Waste is just the threshold to my meeting.

Chapter 77 Bolt's Speed

Two dark-skinned men looked at each other, one a dark-skinned youth and the other a dark-skinned middle-aged man.

For a moment, Edwards didn't know what to say, because he had never seen a black person make pancakes before.

This is the first time we've met.

Having lived in China for so many years, I've only experienced this once in all.

So this matter still made him feel very novel.

"Dude, where are you from?"

Edwards spoke first, asking the middle-aged man in black.

"This is where I am."

"What the hell do I mean is, what's your ancestral home? I'm from the Congo region of Africa, what about you?"

The black business owner suddenly became excited after Edwards introduced himself.

His eyes lit up like stars as he said, "Hey buddy, I'm from Congo too. What a coincidence! Want a pancake?"

"What a coincidence! Sure, give me one, how much is one?"

"It's 12 yuan a serving, but I'll give you a discount and make it 10 yuan. We're all from the same hometown, we're all brothers, and we should help each other out when we're away from home."

"Everyone has their own love, and everyone has their own suffering. If it weren't for life, we wouldn't be able to run around everywhere."

Look, we've both traveled a long way to get here because of life's hardships. Seeing fellow villagers today, I'm so excited...!!

Edwards pulled ten dollars from his pocket, but as he held the ten dollars and watched the black shop owner launch into a long speech, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the walls inside the pancake shop.

Then, looking bewildered, he pointed to the price list on the wall and said:

"Isn't a plain pancake only 5 yuan?"

666.

When fellow villagers meet, they might trick you into tears, and you end up playing dirty tricks on them.

666.

The black business owner showed no remorse or nervousness; he said:

"Hey, don't worry, we're from the same hometown. Don't you know who I am?"

We Congolese people are all honest and kind; how could we possibly engage in fraudulent transactions?

Besides, look at the name of my pancake shop: "Home is the Foundation," and that song was created by me using AI. It means that home is our fundamental duty as human beings, and everything should be based on home.

How could someone as family-oriented as me possibly cheat you?

"This 10-yuan pancake actually has extra ingredients added to it, so why is it more expensive than the regular one?"

My main concern is that I might have added too much, and you might feel embarrassed about spending 5 yuan, so I added this to be considerate of your feelings. To make you feel less guilty and less embarrassed…

That's why I raised the price slightly. Don't worry, the fillings in the pancakes will definitely not disappoint you!

"No, no, no, brother, you're being too polite. We're all family, don't you think?" Edwards added.

While making the pancakes, the black-clad boss nodded, "Of course, that makes perfect sense, brother."

"Why would I be unwilling or embarrassed? It's okay, boss, just do it."

Since we're from the same hometown, and you're being so hospitable, I won't stand on ceremony. Five yuan it is, just give me a little extra toppings, boss, it's no problem!

The black boss paused for a moment, then nodded hastily, still grinning with a wide smile and his white teeth.

Based on the 5 yuan portion, I didn't give him a single extra vegetable, egg, or meat; I made him a very, very plain pancake.

Edwards took it and looked at it.

He cursed again, eyeing the black shop owner: "This is what you meant by 'added ingredients'? There's clearly nothing in here, just a piece of cabbage, a tiny bit of egg, no meat, just a small pancake..."

"Hehehe! Little brother, look, this is the usual 5-yuan portion, but the portion you got is definitely a larger one for you!"

The black shop owner smiled slyly and pulled out a pancake that was half the size of the one Edwards was holding, showing it to him.

Edwards didn't want to say anything at that moment; he just wanted to fuck his mother.

Because he saw that the pancake in his hand was half the size of the one in his hand, and its edges were clearly marked with teeth marks, indicating that it was leftover.

He took a bite and couldn't help but complain, "This is fucking awful! Boss, can you divide it into four portions for me? I'll take it home for my family."

There was nothing he could do; he'd already bought it. Edwards could only make the same request as the black shop owner.

The Black shop owner looked at him strangely as he reluctantly took out a small spatula that had been used for a long time and was covered in starch, and divided the already small pancake into four pieces.

He was still muttering to himself:

"Young man, I don't think you consider your home a place at all. Just this one five-yuan pancake, and you're dividing it into four pieces to take home for your family..."

You're fucking awful to your family.

I suggest you learn from me. I opened this pancake shop mainly to support my family. My family is the most important goal and haven in my life. If you had even a fraction of my love for my family, you wouldn't let your family eat leftovers.

"Wow, boss, you're pretty impressive. You even know idioms. Did you start a family here? You must have lived here for a long time, right?"

At this point, the Black boss proudly raised his head:

"What else? Let me tell you, home is our safe haven, but we also have the responsibility to support our parents and take care of our family. We should give our family the best of everything and stop being so stingy!"

Even though you're a student, you still need to give back to your family, your parents, your home, and your neighborhood, you know? Home is the foundation, and the foundation is home!

At this moment, the once quiet shop started playing the song "Home is the Foundation," which the black owner had mentioned using AI to create...

"Home is home, home is the foundation, happiness is the best, we sing and dance, joyful life spreads to every family, this is home, this is light, every corner is full of hope, hand in hand, spinning around, happiness is always by our side..."

This song, this pancake stand with the name "Home is Home," some symbols and words with unclear meanings, and the unwavering love of home held by the black owner.

This undoubtedly gave the pancake shop a dazzling glow.

The boss seems to truly prioritize his family, as everything he says is for their sake, demonstrating a true unity of knowledge and action.

"Boss, you must love your family very much. You must love your parents and wife very much, right?"

The Black boss raised his head without hesitation: "Of course, I've always loved them deeply. No matter what I do, they're the first person I think of. They'll always be number one in my heart!"

As he said this, the black boss was unaware that Edwards was constantly scrutinizing him, and staring intently at his face.

In that instant, he continued:

"Come on, kid. Let me see how much you love your family. Buy a few extra-delicious pancakes for your parents who have worked so hard to send you to school."

Let him feel your love for them; they will be very excited and happy!

Edwards nodded: "Of course I have that intention. So, boss, would you say I love my family? That I put my family first?"

The Black boss admitted, "I underestimated you just now. I could tell you're a very family-oriented guy, and a sincere person. You're absolutely top-notch as a friend, brother, or family member!"

"Boss, since you see how much I love my family, could you give me a few pancakes for free?"

The Black boss fell silent again.

Look at you, you fall silent again when faced with a difficult question.

At this point, the black boss, seeing that he couldn't get any money out of Edwards, stopped talking to him and went off to play on his phone.

Edwards felt something was off as he stepped outside. When he got on his bicycle, his face was suddenly reflected in the rearview mirror, and he stopped.

For a fleeting moment, he finally understood.

He finally understood what the smog in his mind was all about.

He had been feeling something was off, and now he finally realized what it was.

He was shocked to realize that he looked about 8% like the black boss from earlier!

He carried the pancake back into the Jia Shi Ben Pancake Shop.

The black boss who saw him return was so scared he almost peed his pants. He thought Edwards had figured out that his pancakes were made with expired, low-quality oil and were moldy.

"Brother, that's a bit unfair of you. You didn't say anything beforehand that there was something wrong with the pancakes. You waited until you left and came back. Who knows if you did something to them yourself?"

"Don't you dare try to extort money from me here. I know the city management officers around here. If you dare cause trouble, I'll kill you!"

Wow, that's fierce...

Edwards witnessed this scene…

Then he made up some excuse and left in a hurry?

But after he left the pancake shop, he found a corner where the other person wouldn't notice him and quickly shouted:

"Niu Er Mei".

Who is Niu Er Mei? Niu Er Mei is Edwards' biological mother.

Upon hearing the name Niu Er Mei, the black boss jumped up like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, as if startled.

He looked around in a panic and then pulled down the shop door.

Her panicked appearance and demeanor made it seem as if Niu Ermei were some kind of Cthulhu from mythology.

But only Edward himself knew that the only person he was afraid to see was his biological mother, who was only 1.58 meters tall, and his black father, who had abandoned them and run away before he was even born.

If I'm not mistaken, this boss is his black father who has already run away.

They are the same age and look exactly alike.

Edwards was itching to beat that irresponsible, black bastard! His teeth were itching, his bones were itching, his hands were itching, and his fists were itching.

Fuck Feng, that black guy is so irresponsible, fuck Feng!

"Fuck your mother's family, I'll fuck Feng!" He finally couldn't hold back and threw the pancake on the ground, kicking the pancake shop's roller shutter door hard.

No matter how much he called, there was absolutely no response from inside the roller shutter. Later, he got clever and said:

"Boss, it's me. I've been thinking about it, and you're right. We should prioritize our family and treat our family as our home. We should give back to our family members more often."

I was planning to buy a dozen or so pancakes to take home for my family to try. Why aren't you open? If you're not opening, I'll be leaving now.

Before he could finish speaking, the damned roller shutter door was opened by the black owner. Upon opening the door, he was filled with excitement and nervousness about the price of the dozen or so pancakes.

Meanwhile, he looked around in a panic, afraid that Niu Ermei might actually appear.

After confirming that Niu Ermei was not nearby, the black boss breathed a sigh of relief.

They quickly pulled Edwards inside. Then, with lightning speed, they pulled down the roller shutter.

"How many did you just say you wanted?"

"I don't want any of them."

The black boss was completely oblivious to how serious Edwards' expression had become.

"So you were just messing with me, you son of a bitch, what are you trying to do?"

"Yes?"

His boss, enraged and embarrassed, retorted, "What do you mean, 'what'?"

"I say you're right."

"What exactly is right?"

"You did indeed sleep with me, Feng."

The boss seemed not to have realized it for a moment, but when he did, he was stunned.

"Fuck you, Feng, you motherfucker... are you Niu Er Mei?"

"Niu Er Mei's 'Feng' is my mother, I am not Niu Er Mei!"

Black boss: "I fucking know you, Feng, are your second sister. I'm not saying you're Niu Er Mei, I'm saying you, Feng, are Niu Er Mei."

"Fuck you, Feng! Why did you abandon me?"

"I'm your grandma, so watch your mouth!"

The father and son got into a fight, and it was unclear whether it was due to the passage of time, but Edwards' father hadn't improved at all in the past ten years.

He was not even as strong as Edwards in martial arts, and was knocked to the ground by Edwards in just a few moves.

"Stop, stop, stop! I don't know where your grandma is either. I lost contact with her after I left home. I can't fulfill your wish!"

Edwards beat him up again: "You keep talking about family, about how family is family, but what have you been doing? What kind of beastly things have you been doing? Have you ever thought about the two of us?"

The Black boss pleaded earnestly: "Of course I've considered it. I'm just putting you aside for now; I don't want you to suffer with me."

"Once I've established my pancake shop, I'll bring your family back together. These past years away from you have been very painful for me."

"Didn't you just say you were going to be good to your family? That you'd always put them first? What the hell have you been doing?"

"That's truly what I think, and that's what I really believe. I truly put you all first. Do you expect me to tear my heart out and show it to you?"

Okay, here's what we'll do. I didn't cook today, so wait for me while I tidy up the shop and close it. You go home and eat first, and I'll explain properly when I get back later. I promise I'll make it up to you for all these years I've been away.

Believe me, now that we're reunited, I will never act the way I used to. I will fulfill my responsibilities as a father and uphold the spirit of family tradition!

By the time Edwards had cooked dinner for Fu Chen's family and finished all the housework, he returned home at 11 p.m. to find the pancake shop already closed.

All the equipment inside is gone.

His father ran away.