(2/2)
This question was a bit difficult for Shan Yu to answer.
It wasn’t that there was no answer, it was just that this answer, in the eyes of an outsider… no, Chen Jian couldn’t be considered an outsider, not an outsider, not an outsider…
Chen Jian’s personality was such that he was very mindful of crossing boundaries. Now, even when he was just thinking about it, he would be very careful. Chen Jian was an insider, an insider, he hadn’t crossed any boundaries.
When Shan Yu thought of this, he felt like a fool and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hmm?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“Nothing,” Shan Yu smiled.
It was just that this answer, for many people, might be incomprehensible. They would feel that it hadn’t reached that level, that it wasn’t that serious.
He just didn’t have the face to see his parents.
And it had been many years since he had the face, not just because he had been in prison for these few years.
Before he went to prison, he hadn’t lived a very positive life either. A life of being unlearned, aimless, waiting for death, and being a piece of mud that couldn’t be helped up. The scars on his body, the way acquaintances looked at him, were all evidence of those muddle-headed days.
Perhaps it was because his parents really had no expectations of him, perhaps it was because they felt guilty for neglecting him all those years, or perhaps it was because they had tried everything. When faced with such a him, two such strong-willed people became infinitely tolerant.
The more it was like this, the more he was afraid to face his parents.
But your parents love you. They still tolerate you even though you’re like this. As long as you go back to see them, they will be very happy.
Really?
How could so many years of disappointment and worry be so easily erased? It was nothing more than another instance of tolerance that was already without any expectation.
“I don’t know how to say it,” Shan Yu looked at the sunlight outside the window, closed his eyes to feel the golden light that filled the world, “I just can’t face two family members who are so disappointed in me that they have no expectations. I hadn’t seen them for two years before I went in, and now it’s even more…”
“The longer you drag it out, the harder it will be to face,” Chen Jian said. “Unless you really don’t care yourself, otherwise it will be a thorn in your side for a lifetime.”
Shan Yu opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Chen Jian.
This was the first time someone hadn’t tried to persuade him from the angle of “they will be happy as long as you go back.”
“I’ve always felt that although you usually act like an honorary boss, you still make people feel at ease,” Chen Jian also looked at him. “Because no matter what you encounter, you never run away. No matter how difficult it is, as long as you are there, it can be solved.”
“This is not the ordinary kind of thing we usually encounter,” Shan Yu said.
“The longer it is, the harder it is to face,” Chen Jian said. “When they’re dead, you won’t have the chance anymore.”
Shan Yu raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
“That’s not what I meant!” Chen Jian suddenly came to his senses and explained anxiously, “That’s not what I meant…”
“I know,” Shan Yu said.
“I… I just said what was on my mind, but the point is not about life or death,” Chen Jian looked at him. “You know, right?”
“I know,” Shan Yu smiled. “It’s pretty good.”
“I was a little too presumptuous,” Chen Jian said, a little embarrassed.
“I just like you to be a little more presumptuous,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian didn’t speak.
Shan Yu hugged him. Chen Jian paused for two seconds, then also reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist.
He gently patted him on the back.
Hu Pan walked over from the conference room, wiping her face as she walked.
When she looked over here, her footsteps paused. Shan Yu could even feel that her fluffy, explosive hair had become even more fluffy.
He held Chen Jian without moving.
He just put his forefinger to his lips.
Hu Pan looked back at the conference room. Chen Erhu and the others were following behind.
Shan Yu let go of Chen Jian.
Hu Pan quickly walked towards the front hall.
When Chen Jian turned his head, he happened to see Sanbing excitedly talking to Chen Erhu as they passed by in the corridor.
“Damn,” he was startled. “That was close.”
“Yeah,” Shan Yu smiled.
“That diagram,” Chen Jian said, “where was it supposed to be chopped? Maybe it will actually be useful one day.”
Shan Yu raised his hand as if to press on his neck, thought for a moment, and then pressed on his own neck. “Here.”
“Your tattoo…” Chen Jian’s gaze followed, and the first thing he saw were those few thin black lines. “Does it have any special meaning?”
“To show off,” Shan Yu said.
“…Oh,” Chen Jian replied.
That answer was also obvious.
“But why a bow tie, and not a spider or something,” Chen Jian said. “Aren’t they usually these scary things?”
“Do I need to rely on this to scare people?” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“That’s true,” Chen Jian nodded.
“And bow ties are cute,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian laughed.
“Go on, get to work,” Shan Yu stretched and walked towards the stairs. “I’m going to hang for a while, then rest. Yue Lang and the others will definitely drag me to the bonfire festival tonight.”
“Just now you said about the New Year… is it okay whether we’re open or not?” Chen Jian asked in a low voice as he followed behind him.
“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu asked.
“There are a lot of tourists during the New Year…” Chen Jian said.
“If the two of them really stay here for the New Year, will they not be open?” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian was stunned for a moment. “Damn.”
“Whether they say it or not, they will be open. Of course, I’ll say the nice thing,” Shan Yu said. “We capitalists are good at acting.”
“What if they really don’t open and just rest?” Chen Jian asked.
“Then we’ll rest,” Shan Yu looked back at him. “We’ve already earned a lot before the New Year.”
“Have you recouped your investment yet?” Chen Jian asked.
“Not yet,” Shan Yu said. “What’s the hurry? If we go bankrupt, I’ll take you all to the streets to rob people.”
“Let’s not,” Chen Jian said. “It’s illegal.”
Shan Yu laughed. “Then what should we do?”
“We might as well beg for food together,” Chen Jian said.
“Can you be a little more auspicious!” Hu Pan at the front desk heard their last few sentences. “One is a boss, and the other is a manager… besides, if you really go begging, do you still need a boss? Do you hand over what you get?”
“That’s also necessary. For professional begging, you still need a team that can provide security,” Sanbing said. “They also have their own territories…”
“What’s all this nonsense!” Hu Pan shouted. “Then we’ll take you all with us.”
“Then we might have to practice a little more…” Lao Wu said, looking at Sanbing.
“Why are you looking at me? You’re not much better than me,” Sanbing said.
“Just shut up, my god,” Hu Pan waved her hand.
Perhaps it was because she had driven away her desperate parents, or perhaps it was because from now on, the Great Hermit would be her home. Hu Pan was particularly energetic at work today.
There were also many things to do today. They hadn’t received so many tourists even during the long holiday before. At noon, Chen Jian felt like there were people everywhere.
The coffee shop was also full of people. Hu Pan’s lattes and Americanos were a bit unable to cope. Sun Nana put on an apron and went to the coffee shop.
“Can she do it?” Chen Jian asked.
“She can make one more than me, a cappuccino,” Hu Pan said. “But she’s better at talking than me.”
“Hmm?” Chen Jian looked over there.
“Hi, I wonder what kind of beans you like?” Hu Pan began to imitate Sun Nana. “Then she lets people smell the beans. No matter which kind they pick, she says, ‘Mm, I like this one too. This one is very suitable for making cappuccinos, you know? Want to try?’ This morning, as long as she was there, all they sold were cappuccinos.”
Chen Jian laughed. “Then wouldn’t it be easier to make to recommend a latte? You don’t even have to froth the milk.”
“I don’t know. I think she just enjoys the process,” Hu Pan said. “Making a cup of coffee elegantly. It’s not enough to show off this elegance if it’s too simple.”
Chen Jian looked at Hu Pan and smiled without speaking.
“I quite like Nana. I hope she can stay for a longer time,” Hu Pan said.
“Yeah,” Chen Jian looked over there again.
In the afternoon, the number of people in the shop began to decrease. Everyone started heading to the barbecue area. Although there was still some time before the event started, many tourists had their dinner there, eating while they waited.
Chen Jian knocked on the office door. Yue Lang’s voice came from inside: “Manager? Come in.”
“Boss Yue is back?” Chen Jian asked as he entered the office.
“I’m exhausted,” Yue Lang said, lying on the sofa.
“Where’s Sister Xiao Yi?” Chen Jian asked.
“She’s taking a scented bath,” Yue Lang said. “It’ll take at least an hour. I can take a nap.”
“I’m going to the barbecue area now,” Chen Jian said, leaning against the desk. “I’ll check on the situation. We’re setting off fireworks tonight, so I have to check the fire safety again.”
“Didn’t Chen Erhu already go?” Shan Yu asked, leaning back in his chair.
Chen Jian tilted his head slightly, wanting to see how Shan Yu had managed to get the back of the chair to stand upright again. He found that he had just leaned the back of the chair against the cabinet behind it.
Shan Yu saw his intention, and a smile he couldn’t hold back appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Chen Jian also held back his laughter. “After all, Chen Erhu… I’d better go and keep an eye on things.”
“Yeah,” Shan Yu nodded. “I’ll go over with Brother Lang and the others later.”
The barbecue area was already very lively. Many merchants from the small town had come over, many with stalls selling trinkets and snacks. They were all quite cooperative, staying within the designated areas.
Chen Jian took a look around. The preparations for the event itself were all normal, but there was one thing that made him very unhappy.
When he met up with Chen Erhu and Sanbing at the barbecue shop, they had also discovered it and were equally unhappy. If Sanbing hadn’t held him back, Chen Erhu would have gone to cause trouble for Da Li and the others.
“You can’t do this. Damn it, when someone takes a picture later, they will definitely capture it. It’ll be like advertising for them,” Chen Erhu said, holding two small fans in his hand. They were the very common kind of advertising fans. One was printed with the Liang Ye logo, and the other with the Guan Shan logo.
This should be the leftover stock from those few establishments. Chen Jian had seen them before. They probably didn’t want the Great Hermit to steal the limelight, so they took this opportunity to advertise themselves.
Although handing out fans in winter was a bit strange, the tourists didn’t care. They were small gifts from the bonfire festival, and many people were walking around the venue with them.
“What do we do?” Sanbing asked. “Do we have this kind of thing?”
“No, even if we do, they’re all from Zhenxi,” Chen Jian said. “The Great Hermit was just renamed a few days ago.”
“Go snatch them,” Chen Erhu slapped the wall next to him.
“Brother Erhu, Brother Erhu,” Sanbing quickly stopped him. “We are employees of the Great Hermit now. You are the fire safety director of the Great Hermit. We can’t do things this way.”
Where did the title of Fire Safety Director come from?
Chen Jian patted Chen Erhu’s shoulder. “It’s fine, it’s not that serious.”
“I can’t swallow this,” Chen Erhu said. “They always use these petty tricks. Even we street thugs wouldn’t bother with this.”
You can’t really be considered street thugs…
“It’s not hard to swallow,” Shan Yu said unhurriedly over the phone. “Just exchange the fans in their hands. Not many people are willing to hold onto this kind of thing while they’re playing anyway.”
Chen Jian quickly found a solution. “How about exchanging a fan for a bottle of Coke? The glass bottle kind. It’s not expensive, and not everyone wants to drink alcohol. Many people would probably exchange it for a drink.”
“Have someone buy them and put them in the shop. Just have the boss say a word,” Shan Yu said. “Do you have money there?”
“It won’t cost much,” Chen Jian said. “I’ll pay for it first.”
“Remember to get a receipt. No reimbursement without a receipt,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian hung up the phone with a smile.
This sudden small incident was quickly resolved. The barbecue shop owners’ business was better than expected today, and almost no one disagreed with helping to announce the exchange of a small fan for a Coke.
By the time Shan Yu and Yue Lang and the others came over before the event started, there weren’t many small fans left in the hands of the tourists.
“Actually, it’s fine even if we don’t do anything about this. We don’t necessarily have to be so ruthless, right?” Chen Jian and Shan Yu were sitting in Old Lu’s barbecue stall, watching the bonfire that had already started burning over there.
“We still have to,” Shan Yu said.
“Why?” Chen Jian asked.
“For this,” Shan Yu tilted his head slightly and nodded to the left.
Chen Jian turned his head and saw He Liang, with Boss Liu and Boss Yang following behind him.
“Boss Shan,” He Liang said with a smile as he walked into the barbecue stall. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time. You didn’t even tell us you were here.”
“Likewise,” Shan Yu said.
That’s not how you use that phrase, boss.
Chen Jian glanced at him.
But if Shan Yu said it, it wasn’t strange. Even He Liang wasn’t embarrassed, probably already used to it.
“I’ll go take a look over there,” Chen Jian said in a low voice to Shan Yu.
Although he really wanted to stay and listen, the other three were all bosses, and they hadn’t brought Da Li and the others with them. It seemed like they were here to make peace, so they still had to maintain some balance on the surface.
“Yeah,” Shan Yu didn’t stop him, just nodded.
“Then, bosses, you can chat. I’ll go see if there are any other problems,” Chen Jian stood up.
“What a capable right-hand man,” He Liang said. “If I had such a capable manager, I would be much more relaxed.”
Hearing this, Chen Jian felt it was unfair to Da Li.
“Then fire Da Li,” Shan Yu said. “Hire Chen Jian to work part-time.”
“…Boss Shan is joking,” He Liang still couldn’t escape an embarrassed smile.
Chen Jian walked around the venue. Many people from the village had also come, as well as some people from the small town management office whom he didn’t usually see. He greeted them as he walked.
“Why did you leave the boss alone and come out?” Yue Lang’s voice came from behind.
“The bosses from the establishments inside are chatting with him,” Chen Jian turned around. “I came out to take a look.”
Yue Lang was eating a skewer of meat, and next to him, Yao Yi was holding a camera and looking around.
“I’m going to look for some scenery,” Yao Yi said.
“Okay,” Yue Lang nodded.
“Brother Lang, are you guys going back tomorrow?” Chen Jian stood at the edge of the venue with Yue Lang, watching the lively scene of people coming and going.
“Yeah,” Yue Lang nodded. “We’ve had enough fun this time. The main thing was to see Shan Yu, and we’ve seen enough. If we don’t leave, he’ll kick us out.”
“Have you… not seen each other for a long time either?” Chen Jian asked.
“Since he went in,” Yue Lang said. “I don’t know when we’ll see each other next time. I’ll probably have to come over again.”
“Is he not going home for the New Year?” Chen Jian tried to ask again.
Yue Lang smiled. “Don’t you know better than me whether he’s going home or not?”
Chen Jian didn’t speak.
“He hasn’t been home for six or seven years,” Yue Lang said. “He didn’t want to go back before he went in. Now that he’s been released from prison, he’s even less likely to go back.”
Chen Jian sighed softly. “He probably doesn’t really… not want to go back.”
“Yeah,” Yue Lang looked at him. “If you try to persuade him, it might work.”
Chen Jian didn’t speak.
To be honest, he didn’t have much confidence.
“You’re a little different, to him. After all, before…” Yue Lang hesitated and glanced in Shan Yu’s direction.
“Hmm?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“We all know his… situation, but to be honest, we’ve never seen him like anyone,” Yue Lang said. “He used to have a gecko. Sometimes I think if he said he was in love with that gecko, I would believe him.”
Chen Jian couldn’t help but laugh.
“You try,” Yue Lang said. “I actually met his mother before I came. I didn’t dare to tell him. Auntie has aged. She’s in her fifties, and she used to look very young. These past two years, she looks… at least forty-eight.”
Chen Jian felt that he shouldn’t laugh, but he really wanted to.
After holding it in for a while, after the laughter had faded, he suddenly felt a little emotional.
And some inexplicable, distant sadness.
