Chapter 96 (Part 2): The Culinary Tycoon

Yu Qingze had asked Uncle Fu from the Cai family to deliver the milk early in the morning two days ago, as he planned to make a birthday cake for Chang Hao.

The three of them carried the large sack of potatoes that Dahe had brought and went to the market to buy meat and vegetables. By the time they returned home, it was already dusk.

Upon entering the house, they found that Cai Yunwei and Chang Hao were in the study room of the east wing, busy writing something.

“Xiaohao! Xiaowei! We’re back!” Jiabao called out when he saw the two of them.

The two teenagers were delighted to see them return and came running out.

“You guys are back!”

“Brother Yu, Brother Chang Le, Second Brother, I’m here to disturb you. Can I stay for the night?”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Welcome! Why didn’t I see the others? Did you come alone?”

Cai Yunwei replied, “Mi Ge’er and a guard accompanied me here, but I asked them to go back and come pick me up tomorrow.”

“I see. Your grandfather and the others know about it, right?”

“They know.”

“That’s good. By the way, I wanted to make a new dessert today. You guys can have fun on your own for now, and we’ll taste it together tonight.”

The young boys were thrilled to hear that there was a new dessert, and they eagerly asked what it was. Yu Qingze didn’t tell them, wanting to surprise them when the time came.

Jiabao followed them into the kitchen to help, learning how to make desserts and cook. Grandpa Chang soon returned from the vegetable garden with freshly picked vegetables and was delighted to see everyone back. He joined in, helping with the vegetable washing and busying himself.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

While they were busy, there was a knock on the front door. Yu Qiangsheng, accompanied by his wife, had arrived. As soon as they entered, he called out, “Is Yu Qingze here? I heard he came back today. Is he here?”

Upon hearing the voice, Chang Hao quickly exclaimed, “Grandfather, Brother-in-law, someone is here!”

Yu Qingze and the others came out to see who it was and found that it was Dahe’s father and stepmother. Their brows furrowed, and Yu Qingze asked, “Uncle, is there something you need?”

Yu Qiangsheng, upon seeing Yu Qingze at home, quickly asked, “Did my son, Yu Dahe, come to see you? Where is he now?”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze frowned and replied, “He did come to see me, but I don’t know where he is staying.” Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you.

Yu Qiangsheng didn’t believe it and said, “You had dinner together yesterday, how could you not know where he’s staying? Are you trying to deceive me?”

Yu Qingze glanced at the two of them and said, “Uncle, I really don’t know where he’s staying. Do you have something important to discuss with him?”

Yu Qiangsheng frowned angrily and said, “That little brat left his whole family behind and ran away, making us tired and exhausted. When I find him, I’ll break his legs!”

Yu Qingze: …

Seeing Yu Qingze’s frowning expression, Yu Qiangsheng’s wife quickly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to calm down. He then spoke to Yu Qingze, “Um, Aze, he has been away from home for half a year, and we are worried about him. We don’t know how he’s been living alone. If you happen to know his whereabouts, please let us know so we can bring him back.”

After half a year without Dahe, Yu Qiangsheng and his family finally realized how important he was. It wasn’t just the loss of an income source, but also the absence of a strong labor force. During the autumn harvest, they were overwhelmed with work, and making sweet potato flour required a lot of strength to stir the starch mixture. They were exhausted. If Dahe was here, things would be much easier!

“Stop with your nonsense!” Yu Qingze rolled his eyes inwardly and shook his head, saying, “I really don’t know.”

Seeing that Yu Qingze remained silent, Yu Qiangsheng wanted to get angry and curse at him. But before the Lunar New Year, they had relied on the sweet potato flour and cured meats Yu Qingze taught them to make and earned money. Now, they didn’t dare to insult him. Otherwise, how would they find a way to earn money in the future?

Yu Qiangsheng’s face turned red with frustration. Finally, he said, “Fine, if you don’t want to say anything, I won’t force you. I’ll go to the dock tomorrow to find him! I heard he went to work on a ship!”

Upon hearing that he still wanted to find Dahe, Yu Qingze’s face immediately darkened, and he said, “Uncle, I didn’t want to interfere in your family affairs, but I just want to say a few words. Have you ever seriously considered why Dahe left home? Have you fulfilled your responsibilities as a father? Now that he has finally started anew, you’re going to disturb his peace again. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but Uncle, you haven’t even realized your own shortcomings. Is this how a father should act? Why can’t you just let him be?”

Being criticized by a young man, Yu Qiangsheng felt humiliated and instantly became furious. He no longer cared about making money or not and shouted, “It’s none of your damn business! He is my son, and he has to listen to me! If I tell him to go east, he goes east. If I tell him to go west, he goes west! He’s not your son, so it’s none of your business to criticize me!”

Yu Qiangsheng’s wife’s face changed when he heard him speak, and he quickly pulled at his clothes, trying to stop him from saying more, but he was shrugged off.

“What are you pulling me for? It’s true! I’ll discipline my son and find my son. It’s none of anyone else’s business!”

Seeing such a person, Yu Qingze didn’t want to say anything more. He had a cold expression and said, “Indeed, it’s none of my business. So please leave. We’re busy here.”

Seeing that Yu Qingze was angry, Yu Qiangsheng’s wife quickly smiled and apologized, “Sorry, Aze. He’s always like this. You’re the bigger person, don’t stoop to his level.”

Yu Qingze let out a cold laugh and said, “I don’t have the time. Please leave. I won’t see you out.”

The two of them grumbled as they walked away.

Cai Yunwei, who had been watching, was dumbfounded. Chang Le noticed and tugged at Yu Qingze’s sleeve, gesturing for him to look.

Yu Qingze turned to Cai Yunwei and said, “Sorry, Second Young Master. Did it frighten you?”

Cai Yunwei shook his head and said, “It didn’t frighten me, but I’ve never seen someone so… rude.”

“As long as you’re not scared, that’s good. Don’t mind it. Xiaohao, accompany the Second Young Master to play. We’ll have dinner in about fifteen minutes,” Yu Qingze said.

“Alright, Brother-in-law,” Chang Hao replied, taking Cai Yunwei’s wrist and saying, “Let’s go. We haven’t finished our painting yet.”

Cai Yunwei: “Oh.”

Dinner was plentiful, and everyone ate to their heart’s content.

After studying for an hour after the meal, Yu Qingze brought out the birthday cake and placed it on the table. On top of it, he arranged apple slices to form the words: “Happy 11th Birthday, Xiaohao!”

Due to limited resources, the birthday cake was relatively simple, but in the eyes of Chang Hao and the others, it was already beautiful and tempting enough.

Yu Qingze didn’t teach them the tradition of making birthday wishes and blowing out candles. That tradition didn’t exist here, so eating longevity noodles was enough.

Everyone divided and enjoyed the cake.

The soft texture of the cake, the smoothness of the cream, and the refreshing taste of the fruit on top provided a delightful combination. The cake immediately won over the hearts of the young ones, and Chang Le also liked it very much. The sizable cream cake was shared among them and quickly devoured.

After finishing the cake, Yu Qingze and Chang Le presented the gift they had prepared for Chang Hao.

Chang Hao opened the gift box and his face lit up with joy. Inside was a bow and arrow, something he had always wanted. He had seen one before at the Cai Residence and had been longing for it ever since. He couldn’t believe that his elder brother and his brother-in-law had bought the same one for him!

“Thank you, Brother-in-law! Thank you, brother!” Chang Hao expressed his gratitude happily and then picked up one of the arrows, eager to go outside and give it a try.

“It’s too late now, be careful, don’t shoot anyone. You can play with it tomorrow!” Yu Qingze reminded him.

“Oh, okay.” Chang Hao put the arrow down, released the bowstring with an empty hand, satisfying his craving for the moment.

Days passed by in a busy blur, and they planted the sprouted potatoes in the ground.

By early May, Tongshan City had two new happy events, and they also welcomed a new county magistrate.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Psssh that old Yu guy. Brother Yu, don’t involve his family for future business deals. You don’t want leeches like that making food for others. They probably nasty too, wouldn’t wash their hands or cover their mouths when they sneeze.