Yinghai City
Zhang Zhaohai put down his phone, his face brimming with excitement.
Just moments ago, his son Zhang Yang had messaged him to say he'd sold the rough stone for 3.5 million yuan. He'd also shown him a picture of the cigarettes and liquor he'd bought for his father.
"Good kid. Always wasting money." Zhang Zhaohai rubbed his hands together, unable to stop himself from laughing.
Three and a half million! Ahaha! Fortune had really come knocking at their door!
Why were he and Zhang Yang's mother, even at their age, still racking their brains every day to earn money, pinching pennies here and saving a little there?
There was only one reason: their grown son hadn't taken care of a single major milestone in his life. Old Zhang couldn't even sleep soundly at night.
It was a parent's lifelong responsibility!
Thankfully, Heaven had taken pity on them and given them a chance to change their lives.
Three and a half million wouldn't make them rich, of course, but it could solve their housing, car, and cash problems all at once. Besides, neither of them had retired yet. If they kept working hard for a few more years, and their son—still young—kept earning money instead of sitting back and doing nothing, then their family's prospects would only keep getting better!
The more he thought about it, the more Zhang Zhaohai wanted to pull out a cigarette. He lit one with relish and felt downright pleased with himself.
Suddenly, he heard the front door open. Zhang Zhaohai jumped and instinctively started to stub out his cigarette, planning to light it again later.
"Old Zhang." Song Wenqin had come home. "Old Zhang, where are you?"
"I'm on the balcony!" Zhang Zhaohai answered, opening the window.
Song Wenqin walked onto the balcony and sniffed. Her brow immediately furrowed as she muttered, "Smoking in the house again? I've told you so many times, but you never listen. The kitchen already smells of cooking fumes. Do you even care about your health?"
For Zhang Zhaohai's sake, Song Wenqin launched straight into a scolding.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhang Zhaohai hurried to promise his wife he'd stop. He also began arranging his words, ready to tell her about Zhang Yang selling the rough stone for 3.5 million.
But, out of nowhere, Song Wenqin let out a long sigh.
"My sister-in-law won't lend us the money."
Zhang Zhaohai froze, then immediately realized what she meant. He'd nearly forgotten about it.
He'd started out as a chef, but for the past few years he'd been helping out in the kitchen at his brother-in-law's restaurant. The pay wasn't much better than anywhere else.
That was why he'd been wanting to open a small restaurant of his own. He'd already found a spot in the shops outside a newly completed housing development nearby. With plenty of construction sites in the area, a place serving home-style dishes and stir-fries should do well.
The only problem was that after the couple crunched the numbers, they were still short on cash. So Song Wenqin had planned to ask her younger brother, Song Wenbo, for a temporary loan.
After all, when Song Wenbo first opened the restaurant, the couple had lent him money. Once the business got on its feet, Zhang Zhaohai had also worked diligently in the kitchen, saving Song Wenbo a lot of trouble.
He'd never expected his brother-in-law's family to flat-out refuse something he'd thought was practically guaranteed.
Zhang Zhaohai opened his mouth, almost cursing, but held back because of Song Wenqin.
"Ungrateful bastard! Back when I couldn't go to school, I gave up my place so he could. Whenever we had something good, I'd go without and let him have it!" Song Wenqin, on the other hand, didn't hold back at all.
They'd been close as siblings, sure, but that had only lasted until they started families of their own. Once they had families, naturally, they had their own interests to look after.
Besides, she'd never liked her sister-in-law.
"Well... if they won't lend it, then forget it. I actually have something to tell you." Zhang Zhaohai laughed it off.
If they wouldn't lend it, so be it. Did he really care about that little bit of money?
"What is it?" Song Wenqin was still fuming. She sat down and drained a glass of water. "You say we should forget about the loan, but where are we supposed to get the money to open our restaurant?"
"Don't get worked up. Come on, let me tell you..." Zhang Zhaohai pulled Song Wenqin into a seat and carefully gathered his thoughts.
Ten minutes later, their roughly one-hundred-square-meter apartment erupted with excited cheers.
"You got that lucky? Really?!" Song Wenqin grabbed Zhang Zhaohai by the arm, disbelief written all over her face.
"It's absolutely true. I even took photos of the rough stone. Look." Zhang Zhaohai showed Song Wenqin the pictures. "The kid was lucky, and he had guts, too. How did he dare spend all his savings on a chance like that?"
"Thank goodness it paid off." Song Wenqin let out a long breath. "We can settle on that house we looked at a while ago once Zhang Yang gets back."
Zhang Zhaohai cleared his throat. "Well, Wenqin, I don't really want to keep working for your brother, either."
He'd always treated Song Wenbo like family, keeping an eye on everything going in and out of the kitchen and helping them avoid countless losses. And now, in the end, they couldn't even spare him the slightest consideration.
There was no point staying. Even if he didn't open his own place, he'd have a much easier time working at some other restaurant.
"Then don't." Song Wenqin nodded.
Working for relatives wasn't easy. They might as well use this chance to leave.
Early the next morning, Zhang Zhaohai went to the restaurant as usual.
As soon as he walked in, he ran into his brother-in-law, Song Wenbo.
"Brother-in-law." Song Wenbo gave him an awkward smile and came over to greet him. "My sister told me yesterday. But you know how it is: the restaurant may look busy, but I've got a lot of debt weighing on me, too. It's tough!"
Zhang Zhaohai waved a hand. "It's fine. I know you have your reasons. Let's forget about that. I've got something to tell you, too."
Song Wenbo was taken aback. "Brother-in-law, you... what else did you want to say?"
"I'm getting older. Working in the kitchen every day is getting to be too much, so I plan to stay until the end of the month. You'd better hurry up and find a chef." Zhang Zhaohai waved his hand as he spoke.
"What?!" Song Wenbo's expression changed at once. "Brother-in-law, you can't do this! So I didn't lend you the money. You know we're swamped right now—"
Zhang Zhaohai sneered inwardly. What an ungrateful bastard. To put it plainly, with May Day just around the corner, Song Wenbo couldn't afford to lose him. Just wait until the slow season...
"That's not a very nice thing to say. You make it sound as if I'm doing this on purpose..." Zhang Zhaohai waved a hand and headed straight into the kitchen.
Watching Zhang Zhaohai walk away, Song Wenbo's expression shifted again and again.
Downstairs from the restaurant, a BMW 5 Series came to a leisurely stop. A woman who looked exceptionally well-kept got out and walked inside.
Several restaurant employees saw her and greeted her as the boss's wife.
She was Song Wenbo's wife and Zhang Yang's aunt by marriage, Zhou Xiaona.
"Song Wenbo, your brother-in-law came by, right?" Zhou Xiaona found Song Wenbo and glanced toward the kitchen.
"He did. He's in the kitchen." Song Wenbo answered glumly.
"What's wrong? Why the long face? What did he say?" Zhou Xiaona asked, frowning.
"He's quitting. He said he'll be gone in a couple of days," Song Wenbo said irritably. "I should've lent my sister the money. It's all your fault for insisting I hold back."
"Look at you, so spineless. He's got you wrapped around his finger already?!" Zhou Xiaona launched into a sharp scolding.
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