The Banquet

Teacher Ma: “Congratulations to little friend Qin Shu for getting first place. It’s free activity time now. In the afternoon, the little friends still have classes, so please don’t wander too far, parents.”

After the parent-teacher meeting, it wasn’t lunchtime yet. Qin Shu was energetically chatting with Fu Quezhi, while Qin Chaochen, feeling too hot, bought an ice cream for himself and Fu Quezhi, and a cup of juice for Qin Shu.

“The ice cream here is so cheap, it’s like half the price,” Qin Chaochen mumbled to himself.

“Fu Quezhi, we’re going to the banquet together tonight, right?” Qin Chaochen took a bite of the ice cream, his cheeks trembling from the cold.

“Yeah,” Fu Quezhi nodded. “It’s Old Master Wang’s 70th birthday. Everyone in the circle will be there to celebrate.”

Qin Chaochen eyed a shop, a spicy hot pot place, and he was craving it. He hadn’t had it in a long time. He stood at the entrance, unable to move.

Qin Shu, following beside Qin Chaochen, looked at his dad curiously, sniffed, and his eyes lit up, “Dad Qin, it smells so good.”

Fu Quezhi: “…”

Faced with the eager eyes of the big and little one, he helplessly rubbed his forehead.

“Kids can’t eat too spicy.”

Hearing this, Qin Chaochen saw an opportunity and happily led Qin Shu into the shop.

“This way, please, we have a spot,” the shop’s waiter said enthusiastically.

The shop was nicely decorated, and the seats were clean. Qin Shu sat down and eagerly handed the menu to Fu Quezhi.

“Two of the house specials, some sweet and sour side dishes, and something suitable for kids,” Fu Quezhi ordered skillfully.

“Alright, Mr. Fu,” the waiter smiled.

“Make one of the specials extra spicy,” Qin Chaochen added.

“That’s the young boss’s taste,” the waiter said, familiar with both Qin Chaochen and Fu Quezhi.

After the waiter left, Qin Chaochen whispered, “Do we come here often?”

“That’s one reason,” Fu Quezhi said meaningfully. “You’re also a shareholder and the landlord behind this place.”

“You forgot, you own this entire street, including the buildings and all the shops.”

Qin Chaochen: “…”

That’s really extravagant.

Qin Chaochen’s heart was pounding.

The house special was indeed delicious. Qin Shu held a pumpkin cake in one hand and an egg tart in the other, with a sweet and sour soup in front of him.

Qin Chaochen almost buried his head in the bowl, leaving only a dark back of his head visible.

He was sweating from eating, but he couldn’t stop.

No wonder this place is so popular.

“So good!” Qin Chaochen drank a sip of yogurt, feeling his whole body relax.

Fu Quezhi was also sweating from his nose. Qin Chaochen knew Fu Quezhi couldn’t handle spicy food, yet he couldn’t stop eating here, his face turning red.

“Young boss, these are two servings of boneless chicken feet, a gift from the owner,” the waiter placed two small plates on the table.

“And a small portion of iron pot rice for the little young boss,” the waiter thoughtfully placed it next to Qin Shu.

The boneless chicken feet were tender and golden, covered in sauce, with two lemon slices teasingly placed on top.

Qin Chaochen couldn’t resist picking up his chopsticks.

Lunch was very filling, and Qin Chaochen only stopped after drinking a bowl of soup.

“That was terrifyingly good.”

“These used to be street vendors,” Fu Quezhi said, satisfied. “Hidden deep in alleyways, unnoticed. After you discovered them, you organized and settled them here.”

Without settling them, they would have to hide from city management every day, and their earnings wouldn’t be high, possibly disappearing from the public eye.

Fu Quezhi remembered that after Qin Chaochen discovered them, he brought him to the alley a few times, each time leaving him amazed.

“I’ll go pay the bill,” Qin Chaochen, considering himself a 1, naturally took on the task of paying.

Outside the shop, Qin Chaochen quietly told Fu Quezhi, “They gave me half price.”

“All the shop owners here will give you half price. If you didn’t refuse free meals, you could eat for free at any shop here,” Fu Quezhi laughed.

“That’s, that’s awesome,” Qin Chaochen was dumbfounded, only on this street could he feel the prosperity and lively atmosphere.

This street perfectly blended traditional street vibes with the high-tech feel of the city. It was the first time Qin Chaochen seriously looked at this street.

There were exquisite small buildings, courtyard houses, and stalls selling and making candied hawthorn, coated with a thick layer of syrup, each piece glistening.

Qin Chaochen couldn’t move again.

Seeing Qin Chaochen’s eager eyes, Fu Quezhi stepped forward and bought two skewers, handing them to the big and little one.

Qin Chaochen: “Wow!”

Qin Shu: “Wow!”

It was a happy morning, and Qin Chaochen was about to fall in love with this street.

In the evening, as they headed to the banquet, Qin Chaochen was still reluctant to leave. He said to the formally dressed Fu Quezhi, “We should develop a delivery business for that street.”

“You could try,” Fu Quezhi thought for a moment. “But the business there is already very busy.”

“We could open a chain,” Qin Chaochen was craving.

Fu Quezhi glanced at Qin Chaochen; this was indeed Qin Chaochen’s next plan before he lost his memory.

He didn’t know what to say.

“There are a few seniors up ahead I need to talk to. Are you staying here or…” Fu Quezhi needed to socialize.

“I’ll just stay here and eat,” Qin Chaochen was eating crab, the golden crispy crab making even Fu Quezhi want to stay and eat with him.

But he was a calm adult, so he took a glass of red wine and went to socialize.

“Qin Chaochen, what a coincidence,” Xu Jiang greeted warmly.

Yu Cheng also came along, looking displeased as he was dragged over by Xu Jiang.

“Hey there,” Qin Chaochen felt guilty seeing Yu Cheng.

“Aren’t you going to socialize?” Qin Chaochen tried to find a topic.

“Finished socializing, the others aren’t worth talking to,” Xu Jiang said with a grin.

Why didn’t this sound shameful? Qin Chaochen gave Xu Jiang a curious look.

“Little crybaby is here too,” Wang Yan, the grandson of Old Master Wang, always pretended to be obedient in front of the old master but was actually quite carefree. He Ze, following Wang Yan, winked at Qin Chaochen and made a funny face.

Qin Chaochen lowered his head to eat, not giving Wang Yan a single glance.

“Why are you ignoring me?” Wang Yan teased.

The young masters were heading to the swimming pool to play, and He Ze, next to Qin Chaochen, asked, “Not happy?”

“Don’t want to move,” Qin Chaochen said listlessly.

“Little crybaby, why are you whispering with He Ze?” Wang Yan, originally talking with other young masters, saw Qin Chaochen lagging behind and mentioned it again.

Qin Chaochen glared at him.

“Want to race with me to see who swims faster?” Wang Yan loved teasing Qin Chaochen. Qin Yuanshen always protected his brother, and since Wang Yan didn’t have a brother, he knew Qin Chaochen cried easily, often shedding tears.

“I won’t race with you!” Qin Chaochen refused without hesitation.

“Why so aggressive? Did I offend you, little crybaby?” Wang Yan laughed recklessly.

Seeing Wang Yan’s bright smile, Qin Chaochen suddenly got bold, “Fine, I’ll race you!”

“That’s the spirit,” Wang Yan showed a satisfied smile.

Qin Chaochen walked to the poolside and kicked Wang Yan into the water, causing a huge splash!

Caught off guard, Wang Yan flailed around for a bit: “…”

On the other side, the senior opposite Fu Quezhi asked about Qin Chaochen, “Yes, Chaochen has always been well-behaved since he was young. He’s a filial child, never argues with anyone, a kind-hearted kid. Where is Chaochen?”

Fu Quezhi smiled, “By the pool.”

The seniors immediately shifted their gaze and happened to see Qin Chaochen fiercely kicking the host’s grandson into the pool.

“…” There was a moment of awkward silence in the air.

“Did I offend you, little crybaby?” Wang Yan steadied himself and spoke gloomily.

“Who told you to call me little crybaby,” Qin Chaochen said righteously.

Wang Yan: “…”

The surrounding young masters didn’t expect this reason, and were speechless for a moment.

Yu Cheng, however, understood Wang Yan’s mindset and felt delighted seeing Wang Yan’s expression. He felt like he could drive again!

“Alright, let bygones be bygones,” Wang Yan prepared to climb out of the pool.

Qin Chaochen said righteously, “Letting the tiger return to the mountain will bring endless troubles!”

The young masters: “…”

Yu Cheng: “…” Come on, let’s have fun~

Wang Yan wiped his face: “…”

He wanted to open Qin Chaochen’s skull to take a look.

What a talent.

▍Author’s Note

Yu Cheng: Happy ^_^

It’s a short story, darlings. The next chapter will be VIP, thank you all for your support.

If you’re interested, check out this upcoming story~

“Transmigrated into a Heartless Scholar”

Lazy Big Shot Gong V Human Flower Shou

Liu Yingqu died and transmigrated into a novel, becoming a heartless scholar.

The heartless scholar, born in the countryside, married a merchant named Shen Qingwu, became a top scholar, and was caught by the prime minister’s family to marry their legitimate son, living a glorious life.

Later, he was corrupt, colluded with eunuchs, deceived the emperor, and beat officials, becoming the biggest tumor in Da Zhao.

On Liu Yingqu’s first day, he wanted to be lazy, but his family couldn’t even afford food, and studying was expensive.

Farming had no future, so he decided to live off someone else, at most writing an IOU.

*

While writing the IOU, a beautiful man kept staring at him.

After writing, the man affectionately called him Liu Lang, like calling a lover.

Liu Yingqu’s pen stained the IOU black.

Were they already in love?

He started feeling scared because he wasn’t very honest.

He felt his lazy days might not go smoothly.

Later, indeed, he couldn’t escape the pain of exams everywhere.

*

Shen Qingwu, handsome and from a wealthy family, was loved since childhood. He admired Liu Yingqu’s knowledge and formed a good relationship.

In Shen Qingwu’s eyes, Liu Yingqu, though a poor scholar, failed the exam three times, spent money lavishly, but was noble, kind, and loved sweet talk.

Despite rumors of his unclear relationships with others, he was half-believing until he saw Liu Yingqu writing an IOU, something he never did before!

Liu Yingqu was famous for his talent, top in Qing Shui County.

Liu Yingqu was upright and helpful.

Liu Yingqu… was diligent (?), just occasionally not very honest, always reluctant to study. With him, he must ensure he passes the imperial exam.

Shen Qingwu felt he fell in love with Liu Yingqu! Poor scholar, truly fragrant!

He remembered his lover’s dream was the imperial exam, and he would help his lover achieve it! He swore on his life!