Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Chapter 1327 1327: Shi Dadan's Secret and the New Year's Eve Dinner (Part 2)

On the contrary, Qin Huai took the initiative to start the conversation.

Just now, Lin Xiaohong mentioned that when Shi Dadan was young, he often traveled everywhere. Qin Huai knew about this, as Shi Dadan had also told him before. Back then, Shi Dadan was looking for Qin Huai, and at that time he hadn't successfully crossed his tribulation. He didn't know where Qin Huai would reincarnate, so he wandered aimlessly, searching everywhere.

Later, it was because Cao Guixiang had to move to the city, and the restaurant had to shut down, forcing them to have a breakup meal. An inexplicable surge allowed Shi Dadan to successfully cross his tribulation and awaken, which made him give up his search.

"Old Shi told me that when he was young, he had been to many places, even abroad. He couldn't sit still. It was only after he got married to Sister Xiao Hong and had children that he stopped traveling as much," Qin Huai said with a smile. "Actually, I feel a little embarrassed. Old Shi spent most of last year in Shan City discussing cooperation with me and didn't have time to be at home with you and the two kids."

Lin Xiaohong waved her hand, saying, "I'm used to it. My Old Shi has always been like this, restless, going out every year and staying away for months. I understand, it's business; especially in our aquaculture business, we need to go out to learn technology and expand operations."

"I've been taking care of our two kids all these years because Old Shi doesn't really take charge, nor could he manage anyway."

Qin Huai was stunned.

Shi Dadan goes out every year for months? How did he not know this? He always thought that before awakening, Shi Dadan traveled everywhere searching for him, and after successfully crossing the tribulation, stayed in the city enjoying a leisurely retired life, occasionally going fishing at sea.

Qin Huai tentatively asked, "Does Old Shi go out often?"

"Yes, Master Qin, you don't know this, but during the first few years when Old Shi and I were dating, he often went out. My family didn't agree with our relationship back then. They felt that although Old Shi had some money, he was unreliable, and inexplicably liked keeping a scraggly beard covering his face, which was aesthetically unpleasing."

"I remember when Old Shi first came to my house, and I asked him to shave his beard, he refused no matter what, which ended up scaring my little niece to tears."

Qin Huai was stunned again.

"Old Shi kept a scraggly beard when he was young?"

"Yes!" As she spoke of this, Lin Xiaohong became animated, wishing to talk to Qin Huai for three days and nights, "Nowadays, not many people keep such beards. Back then, there were people who kept them, but they were middle-aged. And Old Shi was so young then, which young person would like to keep such a beard? At twenty, he looked like he was forty."

"But my Old Shi has always been like that; when he was in his teens, he wanted people to call him Old Shi. In his twenties, he liked to keep a scraggly beard, pretending to be forty. Eventually, when he got just a bit older, he stopped keeping it altogether, saying a clean shave made him look youthful. Isn't that strange?"

Qin Huai felt his brain buzzing. He barely listened to the specifics of what Lin Xiaohong was saying. Instead, he asked, "When Old Shi kept the beard, did he especially like wearing a black woolen hat?"

"How did you know, Master Qin? Oh, Old Shi must have told you, right? I knitted that hat for him. At the time, I had just started dating Old Shi. I originally wanted to knit a sweater for him but didn't know how. So, I decided to knit a hat instead since I couldn't manage anything else."

"Since I was not skilled at knitting, the hat turned out ugly and thick, but my Old Shi loved it. He wore it every day, even in the summer. But in our area, there's not much difference between summer and winter, it's hot all year round. Old Shi would wear it, sweating buckets, but he loved it. Every time he traveled far, he would put on that hat."

"Back then, I felt that although my Old Shi was a bit strange, he was really quite good."

Qin Huai was completely dumbfounded.

Normal people don't remember things from their childhood, not to mention things from when they were babbling toddlers. Even memories from kindergarten days can be sparse.

But Qin Huai wasn't normal; to be precise, he wasn't human.

At the moment he awakened, he not only recalled memories from several past lives but also remembered those from this lifetime, from a very young age. Theoretically, he should have forgotten those, but in actuality, he had always remembered.

Director Qin had mentioned that Qin Huai was a difficult child to manage when he was young. Staff at the orphanage and volunteers would cry when they had to hold him. Only Director Qin and a volunteer who frequented the place could hold Qin Huai.

Regarding that volunteer, Director Qin didn't remember much, as after all, it was over twenty years ago. Even for adults, it is hard to have any deep impression of someone they interacted with briefly over twenty years ago.

Qin Huai now had an impression.

He remembered that volunteer—scraggly beard, often wearing an ugly black woolen hat—holding him from initially being flustered, to becoming adept.

This volunteer often fed him, clumsily sang to him, told him stories, and wouldn't come often but would appear every few months and work for about half a month when there.

This volunteer worked at the orphanage until Qin Huai was about to enter elementary school and then disappeared altogether.

Qin Huai always thought he was just an ordinary kind person.

He was actually…

"Sister Xiao Hong, you just said that Old Shi didn't really take care of the kids, so did he care for your two kids when they were little?" Qin Huai asked.

"Yes, Old Shi didn't bother much when the kids grew older, but when they were young, he was very involved. Holding the kids, coaxing them, changing diapers, feeding. My Old Shi seemed to come by these skills naturally, and I used to joke with him, saying that people might presume he secretly had a child without telling me."

"But it makes sense that Old Shi would know these things. Although he doesn't talk much, he is fairly responsible. With younger siblings in his family, he probably helped out a lot with them when he was younger."

Qin Huai took a deep breath, saying, "Sister Xiao Hong, when I make snacks, I like to hear some fun stories. Are there more fun stories about Old Shi that you can share with me? I promise not to tell Old Shi."

Lin Xiaohong happily said, "Oh, there are plenty, Master Qin, let me tell you all about them."