Traditional Chinese medicine is indeed very bitter, but when paired with the candied fruit that Qin Wangye sent, it becomes bearable.
For three days in a row, Song Que drank it until his face turned a bit green.
Midway, Qin Wangye would check on him from time to time, asking Song Que to take photos of the brewed medicine for him to see.
Song Que felt helpless but obediently took the pictures.
The second day after finishing the medication, Song Que noticed subtle changes in his body.
The heavy, damp feeling that seemed to have permeated his bones seemed to have dissipated quite a bit.
His mood improved along with it.
On Saturday afternoon, Li Shishan invited him to the shop to sit for a while. Song Que had nothing to do, so he agreed.
Li Shishan’s shop was quite successful. He was not great at his studies, but he was steady and hardworking, and he loved to cook. His wife, Zhang Jiaojiao, was excellent at preparing delicious meals. Besides barbecue, they also made various dry-pot dishes and noodles. In the evenings, they usually needed five or six servers to keep up with the rush.
After two days of rain, the weather cleared up. When Li Shishan saw Song Que approaching in casual clothes, he was startled.
He is different.
Li Shishan did not ask, prioritizing his concern for Song Que. “It rained the past two days; how is your foot? If it is not better, let my mother prepare some more of that folk remedy. Did you not say it was useful?”
In truth, it was not useful; Song Que had just said that to comfort them.
“Do not go to the trouble,” Song Que said gently. “I recently met an old doctor of Chinese medicine, and his acupuncture is very effective. Let us try that treatment for now.”
Even Jiaojiao, who had just come out of the kitchen, had a flash of surprise in her eyes at these words.
Song Que’s foot injury was troublesome and had never been fully cured. After a long time, he himself seemed to have given up, and when he mentioned it, his tone was indifferent, as if it did not matter whether it got better or not. But today was different. The young man was wearing black trousers paired with a brown trench coat. Inside, a milky-white high-neck sweater made him look several years younger, with part of his chin hidden in the fur, making him look very gentle.
Jiaojiao asked, “Xiao Que, are you hungry? What would you like to eat?”
Song Que had not eaten much at noon, so after a brief hesitation, he said, “Chicken noodle soup.”
“You got it!”
After sitting down, Song Que surveyed the surroundings and brought up the issue of the storefront. Li Shishan had the same plan. The marinade for the barbecue was something he and Jiaojiao had constantly improved, and the customers now raved about it; it could already be considered a secret recipe. The customer base was stable, so moving to a nearby location would not have much of an impact.
Song Que was very supportive of this. “Just wait for my news.”
“Oh, I should go ask the person in charge of this area myself.”
Song Que shook his head. “This area is in high demand; they will not tell you the truth. You do not need to be so polite with me regarding this minor matter.”
Li Shishan beamed. “Alright, I will listen to you!”
Before dark, there were not many people around. Song Que quietly finished his chicken noodle soup while listening to Li Shishan talk about the past, about their student days, and about the first time they met. Not all of it was bad memories, and when the topic turned to happy moments, Song Que would smile a little.
A luxury car drove past. After Li Shishan finished pouring out the vegetable washing water, he looked up and could only see the rear of the car. It was smooth and beautiful. No man could resist that. He held a cigarette in his mouth, calculating the cost of opening a larger shop. Once things were stable, if the opportunity arose, he would buy a better car, but before that, he still had to pay off his mortgage.
Song Que had offered to pay it off, but Li Shishan refused absolutely, stating that if Song Que paid it secretly, it would be buying off the bond of all these years, and they would have no need to associate in the future.
Li Shishan was simple and honest, but at times, he was stubborn to a fault.
As he thought about these things, Li Shishan saw the luxury car slowly drive back.
It stopped right in front of him.
Li Shishan: “?”
The window rolled down, and a young, flamboyant face glanced at Li Shishan before looking behind him.
Following his gaze, Li Shishan saw Song Que sitting at the entrance.
Li Shishan became alert immediately.
He was not afraid of the luxury car the other person was driving. He let out a loud “Hey!” and his expression turned cold. “What are you looking at?”
Over the years, Song Que had developed capability and influence, but before he came of age, because of his good looks, he had been watched by countless people. Li Shishan had helped him win several fights; he had to be cautious.
Shao Fuguang was not offended. This person clearly looked like the owner. Since Song Que was sitting at his entrance, their relationship must be good.
He did not know if this counted as good luck or bad. That night, when Qin Wangye revealed his true feelings regardless of anyone else, even using such a bizarre term as love at first sight, not an exaggeration, Shao Fuguang went home and had nightmares all night. Either he dreamed that Qin Wangye’s patience wore out and he kidnapped Song Que home, or he dreamed that Song Que set the house on fire and died with Qin Wangye. He woke up in a cold sweat and then uninstalled his mother’s e-book app.
It was truly terrifying.
When he drove past just now and saw Song Que, Shao Fuguang thought he was hallucinating from thinking about him too much.
Song Que also noticed the commotion. He turned slightly and met Shao Fuguang’s eyes.
“Mr. Shao?”
Shao Fuguang got out of the car. “Just call me Xiao Shao.”
Song Que: “Huh?”
“Your friend’s shop?” Shao Fuguang said, handing Li Shishan a cigarette.
Wow! Such high-end stuff!
Seeing that they knew each other, Li Shishan did not stand on ceremony, accepted it, and said, “Thanks, it was a misunderstanding just now.”
Shao Fuguang smiled, not taking it to heart.
“Yes, this is my friend, Li Shishan,” Song Que introduced. “This is Mr. Shao.”
Shao Fuguang, being the type to get familiar quickly, pulled over a stool and sat down. “I thought I had seen wrong.”
Shao Fuguang confirmed repeatedly that this was his first time seeing Li Shishan, and looking at how he was dressed and groomed, he was just an ordinary person. Song Que was usually so indifferent, yet he seemed quite close to this Li Shishan.
Song Que did not know that Shao Fuguang’s brain was spinning at light speed.
Shao Fuguang truly wanted to stir up trouble. Should he call Qin Wangye and play riddles? Or should he observe a bit more?
In any case, he had planted himself there and was not leaving.
Shao Fuguang even felt as if he had re-evaluated Song Que. To be able to fascinate his Brother Ye so much that he walked unsteadily, he must have amazing charm.
Seeing that Shao Fuguang had no intention of leaving, Song Que said tactfully, “We need to go pick up some goods in a few minutes.”
Li Shishan’s car had been borrowed and not yet returned, so they had to use Song Que’s.
“Picking up goods? I am great at moving goods,” Shao Fuguang said. “I will help you.”
Song Que: “”
Song Que could not have imagined that Shao Fuguang would actually follow them.
The unloading point was two kilometers west of the exit. When the delivery company called, as soon as Song Que got up, Shao Fuguang stuck to him like glue. A flashy yellow Ferrari followed the traditional black Bentley. Upon arriving at their destination, he helped move boxes of frozen seafood balls.
“So many?” Shao Fuguang frowned as he looked at the dozen boxes.
Sports cars looked good but could not hold much. Since Shao Fuguang was determined to get involved, he called his friends.
In any case, the final result was that three luxury cars arrived to help load and deliver the goods. The delivery company manager’s expression toward Li Shishan had completely changed.
Won’t Qin Wangye have to kneel down to me for this? Shao Fuguang laughed wildly and perversely in his mind.