Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 436: 435 retirement plan Chapter 436: 435 retirement plan Usually, the restaurant closes at 9:30 PM, but today, due to the bustling crowd, it remained packed until 11 PM, wave after wave of customers flowed in and out.

In the end, it was Li Wei who took control of the scene, joking around with the fans, and then he said—

“Don’t worry, we’ll meet again at the Super Bowl in two weeks.”

In a bout of cheerful laughter, the restaurant’s doors finally closed.

The neighbors in Chinatown left their homes empty to join in the excitement, turning the whole block into a new attraction reminiscent of New York’s city that never sleeps, bustling with people who lingered on the streets long after the restaurant had shut its doors.

Even Li Wei was exhausted, not to mention everyone else.

Perry sat there with a look of blank despair, inadvertently exchanging glances with Li Wei, which somehow was comical—

“Coach Reed probably hadn’t anticipated this kind of vacation, huh?”

Even on vacation, he was still “training,” even if it wasn’t regular training.

Such diligence was indeed rare in the League.

Li Wei was also amused by Perry’s banter, “The graffiti on the outside walls was your idea, wasn’t it?”@@novelbin@@

Li Yi and Jiang Yin were both of a low-profile and reserved nature, and they always lacked a precise feeling for the influence of football in North America.

If the mural on the external wall and renovations were their parents’ idea, Li Wei would be the first to disbelieve it.

Perry chuckled twice, “Actually, it was a street graffiti artist who came up with the idea.

He wanted to create some works as a tribute to you, and I thought it was an important opportunity for New York to remember the NFL’s first Chinese-American running back, so…”

So, Perry convinced Li Yi and Jiang Yin.

Li Wei felt somewhat helpless, not because he objected to the graffiti, but because he worried about his parents.

First, he knew that heavy is the head that wears the crown.

With his increasing exposure, the voices of opposition would inevitably grow louder, and he feared that the bubbles of the digital age might hurt Li Yi and Jiang Yin.

Second, he knew that his parents still upheld the hospitality of the Eastern tradition, and that they would never turn away guests who came because of him, which would likely make their already hardworking daily life even more strenuous.

Running the restaurant was truly hard-earned money.

Just look at today to see that, feeling the real back pain and not being able to straighten one’s back—if it were just Perry alone on a regular day, it would be unimaginable.

Li Wei looked at his father, “Dad, even if we only had half of today’s crowd, you still wouldn’t be able to manage.

Both the front and the back of the house would be overwhelmed.”

“I know you’re worried about me, a rookie in his first year, with an unstable income; but I’ve taken on some commercials off-field, so you can retire early.

Maybe it’s time to close the restaurant; there’s no need to keep wearing yourselves out.”

Perry was immediately choked by his own saliva and couldn’t help but cough violently: Some?

Li Wei, are you sure it’s just some commercials?

However, Li Yi and Jiang Yin had a different set of thoughts.

Both of them were momentarily stunned—

Retire early?

In the past, they dreamed of retiring early after years of hard work, from dawn till dusk, but now that their long-cherished dream might suddenly come true, they didn’t know how to react.

After all, when Li Wei chose to become a professional player, they hadn’t anticipated the current situation.

Instead, they became even busier and more hardworking.

If Li Wei’s professional career hadn’t met expectations, at least the restaurant could have been his fallback.

And now they were already planning for retirement?

Isn’t this a bit too hasty?

Li Yi glanced at Jiang Yin, then turned his attention back to Li Wei.

“I know what you’re thinking, but your mom and I have been busy all our lives, and now that we’ve retired early, we don’t know what to do.

The restaurant keeps us a bit fulfilled; suddenly having nothing to do, we probably wouldn’t adapt well.”

Li Wei looked a bit helpless.

“Dad, you’ve been so busy you couldn’t see straight just so we could live worry-free and enjoy life, and now that we can enjoy it, you’re not willing—is that reasonable?”

At this point, Jiang Yin also chimed in, “We’ve gotten used to it.

If you tell us to take a vacation, we probably won’t be able to relax.”

Li Wei wanted to keep persuading, but this time Jiang Yin cut him off before he could.

“I’ve been thinking, the restaurant has always been here, and it gives your fans in New York a place to gather.

Not long ago, Jack had an idea to organize live viewings of your games at the restaurant every week you play, turning the place into a bar just to cheer you on.”

Li Wei was surprised and looked at Perry—

Perry puffed out his chest, with an “feel free to compliment me, don’t worry about me getting arrogant” attitude, which made the corners of Li Wei’s mouth involuntarily curve up into a smile.

“Xiao Wei, didn’t you know?”

“Now in this alley in Chinatown, all those uncles and aunts who watched you grow up have gathered together, all because of you, they’ve taken an interest in football for the first time.”

“Before, people always talked about football, and us old folks couldn’t get a word in edgewise or fit into New York’s street life, but now we finally understand the appeal of football, and everyone is really happy.”

“Besides, you train and play games all day; we can’t just sit at home twiddling our thumbs, you know your dad; he definitely can’t sit still.”

The speech wasn’t entirely complete, but it was clear and persuasive.

Li Wei thought about it and found he couldn’t rebut.

On his previous visits, Li Wei had been somewhat cautious, keeping his distance as he wasn’t the original; but as time went on, before he even realized it, he’d become an integral part of the family, feeling genuinely cared for by Li Yi and Jiang Yin, and naturally began to consider their well-being, finding support and security in this parallel world.

The feeling wasn’t bad at all.

Now, Li Wei also put himself in Li Yi and Jiang Yin’s shoes, considering their retirement life; his thoughts circled in his mind, and he nodded in agreement.

“That’s true.”

“But you could adjust your mindset.

Before, you were busy and struggled for a living, and couldn’t afford to rest; but now it’s for a change of pace in life, there’s no need to work yourselves to the bone like before, and taking a break now and then should be fine.”

Seeing Li Yi preparing to sternly rebut with his face set firm, Li Wei already knew his father’s intent—

Li Yi was always serious about his work, disliked anything slipshod or casual, and certainly couldn’t stand the habit of working inconsistently.

This time, Li Wei spoke his thoughts and opinions before Li Yi had the chance.

“What I mean is, you’ve both worked hard for a living your whole lives, but this is no longer the biggest problem; it’s time for you to start thinking of yourselves and exploring your hobbies and interests.”

“Dad, haven’t you always wanted to learn the guitar?

Now you can use your spare time to learn.”

“Mom, you’ve always regretted not systematically learning English.

Besides daily restaurant and market English, expressing your thoughts is still difficult; now you can study properly.”

“Besides Jack, we can hire two more people to help out front and in the kitchen, adjust the work hours a bit, and invest some time for yourselves.”

Life is short; it can end in the blink of an eye.

But life is also long, with a vast world waiting to be explored beyond work and family.