Chapter 92: The Culinary Tycoon

Grief

The group of men breathed a collective sigh of relief upon hearing their agreement.

“Let’s go then,” the leading man said, leading the way towards the door.

“Hold on,” Yu Qingze called out to the man in front and asked, “May I see your waist tokens?”

“Ah, just now it was chaotic for a moment, and I forgot the registration number. We are the guards of the Cai family in Yunzhou, mainly responsible for protecting Lord Cai and ensuring his safety. My surname is Gao, and my single name is Hu.” The man patted his head and took out his waist token from his pocket, showing it to Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze took it and glanced at it. The style indeed matched the waist tokens of Mi Ge’er and Uncle Fu. He nodded and returned it to the man named Gao Hu.

With their identities confirmed, the group of people prepared to leave.

Brother Le worriedly held onto Yu Qingze’s arm, glanced at the men, and gestured, asking if there would be any trouble.

Yu Qingze patted his back and said, “Don’t worry, wait for us at the inn.”

When those men just started fighting with them, their intention was to subdue, not to harm. Despite being hit numerous times by Brother Le and Tie Zhu, especially the man who was struck with a rolling pin by Brother Le, he probably had a swollen back, but they didn’t retaliate. They only tried to stop the fight. This indicates that they shouldn’t be bad people and they were not lying. If they were imposters, they would have immediately drawn their weapons without hesitation.

The group of people walked out of the North Street and encountered two other men in black coming from the South Street at the intersection.

“Gao Hu, did you find them?” one of the guards, who appeared to have a higher position, asked.

“Big brother, we found them. This is Young Master Fu, and this is Boss Yu,” Gao Hu explained to the man, then turned to introduce Jiabao and Yu Qingze, “Young Master Fu, Boss Yu, this is Captain Jin Lin of the guard team.”

They nodded in acknowledgement.

Gao Hu then asked Jin Lin, “Big brother, has the master arrived?”

“Just arrived a while ago,” Jin Lin glanced at Yu Qingze and Jiabao, who were following behind them, then asked, “Where is Mr. Fu’s son?”

Gao Hu replied, “According to the investigation, he passed away in August last year.”

Jin Lin remained silent for a moment, glanced at Jiabao, and said, “Let’s go back then. The master is anxious to meet someone.”

The group of people walked along the South Street towards the Cai residence.

Yu Qingze felt relieved seeing that they were on the right path.

As they entered the Cai residence, from a distance, Yu Qingze and the others saw a slender middle-aged man pacing at the entrance of the main hall. When the middle-aged man noticed their arrival, he immediately stopped and looked at them as they approached.

That must be Cai Wendong, the renowned Lord Cai, the governor. Yu Qingze thought to himself.

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“Sir, we have found them,” Jin Lin reported to Lord Cai with his subordinates, and then whispered something in his ear.

“I see. Alright, I understand. You’ve all worked hard. Go rest for now,” Lord Cai’s attention had already been focused on Jiabao. Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, he furrowed his brow and waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave.

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“I pay my respects to Lord Cai,” Yu Qingze bowed with Jiabao.

“No need for excessive formalities,” Lord Cai raised his hand to help them up, then looked at Jiabao and asked, “Are you Fu Jiayu?”

“Yes,” Jiabao nodded, gripping the hem of his clothes, feeling a bit nervous.

Lord Cai looked at Jiabao and continued, “Do you have a red birthmark on the inside of your left arm?”

Jiabao understood that he was confirming his identity, so he pulled up the sleeve of his left arm to show him the birthmark.

After seeing it, Lord Cai confirmed his identity and nodded while scrutinizing him. He then pulled Jiabao closer and said, “Good child, come inside and have a seat.”

At this moment, Lord Cai’s elderly parents entered the main hall as well. Upon seeing their son, Lord Cai’s father couldn’t help but grumble, “You really, why didn’t you let us know when you came back?”

Lord Cai replied, “Father, Mother, I just arrived a little while ago. I saw you both were napping, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“What’s the harm in skipping one nap? It’s rare for you to come back… Oh, Xiao Yu, Jiabao, you’re here?” Lord Cai’s father, Old Master Cai, only noticed Yu Qingze and Jiabao standing behind when they walked in, and he exclaimed with delight.

“Old Master Cai and Old Madam Cai,” the two of them greeted the elderly couple.

Lord Cai looked at their familiar interactions and asked in surprise, “Father, Mother, you know them?”

Old Master Cai nodded and replied, “This is Yu Qingze, the same person we told you about. Jiabao is his younger brother.”

Lord Cai nodded and looked at Yu Qingze, clasping his fists in respect. “So you are Boss Yu. I apologize for the impoliteness. Thanks to Boss Yu’s marvelous skills, our family has received a lot of care and assistance. Thank you very much.”

He was already familiar with this name. Not only did Yu Qingze cure his younger son’s eating disorder, but he also taught their chef many delicious recipes, which greatly improved the taste of their meals. Moreover, the snacks and cured meats made by Yu Qingze were delicious, and the feedback from those who received them was excellent. Many people came to inquire about them.

Yu Qingze also politely replied, “Lord Cai, you’re too kind.”

After exchanging greetings, Lord Cai remembered what his mother had said earlier and asked in confusion, “Hey, earlier you said Jiabao is your younger brother, but just now…” Fu Lei only has one son, and he doesn’t have a son as old as Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze replied, “We are not blood-related; we have become sworn brothers.”

“Oh, I see. That’s good, very good,” Lord Cai suddenly understood and said. He then looked at Jiabao without saying anything for a while.

Old Master Cai asked, “Wendong, what’s going on?”

Lord Cai answered, “Father, Mother, Jiabao is Fu Lei’s child.”

“What? Jiabao is Fu Lei’s child?” Old Master Cai was very surprised and said, “We have known Jiabao for quite some time, and we never noticed this, really…”

Old Madam Cai patted his husband’s hand to console him and said, “Jiabao doesn’t look much like Fu Lei. Don’t blame yourself. Jiabao, do you resemble your mother more?”

Jiabao nodded, facing the familiar faces of the old Cai couple, he felt more at ease and answered, “Yes, I resemble my mother more.”

Lord Cai asked, “Why didn’t you and your mother use the household registration under Li Ping’s name?”

Initially, when Fu Lei realized that he might run into trouble, he obtained multiple sets of household registrations for his family. Lord Cai was aware of the one registered under the name Li Ping, so for all these years, they had been searching for them based on that registered name, but couldn’t find them.

Jiabao replied, “Father prepared three sets of household registrations for us, including the one under the name Li Ping. However, when we came to Tongshan City, we switched to the current one.”

“I see.”

“No wonder Wendong had been searching for you for several years without success. It turns out you were here in Tongshan City. If we had found you earlier, you wouldn’t have suffered so much.” Old Master Cai sighed and added, “When your father was young and unmarried, he even stayed at our house for a month.”

Jiabao glanced at Lord Cai upon hearing this. Did his father have a good relationship with Lord Cai?

Jiabao looked at Yu Qingze, who nodded at him. Gathering his courage, Jiabao asked, “…Sir, is it true what Guard Gao said, that you have information about my father?”

Upon hearing this, Lord Cai and Old Master Cai had a heavy expression on their faces. They had long known about Fu Lei’s situation from Lord Cai’s letters.

After a moment, Old Master Cai walked over and placed his hand on Jiabao’s shoulder. He spoke with great solemnity, “Jiabao, my good child, no matter what you hear later, don’t be too saddened, okay?”

Jiabao was stunned upon hearing this.

Yu Qingze’s heart sank; it seemed like it wasn’t good news.

Lord Cai sighed and took out a letter from his pocket. He walked over to Jiabao and handed it to him, saying, “Your father passed away half a month ago. This is the letter he wrote to you and your mother before his final moments.”

Jiabao received the letter in a daze. Seeing the familiar handwriting on the envelope, he couldn’t help but tear up.

That handwriting was the same as the one he had seen in the letters that his mother used to teach him to read. It was the handwriting his father had used in the letters he wrote to his mother. He had read it countless times and was familiar with it beyond measure.

Trembling, Jiabao opened the letter and saw the opening words “My dear son and beloved wife.” Tears started to flow down his cheeks.

Yu Qingze sighed and tenderly held the trembling shoulders of the young boy, silently comforting him.

Jiabao had already cried until he was unrecognizable as he finished reading the letter.

Yu Qingze embraced him, pressing his head against his chest, allowing him to cry to his heart’s content.

The young boy clutched the letter with one hand and tightly grasped Yu Qingze’s clothes with the other. He cried so hard that he struggled to catch his breath, almost choking. Yu Qingze hurriedly patted his back to help him regain his breath.

He remembered when he and Brother Le, along with Chang Hao, unexpectedly encountered Jiabao’s mother’s funeral on West Street. It was raining lightly, but Jiabao didn’t cry or make a fuss. He silently followed behind the two men. At that time, Yu Qingze couldn’t help but wonder why this child didn’t cry at all.

Later, when he invited Jiabao to work as an assistant, aside from that day when Jiabao’s eyes were red from crying, he never saw Jiabao looking so heartbroken again.

When Jiabao’s mother passed away, the young boy endured it with strength. Perhaps he was thinking that his father was still in the distant world, or perhaps he realized that he would have to live on his own from then on, and crying wouldn’t change anything. In any case, he endured it.

However, reality is so cruel, and now his father has passed away. The last pillar of support, the belief and hope in Jiabao’s heart, crumbled along with it.

Yu Qingze let out a long sigh, his eyes turning red uncontrollably. He understood the feeling of losing the only family member.

He gently stroked Jiabao’s head, trying to convey through this gesture that he was not alone, that there were still people by his side, accompanying him. He still had Yu Qingze, Brother Le, Grandpa, and Xiao Hao. They were all his family.

The young boy’s crying was heart-wrenching, filled with sorrow as if he had lost the entire world.

Old Madam Cai looked on and listened, silently shedding tears, constantly wiping them away. Old Master Cai could only sigh and embrace his spouse’s shoulder for comfort.

Lord Cai lowered his head in silence, tightly gripping his hands, his nails digging into his palms, consumed by regret.

They had been too slow in the end, unable to let the father and son see each other one last time.

After a while, once Jiabao had cried his heart out, Lord Cai stood by the table and took out a mahogany urn from a large box, placing it on the table. He said, “Jiabao, come here and take a look. This box contains your father’s ashes.”

Yu Qingze led Jiabao over. The young boy’s eyes were swollen, barely able to open.

He approached the table and reached out to touch the black mahogany box. Tears, which had just stopped, threatened to fall again.

Yu Qingze gently touched his head, accompanying him in this moment.

Carefully opening the box, they revealed the grayish-white ashes filling most of it. Jiabao extended his hand to touch them but then withdrew it, afraid of accidentally disturbing or losing even a tiny bit of his father’s ashes.

After a while, Yu Qingze said, “Close it.”

Jiabao gently closed the box, fastening it securely, and held it tightly in his arms.

Seating Jiabao in a chair, Yu Qingze turned to Lord Cai and asked, “Sir, what exactly happened to Jiabao’s father?”

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