novelraw Chapter 82 : Uncle
Chapter 82 : Uncle
Chapter 82: Uncle
Looking at the dishes—none of which he had ordered—just as Zhang Wenda suspected he'd stumbled into a rip-off joint, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
"Don’t stop, bring them all out. I ordered these. Tell the cook in the back to stir-fry a copy of the menu."
Zhang Wenda turned around and saw a familiar pair of frog-shaped sunglasses.
He stared in surprise at the trendy youth decked out in flared pants, a jacket, and leather shoes. From the beeper at his waist to the hairy black mole at the corner of his mouth, who else could it be but his uncle, who had eaten the Fruit of Face?
He never expected to see him again in this strange world.
"Uncle?" Before Zhang Wenda could speak, a large hand reached out and tousled his hair into a mess.
"You little rascal, why aren’t you at home? If I didn’t have connections and face, I wouldn’t have found you." The youth sat down unceremoniously, picked up chopsticks, and began eating.
"I had something to take care of," Zhang Wenda replied, his expression slightly awkward.
The youth seemed totally carefree, not thinking much of it. Whatever Zhang Wenda said, he simply believed it.
"Makes sense. Gotta eat out now and then to improve the diet. Borrowing money to eat meat isn’t a big deal. How’s everything at home?"
"All good."
"That’s great." The youth chewed with gusto, but he didn’t swallow. Instead, he unbuttoned his jacket and pulled out a rubber tube attached to his stomach.
Then he leaned toward the tube and spat the chewed meat and food slurry into it. The tube, acting as his esophagus, delivered the food into his stomach.
Zhang Wenda was already used to this sight. Apparently, his uncle’s esophagus had been damaged somehow, so he used the tube in his stomach to eat.
"You’ve got a cat now? That’s good. Having a cat to talk to keeps you from going all day without saying a word." The youth accepted a bowl of tofu soup from the waiter and poured it directly into the tube.
With someone treating him, Zhang Wenda wasn’t about to let the free food go to waste. He grabbed dishes alongside the cats and asked, "Uncle, what business are you in these days?"
"The country next door collapsed. I’ve been running trade over there with a few buddies. It’s not a business just anyone can do—you need connections and face. And guess what? I’ve got both!"
Zhang Wenda knew he was bragging. He understood his own family. Whatever his uncle said, take it with a grain of salt—or a whole sack.
Watching his uncle ramble on effortlessly, Zhang Wenda felt a twinge of envy. He really was living freely. In his past life, he’d burdened his uncle with unnecessary responsibilities.
Now that he had the means, he swore never to drag down those who looked out for him. Like the Rabbit, or his uncle.
Since becoming a corporate drone, he hadn’t seen his uncle in a long time. Half a year ago, his bachelor uncle said he was heading to Dali in Yunnan to seek poetry and distant lands. Who knew if he’d ever found them?
Seeing him still full of vigor, Zhang Wenda knew this time his uncle could truly enjoy his wild, brilliant life.
"Uncle, go on and do your thing. Just remember, we agreed—when you’re old, I’ll take care of you." Zhang Wenda smiled.
"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? You think I need your support? When I’m old, I’ll have a bunch of sons!"
"Heh, let’s hope so."
After some casual chitchat, Zhang Wenda glanced at his tube-fed uncle and was struck by a thought. "By the way, Uncle, do you know much about Grandpa’s past?"
Finally meeting a family member, he was eager to learn about his grandfather’s story.
"What’s your Grandpa got to do with me? I’m your maternal grandpa’s youngest son." The youth looked puzzled.
"I know, but didn’t my maternal grandpa and my paternal grandpa have a close relationship when they were young?
I remember they were so tight they shared the same pair of pants."
The youth waved his chopsticks frantically. "No, you got it wrong. It’s not that they were close and shared pants—they were poor and shared one pair of pants. They took turns wearing them when going out."
"Whatever the reason, if they were that close, then you should know something about Grandpa’s past, right?"
"Your Grandpa?" The youth pondered. "I heard he worked at a factory, but he didn’t come home much, maybe once a year."
Hearing that, Zhang Wenda was even more convinced of his earlier suspicion—it seemed Grandpa really had been a member of the Third Front Unit.
"Do you know which factory he worked at?"
"How would I know that? Aiya, let’s not talk about that. Eat, eat!" The youth pushed a plate of chicken toward Zhang Wenda.
Zhang Wenda had hoped to get more information, but he came up mostly empty-handed.
Clearly, even if his Grandpa had been with the Third Front Unit, he’d kept it well hidden from others.
By the end of the meal, both Zhang Wenda and the cats were thoroughly stuffed. It had been a proper feast.
The youth picked his teeth as he led Zhang Wenda out of the restaurant. "I’ve got things to do, so I won’t visit your place. Say hi to my sister for me."
"Mm, will do!"
He didn’t leave immediately but paused, then asked, "So… nothing you want to say to me?"
"If anything happens, remember to find your uncle. Your uncle’s got connections."
Zhang Wenda chuckled and shook his head. "Really, nothing. Go take care of your business."
"Alright then, remember this—if anything happens, find a teacher. A teacher won’t hurt you. Oh, and your uncle’s got connections at the Youth Center too. If anything comes up, look for a rabbit-head. He’ll help you."
Zhang Wenda was startled. His uncle knew Teacher Rabbit?
"You brat, did you hear me? You’re still a kid. If something happens, it’s better to find an adult than to rack your brains alone. Got it?"
"Got it."
With a heartfelt tone, the youth fished a ten-yuan note from his pocket and stuffed it into Zhang Wenda’s hand. "Here, belated New Year’s money."
Without waiting for thanks, he dashed off—just like all their previous encounters.
Song Jianguo snatched the ten yuan and held it up to the sun. "Wow! I wish I had such a generous uncle!"
"Go recover your memories. Then you’ll know where your uncle is."
Zhang Wenda snatched it back. Staring at the wrinkled bill, he sighed deeply. His uncle had saved him at a critical moment. With this money, he could at least buy lollipops freely.
He looked in the direction his uncle had gone, sensing something odd about him today. But then again, in this world, maybe nothing was normal anymore.
"Oh right! I haven’t bought the candy yet!" Seeing the sun sinking westward, Zhang Wenda quickly dragged Song Jianguo toward the supply-and-marketing cooperative.
Rushing and scrambling, Zhang Wenda managed to buy three limited-edition lollipops just before the shop closed.
As he stepped out, relieved he wouldn’t have to suffer today, a renewed 2826 stood before him. "I’m here. Where are we going?"