Chapter 318: The Delight of A Popsicle (Continuation)
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
Zhang Fan felt this matter really had nothing to do with him. If not it was the big boss, he would have already left.
Free dishes were never so easy to enjoy, not to mention they were so expensive. He was even unable to afford to offer him a return banquet.
At that time, Li Cheng uttered, "Here's the thing. At that time, my mum dared not to go to the bathroom, nor would she go to get some water.
"Um." In order to show respect, Zhang Fan nodded the head and answered.
"I was very young at that moment and knew little about that, but I knew I couldn't cry for food and water." When Li Cheng said that, he looked at Zhang Fan.
"You were clever even when you were so young." Rarely, Zhang Fan complimented him.
"Thanks. But kids are indeed all clever and sensitive, especially those from poor families," Li Cheng said smilingly.
"It's obvious that you are different from others." Zhang Fan continued saying.
This time, Li Cheng only nodded the head before he continued, "You were dressed in a military uniform and stood right behind me at the door at that moment."
"Me?" On hearing that, Zhang Fan said in surprise while pointing at himself.
"Yes, it's you. You were standing there against the light, thus I couldn't see your appearance clearly. So I looked towards you curiously." Li Cheng said with smiling eyes.
"What happened then?" Zhang Fan knitted his brows and tried hard to recall that.
"Then I found you were eating a popsicle." Li Cheng narrated step by step to let Zhang Fan remember the scene.
When he saw Zhang Fan not react, he continued, "I was very thirsty and it was likewise too hot. Then I asked you for the popsicle relying on my little age."
"You asked me for it? Did I buy it for you?" Zhang Fan said according to the usual conjecture.
Then he tried hard to recollect this matter. As the time suggested, he was merely no more than 20 at that moment and indeed he often went home by train. But the matter of popsicle had truly been forgotten by him.
"No, but you just handed yours to me." Li Cheng shook the head.
"Huh?" Zhang Fan was a little surprised.
Normally, he should have bought another one and given it to him. How did it happen that he gave the one he was eating to others?
"I don't know, either. But I still remember your face turned red, probably because of my fervent sight at you." Following the memory, Li Cheng said slowly.
"With the milk outside, the popsicle tasted so good. It was both ice-cold and sweet. After I ate it, the feeling of thirst and hunger suddenly disappeared." Li Cheng said as if he had recalled the particular taste.
"In those years, there was only that type of popsicle in summer. Yeah, I have a vague impression now." Zhang Fan managed to find this matter in his memory, but the reason he knew of was quite different from that mentioned by Li Cheng.
"Yes. It was the first time that I had eaten the popsicle. Really delicious." Li Cheng said affirmatively.
"You offered me the treat just because of that?" Zhang Fan indicated that he was fairly astonished.
"I was very young when it happened. It took me a long white to finish eating that popsicle." Li Cheng didn't admit that directly, but the way he spoke revealed so.
After Zhang Fan knew the reason, he kept silent for quite a while and then said "Thank you."
"You remember it, don't you? So you can trust me now that I come to you for nothing else." Li Cheng said gently.
"I misunderstood you." Zhang Fan lowered his head, with the white hair all exposed to other. He was really not young anymore.
"So Mr. Zhang, hope we can have dinner together again the day after tomorrow." Li Cheng said sincerely again.
"Not necessary, but thank you, big boss. I have remembered that matter. The meal you treat me today has made up for the popsicle that I gave to you." Zhang Fan rarely uttered a long speech.
"It's different..." Zhang Fan didn't wait until Li Cheng finished talking before he interrupted him. It was the first time that he had done so today.
"To me, it's fairly enough. Really enough for me, big boss." Zhang Fan looked steadily at Li Cheng and said earnestly.
"Well, ok. I never get an opportunity to say thanks. Thank you so much for your popsicle." Li Cheng thanked him sincerely.
"Don't say that. I'm leaving now." Seeing Li Cheng agree, Zhang Fan got relieved and started to say goodbye hurriedly.
"Ok, goodbye." Li Cheng said goodbye to him readily this time. Only when he saw Zhang Fan walk away farther did he leave then.
The two people didn't lowered their voice intentionally in the conversation, therefore the customers in the restaurant and in the front of the line all heard them.
After a while of silence, a customer suddenly uttered, some not very nice words.
"No wonder this man called Zhang Fan lived so hard and poor. He's merely a building worker moving bricks. And he really deserves that."
"Why are you so mean?" Another customer knitted his brows discontentedly.
"Hey, ain't I right? He should definitely seize this rare opportunity. The big boss owes him and also admits that. What a great opportunity he's got! Doesn't he deserve the hard life since he didn't take a chance when there's one?" The customer humphed and continued saying.
Hearing that, most customers felt it indeed made sense and slightly agreed with him in the heart.
"People think differently. That man Zhang Fan never thought Li Cheng owes him", Manager Shi suddenly said that.
"Li Cheng? Wait, you say he's the legendary Half City Li?" The customers suddenly reacted and said excitedly.
"It's him." Manager Shi nodded the head affirmatively.
Then, the discussion about the opportunity instantly changed direction in Yuan Zhou's restaurant.
Almost all of them started to talk about Li Cheng's successful story. His influence was well known from the scene.
People were always curious about those who built a business empire from nothing.
A faint smile appeared on Yuan Zhou's face, but he didn't take part in the top discussion from the beginning to the end.
The fact was presumably the same to what Manager Shi said.
Due to the incident in that summer, Li Cheng's taste preference changed. He started to like eating the popsicle which was milk flavored. Under the condition that his physical health allowed, he ate one almost everyday.
Moreover, he had natural favorability to those who wore military uniform ever since then. After he succeeded in the business, he brought out some amount of money every year to help those veterans. Of course, he did that for free. The posts in the building sites and other fields of his company were all open to the veterans preferentially.
And so on. Such similar deeds were all resulted from that single popsicle in that stuffy train where he had felt extremely thirsty.
The particular matter was a nice experience to Li Cheng.
Walking on the way back, however, Zhang Fan didn't think that way.
"Sigh." He heaved a sigh in a low voice and continued walking forward.
He was a little ashamed today when he heard the big boss came to him because of a popsicle that had been bitten twenty years ago.
Yes, he was ashamed.
Once the fact was brought back in his mind, the feeling at that moment likewise came back and it also reminded Zhang Fan of this matter.
"Never expected it's because of that." Zhang Fan was a little speechless.
He failed in buying a seat ticket when he went back home by train that year and had to stand at the door. As it was too hot, he bought a popsicle and prepared to quench his thirst.
He had only eaten several bite of the popsicle before he saw a boy staring at him. Then he turned around, but the boy still tilted the head and stared at him persistently.
At last, he really couldn't find a place to hide. Therefore he handed the popsicle in his hand out unexpectedly for he didn't have enough money to buy another one. After all, people didn't have much money in those years.
He was quite embarrassed. The popsicle melted in the high temperature and flowed down onto his hand. It was a sticky feeling.
With the sense of shame of having no money for another popsicle and the embarrassment of giving one that had been bitten to others, he walked to another carriage and waited to get off the train.
Therefore, it wasn't that he had forgotten about that, but actually never wished that he could remember that.
"If I know earlier this matter ends up in such an embarrassment, I really should have bought a bottle of water." Zhang Fan turned the head and looked at the small restaurant and Li Cheng that had been lost in his sight and then murmured to himself. It was supposed to look better to give the water to others.
From a different perspective, one thing could have quite different feelings, just like Zhang Fan and Li Cheng.