Chapter 186: Life is Full of Surprises

The next morning.

Considering that Long San and Long Si’s gunshot wounds hadn’t fully healed, it was decided that Long Yi and Long Er would accompany Xu Shaochen back to his Hometown.

Long Yi drove the car while Long Er sat in the front passenger seat. Xu Shaochen and Song Xinran sat in the back, and the trunk was full of gifts for the village.

Xu Family Village is located in Haiwen County, Jiangzhou, one of the most remote Eighteenth-tier counties in Jiangzhou.

It takes more than three hours of highway driving from Jiangzhou City to reach Haiwen County, followed by another half-hour on the national road to reach Nanshan Town. From the town, it’s over an hour’s drive on rural roads to Xu Family Village.

They departed from Jiangzhou at eight in the morning and arrived in Haiwen County around eleven.

It was lunchtime, so Xu Shaochen asked Long Yi to park the car in front of a small restaurant in the town.

Haiwen County is small, and since Xu Shaochen had attended high school here for three years, he was fairly familiar with the area.

But as far as Xu Shaochen could remember, this street didn’t have this restaurant before, so it was clearly a new establishment.

This type of small-town shop usually has only six or seven tables, but it looked clean and tidy, with wallpaper specially applied on the walls.

“Boss, are you there?”

Xu Shaochen shouted at the top of his lungs. These small restaurants are usually family-run, and when there are no customers, the owner is often in the kitchen preparing ingredients.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming right away!”

A clear male voice responded, making Xu Shaochen pause. Why did the voice sound so familiar?

“Sorry to keep you waiting, folks… Xu Shaochen!”

A young man, wearing an apron, walked out from the kitchen while apologizing. The moment he saw Xu Shaochen, he froze.

“Wan Liang! Long time no see! What are you doing opening a shop here?”

Xu Shaochen smiled and embraced the young man with some surprise.

Wan Liang is from Nanshan Town. Back when Xu Shaochen was in middle school there, they were classmates and fairly close friends.

However, since Xu Shaochen had good grades, he was admitted to the best high school in the county. Wan Liang attended a regular high school, and as their school schedules differed, they gradually lost touch.

Xu Shaochen only knew that Wan Liang didn’t get into college, but he didn’t expect him to open a restaurant in the county.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time. I’m married now. My family supported me and my wife in opening this restaurant, and we’re making a living out of it.”

Wan Liang looked pleased, but he also noticed Xu Shaochen’s attire and the presence of Song Xinran, Long Yi, and Long Er.

It was clear at a glance that Xu Shaochen had changed a lot from before, which made Wan Liang feel somewhat inferior.

“Damn, you’re married? Where’s your wife? Won’t you let me meet her?”

Xu Shaochen wasn’t particularly surprised. In this remote and impoverished area, those who fail the college entrance exam either go to work or get married and settle down in their hometown.

Although Wan Liang hadn’t reached the legal age for marriage, in a small place like Nanshan Town, such matters are often ignored. They hold the wedding banquet first and get the marriage certificate when they reach the required age.

“Dear, our old classmate is here. Come out for a moment.”

Wan Liang called out toward the kitchen.

Xu Shaochen was a bit stunned. From the sound of it, Wan Liang had married a former classmate from middle school?

“Who is it?”

Before she even appeared, a woman’s voice could be heard. The next moment, a medium-built, good-looking woman walked out, wiping her hands with a towel. When she saw Xu Shaochen, she hesitantly said, “Xu… Xu Shaochen?”

Xu Shaochen had undergone significant changes—both in age and in terms of his appearance and demeanor—and recognizing him was no easy feat.

“Luo Juan? I didn’t see this coming. How did you and Wan Liang end up together?”

Xu Shaochen felt that life was indeed full of surprises. Back in school, Wan Liang often bullied Luo Juan, and her father even came to the school and gave Wan Liang a good beating for it.

Thinking about it now, it seemed it was just a small price to pay for marrying his wife.

Luo Juan blushed and smiled without saying anything. She wouldn’t be so shy around a stranger, but in front of an old classmate, she couldn’t help but be a little bashful.

Wan Liang, however, laughed and said, “My family set us up. A girl changes a lot as she grows up. I fell for her at first sight. Alright, enough chatter. What would you like to eat? It’s on me today. I’ll join you for a chat later.”

“You sly dog! So it was Luo Juan’s looks that caught your eye, huh? She got more and more beautiful, and you bagged her.” Xu Shaochen joked with a laugh.

“Yes, yes, let’s order first. Wan Liang learned how to cook from his dad, so his skills should be quite good.” Luo Juan said with a smile as she busied herself pouring tea and serving water.

Xu Shaochen didn’t doubt it. Wan Liang’s father was the head chef in town. Anytime there was a local wedding or funeral, he would be asked to be in charge of the cooking. Wan Liang must have picked up some of his father’s skills.

“Your classmate? Why haven’t I seen him before?”

After they sat down, with Wan Liang and Luo Juan returning to the kitchen to cook, Song Xinran curiously asked.

She’s Xu Shaochen’s neighbor and knows most of his classmates, but she had no memory of this one.

“Middle school classmate. It’s been so many years; if you’ve seen him, you probably forgot.” Xu Shaochen casually replied, but in his heart, he couldn’t help but wonder how his old middle school classmates were doing these days.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Luo Juan and Wan Liang were discussing Xu Shaochen.

“Wan Liang, Xu Shaochen seems to be doing well now. Just look at his clothes, and that woman with him is stunning.” Luo Juan remarked as she chopped garlic.

Wan Liang’s expression was a mix of emotions. He sighed and said, “Yeah, he’s doing well. He had the best grades in our class. It would be strange if he didn’t succeed. But as for you, you’ve had it rough marrying me.”

Seeing Xu Shaochen again stirred up feelings of inferiority and guilt in Wan Liang.

Just look at the woman Xu Shaochen is with—dressed in designer clothes, full of energy, and obviously well taken care of.

And then look at his own wife—ever since they married, she’s been living a mundane life, helping out in the kitchen day after day.

“Smack!”

The next moment, Luo Juan slapped Wan Liang on the head and snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? Which eye of yours sees me suffering by your side? You’re being silly again. Hurry up and cook; Xu Shaochen and the others are waiting.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll cook right away. Dear, I’ll make sure you’ll live a good life.” Wan Liang laughed, and suddenly, he wasn’t so envious of Xu Shaochen’s success anymore.

Luo Juan rolled her eyes and responded with a single word: “Scram.”

“Do you think, now that he’s doing well, we can ask him for help with that issue at the shop?” Luo Juan suddenly asked, as an idea crossed her mind.

Wan Liang was startled, and after a moment, he shook his head and said, “Forget it. Let’s not trouble him. Besides, even though he’s doing well, it’s in a big city like Jiangzhou. In this small place like Haiwen County, he might not know more people than we do.”

Hearing this, Luo Juan didn’t bring it up again.