Chapter 82 Delicious Bento Boxes

Old Lu's eyes lit up, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his voice carrying a hint of tobacco smoke: "Alright, one then!" He plopped down on the plastic stool, its legs creaking against the concrete floor, and slapped his dark hand on his leg.

He stared intently at Su Yingxue's movements—seeing her scoop rice into the lunchbox, packing it tightly, and then deliberately adding an extra spoonful of minced meat and eggplant, the bright red sauce dripping down the edge of the spoon. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He stubbed out his cigarette in the tin ashtray next to him, sparks flying up but quickly going out.

Su Yingxue handed over the packed lunchbox, and also picked up a bag of pickled radish cubes: "Big brother, eat this with your rice to cut through the greasiness."

Old Lu took it, his fingertips touching the warm sides of the lunchbox, and his heart warmed a little. He couldn't wait to lift the lid, and was instantly stunned—the cured duck pieces were piled high, the dark red duck skin glistening with oil, and the lotus root pieces buried underneath were stewed until they were pinkish-white and soft with a gentle poke;

The minced meat and eggplant on the side were spread evenly, and the sauce soaked into the rice. Even the accompanying tomato and egg soup was in a sealed soup container, without spilling a drop. Bright green scallions floated on the surface of the soup, making it look refreshing.

"Wow, this portion is quite generous!" Old Lu happily picked up his chopsticks and first stuffed a piece of cured duck into his mouth. As soon as his teeth touched the duck skin, he tasted the rich aroma of the fat. The meat was stewed until tender but not dry, and after chewing a couple of times, he could still taste a faint cured flavor.

He shoveled another mouthful of rice mixed with tomato sauce. The eggplant was so tender it melted in his mouth, and the savory minced meat mixed with the aroma of fermented bean paste slid down his throat, filling the emptiness in his stomach.

"This tastes amazing!" Old Lu mumbled between chews, his chopsticks moving rapidly as he shoveled rice into his mouth, finishing off more than half of the preserved duck pieces in no time, and even the lotus root pieces were completely gone.

Finally, he picked up the soup box, tilted his head back, and drank the tomato and egg soup down to the last drop. The sweet and sour broth slid down his throat, relieving the greasiness of the meat and warming him up after a long drive.

He put down the empty lunchbox, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and didn't care that there was still some tomato sauce on the corner of his mouth. He picked up the stinky tofu that Su Yingxue had given him and his eyes narrowed into slits with a smile: "Girl, I'll keep this stinky tofu for a midnight snack. Your cooking skills are really something else - ten times better than the 20-yuan boxed meals at the service area ahead!"

Their rice was undercooked, and their vegetables tasted like they'd been boiled in water; nothing smelled as good as yours.

Su Yingxue handed over a tissue and said with a smile, "I'm glad you enjoyed your meal. Drive safely tonight and have a safe trip."

Old Lu took the tissue, wiped his mouth, scratched the back of his head (his hair was still a bit dusty), and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Young lady, I'll be using this route to pick up goods again in a few days, so I'll definitely come back to eat then. If I bring a few of my brothers, you'll have to give me a discount. I have a lot of brothers here, they can bring you a lot of business!"

“No problem. If you bring your friends, I’ll give you a discount of two yuan per serving and throw in a free serving of pickled radish.” Su Yingxue nodded in agreement, watching as Lao Lu carried the stinky tofu and lightly jumped onto the truck.

The cab lights came on, the engine roared to life, and the truck slowly drove away, its taillights turning into two small red dots in the night before gradually disappearing at the end of the road.

She glanced down at the few remaining boxed meals on the table and breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed the boxed meal business was really going to succeed.

Old Lu drove his truck for three hours, and when the time on the dashboard jumped to 2 a.m., he finally stopped at a gas station at the highway exit. The night was as dark as ink spilled across the sky, with only the gas station sign shining brightly, its white light illuminating the parking lot and making the oil stains on the ground clearly visible.

There were five or six large trucks parked in the parking lot, and the drivers were gathered in twos and threes in a corner, each of them looking tired from long-distance driving.

The man in blue overalls squatted on the ground with a bucket of freshly made instant noodles on his lap. Steam rose up, making his glasses turn white, but he didn't care to wipe it. He slurped the noodles, not caring that the soup splashed on his overalls.

The uncle leaning against the truck tire had a cold steamed bun in his hand, eating it with a bag of vacuum-packed pickled vegetables. He chewed the bun and pickled vegetables with difficulty, and occasionally had to drink some mineral water to swallow it down.

There was also a man in a plaid shirt sitting on a stone stool. He opened a sealed plastic box of braised food. The duck wings inside were glistening with oil, but there wasn't much aroma coming out. He took a couple of bites of the duck wings, then frowned and closed the box—it was probably left out for too long and didn't taste fresh.

Old Lu turned off the truck, opened the door, jumped out, stretched, and his bones cracked twice, as if the fatigue he had accumulated along the way had dissipated a bit.

His dark face showed signs of weariness, and there was still some dust in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but he still turned around and took out an insulated bag from the passenger seat of the truck—the bag was given to him by Su Yingxue, and it contained the box of stinky tofu.

The moment he unzipped the zipper, the aroma of braised meat mixed with the spiciness of minced garlic burst out, wafting around as if it had grown legs.

The man squatting on the ground eating instant noodles paused, stopped slurping, and looked up at Lao Lu. The uncle leaning against the tire also put down his steamed bun, sniffed hard, and looked at Lao Lu with a curious expression.

"Old Lu, what good stuff are you hiding here? It smells so good!" Little Sun, who was next to him, came over first because of the smell. He had just finished eating half a steamed bun, and there were still some crumbs on the corners of his mouth. His hair was messy.

But his eyes were fixed on the insulated bag in Lao Lu's hand. "Aren't you hungry? You've been running around for so long, aren't you going to have dinner?"

Old Lu chuckled, patted the insulated bag, and said with a hint of pride, "I just ate a boxed lunch on the way here. This is stinky tofu that the boss gave me. It's only fragrant when it's hot. It won't taste the same when it's cold."

As he spoke, he carried the bag toward the convenience store at the gas station. The glass door rang with a "ding-dong," and the clerk, who was dozing off on the counter, was awakened by the aroma and looked over, rubbing his eyes.

"Young lady, may I borrow your microwave to heat something up?" Old Lu handed over the stinky tofu box. When the clerk took it, her fingertips still touched the box, which was still a little warm. She put it in the microwave and pressed the button for one minute.

With a "ding," the aroma became even stronger as soon as the oven door was opened, making even the snacks on the convenience store shelves seem less appealing.

The shop assistant couldn't help but look up and ask, "Brother, where did you buy this stinky tofu? It smells amazing, even better than the one I had in the city last time!"

"It's a food stall right next to the funeral home in the city. The owner is a young woman, and her cooking is absolutely amazing."

Old Lu proudly took the stinky tofu box, turned around and walked out of the convenience store. As soon as he walked into the group of drivers, he was surrounded by people.

"Come and see. This stinky tofu came with my lunchbox. I guarantee it'll be delicious. It smells amazing!"

As Lao Lu spoke, he opened the insulated lid. A rich aroma wafted out.