HLnovel Chapter 108 Old Liu's Plan
Chapter 108 Old Liu's Plan
But this money wasn't his.
Old Liu looked at the mountain of receipts piled up in front of the cashier and listened to the incessant notification sounds.
The whole person is not well.
The laughter inside the shop cut into his flesh like a knife.
It caused him great pain.
His noodle shop has been closed for three whole days.
"Uncle? Uncle?" Su Chen saw that Old Liu had been standing still for a long time without moving, his eyes still fixed on the diner's bowl, so he tentatively called out a couple of times.
As Su Chen spoke, he waved his hand gently in front of Lao Liu's eyes, a clean smile still on his face.
Old Liu suddenly snapped out of his daze and replied somewhat flusteredly, "Huh? Oh, I'll... I'll pay."
He took a half step back and, with trembling hands, pulled out a smartphone with several broken corners from his inner pocket.
He swiped his thumb hard across the slightly stiff screen several times, and because his fingertips were covered in sweat, he had to exit several times before finally clumsily opening WeChat to scan the QR code.
As his finger hovered over the "confirm" button on the payment screen, the number starting with 50 made his heart clench with pain.
Old Liu pressed his fingertips firmly against the screen.
He had originally planned to save that 58 yuan to buy noodles and scallions at the market today, which would be his food for the next two weeks.
Su Chen watched from the side without urging him, and gently reassured him, "No rush, uncle, take your time. The signal might be a little weak."
Old Liu gritted his teeth and slammed his thumb heavily on the screen.
"drop--"
With a crisp notification sound, the payment was successful.
The system's emotionless announcement rang out, and Old Liu felt as if some of his strength had been drained away. He swayed slightly and dejectedly put his phone away.
"Okay, fifty-eight yuan received! Please have a seat, sir, let me pour you some tea!"
Su Chen warmly stepped aside and used her arm to guide Lao Liu inside.
Old Liu deliberately chose a corner seat, the one least likely to attract attention, and sat down.
This spot offers a panoramic view of most of the store's activity.
He shoved the black plastic bag into his pocket with all his might. The bag made a loud "click" sound because he was moving too fast. Old Liu was so frightened that he shuddered and quickly glanced at Su Chen out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing that Su Chen wasn't paying attention, he kept his hand still in his pocket, gripping the paper package tightly through the thin fabric.
A moment later, Su Chen strode over carrying a rough pottery teacup and placed it steadily on the wooden table in front of Old Liu.
"Uncle, try our dried tangerine peel and hawthorn tea. It's freshly brewed and perfect for digestion and cutting through the grease. The meat will be here soon!"
Su Chen greeted him with a grin, the steam rising straight up from the rim of the cup.
Old Liu gave a dry, forced smile, not daring to look him in the eye, and simply nodded vaguely.
Su Chen immediately turned around and rushed back into the crowd, jogging to refill the food at one table and bending down to hand tissues to another. His feet stomped on the wooden floor, making a loud thud, as busy as a tireless spinning top.
They have clearly adapted perfectly to their work here.
Old Liu didn't touch that cup of tea.
He held the warm, rough earthenware cup in his hands, stroking the inside of the cup, his eyes fixed on his surroundings.
To his left, a fat man with a beer belly was holding a large bowl, his legs wide open.
The fat man poked at the meat with his chopsticks, then picked up a bright red, trembling piece of meat. The meat swayed in mid-air, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and was coated with glistening sauce.
The fat man opened his mouth wide and stuffed it in without hesitation.
The fat man chewed vigorously, the fat slid down his lip, and the smacking sound echoed throughout half the corner.
The fat man was completely absorbed in the moment, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Amazing! Boss! Your cooking is incredible! I've never had such authentic braised pork in my life. Give me another bowl of rice! A big bowl, please!"
The fat man yelled at the top of his lungs and slammed the empty blue-and-white porcelain bowl heavily onto the table with a loud bang, spitting everywhere.
"Okay! The food's coming right away!"
"Xiao Su, add more rice to this brother's bowl, make sure it's packed in properly!" Chen Feng's deep voice came from the kitchen, followed by the crisp sound of a spatula scraping the bottom of a pot.
Hearing the commotion, Lao Liu suddenly gripped his trouser waistband tightly with his left hand, which was resting on his knee, and the veins on the back of his hand throbbed.
Seeing this scene, Old Liu felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside him.
Saliva too.
He turned his head away, forcing himself not to look at the fat man's eating habits, and instead looked at the white wall directly opposite him.
That wall was covered with paintings of all sizes.
Old Liu squinted and looked over. Each one was decorated with all sorts of little rabbits drawn in extremely childish and crooked strokes.
At the very bottom of those drawings, a line of words was scrawled in red crayon: "Dad is the best dad in the whole universe!"
Looking at those words, at those lines full of childlike fun and warmth, Old Liu suddenly felt as if something had stabbed him hard in the heart.
This warm atmosphere contrasted sharply with the malicious little paper packet he was clutching in his pocket.
Old Liu lowered his head even further, as if he wanted to bury his face in his chest.
Old Liu's palms began to sweat profusely. The paper used to wrap the powder had become somewhat soft from the sweat, and a faint, bitter medicinal smell could be detected.
It contains croton oil powder.
He had humbly begged a familiar old Chinese medicine doctor to secretly get it for him early this morning from the old pharmacy at the end of the old street, which was about to close down.
The old Chinese medicine doctor looked at him suspiciously for a long time, and Lao Liu could only pinch his thigh tightly and lie, saying that there were mice in his house.
Old Liu's plan before arriving was extremely perfect; he had even rehearsed it countless times in his mind, and had even thought about the posture when he would land.
When the braised pork is served, he will pretend to find it too hot and stir it with his chopsticks.
Then, while Su Chen was busy taking care of other guests, he would secretly sprinkle all the croton powder from his pocket into his own broth.
After that, he would eat the entire bowl of meat, soup and all, in front of everyone, without leaving a single drop.
Croton seeds have extremely potent medicinal properties.
Old Liu knew that within ten minutes of eating, his stomach would cramp violently.
At that point, he would slap the table over, smash the bowls and chopsticks, and roll around on the ground.
He had to wail miserably in front of dozens of customers and those queuing up, shouting that the restaurant used dead pig meat, poisonous and spoiled ingredients, and gutter oil!
Although he himself would also suffer greatly.
But if they can make a big fuss and attract the food safety authorities, the reputation of this newly opened "Human Fireworks" restaurant will be completely ruined, and even a miracle won't save it.
Once a restaurant gets a reputation for "eating dead people" or "using rotten meat," it has no chance of ever recovering.
Even if Chen Feng has extraordinary abilities, he still has to shut down his shop and get out of here.
Once Chen Feng's shop closes down, his former customers will naturally return to his noodle shop.
He could then set up that big noodle pot again and earn the money that could save his life.
Old Liu's Adam's apple bobbed violently, making a clear swallowing sound.
The increasingly irresistible aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen was almost intoxicating. He dug into his pocket with his right hand and slowly tore a hole in the edge of the paper package.
The sound of the paper tearing sounded to him like a muffled thunderclap.
His breathing became rapid, and his chest heaved violently.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and down to the corners of his eyes, the salty sweat stinging his eyes so much he couldn't open them.
He stared intently at his toes, his fingers trembling uncontrollably in his pocket. The rustling sound of the powder made him so tense that he was on the verge of collapse.
"Uncle, your braised pork is here! Sorry to keep you waiting. Just call me if you need more rice!"
Su Chen's voice suddenly rang out above his head, accompanied by the crisp sound of a porcelain bowl clattering. A bowl of braised pork, as red and shiny as agate and steaming hot, landed steadily in front of Old Liu.