Zhu Yan suddenly dared not speak anymore, covered his mouth with his hand, and smiled foolishly, indicating he wouldn’t speak again.
Fang Yi put down his chopsticks, lit a cigarette, and gently tapped the table with his knuckles. The sound attracted Pei Mingyuan’s attention, and he couldn’t help but look over.
Fang Yi grinned, "Uncle, since you’ve got ti on your hands, why don’t you co over and have a drink with us? With just the two of us, drinking can be pretty dull. Why don’t you co and share so stories with us?"
Pei Mingyuan hesitated for a mont, glanced at Fang Yi whose face was smiling, and finally walked over.
Fang Yi sat inside against the wall, and Pei Mingyuan sat down beside him. Fang Yi glanced at Zhu Yan who was keeping his mouth shut, not daring to say a word. Fang Yi imdiately understood, quickly got up to get a wine glass and a pair of chopsticks, and hurriedly poured wine for Pei Mingyuan.
Fang Yi raised his glass first, smiling, "Uncle, shall we toast?"
Pei Mingyuan said, "Let’s do it!"
Clink!
The two clinked their glasses.
Pei Mingyuan drank half a glass, but when he put it down, he noticed that Fang Yi had already emptied his.
Pei Mingyuan said with concern, "Young man, take it easy with the drinking."
Fang Yi laughed and said, "Don’t worry, I’ve been growing up imrsed in wine vats since I was little."
Pei Mingyuan took that as an exaggeration, nodded slightly, and asked, "What’s your na, young man?"
"Fang Xiaotian."
Pei Mingyuan’s face showed no reaction. In his impression, the little rascal’s na was Fang Yi. Although they shared the sa surna, Pei Mingyuan didn’t connect this person with that little rascal.
Fang Yi picked up his chopsticks and grabbed so food, saying, "Uncle, if you have sothing on your mind, just say it. Saying it out loud might make you feel better."
Pei Mingyuan said, "But you’re a stranger..."
Fang Yi replied, "Isn’t that better? Listen and then leave, won’t gossip about anything. Uncle, it’d be better to vent to us than keep it bottled up inside."
Pei Mingyuan picked up his glass, glanced at the bearded young man beside him, nodded after a few seconds, and said, "Alright, since you want to hear it, I’ll tell you."
After saying that, Pei Mingyuan drank the half glass of wine in one go, put down the glass, took a breath, and started speaking slowly.
Pei Mingyuan has been running a shop here for over ten years, always valuing honesty. Those who co to eat here are mostly regulars, returning custors, or workers from the surrounding construction sites.
Of course, it’s not all perfect; there are always good and bad sides. So people don’t like the food, but they are just a minority. Overall, Pei Mingyuan’s business is pretty good, and he has saved so money.
Pei Mingyuan ntioned he has a daughter who is now in her twenties, working at a major company. Initially, Pei Mingyuan thought that life would keep getting better.
However, fate played a massive joke on him.
Just a year ago, his wife was diagnosed with leukemia. Fortunately, it was caught early, and she was sent to the hospital for treatnt.
This was still the early stage, so there was hope for a cure. Pei Mingyuan initially held this optimistic view, but as ti dragged on, they couldn’t find a suitable bone marrow match. This continued into the interdiate stage, and the monthly hospitalization and treatnt costs beca astronomical, quickly making it difficult for his family to breathe.
Then, just over a month ago, a new restaurant opened across the street and attracted his custors with cheaper prices.
Initially, Pei Mingyuan thought those custors would return after dining there. However, for so unknown reason, all those custors flocked to the other side. The number of custors coming to him dwindled.
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