The Baker Next Door [Wenzhou]

part 2 - take over

"A-xing, you'll be taking over our family business starting next week." Mr. Wen started a conversation in their quiet family dinner with a shocking news.

Wen kexing's eyes widened, "What?" Dissatisfaction filling his heart when his father stated the sudden demand to him. He put down the spoon and looked at his father in disbelief.

"My decision is fixed." Mr. Wen said with a stern voice.

"Why me? Why not ah-xiang?" He pointed to his sister, who was eating quietly next to him. She gave a sharp glance to wen kexing, slightly annoyed.

Mr. Wen shook his head. "This is our family tradition, the first child in family will take over the business. We've been doing this from our first generation, so don't say anything else, just accept it."

"But father--"

"No buts! You have graduated for 3 years but still unemployed. You're 28 years old but still doing nothing at home except for  spending money! You have your own home but still coming here just to eat. You useless son! Why not taking over our business?"

Wen kexing was speechless when his father just casually throwing insults to his face. He can't even say anything cause everything he said was true. He suddenly felt ashamed of himself, only for a second before his head came up with another plan.

Mr. Wen is not someone who can easily be persuaded, so he turned to his mother, doing his usual puppy eyes to soften her heart. "Mother.."

"I'm sorry, a-xing.. I cannot do anything about this." She said, shaking her head  while pursing her lips. She held wen kexing's hand and looked into her son's eyes. "Just take it, honey.. it's not that hard. Besides, you also like baking, right?"

"I like baking, but just for fun. If I do it because of work and being under pressure, it will be no fun anymore." He was almost brought to tears when his mother turned her head away from him. Plan failed.

Mr. Wen scoffed, did not give a single damn to his son's plea. "A-xing, come to the bakery tomorrow. If you don't want to, I'll cut off your allowance and send you to live with your grandfather."

Wen kexing gasped, his mouth fell opened in surprised after listening to his father's threat.

"Father that's..dirty.."

Cut off his allowance? He won't mind that. But sending him to live with his grandfather? It's a big no NO! The old man is the scariest man alive he have ever seen in his life. Scary movie? Thriller movie? Nah those things weren't that scary compared to the way his grandfather discipline some people.

He once witnessed his cousin got a punishment from the old man, the poor man was getting hanged upside down from a tree while admitting his mistakes for lighting a firecracker that blew up the whole chicken coop.

The man was also being asked to recite 300 hundreds family rules that even his father didn't recall to actually having it.

There were actually a lot more. Much more brutal that he didn't want to remember all those moments even once. He was also one of the victim of his grandfather's cruel punishment, only one time, and he had been a good boy since then. Really traumatizing.

He looked at ah-xiang, begging for the girl to speak up on his side, sparing a little sympathy for him. But all she could do was, shook her head in despair. She knew if she says anything, she might be the one sent to his grandfather instead. She's still young, she definitely didn't want to seek for an early death.

Wen kexing sighed. Looks like he had no other choice other than accepting his father's demand.

"And one more thing." His father spoke again. "You're almost 30, get a wife already. Let me at least get a chance to see my grandchild once before I die."

He sighed one more time, again with the marriage thing. He already told them so many times that he wasn't interested in having a life partner or having a family, at least not at the moment. Only after he find a right person, he will think about it again.

~♡~

Short update<3