The evening glow painted the sea a crimson hue.
Lin Li stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Ah Zhen bring the last roast goose to the table.
The glossy surface gleamed with an amber light, and the steam carrying the sweet and sour aroma of plum sauce wafted out, mingling with the fragrance of white porridge wafting from the living room.
"Madam, the young master is back."
As soon as Uncle Fu finished speaking, the sound of Lin Laosan's footsteps came from the entrance hall.
When Lin Laosan pushed open the door, he carried with him the humid heat unique to Hong Kong in the evening. His light gray suit had some moisture on the shoulders, obviously from a sudden downpour.
"Third Uncle!"
Lin Hu rushed over like a small cannonball, grabbed his leg and shook him, while Lin Yao followed behind, respectfully calling out "Third Uncle".
Lin Laosan bent down and picked up Lin Hu, his stubble brushing against the little guy's soft face, making him giggle.
What did you learn from Teacher Zhou today?
He asked, his gaze sweeping across the table, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily, "It smells delicious, Ah Zhen's roast goose is getting more and more authentic."
Lin Li walked over and took the suit jacket he had taken off, her fingertips touching the damp fabric.
"Are you hungry? Let's eat first."
She handed her coat to Uncle Fu to iron, then turned and led the adults and two children to the dining table.
Lin Li ladled out a bowl of white porridge and pushed it in front of him, saying, "Fill your stomach first; roast goose goes well with porridge so it won't be too greasy."
"Mom, I'll go change my clothes first, and then I'll come down after I wash my hands."
Lin Laosan quickly returned to his room on the second floor.
A few minutes later, he came downstairs.
When he saw Lin Li and the two little ones sitting at the dining table waiting for him, a smile appeared in his eyes.
All the fatigue vanished at this moment.
"Come and eat."
Lin Li first picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of roast goose on Lin Yao's and Lin Hu's plates, then put a piece on Lin Laosan's plate.
"Thank you, Mom/Grandma."
The dining table quickly became lively.
Lin Hu gesticulated wildly as he recited the Cantonese tongue twisters that Teacher Zhou had taught him. Although his recitation was incoherent, it made everyone laugh.
Lin Yao quietly ate his rice, and occasionally, when his brother made him laugh, two shallow dimples would appear at the corners of his mouth.
Lin Laosan recounted his observations from visiting land in Tsim Sha Tsui that afternoon, mentioning that the scaffolding there had already reached three stories high, and that Mr. Yu's assistant had pointed to an empty plot of land and said that a revolving restaurant was to be built there.
"A revolving restaurant?"
Lin Li paused as she scooped porridge. "That's quite a project; we'll need to hire more people to oversee it."
“Mr. Yu said he knows the best construction team,” Lin Laosan swallowed the food in his mouth, “and said they did a renovation for the Peninsula Hotel back then, and their skills are top-notch.”
He picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it into Lin Yao's bowl. "But I plan to find another supervisor myself. We can't let our money go to waste."
Lin Li nodded and said nothing more.
She knew her son was sensible; he had managed many businesses over the years and was no longer the impetuous boy he once was.
As darkness fell outside the window, the streetlights came on one by one, casting long shadows of the villa.
In the distance, the sound of a ferry returning to port could be heard, long and gentle.
Halfway through dinner, Lin Hu suddenly remembered something and grabbed Lin Laosan's arm, saying something.
"Third Uncle, when can we eat the snow skin mooncakes that Uncle Yu gave us? Grandma said we can only eat them after dinner."
"Let Fu Boqie do it later."
Lin Laosan flicked his nose, "But you can only eat one piece, or you'll get a stomachache."
He looked at Lin Li, his eyes filled with a hint of probing, "Mom, Mr. Yu's assistant called again tonight, saying he'd like to invite you to his residence for tea tomorrow, and also to take a look at the hotel's design plans."
Lin Li continued scooping porridge without stopping: "I have to go to the bank tomorrow morning, and I have an appointment with a real estate agent to look at houses in the afternoon, so I'm afraid I won't be free."
When she looked up, she met her son's questioning gaze and added, "We can't put all the money into the hotel; we have to leave ourselves some options."
Lin Laosan was stunned for a moment, then understood what his mother meant. He didn't ask any further questions, but simply put the last piece of roast goose on the plate into her hand.
"Please eat more; you've lost a lot of weight recently."
After dinner, Uncle Fu brought out sliced snow skin mooncakes. The crystal-clear skin was filled with lotus seed paste and egg yolk, and the mooncakes gleamed in the white porcelain plate.
Lin Hu ate until his mouth was full of bright yellow lotus seed paste, while Lin Yao sipped it slowly, savoring it.
Lin Li looked at them and suddenly said to Lin Laosan, "Come to the study with me."
Lin Laosan's heart skipped a beat. He put down the mooncake in his hand and followed his mother into the study.
The mahogany bookshelf was neatly stacked with thread-bound books, and the air was filled with the unique scent of ink from old paper. The lamplight cast a dim, yellowish glow on the carpet.
Lin Li took out two dark brown leather suitcases from her spatial storage.
When she opened the box, Lin Laosan saw stacks of red banknotes inside, neatly bundled with rubber bands.
"This is……"
Lin Laosan's voice was a little tight. He knew that his family had savings, but he had never seen so much cash piled up together, like a small mountain.
“Take these to Mr. Yu tomorrow,” Lin Li pushed the box in front of him, her fingertips tracing the cold banknotes, “Six million in cash.”
Seeing the shock in her son's eyes, she added, "I also asked Uncle Fu to help me look at a house. Tomorrow I'm planning to go to other real estate agencies to buy a few more houses."
Lin Laosan opened his mouth as if to ask something, but ultimately swallowed his words.
He knew his mother was always sensible, and since she hadn't explained where the money came from, she must have her reasons.
"And what do you have in your hand..."
"I still have some savings on the side, enough for household expenses."
Lin Li closed the suitcase and handed the key to her son. "Take this suitcase back to your room and keep it safe. Take it with you tomorrow. Don't let the children see it."
She paused, her tone becoming serious, "This matter must not be known to a third person besides you and me, including Mr. Yu."
Lin Laosan took the box and nodded.
"Mom, don't worry."
He put the key to the suitcase into his inner suit pocket. "I'll deliver it first thing tomorrow morning. I'll make sure everything is in order."
"Um."
Lin Li nodded, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.
The moonlight streamed in like water, casting the shadows of the mother and son on the floor, where they nestled close together.
The neon lights in the distance cast colorful spots of light on the sea, like stars scattered on the ground.
“Oh, right,” Lin Laosan suddenly remembered something, “Mr. Yu said he’d like to call you tomorrow afternoon to talk about the hotel’s name. He said he’d like to call it ‘Victoria Hotel,’ what do you think?”
Lin Li thought for a moment and said, "How about calling it 'Bayview'? It indicates the location and is more understated than 'Victoria'."
She knew Mr. Yu liked to show off, but it was better to be more conservative when running a hotel.
"I think it's great."
Lin Laosan smiled and said, "I'll mention it to him tomorrow and say it was your idea."
He knew that Mr. Yu would definitely give his mother face.
When I came out of the study, Lin Hu was already asleep on the sofa, with traces of lotus seed paste still on the corner of his mouth; Lin Yao was leaning against Uncle Fu, listening to him tell fairy tales about the port city, his little head nodding.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
