Chapter 2404: Young Boyfriend

Li Qin stammered, “I… I don’t know if I’m wrong about this but I think that there’s an uncle who seems to like Mom.”

“What?” Qiao Mei said as she looked at Li Qin in shock.

“He’s a very tall and handsome uncle who also seems to be… very young. Actually, we can even address him as big brother, but he insists that we address him as uncle,” Li Qin said resignedly.

“Have you asked that uncle how old he is?” Qiao Mei asked curiously.

During this period of time, Yao Nian had been busy with the search for Xia Yang and did not have time to monitor Li Gui’s movements. This was something totally understandable.

“I remember that uncle saying that he has only worked for a few years. He’s probably around 27 years old,” Li Qin said as she tried her best to recall the details.

That man was only 27 years old, he was even younger than Xia Zhe…

However, it was something quite normal. Li Gui dressed very fashionably nowadays and her complexion was fair and tender, making her look like a woman in her early 30s.

Such a relationship would become very common 20 years later and no one would raise an eyebrow. However, in this era, as Li Gui was already in her 40s, it would not be good for both parties’ reputations if word should get out. There was no saying what the neighbors would say behind their backs.

“Elder Sister… can you go and ask Mom about this indirectly? Elder Brother and I dare not ask her,” Li Qin said.

All of them disliked this 27-year-old “uncle”, especially Li Wei and Li Chao. The two of them felt especially disgusted at the possibility of having to address him as Dad.

“Let me ask her about this issue. Don’t be anxious,” Qiao Mei said.

“Don’t be too direct! Otherwise, Mom will know that I’m the one who told you! She doesn’t want me to tell you this because she’s worried that you’ll get agitated,” Li Qin said.

“Don’t worry, I won’t betray you!” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

Li Qin nodded and ran off to see Xia Yang. Qiao Mei stared into the courtyard in a daze. Xia Zhe was nearby earlier and had heard what Li Qin said. He walked to Qiao Mei’s side and held her hand as he said, “Don’t worry, Mom knows her limits.”

“Mom said before that she did not have any intention of getting married again. I’m not worried. I’m just curious about this man’s background,” Qiao Mei said.

“Given Mom’s character and with Uncle Xu watching her like a hawk, she won’t fall for anyone else. She’s been very tired recently,” Xia Zhe said.

Qiao Mei stood up and stretched. She looked at Xia Zhe and said, “I’ll give her a call and ask her.”

It was not very busy at Li Gui’s restaurant today. The call was picked up quite quickly.

“This is Osmanthus Restaurant. Who is this?” Li Gui asked politely.

“Mom, it’s Qiao Mei,” Qiao Mei said.

“Oh! Mei Mei, you’re finally back! How are you? How’s your health?” Li Gui asked anxiously.

Qiao Mei quickly said, “Everything is fine with me. We have found the child and everyone is fine.”

“That’s good to hear! I’ve been worried for so many days and I can finally feel relieved,” Li Gui said with a sigh.

“Mom, I hear that you have a young boyfriend?” Qiao Mei asked curiously.

There was nothing that Qiao Mei and Li Gui could not discuss directly. Even if Li Gui had any suspicions about the source of her news, Qiao Mei could always push the blame to Yao Nian. He was an expert in intelligence gathering, so it was normal for her to hear about these things.

“What do you mean by young boyfriend… Oh! You must be talking about Zhao Zhi. That’s one of my clients. He’s been asking me out to talk about business recently,” Li Gui said.

“What kind of business are you discussing? Is your restaurant taking on big orders now?” Qiao Mei asked.

“He owns a small fireworks company near my restaurant. They don’t have a canteen there, so he wants to come here to have his meal every day and then he will pay me on a monthly basis,” Li Gui said.

“This is not a bad idea for a business. If it grows bigger, you can specialize in selling bento boxes!” Qiao Mei said excitedly.

“What’s a bento box?” Li Gui asked curiously.

“It’s like running a canteen, but this kind of canteen packs all the food in a one-time-use box which can be delivered to the customer’s doorstep!” Qiao Mei explained.

“I can try! Qiao Mei, what you just said is a really good idea! I’ll write it down now!” Li Gui said excitedly.

For a moment, Qiao Mei almost forgot the purpose of her call. However, judging from Li Gui’s reaction, she did not seem to have any feelings for Zhao Zhi. Then again, Li Gui was very slow when it came to matters of the heart. It was entirely possible that Li Gui could not tell that Zhao Zhi was fond of her.

“Mom, I want to ask whether that man Zhao Zhi likes you?” Qiao Mei said directly.

“You! You! You, you! What are you talking about! The two of us are so many years apart! How can we be together! I’m old enough to be his mother! What nonsense!” Li Gui said agitatedly.