CH 57

Jul 12 2023

I Want You to Marry Me in Style

Yu Qingze returned to the snack stall, and Chang Le noticed the disappointment on his face, guessing that things didn’t work out.

He pulled him aside and gestured, asking if it didn’t work out.

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Yeah. Someone else rented it. The owner said he only informed them yesterday that he was closing, and in the afternoon, someone came to view the place and ended up renting it.”

Chang Le opened his mouth wide in surprise and gestured, expressing how fast it happened.

Yu Qingze also nodded helplessly and said, “Yes, I don’t know who it is. The news spread quickly.”

Chang Le sighed as well and consoled him, saying, “Then let’s wait a little longer and see.”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “We can only do that.”

He looked at Chang Le while thinking.

Chang Le’s bangs had grown longer lately. Unlike when he first got them cut and you could still see traces of the haircut, now they looked more natural and even better. Moreover, Chang Le had become more outgoing and confident. The gentle and warm expression on his face, coupled with his bright and radiant eyes, often left Yu Qingze mesmerized.

My Chang Le, becoming more charming by the day. Yu Qingze thought proudly.

He reached out and brushed Chang Le’s cheek, then gently tousled his bangs, sighing with regret, “It’s such a pity about that place. I wish we could find a good location soon and start earning more money.”

Chang Le comforted him, gesturing, “No need to rush, take it slowly.”

Yu Qingze sighed and leaned close to Chang Le’s ear, whispering softly, “But Chang Le, I’m really anxious. I want to marry you soon.”

Chang Le’s eyes flickered, and he blushed slightly, not knowing how to respond. He couldn’t just tell Yu Qingze directly, “I also want to marry you soon!” Although that’s what he thought in his heart, he felt too shy to say it outright.

After thinking for a moment, his face still red, Chang Le gestured, “It doesn’t matter if we don’t have a house. Neither I nor my grandfather care about that.”

That was already quite bold and obvious! It was almost the same as saying, “I don’t mind not having a house, we can get married soon!”

Yu Qingze felt as if something had struck his heart, a tingling sensation. He really wanted to hug Chang Le, but there were too many people around, and Chang Le was shy. If he hugged him, Chang Le would probably get flustered.

So he simply held Chang Le’s hand and said earnestly, “I know you and Grandpa don’t mind, but I don’t want to make you feel deprived. I want you to marry me in style, in front of the whole village!”

He wanted Chang Le to no longer be someone others pitied and overlooked, but rather someone everyone in the village envied!

Upon hearing these words, Chang Le’s heart raced like a beating drum. His eyes were filled with intensity, feeling that at this moment, Yu Qingze was exceptionally tall and made his heart flutter.

“Half a year, Chang Le, wait for me for half a year, okay?” Yu Qingze asked softly, his hand gently caressing Chang Le’s captivating eyes, longing to kiss him.

Chang Le nodded firmly. Half a year, one year, two years, it didn’t matter. After all, he had already chosen Yu Qingze for the rest of his life.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Brother Yu!”

At that moment, Boss Liu saw Yu Qingze returning from afar and approached to ask about the situation.

As soon as Chang Le heard Boss Liu’s voice, he quickly pulled his hand away and grabbed an empty bucket nearby, running to the back of Boss Li’s shop to fetch water.

Yu Qingze:…

“Oh, am I interrupting you? Sorry about that,” Boss Liu walked to the back and happened to see Chang Le pulling his hand away. A hint of embarrassment flashed across his usually serious face, and he immediately turned away, saying, “I, I’ll come back to find you later.”

Yu Qingze:…

“Hey, it’s fine, no worries,” Yu Qingze caught up to Boss Liu in a few steps and asked, “Are you here to ask about the shop?”

Boss Liu nodded, saying, “Yes.” Then he discreetly glanced back at Chang Le and said, “Or should I come back later? It’s not urgent anyway.”

“…,” Yu Qingze touched his nose and helplessly said, “It’s okay, I just mentioned the matter to Brother Le.”

Chang Le had already left, and the atmosphere was completely ruined. What’s the point of coming back later?

Boss Liu looked embarrassed and said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault for not noticing.”

Yu Qingze sighed and said, “It’s okay. Brother, the shop has already been rented out. I was too late, it was rented out yesterday afternoon.”

“What? So fast?” Boss Liu asked in surprise.

Yu Qingze nodded, feeling regretful as he said, “I don’t know who took it, but they acted quickly.”

Boss Liu sighed as well and reassured him, “It’s alright, I’ll keep an eye out for you and let you know if there’s any news.”

“Okay, thank you, Brother.”

In the evening, when they closed their stall and returned home, they saw the previous owner of that shop directing people to move things out. It would probably be empty today.

Yu Qingze sighed and pushed the cart back home.

The next afternoon, Steward Zhao came to find Yu Qingze and said he wanted him to go somewhere with him.

“Steward Zhao, where are you taking me?” Yu Qingze asked, puzzled.

Steward Zhao smiled and said, “Just come with me, I promise it’s a good thing.”

Yu Qingze nodded and looked at Steward Zhao, asking, “Are you going to introduce a business opportunity to me?”

Steward Zhao chuckled and said, “There’s also a business opportunity. In a few days, the mansion will have esteemed guests visiting. Our master wants to host a garden party, and we’ll need you to make some pastries for the occasion.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze agreed, “Sure, no problem. Just let us know two days in advance.”

As they walked and talked, they arrived at a shop, where Steward Zhao stopped.

Yu Qingze looked up and realized that it was the same shop that was emptied yesterday. Why did Steward Zhao bring him here?

Just as he was about to ask, he saw Steward Zhao walk to the entrance of the shop, take out a key from his pocket, and open the door.

Yu Qingze:…

“Steward Zhao, did the Zhao Family rent this shop?” Yu Qingze asked.

Steward Zhao nodded and said, “Yes. Come in and take a look.”

Yu Qingze didn’t know what to say for a moment and walked into the shop in a daze.

The interior was empty, with only a cash register counter standing lonely in the corner. Without tables and chairs, the shop appeared larger than it actually was.

Steward Zhao stood in the middle and asked, “What do you think of this shop?”

Yu Qingze nodded awkwardly and said, “It’s very nice. I heard yesterday that Boss of Man Tang Xiang was quitting, so I hurried over to take a look, but it had already been rented out.”

Upon hearing this, Steward Zhao was momentarily stunned and asked, “You came to see it yesterday?”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Yes. The layout of this shop is good, quite nice. There’s a water well, a storage room, and a small rest area at the back. It’s pretty good. Oh, Steward Zhao, what kind of business are you planning to do here?”

Steward Zhao chuckled and said, “We’re not doing any business.”

Yu Qingze looked puzzled and asked, “Then why did you rent it?”

Steward Zhao walked over and handed the key to Yu Qingze, saying, “We’re not doing any business here, but you are.”

Yu Qingze:…? Does that mean it’s for him?

Steward Zhao explained, “This shop was instructed to be rented to you by Master Zhao. It’s a gesture of gratitude for your assistance during the birthday banquet.”

Just as he suspected!

Yu Qingze’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and then he widened his eyes, pointing at himself, displaying utter astonishment. He said, “Rented to me?”

The Zhao Family really knows how to repay a favor…

Steward Zhao nodded and affirmed, “Rented to you. We’ve already paid three months’ rent. The rest is up to you.”

Yu Qingze was momentarily stunned, then shook his hand and said, “Steward Zhao, I’ve mentioned it before. That day was just a coincidence, and besides, you have already paid for the birthday peach buns. This gesture of gratitude is too valuable, I can’t accept it.”

Steward Zhao smiled and said, “Boss Yu, you don’t have to be polite. You were just looking for a shop, weren’t you? If you don’t accept it, we don’t know what to do with this shop either. Moreover, this shop belongs to a branch of the Zhao family. On that day, the head of the branch happened to be visiting the main family, and I overheard him saying that a shop here was vacant. I mentioned it to our master, and he requested the shop from the head of the branch. It wasn’t much trouble at all, so just accept it.”

“Well, this is…,” Yu Qingze hesitated.

“It’s not like we’re giving it to you for free. You’ll still have to pay rent. It will be nine taels of silver per month.”

Naturally, Yu Qingze really wanted it in his heart, but accepting it outright didn’t feel right. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Steward Zhao, how about this? I’ll repay you for the three months’ rent in advance.”

Steward Zhao immediately waved his hand and said, “That won’t do. The old master said it’s for you, and if you give it back, he’ll be angry. Just accept it, so I can report it as done.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze had no choice but to accept the key and said, “Alright then. I’ll thank the old master for this.”

Steward Zhao saw him accept the key and smiled, saying, “That’s the way to go.”

“Steward Zhao, thank you too,” Yu Qingze sincerely expressed his gratitude.

Steward Zhao waved his hand and said, “No need to be polite. Last time, you helped me in a way too. Otherwise, if the birthday banquet had gone wrong, I wouldn’t have felt good either.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “It was just a coincidence.”

Steward Zhao laughed heartily, appreciating Yu Qingze’s character. Then he took out the lease agreement from his pocket and handed it to Yu Qingze, saying, “This is the lease agreement. It starts from yesterday, and the monthly rent will be nine taels of silver. If you continue to operate afterward, you can renew the contract, and the rent can be negotiated at that time. But don’t worry, at most, it will be based on the market price. He won’t overcharge you.”

Yu Qingze accepted the lease agreement, nodded, and thanked him, saying, “Alright. Many thanks to Steward Zhao. Please also thank the Old Master Zhao for me.”

“Alright, I will convey your gratitude,” Steward Zhao readily agreed.

The two of them chatted about the shop for a while and then bid farewell.

With that, the matter of the shop was settled.

Returning to the stall, Yu Qingze shared the good news with Chang Le and the others.

They were all very happy, especially Chang Le, who kept smiling. With the shop secured, the day of his marriage with Big Brother Yu was one step closer!

In the evening, Yu Qingze personally cooked a delicious meal to celebrate the successful rental of the shop.

The next day, Yu Qingze specially brought a few boxes of pastries to express his gratitude to the Zhao family.

Afterwards, he took the key and went to the shop to have a good look around.

Originally, he planned to rent a small shop and sell cold noodles, Liangpi, Guangdong hot pot, and teppanyaki, gradually teaching Chang Le and the others how to cook stir-fried dishes and eventually open a small restaurant.

However, now that the shop turned out to be much bigger than expected, it would be a waste to stick to the original plan. But if he opened a small restaurant, Chang Le’s cooking skills wouldn’t be sufficient to handle everything. It would be impossible for him to handle all the cooking alone.

How should he arrange things? What should he do?

He walked back and forth in the shop, going through the hall, kitchen, backyard, lounge, and storage room multiple times. Suddenly, a bright idea flashed in his mind!

Yes, that’s it!

Thandar: What is it? What’s the plan? Fine dining? Buffet?