CH 79

Aug 25 2023

Family

Brother Le brought Jiabao back to the shop, and they didn’t see the landlord and the buyer along the way, so they probably had already arrived.

When Brother Chang and the others saw them returning, they asked, “You’re back? Jiabao, are you okay? Why are you here so late? Where’s Tie Zhu?”

“Brother Chang, something came up.” Jiabao lowered his head apologetically and said, “I’m sorry for asking you to watch the counter for me.”

“It’s okay. What happened? Is it because you’re not feeling well?” Brother Chang asked with concern.

Jiabao shook his head and explained, “The house I live in was sold, and the landlord and the buyer asked me to move out today.”

“What? Move out today? You never mentioned it before,” Brother Chang exclaimed in surprise.

“The landlord told me only yesterday,” Jiabao said.

“What! This landlord is bullying people! Where is he? Let’s go find him and settle this!” Brother Chang immediately left the counter, pulling Jiabao with him. “Xiaoshu, come and watch the counter.”

Brother Le had been looking towards the dining area since he returned. Now, he patted Jiabao’s shoulder, signaling him to go find the landlord.

Jiabao glanced around and indeed spotted the landlord at a table in the corner. He led Brother Le and Brother Chang over to him.

The other people in the shop noticed that something seemed to be happening and curiously looked in their direction.

The landlord was currently happily tasting the dim sum with the buyer.

It was his first time coming here to eat dim sum, and the deliciousness made him wish he could devour his fingers as well.

Although he had rental properties, they were all in poor condition and had cheap rent. His own family only made a living by selling vegetables on the street to the farmers, without any other sources of income. They could barely get by.

Yu’s Delicious Delights was well-known in the city, and he had always thought their dim sum were expensive, something he couldn’t afford, so he had never dared to come in.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

This time, it was because his son was getting married and they didn’t have enough dowry. Coincidentally, someone wanted to buy his old house, and the price offered was very tempting, so he decided to sell it. With the money in hand, he gained some confidence and invited the buyer to eat dim sum.

After coming in, he realized that not all dim sum were expensive. Some dim sum were priced similarly to those sold outside, like steamed buns and stuffed buns. Of course, there were other expensive ones that he had never seen before, which were indeed very costly.

While he was eating, he suddenly saw Tian Jiabao walking towards them.

“Tian Jiabao, have you moved out? Why are you here?” The landlord swallowed a meatball, set down the skewer in his hand, and furrowed his brow as he asked.

Jiabao replied, “Uncle, I haven’t moved out. You tell your workers not to touch my belongings. My lease hasn’t expired yet. I still have ten days.”

The landlord frowned and said, “Didn’t I tell you yesterday? The buyer urgently needs this house. I will refund you the remaining ten days’ worth of rent.”

“You’re Jiabao’s landlord?” Brother Chang raised an eyebrow and asked.

The landlord furrowed his brow as he looked at Jiabao and the two gers next to him. Seeing that both of them were angry and that this ger seemed to be a waiter in the restaurant, he immediately replied, “Yes. Do you know Tian Jiabao?”

Brother Chang didn’t answer his question and asked the other person at the table, “Are you the buyer?”

The person nodded.

“Could you two please come with us to the backyard? We have something to discuss,” Brother Chang said, and the three of them walked towards the backyard.

The landlord and the buyer exchanged glances and, with a sense of curiosity, got up and followed them to the backyard.

Once they arrived in the backyard and saw the two of them, Brother Chang crossed his arms and began speaking, “Uncle Landlord, you told Jiabao last night that the house was sold and he had to move out today. What’s the reason behind this? Explain it to us.”

The landlord furrowed his brow and said, “The house has already been sold. The buyer urgently needed it. I made it clear to Tian Jiabao yesterday. I will refund him the remaining ten days’ worth of rent. Isn’t that enough?”

Hearing this, Brother Le and Brother Chang became furious. Brother Chang rolled up his sleeves, placed his hands on his waist, and angrily retorted, “You just tell him to move out, just like that? You didn’t even give him time to find another place to live. Where do you expect him to go? Sleep on the streets? Is this how you handle things? Jiabao is only thirteen years old. If anything happens to him, will you take responsibility?!”

“And you!” Brother Chang pointed at the buyer. “Although you bought the house and it’s yours now, when you saw someone living inside and their lease hasn’t expired yet, you forcibly evict them. And it’s a young teenager at that. Do you have any conscience? How would you feel if someone treated your son like this? Selling the house one day and kicking people out the next, how can you do such a thing?!”

“Hey, why do you care? Mind your own business!” The landlord felt offended by the young ger’s words and said discontentedly.

“Oh, so you’re targeting a single person because you think they’re easy to bully, right? Two grown men bullying an underage young boy. How shameful!” Brother Chang retorted without backing down.

“You…” The landlord was choked with anger and couldn’t come up with a counterargument. He stubbornly said, “The house is mine. I can sell it if I want, rent it if I want, and if I don’t want to rent it, I won’t. I can tell them to move whenever I want. It’s none of your business!”

Upon hearing the argument in the backyard, three or four customers became curious and came over to see what was happening.

Brother Chang saw this and quickly said, “Everyone, let’s discuss this. The landlord here sold the house and told the tenant to move out the next day, even though the lease hadn’t expired. Moreover, he didn’t give them time to find another place. And the tenant is an underage thirteen-year-old child. Tell me, is this how things should be done? Isn’t it obvious that they’re taking advantage of someone?”

One of the customers chimed in, “They asked them to move the next day after telling them the previous night? That, that’s just unreasonable!”

“Yeah, where is a child supposed to live?”

“At the very least, give him some time to find a new place, don’t you agree?”

“…”

The landlord and the buyer, seeing that people were gathering to watch the commotion and that they were being criticized, couldn’t bear the shame. They exchanged glances, not wanting to lose face, but unsure of how to handle the situation. They felt somewhat awkward.

Brother Chang glanced at them and continued, “Uncle Landlord, this gentleman, Jiabao works as an assistant in our restaurant. He is not alone; everyone in our restaurant is his family. Don’t just bully him like this. Here’s what we propose: you sold the house, fine. Jiabao will move out, but you have to wait until he finds a place to live. He has ten days left on his lease, and during these days, he will find a new place and move out. You can’t forcefully evict him like this. He’s just a child, and his life is already difficult enough. We hope you can show some understanding and flexibility. Ten days, until the lease expires, and Jiabao will move out. How about it?”

The landlord glanced at the buyer. It didn’t affect him much, but the buyer mentioned the urgency, and that’s why he…

The buyer furrowed his brow, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to nod and go along with the compromise offered by Brother Chang. He said, “Let’s do it this way. Hurry up and find a new place.”

Upon hearing this, Jiabao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Brother Le and Brother Chang exchanged glances and also felt relieved.

After causing such a scene, the landlord and the buyer felt embarrassed to sit down and enjoy their dim sum. They packed up and left.

Brother Le asked Jiabao to go back, tidy up his place, and then come over. They would figure out a solution together.

That evening, as instructed by Brother Le, Brother Qing went to Brother Le’s house in the village after returning home to inform them about Jiabao’s situation.

Upon hearing the news, Yu Qingze, and Grandpa Chang were also shocked. They couldn’t believe such a thing had happened. Fortunately, Brother Le and Tie Zhuo had arrived; otherwise, Jiabao would truly have been left homeless.

There was still a buffer period of ten days to find a new place to live, so there should be enough time.

Yu Qingze thought about it all night. Jiabao was still young and had a gentle personality. In the future, living alone, he would likely encounter various difficulties, and who knows if he would be taken advantage of at some point? This time, he was fortunate enough to be discovered by Brother Le and the others, but who knows if there have been other instances where he was mistreated without their knowledge?

As he pondered, an idea came to Yu Qingze’s mind, but this idea would require the approval of Grandpa Chang and the others.

The next day, during breakfast, Yu Qingze spoke to Grandpa Chang, saying, “Grandpa, I want to officially recognize Jiabao as my younger brother. What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Chang Hao looked up at his grandpa, hoping that he would agree.

Grandpa Chang glanced at him and said, “That’s a good idea. I also thought about it all night. I was actually considering having Jiabao move in with us. Our conditions have improved now, and Jiabao is capable. Having one more person in the house would make it livelier, although it might be a bit crowded.”

Chang Hao raised his hand and said, “I can share a sleeping mat with Jiabao.”

Unexpectedly, Grandpa Chang had the same idea as him. Yu Qingze felt delighted, he patted Chang Hao’s head and said, “No need for a sleeping mat. I’ll go ask the village chief to make a bunk bed, and you two can sleep together.”

“What’s a bunk bed?” Chang Hao curiously asked.

Yu Qingze explained, “It’s two beds stacked on top of each other, with one bed on the upper level and one on the lower level. Both can be used for sleeping.”

Chang Hao’s eyes lit up, widening as he exclaimed, “Two levels?” He wanted to sleep on it!

Yu Qingze nodded and then said, “But we have to wait for Jiabao’s agreement before finalizing this.”

Grandpa Chang said, “Let’s make an extra one. You can’t keep sleeping on that small bed all the time.”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “No need. That one is enough. I usually sleep at the restaurant anyway, and I don’t spend much time at home. We can make a new bed when we build a house in the future.”

By then, they would need to have a custom-made double bed. He would sleep together with Brother Le. Hehehe…

Grandpa Chang nodded in response and said, “You’re sacrificing for others.”

“It’s not a problem. As long as I can sleep, it’s fine,” Yu Qingze replied with a shake of his head.

After breakfast, Yu Qingze told Grandpa Chang to keep an eye on the cured meat and sausages, making sure they don’t get burnt and to maintain the smoke. Then he took the newly made sweet potato noodles and returned to the city.

Upon returning to the shop, Yu Qingze first talked to Brother Le about Jiabao’s situation. Brother Le, who was kind-hearted and soft-hearted, immediately agreed and dashed out to bring Jiabao over.

Yu Qingze looked at him with a wry smile. After not seeing each other for so many days, Brother Le didn’t even spare him any time for hugs and kisses. Didn’t he miss him at all?

Jiabao entered Yu Qingze’s room and asked with confusion, “Brother Yu, did you call me for something?”

Yu Qingze nodded, placing his hands on Jiabao’s shoulders and said, “Jiabao, as you know, I’m also alone without any other family members. It wasn’t until I met Brother Le and the others that I rediscovered the warmth of a family.”

Upon hearing this, Jiabao lowered his head, pinching the corner of his clothes, feeling a little down. He had been to Brother Le’s house, and it was indeed very nice. Grandpa Chang was kind, Brother Le was gentle, and Chang Hao was also good. He was envious of them.

Yu Qingze glanced at him and continued, “You’re still young, and it’s not easy to live alone. We’re also worried about you. Look, would you like to recognize me as your brother? In the future, Brother Le and I will take good care of you and treat you like a real little brother.”

Upon hearing these words, Jiabao suddenly raised his head, looking at Yu Qingze in disbelief, and stammered, “Brother Yu, you, you want to recognize me as your brother?”

Yu Qingze nodded and earnestly said, “Perhaps we don’t have the best conditions right now, and we’re busy and tired every day. We also don’t have a separate room for you to stay in. However, things will gradually get better in the future. Brother Le, Grandpa, Chang Hao, and I will all treat you as a family. Are you willing? Are you willing to have a few more family members?”

Jiabao’s eyes welled up with tears halfway through. As soon as Yu Qingze finished speaking, he vigorously nodded and said, “I’m willing. But, but I don’t know anything. Will I be a burden to you?”

Brother Le patted his shoulder, wiping away his tears, and gave him a thumbs up.

Yu Qingze translated, “Brother Le says you’re very capable. I also think you’re smart and capable. Don’t worry, you need to believe in your own abilities. Look, our shop can’t do without you now. You’re great, have more confidence!”

“Okay.” Upon hearing this, Jiabao nodded, wiped away his tears, and finally broke into a smile.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Alright, let’s have a simple ceremony tonight and let your mother know too, to put him at ease.”

Jiabao nodded, “Okay.”

Yu Qingze patted his head and said, “Great, from now on, just call me ‘Big Brother’ or ‘Brother,’ got it?”

“Okay, Big Brother.” Jiabao exclaimed with excitement, his eyes shining brightly.

“Good. Wipe away your tears and go work outside,” Yu Qingze responded, patting the young boy’s head, and let him go.

In his previous life, Yu Qingze had rejected the idea of having a younger brother a thousand times. The thought of a younger brother reminded him of those two troublemakers back home. However, after coming here and getting to know the Chang Le family, experiencing the warmth of a family, and seeing Chang Hao, he realized that having a younger brother could actually be quite adorable.

Yu Qingze didn’t hesitate much about accepting Jiabao as his younger brother because Jiabao was too well-behaved. His obedient and adorable nature didn’t bring back any shadows from his previous life. Instead, it filled him with anticipation and a sense of fulfillment as an older brother.

“Yes, Big Brother.”

Look, what an obedient child. Yu Qingze felt very pleased.

After Jiabao left, Brother Le also wanted to follow him, but Yu Qingze pulled him back, held him in his arms, and kissed him for a long time.

After being apart for so many days, they had to make up for it. How could they be satisfied without enough kisses!