Chapter 30 (1/2)
Translated by Crystal of Exiled Rebels ScanlationsThis thing finally ended with Yang JianGuo’s slap across the face, but everyone knew it was far from over.
Zhao XueMei went back to her parents home in tears. The anger burned stronger and stronger. Somehow it seemed that Yang JianGuo grew a backbone after that incident and never went to pick her up. Now matter how angry she was in Zhao XueMei’s family home, he didn’t care but because of that, Zhao XueMei just got angrier.
This was the first time in their relationship that they had fought. Before, he didn’t even dare raise his voice against her, much less hit her, thus Zhao XueMei blamed it all on old Man Yang and Lin ShuYi. If it wasn’t for them, nothing would have happened.
In the end, it was Yang Xiao who brought Zhao XueMei back against Yang JianGuo’s wishes. But even then, Yang JianGuo ignored her while pulling a long face. Clearly he was determined to leave her alone for a while. Zhao XueMei had never experienced such treatment before and she threw her anger onto the plates and bowls in the house. The house was in a chaotic atmosphere, very much unlike a ‘home’.
On the other hand, the XiQin Restaurant was in a whole another atmosphere.
By now, old man Yang barely even took care of the restaurant itself, leaving it all to Lin ShuYi. From the look of things, he was going to pass the restaurant onto him. As for the old man himself, he would do some light exercise with Xiao Wan’s grandma and play chess with old uncle Chen. His days were much more carefree than before.
Thus, this lasted until a day where old man Yang called everyone over and announced the thing that he had been considering.
“From now on, this Xi Qin Restaurant belongs to Xiao Yi.”
Other than Shen Fu and Xiao Wan’s grandma who weren’t surprised, everyone else was dumbfounded, including Lin ShuYi, “What are you saying grandpa?”
Old man Yang waved his hand, indicating him to pause and wait for him to finish. “My life accomplishment…at then end of the day, is just this Xi Qin Restaurant. I never did anything ‘great’, just kept this restaurant going for half of my life. At first, I thought to pass on this restaurant to my son and grandson as I aged…” Old man Yang paused before continuing with a smile, “but, too bad, I didn’t have that luck. Neither my son nor my grandson wants this restaurant, it’s not to their standards. But even so, it’s my child, even if it isn’t worth much, I don’t want to just throw it away. So I might as well pass it on to Xiao Yi, then even when I die, I’ll know it’s still there.”
The whole talk was a bit solemn and everyone knew old man Yang was remembering his disappointing and unfilial son and grandson.
Old man Yang didn’t say anymore so Xiao Wan’s grandma walked up, patting his shoulder as she said, “Old man Yang, don’t overthink things. Isn’t there still us and the two kids? These two kids, we’ve been watching them, even if they aren’t blood related to you, they treat you like you are. It’s not a bad idea to leave it to him, otherwise it would be angering to have Zhao XueMei take over it.”
Then everyone started nodding, saying that Xiao Wan grandma’s words made sense.
Lin ShuYi held his lips shut the entire time and only spoke up now, “Grandpa, I can’t take this restaurant.”
Now, everyone, except Shen Fu, was surprised.
“Stupid child, old man Yang already told us he’s going to give it to you, why don’t you take it?”
Lin ShuYi said, “There are something we can and cannot do. Helping grandpa with the restaurant is something I want to do, something I’m willing to do. When grandpa give me a wage, then it’s an equivalent exchange. I got what I deserved from grandpa then the rest I don’t deserve. I won’t take anything I don’t deserve.”
Lin ShuYi said it with seriousness but everyone just took it as a childish joke and smiled. Even old man Yang said, “You sure know a lot, I got dizzy listening to you, but I just know one thing. If this restaurant isn’t taken over by you, then I’m selling it. Then, there won’t be a Xi Qin Restaurant left.” Getting to this point, old man Yang’s expression dimmed as well, “Xiao Yi, you really don’t want it?”
“Why does grandpa have to sell it?”
Old man Yang smiled, “Stupid child, grandpa’s old, I can’t work anymore. Even if we ignore that, even if I can still work, what happens when I die? This house would still belong to someone else.”
Once Lin ShuYi understood everything, he was shocked. The world was huge, but there wasn’t another Xi Qin Restaurant to be his resting place.
With a smile, Shen Fu whispered to Lin ShuYi’s ears, “How about this, since grandpa’s going to sell the restaurant if you don’t take over, why not buy it yourself?”
Lin ShuYi tilted his head, “Buy it?”
“Yep, if you buy it, then the Xi Qin Restaurant will forever be called the Xi Qin Restaurant.”
A light lit up Lin ShuYi’s eyes. “You’re right. Grandpa, I’ll buy the restaurant.”
Old man Yang was taken back and then everyone started laughing, “Sure, sure, if you want to buy it, then you can buy it.”
Anyways, as long as Xi Qin Restaurant was still around, buying it or taking it, what’s the difference? As long as Lin ShuYi agreed then it’s fine.
So in haste, the decision was made.
However, old man Yang took it very seriously. He pulled out his property ownership certificate and took Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi to the department of housing management to exchange ownership to Lin ShuYi. When they came out of it, Lin ShuYi finally remembered that he hadn’t given a penny for the place. Not only that, the little savings he had wasn’t nearly enough.
Old man Yang was smiling like usual, “No worries, this money, you can give it to me whenever you want. Actually, it’s fine even if you don’t give me anything, grandpa doesn’t need anything. Grandpa just has one wish and that’s this restaurant, grandpa wants you to keep opening it until the day you really don’t want to anymore. Only close it down then.”
Lin ShuYi nodded, “I won’t close it, but I will definitely give the money to you.”
Shen Fu, who hadn’t been on the sidelines this entire time, pulled up and said, “I have money, I can lend it to you, you want it?” Lin ShuYi glared at him. Shen Fu smirked, “You don’t believe me? Anyways, it’s owing grandpa or owing me, you pick. If you owe grandpa money for a long time, he might not want it anymore. As for me…no way.”
In the end, Lin ShuYi didn’t borrow from him because old man Yang said that he would give him an IOU. That way, he wouldn’t worry about not repaying the debt.
Thus, the XiQin became Lin ShuYi’s, even though from the outside, there was no difference. Old man Yang still came over to help every now and then. Sometimes he would even show them a few of his famous dishes for them to try. From then, Lin ShuYi also learned a lot, that with what Song Yan taught him, now he could even create his own dishes.
Once everything got rolling, time passed by quickly. In the blink of an eye, summer was over and Yang JianGuo, along with his family, never once came. Yang JianGuo didn’t dare go, Zhao XueMei didn’t want to go until she figured something out and Yang Xiao didn’t have time to go.
Ever since Yang JianGuo and Zhao XueMei started their ‘cold war’, they stopped bothering Yang Xiao. Zhao XueMei only gave him money, making sure he wasn’t hungry or cold, didn’t ask about anything else. Her focus was entirely on how to get old man Yang’s house and restaurant. Yang Xiao had always been tired of being at home, now that it was cold and stressful, he came back less. He spent his days outside. Yang JianGuo was pissed but there was nothing he could do when his son never came back home. Even when he decided to say something, Zhao XueMei would refute back coldly, so he stopped asking.
Yang Xiao enjoyed his freedom, so he came back even less. Taking the money Zhao XueMei gave him, he lost himself at the gambling place and went there everyday.
“Quick, quick, quick! Hand over the money!”
“Fuck, I lost again!” Yang Xiao pushed his tiles into the centre and continued swearing. His pockets were empty so he could only ask the person beside him, “Lend me a few more thousand.”
The man put the cigarette he held in his hand into his mouth. Without another word he started to count the money and said, “If you take the thousands or hundreds it’s hard for me to do the accounting. I’ll give you twenty thousand, you go play around.” (~5 RMB=1 USD)
Twenty thousand was a lot, but Yang Xiao was still riding the rush and so he took it after a tiny bit of hesitation, “I’ll give it back once I win some.”
The men let out a puff of smoke and said with innocent face, “Don’t worry, we’re pals aren’t we? You play, I’ll go out for some fresh air.”