Chapter 38: A Pleasant Surprise

Dinner at the Lu Family table was indeed a lavish affair.

Australian abalone, braised prawns in oil, pickled cherry tomatoes, sweet and sour mandarin fish, steamed crab, stir-fried baby bok choy, egg fritters with fish-flavored sauce, pork rib and corn soup, and more.

Most of the dishes were clearly ones Lu Qingqiang enjoyed.

It was obvious that Madam Lu had put real thought into preparing this meal.

It wasn’t even October yet, but the crabs served at the Lu Family dinner table were already plump and full of meat.

By the time Lu Qingqiang finished her bowl of bird’s nest soup, there was already a plate of crab in front of her, freshly shelled by Madam Lu.

“Qingqing, when you eat the crab, dip it in this special sauce. It helps balance out the crab’s cold nature.”

“Got it. Thanks, Mom.”

“Mmm, this is really good.” After praising the food, Lu Qingqiang picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a portion into Madam Lu’s bowl. “Mom, stop fussing and eat. I can do it myself.”

“Well, look at this treatment. In all my years, I’ve never been pampered like this,” Lu Jianshen muttered from the side.

“You’re a grown man. You really expect your mom to shell crab for you?”

“No wonder you still don’t have a girlfriend after all these years.”

“Who’d want to date someone who won’t even shell their own crab?”

The teasing from Lu Shenlin and Madam Lu gave Lu Jianshen an instant headache.

With his family background and looks, how could he possibly not find a girlfriend?

If he so much as crooked a finger, there’d be plenty of beautiful women lining up to shell crab for him and feed it to him, okay?

He just wasn’t interested in dating at the moment, that’s all.

“Dad, Mom, let’s eat. Come on, try the pork rib soup. It’s really good today.”

Not wanting to argue with his parents, Lu Jianshen got up and ladled a bowl of soup for each of them to shut them up.

“Don’t forget Qingqing.”

“I know, she’s sitting right next to me. How could I miss her?”

With that, Lu Jianshen served a bowl of soup for Lu Qingqiang as well.

“Thanks, Second Brother.”

“We’re family. No need for thanks.”

“These dumplings are really something,” Lu Shenlin said sincerely as he ate the reheated ones.

“Right? Little Shen and I had lunch at Qingqing’s orphanage today, and we thought the dumplings were amazing.”

“Dad, give me one,” Lu Jianshen said, reaching his chopsticks toward his father’s bowl.

How strange.

The food at home was delicious too, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about those dumplings.

“You and your mom already had some at lunch, didn’t you? No.”

“Dad, just one!”

“…,” Lu Qingqiang, sitting nearby, was speechless.

She hadn’t expected the atmosphere at the Lu Family’s dinner table to be so relaxed and warm, especially for such a wealthy household.

There weren’t any strict rules or formalities either.

After dinner, Lu Qingqiang was driven back to the orphanage by Lu Jianshen.

“Lu Qingqiang, about those chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep you mentioned earlier—Dad said he’ll invest in that.”

“Since Dad’s already offered, of course I won’t argue with him.”

“Think about what else your orphanage might need. Just let me know.” Lu Jianshen spoke through the open car window.

“Alright, Second Brother. I’ll think about it.”

“Drive safe, and take it slow on the road.”

“Got it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Jianshen stepped on the gas, and the bright red sports car disappeared into traffic in the blink of an eye.

“Director, you’re back!”

The moment Lu Qingqiang’s figure appeared, Zhang Qiang at the gate stood up to greet her.

“Mm.”

“By the way, Director, forgive me for asking, but is the orphanage hiring? Like for cleaning staff or childcare workers?”

“We are. Why? Do you have someone in mind?” Lu Qingqiang raised an eyebrow.

“I do have two people to recommend, but I’m not sure if they meet the orphanage’s hiring standards,” Zhang Qiang said sheepishly.

“What’s their situation? If it’s okay to share, go ahead.”

“Well, the two people I want to recommend are the parents of a fallen comrade.”

“This comrade of mine was seriously injured during a mission while trying to protect civilians.”

“His family is from the countryside. His parents used to farm and raise chickens, ducks, and geese.”

“Later, in order to care for their only son, they rented out their land and sold off the livestock.”

“Unfortunately, in the end, he still didn’t make it.”

“After handling his funeral, his parents returned to their hometown.”

“I heard they were so devastated by the loss that they both fell seriously ill and nearly didn’t pull through.”

“It was our other comrades who rushed over, got them to the hospital, and stayed with them to offer support.”

“Now, they’ve finally started to recover, little by little.”

“A few of us discussed in our group chat whether we could help them find some work.”

“Once people get busy, they don’t have as much time to dwell on their grief.”

“We asked the couple, and they’re open to doing some work—cleaning, security, things like that.”

“Director, I swear on my honor, they’re both hardworking and kind people.”

“If they get hired here, they’ll be dedicated and never slack off.”

“Of course, that’s only if they pass your interview.”

“If they’re a good fit, they can come on board. If not, just say so. No pressure. After all, hiring should always be about the right match.”

After hearing all this, Lu Qingqiang felt a wave of joy.

The hill behind the orphanage had already been cleared. Now came the busy part.

Whether it was planting trees or raising animals, the children could only help so much.

What she really needed were people with actual experience.

And now, just like that, good news had arrived.

Still, hearing about what the couple had gone through made her heart ache.

What she could do was meet them in person.

If they seemed like a good fit, she’d bring them into the orphanage team.

There were plenty of people at the orphanage, including lots of adorable children.

If the couple joined them, maybe it would help ease some of their sorrow.

Lu Qingqiang was deep in thought, so she didn’t respond right away.

Her silence made Zhang Qiang increasingly nervous.

His heart was practically pounding out of his chest.

Just then, he heard Lu Qingqiang speak.

“Where are they now?”

“They’re still in Jiang City. They were recently hospitalized at Jiang City First Hospital, but they should be discharged in the next few days.”

“They used to farm and raise animals?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Perfect. Find some time to bring them over for an interview.”

“Oh, by the way, do you know how to drive?” Lu Qingqiang asked.

“Yes, Director.”

“There’s a car in the garage. When you go pick them up for the interview, take my car.”

“We might need them for the development of the orphanage’s back hill.”

“Yes, thank you, Director!” Zhang Qiang saluted her, his face lit up with excitement.

By the time she returned to the orphanage, the sun hadn’t yet set.

Construction inside the orphanage was still ongoing.

She headed straight to the site to ask the foreman about the progress on the staff dormitories.