Chapter 109: Uncle and Aunt

It turned out that before this little girl asked me to come, she had already called my uncle and aunt. The reason why they wanted to meet and catch up was all her doing.

Once inside the president’s private room, besides Jiaying and me, there were two others—a middle-aged man and woman. It was obvious who they were: my uncle and aunt. I hadn’t seen them for over ten years, and they had changed so much. My uncle’s hair was almost entirely white—more white hairs than both my father and mother combined. It seemed the struggles of entrepreneurship had taken a heavy toll on him.

“Hello, Uncle, Aunt, long time no see!” I greeted them warmly the moment I saw them after all these years. Fortunately, they were kind-hearted and smiled gently at me, signaling for Jiaying and me to sit down.

Looking over the spread before us, if I wasn’t mistaken, this was a traditional table cuisine. Although I had never tasted it before, I had seen it in magazines when I worked at the bakery, and it looked quite similar—only much more expensive, so I never had the chance to try it.

Speaking of this table cuisine, it refers to a Chinese-style round dining table, typically an eight-immortal table.

The cuisine itself includes dishes like mushroom soup, fish cakes, vegetable noodle soup, and marinated noodles.

The distinctive feature is that guests sit on chairs with backs around a single table, where all the dishes are placed.

This style originated from ancient Chinese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, developed by the Zen Master Ingen as “tea cuisine” (a style of dining substituting tea for alcohol).

Because it became popular in Nagasaki, it’s also known as Nagasaki cuisine. Chefs incorporated local seafood and meats into the Buddhist vegetarian dishes, creating this unique style.

Typical dishes include shark fin clear soup, tea, large platters, medium platters, small side dishes, stews, sweet red bean rice cakes, and fruit. The side dishes are grouped into sets of five, seven, or nine, with seven being the most common.

All the side dishes are placed on the table at the start, with the shark fin soup and other dishes brought out as you eat.

Looking at these exquisite delicacies, my mouth watered uncontrollably. My eyes were glued to the feast, but since my uncle and aunt were the hosts and had yet to start eating, I refrained from touching anything out of respect. I understood these social rules well, so I sat quietly, savoring the sight.

Though I was very tempted, I hadn’t tasted earthly delicacies in a long time since becoming a demon corpse. Ever since then, human food had lost all flavor for me.

“Xiaodong, don’t be shy. Look, your aunt and uncle haven’t seen you in a long time. This entire table of dishes was specially prepared for you. Please, dig in!” my aunt said, picking up some food with her chopsticks and placing it on my plate.

“Yes, Xiaodong. I was busy with my business and haven’t come home to see you in over ten years. Today, we meet—let’s have a good drink together,” my uncle said, and then summoned a waiter to bring some sake. It seemed he was determined to drink with me until neither of us could stand.

Although my aunt tried her best to stop me from drinking—saying I was still just a kid—my uncle waved her off, saying I was already in my twenties and should know how to drink; otherwise, it would be embarrassing. After that, my aunt fell silent.

We spent over two hours eating. During that time, Jiaying secretly sipped some sake but got dizzy and stuck out her tongue, promising never to touch alcohol again. She then quietly resumed enjoying her meal. The Japanese sake wasn’t very strong, but my uncle and I drank quite a bit without feeling drunk.

After our full meal, my uncle suddenly received a phone call. He told Jiaying and me, “Xiaodong, something urgent came up at the company. Your aunt and I have to leave. You two enjoy yourselves. Call me if you need anything.” He then pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to me.

He exchanged a knowing glance with my aunt, who understood immediately. She took a bank card from her inner pocket and handed it to me via my phone, saying, “Xiaodong, it’s been so many years since we’ve properly seen you. Take this 600,000 yen for now. When you have time, take good care of your cousin and don’t let her suffer.” She patted my shoulder with a warm smile—obviously a woman of status and kindness.

Six hundred thousand! My goodness, that wasn’t a small amount. It took my father years of hard work in the greenhouses to earn that much. I hurriedly declined, saying I couldn’t accept so much, but my aunt insisted. Jiaying also said this sum was a mere trifle to them now, so I accepted it. It felt rude to refuse such generosity.

Of course, I understood my aunt’s intention. She probably wanted me to take some of the money back to my parents so they could live more comfortably and not work so hard.

Now, with my uncle and aunt’s company earning over ten million annually, they were busier than ever and had little time to visit my grandparents. This money was their token of care.

After seeing them off to their Lamborghini, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever have the chance to drive such a luxury car. Around here, even driving a BMW would turn heads in half the county, let alone a Lamborghini.

Once my uncle and aunt left, I asked Jiaying what she wanted to do next. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Cousin, I want to go to a karaoke bar and sing!”

I’m quite strict with family. If another girl invited me to karaoke, I might agree, but Jiaying is my cousin—how could I take her to such a place? I firmly refused. “No way! That’s not a place for you. No, no, pick anywhere else besides karaoke!”

“Cousin, it’s just singing, not a nightclub. What are you afraid of? If you won’t go, fine, I’ll go by myself!” Jiaying said with a sly glance, then planted herself by the roadside, striking a pose like she was hailing a taxi.

“Heh heh, little rascal, you think I’m a pushover? You’ve tried this trick on me countless times since we were kids. Though you’ve fooled me many times, this time—hmph—I won’t fall for it. Let’s see what you do now,” an evil grin formed in my mind. That was the rebellious part of me, quietly protesting her extreme tactics.

“Taxi! To the karaoke city!” Jiaying called out and jumped into a cab, sticking her tongue out at me.

Damn, this girl was serious this time. No choice—I’ve lost count how many times she’s outmaneuvered me. I might as well just follow along quietly.

But since the taxi she hailed had already pulled away, I flagged down another and told the driver, “Please follow the car in front. I’ll pay you an extra hundred.” I pointed toward the leading cab.

All along the way, I was annoyed. Here I was, a grown man, trailing behind a little girl. It made me so mad I wanted to give my playful cousin a couple of good knocks.

After about half an hour on the road, the karaoke complex gradually came into view. Though it was still over a mile away, its scale was clearly impressive.

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(Friends, fate has brought us together! If you’re just passing by, please do show some support!) O(∩_∩)O