Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Chapter 1320 631: The Start Is Also the End (Main Story Complete)

"Now I understand, Mrs. Qin didn't actually want to make wishes. She didn't understand spirits and could only see me as a demon. She thought if she made a wish and I fulfilled it, it would hurt my mana. Helping her fulfill her wishes would come at a cost to me. She didn't do much for me, yet I had to repay so much; it wasn't worth it."

"She was a good person, a pure person who did good deeds without expecting any return."

"But at that time, I couldn't understand why there were such good people. Good people aren't always rewarded. In this world, there's no karma. Good people don't live long and happy lives just because they've been kind, and bad people don't suffer disaster because of their misdeeds. My predecessors always taught me not to be such a good person."

"Especially not to be the kind person who, although weak, can give so much to others."

"Mrs. Qin said she had many children, but none bore her surname. I was willing to take her surname, to let her name me. I had no parents, and she was willing to be my mother."

"She said she believed I was a spirit because I didn't understand the human world and didn't resemble a human being. She asked me how I could succeed in Crossing Tribulation, and I told her that entering the world could lead to success, or avoiding the world entirely could also lead to success. But, given my circumstances at the time, completely avoiding the world was impossible, so I could only enter it. Yet, I didn't know how to enter the human world, so Mrs. Qin said she'd teach me. She taught me how to be human."

"She and Jiang Cheng... Master Jiang said I was the child of some distant relative, and I had come to Beiping after my parents passed away. That's how I stayed with Mrs. Qin. Mrs. Qin said her family had a long-standing tradition of bakery skills, but her brother wasn't adept enough to learn it. She secretly learned the skills, and hers were better than her brother's. But being a daughter, she couldn't inherit the craft, so she could only learn secretly, making simpler snacks in front of others. She didn't dare teach the true craft to anyone else."

"But I was the only child with her surname, so she secretly taught me, imparting all her skills to me."

"I began learning the craft from Mrs. Qin."

"I was talented in making snacks, and after two years of learning, Master Jiang introduced me to work at Taifeng Building. I started as a handyman, and it became a decent job to make a living from. Regular children grow up, but since I didn't fail in Crossing Tribulation, I didn't grow. Mrs. Qin explained to everyone that I had a strange illness, making it hard for me to grow up."

"Later, Master Chen found Zhao Cheng'an, who also had a similar strange illness, making my condition more believable."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

"And then, Mrs. Qin became pregnant with her last child."

"The Jiang Family house wasn't big, and living space was tight. By that time, I had an income, so I moved out. Even after I moved, Mrs. Qin still cared for me. She worried I only knew how to make snacks and not real food. When the food at Taifeng Building wasn't good for the regular workers, she'd often bring me food. During the holidays, she'd invite me to dine at the Jiang Family, always leaving a set of dishes and chopsticks for me at the family dinner table."

"Every time Mrs. Qin brought me food at Taifeng Building, she'd always give me an extra egg."

"She told me not to be so solitary, not to always remain silent, to talk more with others, not to overly care for Wei Ze, Wei Jin, and Wei Ming, since they seemed older than me and didn't need my care."

"She would patiently listen to me talk about what Boss Lu said and the little conflicts between colleagues, then guide me on how to deal with them, explaining how they thought and that they didn't actually mean any harm but everyone had their own perspective."

Zhao Cheng'an was surprised to hear this: "What? You actually listened to their gossip. I thought you were like me, only caring about what to eat every day."

Qin Huai: "…That's why back then you were known as the famous fool in Taifeng Building, and I wasn't."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

"Qin Huai, since you woke up, your words have become even harsher!"

"Before, at Taifeng Building, you just seemed aloof and uninterested. Now you talk more and it's harsh."

Qin Huai ignored Zhao Cheng'an and continued, "Mrs. Qin was truly a good person. Back then, I thought what my predecessors taught was wrong. Being a good person was actually quite nice. I wanted to be like Mrs. Qin. I wouldn't blindly fulfill everyone's wishes, but I believed in offering a helping hand when they needed it, just like Mrs. Qin said."

"Sadly, good people don't live long."

"Mrs. Qin suffered from a difficult childbirth with Wei Guo, experiencing massive hemorrhage and weakening her vitality as well as her core. From then on, her health was poor, no matter how much medicinal decoctions or supplements she took. She couldn't overwork herself, couldn't catch cold winds, and didn't even have the strength to knead dough."

"She was always lying down, only going outside to enjoy the sun when the weather was exceptionally good."

"I especially wished for Mrs. Qin's health to improve. I begged her to make a wish to me, so she could be healthy. As long as she made that wish, she would be healthy, but Mrs. Qin wouldn't."

"She said she couldn't."

"She still didn't understand what a spirit was, didn't know how I could succeed in Crossing Tribulation. But she felt such irrational wishes would harm me, and she didn't want that."

"She said I was her child. She loved her birth children and also loved me. She hoped all her children would be safe and happy, including me."

Qin Huai paused, eyes glistening with tears, and continued, "And then Mrs. Qin passed away from illness."