Farewell Banquet

When the morning shift ended, Xu Bin heard they were giving Liu Xin a farewell party. He left Zuo Chengjiang behind to mind the counter and followed Tang Yiyi to Qin's Place.

The hotpot was set up on the terrace; the sky was overcast, wind rustled, and the space was wide and airy. When the two arrived, preparations were underway. Uncle Chen was in the kitchen frying the soup base, Liu Xin was washing vegetables, Qin Baike was slicing ingredients, and little Xie was pouting as she carried plates of food to the table.

Tang Yiyi went to help serve the dishes. "Little Xie, what's wrong?"

Little Xie looked at her with grievance, "Yiyi, the boss won't let me eat chocolate. He confiscated it."

"Ah? Is he worried you'll gain even more weight?"

"Yes, I'm 145 pounds now."

"Uh!"

"The boss said I've gained twenty pounds in the last two months, my height hasn't changed, only my body. He wants me to exercise with him."

"Five more pounds and you'll hit 150?"

"He said, round it up."

"Pfft! That's rounding a bit much, isn't it? But little Xie, you really have put on some weight. Exercising is good for you. Also, clothes don't look as nice when you're heavier."

"Exactly, Yiyi, you're right. But not letting me eat chocolate still makes me sad."

"Don't be sad, when you slim down, you can eat it again, like me."

Little Xie was finally convinced and cheered up.

With the food ready and Uncle Chen's soup base done, the pot was brought over and placed on the induction cooker. As everyone sat down, Er Tong burst out of the house, laughing wildly. He stood before them, pointing at his phone with his right hand, nearly delirious with laughter.

Xu Bin snatched the phone, which showed the King of Noodles competition page. Tang Yiyi and little Xie reached over to see. "Ninth place!" Xu Bin exclaimed.

Er Tong stopped laughing but stood, legs twitching with pride. "How about that! As soon as Brother Zhan makes a move, ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Brother Zhan," little Xie said happily, "you're in the top ten, you don't have to eat that giant bowl anymore!" The group laughed again, but Qin Baike merely smiled indifferently.

Er Tong swaggered over to sit next to Qin Baike, his every step a twitch. "Baike, am I impressive or what? And that's just from posting little Xie's video, the third clip isn't even up yet. See, this is real talent. Lots of people like little Xie now."

"So what? All she can do is eat. That's it."

"If you want her to learn more, she has to want to learn." Er Tong turned to little Xie. "What do you want to learn?"

Little Xie remained confused. "I don't know."

"There, see?" Er Tong spread his hands. "She's muddled herself, Baike, don't worry so much. Take it step by step; a born country girl is bound to have talent. Right, little Xie?" He winked at her.

Little Xie nodded. "Boss, don't worry. I'll definitely support myself in the future. Now I'll listen to you, I'll lose weight, and I promise not to exceed 150 pounds."

Qin Baike was amused by the two. "Alright, today is Liu Xin's farewell. He's the star. Let's all have some wine—except you, Tang Yiyi," he pointed, "you drink juice." Then to little Xie and Er Tong, "You two drink water."

Little Xie hurried to open beers for everyone, and Tang Yiyi got her own drink.

Er Tong protested, "Why am I treated the same as little Xie? Am I underage, too?"

Qin Baike gave him a cold look. "What do you think?"

"Heh, my stomach just recovered. I'll drink water."

Once drinks were poured, Qin Baike raised his glass. "We're all here today. The first toast is to congratulate Liu Xin on finding a job he likes and suits him. Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses to Liu Xin. "Congratulations!"

Liu Xin was so moved his hand shook as he raised his glass. His face flushed, he tried to speak but couldn't; his lips quivered twice, and he managed to say, "Thank you," before draining his glass in one gulp.

Qin Baike patted his shoulder. "Take it slow, don't rush."

After the first toast, everyone began eating. Uncle Chen’s hotpot broth was as good as any restaurant, Tang Yiyi knew well—whenever she ate with Qin Baike, the food was never disappointing.

Little Xie ate gleefully, her earlier vow to diet banished to some distant galaxy. Xu Bin, having grown up with these flavors, reveled in them—otherwise he wouldn’t have tagged along.

Er Tong was perhaps the least moved by the food; he ate a couple bites, then put down his chopsticks and turned to Liu Xin. "This won't do. In a workplace, if you can't speak clearly, you'll lose your voice, lose influence, lose existence."

Liu Xin listened blankly.

"To climb up, besides skill, eloquence is a huge advantage. You're so reserved, you think you're some mysterious oil lamp—full of astonishing talent and immortal longevity, with a fanbase to boot."

"I like the mysterious oil lamp, I think he's really cool," little Xie chimed in.

Er Tong immediately turned his fire on her, "You chubby country girl, you don’t study your textbooks properly, but you've read plenty of leisure books. Is your family test going to cover tomb raiding?" Little Xie was scolded into silence.

Er Tong continued with Liu Xin, "Eloquence is just beginner-level in the workplace. You need to practice speaking off the cuff for at least ten minutes, and have substance."

"Er Tong," Tang Yiyi asked, "How do you know so much about office life?"

"I spent three years in a big company after college—plenty of insight."

"Why'd you leave?"

"Not free," Er Tong tossed his head with flair.

Xu Bin chuckled, "Couldn't stand it, right?"

"You want me to film your MTV?"

"Must've been for freedom," Xu Bin said seriously. "Big companies are advanced, but only by sacrificing personal freedom, right, Brother Zhan?"

"Exactly, spot on," Er Tong nodded in satisfaction.

Qin Baike turned to Liu Xin. "Your Brother Zhan might be a bit extreme, but he's not entirely wrong. Your shy personality will make things tough outside. You should be more outgoing."

Tang Yiyi said, "I'll teach you a trick. Do you sing off-key?"

"Not... really," Liu Xin replied. "I don't."

"Good. Go to the riverbank and sing out loud every day. As long as you dare to open your mouth, it'll cure shyness."

Er Tong scoffed, "Where'd you learn that country girl skill?"

"I jog every day and met a handsome guy who sang at the riverbank. When asked why, he said he was training his courage. Next, he planned to ask a hundred strangers for a hug." Tang Yiyi asked Liu Xin, "Would you dare ask a hundred strangers for a hug?"

Liu Xin opened his mouth, then bit his lip and lowered his head.

"It's easy," little Xie said. "A hundred hugs from strangers, I could finish in half an hour. Here, Xin, I'll give you the first hug."

Little Xie ran over, pulled Liu Xin up, and hugged him around the waist. She barely reached his earlobe, but her frame was much wider. Her chubby body enveloped the slender Liu Xin, who was completely stunned.

It was his first hug since growing up. His hands hovered, not daring to touch little Xie, until Uncle Chen reached over, pulled his hand down onto her back, and said, "When you hug, use strength."

Liu Xin did as told, hugging little Xie tightly. She patted his back, "See, it's not hard." She released him, "Xin, whenever you talk to anyone, pretend you're talking to me. You'll speak clearly then." Liu Xin smiled and nodded.

Uncle Chen said, "If only these two kids' personalities could be combined."

Er Tong declared, "I'm exactly their combination. Perfect!"

After more eating and drinking, Qin Baike raised his glass again. "Besides Liu Xin's farewell, we're also welcoming Er Tong to work at Qin's Place. Even if it's just a few days, we must give him a proper welcome."

Er Tong said, "Baike, how about you open a branch for me to manage? I'm way more qualified than Liu Xin. At least make me management."

"If you do well at the basics, I'll open a branch for you."

"Deal, but don't get jealous if I make the branch outperform your main store."

Qin Baike seemed to consider it seriously. "You know, opening a branch might actually be worth considering."

"Absolutely," Er Tong nodded.

When everyone was nearly full, Xu Bin suddenly stood up. "I have a proposal. Today’s main character is Liu Xin, so we must do one last thing for him. We'll have a final toast, then give him a 'hug time'—Liu Xin hugs each of us in turn and says something loud enough for everyone to hear. How about it?"

Liu Xin raised his head, his face flushed, not from the wine but from emotion. Xu Bin asked, "Do you dare? A hundred hugs, not necessarily from strangers. If you finish, your courage in dealing with people will be built."

Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, Liu Xin nodded. "Alright. A hundred hugs—little Xie's was the first, she broke the ice. I'll do the rest myself."

He stood, first hugging Uncle Chen tightly. "Uncle Chen, thank you. These two years at Qin's Place, you've always treated me like family, and I felt so warm."

Next was Er Tong. Liu Xin hugged him, and Er Tong squirmed, "Brother Zhan, you showed me there's always someone better out there. Will you teach me Photoshop?"

"Let go and I'll teach you."

Liu Xin loosened slightly, then hugged tighter again. "Not until you promise."

"Heh, haven't learned much else, but you've mastered stubbornness."

"Promise?"

"Fine, fine, I promise. But no more 'Brother Zhan,' call me 'teacher.'"

"Alright, teacher."

Liu Xin moved to Tang Yiyi, hesitated, then gently hugged her. "Thank you, Yiyi. After you cured my acne, a girl said I was handsome."

Little Xie cackled at that, and even Er Tong didn't mock her laughter.

Liu Xin approached little Xie, rubbed her head. "My mom only had me, but now I have a little sister like you. If I do well in the future, I'll bring you along."

Little Xie replied crisply, "Okay."

Liu Xin hugged Xu Bin tightly. "Brother Bin, thank you for the past two years helping find medicine for my mom. If not for you and Uncle Xu, her recovery wouldn't be so good. I know Chinese medicine prices have shot up, but Uncle Xu always managed to get affordable prescriptions. Thank you."

Xu Bin patted his back. "You're talented, just lacked confidence because of family troubles. But now it's all better—the compensation for your father's accident has come, your mom's illness is stable, the hardest times are over. Work hard, don't let Baike down."

"I will."

Finally, Liu Xin faced Qin Baike, rubbing his hands on his pants. "Brother," just that word, his voice already choked, "I..." Before he could speak, tears burst out, and Qin Baike pulled him into his arms. Liu Xin pressed his head to Qin Baike's shoulder and sobbed.

"Brother, without your two bowls of noodles two years ago, I wouldn't be where I am today. My family wouldn't have made it through, and I wouldn't have had a college life. Brother, Qin's Place is my home. Wherever I go, this is my home."

The words he had buried deep finally came out in his wailing sobs.

He hadn't realized how deep his feelings for Qin's Place went, but Qin Baike had long known. The two characters for 'Qin's Place' stitched onto his work uniform sat over his left chest—right where the heart is.

This young man had carried too heavy a load, and now he could finally catch his breath.

Little Xie wiped her tears at the side, Er Tong turned his face away, muttering, "Annoying, makes me feel bad too," and casually wiped his eyes.

At that moment, Tang Yiyi was overwhelmed.

Two years ago, that lost teenager had walked from the riverbank to Qin's Place, intending to eat his last meal, to die full. Qin Baike hadn't just handed him noodles, but made him work for them, giving him dignity, courage to live, and a chance to earn money, even opening up delivery work for him.

But when others asked if the boy was in trouble, Qin Baike shrugged it off. "Who knows?"

Except for Xu Bin and his father, no one in the alley knew what Liu Xin had been through.

Later, Tang Yiyi asked Xu Bin, what illness did Liu Xin’s mother have?

Xu Bin said breast cancer, surgery, then a round of chemotherapy, which wrecked her health. Then his father was in a car accident, his leg broken, and the driver ran off.

Liu Xin had just finished the college entrance exam, received his acceptance letter, and had no idea how to pay tuition. His life, once smooth and sheltered, collapsed all at once.

You never know when life’s obstacles will appear. Really, you just need to hold on, keep holding on, and you'll get through. Looking back, you realize how lucky you were to choose perseverance.