Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Young man, we’re closing soon. Don’t stay too late,” the guy watching the entrance shouted when Yuan Zhou entered carrying the case.
“Alright.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
Stairs were built linking the entrance all the way till the top of the hill.
Ta. Ta. Ta. Step by step, Yuan Zhou climbed the stairs. He walked at a moderate speed, in a very serene manner.
“Looks like there are benefits to training the body.” Yuan Zhou had been carrying a case that weight more than 10 catties yet did not feel too tired even after walking the one-kilometer journey and climbing the stairs.
Yuan Zhou’s parents were buried halfway up the hill. He reached not long after he started climbing up the stairs. He then walked to the left for about three minutes to arrive before his parents’ gravestones. The cemeteries all had a similar layout. They were arranged in layers with paths between layers and gravestones to the left and right of the path.
The gravestones were made using ash-grey marble and on it, the name and a short description of the buried were carved. The grave of Yuan Zhou’s parents was extremely clean. Not a single weed or trash could be found, looking like it was frequently cleaned. With a thud, Yuan Zhou placed the case on the ground. He then crouched down and started taking out the stuff he had prepared.
“Father, mother, it has been a while since I have last visited dressed so formally. This time, I brought a lot of fruits,” Yuan Zhou spoke softly while arranging the fruits before the gravestone.
Yuan Zhou spoke in a mild tone, while the solemn expression from his face was nowhere to be seen. With a faint smile on his face, he appeared warm and amiable.
“Every time I came in the past, you guys were always telling me to not bring any gifts back and everything is fine so long as I have enough money for myself. However, it’s different this time. I’m bringing some nice stuff for you. Give it a try,” Yuan Zhou said after arranging the fruits.
“Huh? It has only been several months but there is already dust here. Let me wipe them off for you guys.” Yuan Zhou’s parents both shared the same gravestone.
On the right of the gravestone, the name and description of his father was carved while on the left, his mother’s name and description was carved.
“Haha, father, it is still your side that is dirtier. Mom will definitely scold you for being dirty again.” While wiping the gravestone, Yuan Zhou noticed that the right side had more dust.
“Right, Father, this is the liquor I brought for you. Don’t drink too much and don’t let Mom notice it. It doesn’t matter if you get nagged by her but she will definitely come scold me in my dreams,” suddenly, Yuan Zhou whispered to the right side of the gravestone.
“But if she can appear in my dream, it’s fine as well,” Yuan Zhou said, his voice growing softer. It had been a long time since he was last scolded by his mother, even in his dreams.
The biggest regret one could ever have in life was to dislike all the nagging when a loved one was alive and only knowing how precious that was when the loved one was no longer around. The biggest tragedy of life was failing to even dream of something one wanted most.
“By the way, in the past half year, the changes have been quite huge. I am now a popular chef and have inherited your restaurant. The restaurant is located at a splendid location with excellent Feng Shui.” When Yuan Zhou said this, pride and confidence welled within him.
“I feel like you two must have been watching over me all this while.”
“Father, I can cook much better than you now. Mother, you don’t have to be worried about me anymore. Nowadays, I only eat what I cook. I don’t really eat outside that much anymore.” It was rare for Yuan Zhou to be so talkative.
“Truth be told, your son, I, am not that bad after all. No matter what, I am a Mr. Perfect. But for some reason, I got no girls courting me. I wonder if it’s because I am too handsome causing a sense of distance between the girls and me, feeling like they can only admire me from afar. Mother, I’m afraid it will be quite a while before you can get grandchildren.” Yuan Zhou spread his hands helplessly.
After being tired from crouching, he sat down on the ground instead. He lightly leaned onto the gravestone and continued talking about his life. He touched on many topics, such as his marriage that his parents had always been worried about, his health, his career, and others.
Around forty minutes later, Yuan Zhou straightened the flowers he brought before standing up and said, “Bye, father, mother. I’ll come to visit again next time.” Then, he turned around and left. His steps were the same as when he came, slow and steady.
With the tray of fruit, the white chrysanthemums, the windflowers, and the fruit tray, the gravestone looked neat and lively now. The windflowers had green leaves, long stems, and tiny white flowers on them. When the night breeze brushed past them, the white flowers would gently sway about. It was a flower that signified yearning.
After leaving the cemetery, Yuan Zhou walked the one-kilometer distance to reach the intersection. There, he called for a taxi. Of course, the taxi was called on his phone instead of being hailed. Without his phone, he might have to spend the night here.
Luckily I was smart to have researched the way to get a taxi out here beforehand,Yuan Zhou thought proudly as he sat in the warm car.
Along the way, both the driver and Yuan Zhou maintained their silence. The roads of Chengdu were extremely peaceful at night, with bright lamps lining beside the roads.
With a “zi”, the taxi stopped at the intersection of Tao Xi Road.
“Have a good night. Be sure to check your belongings. And be sure to give me a five-star review as well,” the driver said politely.
“Sure thing.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
Carrying the empty case, Yuan Zhou walked past the street. At the intersection of the street was a 24-hour convenience store, currently brightly lid amid the dark night. After walking into the street, Yuan Zhou saw that lanterns were lit up in front of all the stores there. The entire street looked brightly lit.
“Wow, looks like my idea was pretty good.” Yuan Zhou was very pleased with his idea of hanging a lantern in front of every store.
Before long, he reached the entrance of his restaurant. Broth was sprawled on the ground, seriously guarding the entrance.
“Evening,” Yuan Zhou greeted while opening the door.
It was rare for Yuan Zhou to return this late at night and to enter from the front door. Therefore, Broth kept its head raised and looked at him until he closed the door before lying down again. On that night, Yuan Zhou slept soundly. As usual, he slept with no interruption until dawn. Then, he woke up, washed himself, did some exercises, before preparing the food ingredients and starting a new business day. Early in the morning, diners lined up outside Yuan Zhou’s restaurant as usual.
“Huh? That person is not here?” A certain young man that looked graceful and refined looked around, failing to found the person he was looking for.
“Forget it. I’ll line up first. If that person comes later, we can eat together,” the young man muttered as he slipped his hands into his pockets.
The sky gradually brightened up. By this point, those here for breakfast had all arrived. If they arrived any later, they wouldn’t be able to get any breakfast. The young man was one of the 100 breakfast diners, yet the person he was waiting for still hadn’t arrived.
“Well, it is fine. At least I still get to eat a meal at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant.” The young man did not appear too bothered despite that.
“Boss Yuan has returned to normal today. There is liquor being served today as well. This is how life should be,” Chen Wei said while holding on the red table tennis ball his disciple had drawn for him.
“Everything will be fine for you so long as there’s liquor,” Fang Heng spoke nonchalantly.
“The same goes for you,” Chen Wei countered.
“No way. I’m here to gather intelligence to improve the liquor of my store. I’m here on working reasons,” Fang Heng said righteously.
“Ho Ho,” Chen Wei’s chuckle showed clearly the credibility of that explanation.
After a morning had passed, nearly everyone had found out that Yuan Zhou had recovered from his mood. Therefore, Ma Zhida arrived at noon to visit Yuan Zhou. One ought to know that normally, he wouldn’t visit unless there’s a new dish. The moment he arrived, someone called out at him.
“Here, I’m paying you back. Sorry, I had just returned from my business trip recently.” The young man passed two red bills to Ma Zhida with his slender fair hand.
“Paying me back?” Ma Zhida couldn’t recall what’s this about.
“This is for the Egg Fried Rice that one time,” the young man reminded.
“Ahh, yes. You still owe me a meal as well,” Ma Zhida said with a smile after recalling that incident.
“Sure. I’ll buy you a Egg Fried Rice,” the young man generously agreed.
“No problem.” Ma Zhida nodded cheerfully.
