Chapter 39 (Part 2): The Culinary Tycoon

Brother Chang waved to Chang Le happily and said, “Brother Le, let’s go to your room.”

Chang Le lowered his head and walked out of the kitchen, following Brother Chang to his own room.

He lit the oil lamp and took out a small bronze mirror and a wooden comb from the drawer. Chang Le sat on the edge of the bed and remained still, looking at Brother Chang.

“It seems a bit dim. Let me bring in another lamp.” Brother Chang went out and had Chang Hao bring their room’s oil lamp and a stool, then entered the room.

Chang Hao’s eyes widened in curiosity. He was very curious about what the two of them were up to but didn’t dare to eavesdrop. He couldn’t even concentrate on writing anymore.

After closing the door, Brother Chang sat on the stool and placed the wooden board on the table. He said, “Come and take a look. Which style do you like?”

Chang Le leaned over and looked at the five different bangs styles on the board. He couldn’t imagine how he would look if he had any of those hairstyles.

He could only shake his head.

Brother Chang pointed to a side-swept bangs style and said, “I think this one suits you.”

Chang Le took a closer look. The bangs reached just above the eyebrows, slanting from the right to the left, slightly shorter on the right side and longer on the left side—a variation of straight bangs. It exposed his eyes completely, while the left eyebrow was partially covered and the right eyebrow was fully visible.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that all five styles allowed the eyebrows and eyes to be seen.

“What do you think?” Brother Chang asked and then looked at Chang Le’s face. He said, “I think the shape of your face is quite similar to the ones drawn here. It looks really good, don’t you think?”

After being persuaded by Brother Chang, Chang Le realized that the face shape did resemble his own a bit, so he nodded in agreement.

In this aspect, Brother Chang definitely knew more, so it was best to listen to him.

“Alright then, we’ll go with this style. And I like this one. Let’s practice first so we don’t mess it up. You practice the style I like, and I’ll practice the one you like.”

The style Brother Chang liked was an irregular bangs style with a small point in the middle of the forehead and curved edges, giving a playful look.

The two of them used the needles of the pine tree as their hair and practiced for a while until they felt ready. Then they started cutting.

Chang Le began by cutting Brother Chang’s hair. He often cut his own bangs, so he had some experience with it. He quickly finished cutting Brother Chang’s hair.

Brother Chang looked at himself in the mirror, nodded, and said, “Hmm, it looks great, Brother Le. You’re really good at cutting bangs too!”

Chang Le smiled awkwardly and gestured, saying, “You’re handsome, so any bangs style suits you.”

“Hehehe, I’ll pretend that you’re telling the truth. Alright, now it’s my turn to cut yours. I often cut my own hair and my little brother’s hair, so I’m quite skilled.”

Brother Chang combed Chang Le’s bangs with a comb and then pinched a handful of hair between his index and middle fingers of his left hand, ready to start cutting.

Chang Le saw this and grabbed Brother Chang’s wrist.

“What’s wrong? Don’t worry, my hand is steady.” Thinking that Chang Le was concerned about cutting too much, Brother Chang reassured him with confidence.

Chang Le wasn’t worried about that. It was just that when it came down to actually cutting, he felt nervous and hesitant for a moment.

Should he really go through with it? Will there be visible scars? Will it look good? Will Brother Yu like my new hairstyle…

So many questions filled his mind.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

After hesitating for a while, Chang Le remembered his previous determination. He gritted his teeth, let go of his hand, and closed his eyes.

Snip, snip, snip…

As Brother Chang continuously opened and closed the scissors in his hand, Chang Le felt the hair being cut falling onto his face, some sticking to it, and some falling onto the cloth in front of his chest.

Finally, the bangs that he had kept for over a decade were gone…

He felt like something inside him was breaking, yet something else was opening up, and from that opening, there was a faint glimmer of light…

Chang Le felt a mix of uneasiness and complexity in his heart, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it.

However, he knew that when he walked out of that door later, he would present everyone with a completely new image.

…

He didn’t know how much time had passed until Brother Chang brushed off the fine hair on his face and said, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” Chang Le then opened his eyes.

“Come, take a look. Hmm, I think my skill in cutting bangs is pretty good, hey! It looks great!” Brother Chang said excitedly.

Nervously, Chang Le looked at the bronze mirror. Without the long bangs covering his face, he felt unfamiliar with the person reflected inside, as if he had become someone else.

He wasn’t sure if this looked good; he just felt uneasy.

However, he felt that his field of vision suddenly became wider and brighter. With his bangs gone, his line of sight felt more open. Previously, his long bangs often obstructed his view, but now it felt expansive.

He asked Brother Chang, “Does it look good?”

Brother Chang nodded confidently, “It looks great! Your eyes are beautiful, and you don’t even need to draw your eyebrows. They should be exposed like this, giving you a bright and energetic look! It’s just great! Trust me!”

Chang Le nodded shyly, feeling a bit flushed from Brother Chang’s words.

“Alright, let’s go out! Let them see!” Brother Chang put away the scissors on the table and said, “Let’s show them first, and we can come back later to clean up.”

When it came to going out, Chang Le became nervous again.

“Don’t be afraid, it really looks great, I swear!” Brother Chang raised three fingers to make a swearing gesture.

Chang Le pulled his hand down, preventing him from swearing, and nodded to indicate that he believed him.

“Then let’s go out.” Brother Chang held Chang Le’s hand, opened the door, and motioned for him to go ahead.

Chang Le nodded, took a deep breath, stood up, and followed Brother Chang outside.

“Xiao Hao!” Brother Chang called out to Chang Hao.

Actually, there was no need to call him. Chang Hao had been keeping an eye on his brother’s room. Earlier, when the door was closed and Brother Chang spoke in a low voice, he couldn’t hear clearly and had no idea what they were doing inside, which made him curious.

Now, when he heard the door opening, he knew that the two of them were finally coming out, so he immediately stopped writing, looked up, and saw them.

And when he looked, he was stunned.

At first glance, Chang Hao was taken aback: Who is this?

At the second glance, Chang Hao recognized him: Oh, that’s my brother.

At the third glance, Chang Hao was shocked: This is my brother! My brother!

“Brother…?” Chang Hao put down his brush, left the table, and approached his brother slowly, hesitantly calling out.

Chang Le nodded and felt a bit embarrassed. He gestured, asking, “Is it good? Does it look good?”

Chang Hao nodded and then burst into silent laughter, his mouth wide open. He happily exclaimed, “It looks good, really good!”

Afterward, Chang Hao looked at his brother for a while, unable to contain his excitement. Then, his little mouthpiece played its role, and he dashed off towards the kitchen while shouting, “Grandpa, Grandpa! Brother got his bangs cut!”

Chang Le:…

Brother Chang pursed his lips, trying not to laugh but was promptly pinched in the waist by Chang Le. He immediately put on a serious face and said, “Let’s go.”

In the kitchen, upon hearing Chang Hao’s shout, Yu Qingze’s heart skipped a beat, and he stopped what he was doing.

Did Brother Le really cut his bangs?!

Is the little turtle’s head going to be revealed?!

He eagerly looked towards the entrance, wanting to see the new look of the little turtle right away.

“Why are you shouting? Doesn’t your brother often cut his bangs?” Grandpa Chang said casually.

Chang Hao tugged on his grandfather’s clothes and laughed, saying, “No, Grandpa, it’s not that kind of cut! Ah, you’ll see in a moment! It’ll startle you!”

“What could startle me…” Grandpa Chang turned his head and saw his eldest grandson standing at the kitchen door. He didn’t even finish his sentence, and the mooncake mold in his hand fell with a clatter, hitting his foot, but he didn’t even notice. He just stared wide-eyed at Chang Le.

“X-Xiao Le?” Grandpa Chang exclaimed in disbelief.

Chang Le nodded.

Grandpa Chang suddenly found himself unable to speak. He felt his nose tingling a bit.

His eldest grandson, ever since he got injured in his childhood and grew his long bangs, it had been over ten years, and he had never cut them short. Those long bangs were like a protective shield, constantly shielding him from further harm, but at the same time, they blocked his view of the outside world.

And now, he actually cut them off.

Grandpa Chang felt deeply moved in his heart, and he simply nodded and said, “Good, good, good!”

With his younger brother and grandpa approving, Chang Le felt a bit relieved.

Then, since he entered, he didn’t dare to look towards Yu Qingze’s direction and didn’t hear his voice either. He didn’t know how he reacted or what expression he had.

But, did he still think it looked good?

He really wanted to know Brother Yu’s reaction, but he was nervous and worried. After hesitating for a while, he finally quietly lifted his head, and then…

He saw Yu Qingze already walking over, standing in front of him.

Chang Le:…!

Startled, Chang Le quickly lowered his head.

“Brother Chang, can you please help me flip the mooncakes? Don’t let them burn.” Yu Qingze kept his eyes fixed on Chang Le but spoke to Brother Chang who was next to Chang Le.

Brother Chang looked at the two of them, pursed his lips, and smirked, saying, “Alright.” Then, he went over to bake the mooncakes.

As Brother Chang moved away, Chang Le became even more nervous. He kept his head down, unconsciously gripping his clothes.

He was so nervous. What if Brother Yu thinks it doesn’t look good?

The next moment, his wrist was grabbed, and Yu Qingze pulled him quickly towards the main hall.

Chang Le:…

Chang Hao wanted to follow along, but Grandpa Chang held him back and said, “Go help Brother Chang bake the mooncakes.”

Chang Hao pouted and reluctantly said, “Fine.” He really wanted to see…

In the main hall, Yu Qingze pulled Chang Le to stand by the table, where the candlelight was the brightest.

He lifted Chang Le’s chin and looked at him with his newly shortened bangs, momentarily captivated.

Chang Le’s bright eyes were slightly elusive due to shyness, with beautifully arched eyebrows. Chang Le may not have known, but his most attractive feature was this pair of expressive eyes, clear and bright, capable of making people fall for him at first sight. And coupled with the faint mole between his eyebrows, it was truly enchanting!

Yu Qingze’s fingers couldn’t help but trace over his eyebrows and eyes, carefully sketching the details.

Chang Le was forced to lift his head and meet Yu Qingze’s gaze. At first, he was a little hesitant to look at him, but as he felt the gentle touch of Yu Qingze’s fingers, he stole a glance at him.

Brother Yu’s gaze was so focused. Did that mean he liked it?

His heart started pounding uncontrollably, and his already blushing face grew even redder.

Yu Qingze noticed and let out a soft chuckle. He leaned closer to Chang Le’s ear and whispered in a low voice, “Brother Le, it looks great. I really like it.”

Chang Le:!

Chang Le felt like his heart skipped a beat for a moment, and then it started racing at an even faster pace.

Ah, ah, ah, Brother Yu said he likes it!

He likes it!

Chang Le wanted to go crazy with happiness!

And then…

Yu Qingze had no idea that the little person in Chang Le’s heart was cheering wildly. He followed his genuine feelings, cupped Brother Le’s face, and lightly kissed his forehead.

“Brother Le, you’re amazing. I’m proud of you!”

Chang Le: !

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: Enjoy the visual feasting of Chang Le before and after ✺◟( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)◞✺