Free Web NovelChapter 522: Chapter 518: State-run Restaurant
The three of them entered the back room of the pharmacy, which was fully equipped with all the tools needed for preparing traditional Chinese medicine.
Zhu Wanqi looked at Gu Jiaojiao.
"Will this place do?"
"It will."
This was a traditional Chinese apothecary; it had everything they needed.
The shop assistant quickly brought over all the medicinal herbs Gu Jiaojiao needed, and she began to grind them.
Leng Yuan stepped forward to help.
Eager to get her medicine as soon as possible, Zhu Wanqi asked Gu Jiaojiao what to do and then began grinding as well.
The process wasn’t actually difficult.
It simply involved grinding some sun-dried herbs into a fine powder.
These herbs were specifically chosen for the pustules on Zhu Wanqi’s face. Once ground into a powder and made into an ointment, it just needed to be applied to her face. The pustules would scab over in only three days, and her skin would be mostly healed within half a month.
Combined with the use of skincare products, not a single blemish would be visible on her face in one or two months.
In truth, Gu Jiaojiao had an even faster-acting formula, but she didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself.
She had to do everything in secret right now. If Zhu Wanqi’s face healed too quickly, it wouldn’t be safe for her.
Once the ointment was ready, it was getting late, and the two women parted ways at the apothecary.
Leng Yuan, Gu Jiaojiao, and Lu Yuanbin were getting hungry, so they decided to go to the state-owned restaurant for a bite to eat.
Gu Jiaojiao had never been to a state-owned restaurant since arriving, so she was eager to check it out.
The state-owned restaurant wasn’t large, but it was relatively clean. The service, however, was decidedly mediocre. You ordered at a window, paid, and then waited for your food to be served.
When it got busy, you even had to go get the food yourself.
’In a future era, no one would dare offer this kind of service,’ she thought. ’If you scowl at your customers, they just won’t come back.’
But for now, the staff were rather imperious. After all, it was the only state-owned restaurant in the entire County Town. Take it or leave it.
Service issues aside, the food portions were truly generous. The braised pork in red sauce was served in a basin, making it well worth the price of just over two yuan.
Gu Jiaojiao ordered a bowl of rice, while Leng Yuan and Lu Yuanbin got noodles.
For the three of them, they ordered a basin of braised pork, a whole fish, a pork rib dish, a cold appetizer, and a pickled vegetable dish.
Gu Jiaojiao had a small appetite and didn’t eat much. She figured with such large portions, there would surely be leftovers.
To her surprise, Leng Yuan and Lu Yuanbin polished everything off, leaving Gu Jiaojiao speechless.
It even made her wonder if she normally cooked too little. ’Has Leng Yuan ever actually felt full?’
After leaving the restaurant, Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan were planning to go shopping for the New Year. Just as they were about to part ways with Lu Yuanbin, one of his lackeys came running over, his face etched with anxiety.
Lu Yuanbin frowned.
"What’s wrong? Why the rush?"
For a moment, the lackey didn’t seem to know how to begin.
Lu Yuanbin waited for a moment, and when the man still didn’t speak, he kicked him. "Spit it out!"
’What on earth happened?’
The lackey stammered, "It’s not... it’s not us. It’s Old Nine."
"Old Nine took a fall at home and was hospitalized. The doctor checked him out and found he’d broken his arm and a leg. They also said that because of his age, it won’t heal well, and he might have permanent complications."
"I asked around. Apparently, he fell out of his own bed."
Lu Yuanbin fell silent.
’Falling in his own home, breaking an arm and a leg, and it might not even heal properly.’
’How do you even fall that badly?’
"It’s not just Old Nine. His two top men are in the same situation. I heard people saying... they’re cursed."
The lackey spoke the last two words with extreme caution.
He had barely finished speaking when Lu Yuanbin punched him.
"Shut your mouth! How can you just spout nonsense like that?"
The lackey flinched. ’I don’t believe it either,’ he thought, ’but three people all falling and breaking their limbs? No matter how you look at it, that’s not normal!’
