Chapter 635
Extra: Shi Dadan's Secret and the New Year's Eve Dinner
Chapter 635 Extra: Shi Dadan's Secret and the New Year's Eve Dinner (The End)
When Lin Xiaohong talked about Shi Dadan, she was extremely excited, talking non-stop, vividly describing the story, and gesturing wildly.
In other words, the circumstances didn't allow it to be at home, otherwise Lin Xiaohong would probably have gone into her room to look through the photo album while they were talking.
Lin Xiaohong talked a lot, but she didn't mention any embarrassing stories about Shi Dadan. She mostly talked about funny things. For example, the two had been dating for nearly five years and were supposed to get engaged and married in their third year. However, when Shi Dadan went to Lin Xiaohong's house to pay New Year's respects that year, he arrived with a full beard, wearing a black woolen hat, and eating a huge amount of food. He looked like a bandit, which startled the Lin family.
Lin Xiaohong's family members took turns trying to persuade her, attempting to pry her open up. They asked her if she had been forced into her relationship with Shi Dadan all these years, and told her that if there were any problems, she should talk to her family. They emphasized that while the Lin family didn't cause trouble, they weren't afraid of it either. They added, "That guy surnamed Shi just has a little money, and he looks like he has a lot of lives on his hands. If we can't beat him, can't we call the police?"
Xiao Hong, don't be afraid. Your brother is tough. He fell into the pond five times when he was a child and didn't drown. Your brother can take his place.
After observing Shi Dadan for two years, the Lin family determined that he was simply illiterate, tongue-tied, had a unique aesthetic sense, and behaved strangely, but he was indeed a good person with no problems. He was law-abiding, honest in his business dealings, and incredibly lucky. Only then did they agree to the marriage.
The two children were somewhat averse to studying, and the Lin and Shi families accepted this. After all, Shi Dadan and Lin Xiaohong combined couldn't earn a junior high school diploma. The two children's junior high school graduation was entirely due to the nine years of compulsory education. They figured they could just make do with it, since the family had the money to support them.
It's fair to say that aside from his inability to stay idle and his need to travel every year, Shi Dadan doesn't have any major problems.
However, this is the issue that Qin Huai is most concerned about.
Qin Huai inquired specifically about the time Shi Dadan spent traveling each year and where he went.
Lin Xiaohong couldn't remember much about what happened in the early years. In her words, ever since she met Shi Dadan, he would leave Guangdong Province for several months every year. At first, he would occasionally go abroad, but later he only traveled around China.
In previous years, Lin Xiaohong had her own questions. Shi Dadan wasn't in the seafood business yet; he just ran a restaurant. What was the point of wandering around outside when he could just eat at his own restaurant? Did Cao Guixiang's culinary skills really need to expand into other markets?
Later, when the restaurant closed, Shi Dadan went out even more frequently, sometimes spending eight months of the year away from home. Lin Xiaohong almost broke up with Shi Dadan because of this.
Starting from a certain year—Lin Xiaohong can't quite remember exactly which year—Shi Dadan stopped going out for months at a time as before, and began to go out intermittently, each time for a maximum of 20 days.
After Lin Xiaohong gave birth, Shi Dadan went out even less frequently, averaging once every one or two months, and each time he would only be gone for four or five days, which was a very normal business trip frequency.
This is also why Lin Xiaohong thinks her husband, Lao Shi, is a very good person—he takes care of his family.
"However, a couple of years ago, Lao Shi was frequently traveling outside. He said he wanted to expand the market, but he didn't succeed. That's just how my Lao Shi is; he's always thinking about this and that but never actually doing anything about it. I think that's fine."
“We’re just a small-scale aquaculture business. We’re content to stay in Guangdong Province and manage our own little plot of land. At first, I was a bit unhappy that Lao Shi went to Shanshi again, but now I think I understand why he’s been staying in Shanshi every day.”
"I just want to stay in Shanshi and eat the pastries you make, Master Qin. Your skills are just too good. My husband, Lao Shi, loves to eat some staple food. So, Master Qin, please don't think that my husband is slow and indecisive. That's just how he is. He's not a bad person, and he's quite capable. It's just that his ideas are a bit strange." At the end, Lin Xiaohong didn't forget to speak up for Shi Dadan.
Qin Huai nodded, but he didn't really listen to what Lin Xiaohong said.
Because he heard another keyword.
'He went to the mountain city again.'
If it weren't for the fact that everyone in the village had already made preparations, and perhaps hadn't even eaten their fill on New Year's Eve, just to make room for a proper snack on New Year's Day, Qin Huai would have almost gone on strike and gone directly to ask Shi Dadan what was going on.
Old Shi, you certainly have many secrets.
It turns out that the best actor, and the one who hid the best, was Dang Kang.
Qin Huai suppressed the urge to strike and continued to diligently make Poria cocos sandwiches, hoping to help the villagers of Qin Family Village gain an average of 10 pounds for the Spring Festival this year. He also chatted with Lin Xiaohong while waiting for Shi Dadan's letter.
To Qin Huai's surprise, this wait lasted for 5 days.
Over the course of five days, Qin Huai made more than a dozen kinds of pastries, with one specialty dish each day.
The first day of the Lunar New Year is Fuling sandwich, the second day is Four Happiness Tangyuan, the third day is Yam cake, the fourth day is Fermented Rice Buns, and the fifth day is Red Silk Cake. None of them are meat-filled pastries. Qin Luoxin was so hungry she was about to burst.
Qin Luo felt deeply that her brother no longer loved her. Not a single one of the main pastries was meat-filled. The Yuanmeng Shaobing (Dream-Fulfilling Pancake), beef pie, San Ding Bao (Three-Ingredient Bun), and Wu Ding Bao (Five-Ingredient Bun) were just side dishes, and not many were made.
Brother, you're so foolish!
Meat-filled pastries are the true essence, meat-filled pastries are the king, meat-filled pastries are what everyone desires!
The villagers of Qin Family Village remained silent, simply continuing to eat.
The villagers enjoyed a five-day feast of snacks, and every household inexplicably received many more visiting relatives. Previously, it was Qin Huai's family who had many distant relatives who would drive over a hundred kilometers, carrying large bags and small gifts, to pay their respects during the New Year, and casually enjoy some delicious snacks while drinking tea.
This year, it's clear that Qin Huai's family doesn't have enough relatives to go around.
The prerequisite for distant relatives is that they must be relatives. Many people have gone through their family genealogy from beginning to end, but they can't find any connection with the Qin family. They can only look for connections with other villagers in Qin Family Village.
If conditions allowed, they would have loved to marry their dogs off to Qin Family Village overnight.
Qin Huai was also very fortunate that his grandfather and grandmother persuaded him to limit the people who ate snacks to Qin Family Village and relatives who came to pay New Year's visits.
Well, the New Year's gifts I've received these past few days have almost overflowed my house.
Qin Luo has received hundreds of red envelopes; he could practically sell them. Each red envelope contains 5 or 10 yuan, and Qin Luo is grinning from ear to ear every day just counting the money.
Qin Huai waited until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, but still did not receive a letter from Shi Dadan.
Lin Xiaohong had nothing more to say; she even told her two unfortunate children how many points they got in each subject on their final exams this year.
The main dessert on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year is crab roe and pork buns, Shi Dadan's favorite. He ate three plates of crab roe and pork buns for breakfast alone.
Qin Huai was getting impatient. He suspected that if he didn't bring it up and let Shi Dadan write it slowly, the letter might not be finished until next year's New Year.
Finally, during his lunch break, Qin Huai made an excuse that he was too tired from making pastries these past few days and went out for a stroll. He wandered into his own house and caught Shi Dadan in the study, who was frantically looking at a blank sheet of paper and had a pen in his mouth.
Qin Huai: ...No, brother, I know you're a bit allergic to books, but isn't it a bit much that you haven't even started writing the first word in six days?
"Old Shi, in these six days you've only managed to find two pieces of paper?" Qin Huai asked Shi Dadan.
This time, Shi Dadan didn't give a simple, honest smile; instead, he gave an awkward one, lowering his head in shame: "I...I don't know where to begin."
Qin Huai sighed, moved a small stool to sit next to Shi Dadan, and closed the door behind him.
"Stop writing. I've hardly ever seen you write. Don't make things difficult for yourself, just tell me directly."
"I know that the bearded volunteer who used to hug me a lot when I was a child at the orphanage was you. Did you find me back then?"
Shi Dadan nodded.
"I've been going through my memories again these past few days, and I'm not entirely sure, but did you pretend to be a parent picking up your child at the gate of my elementary school when I was in elementary school?"
Shi Dadan nodded again.
"After I was adopted by my parents, did you buy steamed buns from the Qin family's breakfast shop?"
Shi Dadan continued to nod. Qin Huai already understood. Very well, Shi Dadan had passed through his world a few years ago.
"Did you discover through my name that I am in my last life? You dare not have too much contact with me, afraid of delaying my tribulation, but you are also very worried that I will fail to pass the tribulation, so you have to keep an eye on me, which is why you did this?"
This time, Shi Dadan hesitated, nodding and then shaking his head, saying, "I'm not sure if that's true."
Qin Huai: ?
"Old Shi, tell me, what else did you do? How did you find me?"
Qin Huai asked a very precise question, and Shi Dadan knew exactly what to say. Having written letters for so many days, Shi Dadan already had a general idea and draft in mind, making his delivery very smooth.
“You told me when you were still making a promise that your first life was named Qin Huai. I don’t know if your next life will be your last, so I can only use the stupid method of searching for you based on the name Qin Huai. I’ve been searching for many years and tried every method, but I still can’t find you.”
"If I can't find you in China, I'll look abroad. During this time, I've found many spirits, but I haven't found you."
“One year when I went back to Qiu County, I heard from my uncle that a healthy boy had been abandoned at the gate of the orphanage. Director Qin named the boy Qin Huai. All the children in the orphanage had the surname Qin. At that time, I wasn’t sure if this child was you, because according to the time of reincarnation, you couldn’t have been just a child at that time. But what if? What if you died quickly?”
Qin Huai: ...
"I'll go and volunteer at the welfare home."
"The spirit in its last incarnation was so easy to recognize; even someone as dense as me could spot it at a glance."
"But I'm still not sure if that child is you. What if there's a spirit with the same name who happens to be in its last life? I can only use the clumsy method of regularly volunteering at the orphanage while searching for other people named Qin Huai."
“I waited until you started elementary school and showed your talent for making pastries. The first time you made steamed buns and mantou, they were so delicious. Only then did I realize that I had actually found you.”
"But what's the use of finding it? I don't know why you failed your tribulation, nor do I know what your obsession is. This is your last life and you don't remember anything. You don't remember that you were a spirit or that I am. I myself am a confused fool who failed his tribulation and hasn't woken up yet. I can't help you with anything. If I help you, it will only make your already low chance of successfully passing the tribulation infinitely close to zero."
Qin Huai immediately grasped the key point of Shi Dadan's words and asked, "What do you mean you failed your tribulation and didn't wake up? Old Shi, when exactly did you wake up?"
Shi Dadan choked for a moment, did not answer Qin Huai's question, and continued, "I have been thinking about how I can make you remember everything, how I can help you successfully overcome your tribulation."
“I really want to help you, but I can’t get close to you. I don’t even dare to volunteer at the orphanage. All I can do is go to your school gate every few days to see you after school, to make sure you are still alive and healthy, not being abused, and not dying inexplicably in your last life.”
“If you were adopted by your parents, I would go to your family’s breakfast shop to buy steamed buns to make sure your parents treat you well.”
"At first, when you said you had a system, I just thought you were crazy. You were a very special spirit, and in your last life, you might have some residual memories like the spirits in the middle era. It's normal for you to be mentally unstable. It wasn't until I discovered that you would occasionally point at the air, and that system novels started to become popular again, that I realized you might actually have a system."
"It was only then that I realized that the difficulty of your tribulation was really high, so high that you were able to do it even in your last life."
“I really want to do something for you, but I really don’t know what to do.”
“I’m too stupid. I’m not as smart as the other spirits, nor do I have their extensive knowledge or experience.”
"But I know that some spirits are clever."
"Many years ago, when I went to Shanshi to find you, I met Luo Jun. I knew he was a Bifang, and I also knew that he failed his first tribulation, but I didn't know why he insisted on staying in the human world and not being reincarnated."
“I really want to tell him everything, but I’m afraid that it will make your tribulation even more unsuccessful.”
“I discovered that Bi Fang wasn’t the only spirit in the Cloud Community; there was also Chen Huihong, and among the students that Chen Huihong had been sponsoring for many years was Qu Jing.”
“I know that spirits are attracted to each other in their last life, which is actually a way to save themselves.”
"So I'm thinking, is this the only way to save you?"
“Bifang is smarter and more capable than me, and he’s also very helpful. I can’t help you, but I think he can.”
Qin Huai was stunned.
“I know you don’t understand wills at all, because normal people don’t have the opportunity to inherit property. So I bought a house in Yunzhong Community and contracted the community canteen. To make everything seem reasonable, I even paid a high price to hire actors to act for several years and fooled Chen Huihong.”
“Promise, there is no such thing as an inheritance. I don’t know where your biological parents are, they may have already passed away. I’ll have a lawyer find you and take you to the Cloud Cafeteria to inherit the estate. All the inheritance procedures will be handled by the lawyer, because there is no estate at all, everything is a gift from me.”
“I dare not live in Yunzhong Community, for fear that Luo Jun will recognize me. I bought a house in the next community, and since Yunzhong Canteen opened, I often disguise myself as an office worker and go to the canteen to buy snacks.”
“I heard everyone talking about you, saying that you’ve gone crazy from making desserts and are fantasizing that you have a system that will issue missions. I’m really happy about that. I know I didn’t hurt you. You really do have a game system, and it’s started issuing missions. You’re starting to wake up.”
"I really want to see you, say hello to you, and talk to you, but I don't dare."
"Gui Xiang told me that she had discovered a very talented young man and invited me to her house for dinner."
"I was actually very nervous that day."
"I'm afraid to see you, but I really want to talk to you."
"You just asked when I successfully transcended the tribulation."
"I successfully survived the tribulation the moment you came to help me move things downstairs at Guixiang's house and looked at me and spoke to me."
Shi Dadan lowered his head.
"I know I shouldn't lie to you, but I can't figure out how to stop lying to you."
"I'm so stupid, this is the best way I can think of."
Qin Huai looked at Shi Dadan.
When Qin Huai first awoke, he felt that if he had a straw to grasp at in this life, it might be himself. His own obsession and desire transformed his abilities into a system, which ultimately awakened him by allowing him to complete tasks.
But now.
Qin Huai looked at the straw in front of him.
“Xu Mo,” Qin Huai said, “you’re not stupid at all.”
"You are the smartest Dang Kang I have ever met."
"Dang Kang, who successfully survived his own tribulation and even helped me survive mine."
(End of this chapter)