CH 74

Aug 15 2023

Someone Has Their Eyes on You

Early the next morning, Jiabao came over and specially brought a small jar of bamboo leaf green tea as a birthday gift for Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze looked at the tea in his hand, patted Jiabao’s head, and smiled, “Thank you, Jiabao. I really like it.”

Jiabao grinned at his words and then turned around to help with the preparations for opening the store.

In the morning, Brother Le also took some time to go out and buy some fabric. Yesterday, Brother Chang reminded him that winter was approaching, and Big Brother Yu’s winter clothes and shoes were still missing. He was still wearing their old clothes as outerwear.

Moreover, it was time for Grandpa and Chang Hao to have new clothes and shoes as well. In the past, when the family was poor, they would only have one set of new clothes for the whole year, and sometimes they couldn’t even make one set. Now that their conditions had improved, they should buy them new clothes this year.

Brother Le chose several colors of fabric suitable for the elderly, young people, and teenagers. There were undershirts, middle layers, outerwear, and even cotton-padded clothes. He bought enough fabric for a complete outfit for each style, and the leftovers could be used to make shoes or insoles.

So, in the evening, Chang Le had another activity: making clothes.

While Yu Qingze was busy with bookkeeping and accounting, Chang Le sat beside him, making clothes. They sat around a table, each doing their own tasks, occasionally chatting, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

And so, a few days passed.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

One morning, Chang Le was suddenly pulled by Brother Chang into his room in the kitchen. Brother Chang whispered in Chang Le’s ear, “Le, quick, I found a ger who always secretly watches Boss Yu. He has been coming here often these days, and I’ve caught him a few times. He even had a conversation with Boss Yu just now. I suspect he’s interested in Boss Yu.”

Le was taken aback. Someone has taken a liking to Boss Yu? He looked at Brother Chang and gestured, asking, “Who is it?”

Brother Chang grabbed Chang Le’s wrist, and the two of them secretly hid in a corner, looking out into the lobby. “Look, it’s the ger who’s talking to Boss Yu right now,” Brother Chang said in a low voice.

Chang Le looked towards the lobby and saw a young ger who seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen years old talking to Boss Yu at the counter. He had a handsome appearance, fair skin, and looked well-dressed. His family background should be decent.

Looking at Boss Yu, who had a smile on his face while responding.

“Do you see anything from the way he looks at Boss Yu?” Brother Chang asked softly.

Chang Le shook his head. He couldn’t see anything unusual. The guy’s gaze seemed normal, except that he didn’t make much eye contact with Boss Yu while speaking.

Frustrated, Brother Chang said, “Look carefully. Look at him. He seems hesitant to make direct eye contact, shy and timid. It’s just like when you hadn’t confessed to Boss Yu yet.”

Chang Le wondered, “…Is that so? Did I look at Boss Yu like that before?”

“Hey, what are you two doing here acting so sneaky? You’re blocking the way. Little Chang, why don’t you go and attend to the customers? Can’t you see there are so many?” Brother Chang’s mother, holding a large tray of dim sum, was about to place it on the stove in the lobby but was blocked by the two.

As soon as the two guys realized they had been discovered, they quickly straightened up and let Brother Chang’s mother pass.

Chang Le was about to go back to the kitchen to work when Brother Chang grabbed him and said, “You’re right. Why are we sneaking around? This is your territory. Come on, let’s go and listen to what they’re saying.”

Saying that, Brother Chang directly pulled Le out.

Chang Le was a bit confused. He was pulled by Brother Chang and placed next to Jiabao, making it convenient for him to eavesdrop, while Brother Chang went to the entrance and intentionally walked much slower as he passed by.

“Brother Le? Is there something wrong?” Jiabao saw Chang Le standing next to him and thought he had something to discuss, so he asked.

Chang Le shook his head, signaling that he should focus on his own tasks and not pay attention to him.

Jiabao blinked his eyes and continued working. There were still a few customers waiting in line to check out.

Since they were already standing there, Chang Le thought he might as well listen in.

“I see! Boss Yu, you’re really amazing. So many dim sum, and they all taste so good. I truly admire you.” It was the voice of that guy.

“Not at all. It’s all thanks to the support of the locals.” Boss Yu replied.

Chang Le thought, “Hmm, that’s just ordinary compliments. Doesn’t seem like anything special.”

“There’s no better pastry in this city than the ones you make. By the way, Boss Yu, I also want to learn how to make dim sum. Can you teach me?”

Chang Le frowned. Why would this guy ask such a question? These dim sum are what Boss Yu uses to earn a living. It’s not something you can learn just by asking, or that Boss Yu would teach you.

“Making dim sum is tiring. It’s better to let the cooks at home handle it, Master Shi. There’s no need for you to do it yourself.”

Chang Le raised an eyebrow. Just as I thought, Boss Yu wouldn’t casually teach someone to make dim sum. So this guy’s surname is Shi…

Then, Master Shi said, “Well, I also want to be able to personally make some dim sum for my future spouse when I get married.”

Chang Le glanced up and noticed that when the guy mentioned ‘future spouse,’ he happened to glance at Yu Qingze for a moment and quickly looked away.

Chang Le thought, “…”

Yu Qingze furrowed his brow. Why doesn’t this guy understand a polite refusal? If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s the son of the landlord and Zhao’s cousin, he would have already lost patience with him. Especially with his sticky and affectionate gaze…

Yu Qingze’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, “Master Shi, I’m really sorry, but we can’t share these dim sum with the outside. You see, Young Master Zhao seems to be looking for you over there. I still have some things to attend to in the kitchen, so I’ll take my leave for now.”

“Uh, Boss Yu…”

After Yu Qingze finished speaking, he didn’t bother with whatever Master Shi had to say. He wanted to quickly return to the kitchen, but when he turned around, he found Chang Le standing behind the counter, looking at him.

Yu Qingze: …

Chang Le: …

Caught in the act. Chang Le lowered his head and happened to see a small basket with bamboo plaques on the counter. He casually picked up the basket and started distributing the plaques towards the stove.

“I’m just here to help!” Chang Le calmly walked past Yu Qingze, but once he got there, his face turned red.

Yu Qingze: …

After glancing at Chang Le’s back and his reddened ears, Yu Qingze touched his nose and walked towards the kitchen, his lips curling upwards until he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Hahaha, Brother Le is so adorable!

Once Yu Qingze entered the kitchen, Brother Chang immediately rushed to Chang Le’s side, giving him a signal and pulling him into a corner. He whispered, “How did it go? I wasn’t wrong, right?”

Chang Le pressed his lips together and nodded with a serious expression.

“What are you going to do?” Brother Chang asked again.

Chang Le gestured, indicating his trust in Big Brother Yu. He believes that Big Brother Yu will handle it well. He just rejected that ger’s request to learn dim sum-making.

Brother Chang then asked, “But what if he comes back?”

Chang Le pondered for a moment and gestured, “We’ve already turned him down. Why would he come back?”

Brother Chang replied, “Who knows? I’ve noticed that he’s been coming quite frequently lately, almost every other day.”

Chang Le had been in the kitchen the whole time and hadn’t noticed this issue, so he furrowed his brow and said, “We’ll see when the time comes. Right now, I don’t know what to do either. I’ll think about it tonight. Besides, it also depends on Brother Yu’s attitude.”

Brother Chang thought about it and advised, “Alright, I’ll keep an eye outside for you. If I see him, I’ll let you know. But let me tell you, if he keeps pestering you, you must muster up the courage, you know?”

Chang Le solemnly nodded in response.

Towards the end of the afternoon, Dajian came to find Yu Qingze. Currently, his father and the others at home were in charge of making baby carriages, but according to their previous agreement, he was following up on the foot-powered threshing machine’s production with Yu Qingze.

However, this machine was indeed much more difficult to make compared to the previous items. The outer frame was not much of a challenge, but the internal wheels and gears were particularly difficult. He was currently working on models for those gears, which would eventually be made of iron. However, he was stuck and couldn’t get the gears to mesh properly, so he had to come to Yu Qingze for help.

Yu Qingze and Dajian discussed in the backyard for a long time, and when it was time to close up shop, Brother Chang took charge and held a brief summary meeting before everyone packed up and went home. Yu Qingze and Dajian continued their conversation until dinner was mentioned. Dajian grabbed a quick bite and happily headed home.

After sending Jiabao home in the evening, Yu Qingze took out the account book and began recording the day’s transactions.

“Brother Le, Dajian mentioned today that their family’s production of baby carriages and walkers is going smoothly. In about ten days, they should be able to release the first batch of finished products for sale. I’ll be able to receive a portion of the profits from that…”

Yu Qingze finished speaking and looked up at Le, waiting for his response. However, after waiting for a while, he saw that Brother Le was lost in thought, furrowing his brow and seemingly unaware of what was said.

Putting down the pen in his hand, Yu Qingze reached out and waved his hand in front of Brother Le’s eyes, calling out, “Brother Le?!”

Chang Le startled, snapped back to reality, and gestured, “What’s wrong? What did you say?”

Yu Qingze furrowed his brow and asked, “What are you thinking about? Is something bothering you?”

Chang Le quickly shook his head.

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment. The only thing today that could make Le worry was probably the incident from the morning. He asked, “Is it about that young master Shi wanting to learn about making dim sum? Are you worried that I would teach him?”

Chang Le shook his head. It had nothing to do with dim sum at all.

Chang Le had indeed heard it.

Yu Qingze pulled the chair closer, held Chang Le’s hand, and asked, “Then what are you worried about? Tell me.”

Chang Le hesitated for a moment. He felt that eavesdropping was not honorable, and he was concerned about this and that, so he didn’t feel comfortable speaking up.

Yu Qingze said, “Do you remember during Brother’s Day when we said that we should share our thoughts and concerns with each other? Do you remember that?”

Chang Le nodded.

“Then tell me what you’re thinking right now. I want to know,” Yu Qingze said.

Chang Le hesitated for a moment and gestured with his hand, indicating that the young master Shi seemed to have taken a liking to Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze blinked and said, “And then?” Even the slow-witted Chang Le could see that the young master Shi had an interest in him? That’s progress!

Chang Le looked at him, a little puzzled about the meaning of “and then.” What’s next? What comes after?

Yu Qingze guided him and said, “He seems to have some interest in me. And then, what do you think about it?”

Chang Le fell silent.

“Worried that I might like him too?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le immediately shook his head and gestured, indicating that it’s not the case.

Yu Qingze continued to ask, “Then, are you afraid that he might snatch me away?”

Chang Le widened his eyes and vigorously shook his head, gesturing that he trusts Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Thank you for trusting me. So, tell me, what were you thinking just now?”

Chang Le pursed his lips, gesturing angrily, and said, “You’ve already promised to marry me, but that guy keeps throwing flirtatious looks at you. It makes me angry!”

“Hahaha, if someone is interested in me, it means you have good taste,” Yu Qingze laughed and then said seriously, “And Brother Le, no matter if others like me or not, as long as you remember, I only love you, that’s enough, understand?”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le blushed and nodded. Then he looked up at Yu Qingze and made a serious gesture, indicating, “No matter how good other guys are, you are my fiancé. You’re not allowed to like anyone else!”

At such times, there’s no need to say much. Expressing sincerity is enough.

Yu Qingze immediately raised his hand and made a swearing gesture, saying, “Heaven above, in this lifetime, the next lifetime, and the lifetime after that, I only love Brother Le and want to have a loving and blissful relationship with him until old age!”

Upon hearing that, Chang Le grinned.