Ocean Monk

Chapter 12: The Chatty Rich Kid

Chapter 12: The Chatty Rich Kid Baohai, a prefecture-level city situated on the coast of the East China Sea, is also the city closest to the sea. While Baohai’s leading industry used to be seafood, today it has a solid industrial base and is a renowned coastal tourist destination in China. By the time the passenger ferry arrived at Dinghai’s shipping terminal, it was already midday. The three-hour voyage meant some passengers had eaten lunch right on the ferry. But for Xu Haibao, lunch had already been taken care of by someone else. As soon as the ferry docked, Xu Haibao, standing at the ship’s rail, quickly spotted Chen Xingcheng waiting to meet him on the pier. Although the two had often hung out together back when they were discharged from the military, Xu Haibao didn’t want to bother Chen Xingcheng unless it was absolutely necessary. “Brother Bao, over here! I’m right here!” Watching Chen Xingcheng wave excitedly, Xu Haibao—who was preparing to carry a foam box—really wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen him. In Xu Haibao’s view, this rich kid who’d been forced into the army by his family hadn’t improved much after two years of service. What left Xu Haibao speechless was that, for some reason, this guy’s physique had changed drastically. It had been less than two months since he was discharged, yet his weight had skyrocketed—his already round face was now nearly spherical. In Chen Xingcheng’s words, he wasn’t to blame for this. The reason was that Chen Xingcheng had a mother who always thought he was too skinny and believed he hadn’t been eating well in the army. Plus, since his family ran a restaurant, he naturally went on a massive eating spree after his discharge. “Stop shouting—are you afraid people won’t know you’ve gotten fat? Can’t you see there are still two crates of stuff here? Hurry up and come help carry them.” Xu Haibao was genuinely at a loss for words regarding this fatso’s over-the-top enthusiasm. If he hadn’t promised to bring him some grouper, Xu Haibao probably would’ve had the urge to turn on his heel and walk away. But Chen Xingcheng, this rich kid, didn’t have a shred of the arrogance typically associated with his class. Apart from being a bit of a glutton, he didn’t seem to have any of the typical arrogance of a rich kid. Even when Xu Haibao occasionally treated him to street food, the guy would still eat it with relish. In Xu Haibao’s words, the guy was a bit “shameless.” Of course, Xu Haibao knew full well that Chen Xingcheng wasn’t entirely without the temperament of a rich kid. In fact, Xu Haibao was probably the only person Chen Xingcheng treated with such courtesy. This fact gave Xu Haibao quite a bit of pride. When this kid first enlisted and was assigned to his unit, he had a very arrogant attitude. But in the military, hardly anyone cares about your status before you joined. If a new recruit dares to act cocky and defiant, the veterans will make sure he understands why the military is called a “crucible.” At the time, Xu Haibao had already been promoted to non-commissioned officer and was considered a “veteran” in the unit. Out of hometown loyalty, he gave the kid a hand and gave him a good talking-to, teaching him what it meant to “keep a low profile as a new recruit.” By that time, Chen Xingcheng—who had been drilled so hard by those veterans that he’d almost given up—was slowly coming to understand that in a place like the military, no one cared whether he’d been a rich kid before enlisting. All they knew was that disobedient recruits had to be put in their place. Washing the veterans’ socks and clothes every day wasn’t “bullying”—it was mutual support and respect for the veterans. Extra training sessions with increased intensity and duration weren’t “corporal punishment”—they were veterans passing on their knowledge and setting an example through both words and deeds. In short, even if he felt wronged and wanted to complain, there was nowhere to turn! He knew full well that back in the military, if it hadn’t been for Xu Haibao looking out for him, Chen Xingcheng probably wouldn’t have made it through his two-year service. This also meant that while in the military, Chen Xingcheng relied heavily on Xu Haibao. Back then, although Xu Haibao wasn’t the most senior soldier at the base, his deep-diving skills were exceptional. Plus, as a veteran highly regarded by the base leadership, he naturally had far more influence than a soldier like Chen Xingcheng, who was just coasting through his service. Yet no one could have imagined that Xu Haibao—who should have had no trouble advancing to second-class non-commissioned officer—would end up discharging alongside Chen Xingcheng. Even now, Chen Xingcheng remains deeply curious about the reasons behind it. But for Xu Haibao, the incident where he nearly lost his life during a mission was classified information. Naturally, he couldn’t reveal such details to Chen Xingcheng, so he simply told him he had voluntarily requested discharge. Chen Xingcheng, who had jogged from the pier to the passenger ship, exclaimed excitedly, “Brother Bao, you’re finally back. I’ve seen the fish from yesterday. You have no idea—our restaurant has really made a name for itself this time. We’ve got so many customers asking for yellow croaker that it’s giving my old man a headache. What’s in that crate? Could it be—did you really get your hands on some wild giant grouper? These big crates aren’t all filled with giant grouper, are they?” “If you keep babbling, I’ll toss these boxes into the water. Back in the army, you were never this chatty. Now that you’re back, I think you’re turning into a real chatterbox!” Lifting two Styrofoam boxes and tossing out that remark, Xu Haibao didn’t answer Chen Xingcheng’s questions. Seeing Xu Haibao start to walk away, Chen Xingcheng quickly picked up the remaining two Styrofoam boxes and hurried to catch up with him. Arriving at the Jeep Wrangler Chen Xingcheng had just bought after his discharge, Xu Haibao expertly opened the trunk and loaded the two Styrofoam boxes inside. Come to think of it, this car—worth nearly 500,000 yuan—was also a discharge gift from Chen Xingcheng’s mother. He’d only ever heard of “coming-of-age gifts” and “graduation gifts”—Xu Haibao had truly never heard of such a thing as a “discharge gift.” Perhaps, for Chen Xingcheng’s mother, this car was meant to make up for what her son had been through. After all, when the Chen family sent their only son to the military, it had sparked quite a stir in their social circle. These days, many wealthy tycoons prefer to send their children abroad rather than into the military to toughen them up. However, before enlisting, Chen Xingcheng was a reckless spendthrift and troublemaker, breaking his parents’ hearts. In the end, Chen Xingcheng’s father overruled his wife’s suggestion to send him abroad for studies and instead sent him to the military. The reason for this was that Chen Xingcheng’s father had served in the military himself in his younger days. In his view, since he and his wife had failed to discipline their son properly, the military should take over—allowing their son to experience the power of the military’s crucible firsthand. “Brother Bao, haven’t you eaten yet? Why don’t we stop by the restaurant first? My dad’s been telling me to thank you for yesterday! If you hadn’t called ahead, my restaurant probably wouldn’t have gotten any of those four big yellow croakers.” “Alright, stop blabbering, kid. Just focus on the road and drive.” “Those fish would’ve sold to anyone anyway. Besides, your uncle offered a good price—you don’t need to go out of your way to thank me. It’s a business deal; we both agreed to it. What’s there to thank me for?” “Exactly. That’s what I told my dad, too. We’re family—why act so formal?” “We’re not related at all—I’m straight as an arrow!” “Bro, I’m straight too!” Back to their usual banter, the two chatted all the way to the restaurant. Seeing that it was past lunchtime yet the restaurant’s parking lot was still full of cars, Xu Haibao knew the place was doing quite well. Come to think of it, the Chen family’s Donghua Restaurant was also a large establishment specializing in seafood. In fact, Xu Haibao knew that the Chen family’s Donghua Restaurant was part of a chain. But the largest branch was still located on the commercial street in Baohai City, their hometown. Even though there were plenty of other seafood restaurants in the area, Donghua Restaurant was a well-established brand with a decent reputation within the province. Government and business banquets were often held there. However, in Xu Haibao’s view, as the son of a fisherman who had grown up by the sea, if he wanted to eat truly authentic and fresh seafood, he was better off staying in his hometown. Sometimes when he went out to sea to fish, the seafood he ate was often the freshest. After parking the car, Xu Haibao went to the trunk, glanced at the four numbered Styrofoam boxes, and said directly, “Put Box No. 4 in the car first, then just carry the other three boxes inside. Take them straight over to the display case!” “Bro Bao, you didn’t actually get your hands on a wild, live giant grouper, did you?” “Don’t believe me? I told you ages ago—when it comes to seafood, I can’t speak for what’s overseas, but as for the East China Sea, you’ve definitely never had as much as I have. Let’s get this straight: this fish isn’t a freebie; I’m charging for it. If the price is too low, I’m not selling!” “Given our relationship, talking about money would really hurt our feelings!” Looking at Chen Xingcheng’s beaming expression, Xu Haibao retorted, “Bullshit! Talking about feelings is what hurts the wallet! If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a sensible guy, I would’ve sold this fish back in town ages ago. Why would I have to lug it back and forth like this? What a hassle!” When the two of them carried the three Styrofoam boxes into the restaurant, Chen Xingcheng’s father, who was already there, walked over with a smile and said, “Hai Bao, you’re here. Thanks for what you did yesterday!” “Uncle Chen, you’re too kind! If anyone should be thanking anyone, it’s me. After all, you paid a hefty price for that fish!” “You’re just being too modest, kid. These days, big yellow croakers are in such short supply that money alone won’t get you one. By the way, what’s in those boxes? You didn’t actually manage to get your hands on some wild giant grouper, did you?” Earlier, he’d heard from his son that Xu Haibao had promised to bring him a few wild giant groupers when he returned to the city. As the owner of a restaurant, Chen Donghua knew full well that in today’s market, wild giant groupers were just as hard to come by. These days, many seafood restaurants pass off farmed grouper as wild-caught. Fortunately, Chen Donghua would never do such a thing. He knew that to build a lasting business, cutting corners would ruin his reputation. Sometimes, he’d rather charge a bit more for his restaurant’s dishes than compromise on the quality of the ingredients. Perhaps it is precisely this persistence and integrity that have allowed his Donghua Restaurant to carve out a niche for itself in the vast seafood restaurant market.