Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 58 (Part 1)
Translated by Pure
Chapter 58.1 Xiao Miao enviously said to Shen Tiantian, "Your brother is so kind."
In the early morning, the rising sun of Yan City rose from the gentle horizon in the east.
It was getting colder; the north always got colder quicker. The windows of the new house had already condensed droplets of water on the inside from the chilly night. Zhou Neng (Father Zhou) shivered and turned on the bedside lamp. The dim yellow light lit up the dark, illuminating his comfortable new abode.
This was completely different from the house he has lived in in the past few decades– it was bright and spacious, and every area had a comfortable feeling that was created by money. He still remembered the dormitory allocated from the factory in Liyun Town. With countless dark doors staggered on both sides of the dark and narrow corridors. Dilapidated gates, corridor walls covered with oil fumes, and kitchen utensils and sundries from every household that made the narrow corridor look even narrower. Their rooms were a little better, but it was also full of simplicity– cramped space, dilapidated furniture, and the rough concrete floor was always silted with water droplets dripping from the ceiling.
Zhou Neng stepped on the smooth wooden floor. When he washed his face, he couldn't help but recall Liyun Town's humid air. He then silently turned off the water and came out to look at the calendar hanging in the living room wall. There was a little star printed on it, on the day following the star was circled with a red pen.
Zhou Neng smiled, and he was still in an exceptionally good mood as he started his car. His wife left for Hong Kong Island because of a mechanical problem in the factory. After five long days, she was finally coming back today.
As old couples, they were already used to supporting and accompanying each other. It was a foreign feeling being separated for so many days.
The car's headlights shone straight ahead, and the engine shook and roared when it started. Zhou Neng lowered the car window, hummed a song, and rested his elbow on the window frame chicly. He didn’t mind the noise he heard at all. This was his first car, it was bought a few months ago. Once upon a time, he was still an ordinary worker who would silently avoid four-wheeled vehicles on the streets of Liyun Town. Only big bosses owned their own car, he never dreamed that he could own one for himself. But from their house to this car, times had rapidly changed. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, he was living a life completely different from the past.
Just turning into Sun Street, he saw the group of queues waiting in front of their store. On such a cold day, the guests had already put on their thick coats. They stomped their feet and chatted in place, but everyone still lined up in a neat line. Before Zhou Neng got out of his car, he heard people joyously call to him——
"Boss, you're here?"
"You’re a little later than usual!"
"We've been waiting here for more than ten minutes."
"The lady boss hasn't come back yet?"
Zhou Neng replied with a smile, "My bad! Sorry for the delay! The lady boss will be back in the afternoon!"
As he spoke, he lifted the roll up metal shutters. The guests cheered up immediately and took out their small cloth bags they brought from home. Zhou Neng turned on the fire on the kitchen stove outside. It would take a while for the broths to heat up, so he used this time to do the other chores.
The regular customers pointed at the two boxes Zhou Neng carried from the trunk of the car. They all eagerly said, "Give me ten bottles!!"
Zhou Neng tore open the box and took out a stack of small glass jars from inside. The lights in the store were lit up, illuminating the huge ‘Haitang Bean Paste’ on the label. Zhou Neng smiled and said to the regular customers in front, "Unfortunately, supplies are limited today. Ding Xiang (Mother Zhou) said on the phone that one person can buy up to five bottles."
"Haiya!" A guest was unconvinced, "I can finish a single jar with a bowl of rice!"
"My sincere apologies! There’s still so many people waiting in line. Since everyone had come in and waited for so long, we can't let them return without success, right? Five bottles per person, but it’ll still sell out by 7:30am." Seeing the unhappy face of the customer, Father Zhou continued to explain, "The main thing is that the bean paste factory is not fully built yet. When the production line is running smoothly and the supply of goods is stable, I will send you a free jar for your kind understanding. "
Only then did the guest leave contentedly. It was then, the broths in the stove behind him boiled away. Handing over the sales of the complex condiments to the newly recruited worker in the store, Zhou Neng washed his hands and threw the first handful of noodles into the pot.
A new day of prosperity at Sun Street Snack Bar started with this noodle.
******
Wang Quan and Mother Zhou went to Hong Kong Island after being invited by the production equipment company. They benefited a lot in a few days, and they had to call Lin Jingzhe every night to discuss new factory development ideas.
Mother Zhou did not intend to just make bean paste, she had a longer-term plan in mind.
Consumers focused on the last two words of ‘Haitang Bean Paste’, but for her, ‘Haitang’ was the key word.
The bean paste factory was called Haitang Food Factory, and their registered company name was ‘Haitang Non-staple Food Incorporated’. Haitang was a trademark, a brand, and in Mother Zhou’s concept, it could have countless suffixes.
Within twenty minutes of coming back to Yan City, Mother Zhou began to describe to Lin Jingzhe a drying oven that she had seen and liked very much. A good drying oven can accurately dry ingredients without having to be at the mercy of the weather. With it, the pickled products could be included in Haitang Food Factory’s next preparatory batch. After having her eyes opened, the ambition of Mother Zhou burned no less than that of any man.
She even learned to drive a car. Now that Mother Zhou was used to working off premise, her image had taken on a new look. At this time, she was wearing the most fashionable cashmere coat in Hong Kong Island, her hair was also delicately permed. Even though her expression remained gentle, she exuded the confidence and maturity unique to middle-aged women.
Wang Quan, who was sitting in the car, handed over the two bags to Lin Jingzhe.
Lin Jingzhe opened it and inside were two women's cashmere coats, similar to the one Mother Zhou was wearing. Wang Quan winked and smiled at him. "For you to specifically call me to bring these two pieces of girl’s clothes, you’re quite caring, aren’t you?"
Mother Zhou was driving the car, but she glanced back when she heard Wang Quan’s teasing words. "Are you in a relationship?"
"No." Lin Jingzhe retorted subconsciously. He then paused for a moment and changed his mind, "Well... yes I am."
"I knew it." Mother Zhou smiled with satisfaction. "It's a good thing to be in a relationship. Auntie supports you, and the clothes are also bought for her, right? What kind of person is she?"
Lin Jingzhe knew that they had misunderstood, but he didn't know where to start to refute. After hesitating for a moment, he only cast his eyes away and said, "A... very quiet and beautiful person."
"Age?"
"Twenty-three."
"Wow!" Mother Zhou said unexpectedly, "Older than you?"
Lin Jingzhe nodded before Wang Quan added, "It's better to be older. More mature, they know how to take care of the family."
"That's true." Mother Zhou nodded in agreement. She continued to ask casually, "Height?"
"......" Lin Jingzhe thought for a while, but decided to tell the truth, "I think around 1.92 meters?"
Mother Zhou: "???"
Wang Quan: "????"
The car turned a corner and stopped on the side of the road. Mother Zhou braked, turned off the engine, and turning her head to look at Lin Jingzhe, utterly confused——
"What?"
Lin Jingzhe retorted seriously: "I turned 1.8 meters during the summer vacation, too!"
Listening to his defense, Mother Zhou was in a daze. It was hard to imagine the scene of Lin Jingzhe walking with a girl who was 1.9 meters tall.
She could only force herself not to think about this problem and abruptly changed the subject.
"Free up your schedule in the afternoon tomorrow. Your Uncle Gao is going back to Liyun Town to pick up Teacher Hu. We are going to have dinner together in Yan City."
*******
The intuitive shock brought by the 1.92 meter height was not something that could be explained in a single sentence. Lin Jingzhe had no way to tell all the truth for the time being, so he could only leave under Mother Zhou's worried expression. Holding the bag given by Wang Quan, Lin Jingzhe went to the courtyard in the south of the city.
Shen Family's regular Saturday meal had never been missed. When Lin Jingzhe arrived, he first gave Shen Tiantian a hug when she came to open the door. He softly congratulated her, "Happy birthday to you in advance."
Shen Tiantian was caught off guard by his sudden hug. When she smelled Lin Jingzhe's unique refreshing scent, she immediately blushed, "Thank you."
Lin Jingzhe handed her the bag in his hand, patted her on the head, and with his kind gaze, he said, " A gift, I hope you like it."
The gift that she would get every time they met still made Shen Tiantian feel unspeakably shy. Her usual flamboyant and extroverted self was nowhere to be seen. Shen Tiantian took the bag and ran upstairs. She was still wearing the muted yellow dress given by Lin Jingzhe when they last met. After running to the second floor, she stopped, sneaked back a few steps a little bit, and carefully peeked down under the cover of the stairs.
Lin Jingzhe took off his coat and was hanging it on the coat rack. He was speaking to Shen Juanying, who had made her way to the door. His expression was a little more serious than when facing Shen Tiantian, and his whole body exuded a maturity that contradicted his youthful appearance. Although the words mature and youthful conflicted one another, it suited this person very well. Under his young and handsome appearance, his words and deeds are far beyond the maturity of boys of the same age.
Shen Tiantian clenched the handle of the bag and continued to observe the situation downstairs. Shen Juanying was an able woman, no one would describe her as someone delicate. Although she was raised in a good and free environment since she was a child, Shen Juanying never meticulously doll Shen Tiantian up, so the weight on her hand gave her the pleasure of being cared for and pampered.
Lin Jingzhe seemed to feel the gaze above his head as he suddenly raised his head. When his eyes met hers, his face softened, and he raised his eyebrows to reveal a questioning expression.
Shen Tiantian almost slipped. She fled in a hurry, and locked herself back in the room.
Annoyed at her own reaction, it took Shen Tiantian a while before she pulled herself together. Carefully opened the exquisite bag, she took out the clothes inside, and shook them off gently. The fine cashmere fabric made her palm feel indescribably warm when she touched it. This was the most suitable dress for this season, and the size was just right. Shen Tiantian couldn't wait to put the clothes on herself. Donning on her favorite color red, Shen Tiantian couldn't help but think of the unexpectedly comfortable embrace when she opened the door just now.
This brother, who appeared out of nowhere, truly fulfilled all her fantasies about having an older sibling.
Shen Tiantian received a round of applause when she went downstairs. Shen Juanying praised her loudly: "You look beautiful!"
This was a sincere praise. Shen Tiantian's whole temperament had become different because of this cashmere coat.
In the early 1990s, those world-renowned and widely recognized brands had not yet entered Yan City. It was not so easy for citizens here to pursue trends. Often the current fashionable styles in Yan City were considered long outdated in the Special Administrative Region. At this time, Hong Kong Island was most up to day in terms of trends, this was because of their developed entertainment industry. Shen Tiantian's cashmere coat was currently the most popular piece of choice among the superstars in Hong Kong Island. With its slim-fit and crisp cut shape, this timeless coat could be worn for decades to come.
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!
