Chapter 10: Salted Fish Steamed Meat Patty

Chapter 10: Steamed Meat Patty with Salted Fish

Wen Zhaofu finally had a weekend with no official duties, but it was disrupted by Wen Haochen and his biological sister.

Wen Haochen’s biological sister, An Liwen, is an A-list movie star. She was preparing for an upcoming fashion festival and found herself short one piece of jewelry.

When she went to the store to buy one, she found that she had hit her shopping limit for the year and couldn’t make the purchase directly. After thinking it over, she had no choice but to ask Wen Zhaofu for help.

An Liwen was always a little wary of Wen Zhaofu, even though her older brother was actually much gentler with her than with Wen Haochen.

Yun Fan had been helping the head butler tidy up the art collection room and the wine cellar, which housed many rare wines, when he saw Wen Haochen and a girl hurriedly rushing out of Langyun Terrace.

“That’s Miss Li Wen, the second young master’s sister,” the head butler kindly explained, answering the question in Yun Fan’s mind.

“They’re such energetic young people,” Yun Fan replied.

The head butler smiled. “Those two are always pestering the eldest young master.”

From his tone, Yun Fan could tell that, in the head butler’s heart, there was only one employer: Wen Zhaofu. He carried out Wen Zhaofu’s instructions meticulously.

It wasn’t a bad thing for the butler to side with his employer. Although Wen Haochen seemed compliant on the surface, deep down, Wen Zhaofu also indulged him a great deal.

Sure enough, when they returned to Langyun Terrace, Wen Zhaofu told Yun Fan to get ready and go out with him.

The head butler raised an eyebrow and said to Yun Fan, “Take good care of Mr. Wen.”

After Yun Fan changed his clothes, Wen Zhaofu handed him a car key. Yun Fan followed behind Wen Zhaofu’s wheelchair and saw a brand-new car parked in the courtyard.

“Wow, man, it’s polished to a shine!” Yun Fan said, walking around the car. “Does this car have some kind of amazing security system? Like, when necessary, can it pop out twin guns from the undercarriage?”

Wen Zhaofu laughed, pressing a fist to his lips. The smile softened his sharp features, giving him a more relaxed demeanor.

“Go ahead and drive,” Wen Zhaofu said, tilting his chin toward the car.

“Alright!” Yun Fan said, heading toward the left-side door.

Just as he was about to open the door, Yun Fan froze and looked despairingly at Wen Zhaofu. “Sir, it’s a right-hand drive car—I don’t know how to drive that!”

Seeing Yun Fan’s distressed expression, Wen Zhaofu found him even more vivid. The people around him were used to hiding their emotions and rarely expressed themselves so openly in front of him.

“Big Bro, let’s go together,” Wen Zhaofu said apologetically. “I originally intended to give you half a day off.”

Yun Fan quickly clasped his hands in gratitude. “Big Bro, thank you, Big Bro.”

The driver waved magnanimously. “It’s my duty—no need to be so polite.”

Wen Zhaofu’s driver, Si Haohao, was 38 years old and had been working for him for five years. He was a good and reliable man.

Because Wen Zhaofu called him “Big Bro,” everyone at Langyun Terrace followed suit.

Yun Fan sat in the passenger seat, looking out the left window with curiosity.

He had been here for a while but hadn’t really taken the time to see the outside world. Wen Yanlan’s residence was far from the city, nestled between mountains and the sea—a tranquil place. It had everything, but it felt cut off from the outside world by an invisible barrier.

As the car wound through the mountain roads and entered the bustling city, Yun Fan finally felt a sense of reality, seeing the tall and short buildings and the hurried pedestrians.

So, this was where he was living.

Noticing Yun Fan’s silence, Wen Zhaofu didn’t say anything either, just watched Yun Fan’s profile as he lost himself in thought.

The driver parked steadily behind a light yellow minibus and said, “Boss, we’re stuck in traffic.”

Wen Zhaofu, who always valued efficiency, frowned at this. Yun Fan rolled down the window and stuck his head out, his crisp voice carrying back into the car.

“Oh, we’re only twenty meters away—piece of cake. Don’t worry,” Yun Fan said casually.

Wen Zhaofu smiled. Yun Fan had effortlessly dissolved his frustration. Yes, waiting a little longer wouldn’t cause any major issues.

“Xiao Yun has seen it all,” Wen Zhaofu said, his voice tinged with amusement.

Yun Fan chuckled. “Haven’t seen much else, but I’ve seen plenty of traffic jams. Jams every which way—horizontal, vertical, stacked—there’s always a way for traffic to clog up.”

*

The black curtains were drawn, and the shop hung a “Temporarily Closed” sign. Passersby only saw a young man pushing a wheelchair into the store. The person sitting upright in the wheelchair maintained an imposing presence.

The large glass windows were completely covered, as if to prevent even a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle inside.

In Hong Kong, the only wheelchair user who could command such exclusive service from a high-end jewelry store was Wen Zhaofu.

Due to Wen Zhaofu’s striking appearance and exceptional demeanor, many people paid attention to him.

Soon, Wen Zhaofu’s whereabouts were posted online. Some sighed, remarking that Young Master Wen had booked the place out again, but they speculated that he still felt self-conscious, not wanting to be seen in a wheelchair.

Yun Fan, inside the store, didn’t see it that way. He thought it was incredibly smart of Wen Zhaofu to use his wheelchair while shopping. Moreover, Wen Zhaofu’s wheelchair looked very comfortable—it doesn’t hurt your back or butt—and was surely much better than the chair he used to have in his office.

The jewelry store was located on a narrow path by the sea. Its facade was small, but it held hidden depths. Above ground, it appeared to be a two-story loft, but underground, there were three more levels.

With five floors in total, browsing through them was exhausting.

To buy the necklace for An Liwen, according to the store’s rules, Wen Zhaofu had to purchase a bunch of other items as well. Spending money wasn’t an issue, but he didn’t want to buy useless things arbitrarily. So, he brought Yun Fan along to help pick and choose.

“This is really like making a whole plate of dumplings just for a dip of vinegar,” Yun Fan muttered under his breath.

Wen Zhaofu smiled. “Isn’t that the truth? I really don’t like coming here.”

“But you still spend quite a bit here every year,” Yun Fan remarked, looking at Wen Zhaofu.

As if worried Yun Fan might misunderstand, Wen Zhaofu straightened his expression and replied seriously, “Sometimes I buy things for my mother and grandmother.”

“No one else?” Yun Fan teased. “Like some wealthy socialite, a foreign-educated elite, or an important partner.”

Wen Zhaofu frowned, his nose twitching slightly as he looked seriously into Yun Fan’s eyes. “Xiao Yun, I promise there’s no one else.”

Seeing Wen Zhaofu suddenly so formal, Yun Fan felt strange. He straightened up, his eyes flustered, and pointed randomly. “Let’s just finish ‘making the dumplings.’”

After browsing, neither Wen Zhaofu nor Yun Fan was particularly satisfied with the new bags, jewelry, or watches. With the shop assistant nearby, they didn’t dare discuss it openly, but both knew the designer’s aesthetics were slipping.

“This watch…” Yun Fan said, eyeing the triangular dial, “is quite unique.”

“Hao Chen would like it,” Wen Zhaofu shook his head, leaning forward to whisper in Yun Fan’s ear. “He’s a master collector of ugly things.”

Yun Fan rubbed his ear and shifted slightly away. He understood—these things still had their market.

When Yun Fan went to pay, he mentally calculated the total before the cashier did. He was stunned and counted the zeros again on his fingers.

Good heavens, he wished all those zeroes would just overwhelm him!

Carrying bags in both hands, Yun Fan walked toward the parking spot. He didn’t notice Wen Zhaofu, who had lagged behind slightly, taking out another card to purchase a set of cloud-themed jewelry.

“No need for a bag, just give it to me,” Wen Zhaofu said, taking it and tucking it into the inside pocket of his coat.

Wen Zhaofu never liked being fussed over by others when he was out. Having Yun Fan walk ahead while he followed behind felt much more comfortable to him.

Truth be told, Yun Fan wasn’t overthinking it—he was still spaced out thinking about all those zeros.

On their way back, they stopped at a small island by the sea. There was a house on the island with a star hanging at the entrance.

“Xiao Yun, please take this and give it to the person inside,” Wen Zhaofu said gently.

It turned out to be the colorful star he had bought earlier, the one that had made Yun Fan wonder why Wen Zhaofu liked it so much.

Yun Fan pushed the door open and found a smiling girl waiting, who took the item from him and thanked him softly.

Inside, the sound of children could be heard, but it wasn’t noisy. Yun Fan smiled and turned to leave. Children of the stars—Yun Fan now understood.

Back in the car, Yun Fan glanced at Wen Zhaofu, who was once again focused on his tablet, so he didn’t disturb him. The driver kept his eyes on the road.

After a while, Wen Zhaofu spoke up: “That’s a charity organization led by my mother, helping children with autism.”

Yun Fan nodded—just as he had guessed. Wen Zhaofu continued, “My dad and mom separated a long time ago, even before I returned to the Wen family.”

Hearing this, Yun Fan quickly turned to look at Wen Zhaofu’s expression. Wen Zhaofu smiled back at him, showing no particular emotion.

The driver, meanwhile, shot Yun Fan a subtle glance—after all, it was the first time he had heard his boss voluntarily share family matters with someone else.

*

After a busy day, Yun Fan took out his little notebook and started writing and drawing in it. For dinner, Uncle Man prepared a tender and flavorful steamed minced meat with salted fish. Yun Fan sensed there was some meaning behind it.

But it didn’t matter—the important thing was how good it tasted.

He was feeling sleepy and, as he turned to put his notebook away, his hand accidentally hit the old-fashioned phone built into the wall.

With its retro design and golden handle, he’d always wondered what it was for.

Yun Fan picked up the receiver and saw there was just one button on the wall. Without thinking twice, he pressed it.

Author’s Note:

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Wen Haochen’s view of himself: [sunglasses][sunglasses][sunglasses]

His older brother’s view of him: [hahaha][hahaha][hahaha]