The man stared fixedly at him for a while, his cracked lips moving as he pulled out a somewhat eerie smile, “Young man, if you lie, you won’t live long.”
Qu Yanning frowned, his mood souring as well. Cursing someone to die right off the bat— what’s wrong with this guy?
His face darkened, lips pressed together. “Sorry, but if you keep making trouble, I’m going to call the police.”
The man’s eyes were sinister, his whole presence exuding an uncomfortable aura.
If it weren’t for the fact that it was broad daylight and several waiters had just arrived at the shop and were now warily gathering around to prevent trouble, Qu Yanning would’ve almost thought he was encountering another evil spirit.
The two sides were deadlocked for a while. Qu Yanning didn’t budge an inch.
The man glared at him for a bit, snorted coldly, and turned to leave— only for a lazy cat’s meow to suddenly ring out behind him.
Xie Qi, who had been lying behind the cashier counter, had somehow slipped out. He narrowed his golden eyes, glaring unfriendly at the man.
The man turned for a glance, saw it was just a harmless little cat, spat, and limped away.
Xie Qi watched him go, then lazily flopped down, rolling over to show his furry belly to Qu Yanning and meowing sweetly.
Qu Yanning scooped up the spoiled cat and gave him a kiss, then said to the waiting staff, “It’s fine, everyone go get busy.”
The waiters dispersed on their own, getting ready for another busy day.
Qu Yanning set the cat back on the high stool, bumped foreheads with him, and said gently, “You play here, I’ll go work.”
Xie Qi squinted, pawing at his cheek and flicking his tail happily, meowing again.
Only then did Qu Yanning feel at ease and head to the kitchen to get busy.
Business was as booming as ever today. Qu Yanning’s barbecue shop already had a great reputation online, attracting many Old Gourmets to come try it out.
But he was the only chef, and if he was too busy to keep up— plus, when he used to run a street stall, he’d sometimes just not show up on a whim.
Now that he finally had a fixed shop, a lot of the Old Gourmets were thrilled, so in these first few days after opening, there were more people supporting him than ever.
He hadn’t expected that even with a permanent shop, some people still wouldn’t get to eat. Qu Yanning apologetically handed out skewers to the customers who missed out.
That was when he saw the ingredients dwindling and the crowd growing, so he made a snap decision to call it for the day.
The skewers were grilled to a golden crisp, fresh off the grill and still sizzling with oil, the scent wafting from the kitchen making the waiting customers drool.
Qu Yanning came out with a tray full of skewers, dimples sweet and soft at his cheeks, but his words broke the customers’ hearts: “Sorry, everyone, we’re sold out for today. We’re closing up.” With that, he started handing out the skewers.
Some customers who’d waited a long time were visibly upset— after all, who wouldn’t be, smelling barbecue for so long and not getting a bite? Of course they’d be angry. @All the best stories, only at Jinjiang Literature City
But when the skewers were handed to them, even the most disgruntled customers took them. And as soon as the hot, fragrant meat hit their mouths, the rich flavor exploded, and the anger melted away. The crowd pressed around Qu Yanning, reaching for more.
Qu Yanning, smiling, finished handing out all the skewers, apologizing and asking everyone to come back tomorrow.
A customer, mouth full of skewers, grumbled, “Boss, you need to prepare more ingredients every day. Otherwise, how are you going to make money if you sell out and close so early?”
“If there’s too much meat, it won’t be fresh the next day.” Qu Yanning smiled sheepishly.
After the new shop opened, he only bought the best and freshest ingredients, selling out each day and getting a new delivery early the next morning.
So there was only so much each day— once it’s gone, it’s gone.
The customers clicked their tongues in regret, heading out in twos and threes, chatting about how they’d have to come earlier tomorrow.
Night had fallen, and outside, the streetlights and neon signs painted the city in a riot of color.
Qu Yanning sat at the cashier’s desk, counting money with a smile that wouldn’t fade from his lips, a cat in his arms.
@All the best stories, only at Jinjiang Literature City
Xie Qi lay on his shoulder, watching him count for a while before losing interest, not understanding why humans liked these smelly pieces of paper so much.
He yawned and nuzzled Qu Yanning’s neck, curling up into a ball and dozing with half-closed eyes.
When the shop was finally cleaned up and bonuses handed out, Qu Yanning locked the door and was the last to leave.
He strolled home with the cat, passing a street vendor selling Hami melons. The sweet scent filled the air. Qu Yanning sniffed, changed course, and walked over to ask the price.
These roadside stalls were cheaper than the supermarkets. Qu Yanning bought a whole one, and the vendor cheerfully packed it up and handed it over.
Now Qu Yanning had a Hami melon in his hand.
When he got home, Chu Zhou was putting on a face mask, sprawled on the sofa, massaging his face with his fingers. Seeing Qu Yanning come in, he called out, “Back so early?”
From the kitchen came Qu Yanning’s soft voice, “Business was good, sold out early.”
Chu Zhou shuffled over in his slippers, craning his neck to watch Qu Yanning cut the melon. “Cut it smaller.”
When the melon was served, Xie Qi was the first to stick out his tongue for a taste, found it sweet, and slowly started eating.
Qu Yanning served up the juice, taking care of everyone.
Chu Zhou shot him a jealous look, stuffing two pieces into his own mouth until his cheeks bulged.
“By the way, someone came to the shop looking for you today.” Qu Yanning, feeding the cat, suddenly remembered what happened earlier. He chose his words carefully, watching Chu Zhou’s expression. “Said he was family, said your mom was sick.”
After living together so long, Qu Yanning had never seen Chu Zhou’s parents or relatives, nor heard him mention them. It seemed like his relationship with his family wasn’t great. Now someone showed up out of the blue—it couldn’t be anything good.
Chu Zhou paused, then nonchalantly stuffed another piece of melon into his mouth.
Only, his bites were much bigger this time, no longer being careful of the face mask. “Yeah? What did he look like? Did he say anything else?”
“No, nothing much.” Qu Yanning shook his head and described the man’s appearance. “Looked over forty, left foot lame, dressed in shabby clothes, spoke with a northern accent.” He looked like he’d come from some remote mountain village.
“Do you know him?” Qu Yanning asked cautiously. “I told him I didn’t know you, just in case he was up to no good. If you do know him and he comes again, I’ll let you know.”
That’s what he said, but Qu Yanning had a gut feeling Chu Zhou didn’t want to see this person.
Sure enough, Chu Zhou shook his head, stuffed another piece of melon into his mouth, still looking lazy but with an oddly cold expression. “I don’t know him. If he comes again, just ignore him and kick him out.”
He chewed the melon in his mouth but couldn’t taste any sweetness. Irritated, he tore off the face mask and got up. “I’m tired, I’m going to bed.”
Qu Yanning watched his back worriedly, opening his mouth but not saying anything.
After all, this was Chu Zhou’s family matter. Even though Qu Yanning was concerned, he didn’t want to poke at old wounds. Anyone who didn’t even want to mention their family probably didn’t have happy memories.
The two in the house went to bed with heavy hearts.
@All the best stories, only at Jinjiang Literature City
Xie Qi curled up in Qu Yanning’s neck, sniffing the pleasant scent on him, purring softly in contentment.
……
“Ugh— ah!”
A cry of pain echoed in a dark alley. The man hunched his back, carefully unwrapping the tightly bound clothes.
His clothes were already tattered, the faded fabric stained with black-red blood. Gritting his teeth, he tore the fabric from the wound where it stuck, exposing the festering flesh beneath.
The man stared in horror at the rotting wound on his arm. “How did it get like this…”
He was one of the few in the village who hadn’t caught the strange illness, which was why the Shen Po had sent him out to find the Sheng Tong.
Who could have guessed that after following the Shen Ling’s guidance to this place, he’d suddenly break out in sores.
“I can’t wait any longer.”
He muttered to himself, sucking the pus from the wound and spitting it out. After a few times, the wound showed pale red flesh again.
He pulled out another piece of clothing from his bundle and wrapped himself up tightly.
The Shen Po had said, as long as he brought back the Sheng Tong, the Shen Ling would be appeased, and everyone would be fine.
Clutching his only bundle, the man curled up in a corner, uneasily falling asleep.
……