Chapter 130: A Visitor
"Sister Cai, the cucumbers and carrots need to be diced," Shen Lu said to Cai Su as she carried a basin of raw peanuts to the stove.
Cai Su was sweating profusely from the chopping. "Mhm, I got it."
Kung Pao chicken required quite a few side ingredients. The diced chicken had been prepped yesterday, so they just needed to take it out later. However, the cucumbers and carrots still needed to be diced, and the peanuts had to be fried.
Shen Lu was now heading off to fry the peanuts.
The peanuts had to be put into the pot with cold oil and fried over low heat; high heat would cause them to burn.
After frying the basin of peanuts and setting them aside, Shen Lu scooped out some of the oil and added the washed and sliced pork belly to the pot.
Braised pork belly took a long time to cook, so it was best to start it early.
She seared all the pork belly until it was golden brown, then added spices, caramelized sugar, and sauce. After filling the pot with hot water, all that was left was to let it simmer.
Cai Su finished dicing the cucumbers, but there were still some carrots left. Shen Lu went over to help, and they finished everything in less than half an hour.
Wang Daguo was washing bok choy and other ingredients for the malatang, with Cai Su helping him. Meanwhile, Shen Lu started preparing the dressing for the cold radish skin salad.
Just as she finished, the welcome chime at the shop’s entrance rang crisply.
The three of them in the back kitchen exchanged a look. It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. ’Why would there be a customer?’
But Ye Fan and Lin Zhou hadn’t made a move, which meant the person probably wasn’t dangerous.
"I’ll go take a look," Shen Lu said, washing her hands before heading to the front of the shop.
The visitor was a tall man wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask. He carried himself with a casual, distinguished air.
’Someone from the Upper City District?’
"Hello," Shen Lu greeted with a smile. "Sir, our shop doesn’t serve breakfast."
Li Zexing took off his sunglasses and mask. "I’m not here for breakfast."
Shen Lu’s eyes narrowed as it clicked. ’He’s the guy who was dressed as Dog Hero the other day, right? I almost didn’t recognize him without the Biting Inhibitor. What was his name again?’
’Oh, Li Zexing.’
"Then what are you here for?" Shen Lu asked.
"Is Fu Cheng here?" Li Zexing asked, secretly activating his superpower. In an instant, Shen Lu felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet, giving her the strange sensation of being stripped bare.
She subconsciously checked her clothes—they were still perfectly in place.
"You’re looking for Fu Cheng?" This was the first time anyone had come looking for him. Shen Lu looked the man up and down. "Are you a friend of his?"
Shen Lu wouldn’t have been so forward with a paying customer, but he wasn’t here to eat.
Ever since Fu Cheng was brought to the Shen Family, no one had come to visit. For someone to suddenly show up looking for him after more than two months made Shen Lu wary.
"My cousin was Fu Cheng’s comrade-in-arms," Li Zexing said truthfully. "He sent me."
"What’s your cousin’s name?"
"Li Zenan."
"I’ll ask Fu Cheng if he’s willing to see you."
This was Fu Cheng’s guest; Shen Lu didn’t feel it was her place to decide for him.
She sent a message to Fu Cheng and quickly received a reply.
Fu Cheng: Please bring him up.
Shen Lu: Okay.
Shen Lu turned slightly to the side and gestured for Li Zexing to follow. "Fu Cheng is on the second floor. Please come with me."
After going up to the second floor and entering the secondary bedroom, Li Zexing saw Fu Cheng lying on the bed.
Li Zexing was close with his cousin, and Li Zenan and Fu Cheng were the best of friends. Because of this, Li Zexing had seen Fu Cheng often when they were in school.
That noble, reserved Level 6 Dual Ability User, who exuded an air that kept everyone at a distance, was the genius on everyone’s lips—the one most likely to become the Marshal of the Imperial City.
Now, covered in bandages and missing limbs as he lay on the bed, he was a far cry from the high-spirited young man Li Zexing remembered.
Shen Lu looked from Fu Cheng to Li Zexing. Neither seemed very emotional, and the atmosphere grew strangely stiff.
"I’ll go make some tea."
Shen Lu used making tea as an excuse to slip away. Fu Cheng tilted his head slightly and activated his Light Brain’s sharing function.
Fu Cheng: Sit.
Fu Cheng: And retract your superpower.
Li Zexing rubbed his nose and obediently deactivated his superpower.
He had only activated his superpower to check if Shen Lu was lying. But for a Third-level Superpower User like him, it was impossible to use it for lie detection on an Advanced Superpower User; even if he tried, the results wouldn’t be accurate.
Using it on Fu Cheng was pointless anyway.
Fu Cheng: I know why your cousin sent you.
Fu Cheng: I’ll talk to him myself. You can leave after sitting for a moment.
Li Zexing fell silent for a moment. ’This guy is still as blunt as ever,’ he thought. ’Not sparing anyone’s feelings in the slightest.’
’But it makes sense, I guess. We’re just casual acquaintances. If it weren’t for my cousin, our paths would have never crossed.’
Li Zexing nodded. "Then I won’t disturb your rest."
He opened the door and almost ran into Shen Lu, who was bringing the tea.
"Leaving so soon?" Shen Lu asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we’re done talking."
"Oh. Well, how about a cup of tea?" Regardless, the man had come all this way to visit; offering him a cup of tea was basic hospitality.
Besides, Shen Lu had specifically redeemed this tea from the System Mall.
Li Zexing wasn’t interested at first. The water in the Upper City District and Lower City District came from different filtration systems. Having grown accustomed to high-purity water, he had no desire to drink the low-purity water of the Lower City District.
But the aroma of tea wafting into his nose made him pause.
’It smells like Longjing?’
’The quality seems quite good, even better than the kind my dad usually drinks.’
"Alright, I’ll have a cup." Li Zexing readily agreed. Shen Lu led him to the living room sofa.
Meanwhile, in the secondary bedroom, Fu Cheng was speechless...
’The person I deliberately sent away was just invited to stay for tea by Shen Lu.’
’Li Zexing is a Superpower User. He’ll discover the secret with just one sip! What will he do then?’
Burning with anxiety, Fu Cheng frantically sent messages to Shen Lu.
Fu Cheng: Don’t give him the tea. Get him to leave.
Fu Cheng: Shen Lu, you can’t let him drink the tea.
Fu Cheng: Shen Lu, did you see my message?
Fu Cheng: Shen Lu! Shen Lu!
...
Shen Lu, of course, saw Fu Cheng’s frantic chain of messages. ’He wants me to send Li Zexing away?’
’But the man is already sitting down with the teacup in his hands.’
’I can’t just snatch the cup back and tell him to get lost, can I?’
’That would be way too rude.’
Li Zexing first observed the color: the tea was a clear, bright, apricot-green. Next, the aroma: it was a subtle, refreshing fragrance that soothed the soul. He then took a small sip. The flavor filled his mouth, leaving a rich, lingering aftertaste.
’This really is excellent tea.’
’Wait, that’s not all.’ Li Zexing was shocked to discover that after drinking the tea, his Spiritual Sea felt as if it had been cleansed by the aroma. The dull headache he’d had since waking up this morning had completely vanished.
’What’s going on?’
Seeing the strange look on his face, Shen Lu couldn’t help but ask, "Is the tea not to your liking?"
’This West Lake Longjing tea cost 100 popularity value a gram. How could it not taste good? Impossible!’
’It even smells amazing. This kid must just not know how to appreciate good tea!’
"It’s delicious," Li Zexing said, setting down his empty cup. "Is there any more? I’d like another cup."