Call Me Daddy

“Dad, I want to change the way we run our shop.” Su Aobai straightforwardly expressed his idea.

“Change the way we run it? How?”

Miao Yinhua instinctively thought her son wanted to expand, but she and her husband couldn’t handle it physically. If they hired people, they didn’t know any reliable chefs, and once they chose to hire, the costs would increase, which would have to be shared by each dish.

Raising prices wasn’t a big deal; after all, prices had skyrocketed over the years, especially the cost of pork a few years back, and they had already raised prices several times in the shop, which the customers generally accepted.

However, hiring people and expanding would bring a series of problems. For instance, their current suppliers might not be able to meet the increased demand. Their suppliers were long-time friends, and the quality of the goods was guaranteed. Finding new suppliers would be a time-consuming process requiring careful coordination.

“In the past, I would eat at meal times and then go back to my room to play games. I never realized that Mom and Dad had aged.”

Su Aobai held his mother’s hand, his tone somewhat emotional.

“Dad is really stubborn. I noticed when I was filming videos that he can’t handle the big iron wok anymore, but he still hides it and refuses to admit it.”

His tone was a bit somber. As he spoke, he suddenly looked up at his father, his eyes red.

“When I came into the room, did you hide the medicinal oil? You had the air conditioner on but the windows open. I’m not a fool; you were trying to get rid of the smell, right? You forgot that my sense of smell is as sharp as my sense of taste. Even with the windows open, I can still smell the medicinal oil.”

The couple never expected their son to notice the medicinal oil, let alone care about them.

This was a first for the elderly pair.

Su Quangen’s heart was filled with an indescribable bittersweet feeling.

As a father, he loved his son and was willing to do anything for him. But when everyone around him said things like, ‘Your son is so irresponsible. Doesn’t he realize you’re getting old and should start taking on the responsibilities of a man and a son?’, didn’t he feel a fleeting resentment?

Sometimes, when he was extremely tired, he thought about quitting. He would leave his son two buildings and a substantial amount of savings, and that would be enough.

Of course, he rarely thought that way. More often, he wished his son would take the initiative and say, ‘Dad, don’t work so hard. It’s too exhausting. If his son said that, he would be moved enough to keep working for another 20 years.

In truth, parents need their children’s acknowledgment of their efforts.

“And Mom, how long has it been since you went to Sister Wang’s to dye your hair?” Su Aobai looked at his mother’s graying hair.

Miao Yinhua still loved to look good. Like many fashionable elderly ladies, she often went to a familiar hair salon to get her hair permed into delicate curls and dyed a trendy red or elegant black.

But in the past year or 2, work had become increasingly strenuous. She used to finish everything swiftly and rush to dye her hair as soon as the white roots started showing. Now, she truly didn’t have time for grooming. Her long hair was a mix of silver and black, with only the tips still red.

“Before, I didn’t notice. If I hadn’t been filming videos of you, always focusing on you through the lens, I might not have realized it.”

Su Aobai’s tone was extremely dejected.

“So, Mom and Dad, you’ve really aged.”

After their son said that, the couple’s lingering resentment instantly dissipated.

It wasn’t that their son didn’t care about them, or that he selfishly enjoyed their efforts. He just had a big heart and always thought they were still the giants who protected and cherished him when he was a child.

Miao Yinhua’s eyes turned red as she looked at the forty-something ‘big kid’ in front of her. She didn’t find her thoughts incongruous at all.

It was their fault for taking such meticulous care of their child before, to the point that he was only now realizing that his parents could also grow old and might one day be unable to take care of him.

Su Quangen felt the same. For parents who doted on their children like they did, having their son acknowledge their efforts was their greatest joy.

“It’s okay. Dad’s fine. I can work for another 20 years!” Su Quangen said excitedly.

“Alright, Dad, don’t push yourself. Do you want Mom to rub medicinal oil on you every night? That’s treating the symptoms, not the cause. If you exhaust yourself and develop a serious illness, that’ll be a real problem.”

***

Su Aobai wasn’t suggesting expanding the business. On the contrary, he wanted his parents to stop the breakfast service and change the shop from an à la carte system to a set meal system.

“This…” Hearing their son’s proposal, the couple hesitated.

They all understood set meals; weren’t they just fixed menus? Their shop already sold some, with each dish in the set being smaller in portion than those ordered à la carte. The advantage was that customers could try more dishes for less money.

Many young professionals wanted a balanced diet of meat and vegetables but didn’t have the financial means of the local landlords, so they chose the set meals offered by the restaurant.

Switching entirely to a set meal system would undoubtedly eliminate a lot of hassle.

They could prepare the ingredients and seasonings for each dish in advance. Some dishes, which could be stored longer and whose taste wouldn’t be significantly affected by temperature, could even be cooked ahead of time or made into semi-finished products.

The greatest advantage of set meals was that they wouldn’t be overwhelmed during busy times by having to handle different ingredients.

“But everyone has different tastes. Like some of our regular customers; uncles and aunts, they might not like the same dishes,” Su Quangen thought this idea, though convenient, might affect the business.

They were all old neighbors. Sometimes, they even brought their own ingredients for the shop to cook, and there were pre-orders for specific dishes. Should they cancel all of that?

If they fulfilled the requests of a few, others would continue to order à la carte. Then how would it be different from before?

“We can have several different set meals to cater to different tastes,” Su Aobai explained his idea. “For example, among the meats, we can offer pork, beef, lamb, and fresh seafood. For vegetables, we can have a variety, with options for spicy and mild flavors. Customers can mix and match their own sets. We should sell seasonal dishes.”

“It’s like our soups; we only offer two types each day, and people have gotten used to it over the years. If we don’t have the dishes they want on a particular day, they can always go somewhere else. It’s not like they’ll go hungry if our shop isn’t open,” Su Aobai elaborated.

In this day and age, takeout was so convenient. Su Quangen still saw himself as indispensable, which unnecessarily burdened him with a lot of stress.

“And Dad, if you really feel bad about it, you could implement a reservation system. Accept a few pre-orders each day, but the number of reservations can’t be too high. Once the number is set, you can’t break the rules. You can’t add another reservation just because you have a close relationship with someone. Dad, you have a deep connection with everyone in the neighborhood. If you make exceptions for everyone, the reservation system won’t work.”

Su Quangen felt a bit embarrassed by his son’s words.

So what if I’m a bit soft-hearted? This kid isn’t sparing me any face.

“Will this really work? If people can’t get the dishes they want, they’ll go to other places. Over time, they might stop coming here,” Miao Yinhua was still worried.

“Does anyone else have our taste? In the past, Dad hadn’t even mastered Grandpa’s full skills. Now, with Grandpa’s notebook, you can occasionally make a dish recorded in it to keep the customers coming. And don’t forget your son’s golden palate. For the same price, who else can match our quality?”

While praising his father, he didn’t forget to praise himself.

Su Quangen looked at the yellowed notebook in his hand and indeed felt a surge of courage.

Although he hadn’t yet tried many of the recipes in the notebook, his years of experience told him the final product would be extraordinary. However, Su Quangen still had doubts about the notebook. Why didn’t that old man ever mention or made such important recipes during my lifetime?

But the handwriting was his father’s, and the notebook was found among his father’s belongings. Su Quangen came up with many reasons for this, never considering that Su Aobai had written it himself, imitating his grandfather’s handwriting and aging it before placing it in the box with the old man’s possessions.

Since the notebook wasn’t actually recorded by his father, it was no wonder he never mentioned it during his lifetime.

In a previous life, Su Aobai had been the heir of an antique family. He had not only learned to distinguish genuine antiques from fakes but also to master various techniques of forgery and aging.

The purpose of this education wasn’t to create forgeries but to understand all the methods of deception so he wouldn’t be fooled by them.

In that world, Su Aobai lost to a man with a miraculous gift. Despite his decades of hard work, the other man had been struck by lightning, which magically enhanced his vision to reveal all the information about any object he saw.

Not knowing he was competing against someone with such an advantage, Su Aobai became disheartened after repeatedly losing to them. He felt all his hard-earned knowledge was useless because, in his eyes, anything less than first place was worthless.

Looking back now, he realized that the skills he had learned were indeed the most real and reliable.

And now, they were all coming in handy.

***

Su Quangen and Miao Yinhua were somewhat convinced but not entirely.

“Dad, Mom, let me show you the results of my live streams over the past 2 days.”

Su Aobai tapped a few times on his phone screen and opened his account homepage.

The backend showed that his highest live stream viewership was 7,233 people, and after platform deductions, he had received 927 yuan in tips from two streams.

That amount wasn’t much for the elderly couple, but they understood that, even though they didn’t fully grasp live streaming, having such an income right at the start was quite impressive.

“This is the money you’ve earned in the past 2 days?”

Su Quangen and Miao Yinhua had been working so hard to make money because their son did nothing but spend it. They feared that the savings they had accumulated wouldn’t be enough to cover his future expenses.

If their son could earn money, their previous worries would be unnecessary.

“It’s not just what I earned; it’s what the three of us earned together. Look at the viewers’ comments. They praise Dad’s cooking skills, saying they followed his steps to make dishes that their families loved. They also compliment Mom’s memory, saying she remembers who ordered what and which table ordered a dish first. So, this income also includes your contributions.”

Su Aobai’s words delighted the elderly couple. They quickly pulled Su Aobai over to read the comments, and they began to savor them with great interest.

When they saw numerous comments joking about the novice cooks, the old man’s eyes crinkled with joy.

“These kids didn’t even notice, hahaha.”

“With the income from live streaming sure to increase, there’s no need to overwork ourselves. After switching to set meals, Dad and I can come up with a special limited dish each day. This will not only retain customers but also provide content for the live streams. The business won’t suffer; even if we lose some customers, the income from streaming will make up for it. Most importantly, you both won’t be as exhausted as before.”

Listening to their son’s well-reasoned analysis, Su Quangen and Miao Yinhua realized their child had truly grown up.

Seeing their son confidently plan for the future, the couple felt they had no reason to refuse. However, they suggested that the shop should continue operating as usual for 3 more days. During this time, they would post a notice about the changes and inform regular customers about the adjustments. This would give long-time patrons a chance to adapt.

This was the couple’s insistence, and Su Aobai agreed.

“It’s getting late. Go to bed now.”

Su Quangen waved at his son, indicating he still had some private words to share with his wife. What their son had said tonight made him happy, and he wanted to savor the moment with his closest companion.

“Wait a minute, Mom, where’s the medicinal oil? I’ll apply it for Dad; I’m stronger.”

Su Aobai didn’t leave and instead reached out to his mother for the medicinal oil.

This made the old couple even happier, their smiles deepening the wrinkles at the corners of their eyes.

*****

On Monday, Su Tianyuan prepared to replace his lost ID card and get a temporary one.

Just after stepping out, he received a call from his father.

It turned out he had left his wallet at home after leaving that day. His dad called him back to get it, offering him a chance to ask his grandparents for the 200,000 yuan he needed.

Yesterday, the organization had worked overtime to create a short video for him. The video’s response was good, already gaining 120,000 views.

At that moment, Su Tianyuan felt his confidence returning. Indeed, with his looks, he could become popular even without live streaming. Now, he wasn’t afraid of facing his father. On the contrary, he was eager to go home and show his dad the short video with its impressive view count.

So, Su Tianyuan quickly informed Zhang Lang and rushed home.

By this time, the breakfast crowd had mostly finished eating, and the lunch rush hadn’t started yet. As Su Tianyuan walked into the house, he glanced around casually. He noticed the notice posted on the wall and was slightly puzzled, but he never cared much about the restaurant’s business. His gaze lingered more on the newly installed fixed cameras in the dining area.

Could Dad really be planning to start live streaming? Did he even know how to do it?

Su Tianyuan sneered and felt even more eager to show his father his own short video.

As for those two embarrassing live streams from before, he never wanted his father to see them. It would be a source of shame for him for life.

“Yo, ‘From Afar’ is back?”

Su Aobai emerged from the kitchen. ‘From Afar’ was Su Tianyuan’s previous streaming name.

The young man’s face turned bright red, a mix of anger and embarrassment.

This secret! How had this secret been exposed?

“Xiao Yuan, you’re back.”

Following Su Aobai out were Su Quangen and Miao Yinhua. The elderly couple wasn’t holding anything, but his father, who never worked, was carrying a basin of washed dishes.

This instantly put Su Tianyuan on alert.

What had caused such a drastic change in Dad?

It certainly wasn’t that his father had suddenly become diligent. This had to be some kind of scheme, a tactic to gain favor with his grandparents.

Had the battle between the dependents become this intense?