly thoughtful."
"This girl, Xiaotian, always emphasizes customer service and repeatedly asks the staff to be attentive to guests." Minister Gu nodded.
In earlier years, restaurant attendants were quite solicitous. In recent years, service staff in state-run restaurants were often curt. Compared to Yi Ming Ge, it was no wonder business was booming. Just the smiles alone were enough to warrant repeat visits.
Meanwhile, Su Ciliang, after his initial bewilderment, was strongly urged by his brothers to treat them to ice cream. Su Ciliang readily agreed. He was now a person of considerable wealth, and a few ice creams were nothing. Well, not just a few, but over a dozen.
Half an hour later, all the Su children had an ice cream each. Xiao Mei, Xiao Gang, and Professor Huo were not left out. Professor Huo was included in the "children" category, and he was quite happy about it, as it meant he was still young. The other elders in the family felt that eating ice cream on a cold day was unnecessary hardship.
Elder Wu hadn't paid much attention to Su Xiaotian's discount offer, as the restaurant was far from his home, and he didn't foresee himself making a special trip to dine there. Although he enjoyed good food, he wasn't someone who indulged excessively. However, after his first bite, he was astonished to find that the restaurant's dishes were exceptionally delicious. No wonder so many people praised the food; the rumors were true. The Su family's restaurant offered a wide variety of dishes with excellent taste, something even state-run restaurants couldn't match. It was no wonder it stood out among the numerous restaurants that had sprung up like mushrooms in Beijing.
"Senior Brother, do you find the food here to your liking?" Yu Ruiyuan teased. She remembered her senior brother insisting on going to a state-run restaurant earlier, claiming it had a dish with a superb taste worth trying.
Elder Wu, savoring the delicious dishes, didn't want to talk to Yu Ruiyuan. What were junior sisters compared to exquisite cuisine?
Du Tonghe couldn't help but smile at his wife's rare playful expression. "Really, at this age, still so mischievous."
Minister Gu was even more amazed. He considered himself knowledgeable about food but couldn't quite identify the cuisine of these dishes. However, at this moment, the cuisine type was less important than the taste.
He Yuquan, being younger, was initially reserved upon meeting figures like Minister Gu, Elder Wu, and Elder Chi. He wanted to make a good impression to avoid embarrassment. However, these thoughts quickly vanished as the delicious dishes arrived. His eyes were solely focused on the food, wishing his chopsticks could move faster.
Besides the guests, seated with them were Chi Ge, Grandpa Su, Su Ciliang, and Professor Huo, who had taken it upon himself to host the guests. Professor Huo performed admirably throughout the meal, using all his skills to entertain the guests. Minister Gu chuckled at Professor Huo's solicitous demeanor. "This rascal, so this is how he acts when he sees a girl he fancies?" he mused. "I wonder how heartbroken those girls who fancy him but are not favored by him would be if they saw this." Professor Huo paid no mind. There were plenty of girls who liked him; thinking about them would be exhausting.
The meal was a delightful affair for both hosts and guests. After the meal, it was late. Minister Gu had other matters to attend to and made polite remarks about visiting again before departing. Elder Wu was truly reluctant to leave. Earlier, he was reluctant to leave the delicious food, but now he was reluctant to leave his junior sister. However, it was late, and he had to go home before his family worried. Professor Huo escorted Elder Wu out. He Yuquan was the last to leave, also with a sense of reluctance.
"Classmate Ciliang, I wanted to chat with you more, but I ended up freeloading a meal," He Yuquan said, looking a bit flustered.
"Teacher He, please visit again another day, and we can continue our discussion on the relationship between aesthetics and architecture!" Su Ciliang replied with a smile.
As the guests departed one by one, only family remained. Without outsiders, they could finally let loose, their excitement irrepressible.
Grandma Su happily exclaimed, "Ciliang, let Grandma see your prize money!"
Su Ciliang quickly covered his pocket. "Grandma, this money is for my expenses!" If the money went to his grandmother, it would surely be confiscated.
Grandma Su looked disdainfully at her stingy grandson and scolded, "You're so stingy. Do you think your Grandma is someone who is blinded by money?" Su Ciliang remained silent but thought, 'Aren't you exactly that kind of person? Doesn't everyone know you love money the most? Otherwise, with how much Yi Ming Ge earns, have you ever given Grandpa even a dime more?'
Eventually, Grandma Su took the money from Su Ciliang. As she felt the thick stack of "Da Tuan Jie" (a colloquial term for the 100-yuan banknote from the Mao Zedong era), she kept touching it, making Su Ciliang feel as though his money had grown wings and flown away.
Grandpa Su chuckled, "She's gone mad. You've seen Da Tuan Jie before, haven't you? Why are you like this?" Grandma Su glared at Grandpa Su, thinking he was truly beyond reproach.
"Is this ordinary money? I've seen money, but I haven't seen prize money!" Grandma Su declared righteously. Everyone present was instantly stunned. Weren't prize money and regular money the same? If she just wanted to feel the honor, shouldn't she look at and touch the trophy and the award certificate? Wouldn't that be more meaningful? But Grandma Su's thinking was peculiar. She found trophies and certificates uninteresting, preferring the comfort of holding money.
After holding it for a while, Grandma Su reluctantly returned Su Ciliang's money to him. Su Ciliang had expected that once the money was in his grandmother's hands, it would be gone forever. To his surprise, she gave it back.
"Grandma, you're really giving it back to me?" the young man asked incredulously.
Grandma Su playfully scolded, "This is your prize money, not mine, so of course, I'm giving it back to you." Su Ciliang felt ashamed for having thought so poorly of his grandmother. She was truly a wonderful old lady. He had even suspected she intended to embezzle his money.