Call Me Daddy

“Sister Miao, why have your son and grandson been helping out at the store recently?”

As the lunch rush gradually subsided and the number of customers dwindled, Miao Yinhua, who was about to sit down for a rest, was approached by some old neighbors.

“Aren’t the kids just worried that the two of us old folks are too tired?”

Miao Yinhua kept her lips tightly sealed. She knew her son’s reputation in the neighborhood wasn’t great, so she didn’t brag about his current success in live streaming, fearing that word would spread and the story would get twisted.

The few fashionably dressed old ladies looked at each other, not believing Miao Yinhua’s explanation.

They knew exactly what kind of people the Su family father and son were. Those two lazybones, actively helping the elderly couple? No way.

“Sister Miao, you might not like what I’m about to say, but I have to say it. If the kids suddenly become attentive, you have to be careful. Don’t just give them money because they flatter you and help out a bit.”

Everyone thought that the father and son had suddenly changed their ways just to con money from the old couple.

They were aware of Su Aobai’s live streaming activities, but after all this time, they hadn’t heard anything about its success. To outsiders, it seemed like Su Aobai’s previous ‘business ventures,’ just talk with no real results.

Probably another excuse to get money from the old couple under the guise of a new venture.

“Really, they haven’t.”

Miao Yinhua rebutted. This time, her son did ask for money, but it was genuinely used for legitimate purposes. Every night, he showed them the live stream replays. The comments were lively and increasing day by day.

“The idea to revamp the snack shop business was my son’s. He thinks my husband and I are too tired and wants us to take it easy. Not only that, but he also forced Xiao Yuan to come back and help out, saying they needed to share the burden.”

As she said that, Miao Yinhua felt a bit guilty because her grandson Su Tianyuan’s return wasn’t purely to help; the kid really just came back for money.

“That suggestion makes sense. At your age, you really should take it easy.”

The group fell silent, internally lamenting; It’s all over!

This good-for-nothing even forced the younger one back, clearly planning a major scheme.

They had been neighbors for decades and, although there had been some minor conflicts, no one had ill intentions. Everyone was genuinely worried for the elderly couple, who seemed oblivious to their son’s possible scam to swindle a large sum of money.

“Sigh, if you ask me, you should just close the shop. You could rent out the storefront for a substantial amount. Your husband, Old Su, isn’t young anymore, right? In a few years, he’ll be pushing 70. At that age, he hasn’t had a chance to travel. Once he’s past 70, his physical abilities will decline, and many travel groups won’t even accept him.”

Rather than letting the father and son scam them, it would be better for the couple to enjoy their lives. Among their neighbors, only the Su couple lived a frugal life despite owning two buildings.

“Exactly, Sister Miao. We’ve planned our trips for this year. We’re going to the Four Great Buddhist Mountains; Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang, Emei Mountain in Sichuan, and Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui. We can have a travel agency arrange a large group for us. It’s more fun traveling with people you know. Look at these pictures from our previous trips. These scenic landscapes are perfect for pictures. Look at Sister Xu and Xiao Wang with her daughter-in-law.”

Someone pulled out their phone, showing Miao Yinhua pictures from their group trips.

A group of elderly ladies, dressed colorfully, with dyed hair and bright scarves, striking various poses amidst the beautiful landscapes, all with beautiful smiles.

Miao Yinhua looked at each picture, feeling envious, silently thinking how much better she would look if she could take such pictures.

“This time when we go to the Buddhist mountains, we can pray for our families, ensuring peace and safety at home. It’s said that praying for children at Putuo Mountain is very effective. Your Xiao Yuan is almost ready to find a partner, right? This trip could take care of that, praying for both marriage and children. By next year, you could be having tea with your granddaughter-in-law and holding your great-grandchild.”

They painted the trip in such glowing terms, hoping Miao Yinhua would join them.

A trip to the Four Great Buddhist Mountains would take at least half a month. During that time, it wouldn’t be easy for the father and son to get a large sum of money just through a few phone calls. Plus, during the trip, everyone would be together, and they could keep persuading the couple.

Traveling can be addictive. Once the couple experienced the excitement of going out, it would be easier to convince them to travel more in the future.

“Forget it, I don’t like traveling far.”

Miao Yinhua reluctantly tore her gaze away from the pictures. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go; she did, but various concerns held her back.

This attitude was truly infuriating!

Though parents should consider their children, they shouldn’t do so to the extent that they never enjoy life themselves.

“Mom, the meal’s ready.”

With the store not as busy now, the family of four could take a break and have lunch.

When Su Aobai came out of the kitchen, the eyes of a few old ladies lit up.

“Xiao Su, we and some of your uncles and aunts are planning to visit the Four Great Buddhist Mountains next month. We want to invite your parents to join us. Do you agree?”

They asked Su Aobai, the son who was still dependent on his parents. If he refused to let his hardworking parents take a rare trip, it would show his lack of filial piety and expose his true nature to Miao Yinhua and her husband.

Next month?

Su Aobai thought about it. The timing was perfect.

“Of course, going to pray at the Buddhist temples sounds great. Aunt Zhang, please sign my parents up. They both should go.”

“Go where? We’re not going!” Miao Yinhua stood up.

“The store still has so much work to do. If we’re gone for over half a month, what will happen to the business?”

Miao Yinhua glared at her son. Did he think a trip to the Four Great Buddhist Mountains could be done in just a day?

“Sister Zhang, you really don’t need to persuade us. My husband and I don’t like traveling far, and our legs aren’t in good shape for climbing mountains.” Miao Yinhua found excuses to refuse.

“Nowadays, you don’t have to climb the mountains yourself. There are some elderly people in our group with mobility issues too. We can all take a bus up the mountains together, and it won’t cost much if we split it.”

The group tried to persuade her, but Miao Yinhua was adamant. They had no choice but to leave disappointed.

Su Aobai silently noted the matter.

***

During lunch, Miao Yinhua was still thinking about the pictures her old friends had taken during their trips, feeling quite distracted.

Su Tianyuan was truly a jack-of-all-trades. He had washed most of the ingredients for lunch, and the helper aunt was responsible for teaching him and correcting the steps he didn’t complete properly.

After a few hours of work, Su Tianyuan’s arms were already too sore to lift.

He endured the pain, carefully bringing his hand to his nose. Despite washing his hands many times with soap, the fishy smell lingered.

“If you don’t want to eat, just have some of the snacks you ruined.”

Su Aobai saw him hesitating and refusing to pick up his chopsticks, so he handed him the jujube and yam cakes that needed to be consumed.

Although the jujube and yam cakes had been messed up in the final step, their taste wasn’t significantly different. Due to uneven mixing of the filling, some bites had more jujube paste, while others had less. Also, they didn’t look as pretty as the properly made ones.

Su Tianyuan held his breath, took a piece of the jujube and yam cake, and stuffed it into his mouth. He quickly moved his hand away to avoid the fishy smell from his palm affecting the taste of what he was chewing.

“Mmm—”

A mouthful of soft, fragrant yam and rich jujube filled his mouth.

It was so delicious!

Perhaps because he had a hand in making them, Su Tianyuan felt these jujube and yam cakes were far superior to those in high-end pastry shops.

“Delicious.” He mumbled, then devoured one piece after another. In no time, he had eaten three or four pieces.