Chapter 159 - Fatty Xiang (1/2)
There aren't many people who could call Wang Ming's old friend, but Fatty Xiang is definitely one of them. He's one of Wang Ming's best friends from school, though he hadn't seen him for over 7 years, when he was a teenager he was fat and round just like a baozi so they all called him Fatty Xiang. But now he couldn't really call Kang Xiang, Fatty Xiang anymore as he looked as thin as a bamboo stick.
The man who had looked so happy and well fat 7 years ago, now looked so haggard. ”I came here to visit you Old friend, I even have a job for you.”
”What, you have a job for me? But I thought your dad lost everything how do you have money for that? I also know about your bout with HouZi Gang, I thought they had crippled you, maybe even dead, I'm not lying, but I tried to find you to help you, but I couldn't find you anywhere.” Wang Ming felt happy that he still had someone from his past that genuinely cares about him. When even his dad abandoned him, Fatty Xiang didn't.
”Don't care about me care about yourself. You were Fatty Xiang seven years ago, but now you're Skinny Xiang, how has your life been Old friend?” Fatty Xiang sighed. He had truly been Fatty Xiang before his parents had owned this shop before him. They weren't rich, but they had enough to feed Fatty Xiang until he could take over the shop.
”You know I took over this shop from my father, right?” Wang Ming nodded he even remember that Fatty Xiang's biggest dream back then was exactly to take over the shop and to take care of his parents. ”I took over 5 years ago, we were doing well, but everything changed after HouZi Gang took over. They started taking protection money but my father refused to pay them, at first they did nothing so we thought they just gave up.”
”But everything's not so simple right?” Wang Ming had confronted HouZi Gang multiple times he clearly knows how they operate. He thought HouZi Gang had given up on him too, but then they kidnapped Louzheng. They are like a snake hiding, waiting for their pray to do a mistake before biting down, killing their pray with their venom.
”You're damn right. They were scheming, all along they played us like fools. The HouZi Gang tricked my father to become addicted to gambling, by letting him win, then they cheated, making him lose a lot of money. They also sent a male hooker to seduce my mother, even though she didn't agree to it at first. When my father started losing a lot of money, their relationship changed, so she took the bait. My mother then divorced my father, but her so-called boyfriend also broke up with her the moment she put her signature on the divorce papers. Both my parents died only a few years later, they were only 50 years old… They never recovered from the shock, my father grew older by the day. After he died, my mother died soon after.”
Wang Ming didn't think that so much could happen in only 7 years. Not only had Fatty Xiang lost his parents, but he was now in a lot of debt. He understood why Fatty Xiang is so thin now. He doesn't have any money to buy food, most probably goes to rent and debt.
”I didn't think so much would happen in the time we were away. Don't you worry Fatty, I will pay you really well for my job enough for you to live well for a while. I own a restaurant and I'm about to open two more if you do well, then I'll employ you. You will not earn a lot but definitely more than what you earn now.”
Fatty Xiang didn't think that Wang Ming's doing so well, even though they hadn't met the last 7 years.
”What have you been doing the last few years? I know your situation isn't great, I tried finding you when I got the news that you got kicked out on the streets. I even tried to search for you, but I couldn't find you nor your father. You aren't doing anything shady, are you Wang Ming?” When a person change so drastically especially in wealth usually there's something shady in play, so Fatty Xiang couldn't help but be suspicious over Wang Ming's sudden growth of wealth. The news about him being thrown out on the streets wasn't more than 1-2 years ago.
”No, no, no. You know I can cook, right?” Of course Fatty Xiang knows Wang Ming can cook. He had learnt to cook ever since young, he had cooked meals for him multiple times. ”Well then, why don't you think I could earn money by selling my food? Why does it have to be something shady?”
”Oh.” Even though Wang Ming could cook, Fatty Xiang hadn't even thought about the possibility that he could earn money from selling food. He had thought that Wang Ming was selling drugs or something like that. ”Maybe you have heard about my restaurant, I opened up Wang's Family Restaurant.”