Chapter 291: Brain Gnawed in Half by a Mutant Beast
Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Brain Gnawed in Half by a Mutant Beast
Shen Lu froze for a second, then immediately understood.
"The food is warmer when it’s served fresh. Next time, go get the food from the restaurant yourself. I’m very busy."
"Huh? But..." Yang Jing hadn’t expected Shen Lu to not only reject her suggestion but also tell her to get the food herself. "Wouldn’t that be... inappropriate?"
"What’s inappropriate about it?"
"I..."
"Then it’s settled. I’m very busy," Shen Lu reiterated. "It’s best if you handle these small tasks yourself."
’She’s just insecure and afraid of seeing people. Fine, I’ll give her some exposure therapy. It’ll be good for Yang Jing to see people every day.’
Shen Lu didn’t think Yang Jing’s presence would give customers a bad impression of the restaurant.
Although Yang Jing’s clothes were old, they were clean and tidy, so she wouldn’t disgust anyone.
Dazed and confused, Yang Jing carried the three meals back to the corrugated iron shack.
The moment she stepped inside, Liu Yaozu loudly ordered her to bring him the food.
"What took you so long? I was about to starve to death!" Liu Yaozu picked up a braised pork meal set and began to wolf it down. In the blink of an eye, he had devoured the fist-sized portion of braised pork.
Then, as if it were his right, he took the other meal, a Kung Pao chicken. He wasn’t fond of the fish head with chopped chilies, so he only picked at it a few times with his chopsticks.
Liu Qiang was resentful, but the aroma of the food was too tempting. He scowled but started eating anyway.
Yang Jing waited until her husband and son had eaten their fill before she ate the leftovers.
The meat was all gone, leaving only some vegetables and the soupy sauce from the dishes.
Yang Jing still ate with relish. Compared to the dry, scratchy Insect Cakes, this was a feast for the gods.
Liu Yaozu rubbed his bulging stomach, thoroughly satisfied.
He had been looking forward to this delicious meal since yesterday, only forcing down a few bites of Insect Cake when he was starving.
Liu Qiang smacked his lips. "Why didn’t you bring any soup? Eating this is so dry."
Liu Yaozu readily agreed. "Mom, remember to bring soup tomorrow."
As she gathered the trays, Yang Jing said, "But... I couldn’t carry anything else."
"Don’t you have a brain? If you can’t carry it all in one trip, why not make two?" Liu Qiang said disdainfully. "Besides, what about Shen Lu? Is she dead? You couldn’t ask her to help carry some of it?"
"Little Deer is very busy..."
"How many minutes could bringing soup take? We’re her biological parents!" Liu Qiang raised his voice. "That ungrateful girl does nothing but drag us down! If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have been stabbed! She has no sense of gratitude or guilt, and she even throws us into this tin shack! If I’d known I was having a creature like her, I would’ve strangled her at birth!"
"Honey, Little Deer isn’t like that," Yang Jing clumsily defended her daughter. "She... she has her reasons."
"What reasons could she have? She just despises the poor and fawns over the rich!" Liu Qiang glared at her. "Why are you always defending her? Did she give you something?!"
Yang Jing quickly waved her hands. "N-no."
"You’d better hope not, or I’ll make you pay! And I’ll make her pay, too!"
Liu Qiang said viciously.
Liu Yaozu leaned against the headboard, watching coldly without a word.
’As long as Liu Qiang just runs his mouth in private and doesn’t stir up trouble in front of Shen Lu, I can’t be bothered to get involved.’
’No one is going to stop me from latching onto this gravy train.’
’Life is decent enough now, it’s just so boring having to look at Liu Qiang and Yang Jing’s old faces every day.’
’I miss my three bros.’
’I wonder where they are now.’
’When Shen Lu went to check out of the hotel last time, she didn’t mention my three brothers when she got back. She probably didn’t run into them.’
’Good thing, too. If she had, wouldn’t the fact that I sent them to teach her a lesson have been exposed?’
’With Shen Lu’s vindictive nature, she’d definitely be after my hide, wouldn’t she?’
Remembering Shen Lu’s terrifying methods, Liu Yaozu shuddered violently.
’My bros are great and all, but it’s probably better not to contact them for now. I’ll meet up with Brother Tao and the others once I’m healed.’
...
Shen Lu was considering adding new dishes to the menu.
She could definitely add a new main course. The side dishes were all à la carte anyway, so she wouldn’t have to worry about pairings.
However, she didn’t dare make a rash decision. She wanted to wait for the situation in the Lower City District to stabilize further.
No one could say for sure if the new president of the Commerce Association would continue to target her, so it was best to play it safe for now.
A few days later, the matter of the new Commerce Association president was finally settled.
President Pan, a manufacturing magnate, won the position by a narrow margin. As a big boss with several thousand employees, President Pan was quite the big spender. The first thing he did upon taking office was to throw a grand banquet, to which every merchant in the Lower City District was invited.
Shen Lu received an invitation as well. The banquet was to be held at the Skytop Hotel—Mr. Sun’s property.
Tsk, tsk. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.
The banquet was for the following evening. After reading the invitation, Shen Lu put it away. She’d have to think about whether she would go or not.
The Light Brain on her wrist lit up. Shen Lu glanced at it; it was a message from Xue Can saying he would be coming over for dinner.
Shen Lu: Okay.
After receiving her reply, Xue Can put away his Light Brain. Mo Bei, who was changing his bandages, let out a deliberate sigh. "Boss, can’t you just rest and recuperate for a couple of days?"
Xue Can shot him a cool glance. "I’m going precisely so my injury will heal faster. Have you forgotten the miraculous effects of Shen Lu’s food?"
’Are you really just craving her cooking?’
’You’re obviously just thirsty for the girl herself!’
’Keep telling yourself that!’ Mo Bei wanted to retort.
Xue Can wouldn’t have been so seriously injured in the first place. But he’d forced a breakthrough to save time. He did manage to return to the Imperial City a day early, but he nearly lost an arm in the process and would now have to spend even more time recovering.
According to the doctor’s orders, Xue Can was supposed to be on strict bed rest. The man hadn’t even been laid up for three days, and he was already trying to go out.
Mo Bei didn’t get it. ’Does love really have that much power?’
’It’s got his cold, ruthless boss so smitten he’s acting like half his brain was eaten by a mutant beast.’
After securing the bandage, Mo Bei helped Xue Can get dressed.
"Boss, it’s gonna be windy and dusty tonight. Let me give you a ride on my motorcycle."
’That way, I can score a free meal too.’
"No need," Xue Can refused mercilessly. "The regiment’s car isn’t on a mission today. I’ll drive."
’Riding a motorcycle one-handed would be tricky, but driving a car is no problem.’
Mo Bei wasn’t ready to give up. "Boss, driving with one hand isn’t safe. Let me do it. That injury of yours is pretty serious, you need to rest."
Xue Can thought for a moment and finally agreed.
’After all, just moving hurts so much it makes my forehead break out in a cold sweat. The regiment’s car has had a broken autopilot for a while now, and it still hasn’t been fixed. It has to be driven manually.’
’Having someone to drive for me would save a lot of trouble.’
Xue Can and Mo Bei arrived a bit early, just before five o’clock.
Shen Lu was busy in the kitchen. She had recently purchased a large batch of napa cabbage and was spending almost every afternoon making suancai and kimchi.
After all, fresh vegetable prices would skyrocket in the winter. She decided to follow the example of her northeastern compatriots from her previous life and stock up on autumn vegetables.
She’d start by stockpiling napa cabbage, then move on to potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
When Xiao Lang told her Xue Can had arrived, she got up to greet him.