SES Chapter 68 Part 1

Chapter 68

Yan Hongsha and Cao Yanhua were gone for so long that Yi Wan San peeked out the door twice.
“Did the shop owner take them out or something?” he muttered.

Of course not. Just as he finished saying that, a message came through the group chat:

“Come on over to Phoenix House, we’re having a shareholders’ meeting.”

The restaurant wasn’t far from Lianyan, so either they’d gone there right after causing a scene at the boutique, or they’d spotted it on the way and completely forgotten about Lianyan.

Mu Dai asked Uncle Zhang to keep an eye on Pingting and left with Luo Ren. At the door, she turned and called back:
“Let’s go!”

Yi Wan San hesitated.
“Wait, am I… a shareholder too?”

Such an obvious question. Mu Dai rolled her eyes.
“Didn’t I already say everyone gets a share? But you just had to ask—so melodramatic.”

Normally, Yi Wan San would’ve silently cursed her as a venomous woman. But for some reason, this time, he felt she used the right word.

It had the same flavor as that dramatic flair Fatty Cao liked to put on things.

—

At the restaurant, Yan Hongsha and Cao Yanhua were sweeping like crazy. Each had a broom, working up a sweat. Uncle Zheng was cleaning the windows. When they walked in, he barked out some orders:
“Someone keep wiping down these windows. There’s a ladder over there—someone climb up and rip off the paper stuck to the ceiling. Also, the paint’s over there. That wall needs a fresh coat.”

Climbing up? That was Mu Dai’s territory. She went to grab the ladder. Yi Wan San took a rag and kept wiping the windows. Luo Ren didn’t move right away. He frowned.
“Couldn’t we just hire a cleaning service for this? It wouldn’t cost much. Besides, we’ll need a full renovation later anyway.”

Cao Yanhua’s chubby face was drenched in sweat.
“Brother Luo, we’re starting a business! One, we gotta be careful with money. And two, doesn’t doing it yourself give you a sense of accomplishment?”

He swung the broom like he was in a montage.
“This is our restaurant!”

He emphasized the word “our” with pride.

Uncle Zheng chimed in:
“Don’t listen to Little Knife Luo. He just hates physical labor!”

That label made Luo Ren half-laugh, half-sigh. Over on the ladder, Mu Dai was already suited up in a disposable plastic raincoat for dust protection, the hood up over her head. She looked bulky but kind of cute.

There was no use pushing back against the group mood. Luo Ren had no choice but to gear up in a raincoat too. Uncle Zheng clapped his hands:
“Alright, folks, keep working. I’ll check on Pingting and bring back some takeout. What do you want?”

Yan Hongsha called out loudly,
“Whatever’s cheapest is fine!”

Rich girl or not, she was extremely frugal when she wanted to be.

—

After Uncle Zheng left, Yan Hongsha filled them in on the pearls. She had reached out to a jewelry dealer who did business with the Yan family. The pearls were of good quality, though uneven in size. The dealer gave a bulk price—about three hundred thousand yuan.

Three hundred thousand!
Cao Yanhua was overwhelmed with happiness. He stammered,
“O-Once Phoenix House is open, I’m quitting Ju Xian Lou. I’ll work only for our restaurant. We can even hand out flyers at the bar—bring in their customers too…”

As he rambled, his voice choked. Then he suddenly squatted down on the floor, hugging his broom and falling silent.

Yan Hongsha blinked.
“Fatty Cao, what’s wrong?”

But he didn’t hear her. He was lost in his thoughts.

It was just… so good.

Back when he was on the run—from Jie Fang Bei to Yunnan—dodging heat like a fugitive, he used to brag to Yi Wan San about opening a bar one day, about investing big… but he never imagined this day would come.

Sure, the restaurant wasn’t huge. It didn’t compare to a fancy banquet hall. But every brick, every tile—it all felt dear. It was theirs. Not stolen, not cheated, not shady.

He thought, I’m going to work hard. I’m going to do this right.

Yi Wan San didn’t say anything either. He just kept wiping the windows. The glass was crystal clear, and sunlight streamed through, dazzling his eyes.

It felt unreal.

He’d always thought he was just a drifter, someone with no home to go back to. Who knew, one day, he’d have a roof over his head.

Even Mu Dai was quiet. She sat atop the stepladder, staring up at the ceiling where old newspaper was pasted. Her thoughts had drifted far away.

One day, even if Aunt Hong turned her away, she’d still have a place to go. Aunt Hong might have a place, Uncle Zhang too, and Luo Ren as well—but none of that could compare to having her own.

—

The atmosphere was strangely silent.

Yan Hongsha glanced around and whispered to Luo Ren:
“What’s up with them?”

Just as Luo Ren was about to answer, something across the street caught his eye.

Lian Shu was standing outside the Lianyan boutique, wiping smudges off the glass.

Luo Ren frowned.
“Did you and Fatty Cao go into Lianyan earlier?”

That brought Cao Yanhua back to life.

He launched into a dramatic retelling of how he and Yan Hongsha had teamed up. Every time Hongsha picked up an item, he’d ‘compliment’ it in a backhanded way:
“Oh, Hongsha, this is way too low-end for someone as wealthy as you…”

They trashed the store’s inventory to its face. Then, when they saw Uncle Zheng at Phoenix House, they came running to help.

Mu Dai ripped a strip of newspaper from the ceiling, brushing off the dust and drawling:
“Let me ask you two something. From start to finish, did that woman ever once acknowledge either of you?”