A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

When signing the contract, Zhang Lei was even more nervous than Fu Yan.

It's not anything else, it's just that Fu Yan spent money too quickly.

Swipe the card—a domestic bank card, 476,000 yuan—Zhang Lei's hands were shaking as he looked at the numbers that popped up on the POS machine.

He'd been in sales for two years, selling an average of four or five cars a month. Most customers took out loans; those paying in full were mostly for models under 300,000 yuan. A 476,000 yuan cash order for a top-of-the-line XC60—that was a big sale.

"Zhang Lei, don't let your hand shake, don't swipe the wrong button," Fu Yan reminded him.

"Sorry, sorry, I got a little excited..." Zhang Lei chuckled and handed over the receipt.

After signing the papers and leaving his phone number, Fu Yan asked another question: "Can I get a temporary license plate issued in Bincheng?"

"Yes, it's a temporary license plate for this city, valid for fifteen days."

"That's enough. The official license plate will also be registered in Bincheng; you can help me with that later."

"No problem, we'll arrange for someone to come to our door after the New Year."

Fu Yan nodded and put the contract into his coat pocket.

As he stepped out of the showroom, a cold wind rushed in, and he hunched his shoulders. He took out his phone and sent Fu Xiao a text message: "I bought you one too, pick it up after the New Year. Don't tell Mom and Dad."

Three seconds later, Fu Xiao's text messages came flooding back: "Really??? What kind of car??? Can I drive myself to school now???"

Fu Yan smiled but didn't reply.

He thought for a moment, then sent Lin Xiaochen another text message: "Is everything going smoothly in Bincheng? How's the renovation progressing?"

Lin Xiaochen's reply was as brief as ever: "The plumbing and electrical work on the courtyard house is complete, and underfloor heating is being installed. The carpenters for the bar have started work, and it's expected to open after the New Year. Qiu Kai has already recruited three waiters and a bartender, and they are currently training them. Everything is going smoothly."

Fu Yan put away his phone and stood at the entrance of Xinghai Auto Plaza, watching the cars coming and going on the opposite side of the road.

Winters in Bincheng are truly cold; the wind blows from the sea, carrying a salty, fishy smell. But he's smelled this for eighteen years, and he recognizes it even with his eyes closed.

He hailed a taxi to go home.

As we passed an intersection, the taxi driver pointed to an impressive building on the side of the road and said, "See that? That's the Bincheng Industrial Building, the tallest building in Bincheng, thirty-two stories! The owner's surname is Ji, and I heard his daughter is a returnee from overseas, and she's incredibly beautiful..."

Fu Yan glanced out the window.

Bincheng Industrial Building.

He remembered the name.

……

When Fu Yan arrived home, the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas again.

This time it's stewed fish.

There are a hundred ways to cook fish in Bincheng, and Liu Meilan knows at least thirty of them. She can make several kinds of stewed fish, such as stewed in soy sauce, stewed in clear broth, braised, and home-style stew. Today's pot smells like stewed in soy sauce. The salty and fragrant aroma of the soy sauce mixed with the freshness of the fish wafts from the kitchen all the way to the yard.

Fu Yan pushed open the door and entered the room. The warmth from the radiator hit him, and his glasses fogged up instantly.

"You're back?" Liu Meilan poked her head out from the kitchen. "Where did you go? I haven't seen you all morning."

"I went out for a walk."

"What are you doing? It's below zero outside in the dead of winter, aren't you cold?" Liu Meilan wiped her hands with her apron, came out, and looked him up and down. "Are you dressed warmly enough?"

"I've put it on, Mom, don't worry about it."

Fu Jianguo was sitting in the living room watching TV. Beijing TV was showing a health program, and he was watching it intently, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

Fu Yan sat down next to him, took out the car purchase contract from his pocket and put it on the coffee table.

"Dad, I bought a car."

Fu Jianguo didn't even lift his eyelids: "Why buy a car? Don't we already have one at home?"

"You call that a Wuling Hongguang a car?"

"Why didn't you call a car? It's been running for six or seven years, and it's doing just fine."

"Good my ass, one of the tires is flat."

Fu Jianguo then looked away from the TV, glanced at the contract on the coffee table, and paused when he saw the word "Volvo" on it.

"Volvo? Isn't that a foreign car? How much does it cost?"

"Four hundred and seventy-six thousand."

Fu Jianguo spat out the tea in his mouth with a "pfft".

"How many?!"

"Forty-seventy-six thousand, full payment." Fu Yan turned to the page with the amount on the contract and pointed it out to him.

Fu Jianguo stared at the number for five seconds, his expression shifting from shock to heartache, and then from heartache to anger.

"Are you crazy?! 470,000 for a car?! Even if you have money, you can't waste it like that! I just got my five million and you've already spent a tenth of it. Do you think money grows on trees?"

"Dad, I bought this car for you; you don't need to pay for it."

Fu Jianguo opened his mouth, but swallowed back all the words that were about to come out.

"I bought this for you." Fu Yan repeated, "After the New Year, when I go back to Yanjing, you can drive this car. Your Wuling Hongguang doesn't even have heating in winter, and your knees aren't good, so you can't let them get cold. Volvo is the safest, and the chassis is high, so it won't slip when it snows in Bincheng."

Fu Jianguo's mouth was open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

Liu Meilan ran out of the kitchen: "What car? Did you buy a car for Lao Fu?"

"Volvo, 476,000," Fu Jianguo said blankly.

"How many?!"

"You two shouldn't keep focusing on that number," Fu Yan said helplessly. "This car has the best safety performance; it's ranked number one in crash tests worldwide. I only feel at ease when Dad drives this car."

Fu Jianguo looked down at the contract, touched the Volvo logo with his fingers, and remained silent for a long while.

"You little rascal..." His voice was a little hoarse, "Did you buy anything for your mom? You're only thinking about me?"

"Mom can't drive. We'll let her learn when the weather gets warmer, and then we'll buy her a car."

"Why would I learn to drive? I don't even dare to ride an electric scooter..." Liu Meilan said, but her eyes kept glancing at the contract.

Fu Jianguo cleared his throat, picked up the contract and looked at it again, then carefully folded it and put it into his cotton-padded coat pocket.

"Fine then, the car's bought, and there's no going back." He still had that awkwardness in his voice, but the corners of his mouth were already turned up—he couldn't suppress it no matter how hard he tried.

Fu Yan couldn't help but laugh when she saw his expression of both heartache and smugness.

……

Lunch was fish again.

Braised yellow croaker, steamed sea bass, oyster omelet, cold jellyfish salad, and a pot of white rice. Seafood is always the star of the dinner table in Bincheng.

Fu Xiao hadn't returned yet, so Liu Meilan sent her a text message, to which she replied, "Eating out."

"This girl, now that she has money, she doesn't know how to come home for dinner." Liu Meilan scolded, but put a piece of fish belly on Fu Yan's plate.

Fu Yan ate the oyster omelet, and one bite filled his mouth with fresh and fragrant flavor, even more so than the one he had in the morning. The oysters that Fu Jianguo bought were really fresh and large. One bite and there was a "crunch" sound, the texture was amazing.

"Mom, if you opened a shop in Beijing with this skill, there would probably be a queue every day."

"Stop being so cheeky." Liu Meilan rolled her eyes at him, but was clearly pleased.

Fu Jianguo ate quickly, finishing a bowl of rice in just a few bites, then put down his chopsticks and lit a cigarette.

Fu Yan had almost finished eating, pushed her bowl away, and looked at Fu Jianguo: "Dad, do you know where my childhood friends are now?"

"You mean Chen Jian and Liu Yuan?"

"Yes, and Zhang Hao and the others too."

Fu Jianguo thought for a moment: "Chen Jian opened a seafood restaurant in Donggang, and business is pretty good. I heard he's doing quite well. Liu Yuan went to Yanjing after graduation and works at some internet company as a programmer. Zhang Hao, you know, he joined the army and hasn't come back yet."

"What's the name of Chen Jian's restaurant?"

"What was his name again..." Fu Jianguo slapped his forehead. "I think it was 'Old Captain' or 'Boatman', on the street at Donggang Fisherman's Wharf."

"Old Captain"—Fu Yan silently memorized this name.

Liu Meilan chimed in from the side, "Chen Jian is a good kid, just like his dad. His dad, Old Chen, and your dad have been friends for a long time; they used to work together at the docks carrying fish. A couple of years ago, Old Chen's health deteriorated, so Chen Jian turned his seafood stall into a restaurant, saying he wanted to ease his dad's suffering."

Fu Yan's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Like him, she also didn't want the old man to suffer.

"Where is Liu Yuan? Which company does he work for?"

"I'm not too sure about that. He should be back for the New Year. You can ask him then." Fu Jianguo flicked his cigarette ash. "Why do you want to talk to them?"

"It's been years since I've seen you, let's go visit."

Fu Jianguo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.