Sheng Jiu had to go back to open the restaurant in the evening, and then start preparing meals in the afternoon.
Therefore, she didn't have much time to stay in the village.
However, even if she was in a hurry to leave, it was no use.
At noon, she was still asked to stay, and her eldest aunt personally cooked a table full of dishes.
Before leaving, she even asked Sheng Jiu to pack up all the meat and vegetables.
"You made it, that's what you made. How can it be the same as what Eldest Aunt made?"
"Take this chicken, and this fish too. I deliberately left it out, I didn't serve it."
…
Her eldest aunt doted on Sheng Jiu, so she didn't refuse.
Sheng Si Yu and Sheng Ze Xuan watched from the side, jokingly teasing, "Aiyo, we're not blood-related, are we?"
"Mom, where's mine?"
...
After hearing this, Eldest Aunt waved her hand dismissively, "Go away, go away! It's not like I'm starving you."
While eating lunch, Eldest Uncle quickly caught two chickens, carefully cleaned them, then went to the pond and caught a few fish, which he also cleaned and carefully packed, along with vegetables from the field…
Luckily, Sheng Jiu was driving a van, if the vehicle were smaller, all this stuff probably wouldn't have fit.
That's it...
Her eldest aunt even forced two boxes of milk on her.
Sheng Jiu: ...
After lunch, Sheng Jiu drove back, still thinking about the people on Ares's side.
This noon…
They didn't have any food.
She didn't know if Ares would knock on the door until it broke.
However, Sheng Jiu had told the other party last night that she had something to do this morning.
She wasn't sure if she'd be back by noon.
After Ares knocked on the door and found no one there, he'd probably leave, right?
She wondered what they'd eat for lunch.
Thinking about this, Sheng Jiu was quite worried: "They should be fine if they skip a meal, right?"
They shouldn't be like they were when they first met, where Ares just fainted from hunger.
That was scary!
[He went hungry for three days last time.]
The system intervened just in time, relieving Sheng Jiu's worries.
She quickly regained her composure and focused on driving.
Sheng Jiu enjoyed a good meal and drinks in the village and returned home laden with her spoils.
Diners who wanted to have lunch at Restaurant Sheng Ji felt...
The sky has fallen!
They arrived a little early for lunch.
As a result, a simple notice was posted above Restaurant Sheng Ji: "I have something to do today, so I'll be open tonight."
Huh?
So what?
Closing for lunch?
Little Boss!
You've gone astray!
Isn't a diner's stomach a stomach too?
How can they survive without this meal?
Some people who heard the rumors even asked around, wondering if the business had been shut down for rectification because it failed an inspection by the industry and commerce authorities.
Upon hearing this, Li Cheng Xiang quickly waved his hand, "That's not it at all. The inspection was all satisfactory. I think someone in her family was just discharged from the hospital, and she went back to her hometown."
"A sick person at home?"
"That's understandable."
"But what about our food?"
...
Grandpa Hong and Grandpa Wu strolled over, only to find there was no food today, and they were quite disheartened.
They didn't want to leave yet, so they huddled at the restaurant entrance.
Lin Qi had come with a mission today.
She brought lunch for her colleagues the day before yesterday, but they thought it was a bit expensive, so they didn't ask her to bring any more yesterday.
As a result, after ordering other take out, the difference in taste became apparent.
Some take out smelled delicious, but tasted bland.
Some take out didn't smell good, and tasted even worse.
In comparison, a 28 yuan rice bowl isn't actually that expensive, right?
So, Lin Qi's colleagues asked her to bring them lunch today, worried that she wouldn't be able to carry it all. One colleague, who had dark circles under her eyes and was walking unsteadily, came with her.
When they arrived, they discovered…
The food was gone!
Huh?
What's the difference between that and the sky falling?
Do you know how hard it is for us office workers to get a decent meal?
Waaah!
Lin Qi's colleague, Sun Xiao Xiao, was also a typical 007 office worker[1].
These past few days, she'd been working so much overtime she was practically floating, she was afraid she might suddenly die one day.
But what could she do?
She could switch to another company that wasn't so demanding, but the pay would be much lower!
Their current company, while incredibly demanding, but at least paid more!
Sun Xiao Xiao came out today because she wanted to try the millet porridge that Lin Qi had praised all afternoon yesterday. She wanted to see what it tasted like.
But she couldn't have it.
Sun Xiao Xiao hadn't felt this wronged in half a month of overtime work. She finally couldn't hold back anymore and covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.
When Lin Qi heard her crying, she felt like crying too.
The two people, who were like slaves to the company, were hugging each other and crying.
When Xue Wan Ling arrived, she saw the two people crying together.
Her heart skipped a beat. What had happened?
Xue Wan Ling looked at the two elderly men, who looked somewhat familiar: "What's wrong?"
Could it be that the restaurant has closed down?
No!
She's already working like a slave to earn money. She can't guarantee she'll eat there everyday, but she can afford to eat there every other day.
So, please, please don't close down!
Grandpa Hong pointed to the notice on the roller shutter door: "The Little Boss is not open for business at noon today, and everyone is saddened."
Upon hearing this, Xue Wan Ling breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the restaurant hadn't gone out of business.
She thought again, ah?
The restaurant isn't open for lunch today?
What will she eat then?
Oh no!
She wanted to cry too.
After returning to the city, Sheng Jiu didn't rush back to the restaurant. Instead, she went to the neighborhood where her little uncle lived.
The neighborhood where Little Uncle Sheng lived was considered one of the older neighborhoods in the city.
"Older" probably means...
The neighborhood had a higher proportion of elderly residents.
So, anything that happens in the neighborhood spreads like wildfire within a day.
The residents' group chat is flooded with messages.
Sheng Jiu came over and first checked on the university students' work.
It must be said, the university students were really serious.
They initially agreed on 200 yuan for three hours.
But it was already noon, and they still hadn't left!
They not only put up banners at the entrance of the residential area, but also brought gongs, cymbals, and speakers...
When Sheng Jiu arrived, the voice could be heard from a distance: "Thank you, Mr. Sheng Wen Zong and Ms. Cui Ning Ning, for introducing their niece to a guy who just got out of prison for a blind date. He's a lewd, shameless man..."
There's a morning market at the entrance of the old residential area.
The university students set up a stall there to avoid being kicked out.
I've already set up my stall, so what business is it of yours what I put in my speakers?
Nobody really cares about that.
Not only did no one bother them, but older men and women would always come over to listen to the commotion. Some would even put their little stools where they weren't in the way and sit there listening, occasionally asking a few questions.
The university students didn't know much about Little Uncle Sheng and the others.
But…
Couldn't they just make something up if they didn't know?
They made it up on the spot.
What kind of good person could someone be to introduce their niece to a guy like that on a blind date?
Two eloquent female university students, seasoned readers of online novels for over a decade, then made their appearance.
The two girls declared, "We've read so many online novels over the years, what kind of melodrama haven't we seen?"
So, listen up, ladies, I'm about to fabricate a story for you!
[1] 007 is even more extreme than 996: work starts at midnight (no fixed start time) and ends at midnight (no fixed end time), 7 days a week. Its core is "complete integration of work and life"—no concept of leaving get off work, no weekends, and mobile phones are on 24 hours a day to respond to work needs at any time.