Chapter 702: 698. The Monk May Run, but the Temple Cannot (Please Subscribe and Vote)

"How is Sister Zhou's health?" the old man asked.

Xu Meijuan sighed and said, "Still the same. I tell her to go to the hospital, but she won't go. It really worries me to death."

"Sigh, if she won't go, then let it be. Going would just be suffering," the old man said, seemingly empathizing.

In truth, at their age, they basically knew their own situations; even if they went to the hospital for treatment, they wouldn't live many more years, and it would only be a torment.

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, there was no one left in the restaurant. Just as Xu Meijuan was preparing to take a break, three people walked in from outside.

It was exactly Zhang Ran and his two companions.

Upon hearing Zhang Ran say he was a bit hungry, He Yong knew what to do and drove them straight over.

"Hello, how many are in your party?" Xu Meijuan asked, bracing herself as she felt her sore waist.

Having been busy for such a long time, she also felt extremely exhausted.

"Three," Zhang Ran said.

"Please have a seat. Here is the menu; take a look at what you would like to eat," Xu Meijuan said, handing over the menu.

Zhang Ran looked at the menu and then said, "One order of Dongpo Pork."

He only ordered this one dish, leaving the rest for Huo Zhiyuan and He Yong to order.

Hearing Zhang Ran say the name of the dish, Xu Meijuan smiled and said, "You must have heard people talking about our restaurant's Dongpo Pork, right?"

"Could it not be that I have eaten it before?" Zhang Ran asked with a smile.

"Looking at you, you don't seem like someone who comes here often, so it's highly likely you heard it from someone. Of course, that's just my wild guess," Xu Meijuan hurriedly said.

Dongpo Pork was their restaurant's signature dish and also the dish her mother-in-law made best. It could be said to be famous far and wide; basically, those who liked this flavor had a very deep impression of their restaurant's version of this dish.

Zhang Ran said, "I have eaten it, but not in the shop."

Of course he had eaten it; this was a dish the Zhou Jia Laotaitai had made back in the day to thank him for his dedicated efforts.

Soon, He Yong and Huo Zhiyuan had also finished ordering, and Xu Meijuan said, "Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

Saying this, she went to the kitchen to cook.

Zhang Ran, He Yong, and the others chatted and played on their phones, looking as if they had truly just come to eat.

Xu Meijuan's cooking speed was also quite fast; in half an hour, all the dishes were served.

"Boss, how is business here?" Zhang Ran asked while eating.

Xu Meijuan sat on a chair to rest and took a sip of water, saying casually, "Business is alright. In short, it's just earning some hard-earned money."

"Indeed, the restaurant business is quite tough," Zhang Ran nodded and said.

"Actually, no matter what you do, making money is hard work. But for bosses like you, I imagine it's very easy," Xu Meijuan smiled.

"Haha, where did you see that we are bosses?" Zhang Ran said with a smile.

"Demeanor. You all have an extraordinary demeanor," Xu Meijuan complimented.

Chatting while customers were eating was a normal thing. Although Xu Meijuan didn't have much education, she still knew how to compliment people.

Moreover, she also felt that these people didn't seem like ordinary people.

"I appreciate the compliment; we just run a small business," Zhang Ran said.

After chatting for a few sentences, Zhang Ran asked as if it were of no concern: "By the way, I heard that the Dongpo Pork made by the old lady in your family tastes even better. Is she resting today?"

Xu Meijuan sighed and said, "The old lady is getting on in years, and her health isn't very good, so she has been resting lately. I am truly sorry."

She thought Zhang Ran and his group had come specifically for the old lady's Dongpo Pork; there was still a bit of a gap between her version and the one the old lady made.

Even though everything was the same, it just didn't taste as good as the old lady's, and Xu Meijuan didn't know why.

Zhang Ran said, "There is nothing to be sorry about; your Dongpo Pork tastes quite good too."

"It's still a bit worse than my mother-in-law's," Xu Meijuan said.

Just as they were chatting, a bald young man walked in, covered in muscles and tattoos.

However, He Yong saw at a glance that these weren't real tattoos, but tattoo stickers, just of a more exquisite kind; those who didn't know better wouldn't be able to tell at all.

"Mom, busy?" Zhou Gang said with a grin.

Seeing her son come over, Xu Meijuan said irritably, "I just sat down to rest. What? Did you get into trouble again? I'm telling you, there's no money left at home; all the money has to be saved for your grandmother's medical treatment.

Also, hurry up and wash off those things on your body. If your grandmother sees them, she'll get angry again. It's best not to make her angry right now, you know?"

Zhou Gang said with some grievance, "I didn't ask for money. I haven't asked you for money since I moved out, okay? And I've earned some recently; this is money for you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of cash. Zhang Ran took a quick look; he estimated there was at least seventy or eighty thousand US dollars.

Seeing this money, Xu Meijuan was stunned, "Where did you get this money? Did you do something bad?"

Zhou Gang hurriedly said, "Mom, that's not it. It's all from legitimate business. Didn't I open an auto repair shop with some friends a while ago? This is the dividend from the shares.

Now that Grandma is sick, hurry up and take this money for her to see a doctor. Our family isn't short on money; tell her to go see a doctor quickly and not keep dragging it out day after day.

Eventually, a minor ailment will drag on into a major illness. I really don't know what the old lady is thinking."

Xu Meijuan frowned; she knew her son's filial piety, "You should give this money to your grandmother yourself."

"I'm not going. If I go, the old lady will get angry again, and there will inevitably be a scolding. I don't want to be scolded for no reason. Besides, the old lady's health isn't very good right now; if she wants to scold me, she'll have to wait until she's better," Zhou Gang refused quite decisively.

From childhood to adulthood, the old lady hadn't scolded him a little, and she hadn't hit him just once or twice.

Therefore, Zhou Gang was still a bit intimidated by the old lady.

Just at this moment, a crowd of people suddenly appeared outside, each looking fierce and menacing; they didn't look like good people at all.

"Jieke, don't you Huaxia people have a saying: 'The monk may run away, but the temple cannot'? Why aren't you running now? Go on, run!" the leader said viciously.

Jieke, which was to say Zhou Gang, saw these people and his expression changed.

"Yuehan, if you have something to say, let's go outside and talk. Don't block the way here," Zhou Gang said, taking a deep breath.

At the same time, he smiled at Xu Meijuan with a relaxed face, "Mom, my friends are here. I'm going out to hang out for a bit. I've been a bit tired lately, so it's a good time to relax."

Zhou Gang was bullying Xu Meijuan because she didn't understand much English; Xu Meijuan could only barely understand some common phrases and words related to ordering, food, and paying the bill, but she basically couldn't understand the rest.

Over so many years, Xu Meijuan had rarely left Chinatown, but for someone like her, she had also grown accustomed to this kind of life.