After My Rebirth Chapter 26: WhenWillDadaUpdate

Chapter 26: WhenWillDadaUpdate

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

It had been a long time since Li Sinian felt this level of exhaustion—the kind he used to know all too well, working late nights before his rebirth. This was the first time since leaving the Li family that he’d felt that same bone-deep fatigue.

The good news? It wouldn’t last more than a week.

The chefs Jiang Rongxuan had hired were all graduates of professional culinary schools. They already had solid foundations—just needed the recipes and a bit of hands-on guidance to be fully trained.

And because they were professionally trained, their knife skills were leagues ahead of his. They managed to bring out the best of his recipes—elevating the flavor to its peak.

That afternoon, after returning from the training studio, Li Sinian reopened the restaurant and prepared another twenty-five tables’ worth of food. They sold four more boxes of honey passion fruit drinks. It was nearly ten p.m. by the time he made it home.

He’d been so busy with the restaurant lately that he hadn’t had time to check the C-site. When he finally logged in that night, he discovered the results of the culinary competition he’d entered had been released.

He’d won first place.

The prize included 20,000 yuan in creator funding, guaranteed video promotion on the site’s homepage, and a contract with a big-name sponsor.

Li Sinian accepted the 20,000 yuan but declined the advertising deal.

First, because he’d already signed a contract with Minghui and didn’t want to take on more ads so soon. Second, the restaurant had him swamped—he just didn’t have the time.

The featured video that got him the win? His creative twist on spicy pig trotters.

When he opened the comments section, his fans were all spamming the same phrase: “Dada, hungry, food now!”

Some cheekier ones even started writing fanfiction in the comments, with Li Sinian as the main character. Because his updates had slowed down so much lately, they jokingly theorized he must have time-traveled.

Li Sinian posted a status to reassure everyone. He explained that he was currently very busy but promised to return with more videos once things calmed down.

Just after he posted it, a message popped up in his DMs.

The fan’s ID was “WhenWillDadaUpdate”—probably the same one writing the stories in the comments.

WhenWillDadaUpdate: Nian Nian! Did you go to a restaurant near Mulin Village in Suzhou’s Hanguan District for lunch today?! I think I saw you! [Image]

Li Sinian tapped the image. It showed the street where his restaurant was located. In the corner was a very noticeable figure in a loose white T-shirt. Even from far away, it was clear the man had an exceptionally good-looking face.

It was him—caught while on his way to the restroom mid-shift.

Before Li Sinian could respond, another message came in.

WhenWillDadaUpdate: I can’t believe I ran into you at a trending restaurant! I was so excited! I wanted to say hi, but you walked away so fast that by the time I reacted, you were gone QAQ

Li Sinian figured that, unlike celebrities, internet personalities had smaller fan circles. He hadn’t really shown his face outside of that one livestream, so he assumed not many people would recognize him.

Clearly, he’d underestimated people’s memory. Some really had managed to remember his face from just one video.

Still… he replied.

Nian Nian You Today: I was there today, but who says I went there to eat? What if I own the place?

WhenWillDadaUpdate: Huh??? Really? But Dada, aren’t you friends with Bai Yusheng? That restaurant—while super tasty—just doesn’t seem like the kind of place someone with your finances would open.

WhenWillDadaUpdate: And Dada, you always seem so chill in your videos. People in food service are usually way too busy to film that often.

WhenWillDadaUpdate: Ah! Sorry! I didn’t mean you’re lazy. I just meant that restaurant work is hectic—you probably wouldn’t have the time to upload videos every day.

Nian Nian You Today: It’s fine. I know what you meant. [Cute emoji]

Li Sinian didn’t know what else to say after that.

He had never liked mixing his online persona with his real life. At first, he thought “WhenWillDadaUpdate” had figured out that the restaurant was his. But clearly, that wasn’t the case.

And honestly? He couldn’t blame them.

If someone told him that a rich second-generation heir—who was also friends with the CEO of C-Platform—had gone and opened a run-down little eatery in the countryside, he’d laugh it off too.

Especially since he stayed in the kitchen all day and never showed his face. Nobody had a chance to connect the dots.

But now that he thought about it… how had that food blogger, Yueyue, managed to find his restaurant?

Sure, he did show his face during the livestream. But the background only showed a wall and a table—nothing identifying.

His tables and walls were the most generic kind. So how had she found the exact spot so quickly and accurately?

Li Sinian was about to open Weibo to figure out who the hell this “Yueyue Food Review Chronicle” person actually was. But before he even exited C-Platform, another message popped up from WhenWillDadaUpdate.

WhenWillDadaUpdate: Wait! Author-sama! Your usual photos always had this cozy countryside vibe. I know working in food service is exhausting, but that restaurant’s hours used to be all over the place! The owner was totally laissez-faire about it. Only recently did they start opening regularly—right when you got busy again!

WhenWillDadaUpdate: Oh, and their menu has spicy pig trotters too! Could it be…?

WhenWillDadaUpdate: I’ve uncovered a world-shattering secret!!

Nian Nian You Today: The “world-shattering secret” is just that I’ve been busy because I came home to inherit the family business…

Li Sinian had no intention of revealing his real-world situation to people in his online fandom circle.

WhenWillDadaUpdate: Oh… uh, okay. I really thought I was onto something big.

He sent back a sticker, said he was still busy, and promised to update when he had time. Then he finally closed C-Platform.

Switching over to Weibo, he scrolled through all of Yueyue Food Review Chronicle’s posts. The blogger was impressively professional—nothing but detailed reviews on food and restaurants, no personal content at all. He couldn’t find a single clue about who they were. Eventually, he shelved the matter. He’d revisit it when he wasn’t drowning in work.

That night, just before going to bed, Li Sinian got a video call on WeChat from Old Chen.

Old Chen’s voice was cautious, tinged with worry. “How did the honey drink sell today?”

Li Sinian reported the earnings from the honey passionfruit drinks. The amount was enough to make Old Chen stammer.

“R-Really? Xiao Li, you’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

“Why would I lie?” Li Sinian chuckled. “Do I look like the kind of saint who’d lose money just to help someone out?”

Old Chen burst out laughing. “That’s incredible! I’ve been selling honey for half my life and never made this much before!”

He paused, then added with emotion, “Now I’ve got enough for my kid’s tuition. And if things keep going this well, I can finally renovate that rundown old house of mine.”

“Xiao Li, I really can’t thank you enough.”

Li Sinian offered a polite response, confirmed the deposit for the next batch of honey, and hung up.

The busy days stretched on for a full week. Li Sinian finally finished passing on his recipes to the chefs hired by Jiang Rongxuan.

The restaurant’s kitchen staff went from one cook to eight. With that, the sign limiting customer spending came down.

But the restaurant itself wasn’t getting any bigger. It still couldn’t accommodate all the incoming diners, so they began using the space outside.

Thankfully, it was summer, and the outdoor seating actually became more popular, especially in the evenings.

As business picked up, a new issue cropped up.

They were running out of vegetables.

The small plot of land Li Sinian used for fresh produce was barely enough to feed a limited number of guests per day. Now that business was booming, the garden couldn’t even cover a single lunch rush.

They’d only just secured a separate field to grow produce exclusively for the restaurant. It would take time before that became viable. In the meantime, they needed a reliable source of ingredients.

Luckily, that part was easy—Li Sinian lived in Mulin Village, and fresh produce suppliers were all around him.

Located in the Jiangnan region, Mulin Village had traditional farming methods and organic fertilizers. The rich soil and care taken by the villagers made their vegetables especially flavorful.

Same with the meat—high-quality feed made for tastier livestock. The villagers clearly understood this. Every time someone dropped off home-raised meat for him, the restaurant’s dishes tasted noticeably better.

Once the new chefs settled in, Li Sinian took a well-earned break. He lounged at home for three days, nearly finishing Plants vs. Zombies, before dragging himself back to work.

First on the agenda: sourcing local vegetables.

He’d heard that Mulin Village used to do large-scale farming, selling produce for a living. But that stopped years ago. Most people had gone off to find work in the cities or started small businesses. The younger generation left for college and never came back.

Same reason Old Chen had stopped selling honey.

Now, most villagers only grew enough vegetables for their own families. Only one or two households still farmed large plots and sold crops. But even they didn’t use the same high-quality fertilizer on the produce meant for sale. The flavor just wasn’t the same.

So Li Sinian came up with a new idea—buy the vegetables every household grew for themselves to tide the restaurant over for now. At the same time, he’d propose hiring villagers to work the new farmland.

Mulin Village wasn’t that big, and after spending time in Suzhou, Li Sinian had already gotten to know most of the locals.

That morning, after getting dressed and ready, he headed to the home he was most familiar with—Zheng Ming’s.

Zheng Ming was about to start school again and had less time to mess around. Lately, he’d been holed up at home doing homework, looking every bit the model student.

When Li Sinian arrived, Zheng Ming was struggling through an English assignment.

His parents knew Li Sinian fairly well and liked him, mostly because he was so generous. Every time he asked their kid for help, he paid hundreds—just like that.

Hearing he’d come to buy vegetables, Zheng Ming’s parents welcomed him warmly into the house.

Zheng’s mother poured him a cup of tea and said, “We don’t grow much, you know. Not sure we’ll have what you need.”

“No worries,” Li Sinian replied. “Whatever you have is fine.”

She nodded. “Alright, how much do you want? I’ll go pick some now.”

“All of it.”

She froze, thinking she’d misheard. “H-How much?”

She thought the guy was being a bit bold. Sure, they knew each other, but asking to take all their vegetables?

Li Sinian saw the hesitation and smiled. “Didn’t I say right when I walked in? I want to buy your veggies. And any meat or eggs you have on hand too.”

The Zhengs had greeted him politely, and the next thing he’d said was that he wanted to purchase their vegetables.

Being adults, their first instinct was to wave off the idea of money. “Come on, no need to pay between friends. Just say what you need—we’ll give it to you.”

Zheng’s mother offered an awkward but polite smile. She hadn’t expected him to ask for everything, and now it would be embarrassing to bring up payment again after already refusing.

Fortunately, Li Sinian didn’t leave her hanging long. He pulled out ¥2,000 in cash and set it on the table.

“Auntie Zheng,” he said, “just give me whatever you’ve got—veggies, meat, eggs. I need them for the restaurant. This is two thousand yuan. If it’s not enough, let me know.”

The Zheng family only had enough to feed themselves. For that much produce, ¥2,000 was more than generous.

Still, Zheng’s mother didn’t want to give it all away for free, but also didn’t feel right taking so much money.

She grabbed a few bills, maybe three or five, and pushed the rest back to him. “We really don’t have that much. This is way too much for what you’re taking.”

Li Sinian pushed the money right back.

“Keep it,” he said. “I didn’t just come to buy some vegetables—I also wanted to talk to you about something else.”

Then he explained his plan to open a chain restaurant. “I’m going to need people. Uncle Zheng does hard labor every day, right? How about going back to farming instead? I pay well.”

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.