Little Whale

Fang Chang'an felt embarrassed. His recent performance had genuine emotion, but its original purpose was to soften the utilitarian edge of a twelve-year-old obsessed with making money, thereby preserving his image as someone who remained steadfast despite poverty, never abandoning lofty ambitions.

He hadn't expected the young girl to be so sensitive and sentimental, to the point of tears.

"I'm fine, aren't I? Why cry?" On the table was a box of tissues; Fang Chang'an stood up, pulled out two sheets, handed them to her, and smiled gently, "Things will only get better from now on."

"Mm." Shen Mo felt a bit embarrassed herself, sniffed, tossed the used tissue into the trash, took the fresh one from him, wiped away her tears, and looked up to ask, "Will you come home and have dinner with me from now on?"

Shen Chengyan had originally planned to comfort his little niece, but seeing Fang Chang'an take care of it, he stayed seated. Hearing Shen Mo invite Fang Chang'an to dinner at home again, he grew somewhat concerned.

Fang Chang'an smiled, "Did you forget I can earn several yuan a day now? I have steamed buns for breakfast, eat out for lunch and dinner, and I get plenty to eat."

Shen Mo fell silent at last.

Shen Chengyan quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His niece was usually obedient, but she'd been spoiled since childhood, and it wasn't rare for her to be willful or throw a little tantrum.

If she really insisted on bringing Fang Chang'an home for dinner every day, only Fang Chang'an himself could handle it.

Shen Chengyan checked the time—already past five o'clock—and was about to speak when Cheng Mengfei called from outside, "Chengyan, come over here!"

Summoned by his wife, Shen Chengyan dared not delay and hurried outside.

Having achieved his goal, Fang Chang'an didn't plan to linger. He decided to borrow two books this week: "Lu Xun II" and "The Intelligent Investor."

Just as he was about to leave, Shen Chengyan appeared at the door again and asked, "Chang'an, why don't you have dinner here tonight? I happen to have nothing on, so I can drive you both to school."

Without waiting for Fang Chang'an to reply, he turned to Shen Mo, "Mo Mo, are you eating here or at Grandma's?"

"Um..." Shen Mo tilted her head, thought for two seconds, and replied crisply, "Then I'll eat here too."

"Alright, I'll call your grandma and let her know."

After speaking, Shen Chengyan saw Fang Chang'an about to say something and smiled, "Don't be so formal in your uncle's house."

Fang Chang'an smiled, "Thank you, Uncle."

Shen Chengyan chuckled, closed the study door, and left.

Shen Mo sat at one half of the desk, still paging through "Lu Xun I," nearly finished. Fang Chang'an sat at the other half, considered for a moment, and quietly asked, "Do you always have meals with your grandparents?"

"Mm." The young girl looked up and nodded lightly. "My parents are away, they only come back for New Year. I've always lived with Grandpa and Grandma."

"Do you know where they are?"

In his previous life, Fang Chang'an had almost no interaction with Shen Mo; this was the first time he'd learned about her family situation, and he couldn't help but speculate about her transfer.

Could it be she wasn't moving to the city, but rather to live and study with her parents?

"South or East." Shen Mo thought for a moment, shook her head, and scrutinized Fang Chang'an's expression, saying, "Uncle says because my maternal grandfather is here, my parents aren't allowed to do business in our province."

Fang Chang'an was stunned, staring at her in surprise. Shen Mo blinked and asked innocently, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Fang Chang'an smiled and shook his head. Even with two lives' worth of experience, his thoughts felt muddled.

It was like fishing—thinking he'd caught a big fish, only to realize it was a small whale, and there were more, perhaps even giant whales behind it.

Anyone would struggle to stay calm.

The young girl had no guard against him and continued, "My uncle is coming to our city soon, and my parents plan to move back, too."

"Are they coming back to do business?" Fang Chang'an asked.

Shen Mo shook her head, "No, they're just moving back. The company is still outside."

Fang Chang'an nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, "What about you?"

"Me?" Shen Mo blinked in confusion, not understanding his meaning, or perhaps not realizing how it affected her. She replied foolishly, "I'm going to school."

Fang Chang'an looked at her and smiled, giving a soft "Mm," then added, "Your parents are about to come back, while mine are about to leave."

"Why do they have to leave?"

Fang Chang'an smiled, "Just like your parents, they're going out to earn money."

"Oh."

Shen Mo nodded, then, in a little-adult manner, comforted him, "It's alright, look at me—my parents have always been away earning money, and I'm fine, aren't I? You'll be fine too."

Fang Chang'an smiled and nodded, "Yes."

The young girl gave him a sweet smile, her dimples shallow, adorably charming.

About half an hour later, Cheng Mengfei called them down for dinner. Fang Chang'an and Shen Mo went downstairs, washed their hands, and gathered around the coffee table to eat.

The television played an old drama called "A Curtain of Dreams." Fang Chang'an recognized it because of the famous line, "You only lost a leg; she lost love!" which originated from this series.

Aside from Fang Chang'an quietly mocking it, Cheng Mengfei, Shen Mo, and even Shen Chengyan watched with interest. At that time, Qiong Yao and Hong Kong-Taiwan dramas were all the rage; the era of Korean dramas was still years away.

During the commercial break, Shen Chengyan suddenly asked Fang Chang'an, "Earlier you mentioned calculating material costs. How do you do it?"

Cheng Mengfei and Shen Mo both turned to look. Shen Mo understood, but Cheng Mengfei was completely confused and asked, "What?"

Shen Chengyan laughed, "I'll explain it to you later."

Fang Chang'an glanced at Cheng Mengfei, then answered, "By proportion. For example, you have a pound of pork, and you add several times the amount in vegetables, though the vegetables don't weigh as much. Roughly, you get three pounds of filling. The dough for these buns is quite thick; a pound of flour uses about half a pound of water. In terms of weight, the dough might outweigh the filling. When frying buns, you sprinkle some batter as well. Calculating like this, a pound of meat can make six or seven pounds of buns."

"For the ingredients, the most expensive are pork and oil—about seven yuan per pound at the market, but regular suppliers might be cheaper. Since these are fried buns, you don't use much oil. If you overestimate the prices for other ingredients, it balances out. For example, pork at seven yuan, flour at one..."

Fang Chang'an hadn't really calculated the cost; he was merely deducing from the bun shop owner's profit margins. This method was riddled with flaws and imprecision, but it was sufficient to fool Shen Chengyan, who didn't even know the current prices of pork or flour.

Shen Chengyan nodded approvingly, "Smart!"

Cheng Mengfei was still puzzled, so Shen Chengyan briefly explained to her. After hearing, Cheng Mengfei nodded, pondered, and asked, "Are you really planning to do this? Wait, you can't do it, can you?"

Shen Chengyan replied, "No rush, we'll talk about it later."

Cheng Mengfei seemed to think of something, glanced at him, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing and continued eating. When the commercials ended and the show resumed, she was clearly less attentive, somewhat distracted.

Dinner finished before six o'clock. Cheng Mengfei didn't want to go to school so early, so she had Shen Chengyan drive the two over, planning to go herself later. But Fang Chang'an needed his bicycle, so he suggested Shen Chengyan take Shen Mo while he rode his bike.

Cheng Mengfei said with a smile, "You go with Uncle Shen too. I'll ride your bicycle over later. It's been ages since I rode a big-frame bike like this—I want to try it."

Fang Chang'an asked, "How will you get back?"

Cheng Mengfei replied, "Uncle Shen can come pick us up again."

Fang Chang'an looked at Shen Chengyan, who said, "Let's go."

On the way, Fang Chang'an had spent five yuan on a bike lock, handed the keys to Cheng Mengfei, and, carrying his backpack, got in the car.

Shen Chengyan first drove to his parents' house, parked in front, and had Shen Mo fetch her backpack. He and Fang Chang'an stayed in the car.

Shen Baoguo's residence was also a two-story building, similar to Shen Chengyan's, with house number fifty-six.

Shen Mo quickly ran out with her grandmother following behind. Fang Chang'an hurriedly got out, bowed slightly, and greeted, "Grandma."

Peng Shuyu felt mildly surprised. Kids this age usually greet elders through the car window; among adults, especially in her social circle, such behavior would be considered rude. But standards depended on the person—if Fang Chang'an had done so, she wouldn't have minded, as she didn't believe anyone had taught him otherwise.

She wouldn't be harsh if he failed, but since he did it right, it was naturally pleasing. Peng Shuyu smiled, waved her hand, and said, "No need to get out, just go to school. You can leave now."

Shen Mo seized the opportunity of the open car door to climb inside, then scooted over to leave space for Fang Chang'an, who shyly greeted Peng Shuyu again and got back in.

"Mom, we're leaving," Shen Chengyan called, started the car, and drove off.

After a while, Fang Chang'an tentatively asked, "Uncle Shen, is Teacher Cheng upset? She seemed distracted during dinner."

"You're quite observant." Shen Chengyan chuckled. "She does have something on her mind, but it's nothing to do with you, so don't worry."

Fang Chang'an nodded and dropped the matter.

When they arrived at the school, Fang Chang'an and Shen Mo got out at the gate, waved goodbye to Shen Chengyan, and were about to head into campus together when Fang Chang'an suddenly spotted his cousin, Fang Danran, coming out of the nearby stationery shop, a bag of pen refills in hand, staring at him in astonishment.