I'm back in 1990

Chapter 678: Respect and Sincerity

A few days later, at noon, Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan hosted a banquet for Cheng's parents at the Hua Hong Hotel. Originally, the Huang family had invited the entire Cheng family, but Cheng's parents felt it was improper to make such a grand gesture on their first meeting. Moreover, they felt uneasy about letting their in-laws spend so much money on their first meeting. Nowadays, who in Shanghai didn't know the Hua Hong Hotel's prestige? It was said that the cost of a meal there was equivalent to several months' salary for an ordinary family.

Therefore, when Cheng's parents learned that the Huang family had specially chosen Huahong Hotel to host their banquet, they felt a warmth in their hearts, deeply appreciating the importance the other party placed on their daughter. They hadn't expected that their widowed daughter with a child would be held in such high regard by the other party. This respect filled the elderly couple with comfort and goodwill even before they had met their in-laws.

On the day of their meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Huang were dressed exceptionally formally. Mr. Huang wore a sharp suit and a perfectly tied tie, while Zeng Lijuan wore a well-fitting cheongsam, appearing dignified and poised. Tang Jianhua personally accompanied the two in the elegant private room of the restaurant, which was not open to the public.

Old Huang was clearly not used to this outfit. He was restless and kept tugging at his tie. He didn't want to wear it, but he couldn't persuade Zeng Lijuan otherwise.

"Jianhua, the shop is busy right now. You don't need to come with us. Go and take care of the business." Zeng Lijuan saw that the restaurant was bustling with people and was afraid that it would delay Tang Jianhua's business.

"It's alright, Auntie," Tang Jianhua said with a smile, waving his hand. "I'm just a hands-off manager; the manager, chef, and waiters take care of everything."

"Jianhua, don't make the dishes too complicated later. Keep it simple, with smaller portions and more variety," Zeng Lijuan added, still concerned.

Tang Jianhua nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, I've arranged everything for you. They're all lightly flavored dishes."

Zeng Lijuan nodded in satisfaction, but when she turned around, she saw Lao Huang constantly tugging at his tie and immediately became unhappy.

"Why are you acting like a three-year-old? You can't sit still for a moment. I tied your tie for you just right, don't you dare loosen it, or I'll have to tie it again."

Because Tang Jianhua was present, Lao Huang couldn't argue with Zeng Lijuan, so he could only reply in a muffled voice, "Understood!"

At this moment, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and a waiter led Huang Erhe, Cheng Jing, and Cheng's parents into the room. Old Huang, Zeng Lijuan, and Tang Jianhua quickly stood up to greet them.

"Dad! Mom! These are Cheng Jing's parents, and this is Cheng Jing!"

"Uncle, Auntie! This is my dad, and that's my brother-in-law. This restaurant belongs to him."

Upon entering, Huang Erhe introduced the elders on both sides to each other.

Hello! Hello!

Cheng's father and Lao Huang immediately clasped hands, and Zeng Lijuan warmly took Cheng's mother's hands as well. The scene was like long-lost relatives meeting again.

After the four elders exchanged greetings, Zeng Lijuan finally had a chance to take a good look at Cheng Jing. Although she had seen photos of her before, she felt that Cheng Jing was much prettier in person than in the photos. With her gentle and graceful appearance, Zeng Lijuan was more and more satisfied and felt an indescribable fondness for her.

At this moment, Cheng Jing walked up to her and Lao Huang and greeted them, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt!"

"Oh, okay, okay!" Zeng Lijuan took Cheng Jing's hand and stared at her for a long time.

Old Huang nodded and smiled from the side.

Cheng's parents witnessed this scene, and now they were completely relieved.

At this moment, Tang Jianhua said, "Uncle, Aunt, Uncle, Aunt, please don't stand, please sit down and chat. I'll go arrange the dishes for you." After saying that, Tang Jianhua left the private room.

Old Huang slapped his forehead and quickly greeted Cheng's parents, "Look, look! This is so rude! Come, come, please sit down!"

After some polite shoving and pushing, the two finally sat down together.

Cheng's mother looked around the private room. It was called a private room, but it was actually a separate courtyard. There was a small Chinese courtyard outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, and there was a door in the private room leading to the courtyard.

Moreover, this private room offers excellent privacy with its courtyard; guests in other private rooms at the hotel cannot see the courtyard because it is blocked by the walls.

The private room is extremely spacious and comfortable, and it is equipped with a separate restroom, cloakroom, and kitchen. The dining table is covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and beautiful crystal glasses and exquisite Jingdezhen tableware are placed on it.

She whispered to Cheng Jing, who was sitting next to her, "Does this restaurant belong to Erhe's cousin-in-law?"

Cheng Jing was also unaware of the situation. It was her first time visiting such a high-end hotel, and she never expected that this famous hotel in Shanghai was actually run by Huang Erhe's cousin-in-law.

She still tried her best to explain to Cheng's mother, "Didn't Erhe just say that it's his cousin-in-law's business?"

Zeng Lijuan overheard their conversation and said with a smile to the mother and daughter, "This restaurant is owned by my brother's son-in-law. I thought we were all family, so I arranged for us to eat here. After all, family should eat well and with peace of mind, right?"

At this moment, Cheng's mother said politely, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you with all this money."

Zeng Lijuan smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all. It's all the least we can do. Thank you for entrusting such a good child as Cheng Jing to my Erhe family."

Just then, Cheng's father wanted to take out a cigarette for Lao Huang, but as his hand reached into his pocket, he suddenly remembered that Cheng's mother had told him not to smoke when he came today, and his hand immediately stopped.

Old Huang, who had been smoking for decades, could naturally tell what Cheng's father wanted to do. He took out a cigarette and offered it to Cheng's father, and even lit it for him. He also lit one for himself to keep him company.

Actually, Lao Huang had stopped smoking a long time ago. With the support of his youngest son, he had been smoking cigars. But on this occasion, it was inconvenient for him to offer Cheng's father a cigar. After all, it was still a very niche thing in Shanghai. Besides, he also had to consider Cheng's father's feelings. Huang Erhe had mentioned that Cheng's father was very frugal, so he had brought a pack of cigarettes with him today.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Cheng's father thanked Lao Huang repeatedly.

Old Huang chuckled and said, "My dear in-law, you don't need to be so polite with me. We'll be spending a lot of time together in the future, so we should definitely visit each other more often."

Cheng's father said solemnly, "That's for sure. Although this is the first time we've met, we feel like old friends at first sight."

Old Huang laughed happily: "Yes, yes, yes, we hit it off immediately!"

At this moment, the door to the private room opened, and Tang Jianhua came with more than a dozen waiters to set out the dishes, and soon a table was full of food.

"Erhe's mother, you're too kind. You've prepared so many dishes. We can't finish them all. Please take some of them away!" Looking at the table full of food, Cheng's mother felt it was a bit too much.

"It's alright. The chef here at Jianhua is very skilled, so I asked him to make smaller portions of each dish and offer more variety, so you can try as many as you like. Next time you come, you can order whatever you like," Zeng Lijuan told Cheng Ma about her arrangements.

Cheng's mother was very satisfied. Since arriving here, the attitude shown by Zeng Lijuan and her husband had reassured her. This showed that the Huang family genuinely accepted her daughter. She never expected her daughter to be so fortunate to have met such a good family.