Zhao Fangfang’s cooking skills were quite good. After she’d planned the menu, the staff meals would follow it, with a few dishes made each day for everyone to try and give feedback on.
Today’s main dishes for lunch were sweet and sour pork, squirrel fish, fried eggplant, and mu shu pork. The cuisine was a bit all over the place, but the taste was decent.
Shan Yu had no complaints; he ate everything with gusto and wasn’t picky.
“Isn’t the pork a bit too sour?” Lao Qi asked.
“Not sour, I think it’s actually a bit too sweet,” Hu Pan said. “The fried eggplant is delicious.”
“The fried eggplant is delicious,” Lao Qi nodded.
“The fish is good too,” San Bing said.
Aside from a small debate about the sweet and sour taste, everyone else had no objections to the other dishes.
“Boss Shan, what do you think?” Zhao Fangfang asked.
Don’t ask me, I could eat sugar straight or drink vinegar straight and wouldn’t have any problem… He glanced at Chen Jian: “What does the manager think?”
“Everyone’s taste is different, so we can’t set a standard,” Chen Jian said. “How about when a guest orders this dish, we ask if they prefer it sweeter or sourer?”
“That’s good,” Shan Yu said.
To avoid being asked for his opinion on more dishes, he got up from the dining room, planning to go upstairs and drink his bowl of traditional Chinese medicine.
Just as the elevator door was about to close, Hu Pan ran over and poked half her head inside.
“What do you want?” Shan Yu quickly reached out and pressed the open button. “Use your hand to test sensitivity, not your head.”
“Boss, the manager just advanced my salary,” Hu Pan smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Shan Yu said.
“You’re a good person,” Hu Pan said, “I’ll work hard.”
“Mm,” Shan Yu nodded. “If you have difficulties, tell the manager.”
“No difficulties anymore!” Hu Pan smiled and turned to run off.
The elevator door closed, and Shan Yu sighed softly, leaning against the car. He paused for a moment before extending his crutch to press the fourth floor button on the control panel.
Hu Pan and Chen Erhu reminded him of many people. Although not entirely the same, there were always moments that pulled him back to his past.
Help whenever you can.
Some people are just one step away.
Knowing that one more step might make a difference, but that step is incredibly difficult.
Just like knowing that drinking this bowl of medicine might improve sleep, but just smelling it made him unable to open his mouth. He needed someone to pull him, pry his mouth open, and pour it in…
The third time he raised the bowl to his lips, he finally made up his mind and took a sip.
A bitter taste mixed with the smell of spoiled tree bark rushed straight to his head.
“Go to your big uncle’s,” he said, carrying the bowl towards the bathroom.
But standing by the sink, he still didn’t pour out the medicine. After all, Manager Chen had been busy with the guesthouse renovations while boiling the medicine, spending over an hour to get it ready.
He took a deep breath and held it.
He tilted his head back and guzzled down the entire bowl of traditional Chinese medicine in one go.
Then he dry-heaved twice into the sink.
He returned to his desk and picked up the walkie-talkie: “Manager Chen, bring me a bottle of cola.”
“The manager went to the old town to make the sign!” Zhao Fangfang’s voice came through the walkie-talkie. “I’ll bring it up to you.”
“No, no,” Shan Yu quickly said. Zhao Fangfang was probably cleaning up now. “No, Sister Zhao, you busy yourself.”
After a few sips of plain water, the taste in his mouth faded a bit. He had drunk it too quickly, though, and burped twice, leaving the bitter taste stuck in his throat.
Fortunately, two minutes later, Hu Pan came up with a can of iced cola.
This young girl was clever and attentive.
In some ways, she was like Chen Jian, but her personality was much more flamboyant. Her self-protection had thorns, while Chen Jian was mostly silent; even if you could see what he was thinking, it was hard to hear him say anything.
Shan Yu clicked his tongue, took out his phone, and dialed Chen Jian’s number.
“Hello?” Chen Jian’s voice was muffled by the wind.
“Answering the phone while driving?” Shan Yu said.
The sound of the wind on Chen Jian’s end disappeared: “I’ve pulled over. What’s up?”
“Bring back two pizzas, any kind without fruit is fine, for dinner tonight,” Shan Yu said.
I’ll bring you a steak back!
“Isn’t Sister Zhao cooking tonight?” Chen Jian asked.
“Keep it for supper. We have an oven, so we can heat it up,” Shan Yu said. “We’ll be staying up late tonight waiting for news from Boss Chen.”
Chen Jian was a bit speechless: “I don’t know if there will be any. I’ll go check after I finish at the sign shop.”
“Thanks,” Shan Yu said.
“…You’re welcome,” Chen Jian hung up.
He really didn’t know if there would be pizza; he’d never eaten it and hadn’t thought about eating such a thing.
He asked the people at the sign shop and found out there actually was a place in the old town.
A cafe that sold pasta and pizza, but it looked like business was very slow, making Chen Jian a little worried about the prospects of “Da Yin” cafe.
Nevertheless, he went in and bought two pizzas. While he was there, he also asked about the brand of their coffee machine and where they bought it. Just in case the boss suddenly wanted to save money, he even asked if they knew where to buy a used one…
When he returned to the guesthouse with the two pizzas, the most excited person was Hu Pan.
“I can make pizza and egg tarts!” She tapped on the pizza box. “I learned when I worked at a bakery. We have an oven, we can make them.”
“How about you make one someday for us to try?” San Bing asked.
“Okay, tomorrow then,” Hu Pan said. “To celebrate the success of our revenge operation.”
Speaking of the revenge operation, Chen Jian went to the fourth floor, wanting to ask Shan Yu if he had contacted Chen Erhu. This guy had been wandering around all afternoon and would have to keep wandering until midnight.
The office was empty.
Chen Jian called Shan Yu’s phone.
“You’re back?” Shan Yu answered the phone.
“Mm,” Chen Jian said. “You’re not in the office?”
“I’m hanging in the gym on the third floor,” Shan Yu said.
The gym lights were on. It looked like Shan Yu had used all the fixed equipment.
“Are you really not afraid of hurting your leg again?” Chen Jian asked.
“Move around a bit, then I’ll be tired and sleep,” Shan Yu said.
“Not eating?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“Not eating,” Shan Yu said. “I ate too much at lunch, and I’m a bit sleepy now.”
“Really?” Chen Jian felt a little surprised. “Did the medicine work?”
“It’s probably just that I’m tired. If one bowl of medicine had this effect, then Old Man Chen must have put sleeping pills in it,” Shan Yu said.
“Aren’t you waiting for Chen Erhu tonight?” Chen Jian asked.
“I am,” Shan Yu stood up. “So I’ll sleep now. I need to make the most of this sleepiness. Wake me up at midnight.”
Chen Jian said nothing.
To be honest, if Shan Yu really fell asleep, he wouldn’t dare wake him up.
He felt like he’d get hit with a crutch if he woke him up.
“Don’t worry, I don’t have a temper when I wake up,” Shan Yu said.
While the boss slept, the employees gathered in the restaurant, watching a movie and chatting.
Chen Jian returned to the village. Today, he went to the old town and bought some common medicines and health supplements for Little Dou’er’s grandparents. He usually didn’t pay rent, and the old couple wouldn’t accept it, so he could only spend money on them in these ways.
“Is your manager doing a good job now?” Little Dou’er’s grandma was knitting a sweater. Every year, she would start knitting around this time: hats, scarves, gloves—one set for each family member, and the extras would be sold in the small town.
“He’s doing very well. It’s a bit busy, but he can handle it all,” Chen Jian nodded.
“I ran into Zhao Fangfang buying groceries at the market the other day, and she said this boss is very good,” Little Dou’er’s grandma said. “Work steadily and do well here. Don’t rush to do several jobs at once.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian responded.
“Boss Uncle’s crutch is so fun,” Little Dou’er said while untangling yarn for her grandma.
“He’s injured, leaning on a crutch isn’t fun,” grandma said with a smile.
“Next time call him brother,” Chen Jian said. “You call me ‘brother,’ and he’s only six years older than me. If you call him ‘uncle,’ I’ll be out of place.”
“Six years,” Little Dou’er thought for a moment. “I’m only five, he’s one year older than me, so I’ll call him brother.”
“Your ears are quite good at picking out words to listen to,” Chen Jian chuckled. One year older it is.
When he returned to the guesthouse, as soon as he entered, everyone in the restaurant turned their heads and stared at him.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Jian stopped at the doorway.
“We thought it was Boss Chen,” Hu Pan said. “We were all worried he’d get excited and come too early.”
“Even if he came early, he couldn’t enter this courtyard. If he did, we’d all have to treat him like a strange thief and beat him out,” Chen Jian closed the door. “It’s ten o’clock. Someone needs to patrol outside.”
“I’ll go,” Lao Qi stood up.
When Chen Erhu wasn’t around, San Bing was the second-in-command, and Lao Qi still respected this order.
San Bing also got up at this point and walked around upstairs and downstairs.
Zhao Fangfang usually rested at this time, but tonight she also wanted to join the excitement, sitting in the restaurant half-asleep and nodding.
Chen Jian sat by the table, stretched out his legs, and leaned back in his chair. It had been a tiring day of running around.
“Manager,” Hu Pan looked at Chen Jian. “Is your hair naturally curly? Then you permed it?”
“Mm,” Chen Jian ruffled his hair. “You can tell that?”
“Yes,” Hu Pan said. “It’s just that the perming skill isn’t good. It’s a waste of that face. I’ll perm it for you someday.”
“…No, no,” Chen Jian waved his hand. “You’re busy enough.”
“Busy with what?” Hu Pan said. “This is the easiest job I’ve ever had. There are no guests, I’m just busy with myself…”
“Don’t talk nonsense, it sounds bad if the boss hears it,” Zhao Fangfang woke up for a second, patting her arm. “Say something auspicious.”
“When we open, money will roll in,” Hu Pan raised her fist.
Chen Jian felt that Shan Yu wouldn’t care about such words; he himself was “experiencing an idiotic life.”
He glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. He could go wake Shan Yu up to experience the revenge part that Chen Erhu brought to his idiotic life.
But before he could go upstairs, the elevator opened, and Shan Yu came out in his wheelchair.
“You didn’t sleep, did you?” Chen Jian could tell from Shan Yu’s face that he was a little tired.
“Manager has good eyesight,” Shan Yu said. “Where are they?”
“In the restaurant,” Chen Jian said.
“Quickly turn off the lights,” Shan Yu wheeled himself towards the restaurant. “What kind of guesthouse with no business has all its lights on at this hour? Just leave the front hall light on.”
Hu Pan jumped up and ran to turn off the lights.
“Now what?” she asked.
“Call San Bing and the others back, bake the pizzas, get out the drinks and snacks, clear out inventory before it expires,” Shan Yu said. “Since we’re staying up late tonight working overtime, you all get half a day off tomorrow, except for the manager.”
“Really?” Zhao Fangfang asked.
“Great!” Hu Pan excitedly ran out, whispering, “Oh my god, I’ve never worked this kind of overtime before… Who works overtime and eats supper?… This is too much fun…”
In the dark restaurant, six people sat around the largest dining table.
On the table were steaming pizzas, a pile of snacks, and orange juice, cola, and iced tea. They ate and chatted.
At 1:20 AM, Chen Jian’s phone rang.
“Boss Chen,” Chen Jian answered the call.
“Damn, the wind’s really strong tonight, I didn’t wear enough clothes, I’m freezing my ass off,” Chen Erhu’s voice trembled. “How are things on your end?”
Chen Jian glanced around the table.
They were eating quite happily.
Boss Chen, you’ve worked hard.
“No one’s sleeping. We’re waiting for your action,” Chen Jian said.
“Do I still need to give a secret signal when I pass by?” Chen Erhu asked. “To let you know I’m here?”
“No,” Chen Jian quickly said. “Just go straight in. We can see you.”
Shan Yu’s hand reached over and crooked a finger at Chen Jian.
Chen Jian handed him the phone.
“Boss Chen,” Shan Yu said, “Go straight in, control the force of the splash, try to make it look like the pattern on our wall, and make a quick escape… If you’re discovered, just run out, don’t have any contact with them. We’ll cover for you.”
After this call, everyone stood up from the table and walked to the window, looking out.
“Manager Chen, take off your jacket and hold it,” Shan Yu said. “Just in case we really need to cover for him.”
“What about us?” San Bing asked.
“At this time, the manager is asleep, and you are still patrolling,” Shan Yu said.
“Boss Shan, you’re really meticulous,” San Bing exclaimed.
Chen Jian took off his jacket, guessing that if anything unexpected happened later, he’d have to pretend to put on his jacket while running out.
A few minutes later, footsteps were heard outside.
“Brother Erhu is here,” Lao Qi turned back and whispered.
“He’s passed, he’s passed,” Zhao Fangfang peered through the window. “He’s running quite fast, but his steps are a bit heavy. This kid doesn’t usually look fat…”
The people inside stopped talking, listening to the footsteps move further inside, gradually fading away.
They couldn’t hear the sound of blood being splashed at all, they could only guess.
“He should have reached Guanshan Courtyard,” San Bing whispered.
“Should he be splashing now?” Lao Qi asked. “What did he use to hold the blood?”
“A bucket, maybe?” San Bing said.
“Are you stupid?” Hu Pan said. “If he ran in like that with a bucket, he’d spill it all over himself before he even got there. He probably used a bag.”
“Did he splash it?” Zhao Fangfang asked softly.
“He should have finished splashing Guanshan, now he’s continuing inside…” San Bing said.
“I hope Boss Chen is smarter than you guys and splashes from the inside out,” Shan Yu said. “If he splashes from the outside in, he’ll be caught and won’t be able to run.”
“Ah,” Lao Qi was stunned.
“You’re right,” San Bing turned to look at Shan Yu. “Boss Shan, what should we do?”
Shan Yu raised his index finger: “Listen for movement.”
For about four or five minutes, Chen Jian remained silent, estimating Chen Erhu’s actions. Chen Erhu wasn’t completely stupid when it came to causing trouble, so he should be able to complete the plan, it just depended on whether he would…
From deep within the path, a faint human voice suddenly drifted over, carried by the wind. It was clear someone was shouting.
What they were shouting couldn’t be made out clearly. At first, it was one voice, then several, along with the clanging sound of objects colliding.
“Cover for him?” San Bing immediately wanted to run out of the courtyard.
“Stand still!” Shan Yu said in a low voice.
San Bing stopped.
“You take those two out,” Shan Yu glanced at Chen Jian. “Intercept their pursuers.”
Chen Jian stood up and quickly walked out with San Bing and Lao Qi.
Intercept their pursuers.
How?
Are the boss’s instructions always this vague?
He had to stop the people chasing Chen Erhu and also make sure they weren’t mistaken for being part of Chen Erhu’s group.
Chen Jian felt smoke coming from above his head.
When they reached the courtyard, they could already hear clear voices from that direction.
“Catch the thief! Stop! Don’t run—”
San Bing once again wanted to rush out to save his boss, and Lao Qi was about to charge along.
Chen Jian was very touched. He grabbed them both by their collars, one in each hand: “Wait!”
“What the hell are you doing!” Lao Qi asked angrily.
“The damn people haven’t passed yet,” Chen Jian said in a low voice. “Are you blocking Chen Erhu?”
“Wait,” San Bing reacted.
A few seconds later, a black figure, head covered, rushed past the courtyard fence.
…He was indeed very well covered. His hands were gloved, and his face seemed to be covered by a sun protection mask.
Where did he find that?
Chen Jian even wondered if he could see the road clearly.
“Now?” Lao Qi was anxious, struggling to rush out.
Chen Jian said nothing, just holding his collar tightly. A few more seconds passed, and when the shadows of the pursuers appeared outside the courtyard, he suddenly pushed San Bing and Lao Qi out of the gate with force.
The two stumbled out, instantly colliding with the pursuers outside.
“Damn, who’s this!”
“What’s going on!”
“Don’t pull me! It’s not me!”
Chen Jian shouted, trying to put on his jacket: “What’s wrong!”
“Catch the thief!” Someone roared back.
Then he heard Hu Pan’s scream from behind: “Ah—what’s wrong? Is there a thief?! Did we get a thief here—”
Chen Jian took advantage of the chaos to rush out of the courtyard, throwing his jacket, which he’d failed to get his arms into several times, to the ground, and started chasing in the direction Chen Erhu had run.
He had to chase Chen Erhu; if he didn’t, someone else would.
“Manager!” Hu Pan ran out of the courtyard. “Our manager went to chase—ah—”
Chen Erhu’s running speed left Chen Jian a bit speechless. The people behind him had collided, and it took Chen Jian several seconds to chase them out, but he saw Chen Erhu still running ahead just as he reached the intersection.
At this speed, if he hadn’t been blocked, Chen Erhu might not have been able to escape and would have been exposed on the spot, his sun protection mask removed.
“Boss Chen!” Chen Jian shouted as he chased.
He wasn’t sure if it was the strong wind or if Chen Erhu was too nervous. He heard the commotion, looked back for a moment, then spun his head back like he’d been poked in the butt, sprinting forward at a speed of two meters per step.
“Damn,” Chen Jian cursed through gritted teeth.
