School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

Chapter 152 Banquet

"Aiyo, I'm not some important character!" Li Yunpeng said embarrassedly, "Xiao Han, you're making me feel very awkward."

"No, to me you are a people's teacher," Xiao Han said sincerely, "The person I respect the most is a teacher, and the person I admire most in life is also a teacher. I hope Elder Mr. Li can contribute his strength to Hanmen in the future."

"That's for sure!" Li Yunpeng nodded and said, "As the saying goes, serve the people from whom you take your salary."

In no time, the king crab, giant lobsters, and abalones were served one after another. The three seafood dishes looked extremely appetizing, and just the king crab alone cost over a thousand yuan. And then there were the giant lobsters and abalones. Once placed on the table, it was definitely something you'd only see on television.

Li Yunpeng had never eaten such luxurious food in his life, so facing these delicacies of the human world, he suddenly felt a bit at a loss.

"This..." Li Yunpeng was stunned.

At this moment, a waiter nearby seemed to notice Li Yunpeng's discomfort and quickly came over. After putting on gloves, he began to shell the seafood and extract the meat for Elder Mr. Li.

"Elder Mr. Li, here's a toast to you!" Xiao Han smiled, "I've heard about some of your past and know that you're a straightforward person, as well as an honest one. So, this cup is to honor your integrity!"

"Very good!" Li Yunpeng nodded. Maotai Liquor was also something he was drinking for the first time in his life. With one sip, he felt absolutely exhilarated. With such a pure brew, Li Yunpeng felt very comfortable. He gently sipped it and then said, "Good liquor, indeed it is good liquor!"

"Uncle Li, this is Maotai, costing twelve hundred a bottle!" Big Fatty laughed.

"That expensive?" Li Yunpeng was astonished.

"Indeed!" Big Fatty nodded and laughed, "This whole table of dishes costs over five thousand."

"Heavens!" Li Yunpeng thought the whole table of dishes would probably be dealt with for just over a thousand. But it far exceeded his expectation. He repeatedly said, "This is too... too lavish, too valuable."

"Uncle Li, I've never seen Xiao Han be so generous," Big Fatty chuckled, "You're the first one indeed."

"Xiao Han, I really have to thank you for this," Li Yunpeng said, his face ruddy and glowing as if he was experiencing the peak moment in his life.

"Elder Mr. Li, you're too kind," Xiao Han set down his cup.

Meanwhile, Yang Lu was serving Xiao Han food and pouring his drink. She also used a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth, which made their relationship seem very intimate.

"Don't drink too fast," Yang Lu advised softly.

"Mhm!" Xiao Han nodded, holding his glass and continued, "Elder Mr. Li, this second cup is on behalf of all the staff at Hanmen. We hope you can be healthy and that everything in your life goes well. Additionally, this is to express everybody at Hanmen's greeting and welcome you to join."

"Very good, very good!" Li Yunpeng drank another cup and immediately felt a surge of high spirits. He quickly raised his cup and said, "Xiao Han, I will definitely do my best for the Hanmen Training Class. I won't let you down."

"Good!" Xiao Han nodded.

Xiao Han thoroughly enjoyed this meal. Being able to persuade Li Yunpeng to come out of retirement was of great significance to him. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about the Hanmen Training Class anymore. After the college entrance examination, he could go to the provincial city for university with peace of mind.

During the meal, Li Yunpeng tentatively asked, "Xiao Han, since your Hanmen Training Class is held in such high esteem by the Education Bureau, why not expand it?"

"I would like to," Xiao Han smiled, "but unfortunately, I haven't found the right person yet. To really expand, we would need a lot of people. And we need excellent teachers like you. I don't need any mediocrities."

"I see..." Li Yunpeng hesitated for a moment, wanting to speak but faltering.

"Do you have something to say to me, Elder Mr. Li?" Xiao Han asked curiously.

"I wanted to say that I know a pretty good teacher," Li Yunpeng smiled, "Whether it's teaching experience or character, he's very commendable."

The reason Li Yunpeng was hesitating was that he felt it somewhat inappropriate to be recommending someone to Xiao Han on his first day of work. But since Xiao Han had asked, he decided to spill the beans.

"Oh? Is that so?" Xiao Han perked up, overjoyed, "That's great, the more the merrier."

"Well... shall I introduce him to you another day?" Li Yunpeng said.

"Good!" Xiao Han nodded.

The four of them thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was Li Yunpeng's first time eating seafood, and he found it very tasty. He ate an entire king crab, two abalones...

"This tastes really good!" Li Yunpeng smiled.

"Uncle Li, please eat more!" Big Fatty hurriedly said.

After a fulfilling meal, Li Yunpeng was very satisfied, while Big Fatty single-handedly devoured a large plate of salmon, greatly enjoying himself. Li Yunpeng patted his chest and said, "This meal was really great, thank you for letting me taste such sublime flavors of the world."

Xiao Han glanced at Yang Lu.

Yang Lu smiled knowingly and then pulled out a kraft paper envelope from her pocket and handed it to Xiao Han. Xiao Han took the envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Li Yunpeng, saying, "Elder Mr. Li, this is six thousand yuan, considered as an advance payment for your first month's salary. Please make sure you accept it."

"But I can't!" Li Yunpeng hurriedly waved his hands as he heard this, saying, "How can I take the salary before doing the work?"

"We are also aware that your life is relatively impoverished," Xiao Han said seriously, looking at Li Yunpeng. "This six thousand yuan is with the hope that it can alleviate some of the pressure on your life to some extent. So, I really hope that you can accept it, okay?"

Li Yunpeng took a deep breath and said, "I am a teacher, and I have my own dignity. I absolutely will not take money for work I haven't done. So, please take this money back. You can give it to me after I have worked for a full month."

Xiao Han was taken aback. Honestly, who wouldn't want to get their salary in advance? Who wants their payday to keep getting delayed? But there was Li Yunpeng, all proper and old-fashioned, with absolutely no understanding of flexibility. Of course, Xiao Han felt more moved than anything else, it was surprising that a person could stand so tall and unmoved by money despite such dire poverty.

"Alright, then I respect your wishes!" Xiao Han nodded earnestly.

After speaking, Xiao Han returned the kraft paper envelope to Yang Lu exactly as it was. Yang Lu, with a helpless expression, put the money back in her bag.

Yang Lu would take care of the bill, and naturally, it would be reimbursed through the company's accounts. The company was now under the control of the three of them, and Xiao Han could sort out any account issues with just a word. Yang Lu had replaced Li Dapang and had become the finance manager of Hanmen.

Yang Lu was quite clear about the financial affairs, and the company wasn't very big at present, so there were no significant issues with finance. They could be resolved very easily.

Li Dapang had had a drink, and if Xiao Han hadn't been continuously stopping him, this guy would probably already be dead drunk. He probably would already be in a drunken stupor, unable to drive home.

Xiao Han couldn't drive, so if Li Dapang were to pass out, it looked like they would all have to take a taxi home.

"Ah, today hasn't been satisfying," Li Dapang shook his head helplessly.

"Keep drinking and you'll be thrown into jail if you're caught!" Xiao Han retorted bluntly.

"No problem, I can handle thousands of drinks!" Li Dapang chuckled.

The group got into the car, with Li Dapang getting into the driver's seat. Ignition, clutch, gearshift...

Swoosh!

The car instantly zoomed out, and everyone inside felt that the acceleration was a bit too fast.

Crash!

Before Xiao Han could speak, suddenly, the minivan driven by Li Dapang collided with a Range Rover parked by the roadside. With the van's front end hitting the parked car, Li Dapang groaned, "Damn, what happened?"

"You've had too much to drink and caused a rear-end collision!" Xiao Han responded.

Li Dapang was startled, his sharp eyes immediately exclaimed, "Damn, this... this... this is a Range Rover?!"

Screech!

Li Dapang reacted quickly, immediately putting it in gear and stepping on the gas to leave.

In that moment, the alcohol in his stomach vanished without a trace. Yang Lu was already scared, with her heart jumping to her throat. Li Yunpeng was sitting in the back row, slightly tipsy, and hadn't felt much from the minor collision. Xiao Han, however, was completely calm, "Told you, kiddo, drinking can get you in trouble. If someone finds out, you're in for a beating."

"I wasn't paying attention!" Li Dapang said embarrassingly.

"It's all because you drank," Xiao Han retorted.

The car raced off, heading straight for Fuxing Community. The speed was very fast as they ran all the way. After dropping Xiao Han and Li Yunpeng in the neighborhood, Li Dapang then drove away with Yang Lu. Yang Lu hurriedly fastened her seatbelt and moved to the second row.

Xiao Han watched Li Yunpeng go home, then turned and went back to his own place.

Back at home.

Mother Xiao was working on shoe soles, and when she saw Xiao Han return, she quickly got up, "I've left a bowl of soup for you in the pot."

"Okay," Xiao Han nodded, and then asked, "What kind of soup?"

"A bowl of chicken soup," Mother Xiao smiled and said, "Auntie Zhou from the Residents' Committee gave me half a chicken and said that the city's Chinese chess competition is starting this weekend, and she wants you to prepare well. You should drink it quickly."

Mother Xiao ladled out a big bowl of soup from the pot.

Every piece of the half chicken was in there. Xiao Han quickly asked, "Mom, why didn't you eat?"

"I don't like chicken," Mother Xiao shook her head, then said, "So, I left it all for you."

On the table, there was a big plate of salted vegetables fried in lard, and half a jar of fermented tofu. It was obvious that these were mom's dinner for the night. Seeing Mother Xiao, whose hair was graying, Xiao Han's eyes suddenly misted with tears.

"I ate out," Xiao Han quickly said, "Such a big bowl of chicken soup, I can't finish it all by myself. Mom, help me eat some of it. Otherwise, it will go to waste."