CHAPTER 378: CHAPTER 368: GOLDEN AUTUMN IN OCTOBER

Shao’s Home-cooked Restaurant had undergone a renovation without I knowing when, all the old tables replaced and plastic green plants hung on the walls for decoration. It no longer looked as shabby as before, and the cash register now boasted a proper computer with a QR code for payments nearby, significantly elevating the class of the place.

Uncle Shao was a bit fatter than before, a touch of white having appeared at his temples, casually wiping the cash register’s table with a cloth. As he saw a familiar face among the group, he was about to greet Xiao Yu but halted his hand mid-air and stared closely at Qin Guanglin.

"Uncle Shao, don’t recognize me?"

Qin Guanglin joked with a smile, "It’s Qin Guanglin."

"Qin? Hey... I knew you looked familiar, sit down, please sit." Uncle Shao glanced at He Fang holding a child and Zhou Nan with a hint of pleasant surprise, inviting them to sit and wiped the already shiny table again.

"Long time no see... You’ve caught up to me, haven’t you? Have you been living it up at Luo City Restaurant every day?"

After wiping the table again, Uncle Shao handed over the menu while joking. Taking it, he quickly went to the corner to fetch a baby chair for He Fang.

"I couldn’t afford that place... And that belly of yours wasn’t acquired at Luo City Restaurant either."

"True, getting married does make one prone to gaining weight, I need to control it a bit."

Uncle Shao looked at Xiao Yu and Qin Guanglin, feeling nostalgic as the two, along with Sun Wen, were the ones he was closest to back in the day. All polite kids, occasionally ordering extra dishes late at night when it drizzled and switching Qingdao for Budweiser, never treating delivery as a given and he never asked them for delivery charges.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yu had grown a beard, and Qin Guanglin had gotten as fat as him, both now adults with families.

"We’ve added some new dishes recently, bird’s nest soup with dates, and snow fungus soup with lotus seeds, both beautifying and popular among young women." Uncle Shao, considerately recommending his new dishes, looked at their wives.

"They’re already mothers, no need for beautifying..." Xiao Yu snorted and turned to see the others looking at him, abruptly amended, "Two bowls of each!"

The food was still as good as ever, hadn’t changed in over a decade and was comparable to the fancier restaurants. There was no alcohol at the table since both men had driven, opting for coconut juice instead. Zhou Nan and He Fang sat together, exchanging parenting tips and some gossip, occasionally playing with the kids. Qin Guanglin and Xiao Yu stayed out of it, casually discussing men’s topics.

"How do you feel about doing illustrations now?"

"Not bad, it’s a lot more enjoyable than editing videos. I just draw after work, it’s pretty good."

Xiao Yu was particularly pleased with this, confident that even if he were to be unemployed again for three months, he could increase his output and sustain his living through drawing. Therefore, he was contemplating how to express his thanks to Qin Guanglin.

Although they were brothers who didn’t need any formalities, it was still proper to show appreciation. He had initially planned to dine out somewhere upscale to catch up and casually hang out afterwards, never expecting they’d end up at Uncle Shao’s place—affordable and great quality, but missing a bit of significance. Now he was pondering where to go next to make it more special.

"I see you still occasionally sketch your wife and kid on your feeds?" Qin Guanglin often saw Xiao Yu flaunting his child on social media, accompanied by his drawings, casually bringing it up.

"Just bored, I sketch from photos. How is it, pretty cool isn’t it?" Xiao Yu made a comically proud face, quite pleased with himself.

"Tsk... I started like that with my comics on a blog, just randomly drawing like you, and it took off. You should try starting an account."

"No way, I can’t come up with interesting stories like that, just standalone pieces, and it’s not like I haven’t tried."

"Post the standalone pieces then, give it a try. It doesn’t cost anything and you could even include drawing tutorials. If you get a couple thousand followers, you could earn some ad money."

Qin Guanglin had run a social media account, although he wasn’t really sure why it had become popular nor how to manage it, but he did have a bit of his own experience, throwing things out there and seeing what stuck.

"Tutorial?" Xiao Yu was taken aback, he had never thought about that.

"Yes, as long as there are followers, there is that something... what did Wen say again? It’s called... traffic, right, the era of traffic."

"It seems I could give it a try..." Xiao Yu rubbed his chin in thought, "People do come to me through my social circle asking me to draw a family portrait..."

He suddenly got excited, "What tutorial? I can just sell my drawings. They send me a photo, I draw it by hand and send it back, charging per piece. Perfect."

As Qin Guanglin pondered over it, it seemed... quite feasible? There seemed to be quite a few doing this kind of service in the market, and it had almost become a mature industry. Although entering now was late, as long as one was willing to work at it, it was never too late.

"The golden age of social media accounts is over, but if you have real stuff, you can still make a living. You could give it a try..."

"No way, did you two just spend our outing planning how to make money? Can’t we talk about something else?"

The women turned their heads after playing with the children, and protested after hearing the topic of conversation.

"...here’s a toast, you taught me another trick." Xiao Yu picked up his coconut juice and clinked it with Qin Guanglin’s.

With the kids starting school in a few more years, one had to keep working hard to provide. What else was there to think about, if not making money?

Women are just shortsighted, hmph.

Xiao Yu grumbled to himself, but he didn’t continue the conversation about comics; instead, he changed the subject to discuss where to go next.

"Having been in Luo City for so many years, we’ve probably done everything there is to do, right? Just a casual stroll would be fine." Qin Guanglin thought for a moment, "How about a picnic in the botanical gardens this afternoon?"

"I should have said earlier, then we wouldn’t have eaten this meal; now who can still eat?" Xiao Yu didn’t have as big of an appetite as Qin, barely eating a few bites while thinking about the botanical garden, he suddenly said, "Have you been to Luo City Zoo?"

"No, have you?" Qin Guanglin looked towards He Fang, who shook her head indicating she hadn’t been there last time nor this time.

Xiao Yu, who liked to fish when he had nothing else to do, couldn’t bother with those places; hence, out of the group of four, except for Zhou Nan, no one had been.

"Settled, let’s go to the zoo to see lions and give our daughter some exposure."

"She’s not even a year old yet, what kind of exposure can she get?"

"Then it’ll be your chance to get some exposure." Qin Guanglin laughed.

He Fang seemed to remember something and quietly glared at him without saying another word.

What a dad... pah!

The two families joked and finished their meal. Xiao Yu settled the bill, said goodbye to Uncle Shao, and they left the restaurant heading towards the parking lot.

October, the sunshine not harsh, and the breeze just right.