Liu Wu’s mother stepped out of the car, and Chen Jian continued with the greetings: “Happy New Year, Auntie.”
Hu Pan and Sun Nana came outside just then. The moment Liu Wu spotted Hu Pan, he bounded over to meet her.
“Panpan!” Liu Wu called out. Unable to pull her into a hug, he flailed his arms in the air a few times instead. “You’ve gotten even prettier!”
“Whoa, really?” Hu Pan said. “I think so too.”
Sun Nana added with a smile, “Probably because working at Dayin is so delightful.”
She really knows how to talk.
“Happy New Year, jiejie!” Liu Wu greeted Sun Nana right away.
While Liu Wu was busy distributing greetings left and right, his father stepped out of the car carrying several bags.
“Is my dad trapped in there?” Shan Yu asked.
“Ah, jie,” Liu Wu’s father called out, holding up a pair of shoes. “My brother-in-law’s shoes are still in our car…”
So Professor Shan crouching in the footwell earlier wasn’t him putting on shoes, but frantically searching for them?!
Chen Jian was thoroughly flabbergasted.
“Hurry up and give them to him,” President Liu said. “Any later and he’ll be sewing himself a pair out of floor mats.”
“Happy New Year, Uncle,” Chen Jian greeted Liu Wu’s father.
“You must be Store Manager Chen, right?” Liu Wu’s mother walked over, looking at Chen Jian. “Xiao Wu came out here to visit last year, and when he got home, he talked about you non-stop for half a month—’Store Manager Chen this, Store Manager Chen that’… I didn’t expect you to be so young. You’re around Xiao Wu’s age, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m twenty-one this year,” Chen Jian replied with a polite smile.
Professor Shan, previously trapped in the vehicle, was finally liberated by his brother-in-law.
Scrambling for shoes in the car had been slightly ungraceful, but walking over now, his demeanor was entirely composed.
Chen Jian had originally assumed Shan Yu took more after his mother. Seeing Professor Shan in person, however, he realized Shan Yu actually resembled his father much more in appearance. It was just that Shan Yu completely lacked Professor Shan’s serene, scholarly gentleness; in temperament, he was unmistakably President Liu’s biological son.
“Shan…” Chen Jian hesitated for two seconds. Since he hadn’t called President Liu by her corporate title, would it be better to avoid calling Professor Shan by his academic title too?
“Happy New Year, Happy New Year.” Before he could even finish, Professor Shan had already nodded with a gentle smile.
“Calling him Professor Shan is fine,” Shan Yu murmured against the back of Chen Jian’s head. “He’s not President Liu; he won’t make you submit a thesis progress report.”
Chen Jian smiled.
“Let’s head inside first, everyone,” Sun Nana said. “The wind is picking up out here.”
“Inside, inside. Do you have anything hot to drink?” Liu Wu’s mother asked Sun Nana. “I really am a bit chilled. In the car, running the heater makes it stifling, but turning it off makes it freezing…”
“We have coffee, tea, and hot milk,” Sun Nana said. “Which would you prefer, Auntie, Uncle? I’ll prepare them for you.”
“Coffee, please,” Liu Wu’s mother said.
“Iced Coke,” President Liu said. “Brew some hot tea for the two uncles, please. Thank you for your trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” Sun Nana smiled. “It’s all in a day’s work.”
Shan Yu led everyone into the cafe to sit down. Sanbing and the Pigpen Gang had been standing by for ages, and now marched over in unison.
“Welcome, Uncles and Aunts! Happy New Year!”
The newcomers jumped in surprise, turning their heads in unison to stare at them.
Forget the guests—even Chen Jian jerked his head around in sheer shock.
“Oh my, Happy New Year to you all,” President Liu laughed. “Does Dayin have its own choir? What powerful voices.”
“Please rest for a bit, Uncles and Aunts,” Sanbing stepped forward. “We’ll carry your luggage upstairs first.”
Chen Jian wheeled the suitcases over to hand them off to Sanbing and the crew.
“Is there anything left in the cars?” Shan Yu asked. “Have them carry up whatever needs taking.”
“Nothing left,” President Liu pointed to several other bags. “These are holiday gifts your aunt brought along… Oh, and some of them are fresh vegetables and ingredients that need prepping first.”
“I’ll take them to the kitchen,” Chen Jian said, stepping forward to pick up the bags.
He desperately needed an excuse to flee the scene, even if only to catch his breath for a few seconds.
“I’ll come take a look with you,” President Liu followed right behind. “Wash my hands while I’m at it.”
Please, President Liu, have your son escort you instead, I’m begging you.
“The washbasin is right this way, Auntie,” Chen Jian said.
Passing the front desk, Hu Pan—having just hung up the phone—immediately hurried over and relieved Chen Jian of one of the heavy bags.
With Hu Pan present, Chen Jian felt a brief surge of relief.
In the very next second, however, Liu Wu—who had been loitering by the counter—jogged over and took the bag straight out of Hu Pan’s hand.
Hu Pan rolled her eyes at him, helplessly taking another bag from Chen Jian instead.
Reaching the edge of the bar, Chen Jian’s dad walked out of the kitchen.
“Auntie,” Chen Jian turned back to introduce him to President Liu, “this is my dad. He came over to help out.”
“Happy New Year, Uncle Chen!” Liu Wu chimed in. “I’m Shan Yu’s cousin, Liu Wu.”
“Ah, Happy New Year, kid,” his dad answered warmly.
“Thank you for your hard work, Master Chen,” President Liu extended her hand. “I’m Shan Yu’s mother, surname Liu.”
“Hello, President Liu, Happy New Year. No hard work at all, just helping these kids out,” his dad said. Unlike Chen Jian, he wasn’t particularly nervous, though he clearly wasn’t accustomed to shaking hands and looked slightly awkward.
It made sense; across the entire guesthouse, the store manager was probably the only one genuinely sweating bullets.
“Are you cooking now?” President Liu peered into the kitchen.
“Yes,” his dad said. “It’ll be ready in a bit.”
“We brought a helper with us,” President Liu smiled, turning to wave toward the cafe.
“Oh, no need, no need,” his dad waved his hands frantically. “Please rest, make yourselves at home.”
“Auntie,” Chen Jian tried to intercept her, “you must all be tired after the long drive. Lunch is just a casual, light meal, nothing too complicated.”
“It’s fine. Someone here genuinely loves doing this,” President Liu said.
Chen Jian looked toward the cafe. Shan Yu had clearly been watching them the entire time; the moment President Liu waved, he was already pointing down the line of relatives.
His first finger pointed at Professor Shan; President Liu wagged her finger dismissively. His second finger aimed at Liu Wu’s mother.
“Hey!” Liu Wu bellowed at the top of his lungs. “Dad, get over here and cook!”
“You little megaphone,” President Liu frowned.
Liu Wu’s father trotted over immediately: “Need a hand?”
“No need, really, no need…” His dad had completely run out of words. After all, having just received three thousand yuan, letting a guest help with the cooking made him feel terribly guilty.
“It’s no trouble,” Liu Wu’s father rolled up his sleeves. “The kitchen is my absolute favorite place to be. Whatever needs doing over the next few days, Master, just put me to work.”
“This head chef is Chen Jian’s father,” President Liu introduced. “He made a special trip out to help them; otherwise, their guesthouse would have had to shut down entirely over the holidays.”
“You’re handling this many dishes all on your own?” Liu Wu’s father marveled. “Truly, a tiger father begets no…”
He had clearly meant to say ‘a tiger father begets no dog son’ to praise both father and son as formidable, but realizing the cause-and-effect relationship didn’t quite line up in reverse, he hastily corrected himself.
“…dog son…”
Uncle Liu, ‘a dog son begets no tiger father’ doesn’t sound right either.
“Your dog son is standing right over here,” President Liu remarked, washing her hands while shooting Liu Wu a sideways glance.
“Heheh,” Liu Wu grinned happily.
“Tiger son…” Uncle Liu was still desperately trying to salvage the idiom.
There actually was a dog named Huzi (Tiger) in the village—a Belgian Malinois brought from the city, raised exceptionally well.
“Then come with me,” Chen Jian’s dad stepped in to smooth over the awkwardness. “I was just thinking of tossing a cold salad…”
“That’s my specialty!” Uncle Liu followed him into the kitchen. “I happened to bring some homemade sauce from back home too…”
“Didn’t you guys have a dog?” Liu Wu asked Hu Pan. “Where is it?”
“Backyard,” Hu Pan pointed toward the door. “Go take a look.”
“Take me out there. Puppies are skittish around strangers; I might scare him,” Liu Wu pleaded.
“I’m on duty,” Hu Pan said.
Hu Pan was truly loyal and considerate; Chen Jian was deeply touched. He knew Hu Pan and Sun Nana had probably both guessed the nature of his relationship with Shan Yu by now. Right now, she was holding the fort purely to keep him from feeling stranded and awkward.
Yet Chen Jian worried that if Liu Wu kept insisting in front of President Liu…
“Go ahead and take him,” Chen Jian said. “Nana can cover the front desk in a minute.”
“Alright then,” Hu Pan nodded, leading Liu Wu toward the backyard.
“You keep a dog here?” President Liu dried her hands, shutting off the faucet.
“Yes, a little local mutt,” Chen Jian pulled two paper towels and handed them over. “Bought by Shan… Boss Shan.”
“Bought a local mutt?” President Liu looked somewhat surprised.
“Bought him on the shuttle bus. Someone was taking puppies to town to sell,” Chen Jian smiled.
“The shuttle bus?” President Liu’s surprise deepened.
“Getting out of here without a car leaves you with only the shuttle bus,” Chen Jian explained.
“Ah, yes,” President Liu nodded. “When I was young and ran sales routes out in the rural counties, I took shuttle buses all the time—often sitting with someone else’s live chicken clutched in my lap.”
Chen Jian broke into a laugh.
“Need me to give you a tour?” Shan Yu’s voice drifted over.
Turning around to see Shan Yu walking up, Chen Jian’s relief was beyond words. You finally made it! Boss-brother, save me!
“Sure,” President Liu said. “After lunch, take us down to the river for a look. Your father brought his fishing gear along.”
“Isn’t he going to rest?” Shan Yu asked.
“What does he need rest for? He slept the entire drive here. His snoring was so loud I banished him to your uncle’s car halfway through,” President Liu said.
“Did he not put on his shoes when transferring back to your car?” Shan Yu asked.
“He was wearing hotel slippers,” President Liu looked at Chen Jian with a wry smile. “Making a fool of ourselves in front of Little Chen.”
“Not at all,” Chen Jian smiled.
A bit too cool and aloof, Store Manager Chen.
Then again, what else could he say?
‘Was it funny?’
“I’ll show them around,” Shan Yu said. “Go attend to your work.”
“The fourth-floor rooms are all prepared,” Chen Jian retrieved room keys from the front desk. “Three rooms, all with river views.”
“Two rooms are enough,” President Liu said. “Liu Wu already announced on the road that he wants to sleep in Shan Yu’s room. If needed, just set up a pallet on the floor for him, or put him on the sofa.”
Chen Jian darted a glance at Shan Yu.
“Two rooms for now, then,” Shan Yu sighed inwardly.
“Are you all resting, or coming along? Shan Yu is giving us a tour,” President Liu called out to the cafe.
“A tour! We definitely want a tour,” Liu Wu’s mother answered.
Shan Yu took a few steps toward the dining area, and Chen Jian followed.
“Don’t worry about them in a minute,” Shan Yu murmured. “I’ll take them around for two laps and then we’ll eat.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian leaned against a pillar, exhaling softly. “Did I… perform poorly?”
“No,” Shan Yu’s lips curved faintly. “You only feel like you’re nervous; on the outside, nobody can tell.”
“Really?” Chen Jian furrowed his brow, turning it over in his mind.
“Really,” Shan Yu kept his voice very low. “Cool, calm, and polite.”
“Don’t bring up ‘cool’ again,” Chen Jian muttered.
Shan Yu patted his arm with a quiet chuckle.
“Let’s check out the garden and courtyard first,” Shan Yu returned to the cafe. “Then we’ll head upstairs to my office and the observation terrace.”
“Let’s go,” President Liu stood up.
The group followed him through the side door of the cafe.
Just as they stepped into the courtyard, they saw He Liang walking in from the back gate, carrying a gift basket.
Shan Yu stopped in his tracks. Spotting him, He Liang immediately quickened his pace, approaching with a broad smile.
Only when He Liang reached them did Shan Yu speak: “Boss He is here?”
“Coming by on behalf of Liangye to wish you a Happy New Year,” He Liang said warmly.
“Boss He is too polite,” Shan Yu replied.
“Boss Shan has… guests?” He Liang asked hesitantly.
“Mm,” Shan Yu acknowledged. “You…”
“Boss He,” Chen Jian stepped out through the side door, greeting He Liang smoothly. “Happy New Year.”
“Ah, Happy New Year!” He Liang smiled.
“Come inside and sit down,” Chen Jian stepped aside, gesturing for He Liang to enter.
“Alright,” He Liang glanced at Shan Yu. “Then I’ll… have a chat with Store Manager Chen.”
“Sounds good,” Shan Yu nodded, leading his mother and the others toward the garden.
“Is that the owner of the neighboring guesthouse?” his mother asked. “Don’t you need to keep him company?”
“Chen Jian handling it is plenty,” Shan Yu said. “I can’t stand talking to them. One simple sentence takes a full lap around the globe; by the time I finish one round of conversation with him, I’ll be twenty-eight.”
“Listen to that mouth,” his aunt looked at him with an amused grin.
There weren’t many flowers in the garden right now, and most of the greenery was withered and dormant. However, the various garden ornaments Chen Jian had arranged earlier proved their worth—the garden’s vibrant, lively atmosphere relied entirely on these brightly colored accents.
“This garden is well put together. The layout shows real thought,” his mother noted.
“The garden, the exterior walls, and all the miscellaneous setup before opening—Chen Jian did all of it,” Shan Yu said. “I barely touched it.”
“Comparisons really are odious,” his aunt sighed, deeply moved. “Look at Xiao Wu, nineteen this year. If you handed this to him, he’d make a complete mess of it.”
“Everyone has their strengths,” his mother said. “Ask Shan Yu to do this and he’d fail just as badly. And he’s already twenty-eight.”
“Haven’t turned twenty-seven yet,” Shan Yu corrected her.
“You can’t tell me you’ve never spoken to that Boss He once, right?” his mother said. “Talk to him twice and you’ll be hitting thirty and establishing yourself.”
Walking a loop around the garden toward the doghouse, they found Liu Wu taking photos of Mushroom while Hu Pan helped position the pup.
“Does that boy fancy that girl?” Professor Shan asked softly.
“If even you noticed, it’s definitely true,” President Liu said.
“Exactly,” his aunt added. “Throwing a fit demanding to come—half of it was for his cousin, and the other half was clearly for that girl.”
“She probably has zero interest in him,” Shan Yu stated flatly.
“Not necessarily,” his aunt argued.
“Guaranteed,” Shan Yu said.
“Why are you so…” His aunt stared at him.
“Annoying,” Shan Yu supplied.
“Hasn’t changed a bit from when he was little, has he?” His aunt looked at President Liu. “Right, jie? Not one bit.”
“He’s changed a little,” his father chimed in. “His tongue is far more restrained now. Back then, he could make you cry from sheer frustration.”
“Oh, don’t remind me!” His aunt clapped her hands.
Returning to the first-floor hallway, Lao Wu was standing outside the conference room with the vacuum cleaner. The moment they stepped inside, he flipped the switch, and the machine whined into life as he vigorously vacuumed the carpet.
Then, pretending to just notice them, he shut the vacuum off and bowed politely: “Boss Shan, Uncles, Aunts.”
“Ah, thank you for your hard work,” Professor Shan nodded.
“No trouble at all, Uncle,” Lao Wu’s voice was remarkably dignified and well-mannered.
Walking further toward the stairs to the second floor, Chen Erhu was descending with his small notepad in hand.
“Boss Shan,” Chen Erhu glanced preposterously at his notes, “we have several fire extinguishers that need replacing in early March.”
“Mm,” Shan Yu acknowledged. “Coordinate with Store Manager Chen.”
“Understood.” Chen Erhu snapped the notepad shut, marching forward without glancing left or right.
Everyone was putting on their utmost dignified behavior.
“Do you personally manage them on a regular basis?” His mother cast a glance back at Chen Erhu, asking in a low whisper.
“Never,” Shan Yu answered crisply.
His mother laughed. After a moment, she murmured quietly, “Then Little Chen managing a crew like this really takes some capability. Every single one of them looks like a handful.”
“Mm,” Shan Yu smiled faintly. “Why else do you think he’s the store manager?”
“Sound pretty proud of him,” his mother said.
“Modestly proud,” Shan Yu said.
