Stories always come to an end, and so do restaurants. When the storyteller's story came to an end, it was already night outside, and the restaurant was about to close for the day. The owner of the restaurant, who had made a lot of money, was in a good mood today. He asked the cook to prepare a special meal, and called the waiter and his nephew to the table for a good meal. This made the inexperienced child overjoyed. However, he was a little scholar who had studied in a private school. When he ate, he sat upright and still. No matter how greedy he was, he did not move his chopsticks quickly. On the table, there were fish and meat that could only be eaten during festivals, so the child did not dare to eat too much. However, the owner of the restaurant smiled and helped the child to fill his bowl. The child was a little embarrassed and looked timidly at his uncle. The waiter smiled and said, "Eat as much as you want. Your grandpa is a great philanthropist in town and is very generous." The child smiled shyly at the owner, and the old man laughed. He poured a cup of wine for himself and the waiter, and pointed to the second floor with his chopsticks. He told the well-behaved child to come to the restaurant often in the future. The next time you listen to a storyteller, grandpa will help you find a seat next to the railings on the second floor. The old man drank a cup of wine with the waiter and joked, "This child is not like you, honest and likable." The waiter proudly said, "That's right. His personality is like my brother's, and he is very lucky. He is good at studying, and may become a scholar in the future." The child seriously retorted, "The teacher said that it would be good if I could pass the exam and become a scholar." The old man who revered scholars the most all his life rubbed the child's head and sighed, "The county examination, the provincial examination, and the academy examination are all obstacles. Grandpa Shopkeeper will leave you with these words. In the future, every time you pass a test, our restaurant will give you a big red packet. If by any chance you pass the examination, whether you are a scholar or a scholar, don't forget to write a plaque for our restaurant and give Grandpa Shopkeeper face." The child nodded vigorously and happily said to the old man, "Uncle bought me a lot of paper and pens, but I can't bear to use them now. I still practice writing by dipping a branch in the water by the village stream like before. When I graze the cows, I will also draw on the ground. The teacher said that the clumsy bird flies first, and hard work can make up for it. There will be a time when I can write good words, and then I will write a big plaque for grandpa the owner." Probably because it was rare to drink wine, the waiter's uncle joked, "Studying is good, and it will be easy for you to kidnap a wife back home in the future." The nephew, who secretly liked a girl of the same age in the village, immediately blushed and glared at the uncle. The waiter surnamed Wen and the manager of the restaurant looked at each other and smiled.
After the meal, he asked his nephew to go home first. He still had to help clean up the restaurant. He would meet them at the bridge in town later.
The manager of the restaurant looked at the young man who was busy cleaning up the dishes. He drank some wine and said in a slightly drunk tone, "When I took you in, I really didn't expect that there would be such a day. At that time, I just felt that you were pitiful. I thought that if you weren't forced into a dead end, you wouldn't have come to this small place of mine to eat and wait for death. Who would have thought that you would help the restaurant make a lot of money. To be honest, this year, the restaurant has made more money than the previous ten years. "
The young man raised his head and smiled, "Good people will be rewarded, shopkeeper."
The old man smiled and asked, "Should be?"
The young man wondered, "Shouldn't it be?"
The old man sighed, "Good people will be rewarded. A child like your nephew is willing to believe it, but an old man like me doesn't dare to believe it."
The old man looked directly at the diligent waiter, "The guests who come here to drink, eat, and listen to books all think that you have no temper, but I don't think so, I always think that you …"
The young man joked, "Shopkeeper, you want to say that I have no future, right?"
The old man laughed and scolded, "Nonsense, I really don't know why your wife likes you!"
The young man pointed at his face and said with a smile, "My parents gave birth to me to be handsome, shopkeeper, you really can't be envious."
The old man waved his hand, "I won't talk nonsense with you, I want to talk to you about something serious today."
The young man stopped smiling and stood beside the table with his hands behind his back, "Shopkeeper, if there's anything, just say it. I, Wen Hua, have no future, but I remember who is good to me. I don't dare to say that I will repay the kindness of a drop of water, and I don't have the ability to return the favor, but I have to return the favor. Even if I can't repay it all once, I, Wen Hua, will repay it all in my life. So, shopkeeper, don't be polite with me. Shopkeeper, if you weren't willing to take me in, I might be chopping firewood or burning charcoal somewhere, or working as a part-time worker for some family. Not to mention marrying a wife, I can barely support myself and not starve to death. Even saving money to buy a pen and paper for my nephew would be difficult. "
The old man smiled and raised his head to stare at the young man with sincere eyes. He put down the wine cup in his hand, "Most of the restaurant's business can be handled by you alone. As a shopkeeper, I am very idle every day, so I have heard the stories of the Jianghu that the storyteller told me, or the stories of scholars and beauties, and the strange tales of wild foxes. I have heard some of them, but there are a few sentences that I have remembered in my heart. There is a sentence that probably no one cares about, but I am very concerned about it. It's called 'It's hard to be honest since ancient times'. The more I think about it, the more I find this to be the truth. So, later on, I am relieved to let you handle the business of this restaurant. At first, I was actually not without concerns, and I did intend to see if you would keep some for yourself. After all, the big business in the world is accumulated piece by piece. But I was very surprised that you didn't take a single copper coin from the beginning to the end. The account books are clear, and the account books are also clean. This is not easy. Wine reddens one's face, and wealth moves one's heart. This is human nature. So, you are a honest person. "
The young man said in a deep voice, "Shopkeeper, you are treating me as an outsider. I, Wen Hua, can live a stable life today because of the shopkeeper's kindness. If I go against my conscience and secretly take money from the restaurant, I, Wen Hua, am really not a good person. I can't do this kind of thing! "
The old man nodded, "As you know, I'm not young anymore. My whole life, I've always wanted to buy a big house in the county city for my retirement. It just so happens that my two pairs of daughter and son-in-law are both making a living there. Although there's an old saying that a married daughter is like spilled water, there's no parents in the world who don't care about their children. My two daughters are married off carelessly and it's not easy for them to live in the county city. That's why I'm thinking of letting them live a better life without renting a house and living under someone else's roof. As for me, I was willing but unable to do so in the past. The three to four hundred taels of silver that I've saved up are still passable in the county city, but it's not enough in the county city where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. This year, thanks to you, Wen Hua, I've doubled my savings and have about eight hundred taels of silver. As long as it's not a place where the rich and powerful like Green Rabbit Alley or Children's Alley, it's more or less enough to buy a decent house.
The waiter was stunned and said with a wry smile, "Old shopkeeper, I can't afford such a big restaurant even if I sell everything I have."
The old man said with a smile, "This restaurant used to be worth about one hundred and eighty taels of silver. Now, it is different from the past. It should be valued at three or four hundred taels of silver. You know this in your heart, and of course, I know it better. As for how much savings you have, I know it better. So, I thought of a compromise. The restaurant will be converted to three hundred taels of silver. You don't have to rush to pay this money. Just don't forget about the dividends in the future. But, let me say the ugly words first. After paying off the three hundred taels of silver, if the restaurant still makes money in the future, I, as an old shopkeeper, still want you to be filial to me every year. As for the specific amount, I won't force you. You can do as you see fit. In short, take care of your family first. "
The young man wanted to say something but stopped.
The old man waved his hand to signal the young man to sit down, "Don't feel like you owe me. I am very smart. I know that you will definitely make the restaurant business bigger and bigger in the future. With your kindness, how can the dividends be small every year? I can lie in the big house in the county city and enjoy life. I can get a sum of silver every year for free and make a fortune. "
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