Additional Inheritance - Chap 23
Chapter 23
On the day of Luo Yi’s birthday, Wen Xiaohui had already arranged to swap his day off with a colleague so he got up early, and rushed to Luo Rui’s house.
Luo Rui opened the door wearing a Doraemon1 apron and angora wool slippers. “Hurry up, Baby. I’m all ready.”
Wen Xiaohui was carrying several bags, including one containing the present for Luo Yi, one with the outfit and makeup for the evening, and one with the decorations that he bought yesterday. He put them down and rubbed Luo Rui’s light-maroon, curly hair. “How could this hairstyle look so cute? I’m so awesome.”
Luo Rui grinned and said, “The hairstyle’s great, but it looks good because of my small face.”
“You’re shameless.” Wen Xiaohui stretched his arm out. “This pile of stuff makes me feel exhausted. Let’s get started.”
Luo Rui’s parents worked abroad for long periods of time, and they rarely returned home. Since they couldn’t make up for the lost time, they tried their best to satisfy his material needs. Therefore, Luo Rui remodelled the mansion so that it looked increasingly girly. Each detail showed the owner’s refined lifestyle.
Luo Rui’s kitchen resembled a laboratory; it was filled to the brim with baking utensils that Wen Xiaohui was unable to name. The cake moulds alone filled an entire display cabinet.
Wen Xiaohui exclaimed, “I’m in awe at how you can make so many desserts every day without putting on weight.”
“I have a good metabolism.” Luo Rui rubbed his hands together. “Right, let’s get started.”
Wen Xiaohui had noticed that Luo Yi didn’t like eating sweet food that much, so he planned to make a layered strawberry cheesecake, which was easy to make and tasty.
While Luo Rui was beating eggs, Wen Xiaohui placed each of the brightly-coloured and alluring strawberries in a basin to wash.
Luo Rui came over and picked up a strawberry and tossed it into his mouth. “Wow, these strawberries look great and taste amazing too.”
Wen Xiaohui swatted Luo Rui’s hand. “They’re imported from America, each one costs six yuan.
“Tsk, you cheapskate.”
After Wen Xiaohui finished washing the strawberries, he used a chopstick to core the middle of the strawberry, following the method that Luo Rui taught him and sliced the strawberries thinly.
Luo Rui glanced over and responded with dissatisfaction, “Your cutting skills are awful. Don’t cut your hand.”
“Anyway, they’ll be sandwiched in the middle of the cake so you won’t be able to see them.”
“Who said that you can’t see them? Do you know how ugly it’ll look if each layer is a different thickness? Luo Rui shoved him. “Move, I’ll do it.”
Wen Xiaohui could only watch from the side.
After he finished cutting the strawberries, Wen Xiaohui was again subjected to Luo Rui’s nagging and supervision whilst frying the puff pastry. Then he layered each of the sheets on top of each other, and finally Luo Rui held his hand and taught him how to write using cream.
Two hours later, the cake was finally complete. Wen Xiaohui looked at the slightly crooked writing on top of the cake spelling out Happy Birthday, but he still felt a sense of achievement.
Luo Rui’s expression looked pained. “It looks really ugly and vulgar.”
“How’s it ugly? And how is it vulgar?!”
“Writing ‘Happy Birthday’ on cake is both ugly and vulgar. Why don’t you write ‘longevity’ in traditional Chinese2 characters?”
“It’s none of your business, it’s not even for you.”
“It’s in my kitchen and spoiling my aesthetics.” Luo Rui turned around and waved his delicate arms in the air. “Finish up quickly. Don’t let me see it again.”
Wen Xiaohui couldn’t be bothered to respond to him, and carefully placed the cake into a box.
Luo Rui opened the humongous American-style fridge with four levels of shelving, and inside there were over a dozen cakes on display that resembled pieces of art. Each of them were so exquisite and unique that they looked almost fake, making people drool over them. A cool and refreshing, rich flavour of cream rushed out with the cold air from the fridge. Luo Rui said, “Why don’t you take one in case Luo Yi asks you who taught you to bake? At least you can prove that it wasn’t an issue with the teacher.”
Wen Xiaohui stuck his middle finger up at him. “I won’t take one, but why did you bake so many cakes?”
“To sell! I’ve recently started selling cakes on Weibo, and these are all pre-orders. Before opening the store, I want to hype up the business. Don’t forget to help me advertise.” Luo Rui’s face was brimming with happiness as he looked at his own creations.
“No problem.” Wen Xiaohui picked up the cake. “I’m off, I need to head back and put up the decorations.”
“Oh, I managed to get hold of a photo of the person I wanted to introduce to you. It’s on my computer. Why don’t you have a look before you go?”
“It’ll have to wait until next time, I’m in a rush.” Wen Xiaohui blew him a kiss. “Bye Baby.”
Luo Rui mumbled from behind. “He’s so handsome… Hey, slow down. What will you do if you drop it?”
Wen Xiaohui got into the taxi in a rush and went straight to Luo Yi’s house.
—-—————-
Luo Yi was at university and still hadn’t returned. Wen Xiaohui put the cake in the fridge. Afterwards, he started tying the party streamers, blowing the balloons up, selecting tunes and arranging flowers. With Luo Yi’s unusual family circumstances, it was certain that he’d never had a good birthday, and so it was up to Wen Xiaohui to give him an unforgettable 16th birthday.
Wen Xiaohui was covered in sweat by the time he’d finished the living room, and he went for a shower and changed his clothes. He applied a minimal amount of makeup, then took the cake out to put on display when he noticed that there was a car parked outside the villa. He was surprised by this because he ordered Western-style takeaway since he couldn’t cook, but why did the delivery driver arrive in a Mercedes?
He opened the door and went outside. At the same time, a man in a black suit got out of the car with a gift box in hand.
The man looked slightly startled when he saw Wen Xiaohui.
Wen Xiaohui frowned and said, “Excuse me, but who are you?”
The man checked the number sign and replied, “Is this Ms Luo’s house?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s the young master3, Luo Yi? May I ask who you are?”
“He’s still at university and isn’t home yet. Erm, I’m his friend.”
“Oh.” The man came over. “The boss asked me to deliver his present to the young master.”
“Master, young master… If it weren’t for this man’s solemn expression, Wen Xiaohui would have blurted that out, however after some consideration, he wondered if this person was referring to Luo Yi’s father? There weren’t any other possibilities. He asked with curiosity, “Your boss… Are you referring to Luo Yi’s father?”
The man nodded, and it seemed as though he didn’t want to say anything more on this topic. “Do you happen to know when the young master will be back?”
“He should be back soon. Do you want me to pass it to him?”
“Thank you, but I need to personally deliver this present to the young master.”
“Do you want to come in to have a sit down?”
The man shook his head. “The young master won’t like it, I’ll just wait here.”
Wen Xiaohui frowned while looking at him. He didn’t know what to do. It was too weird to neglect a grown man and leave him in the courtyard like this.
The man said, “It’s fine for you to go back to doing your own thing. Don’t worry about me.”
“Okay…”
Wen Xiaohui glanced at him again before going back into the house. After a while, the food delivery driver arrived. When he came out to sign for the order, he saw that the man dressed in black was like a statue standing upright at the entrance. He had a really good body, but he looked a bit ugly.
He set the meal and wine on the table, and he did a quick check to make sure that everything was ready. He was just waiting for the birthday boy to come back.
The sun had set; Wen Xiaohui who worked from morning till night was exhausted and dozed off on the sofa. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep for, when he was suddenly woken up by a voice. He leapt off the sofa and noticed that the sound was coming from the direction of the courtyard.
He opened the door and as expected, Luo Yi had come home. He heard Luo Yi respond frostily, “What is this? Take it back.”
“Young master, the boss requested that I deliver this to you personally.”
“Am I under any obligation to accept it?” Luo Yi flung his bicycle into the courtyard and turned around to go inside the house.
Wen Xiaohui felt embarrassed, as if he’d been caught spying. He said awkwardly, “You’re back.”
Luo Yi’s expression was compelled to soften as soon as he saw Wen Xiaohui. “Xiaohui-ge, head inside first.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded and closed the door. Then he rested his ear against the door to eavesdrop.
He heard Luo Yi saying, “Put it down and leave. Don’t show up at my house again without permission.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
After some time, Wen Xiaohui saw the car driving off.
He hurried back to the middle of the living room. As a result of this brief interruption, the surprise that he’d prepared earlier had been spoiled, and he felt a little upset.
Luo Yi opened the door and went inside. His glacial face turned from cold indifference to astonishment when he saw the meticulously decorated living room. Finally it thawed and he broke out into a smile.
When Wen Xiaohui saw him smiling, he felt an immediate sense of relief. He stretched out his arms from behind, each holding a spray can of silly string. He sprayed it up into the air and shouted “Luo Yi, happy 16th birthday!” As he was speaking, he sprayed a massive love heart.
Luo Yi threw the gift box that he was carrying to the ground. He walked over in a few strides, and hugged Wen Xiaohui.
While Wen Xiaohui was still in shock, the spray can in his hand suddenly squirted the silly string which fell on their heads and faces. It was like a spider web that entwined them.
It seemed as though time stood still; the sound of music in the living room couldn’t hide the sound of his rapidly thumping heart.
Luo Yi spoke into Wen Xiaohui’s ear in an extremely soft voice. “Thank you.”
Wen Xiaohui flung the spray bottle on the ground and threw his arms around Luo Yi’s back. He said as he smiled, “You’re welcome. I hope you’ll have a happy birthday every year.”
Luo Yi couldn’t help tightening his hug with a force that seemed like he wanted to embed Wen Xiaohui into his own body. Wen Xiaohui felt a bit embarrassed, and caressed Luo Yi’s head. “Okay, okay. I know you’re very touched by this.”
Luo Yi let go of him. His expression looked gentle and cheerful. “This is the first time that I’ve celebrated my birthday.”
“Really? You’ve never celebrated your birthday before?”
“I’ve never celebrated it as far as I can remember.”
Wen Xiaohui frowned and whispered, “My sister didn’t seem like an inconsiderate person.” Yaya remembered his birthday every year, and she used to send him a present if she couldn’t spend it with him. How could she overlook her own son’s birthday?
“Mum used to give me presents, but she was never by my side due to all sorts of reasons.” Luo Yi mentioned it as a passing comment.
“It doesn’t matter, in future, I’ll keep you company on your birthday. I’ll celebrate your birthday with you every year.” Wen Xiaohui dragged him by the hand. “Come on, let’s have dinner.”
When he walked past the gift box on the floor, Wen Xiaohui stooped and picked it up. “This…”
Luo Yi glanced at him. “Let’s chuck it out.”
“You can’t. It has already been delivered so it’s too much of a waste to just throw it away. In any case, it’s still a token of his affection. Why don’t you open it to see what it is?”
Luo Yi shook his head.
Wen Xiaohui felt disappointed. “Open it and take a look. After opening this present, you can have a look at what I got you. Okay?
Luo Yi cast him a sidelong glance. “Are you sure you want to see it? It can’t be anything normal.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. He couldn’t conceal his curiosity.
Luo Yi accepted the gift box. “Don’t regret it.” As he was speaking, he tugged on the ribbon bow on the box, then he held it out to Wen Xiaohui. “You can open it.”
Wen Xiaohui stretched his hand out to open the gift box, and straight afterwards he cried out in fear.
Inside the gift box, the present surrounded by ribbons and multi-coloured packing chips was actually a handgun.
Luo Yi raised his eyebrows, and took the gun out to have a closer inspection.
Wen Xiaohui trembled as he asked, “Is this what that person sent you?”
Luo Yi nodded.
“Is this a real gun?”
“You’ll know once you’ve touched it.”
Wen Xiaohui hesitated briefly before receiving the gun. It had a heavy metallic feel, and even if he’d never touched a real gun, he was still able to determine that it was a genuine firearm. What kind of father would gift his son a real gun for his 16th birthday?!
Footnotes:
Doraemon was originally a Japanese kids manga that was adapted to television. The titular character is a robot cat that travelled back in time from the 22nd century.
Mainland Chinese uses simplified Chinese characters (where strokes were removed to simplify the character and improve literacy) whereas other places like Hong Kong and Taiwan use traditional text because they were not directly affected by the Cultural Revolution. For example, wind is written as 风 in simplified or 風 in traditional.
The man uses the term 少爷/shaoye because he’s employed by Luo Yi’s father. Note that although shaoye and gongzi (i.e. WXH’s way of addressing Shao Qun) are translated as young master, Shao Qun is called that because he’s the heir to a large corporation.
Translator note:
Here’s the official artwork from the audio story book.
