Chapter 78: The Hardest Thing Is to Return Someone’s Favor
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was a gloomy day and it started to snow in the morning. The snow got heavier and heavier. By the time of noon, everything between the sky and the earth was covered with white snow.
w.a.n.g Yao suddenly wanted to go out when he was looking outside through the window. He walked out of the cottage and climbed up to the top of the hill. He was fearless of the wind and snow. He was fast and didn’t feel very cold as there was a trace of warm Qi inside his body.
Soon, he reached the top of the hill. He stood on a big rock and looked at the hill covered with snow. He was excited and wanted to sing and to make a poem but gradually, he calmed down.
w.a.n.g Yao was standing on the top of the hill and watching the snow quietly until he saw smoke from the village. He realized the villagers had started to cook lunch.
Time to go!
w.a.n.g Yao slowly walked down the hill.
San Xian was lying in his doghouse quietly, as if he was admiring the snow too. The eagle was standing in the wind. According to w.a.n.g Yao’s observation, its wings had almost recovered; it should be able to fly again very soon.
It had been snowing for the whole day and still hadn’t stopped in the evening.
w.a.n.g Yao decided to stay in the cottage instead of going home. He made himself a simple dinner. It started to get dark and the snow still hadn’t stopped. w.a.n.g Yao went to sleep after reading the scriptures for a while.
The next day, the snow still hadn’t stopped. w.a.n.g Yao thought about a poem when he opened the door.
I opened the door in the morning and found the hill was fully covered by the snow!
It was exactly like what was described in the poem. w.a.n.g Yao opened the door and found the hill was fully covered by snow, like it was wearing a white coat.
Because of the snow, w.a.n.g Yao only watered the licorice roots. He neither watered the other herbs nor went to practice on the top of the hill. He sat in front of the house and practiced breathing instead.
Suddenly he heard footsteps.
Who was it?
w.a.n.g Yao opened his eyes and got up. He saw a shadow coming towards him. It was very obvious in the snow.
Who would come to the hill at this time of the day?
When the person came closer, w.a.n.g Yao recognized that it was w.a.n.g Mingbao. He was in a hurry—he seemed to have something urgent to tell w.a.n.g Yao. w.a.n.g Yao noticed that w.a.n.g Mingbao was very happy and excited.
“What’s up? Coming to the hill in such bad weather?” asked w.a.n.g Yao. “Don’t tell me you are getting married?”
“No. It’s my dad! He’s going to be the mayor!” said w.a.n.g Mingbao excitedly.
“Really? Congratulations!” laughed w.a.n.g Yao. He didn’t expect Tian Tuyuan could settle this so quickly. It showed that Tian Tuyuan’s excellent connections with the decision-makers in the local government really paid off.
“I have to thank you for this. The person you spoke to made it work,” said w.a.n.g Mingbao.
w.a.n.g Mingbao’s father was very surprised and confused when he mentioned his new position to w.a.n.g Mingbao. He was almost certain he was not the candidate to take the position of city mayor. He believed the senior officers in the local government had already made a decision on the designation. They just hadn’t announced it officially. Only someone extremely influential could change the decision.
But w.a.n.g Mingbao’s father definitely didn’t know who helped him. And it was not a good time to ask questions. He decided to thank whoever helped him after he was appointed.
w.a.n.g Yao was not aware that w.a.n.g Mingbao had guessed he was behind the whole thing as w.a.n.g Mingbao only told him about his father’s potential promotion. w.a.n.g Mingbao remembered that w.a.n.g Yao promised him to ask someone for help.
“I’m not sure, he told me nothing,” said w.a.n.g Yao with a smile.
“I really need to thank you for this!” said w.a.n.g Mingbao, “Tell me how much did you spend?”
As a businessman, w.a.n.g Mingbao presumed that w.a.n.g Yao had paid someone to help his father obtain the position of mayor. No one would do you a favor for nothing. The bigger the favor was, the more you had to pay.
“No, I didn’t spend a penny. But I do owe him a favor,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
“Right!” w.a.n.g Mingbao frowned.
For some people, a favor meant nothing, but for people like w.a.n.g Yao, a favor was the hardest thing to repay. w.a.n.g Mingbao knew w.a.n.g Yao well. w.a.n.g Yao was an honest person who valued friends.h.i.+p the most. He knew w.a.n.g Yao would try his best to repay the favor.
“How about inviting the person for dinner? You come along too. My treat!” said w.a.n.g Mingbao after keeping silent for a moment.
“Let’s talk about it later. Let me make you a cup of tea,” w.a.n.g Yao made a cup of black tea for w.a.n.g Mingbao. It was good to drink tea in the winter.
“You are not cold in the cottage? It’s freezing inside,” said w.a.n.g Mingbao. He looked around and didn’t find a heater.
“I’ve gotten used to it,” said w.a.n.g Yao. He had become very fit.
“It is so quiet on the hill. Do you really want to become a recluse?” asked w.a.n.g Mingbao.
“Of course not,” laughed w.a.n.g Yao.
w.a.n.g Yao still had family, relatives and friends. He also wanted to get married and have his own kids in the future someday. He was still quite involved in the society. He was not going to be a recluse—that was not possible. He just liked a peaceful and slow lifestyle.
“I plan to decorate your new apartment after it gets warmer,” said w.a.n.g Mingbao.
“Sounds good. No hurry at all. I’m not the one moving in any way,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
“Right,” said w.a.n.g Mingbao.
Even fit people like w.a.n.g Mingbao started to s.h.i.+ver after sitting in the cottage for a while. In fact, it was really cold in the cottage.
“I have to go. It’s too cold here. Come to my home for lunch. I’ve got food ready,” said w.a.n.g Mingbao.
“Okay,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
w.a.n.g Yao locked the door of his cottage before heading to w.a.n.g Mingbao’s home at noon. w.a.n.g Mingbao lived in town most of the time while his parents lived in the village. His grandparents also lived in the village and w.a.n.g Mingbao visited them regularly.
w.a.n.g Yao and w.a.n.g Mingbao had a nice meal with wine. They chatted and weren’t aware it was already 1 pm.
“Are you returning to the hill in the afternoon?” asked w.a.n.g Mingbao.
“Yeah, but no hurry,” w.a.n.g Yao had a look outside. It was still snowing.
No one would go to the hill on a snowy day, let alone go to the hill. Most people wouldn’t even go out at all. It was cold and windy and it was much nicer to stay at home watching TV and have some snacks. So, w.a.n.g Yao was not in a hurry to go back to the hill at all.