Chapter 254: Meat Soup
Chapter 254: Meat Soup
“Xiaoyu?”
Seeing Ji Yu open the door for her, Qin Qing widened her eyes in disbelief. “You… what happened to you?”
Though they were next-door neighbors, ever since Gao Jing had returned to Huhai, Qin Qing no longer visited Ji Yu every day as before to go shopping, get spa treatments, or pet Xiao Jiu.
She didn’t want to intrude too much on the couple’s private time.
Today’s visit was for serious business.
Yet the Ji Yu standing before Qin Qing now looked like she’d just been fished out of water. Her white workout clothes were completely soaked through. Sweat-matted hair clung to her face. She looked pale and her eyes seemed vacant.
Qin Qing felt that if she’d come over at night, she would have been terrified by Ji Yu’s appearance.
“I… I was practicing martial arts,” Ji Yu answered weakly. “Qing Jie, come on in.”
“Martial arts?” Qin Qing entered the house, baffled. “What martial arts are you practicing?”
Ji Yu gave a wan smile in reply. “The Primordial Tai Chi Divine Art.”
Qin Qing couldn’t help but laugh. “Can one defeat ten?”
Then she noticed the large plastic mats covering the living room floor. The coffee table and sofa had been pushed to the side, leaving a large open space in the middle.
“Qing Jie.”
Gao Jing was out on the balcony adjoining the living room. He sat in a lounge chair, basking in the warm sunlight. A tea tray and teapot were beside him. Nine Apertures lay curled on his lap.
He looked completely at ease.
Qin Qing felt something was a bit… off.
Burying her shock, she smiled brightly. “Gao Jing, I have some great news.”
The great news Qin Qing brought was that Gao Jing’s application to register his charity foundation had been approved! He’d received the official documents and license; it was now a fully legal entity!
Qin Qing had been busy with this very matter these past few days. She was now the first Chairperson of the charity foundation.
Normally, even if everything went smoothly, the foundation’s license wouldn’t have been issued until July or August at the earliest. But the Cao family had used their connections, securing a “fast pass.”
Moreover, the Gao Jing Charity Foundation had gained affiliation status with the Huaxia Charity Federation.
On the surface, it might look like they’d acquired restrictive oversight. In reality, this affiliation meant the Huaxia Charity Federation gave them its credibility and backing.
From now on, the Gao Jing Charity Foundation’s charitable activities would receive official recognition and support.
It was hard to measure how much future trouble this would save!
The Huaxia Charity Federation wouldn’t interfere in the day-to-day operations of a private foundation like Gao Jing’s. So it was all upside.
Frankly, this affiliation was something countless private charities dreamed of.
Without the Cao family stepping in, it would have been impossible to get.
With this matter settled, the score between the Cao family and Gao Jing was considered cleared. Neither side would bother the other again.
“Qing Jie,” Gao Jing said sincerely, “Thank you for all your hard work!”
If it weren’t for Qin Qing and the support emanating from the He Family behind her, the Cao family in Huhai would never have backed down before someone they saw as a nobody like Gao Jing.
With the charity foundation approved, they could start operations anytime. The Great World Trading Company’s office in Yuncheng had also reopened. Directors from several relevant government departments had even come personally to apologize.
It was truly a case of it being easier to relax in the shade when you had a tall tree to rely on!
“It wasn’t hard at all,” Qin Qing dismissed his thanks casually. “I just handled some legwork. Didn’t take much time. I was thinking Sister Xu and I could go view some office spaces tomorrow. And we need to start recruiting staff.”
The Gao Jing Charity Foundation was registered in Huhai, so naturally, its office headquarters would be there too. Gao Jing was primarily thinking about gradually shifting the focus of his future endeavors to Huhai.
“Just handle it your way,” Gao Jing said with a smile. “I’ll be the hands-off boss, responsible for providing the funds.”
Talking about funds gave Gao Jing a slight pang of guilt.
After buying this luxurious home, his account at Heng Hui Bank was nearly depleted.
Although he’d just received 100 million RMB from the recent auction, he needed to prepare a 700 million RMB marriage gift for Shan Tai soon.
Then he had to fund the charity foundation’s initial setup; that would require at least another 100 or 200 million.
Otherwise, how could Chairperson Qin maintain any face? Gain too little support and you lose alliances; friends need to be many, enemies few.
Maintaining good relations with Qin Qing and backing from the He Family was crucial for Gao Jing at this stage.
Putting it all together, he needed to come up with a billion RMB to sustain the next phase of his affairs.
One billion. Not small. Actually… also not that huge in the grand scheme!
“Hmm.” Qin Qing suddenly sniffed the air and couldn’t help asking, “What are you cooking? It smells so good?”
Actually, she had noticed a rich meaty aroma as soon as she entered, but now it was particularly intense.
Qin Qing usually ate a light, mostly vegetarian diet. Yet this smell made her mouth water uncontrollably.
“Beast meat,” Gao Jing replied, smiling. “It’s almost ready. Perfect timing to have some. This meat nourishes the body.”
Qin Qing heard “lean meat,” assuming it was some local specialty pork or boar meat.
By the time Ji Yu had finished showering and rushed downstairs, Gao Jing ladled the freshly stewed soup into bowls.
He gave Ji Yu a full bowl, and Qin Qing a smaller helping.
Gao Jing specifically explained, “This meat is quite special; for now, this is about all you can have.”
Qin Qing was well aware that Gao Jing was never someone who’d be stingy about giving her another half bowl of soup.
If he said this, there was certainly a reason.
But Qin Qing still felt a bit strange, even somewhat indignant.
Wasn’t it just pork?
Why could Ji Yu eat a whole bowl?
“Qing Jie, you must eat this while it’s hot,” Ji Yu urged. “It loses effectiveness if it cools down.”
She couldn’t wait to lift her own bowl and take a big, blissful gulp of the steaming broth.
Suddenly the pallor left her face, replaced by a healthy rosy flush. Life returned to her eyes.
Hesitantly, Qin Qing followed suit and took a spoonful of her broth.
The moment the minuscule amount touched her stomach, Qin Qing felt a wave of heat surge up from within! It spread instantly to her internal organs and flowed out to every limb!
It was like soaking in a hot spring — every pore of her body opened wide. Warm, comfortable, indescribable!
This was truly extraordinary!
Qin Qing finally realized: this was definitely not pork. Its effects were astonishing.
She probably really couldn’t eat more!
“Hurry, hurry! Eat!” Ji Yu urged while wolfing down the meat chunks in her bowl.
She was now being forced by Gao Jing to practice his so-called peerless martial art every day, “tortured” to the point of exhaustion. Only this bowl of meat could restore her depleted strength and stamina.
Unconsciously swept up by Ji Yu’s fervor, Qin Qing quickly finished her portion of stewed meat.
She even drained the last drop of broth from her bowl.
And at that moment, Qin Qing was already beyond embarrassment. Because she was starting to feel… very, very strange.