Two Keys

They had lunch at the restaurant. The private dining room had barely been open to customers lately.

In the kitchen, Tao Bo wore a white chef's uniform and carefully chopped garlic with a knife.

Why wasn't he chopping vegetables? He was too slow, and couldn't cut them into proper shapes. Wang Jun had arranged for him to start with the seasonings, chopping some garlic and ginger.

When Tao Bo saw his two cousins come in, he immediately put on a miserable face and said to Tang Zhi Chu, "Cousin, why don't you talk to my mom again? I can't be a chef!"

Tang Chao was surprised. His cousin was actually doing prep work here?

But Tang Chao walked right past Tao Bo and went to find Wang Jun.

Tang Zhi Chu said, "Then I'll give you three months. If you can work the stove by then, I'll tell your mom. If you can't, I'll pretend I never said that."

"But I don't like being a chef!"

"Then what do you like doing?"

Tao Bo fell silent.

"If you don't like it, use the next few months to prove just how much you don't like it. If you can work the stove, I'll believe you don't want to be a chef. If you can't, that proves you actually like doing this."

Tao Bo stared at him, as if he sensed something was off, but still thought there was some logic to it. "Fine. Three months, you said it. Don't lie. If you do, give me the WeChat of that fairy from last time."

"Fairy?"

Tao Bo thought for a moment, then replied, "Forget it. Just don't lie."

"Sure, I won't. I'm your cousin. Don't you trust me?"

By the back door of the kitchen, Tang Chao offered Wang Jun a cigarette.

Wang Jun took it, and the two of them went outside.

Wang Jun and Tang Chao knew each other well. They often played together as kids—or rather, Wang Jun used to take Tang Chao along. Back then, Wang Jun was more streetwise than Tang Chao, almost like the big brother of their little circle.

"Brother Jun, I didn't expect you to really settle down and become a chef," Tang Chao said with some feeling.

Wang Jun took a drag and asked, "How about you?"

Tang Chao shook his head. "I don't know either. Sales are hard to come by these days. In theory, I'd get five points on a ten-million-yuan deal—that's five hundred thousand. But after the kickbacks and the day-to-day client expenses, can you believe I still don't have any money left over?"

Wang Jun smiled but said nothing. Tang Chao represented the life Wang Jun used to lead.

Wang Jun had no advice to offer, so he simply became a listening ear.

After venting, Tang Chao lit another cigarette. "Actually, I'm doing all right. It's just that my good buddy's having a hard time."

"Your good buddy?"

"Zhi Chu, of course. You and I both know what Uncle's situation is like, and Zhi Chu's the sort of person who doesn't know how to adapt. If you weren't here at the restaurant, I don't know what he'd do in the future." As he spoke, Tang Chao looked at Wang Jun, then added, "Thanks."

Wang Jun opened his mouth, then held back whatever he had wanted to say. In his eyes, Tang Zhi Chu had already changed a great deal.

Tang Chao continued, "Uncle wants him to find a girlfriend, right? I'm planning to introduce him to someone, and let him borrow my two-hundred-thousand-yuan car for a while."

Tang Chao leaned closer and blew out a puff of smoke. Putting on the air of someone who'd been around the block, he said, "There are only two things that can change a man: money and women. I don't have the money, as his older cousin, but I can help him with the woman and the car."

Wang Jun laughed. "You really are a good big brother."

Tang Chao thumped his chest. "You bet. We're the kind of brothers who never back down!"

After settling Tao Bo down in the kitchen, Tang Zhi Chu saw that he seemed to have found a little motivation, then headed to the dining area.

A narrow passage led there. A woman who looked to be in her thirties was leaning against the wall.

It was still spring, but she was already wearing stockings. Her boots covered her calves, though.

"Auntie," Tang Zhi Chu called.

The woman looked over and walked a few steps toward him. When she reached him, she reached out and patted his head, rising onto her toes because of the height difference.

She looked a little frustrated, so she simply hugged Tang Zhi Chu and patted him on the back.

"I won't say anything mushy. I just wanted to give you a hug."

She felt Tang Zhi Chu's body stiffen and let him go, then smiled. "You really should find a girlfriend."

"Ahem. I'm working on it."

"If you have your eye on someone, tell me and I'll help you come up with a plan. Oh, right, I'll give you a key to my place. Drop by whenever you're free. It's not far, and you know I'm away on business most of the time. You can even bring a girl over!"

As she spoke, she slipped the key into Tang Zhi Chu's pocket. "Your eldest aunt came to help look after your dad, and your eldest uncle gave you a hundred thousand. If you refuse even this, your little aunt will be sad."

Only then did Tang Zhi Chu accept the key.

He knew his aunt meant well. If he wanted to pursue a girl, his old house really wasn't much to show off.

His little aunt's full name was Tang Huiwen, and she was the most educated person in the Old Tang family—a master's graduate.

After his little aunt finished school, all her older brothers and sisters already had children. Their father—Tang Zhi Chu's grandfather—was still alive at the time, and he paid the lion's share toward buying her a nice apartment.

Everyone agreed on the matter outwardly, but privately they had plenty of misgivings. Only Tang Zhi Chu's father didn't care about such things, which was why his little aunt was closer to him.

After his father fell ill, his little aunt was the first to come visit.

"Thanks."

Tang Huiwen smiled and went to the dining area.

After lunch, Tang Chao led Tang Zhi Chu to the parking lot beside the restaurant.

A Hongtu was parked there. Hongtu was a car brand that hadn't existed in Tang Zhi Chu's previous life. In this world, it was considered one of the top domestic brands, with a fairly solid reputation and sales.

Tang Zhi Chu knew the car belonged to his cousin.

He thought his cousin was going to take him somewhere, but Tang Chao simply handed him the keys.

"Call me big brother, and you can take the car."

Tang Zhi Chu turned and walked away.

Tang Chao froze for a moment, then quickly grabbed him.

"I'm saying this as your big brother: you really need to change that personality of yours. Look at Uncle's condition. You're going on a dating show, right? Aren't all the girls on those shows loaded? How are you supposed to manage without a car? Do you really think some rich girl's going to fall for you because she's blind? If I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to go."

Tang Chao gave Tang Zhi Chu an earful.

"And your dad, too. Why couldn't he just let you go on a normal blind date? Why send you on a dating show? He's basically making you start on nightmare mode, when you've never even dated before. Having a car will at least give you a little confidence. Don't let those rich girls look down on you too much."

"But hey, we can't lose heart. If those rich girls aren't interested, that's only normal. Don't worry. Once you're done with the dating show, I'll introduce you to a girlfriend. I guarantee she'll be pretty."

Tang Zhi Chu looked at Tang Chao. He sounded sincere enough.

Tang Zhi Chu wasn't pretending to be cold. It was just that, in his memories, Tang Chao didn't seem like the sort of person who'd be so generous. He might be loyal to his friends, but he wouldn't do anything that didn't benefit him.

Could it really be that he was close to Tang Zhi Chu's father?