Chapter 321: Chapter 321: First Meeting the Heroine

Shen Lu glanced at the time. She’d finished around the same time as yesterday.

Xin Yu came in and helped carry the freshly braised pork to the service window. Then, as if it were second nature, he started dishing out food for the customers.

Shen Lu was gratified to see him take such initiative.

Once the last customer had finished eating and left, Wang Daguo shut the door, officially closing up shop.

"Boss, we’re completely out of Li Zexing’s merchandise." Only now did Wang Daguo have a moment to report this to Shen Lu.

Shen Lu took a sip of water and nodded, acknowledging the news.

’If I’d known it would sell out so fast, I wouldn’t have procrastinated.’

She opened her Light Brain and sent Li Zexing a simple, unremarkable greeting.

She closed the chat window as soon as she sent it, figuring he wouldn’t reply right away.

"Little Deer..." Yang Jing approached timidly. "I’m here to get my lunch for today."

Shen Lu paused for a moment, her tone flat. "You’re late. You’ll have to wait and eat the staff meal with us."

Yang Jing’s lips twitched. "I saw you were all really busy, so..."

...so she hadn’t wanted to be a bother.

Shen Lu knew what she’d left unsaid, but she was too tired to bicker with Yang Jing over such petty things.

After getting everyone’s input, the group rolled out the malatang cooker. They each added the ingredients they wanted and waited for everything to finish cooking with a low bubble.

Cai Su rubbed her wrist. "I’ve been working here for over a month, and customers are always ordering the malatang. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now. I wonder if it tastes like hot pot."

"Not the same, not at all," Wang Daguo said, shaking his head. "But they’re both delicious in their own way."

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting to ask you—is Granny Jin doing okay?" Shen Lu asked Wang Daguo.

Wang Daguo didn’t live far from Granny Jin’s house—it was just around the corner on his commute. Since the weather was bad, Shen Lu hadn’t gone out herself, so she’d had Wang Daguo check on things instead.

"She’s okay, nothing major. It’s just that the buildings in the Seventeenth District are in really bad shape. A few more gales at Level 8 or higher, and I’m afraid a few of them might get blown over."

"Looks like I really need to convince Granny Jin to move in with us," Shen Lu said thoughtfully. ’But what excuse can I use?’

Granny Jin wasn’t the kind of old woman who would just obediently agree to whatever you suggested. She had a mind of her own and was quite stubborn.

In contrast to how at-ease everyone else was, Yang Jing was very reserved. She didn’t dare put any of her own ingredients into the pot, much less take any of the food others had cooked. She just silently picked at her bowl of rice.

After she finished eating, she gave Shen Lu a look, as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating.

Shen Lu didn’t give her the chance. She put down her bowl and went upstairs.

A little while later, she came down with Fu Cheng, and they prepared to go out together.

Wu Jun was driving. He glanced at Shen Lu in the rearview mirror. "Boss, are we heading straight to the hospital?"

"Let’s stop by the Seventeenth District first. I want to check on Granny Jin, and then we’ll head to the hospital." Shen Lu turned to Fu Cheng. "What time does your physical therapy start? Will this make you late?"

"No."

The car stopped in front of Granny Jin’s house. Shen Lu pulled her hat and scarf tight, steadied herself against the wind after getting out, and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Granny Jin asked.

"It’s me."

Granny Jin hurriedly pulled the door open to let Shen Lu inside.

"What are you doing out in this weather?" Granny Jin said with a frown. "I’m perfectly fine here, nothing’s wrong. It’s that unfinished building of yours I’m worried about. It’s got no shelter in front of it. With the wind as strong as it was a few days ago, I hope nothing terrible happened?"

Listening to Granny Jin’s endless stream of worries, Shen Lu slowly broke into a smile. "If something terrible had happened, I’d be counting on you to take me in, Granny."

"Oh, you," Granny Jin said, poking her gently on the tip of her nose.

"Granny, Xiao Lang says he really misses you. Why don’t you move in with us? That way we wouldn’t have to worry about you every time the weather turns."

Granny Jin sighed softly. "We’ll see."

’She’s saying that again.’

Shen Lu knew this was Granny Jin’s way of putting her off. She still didn’t want to leave this place.

She was determined to wait here for the son who had run away from home many years ago.

It was as if this waiting had become an obsession, one that nobody could break—only her son himself.

Shen Lu knew she couldn’t press the issue, so she just left some food for Granny Jin before getting back in the car and leaving.

After getting Fu Cheng to the hospital, she watched his physical therapy session for a while. Seeing he still had another hour to go, she got up, planning to ask if she could purchase some medical supplies from the hospital pharmacy.

She had gone through a lot of medical supplies lately and wanted to restock.

While waiting in line at the pharmacy in the outpatient lobby, she unexpectedly ran into Xue Can.

"Here for a check-up, Mr. Xue?" Shen Lu asked.

"My injury doesn’t need another look. I just have to take my medicine on time, change the dressing, and it should be mostly healed in another half a month. I’m here to visit a friend."

Xue Can hadn’t wanted to come, but Jiang Gong had been making such a fuss, it was giving him a headache. He had no choice but to come and see what was going on.

"Oh." Shen Lu didn’t press further. She and Xue Can weren’t close enough to chat about anything and everything.

But Xue Can took the initiative. "Are you free, Boss Shen? As it happens, there’s something I might need your help with."

"Will it take long?"

"About ten minutes. Afterward, I can head back to the shop with you, Boss Shen."

"That won’t be necessary. I came in Fu Cheng’s car."

The implication being that she would be taking his car back as well.

Xue Can fought the urge to scowl and kept his smile fixed. "Did you come with him for his rehab, Boss Shen?"

"Not really. I was mainly out running errands."

’Good,’ Xue Can thought. ’Otherwise, I might have stormed over there and punched Fu Cheng.’

As they were talking, it was Shen Lu’s turn. She scanned her code, and a basket slid out from the dispensary window.

The basket contained the medical supplies she had purchased.

Shen Lu casually transferred them to her System Warehouse, then went with Xue Can to the inpatient ward.

As they went upstairs, Xue Can briefly explained Jiang Gong’s situation. He didn’t mention Sang Yue at all.

It wasn’t that he had anything against Sang Yue; he simply didn’t know her at all, so what was there to say?

Besides, it wasn’t like she was anyone important.

Upon entering the room, the first thing Shen Lu noticed was a young woman sitting in a chair, peeling an apple.

With just a single glance, she sensed something was different about her.

It wasn’t that the young woman was exceptionally beautiful, but she had a certain air about her that Shen Lu had never encountered here before.

"Xue Can, who is this?" Jiang Gong asked.

"This is Boss Shen, Shen Lu," Xue Can introduced. "I ran into her downstairs and asked her to come up and help me out."

"Honestly, you kid..." Jiang Gong said. "It’s not like I asked you to do anything difficult. Did you really need to trouble Boss Shen to come all the way up here?" Jiang Gong usually operated in the Upper City District, and since Xue Can never mentioned Shen Lu, he had no idea who she was.

"You must be Mr. Jiang?" Shen Lu said with a smile.

"No, no, no," he said. "I’m not as capable as Xue Can. He became a leader at such a young age. I’m just a vice-leader for now."

"It’s only a matter of time, then."

Jiang Gong’s cheeks reddened slightly, and he gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"Sang Yue, why don’t you tell Boss Shen what you want? It’s perfect, really. I was afraid a rough guy like Xue Can wouldn’t be able to figure out what a girl wants."

"Sang Yue?"

Hearing that name, Shen Lu froze.

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