Actually, it wasn’t just Shan Yu who was looking forward to the New Year; Chen Jian was too.
This was the first time in many years that he could celebrate such a lively New Year, and with his dad, no less.
At his mother’s tombstone, he couldn’t help but say, “This New Year is especially lively, with lots of people.”
Although Shan Yu wasn’t very familiar with the New Year customs, his enthusiasm for the holiday was quite high. The holiday was supposed to start on New Year’s Eve, which was the case for the other guesthouses in the area, but at Dayin, employees could freely take leave starting from the 26th or 27th of the last lunar month.
“They’re so envious, and their work schedules aren’t as humane as ours…” Lao Wu said, sitting in the coffee shop. He had just finished vacuuming the first-floor carpet and was now slacking off on the sofa, the vacuum cleaner still beside him.
Normally, Chen Jian would have made him get up and finish the work upstairs, but not today.
It was the New Year, after all.
“The word is ‘humanized’,” Sun Nana said.
On the table in front of her was a small snack dish. She was taking small biscuits out of their packaging one by one and arranging them neatly on the plate.
After taking out five, she would slowly pick them up one by one to eat.
Shan Yu’s forbidden biscuits.
“It’s mainly because many of us don’t go home for the New Year, and those who do live nearby,” Chen Jian said. “They weren’t so miserable before. The business used to close for the New Year, so they could go home. This year, business is good for everyone.”
“Those Boss He, Boss Yang, and whatever other bosses should all come and kowtow to Shan Yu,” Sun Nana said.
“Before Boss Shan came,” Lao Wu said in a low voice, “Brother Erhu had been planning that once this area completely died out, we’d use this place as our base.”
“When this place was called Zhenxi before, wasn’t it also empty?” Sun Nana said.
“This place used to be a haunted house, and besides…” Lao Wu glanced at Chen Jian, “Chen Jian was living here too.”
“Occasionally, not for long,” Chen Jian said.
“What’s wrong with Chen Jian living here? He can’t occupy the whole building by himself,” Sun Nana, who didn’t know this history, said. She was a little surprised but didn’t ask further. However, Chen Jian guessed she would gossip with Hu Pan about it later.
“You don’t know,” Lao Wu said. “Chen Jian is more trouble than a ghost.”
“I’m right here,” Chen Jian said.
“I think Chen Jian is pretty great. He’s handsome and steady,” Sun Nana said with a smile.
“You women don’t understand,” Lao Wu said. “He walked the righteous path. If he were also in the underworld, Chen Dahu would have run away long ago.”
“Hey,” Chen Jian looked at him, “I’m right here.”
“I’m praising you,” Lao Wu said.
“Maybe you should praise me less in the future,” Chen Jian said, pointing at the vacuum cleaner. “Get to work.”
Lao Wu clicked his tongue reluctantly, stood up, and dragged the vacuum cleaner towards the elevator. “Where’s Sanbing? He disappears whenever there’s hard work to be done.”
“He went to run an errand. If you want to switch with him, all the outside errands can be yours from now on,” Chen Jian said.
“Let’s talk about it in the spring. It’s too cold now.” Lao Wu’s pace immediately quickened.
“In your dreams,” Chen Jian said.
Not long after, Sanbing came back with two bags and placed them on the table. “Should we do it now?”
“Yes,” Chen Jian nodded.
One bag contained red envelopes, and the other was freshly exchanged small bills.
Each guest staying over the New Year would receive a ten-yuan red envelope as a token of good fortune. There were also several larger red envelopes containing two hundred yuan each as New Year’s money for the employees.
Chen Jian and Sun Nana counted out the money and started stuffing the red envelopes.
While stuffing the envelopes, Sun Nana didn’t forget to eat her small biscuits, though she had switched to using a small fork.
“Nana,” Chen Jian looked at her.
Sun Nana forked a piece of biscuit and held it to his mouth.
“That’s not…” Chen Jian laughed.
“What’s wrong?” Sun Nana put the biscuit into her own mouth.
“You’re not going home for the New Year,” Chen Jian said in a low voice. “Will your family be okay with it?”
“Of course they’re not willing,” Sun Nana said. “But I have a mental illness, so they don’t dare to force me.”
Chen Jian smiled.
“The only thing I’m worried about is that he’ll come looking for me,” Sun Nana said. “But I’ve already discussed it with Panpan. If he really comes, she’ll go with me to one of the guesthouses in the area, and we’ll get a standard room. If he wants to make a scene, let him make it at someone else’s place.”
“…If he really comes, just chase him away,” Chen Jian said. “No need for all that trouble.”
“That won’t do. It’s the New Year,” Sun Nana said.
As they were talking, Hu Pan at the front desk suddenly raised her voice and asked towards the main entrance, “Hello, may I help you?”
This question was directed at the person at the door, but it was also a request for help from the people in the coffee shop.
“Who is it?” Sun Nana jumped.
Chen Jian quickly walked over, glanced at the entrance, and waved his hand at Sun Nana, saying in a low voice, “It’s Erhu’s dad.”
“Oh.” Sun Nana leaned back in her chair. “I thought my words had some magical power.”
Although Chen Erhu’s dad wasn’t that ex-husband Zhang, his appearance at Dayin was not something easy to handle.
When Chen Jian walked over, he found that the man had been drinking and reeked of alcohol.
“Uncle,” Chen Jian blocked Erhu’s dad, who was trying to walk in. “Are you looking for Erhu? Erhu went to town to run some errands.”
“I’m not looking for him,” Erhu’s dad staggered back a step. After steadying himself, he stared at Chen Jian for a few seconds before saying, “Chen Jian, huh? I was wondering who it was.”
“Yes, I’m Chen Jian,” Chen Jian said.
“I heard your dad is back?” Erhu’s dad looked around the shop.
“Yes,” Chen Jian nodded.
His dad was busy in the kitchen at the moment. For the past two days, he had been preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner and all the ingredients needed for the holiday. It looked like just a few meals, but since it was the New Year, they were all big dishes, and many ingredients had to be prepared in advance.
“A father and son reunion,” Erhu’s dad nodded. “So happy, unlike me.”
“Isn’t Erhu coming home for the New Year too?” Chen Jian said.
“I originally,” Erhu’s dad held up two fingers and thrust them in front of Chen Jian’s face, “had two sons.”
“You still have two now,” Chen Jian said.
Chen Dahu was in prison, not dead.
“Two sons, and you guys made me lose both of them,” Erhu’s dad said with a drunken burp.
Chen Jian turned his head slightly but still held his breath and asked, “Didn’t Erhu come home?”
“It’s like he didn’t come home at all!” Erhu’s dad yelled. “He finds fault with me no matter what I do now. It’s always ‘Boss Shan’ this and ‘Boss Shan’ that. He can’t even tell who his real dad is!”
…That was probably an exaggeration.
Boss Shan wasn’t old enough.
“Get your boss out here.” Erhu’s dad spun around on the spot, his steps a little unsteady as he walked towards a sofa in the rest area and plopped down. “Get Shan Yu out here!”
“Okay, Uncle. Please sit here and rest for a bit,” Chen Jian nodded.
He turned and walked to the front desk. “Panpan.”
“Should I call the police?” Hu Pan immediately asked.
“Call Chen Erhu and ask him what’s going on,” Chen Jian said.
Calling the police was out of the question. This was Chen Erhu’s dad. Chen Erhu’s brother had just been sent to jail by them last year after they called the police. If they called the police again to get rid of his dad, Chen Erhu might just die from the stress.
“Okay,” Hu Pan nodded. “Should I call Boss Shan down?”
“Not yet.” Chen Jian said as he walked towards the bar, poured a cup of hot water to make tea, and got a few pastries. “Call Lao Wu down.”
If Shan Yu had to personally deal with Chen Erhu’s family matters one more time, Chen Erhu might also die from the stress.
“Chen Jian, what’s…” His dad heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen. He was about to ask when he saw Erhu’s dad sitting on the sofa and froze. “…Why is Da Ganbar here?”
Da Ganbar was Chen Erhu’s dad’s nickname. It was said that he was very scrawny as a child. Although he was not scrawny at all now, the name had stuck for decades,a and no one had changed it.
Chen Jian didn’t even know his real name; he used to call him Uncle Ganbar.
“He’s drunk,” Chen Jian said in a low voice. “He probably had a fight with Chen Erhu.”
“Should I go and talk to him?” His dad immediately became a little anxious. “I don’t want him to make a scene and scare your guests.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Chen Jian stopped him. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh,” his dad looked at him, hesitated for two seconds, then nodded firmly and turned to walk resolutely back to the kitchen. “Yes, you can handle it. The manager can handle it.”
Chen Jian returned to the front desk. Hu Pan had already called Chen Erhu. “He had a fight with his dad. His dad wanted him to go see his brother, but he refused. He didn’t say much else. He’s driving back now.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
After Chen Dahu went to prison, Chen Erhu’s relationship with his dad had been a bit tense. Although his dad was a poor father who had raised a semi-bully, he always hoped that Chen Erhu could mend his relationship with his brother.
Or perhaps he was scared.
“What do we do?” Hu Pan looked at the hot tea and pastries on the tray he was holding.
“Let him eat and drink something, see if he falls asleep,” Chen Jian said. “If not, we’ll wait until he’s really drunk and then get him out of here.”
“Where is he!” Erhu’s dad shouted.
“Uncle,” Chen Jian brought the tea and pastries over and placed them on the coffee table in front of him. “Have some tea.”
Erhu’s dad was probably thirsty from drinking. Although he was very unhappy, he still picked up the cup and took a sip of tea.
“You don’t need to stall for time,” he said, putting the cup down. “I have plenty of time. Anyway, it’s the New Year and one of my sons isn’t coming home, and the other can’t come home. I’m all alone at home.”
“Erhu told me ten days in advance that he wanted to go home and asked me not to schedule him for work during the New Year,” Chen Jian said. “He even took leave yesterday to go home, saying there were a lot of things to do before the New Year and he was afraid you’d be too busy.”
Erhu’s dad didn’t say anything, but after a while, he slammed the coffee table again. “If he’s so considerate, why did he refuse when I asked him to go see his brother!”
“Dahu might not be willing to see him either,” Chen Jian said. “Uncle, you…”
Erhu’s dad’s gaze suddenly went past Chen Jian to look behind him.
Chen Jian turned around and saw Lao Wu hurrying over, but Erhu’s dad was clearly not looking at him, but at Shan Yu behind him.
It was probably almost mealtime, and Shan Yu had come down to forage for food.
After all, with his dad in the shop now, he made an effort to come down for every meal to make a good impression.
Shan Yu glanced over. He must have seen that something was going on, but he didn’t come over. He went straight to the bar, picked up a peeled pomelo slice, and slowly ate it.
Hu Pan was whispering something to him.
“Uncle,” Lao Wu didn’t care about any of that. He came over and sat down next to Erhu’s dad. “How much did you drink? Come on, I’ll take you home.”
Erhu’s dad turned to look at him. “Didn’t they say this place is great at reforming people? How come they didn’t reform your brain?”
“It’s good enough that they took me in,” Lao Wu said. “To reform someone like me, I’d have to pay the guesthouse.”
Erhu’s dad opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.
Finally, he turned his head and pointed at Shan Yu. “Get him over here.”
Over there, Shan Yu leaned against the bar, looking at him calmly.
Erhu’s dad didn’t lower his pointing hand.
Chen Jian reached out and pressed his arm down. “Uncle, are you not going to leave Chen Erhu any face at all?”
“Face my ass!” Erhu’s dad said.
Shan Yu walked over and stood in front of Erhu’s dad.
“Chen Erhu’s father,” Chen Jian said.
“Mr. Chen,” Shan Yu looked at Erhu’s dad, not calling him ‘uncle’ like the others. “Did Chen Erhu used to bring money home?”
Erhu’s dad looked at him and said nothing.
“He brings money home every month now, right?” Shan Yu said. “Does he still get into fights? Does he still hang out with the wrong crowd?”
“Of course not,” Lao Wu said, nudging Erhu’s dad. “Right? He brings his salary home too, I know that.”
“Ah,” Erhu’s dad grunted.
“Then what more do you want from him?” Shan Yu looked at him.
Perhaps because he was drunk, Erhu’s dad’s mind was a bit slow. Plus, with Shan Yu standing over him, without a smile or any pleasantries, he was at a loss for words for a moment.
“Think about it when you’re sober,” Shan Yu said. “When Chen Dahu gets out one day, the only person who can protect you is Chen Erhu.”
After saying that, Shan Yu turned and walked away.
After a few steps, he tilted his head slightly. “Lao Wu, take him home. It’s the New Year. Don’t force me to call the police.”
Lao Wu didn’t wait for any further reaction from Erhu’s dad. He grabbed his arm, slung it over his own shoulder, and hoisted Erhu’s dad up by his clothes. “Let’s go, Uncle.”
Perhaps the alcohol was hitting him, as Erhu’s dad’s feet were a bit unsteady and he seemed dazed. Chen Jian quickly followed to help, but although Lao Wu’s brain might need money to fix, he was very strong. He dragged Erhu’s dad out.
“Don’t worry about it,” Lao Wu said, turning back to Chen Jian. “I’ll take him straight home.”
“Can you manage?” Chen Jian was a little worried.
“No problem. I used to help him home whenever he got drunk,” Lao Wu said.
No wonder he was so practiced just now.
Chen Jian turned and went back inside. Shan Yu was sitting in the coffee shop.
As he walked over, Sun Nana, who was still stuffing red envelopes, placed the few unfinished ones on the small table. “These are for you to do.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
After Sun Nana left, he sat down at the table, took the red envelopes, and started putting money in them.
“I didn’t intend for you to handle this matter,” Chen Jian said.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu responded.
“Are you a little… unhappy?” Chen Jian turned to look at him.
“Why do you say that?” Shan Yu asked.
“Your attitude just now,” Chen Jian said in a low voice, “was pretty scary.”
Shan Yu’s lips curved up. “Did I scare you?”
“Not really,” Chen Jian said. “But it probably scared Chen Erhu’s dad, so I thought you might be a little unhappy.”
“No,” Shan Yu glanced towards the front desk and reached out to pick up the last small biscuit on the plate. “It’s just that there’s no need to be nice. Just get him to leave.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“Getting along with his dad is Chen Erhu’s own business,” Shan Yu said. “No one else can help him.”
“I was actually… thinking of trying to persuade him,” Chen Jian frowned. “I’m still not good at handling these things… I wanted my dad to see my ability as a manager.”
Shan Yu laughed. “That’s not part of your abilities. No job requires a manager to have the ability to handle employees’ family affairs.”
“Helping someone up is just that, helping them up. It’s not pulling them up and then holding their hand as they walk,” Shan Yu said. “In the end, you have to do these things yourself.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded, glancing at his busy father in the kitchen.
The phone at the front desk rang. Hu Pan picked it up. “Hello, Dayin. Yes… Hm? Oh… Thank you. I wish you all the best and a Happy New Year too…”
Chen Jian found it a little strange and looked at Hu Pan.
Hu Pan hung up the phone and turned her head. “How strange. Someone called to wish Dayin a prosperous business…”
Before she could finish, the front desk phone rang again. She picked it up. “Hello, Dayin… Yes, huh?”
“What’s going on?” Chen Jian stood up, stacked the stuffed red envelopes neatly into a bag, and walked towards the front desk.
“Chen Jian,” Hu Pan hung up the phone and turned to look at him. “Is Zhou Lecheng still in contact with you?”
