I Was Such a Fool, Truly

"Dad, come on down." Zhang Yang texted Zhang Zhaohai.

He wasn't going back upstairs to the restaurant. His aunt by marriage had never been one to watch her words. She could take the most ordinary things and make them sound downright mean.

And then there was his uncle, a complete pushover who wouldn't dare go against his wife.

"I'll be right there." Zhang Zhaohai texted back.

Upstairs, Zhang Zhaohai gathered his personal belongings one by one, memories of his years in the kitchen rising in his mind.

The restaurant belonged to Song Wenbo, but those years of experience had been his own.

He'd been there helping in the kitchen from the day the restaurant opened and the kitchen first started cooking. He'd always treated them like family, helping Song Wenbo keep the kitchen running smoothly. Looking back now, he'd been far too naive.

Damn it, they hadn't even given him a raise in all these years!

"Brother-in-law, heading out?" Song Wenbo came over to greet him, his tone a little stiff.

"Yeah." Zhang Zhaohai wasn't in the mood to humor him.

Song Wenbo gave an awkward laugh and walked out with him. People weren't made of stone; honestly, his brother-in-law had made things a lot easier in the kitchen over the years. With him handling the menus and accounts, inside and out, Song Wenbo had felt much more at ease.

Now that Zhang Zhaohai was leaving, he couldn't deny that he wasn't happy about it.

But he might as well forget about asking him to stay.

As they passed the bar, something came over Song Wenbo, and he thought he'd pick up a case of liquor for his brother-in-law on the way out.

It wasn't expensive, just over a thousand yuan a case. It was simply a gesture of goodwill.

As soon as he stepped behind the bar, Song Wenbo bent down and was about to pick up a case of Guoyuan when his wife immediately stopped him. "Hey, hey, Song Wenbo, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting... getting a case of liquor for my brother-in-law to take home," Song Wenbo stammered.

"Oh, you should've said so earlier." Zhou Xiaona glanced over and understood at once. "Here, take this one. The supplier said last time that it tasted great."

She bent down and picked up a case of some off-brand liquor that a small distillery had brought in to sell. The whole case was worth next to nothing.

Zhang Zhaohai glanced at it, snorted, and walked straight out.

Holding the liquor, Zhou Xiaona glared at Song Wenbo. "What, you have money to burn? You had to pick the expensive one? There's all this cheap stuff here. Couldn't you take that?"

Song Wenbo's expression shifted. He really felt humiliated.

"You're suffering just to save face." Zhou Xiaona scolded him, then hurried after Zhang Zhaohai with the case. "Brother-in-law, should I put this in your car or somewhere else?"

Outside the restaurant, Zhang Zhaohai didn't want to spend another second there.

Nope, not worth tangling with. His sister-in-law and his brother-in-law were a perfect match.

He looked around for his son.

Once.

Huh? Where was he?

Twice.

That tall, well-built young man over there, brimming with confidence, looked a little like him.

But his son wasn't that slim.

Just as he was about to look away, the figure in the distance waved at him.

Good heavens, was that really his son, Zhang Yang?!

"Dad." Zhang Yang walked up to him with a smile and took the bag from his hands.

Zhang Zhaohai stared at the tall young man in front of him, his eyes bright and his whole bearing brimming with confidence. For a long moment, he couldn't get a word out.

"You've been saving up some big surprise, huh?"

"Dad, don't make such a fuss. It's called working on your image." Zhang Yang chatted with his father as he glanced toward his uncle and aunt, who were hurrying over.

"Are you... Zhang Yang?!" Zhou Xiaona caught up with them in a few quick steps. "You've turned into such a handsome young man! Got a girlfriend?"

Zhang Yang glanced at his aunt and uncle, then gave them a lukewarm greeting.

"Here, Zhang Yang. Your dad was too polite to accept this, so take it home and let him try it." Zhou Xiaona insisted on pressing the case into Zhang Yang's hands.

"This... isn't that a little inappropriate?" Zhang Yang looked down at the heavy case with its cheap-looking packaging, then glanced at his father.

Zhang Zhaohai looked rather displeased.

"No, no." He waved his hands and gave Zhang Yang a look.

"Uncle, Aunt, I think you should..." Zhang Yang caught his meaning and started to hand the liquor back.

"Come on, nephew. Don't be so polite. It's for your dad. He's too embarrassed to take it, so you take it for him." Zhou Xiaona smiled and pushed it back toward him.

Zhang Yang looked at the case, then at his aunt and uncle, who clearly weren't going to let him leave without it. After a brief pause, he said, "All right, I'll take it for Dad."

"That's more like it." His aunt looked pleased. "Your dad likes a drink, so once you start earning money, remember to buy him some good liquor now and then... Wait, is this your car?"

Zhang Yang opened the trunk of his Porsche and struggled to shift the Wuliangye and Moutai around to make room for the case. He glanced at his aunt in surprise.

Zhou Xiaona and Song Wenbo stood dumbfounded behind the car. They stared at the brand-new Porsche, then at the glaringly out-of-place bottle of cheap liquor among all the famous cigarettes and liquor in the trunk. Their faces burned.

"I just got it. Uncle, Aunt, thanks for the liquor." Zhang Yang picked up a pack of cigarettes worth over ten thousand yuan and weighed it in his hand.

Song Wenbo stood off to the side, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Then Zhang Yang set the cigarettes back down right in front of him and closed the trunk.

"Let's go, Dad."

"Let's go." Zhang Zhaohai came over with a cheerful grin, comfortably opened the door, and got into the passenger seat.

Before they left, Zhang Yang looked at his uncle and aunt, whose faces had turned red, and waved. "Uncle, Aunt, we're heading off."

Song Wenbo hurriedly replied with an awkward smile, his hands hanging limply at his sides. His mind buzzed in a daze as the Porsche's taillights lit up and the car sped away before them.

Even after the car disappeared from sight, the couple stood there, stunned.

"He definitely asked to borrow money on purpose!" Zhou Xiaona suddenly seemed to realize it. Her fists clenched.

"What?" Song Wenbo raised his head blankly.

"He knew you wouldn't lend it to him, so he asked on purpose. That way, he could act like he was backing off while making sure we wouldn't ask them for money!" Zhou Xiaona said, her chest heaving.

"I was such a fool, truly..." Song Wenbo murmured to himself.

On the way back, Zhang Zhaohai was in an exceptionally good mood. He enjoyed the comfortable seat and admired the Cayenne's interior.

"How's the car?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile as he drove.

"It's a bit too mature for you. Young people should get something sporty. This one's just right for me." Zhang Zhaohai joked.

"Sure. I'll let you drive it from now on," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"I was joking. What would I do with this car, driving around aimlessly all day with nothing to do? You have much more use for it." Zhang Zhaohai shook his head. "By the way, I'm not working for your uncle anymore."

"You quit?" Zhang Yang glanced at him, but wasn't surprised. "Then you quit. There's nothing worth staying for anyway."