Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuan Zhou still had the same solemn expression on his face. He did not say anything as well, appearing rather unmoved. But inwardly, he was feeling great waves in his emotions.
“Holy sh*t, is this a love confession? Do I know this girl? Hmm, I think I have seen her a couple of times. Wait, no, she seems to be joking. Her tone and expression are both so serious. Is she teasing me like Jiang Changxi?” Yuan Zhou thought to himself, his face a curtain of calm despite his inner turmoil. He stood there calmly, not saying anything.
Perhaps it would be more apt to say that he did not know what to say. After all, Yuan Zhou had little impression on this woman apart from the fact that she was also a regular customer here.
Yuan Zhou stood there seriously and saw that after the woman finished her words, she smiled teasingly before turning and walking out of the restaurant.
“Err…” Yuan Zhou started tidying his clothing, not knowing what to say.
“Yes. Wiping the table is still the easiest task,” thought Yuan Zhou as he silently resumed his wiping.
Meanwhile, the woman stood outside the restaurant. The smile on her face vanished, a layer of mist covering her eyes, with her brows furrowed.
“Eh, young miss, it’s you? What’s wrong?” asked the granny selling Mantou in front Yuan Zhou’s restaurant.
“Granny, you’re coming in the evening as well nowadays?” asked the woman as she squeezed a smile onto her face.
“Yes, I’m doing an additional shift, coming in the evenings as well,” the granny nodded with a smile.
“Don’t tire yourself out, granny. A glass of soy milk, please. Your soy milk is great,” said the woman after pursing her lips.
“Here, have a warm glass,” said the granny as she nimbly handed over a glass of soy milk together with the straw.
The woman did not leave after taking the glass of soy milk. She directly started drinking then and there. Meanwhile, the granny started asking her what’s going on.
After all, the woman had a gloomy expression so the caring granny asked out of kindness.
In the restaurant, when Yuan Zhou heard the woman’s voice, he stopped what he was doing as well. The benefit of having a good hearing was that he did not need to eavesdrop. He just had to listen right where he was.
“Every difficulty can eventually be overcome. Don’t be too sad,” said the granny gently with a caring voice.
“Granny…” the woman placed the glass down. With the gentleness shown, she could no longer hold her emotions back and a drop of tear trailed down her cheek.
“Aiii, what’s going on here? Come, come, I have some tissue here. What’s on your mind? Just tell me about it,” said the granny. She quickly handed over some tissues when she saw the woman crying while consoling without stop.
“Oh? Crying?” Yuan Zhou muttered in astonishment and placed down the rag he was holding.
Outside, the woman took the tissue and wiped her eyes. Somewhat embarrassed, her head was lowered.
“Don’t worry about it. If you want, you can talk about it. Saying it might make you feel better,” said granny with a gentle tone.
“I broke up with my boyfriend,” said the woman while still sobbing.
“Um,” the granny nodded and did not say anything. She continued gazing at the woman encouragingly.
“I am going to leave this city. Here, I can see his shadow everywhere, on the path home from work, on the fast-food shop I would pass by, on the old tree by the street, and especially this restaurant. We used to frequent this restaurant together,” said the woman as she gazed at the restaurant longingly.
In her mind, she recalled how they used to discuss about why Yuan Zhou’s restaurant did not have a signboard and the flower shelf in front of the restaurant.
The boyfriend had also once asked for the flower Yuan Zhou sculpted. This was a place filled with their sweet memories. Back then, even their arguments felt sweet.
“He had even said that we will come and eat the All-Fish Banquet here after we got married, saying that we should spend luxuriously as a celebration,” said the woman softly after a slight pause.
“Therefore, I no longer dared to come here. I am leaving this place, never to return,” said the woman, using words such as “no” and “never”, seemingly bidding farewell to her love.
“It’s fine, young miss. Come, let granny treat you to some Mantou. Everything will pass,” the granny consoled.
“I will forget this place, forget him. I will never return. Thank you,” said the woman. She downed the glass of soy milk and also finished the Mantou with a few bites, a layer of mist still covering her eyes.
“Goodbye, young miss,” said the granny while gazing at the woman gently.
This time, when the woman walked, she walked nimbly and the hesitation when she came was nowhere to be seen.
In the restaurant, Yuan Zhou smiled after the conversation came to an end.
“Truly a kind woman,” said Yuan Zhou with a gentle expression.
That’s right. The woman was very kind. She had obviously came to bid her farewell with a sad emotion, yet she was scared that her sadness would infect Yuan Zhou. Thus, she bid her farewell in a teasing manner instead.
Yuan Zhou could clearly feel that kindness.
“Um, as kind as me,” said Yuan Zhou. He took his phone out and when he looked at the fund transfer message, his lips curled into a smile.
This fund transfer message came from the account he used for the boxing donation platform. That was a number with many zeros on it. It would seem like Yuan Zhou had donated quite a large sum of money.
He used Song An’s name when donating, thus, nobody was praising his generosity. Therefore, he decided to praise himself instead.
“One who praises himself is a kind person,” muttered Yuan Zhou as he placed his phone down.
“Now, I can claim the reward. It’s about time I release a new dish again,” Yuan Zhou suddenly recalled the reward.
“System, I’m claiming the reward,” Yuan Zhou said.
The system displayed, “Mission completed. The reward can be claimed.”
[Main mission] Become the next Sichuan Cuisine Exemplary Restaurant, becoming the new Sichuan Cuisine headquarters. (Completed)
(Mission tips: The yearly Sichuan Cuisine Demonstration is starting soon. As the future master chef, little comrade, you have to seize onto this glory. As the great successor of the party, the glory belongs to you.)
[Mission reward] Sichuan Cuisine of the eight famous regional cuisines (Claimable)
(Reward tips: Based on this system’s assessment, a mid-tier chef must not lack a complete set of cuisine. Therefore, complete the mission, little comrade. After completion, you shall become the master of Sichuan Cuisine.)
“Cough, system, let’s talk about this. Change how you address me. Little comrade feels too weird,” said Yuan Zhou helplessly.
The system displayed, “Little comrade, as a chef, you must not feel disturbed by these needless designations. Please claim the reward.”
“Claim,” Yuan Zhou quickly claimed when he saw that the system was being stubborn. He couldn’t be bothered to continue bickering with the system.
The system displayed, “The reward has been released. The host may take a look at it.”
Then, the system sank into silence. Only a dot of light was left in Yuan Zhou’s mind, a blinking light like a star in the night sky.
“Let me see how rich this reward is,” Yuan Zhou impatiently looked towards the dot of light.
Along with Yuan Zhou’s focus, the dot of light reached the depth of his mind. When that happened, Yuan Zhou could no longer be bothered with anything else. His mind was instantly filled with information about Sichuan Cuisine.
It was as if a grandmaster was demonstrating his cooking skills again and again in Yuan Zhou’s mind. He watched on seriously, and instinctively, his hands started gesturing in the thin air. This was his way of digesting all the information.
