Vengeful spirits? Let's get out of the dungeon first!

Chapter 40 Dying Without Regret

The noodle shop across the street became bustling with people again.

The LCD TV on the wall is playing back news from last week's inspection.

Fan Qiusheng's dozing off was captured on camera.

"Qiusheng, you were caught on camera slacking off at work!"

The diners who were peeling garlic saw the noodles being served and couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.

"It's all because you guys don't trust how clean our house is! Now look what's happened, I don't even have time to slack off!"

Next to the television, the framed rectification notice and the clean floor in the picture stand in stark contrast to the oil drum with the latest date.

Diners started bringing their own lunchboxes, worried they wouldn't be able to eat and would just pack up and take the food away.

There are actually other restaurants on the street, but they were all found to have some problems after a surprise inspection.

Only the cleanliness of the noodle shop was featured in the Jinchuan Daily.

"Old Zhang, ten bowls of the special-offer noodles, please. I'll take them home for the patients in our department!"

"Okay, sit on the stool by the door and wait a moment."

Zhang Yuanchao has returned to his post. Fan Qiusheng alone simply cannot handle such a large flow of customers. He is now considering bringing out the noodle machine from the warehouse for use.

The Hongmei Fast Food restaurant across the street has been closed indefinitely, since the owner has been detained and his employees are naturally not going to work for free.

The charges are producing and selling toxic and harmful food, plus the use of expired flour. The fines alone could ruin the business for the partner.

Of course, there's also Qin Ye; his punishment after being dismissed is unclear.

Other restaurants also saw a slight improvement in business, but they still couldn't compete with the noodle shop across the street.

"Is the boss here?"

A middle-aged man in uniform stood at the door, not coming in, but just shouting.

"Here it is! How many bowls of noodles? We can only take them to go now."

"I'm not here for a meal, I'm here to deliver your award certificate!"

An envelope and a certificate were taken out from behind, and the diners sitting on the sofa all turned around to look.

Before Zhang Yuanchao could react, he was about to reach out when cameras and video cameras shoved in his face, the intense flashes making it hard for him to open his eyes.

Fan Qiusheng didn't plan to come out of the house; he's a little afraid of being on camera now.

"Boss, this is a two-thousand-yuan reward for your act of bravery. You really helped us a lot this time!"

"You're too kind. The police and the people are as close as fish and water. I was just helping out with a small matter."

Seeing that there were indeed quite a few guests inside, the award presenters didn't linger. The lead policeman whispered in Zhang Yuanchao's ear:

"The regulatory authorities will be here soon, within the next couple of days. Don't be scared by the huge entourage."

"It's alright, as long as it doesn't affect the guests."

After seeing the group off, Zhang Yuanchao had just turned around when applause erupted from inside the room.

The nearest caregiver, Sister Lü, came over and said loudly:

"Old Zhang, you got your bonuses, aren't you going to buy everyone a beer?"

"What kind of beer? It's all free today!"

A series of cheers erupted around them, but Fan Qiusheng inside the house was stretching noodles with a long face.

The Spring Festival in 08 was a week earlier than the previous year, and the popularity of noodle shops had slightly decreased after the Lunar New Year.

Fan Qiusheng finally had time to take a nap.

The TV wasn't very loud, and Zhang Yuanchao was sitting on the sofa drinking tea. Since he got the noodle press, he hasn't gone into the kitchen except when his regular customers come in.

"Boss, why has the special noodles gone up in price? It used to be one yuan, how come it's fifty cents now?"

"I'm sorry, vegetable prices have been a bit high lately. I'll add some extra noodles for you later."

Zhang Yuanchao didn't get up and continued watching TV. Fan Qiusheng, who was lying not far away, rubbed his eyes and sat up from the sofa.

He was so confused that he couldn't see the person clearly, but he felt like he had seen this guy somewhere before.

"Uncle Zhu, why are you back?"

Master, look who this is!

Upon hearing the familiar surname, Zhang Yuanchao also got up from the sofa. As soon as he turned his head, he saw Zhu Gan standing at the door carrying two large bags.

There were two strings of mushrooms hanging around his neck, probably hazel mushrooms.

"No way, you old codger, you actually came back! Where have you been all these years? You didn't even leave your phone number!"

He handed the items in his hands to Fan Qiusheng; these were mostly gifts for them.

Zhu Gan pulled off the towel, grabbed his down jacket, and plopped down on it.

"We went back to the mountains, but they haven't installed a telephone line there yet."

"I'm here to collect rent again, and also to see how you're doing, old man!"

A narrow-necked glass bottle was taken out of the backpack. Besides ginseng, it seemed to contain jujube seeds and cypress seeds.

No need to bring your own wine glasses; there are tea glasses on the table.

"Are you busy? Want something to drink?"

"Have a drink, Qiusheng? And bring some side dishes!"

A single cypress seed fell from the bottle, splashing up bubbles, and the rich sandalwood aroma was as if it had just been taken out of the barrel.

A plate of peanuts and a dish of beef were served, but Zhu Gan refused any further dishes.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to try my cooking?"

"I'm not trying any more. Are you serving so much food just to drink?"

The two smiled at each other and took a sip together.

The baijiu (Chinese liquor) was not strong at all when it went down my throat; on the contrary, it made me feel relaxed and happy.

"I heard Xu Hongmei got arrested?"

"The news spreads fast! Everyone in the mountains knows!"

"I'm in the mountains, not on the moon. I go to town to buy newspapers every now and then."

"This news is so big it's even reached Chung Province! If I'd known, I'd have wanted to come back and sell steamed buns again."

I took a bite of the beef; its fine texture meant it didn't need much seasoning, and the natural flavor of the beef was delicious enough.

Looking at the seven or eight certificates of merit pasted on the wall next to the menu, adjectives such as "honest business practices" and "affordable and accessible" were right next to the special-priced noodles.

"Come back. I get pretty bored by myself in the shop. If you come back, we can have a drink together."

"Forget it, I have a bunch of kittens back in my hometown, and I've been thinking about going back these past few days."

The interior furnishings have been changed again. Zhu Gan always says that this noodle shop updates everything every month except for the menu prices.

There's no way around it; after all, the system rewards only a limited number of items, and it's difficult to sell them.

Zhang Yuanchao put the cypress kernels in his mouth and tasted not only the wine but also a hint of sweetness. He chewed them vigorously, and the oil and aroma of the wine burst forth together.

How many days are you staying this time?

"Not sure, I should be going back soon."

"Then stay here. Xiao Cheng hasn't come back yet, so you can stay in his room."

"You shameless old man, you're still trying to take advantage of me by letting me sleep in your son's bed."

The two men inside laughed heartily, their wine glasses clinking together in the air.

After getting drunk, the two talked about things that had happened in recent years, but Zhang Yuanchao did most of the talking, since he could brag about Zhang Cheng for an entire afternoon.

Actually, there's another point: Zhu Gan's words were a bit far-fetched. He said he bought a lot of money from century-old Ganoderma lucidum and thousand-year-old ginseng. Zhang Yuanchao just thought he was talking nonsense.

After all, Ganoderma lucidum is an annual plant, and it will rot in about half a year at most.

The liquor was finished, and the two friends leaned back on the sofa.

"Old Zhu, I wish I could have met you in my past life."

"How did it go?"

"I can't explain it, but I just feel like we're a perfect match."

Wait a minute, wasn't the point about me mentioning past lives?

Zhang Yuanchao picked up the apron draped over the sofa and used it to fan himself; it was too hot to drink next to the heater.

His pure white chef's uniform has become the restaurant's signature; he wears it all year round, so it rarely gets dirty.

"So what? What happened in the past life is what happened in the past life. As long as I'm comfortable in this life, that's all that matters."

"Indeed, I've had the best life ever. I don't have to worry about money, and my two kids are so easy to take care of."

"So you can die without regrets?"

"I have no regrets about dying."