Free Web NovelChapter 286: Chapter 282 Fatty with a Story_1
Zhao Xinli heard this, grinned, and tilted his chin up at Zhou Ning.
"Mr. Xia knows me best."
The car was moving at a good speed, and soon they were about to leave the center of Rudong City. But no one asked any questions. After taking a few turns, they arrived in front of a small storefront. At the highest point of the storefront hung an embroidered banner with a large, conspicuous character for "noodle."
Underneath hung a black plaque with the words Fatty’s Noodle House carved into it. Though not lavish, it had an ancient and classical charm. Inside, it was very clean, with furniture all in the original wood color. Mr. Zhao parked the car and was the first to leap out.
As soon as he entered, he shouted,
"Is Fatty here?"
A fat old man with a head full of silver hair, wobbling his belly, lifted the curtain from inside and walked out. Seeing Mr. Zhao, he immediately broke into a laugh, resembling the Maitreya Buddha.
"What brings you here, kid?"
Zhao Xinli turned around, pointed at the group of people behind him, and said,
"We’re here in Rudong on business, and we’re just in time for a meal. Fatty, please arrange something for us. We’ve got a big group and don’t want anything time-consuming—just noodles for us. And how about a pot of dumplings with one kind of filling?"
"Sure, come on in and take a seat!"
The portly old man laughed, patting Mr. Zhao on the back and urging everyone to come in and sit down quickly. About ten people filled up half of the noodle house, exactly occupying four tables.
Mr. Zhao went off to chat idly with the fat old man, and before long, a young man came out with a huge square tray loaded with various small dishes the size of a palm, abundant in variety.
Seaweed salad, spicy kimchi, potato julienne in vinegar, sliced kelp, spicy tofu skin, crushed cucumber, boiled peanuts, hot-and-sour bean sprouts—eight dishes were placed on each table, taking up most of the space in the center.
While everyone was still trying to figure things out, Mr. Zhao and the old man reappeared.
Pushing a cart, they arranged more than a dozen noodle bowls on it. It was evident that the noodles were plain boiled, but definitely hand-made, thin at the edges and slightly thicker in the middle, each bowl nearly the size of a small basin used at home. Most eye-catching was the plate of beef slices next to it, thin as cicada wings, and a large pot of soup.
Inside the pot was a thick, pale yellow broth, from which one could see huge bones. When stirred, the aroma of the beef and bone soup filled the air instantly, causing everyone, men and women alike, to salivate uncontrollably.
The chubby old man picked up a bowl, slipped on a transparent glove, and with a smile, looked towards Xu Dayuan’s table.
"Anyone who doesn’t eat green onions, cilantro, or chili peppers?"
Xu Dayuan and Zhou Ning shook their heads, one after another. The old man’s hands moved quickly, grabbing the beef slices and dropping them briskly into several bowls, instantly covering the noodles, making it seem as if the whole bowl was full of beef.
Then green onions, cilantro, chili peppers, and Sichuan pepper salt were also dumped into the bowl, and as the beef and bone soup was poured over them, the savory aroma reached a new level of richness. The old man smiled and gestured for them to hold their bowls.
Then he hurried off to the next table with his cart. In just a few minutes, everyone at all four tables had their noodles. Zhou Ning stirred the soup and took a gentle sip. The hot, rich broth warmed his stomach, and his taste buds were tantalized.
Seeing Zhou Ning reacting like this, Mr. Zhao across the table broke into laughter.
"Actually, there are many ways to enjoy this. You can add shredded tofu and kelp into the noodles, with a bit of sesame oil and vinegar. It has to be Old Lighthouse vinegar from Qindao—that taste is incredibly delicious!"
Upon hearing this, the others didn’t hesitate. They reached for the small dishes with their chopsticks, Zhou Ning adding a bit of each to his bowl. He took another taste. The flavor was indeed more delicious.
"You’re not fat for no reason. You truly know how to eat. This beef may look as thin as cicada wings, but the texture as it melts in the mouth is amazing, and the noodles are exceptionally firm and chewy."
Mr. Zhao was grinning happily, but when he glanced over at the other three tables, he rolled his eyes. Everyone had already devoured their bowls, and the small dishes on the table had been swiftly emptied as well. There was no need for further seasoning; it was a clean sweep.
Some pleaded for another bowl, but Mr. Zhao shook his head.
"Take your time eating. The noodles are boiled a bit firm on purpose, so by the time the soup cools down to the right temperature, it’ll be perfect. Eating it while it’s super hot can easily cause discomfort. We should wait; there’s still potstickers coming. Back in the day, Fatty was the executive chef over at Qindao Grand Hotel, just across from our compound. His skills are unquestionable."
With a dawning realization, Xu Dayuan figured out why the flavor was so good. Before Mr. Zhao had finished speaking, Fatty himself had already arrived with the potstickers, a giant platter with a diameter of about fifty centimeters, filled with neatly inverted dumplings. The crispy golden crust looked like intricate openwork carvings, so beautiful one would hesitate to break it with their chopsticks.
Mr. Zhao stood up.
"Fatty, give me a plate of the pork three-delights. I’ve been craving this for a year now."
The fat old man’s smile grew even wider, and he quickly handed over a plate. The remaining plates were then divided among the other tables. Zhou Ning picked up one and bit into it. Instantly, a burst of savory juice filled his mouth. He paused for a moment as Xia Momo and Zhu Xingxing looked at him.
"Is it not delicious?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"It’s not just tasty; it’s bursting with juice—one bite into the potsticker and you hit a prawn, the chives still so vividly green. The technique is truly unbeatable." ƒrēewebnovel.com
As soon as the others heard this, they hurriedly reached for the potstickers, with Xu Dayuan nodding continuously.
"The flavor is absolutely incredible, but why open such a small shop in this location? If this were in Qindao, in a better spot, people would be fighting to get in."
Mr. Zhao glanced towards the direction of the kitchen and, reining in his smile, shook his head slightly as he spoke in a low voice.
"Fatty has moved on from the past. Ten years ago, his son opened a grand hotel in Qindao, which was quite successful. But it also attracted some unwanted attention. In 2004, his whole family was kidnapped, and a ransom of eight million was demanded. Back then, eight million was a genuine fortune. Fatty paid as instructed, but the kidnappers had already gone back on their word."
After so many years, that part of the city reminds him too much of his sorrows, after all, he lost both his family and his fortune. He moved to Rudong to live, and part of the eight million he paid was borrowed. He continues to run a shop to pay off the debt sooner, so he can be free of worries."
Xu Dayuan squinted his eyes, his face reflecting shock.
"I remember now, this case, it rings a bell. At the end of April 2004, there was a report of a case, the 4.14 major kidnapping and murder case. The victims were the owner of the Jiangning Clubhouse in Qindao and his wife and daughter.
The person who reported the crime was Zhu Yantao. He went to the police with a bag containing three fingers, which were identified as belonging to his son Zhu Guotai, daughter-in-law Fang Yue, and granddaughter Zhu Li. Fang Yue was an actress, and I reckon you all recognize her.
He filed a police report, and the authorities set up a 4.14 special investigation team. However, the news spread like wildfire, and when reporters caught wind of it, they began to follow the story and reported on it with no scruples. The kidnappers panicked and sent two ears along with several photos of Fang Yue."
Zhu Yantao was distraught, begging the police to pull out, and, once the money was ready, he delivered it to the periphery of the street designated by the kidnappers outside the Sea World. The kidnappers called off the exchange, claiming Zhu Yantao had broken the agreement on the phone, telling him to wait for the bodies of the three to be recovered. Zhu Yantao was stunned. He drove alone to the location demanded by the kidnappers, who had changed their agreed meeting place.
After being misled several times, Zhu Yantao came to a cliff’s edge and threw the bags containing eight million in cash down below. Even so, he couldn’t escape the surveillance and filming, and the investigation became passive. By the time police reached the cliff’s edge and went down to look, the bags that had held the money had disappeared without a trace.
Since then, there’s been no word from the kidnappers, but the incident gained further attention, and every sordid detail was widely circulated. Seven days later, someone reported finding three bodies by the sea.
A forensic doctor examined the bodies and found that they were indeed the kidnapped family of three. The time of death was estimated to be on the day the ransom was paid. If it weren’t for the interference of those people, or if the case hadn’t attracted such high levels of public attention..."
Xu Dayuan didn’t continue, everyone understood that there was no "if" to discuss—the victims were already dead.
Zhou Ning recalled the details of the case. He had seen some coverage at the time, and though he felt the headlines were incredibly sensational, he was still in college and unaware that the crime had occurred in Qindao.
Mr. Zhao sighed, his usually smiling face seldom displayed a mood so aggravated.
"If there hadn’t been an insider leak, the situation wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand. The key issue is that rather than blaming the police who leaked the information or those who published the news, people turned on Fatty, accusing him of why he had reported the crime in the first place as if he forced his son and his family into death.
After that ordeal, Fatty couldn’t bear the pressure anymore, liquidated his assets, but still owed a considerable debt. The landlord of his son’s hotel drove Fatty out, saying he brought bad luck. Helplessly, Fatty came to Rudong City and opened a store incognito, only clearing his debts last year.
To lose a child at an old age is a grief unimaginable to most, especially when that little granddaughter had just turned two. The way they died was extremely brutal—apparently, the granddaughter’s belly was cut open, her mouth torn at the corners. All three were tortured to death, and yet the kidnapper is still at large.
The chief of the public security bureau in 2004 was placed under investigation the following year, accused of receiving bribes and serving as an umbrella for evil forces. Without that insider leak coupled with the unscrupulous journalistic reporting and the resulting high profile, perhaps there might have been a chance for the three victims."
There was silence; the group hung their heads, quietly eating their potstickers. Unnoticed, the old man had approached Mr. Zhao.
"Young man, have you been dieting recently? You’ve barely eaten anything!"
Zhao Xinli spoke in a voice tinged with embarrassment.
"Well, actually, I had breakfast at ten, but when I passed by here, I just couldn’t resist your noodles. I’m not even hungry, but I could eat a whole bowl of noodles and a big plate of potstickers."
Both men laughed, and Mr. Tao had already gone to pay the bill. After exchanging a few words, the group got into the car, and the old man came out to see them off, waving continuously at the cars. Mr. Zhao honked twice, then followed the other police cars onto the road.
The atmosphere inside the car was oppressive, and Mr. Zhao stole a glance at Xu Dayuan in the rear-view mirror.
"What’s wrong, boss? Did this matter depress you?"
Xu Dayuan looked up and met Zhao Xinli’s gaze, his eyes revealing a hint of understanding.
"Don’t beat around the bush with me; you wouldn’t have brought us here for no reason. Come on, what are you thinking? This case isn’t among the cold cases reported from other districts and cities. Do you want our task force to handle it?
Keep in mind that Mr. Hu wants quick results. This is a kidnapping case, and there’s already little evidence left, not to mention it hasn’t been mentioned by anyone, which indicates a lack of physical evidence. It would be tough to solve in the short term."
Mr. Zhao smiled a simple, sincere smile.
"No, nothing. The work of the task force comes first, but after we’re done, could we pay some attention to this case?"
Xu Dayuan looked at Mr. Zhao and sighed softly, knowing full well what he was thinking.
"Alright, I promise you!"
