Life and Death Insurance – CH 012

Chapter 12

Xiang Tian walked into the restaurant’s kitchen and greeted the busy owner, “Uncle Li.”

“It’s Xiang Tian! It’s been a long time.”

The man called Uncle Li was a plump man around fifty years old. Despite the cold winter, he was only wearing a shirt and an apron, beads of sweat constantly dripping from his forehead and nose. He was stirring the broth in a deep iron pot with a large ladle. Seeing Ling Zhengzhong following behind Xiang Tian, ​​he smiled and said, “You brought a friend. Go upstairs; there are seats there.”

Xiang Tian led Ling Zhengzhong upstairs, and the two sat down at a window seat. A young girl immediately laid out various fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, and prepared broth and seasonings, then smiled at Xiang Tian and said, “Brother Xiang Tian, ​​I specially prepared the spiciest seasoning for you! How about trying it?”

Xiang Tian thanked her and, without letting Ling Zhengzhong lift a finger, skillfully started the fire and added broth and vegetables. Pointing to the octagonal hot pot, he said to Ling Zhengzhong, “Zhengzhong, the ones I eat are all very spicy; I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it. You can try the clear broth hot pot over here first.”

Ling Zhengzhong, however, first tried the spicy side. It was indeed very spicy, but in this cold season, eating spicy food was both warming and appetizing, a very pleasant thing.

He looked at Xiang Tian, ​​whose movements were practiced and skilled, and asked, “You seem to know everyone here well. Do you come here often?”

“I used to work here before I worked in insurance. Uncle Li is from Sichuan. His Li Ji Hot Pot is very authentic. You can see how many customers there are.”

“The taste is indeed good. Xiang Tian, ​​you really know your food.”

Seeing that Ling Zhengzhong’s forehead was quickly covered in sweat, Xiang Tian couldn’t help but laugh, “Is it too spicy? Why don’t you try the clear broth? Every ingredient here is simmered for over ten hours; it’s very flavorful.”

Actually, even without Xiang Tian saying it, Ling Zhengzhong could taste the spiciness. However, because he ate too quickly, his tongue became numb and spicy. He kept panting and couldn’t respond in time.

“Want a beer?”

“A beer?” Ling Zhengzhong quickly declined. Yesterday’s hangover had left him feeling uneasy, and besides, he had to go to work tomorrow.

“Why don’t you open a spicy food restaurant? You could be your own boss, not have to put up with everyone’s attitude, and wouldn’t have to be out in the freezing cold every day.”

When Ling Zhengzhong asked this, Xiang Tian smiled, offering no explanation, only saying, “Tianyun Insurance is a job a friend introduced me to. If I give up halfway without achieving anything, it wouldn’t be right with my friend. Besides, I want to try different industries and hone my skills.”

Ling Zhengzhong noticed that Xiang Tian had a lot of smiles, different from the professional smile he’d seen at their first meeting; this time, it was a gentle, quiet smile.

However, he didn’t quite agree with Xiang Tian’s point of view. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. Clearly, Xiang Tian’s personality wasn’t suited to being a smooth-talking, silver-tongued salesman. A skilled salesman would definitely be seizing the opportunity to get him to sign an insurance policy, not constantly trying to persuade him to eat this and that.

“Xiang Tian, ​​how about we schedule another time for you to come to my company to discuss the insurance policy?”

For some reason, Ling Zhengzhong, who had always shown absolutely no interest in insurance, suddenly said this.

Xiang Tian was taken aback, then readily agreed, “Sure. Actually, in today’s society, insurance as a form of survival protection is quite common. I’ll give you those insurance plan documents now. If you’re satisfied after reviewing them, contact me,” he said, taking several documents from his briefcase and handing them to Ling Zhengzhong.

“These are just general plans. We usually develop the most suitable insurance plan based on the client’s specific needs. Zheng…Zhong…take a look first, for reference.”

Seeing Xiang Tian’s enthusiasm, Ling Zhengzhong said apologetically, “I’m sorry about yesterday. Xiang Tian, ​​could I have another business card…?”

Sure enough, Xiang Tian blushed again. He took a business card from his card holder and handed it to Ling Zhengzhong, who this time took it seriously and put it in his pocket.

“Speaking of which, I never expected that eccentric cop to be your cousin. What a small world!”

Seeing the atmosphere become slightly awkward because of his words, Ling Zhengzhong quickly changed the subject.

“Yeah, I often stayed at my aunt’s house when I was little. My cousin and I grew up together. Don’t call him that in front of my cousin, or he might get angry.”

“I haven’t committed a crime; what’s there to be afraid of?” Ling Zhengzhong said nonchalantly. “By the way, when you first came to me, didn’t you say you were introduced by Manager Monkey? Why did Chu Feng say that Tianyun didn’t have such a person?”

Hearing Ling Zhengzhong’s words, Xiang Tian laughed, speechless. “Maybe my pronunciation wasn’t right. It’s Manager Hong, not Manager Monkey…”

“Hahaha, really? I misheard. But I remember that person looked a lot like a monkey.”

Does looking like a monkey necessarily mean the surname Hou? What kind of viewpoint was that? Xiang Tian couldn’t help but laugh again.

The meal lasted for over two hours. Ling Zhengzhong discovered that once they got to know each other, Xiang Tian was actually a very warm and talkative person. What surprised him even more was that this little hamster was quite knowledgeable about various sports, especially skiing, baseball, and judo, which Ling Zhengzhong enjoyed. He spoke fluently about these sports, topics that resonated with Ling Zhengzhong, and the two chatted happily.

The meal was very enjoyable. When it came time to pay the bill, Ling Zhengzhong reached for his own money, but Xiang Tian stopped him, insisting on paying for the meal.

“I brought you here; there’s no reason for you to pay.”

This confirmed Ling Zhengzhong’s suspicion that Xiang Tian was indeed a stubborn little hamster.

However, since they were now friends, there was no need to be so particular. He could just pay next time. Considering Xiang Tian hadn’t been working long hours, he probably didn’t have a lot of savings. Perhaps he could treat him to a nice meal next time, Ling Zhengzhong thought to himself.