Niu Ying

Chapter 25 The Banquet Three

  Beer, barbecue, and moon-gazing aren't unusual, but doing these things on the vast ocean is worth bragging about on social media.

  Anna's luxury yacht, over twenty meters long, is truly impressive. It's fully equipped with all the amenities, three levels, entertainment rooms, and bedrooms with 24-hour wifi. Besides chess, cards, and mahjong, the recreational facilities include a home theater with a giant screen. The spacious deck has moon-viewing seating, a barbecue area, and stargazing rocking beds for ultimate enjoyment. Now, with the colored lights accentuating everything, every corner, every photo exudes a sense of high-end extravagance.

  The women on board were busy taking selfies and photos of each other, while the men were occupied with drinking and boasting.

  Jia Wenjun didn't want to take pictures or help others take them, so she simply stayed by the grill, cooking for everyone, occasionally feeding some grilled sausage to Da Huang, who stayed by her side.

  The sea night was incredibly pleasant. Anna had Bai Ma Shan help set up a screen on the deck and connect the microphone, instantly turning the deck into a floating karaoke room.

  Accompanied by the sound of the waves, Lü Maowang sang the extremely dated "Love of the Boat Tracker" with a mournful howl, eliciting bursts of laughter. Sun Jiaojiao even threw orange peels at him, telling him to stop singing.

  Lü Maowang didn't mind. Isn't the point of going out to have fun? What's the point of always being reserved? Besides, he was singing to Jia Wenjun. He sang the entire song facing her, and everyone cheered, even though Jia Wenjun still had that indifferent expression. But he had achieved his goal.

  The fans in the livestream room wanted to hear Zhao Di sing. Zhao Di didn't hesitate, taking the microphone from Lü Maowang and singing "Oceans" in Portuguese.

  Her opening notes stunned everyone. Even Jia Wenjun had to admit that although Zhao Di's character was questionable, she could really sing. It seemed she had some skills to become an internet celebrity.

  After the song, Hao Jiening pouted and whispered to Sun Jiaojiao, "Who knows what she's howling about? Can't understand a word. It's not as good as 'Love of the Boat Tracker.'"

  "That's right," Sun Jiaojiao said, spitting out sunflower seed shells, taking a skewer of grilled shrimp handed to her by Gong Dalong, and began eating heartily.

  "Oh, where did the shrimp come from? Manager Gong, give me a skewer too," Hao Jiening said.

  Gong Dalong smiled and said, "There's only one, I accidentally caught it while fishing just now. Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll catch more and grill it for you and Nao Nao."

  "You only have one and you gave it to her, Manager Gong is biased." Hao Jiening was dissatisfied. Nao Nao was the only child on the boat, and the shrimp should be given to him. What's the point of giving it to Sun Jiaojiao?

  Sun Jiaojiao spat out the shrimp shells, wearing a smug smile and said, "Whose heart isn't biased? Is your heart right in the center? You'd better go to the hospital and get it checked."

  "You're the one who needs to go to the hospital. Nao Nao, let's go get some good food over there." Hao Jiening watched with longing as Sun Jiaojiao finished the palm-sized sea shrimp and resentfully pulled her son to the grill to pick something to eat.

  Nao Nao wanted to eat ham sausage. Jia Wenjun picked some good pieces of grilled fish and put them on his plate, "Nao Nao, eat more so you can grow taller."

  Hao Jiening saw this and naturally became much kinder to Wenjun, "I noticed you didn't eat much tonight, you've been busy working. How about I grill for you for a while, and you go sing a song?"

  Wenjun smiled and waved her hand, "I'm only good at eating. Making food is okay, but I'm tone-deaf. Forget it. You guys go have fun, I'll help everyone grill."

  Also working for the property management company, Hao Jiening glanced at Lili, who was drinking and playing guessing games with Bai Ma Shan and Lü Maowang, and then at Gong Dalong, who was chatting and laughing closely with Sun Jiaojiao. She sighed inwardly, thinking that only Jia Wenjun had come to work properly. Her fondness for her increased.

  At this time, the surroundings were pitch black, with only the boat and its immediate vicinity illuminated. After a few drinks, everyone truly began to enjoy the trip.

  Manager Gong rushed up and sang "Unforgettable Tonight." Old Man Wang and Teacher Lin hummed along, as if they had returned to their youth.

  After singing the song, Manager Gong didn't forget to solicit votes, "Everyone, honestly, it's not easy to get everyone together today. As a representative of the property management, I thank you for your support of our work. I also hope that you can give our company a 5-star rating in this year's city-wide property management evaluation. Thank you."

  "Little Gong, don't worry about that. Our property management is definitely the best. This year's ranking will definitely be number one." Old Man Wang raised his glass and said loudly, visibly drunk.

  Manager Gong quickly thanked him and toasted Old Man Wang again.

  "This glass of wine shouldn't be to me, it should be to Anna. Without her, we wouldn't have this opportunity to enjoy the moon and drink together at sea. I'm really happy today. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've had such a lively meal."

  Manager Gong hurriedly asked, "Old Man, don't your family live with you?"

  "My old woman is gone, and I don't even know where my son is now. It's been three years, and he's only called me a few times, all asking for money." Old Man Wang became more and more upset, sniffled, and waved his hand, "Forget about him. The moonlight is so good tonight, let's all have a drink."

  Old Man Wang raised his glass to Anna and drank it all in one gulp.

  "Old Man, take it easy, drink slowly." Anna quickly stepped forward to hand the old man a tissue. Lü Maowang and Bai Ma Shan beside her also stopped chatting, patting the old man's shoulders on either side.

  "Old Man, we all live in the same community. If you want someone to drink with you in the future, call me. Come to my house, and my son and I will eat with you." Bai Ma Shan said.

  Hearing Bai Ma Shan say this, Old Man Wang's expression eased, "Okay, okay, Xiao Bai, you have a good heart. Actually, I also have a grandson. My grandson is more filial than his father, but he's too busy now and doesn't have time to be with me."

  "It's okay, Old Man. You live in the community, so just go to Jiaojiao's restaurant for meals. Lü Maowang also eats there every day. We can all accompany you for a drink then." Sun Jiaojiao picked up her glass and clinked it with the old man's, then turned to look at Teacher Lin, who had a lonely expression, and smiled, "Teacher Lin too, if your son doesn't come back, you can also come to our restaurant to eat. It's lively with more people."

  Teacher Lin, who had drunk some wine, amplified her sentimental emotions. Seeing Sun Jiaojiao take the initiative to call her, she emotionally took her hand, "I used to eat at school when I was working. Now that I'm retired, I eat at home alone every day. It's tasteless. When we get back, I'll go to your place every day to chat."

  "Teacher Lin, Old Man, if you're afraid of eating alone, remember my phone number. Call me when you've made food. I'll have lunch at Teacher Lin's house and dinner at Old Man's house. I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Lü Maowang grinned, his face flushed with drink, his eyes out of focus.

  Sun Jiaojiao chuckled, "Guarantee you'll be satisfied? Lü Maowang, you're not beautiful, but you have beautiful dreams. Do Teacher Lin and Old Man lack rice buckets at their houses?"

  Everyone laughed.