Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Jiang Yicen told Nan Shuyi the story of his own father and mother.

He thought, now that he had spoken it, one more person would share the memory of the things he had once seen and everything that had happened.

Jiang Yicen said, "This is a couple from the Republic of China era. They treated each other with the utmost respect, like honored guests, but in fact, the husband was deeply devoted to his wife. They had only seen each other once when they got married, which was still better than a blind marriage where they'd never met. The young husband fell for his young wife at first sight. However, the husband's family was in business, while the wife's family was in politics and were a scholarly household. If it had been an earlier dynasty, it would have been a mismatch in social status. But during the Republic of China, with the surge of new trends and the decline of the wife's family's fortunes, circumstances brought about their union. Like many families, they had children, and as the husband's business grew larger and larger, there were times he inevitably neglected his wife. It was exactly twenty years after their marriage that this restaurant opened. That day, the husband and wife went out together and walked into this place. You know, traditional women had never set foot in such Western-style restaurants. The husband patiently taught her how to eat, step by step. Later, the husband took his wife to many new experiences."

From a modern perspective, Nan Shuyi thought this couple's life was rather plain, but sometimes ordinariness is happiness.

Nan Shuyi: "Such marriages weren't common even in the Republic of China, right? I remember that before the Republic of China, monogamy hadn't been implemented."

Jiang Yicen: "The husband never took any concubines in his life, not even had a close female friend outside."

His father was a businessman, but he was also a good husband who deeply loved his mother. Perhaps that was why his mother had always protected his father. They were indeed a rare couple.

Nan Shuyi felt that since Jiang Yicen had told this story, the couple must have grown old together.

"Then they must have grown old together."

Jiang Yicen held the water glass in his hand; the warm water had gone cold. He shook his head: "They didn't."

Nan Shuyi: "Then..."

Jiang Yicen said softly, "They died."

Nan Shuyi paused, sensing Jiang Yicen's sadness and grief: "In times of war, no one knew if they might suddenly die the next day."

Jiang Yicen nodded. These memories only made him more sorrowful, so he took a sip of water to steady himself, lowering his head so Nan Shuyi wouldn't see the tears fall.

But Nan Shuyi still saw two clear teardrops fall into his water glass, mingling with the water.

For a moment, he didn't know how to comfort him, so he moved from his seat to sit next to Jiang Yicen, pressing close to him. Knowing that Jiang Yicen was easily embarrassed, shy, and always tried to maintain some dignity and image, he blocked him from others' view.

Only he could see Jiang Yicen cry.

Nan Shuyi tilted his head to look at Jiang Yicen: "Your eyes sure like to keep clean."

Jiang Yicen: "Huh?"

Nan Shuyi: "Do you have to take a bath every day?"

The ache in Jiang Yicen's heart vanished instantly, and he was amused by Nan Shuyi.

"You're making fun of me."

"I'm not." Nan Shuyi even thought Jiang Yicen looked cute when he cried. He really liked it; he even wanted to kiss him.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he startled himself.

He timely handed him a tissue: "The food is coming."

Jiang Yicen dabbed at his eyes with the tissue and sat up straight, as if the person who had just been moved to tears by telling a story wasn't him.

Nan Shuyi thought to himself, what a funny little stickler for dignity he was, such an adorable personality, completely unlike the Jiangs he knew. But if he had really grown up in the Jiang family, could he have turned out this way?

The old restaurant's various facilities were somewhat outdated for the times, but what you ate there was that taste of nostalgia.

Today, Jiang Yicen was treating, so he offered to pay. At the moment of successful payment, it felt like he had crossed a century. Last time he came, he had used silver dollars; now it was mobile payment. It also proved that he really lived in the twenty-first century, gradually integrating into life here.

For the first time, Jiang Yicen treated Nan Shuyi to a meal, gaining a sense of accomplishment he'd never felt before. This was paid with his first salary earned through his own work.

He said with a touch of pride, "It's paid."

Nan Shuyi thought he looked very happy: "How about we take a walk outside?"

This old Western restaurant was tucked away. At this time, the streets, which should've been lively, seemed rather deserted, no wonder the restaurant had few customers.

The two walked along the narrow sidewalk. This area was different from the new district; the paving bricks were badly worn, and the road was uneven.

Spring had arrived, and the city's rainfall was gradually increasing. It was easy to accidentally step into a puddle.

Jiang Yicen almost stepped into a small puddle, and Nan Shuyi pulled him back, naturally holding his hand. Seeing that Jiang Yicen didn't object or pull away, Nan Shuyi kept holding it.

Nan Shuyi had recently gained considerable insight into the catering industry. In casual conversation, he analyzed with Jiang Yicen how to revitalize this restaurant. After just one meal, besides tasting the dishes, he also got a sense of the restaurant's reputation.

Nan Shuyi: "If it keeps operating like this, it will eventually go out of business."

Jiang Yicen: "There are many locals living around here; there must be regular customers too."

Nan Shuyi: "Regular customers come for the nostalgia. You can't eat at a Western restaurant like you do at a noodle shop every day, and the prices aren't cheap either. No one's gonna come every day."

Jiang Yicen: "Then how can it be revitalized?"

Nan Shuyi: "Tell stories, talk about history, and promote its local flavor. That can attract a large number of tourists."

Jiang Yicen: "But won't that compromise the quality?"

Nan Shuyi: "As long as the owner maintains its quality, it won't. Tourists come to taste its most authentic flavor."

Jiang Yicen nodded: "I understand. Different restaurants have different operating and promotional methods."

He had previously focused on his own restaurant, which didn't need any advertising to attract a steady stream of customers.

Jiang Yicen couldn't help but think of the Yongjiang Restaurant, which faced the same issue: "Is the Yongjiang Restaurant facing the same problem?"

Nan Shuyi: "It's different. Yongjiang Restaurant still has a fixed customer base. It can offer more services. But this restaurant has a smaller service scope and will face a greater impact than Yongjiang Restaurant. If it doesn't change, it might have to shut down."

Jiang Yicen: "If it disappears, that would be a pity. It has a history of over a hundred years."

Nan Shuyi: "Don't worry. Someone will always take it over. What we see, others see too."

Jiang Yicen tentatively asked Nan Shuyi: "Do you think we could possibly buy Yongjiang Restaurant?"

Nan Shuyi took a few seconds to seriously think it over, estimating the market value of Yongjiang Restaurant: "Maybe it's possible in the future."

Jiang Yicen tightened his grip on Nan Shuyi's hand. He knew Nan Shuyi was different from others.

He was delighted, remembering how when the Jiang family asked him what he wanted, they'd immediately shot him down, while Nan Shuyi hadn't denied it. He had even considered the possibility of buying it.

Nan Shuyi thought about why Jiang Yicen was considering this—was it because they had first met at Yongjiang Restaurant? This guy was so sentimental and nostalgic. If he earned enough money in the future, buying Yongjiang Restaurant wouldn't be impossible.

The previous twenty-seven years felt like a waste. Nan Shuyi suddenly found his direction. In the past, he had felt life had no purpose. He went snowboarding in snowy mountains or engaged in various high-risk sports just to feel a thrill and a sense of awe for life.

Now he no longer had to chase thrills. He had a new goal. It turned out that meeting the right person could give someone a reason to work toward something.

Even wandering aimlessly made the road seem short. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the fabric shop.

The fabric shop was closed, cleared out in a short time. The faded signboard had been removed, revealing its original appearance.

Jiang Yicen wanted to go in for another look, but the door was locked, so he didn't manage to.

There was plenty of time ahead, so there was no rush.

Now he needed to plan carefully—what to sell in the fabric shop, how to sell it, and how to restore the prosperity of the Jiang family's past glory.

On the way home, Nan Shuyi asked Jiang Yicen if there was anywhere he wanted to go. Jiang Yicen thought for a moment and shook his head, saying he wanted to stay home and read.

Reading was certainly a good habit, but it wasn't what Nan Shuyi wanted to hear. After mulling it over, he dropped the idea of going out.

Since Jiang Yicen wanted to stay home, that was fine with him too.

When they returned home, there was suddenly a cardboard box at the door—a delivery.

"My package has arrived."

Jiang Yicen marveled at the speed of the delivery; he had ordered the books online yesterday afternoon, and they had already arrived.

Nan Shuyi saw the name of a certain bookshop on the box and didn't think much of it. He thought to himself, "So you really are going to read at home."

Jiang Yicen: "Yeah, that's right."

Nan Shuyi opened the door and went inside, not noticing that the tips of his ears were starting to turn slightly red.

Jiang Yicen carried the box upstairs.

Nan Shuyi reminded him, "The delivery box is very dirty. Aren't you going to unpack it before taking it up?"

Jiang Yicen felt a bit guilty: "I'll take it upstairs and unpack it there. There are too many books; it's inconvenient to unpack them and then carry them upstairs."

Nan Shuyi watched him carry the box of books upstairs—it must have weighed at least twenty-five pounds—and he moved quickly, not like someone struggling at all.

When Jiang Yicen vanished onto the second floor, Nan Shuyi suddenly remembered something.

"Isn't the study downstairs? Why did he take it upstairs?"

Well, he'd heard the internet abroad was spotty, and many subways had no signal, so people often brought books to read on the subway. Maybe Jiang Yicen had gotten into the habit of reading in bed when he lived abroad.

Nan Shuyi poured himself a glass of water. As he drank, he noticed that the hand Jiang Yicen had held smelled faintly of something nice. He couldn't help sniffing it, then sniffing it again.

How could someone have fragrant hands?

Upstairs, Jiang Yicen unpacked the delivery box and moved all twenty-five novels he had bought into the living room storage cabinet.

Every cabinet in the house had a key hanging off it, in case it got locked and the key couldn't be found. After putting away the new books, he took the key off and placed it on the bedside table. No one would think of looking there, and Nan Shuyi wouldn't just waltz into his bedroom.

Nan Shuyi's plan to spend the weekend at home with Jiang Yicen went down the drain. Early Saturday morning, he went to Shiyi again. Every store was launching new items over the weekend, and his assistant still had to go over the new promotion with him, which was targeting Nanyuan's employees.

While Nan Shuyi was working overtime, Jiang Yicen was also staying up late reading novels.

He had nothing against same-sex relationships, but he had no real-life examples and didn't know how to act with another guy. The traditional marriage approach he'd been taught didn't seem to suit him.

Jiang Yicen didn't realize that a single kiss from his husband could get him this flustered.

He'd originally thought his marriage to Nan Shuyi was just a political match, and that the other party might break up with him at any time. He was ready to leave anytime, but he wasn't ready for them to actually grow closer. He needed to understand it better.

So, he spent the entire weekend reading same-sex novels. The internet kept recommending tons to him, and he found out these novels have a pretty name now: danmei.

He'd never read any before, and he was totally shocked, like he'd discovered a whole new world.

There were danmei novels of various themes—love and hate, forced love, even pregnant-and-on-the-run stories with seven kids, and marriage-then-love stories. But none of these themes seemed applicable. They all involved getting drugged and then... you know, or the guy being treated like a delicate flower, doted on by his lover with zero emotional buildup. After reading them, he still didn't understand what had attracted the two male leads to each other.

There was even one novel where humans had six genders...

As a person from the Republic of China who always valued propriety and a sense of shame, he read blushing deeply, and even his dreams were strange. He even dreamed that the six-foot-two Nan Shuyi was pregnant with septuplets.

Even though he knew they were just stories, it still freaked him out so much he didn't dare fall into a deep sleep.

His two-day reading binge resulted in wasted time and severe sleep deprivation.

On Monday, when he went to work, he fell asleep in the car—and he usually sat ramrod straight.

Nan Shuyi was puzzled. How could he not have rested well over the weekend? He had dark circles under his eyes. Had he been up all night gaming?

If he'd known, he'd have dragged him to the office to keep him company while he worked overtime.

He lightly ran his fingers down Jiang Yicen's smooth cheek. The skin felt nice.

Jiang Yicen must've been dead tired; usually, barely a touch would make him blush, but now he didn't react at all.

Nan Shuyi gently guided his head onto his shoulder, letting him rest more comfortably.

Nan Shuyi woke him up by pinching his nose. He swatted Nan Shuyi's hand.

He couldn't breathe: "Brother!"

Nan Shuyi let go: "Master Jiang, were you really reading at home over the weekend? Were you up all night gaming?"

Jiang Yicen's face heated up at the thought of those wild novels: "No."

Nan Shuyi knew he blushed when he lied: "Liar."

Jiang Yicen didn't bother to explain: "I'm going to be late!" He quickly got out of the car and ran off.

Today the Sixth Young Master Jiang had zero dignity or elegance. Note to self: never stay up reading novels again!

Nan Shuyi slowly got out of the car behind him, a smile spreading across his face.

Today's Jiang Yicen was lively like a young man in his early twenties—a rare sight.

·

Jiang Yicen clocked in just in time for work today, securing his full attendance bonus.

As soon as he turned on his computer, a new email announcement popped up in the bottom right corner.

In just one weekend, the marketing department had undergone a dramatic change.

Jin Huanxin and three other employees were going to be fired.

Although the email didn't specify the reason, it mentioned a violation of company rules, and the company would investigate and put them on temporary suspension.

Jin Huanxin and the other three would be kicked out on the spot.

Following that was another email.

Jin Huanxin would no longer serve as the head of the marketing department due to the violation, and Nan Shuyi would temporarily take over as the marketing department director.

Jiang Yicen had just finished reading the email when Nan Shuyi, who had been in the same car with him, appeared in his line of sight.

Nan Shuyi winked at him when no one was looking.

Jiang Yicen: "..."

His husband had suddenly become his direct superior.