Chapter 93 (Part 2): The Culinary Tycoon

After discussing the funeral arrangements with Lord Cai and making some arrangements with the steward, they agreed to meet in Niutou Village the next day. Jiabao and Yu Qingze then bid farewell and declined the invitation to have dinner with the Cai family.

After leaving the Cai residence, Yu Qingze took Jiabao to find someone to carve a new tombstone in a hurry. They requested it to be completed within two days. They also purchased a coffin and arranged for it to be delivered to Niutou Village the following day.

Afterward, they returned to the shop together.

By this time, it was already evening, and the snack shop had closed. Brother Chang and the other employees, concerned about Jiabao, hadn’t gone home and were waiting together in the shop.

Yu Qingze explained the situation to everyone, although not in great detail. He simply mentioned that Jiabao’s father used to be a minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was falsely accused and imprisoned but was finally cleared of all charges, only to pass away tragically.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Upon hearing this, everyone comforted Jiabao and then they all went home together.

As they needed to organize the funeral, Yu Qingze decided to close the snack shop for a rest period of seven days.

After returning home, Jiabao held onto his father’s urn tightly. He barely touched his dinner and went straight to his room.

Seeing the concerned looks from Yu Qingze and the others, Jiabao reassured them, saying, “Big brother, I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

“Remember to come find me if you need anything. Go on.” Yu Qingze sighed, patted his head, and let him go.

Once Jiabao had returned to his room, Yu Qingze explained the details of the situation to Grandpa Chang, Le, and Chang Hao, and asked Chang Hao to keep an eye on Jiabao during the evening and to inform them immediately if anything happened.

Chang Hao nodded, quickly finished his chores, and went back to his room to rest.

With the assistance of the Cai family, the funeral went much smoother.

Villagers came to offer their condolences upon learning that it was the funeral of Jiabao’s high-ranking father. Some dignitaries from the city also got wind of the news and sent representatives to pay their respects.

Five days later, Jiabao’s father’s ashes were buried together with his mother.

Yu Qingze and the Cai family worked together to renovate the cemetery, creating a small graveyard that deeply moved Jiabao.

After the funeral, Lord Cai, accompanied by Yu Qingze and Jiabao, returned to Niutou Village. Lord Cai looked at Jiabao and asked, “Yuer, now that your father has been proven innocent, you can go back to your original household registration. The current one can be discarded.”

These alternative household registrations were originally a temporary measure taken by Fu Lei to protect his family and were not in accordance with the law.

Jiabao nodded.

Lord Cai continued, “In the capital city, the house allocated to your family by the court was taken back, but your father still has a small private courtyard. It was initially registered as a public property, but I have already submitted a request to the court for its return to your family. I believe there will be news about it soon.”

Jiabao expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, sir.”

Lord Cai continued, “Your father was a good friend of mine for many years. I’m older than him by a few years, and now that he’s no longer with us, Yu’er, I would like to formally adopt you as my godson. Would you be willing to accept me as your godfather?”

Jiabao looked up in surprise. He hadn’t expected Lord Cai to propose such a thing. He turned to look at Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze was also taken aback, but he gently touched Jiabao’s head and said, “It’s up to you to decide based on what you feel in your heart.” Having one more person caring for Jiabao would be a good thing.

Jiabao thought for a moment and then said, “I… I’m willing.”

Lord Cai was pleased to hear this and said, “Very well, then tomorrow let’s have a ceremony at the Cai residence to formalize our relationship. Do you want a larger gathering with more people or a quieter and more intimate affair?”

Jiabao shook his head and said somewhat sheepishly, “There’s no need to go through the trouble of hosting a banquet just for me. It can be just us, the family.”

“Alright, that works. I’ll have the house staff prepare accordingly,” Lord Cai happily agreed.

Old Madam Cai and the others were also delighted and held Jiabao’s hand, suggesting, “Why don’t you stay at the mansion tonight? That way, you won’t have to travel again tomorrow.”

Jiabao shook his head and said, “Old Madam, tomorrow I’ll just go with Big Brother and the others.”

“Don’t call me Old Madam, call me Lao Mo,” Old Madam Cai said.

Jiabao paused for a moment and obediently called out, “Lao Mo.”

(T/N: The term “Lao” (老) means “old” or “elder” in Chinese, and “Mo” (么) is a diminutive suffix. So, “Lao Mo” can be understood as “little elder” in a friendly and endearing manner. It is often used within close relationships to show familiarity and affection.)

“Ah!” Old Madam Cai happily responded and casually took off the bracelet from his wrist and handed it to Jiabao, saying, “I don’t have anything valuable on me today, so take this for now. Tomorrow, I’ll prepare something better for you.”

Jiabao quickly refused, saying, “Lao Mo, this is too precious…”

“Just take it. If you don’t accept it, Lao Mo will get angry.”

“…” Jiabao had no choice but to accept it.

Old Master Cai didn’t want to be outdone and said, “And me, don’t forget about me.”

“…” Jiabao called out, “Grandfather.”

“Ah, good grandson!” Old Master Cai patted Jiabao’s head and also took off the jade pendant from his body and placed it into Jiabao’s hand.

“…”

Lord Cai laughed as he watched Jiabao, not saying anything, but his meaning was clear. Jiabao was already calling his parents Lao Mo and Grandfather, but they hadn’t called him Yifu (adoptive father) yet.

“…” Jiabao then said, “Yifu.”

“Ah.” Lord Cai happily responded, and then said, “I’ll give you another gift tomorrow.”

Yu Qingze and Brother Le watched, suppressing their laughter.

Lord Cai continued, “By the way, I heard from Xiao Yu that your mother has been teaching you how to read and recognize characters, and you’re smart. How about I send you to a private school? You can start learning now, and by the age of 20, you can take the imperial examination.”

Upon hearing this, Jiabao shook his head and said, “I don’t want to take the imperial examination, so I don’t need to go to school. Being able to read is enough. I want to learn business with Big Brother and make a living. My mother said she hopes I can have a peaceful life, and I feel the same way.”

Lord Cai furrowed his brow upon hearing this and asked, “You don’t want to take the imperial examination? You don’t want to attend school?”

Jiabao nodded and said, “I enjoy making dim sum and cooking with Big Brother and earning money. My mother wished for me to lead a simple life, and I share the same sentiment.”

Lord Cai fell into silence for a while, thinking about Fu Lei. He sighed and said, “Very well. Go and do what you enjoy.” After all, as long as he was in Yunzhou, he would protect him.

Jiabao nodded and said, “Thank you, Yifu.”

The next day, Yu Qingze brought the entire family to Cai’s residence.

Jiabao kowtowed to Lord Cai, served tea, and called him Yifu (adoptive father). Lord Cai accepted the tea of recognition and presented a gift to Jiabao. The ceremony of recognition was thus completed.

To celebrate this joyous occasion, Yu Qingze personally cooked a table full of delicious dishes, and both families happily enjoyed the recognition feast together.

The following day, Lord Cai personally accompanied Yu Qingze and Jiabao to the county government office to have Jiabao’s household registration transferred to Niutou Village, merging it with Yu Qingze’s household registration.

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