Chapter 172 The First Fish
The crispy crust and soft interior of the steamed bun, combined with the rich meat juices, create a wonderful texture!
This was nothing like the roadside stall quality he had imagined!
This craftsmanship is in no way inferior to those famous time-honored brands, and even... it has an indescribable, addictive "wok hei" (wok aroma) and a sense of warmth.
Wang Bo devoured the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in almost two or three bites, licking his lips with lingering satisfaction. His previous pickiness and indifference vanished, and his gaze towards Su Xiaonuan was filled with surprise and admiration.
"Young lady... no, young boss, your skills are absolutely amazing!" he praised sincerely, then waved his hand, "Give me ten! To go!"
"Ten...ten?" Su Xiaonuan cooperated by showing a flattered expression, her eyes wide open as if she had been overwhelmed by this "big business," but her hands moved without slowing down at all. "Okay, okay! Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon!"
While she was busy, several vendors who had some free time nearby started whispering among themselves.
"See? I told you Xiao Su's cooking is good! Even Wang, the procurement expert, is convinced!"
"Sigh, what's the use of good skills if you're unlucky... I heard her husband's illness costs a lot of money every month for his medication..."
"That's right, we're still in debt, and the child is gone... It's like when it rains, it pours."
"It's not easy for this young couple either, they work from dawn till dusk..."
Wang Bo heard these casual remarks that drifted into his ears, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
He was originally a member of the Sacred Heart Society, and one of his duties was to identify targets who were in distress and easy to control and win over.
The young couple in front of me—the woman has amazing culinary skills, the man is sickly, in debt, and has also experienced the pain of losing a child—are practically textbook examples of "potential partners"!
A professional impulse rose in his heart—wouldn't it be a great achievement to recruit these two people?
Especially this young girl's cooking skills; if they could be used by the Sacred Heart Society, those picky upper-level "lecturers" would definitely be satisfied!
But another thought immediately popped into my head: What if we can't eat this delicious food anymore? Now that they've set up a stall here, we can buy it whenever we want.
If we bring them into the association, there are so many rules, it's hard to say whether we'll still be able to eat so easily...
The allure of delicious food and the drive to achieve results were locked in a battle in his mind.
After much deliberation, Wang Bo's desire for food ultimately prevailed for the time being. "Fine, I'll observe a little longer," he thought. "The person's right here; they can't run away."
So he suppressed his urge to "promote" on the spot. After Su Xiaonuan packed ten roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwiches), he casually asked, "Boss, is your home far from here? If it's close, and I'm too lazy to come over in the future, could your wife help deliver it?" He wanted to find out their address so he could "follow up" later.
Su Xiaonuan's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained as honest and simple as ever. She pointed to the more dilapidated tenement buildings at the other end of the old street: "It's not far, brother. We live in that red-light tenement building over there, on the second floor, the innermost room." This was the "scripted residence" carefully prepared for them by the police.
Wang Bo glanced in the direction she pointed and was very satisfied. Close enough, perfect, all within his control.
He paid, carrying the heavy, fragrant roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and left satisfied, already planning to find some excuse to come back and "get to know more about" this poor "young couple" next time.
Watching Wang Bo's figure disappear into the crowd, Su Xiaonuan and Lu Zheng, who had been silently playing the role of "sickly husband," exchanged a subtle glance.
The bait has successfully attracted the first fish.
Next, we just need to wait patiently and see what kind of fish this fish will bring.
After finishing their day's "performance" and packing up their stall, Su Xiaonuan and Lu Zheng returned to their temporary, bare "script residence"—the innermost room on the second floor of the Hongguang tenement building.
The room was small and cramped, the walls were mottled, and the few pieces of old furniture exuded a damp smell.
But this is their only safe haven at this moment, where they can let down their guard a little.
Closing the door shuts out the noise of the outside world.
Su Xiaonuan let out a long sigh of relief and rubbed her cheeks, which had become stiff from maintaining a humble smile.
Lu Zheng immediately went to the window, lifted a corner of the old curtain, and cautiously observed the situation downstairs. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, he closed the curtain.
"Are you tired?" Lu Zheng turned around, his voice low, the weakness he had deliberately feigned during the day gone, replaced by his usual composure.
He walked to the creaking old table, picked up the thermos, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to Su Xiaonuan.
"It's alright, acting is much more tiring than real fighting." Su Xiaonuan took the water glass, gulped down more than half of it, and then said breathlessly.
Her baby face showed a hint of fatigue, but her eyes were still bright and sparkling with analytical light. "Lu Zheng, what do you think Wang Bo meant by asking for our address at the end of today?"
Lu Zheng sat down on the small stool opposite her, his posture still upright, which seemed somewhat out of place in this dilapidated environment.
He pondered for a moment and said, "It's an initial probe. He heard the discussions about our 'tragic experiences' and was intrigued, but hasn't made up his mind to recruit us yet. Asking for our addresses is partly to facilitate future contact, and partly a manifestation of his desire for control."
Su Xiaonuan nodded, her brows furrowing slightly: "I have a feeling that things might not go as smoothly as we think. An organization like the Sacred Heart Society must be very careful when recruiting members, right? With our 'tragic story' and my cooking skills, can we really gain their trust so easily?"
“Of course it won’t be that easy.” Lu Zheng’s tone was calm, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact. “This is a protracted war. Wang Bo is just an outermost purchasing agent. Through him, we can only get a superficial understanding of the Sacred Heart Society. To get to the core, we need more ‘opportunities’ and ‘pledges of allegiance’.”
He looked at Su Xiaonuan, his gaze deep and calm: "I've long been prepared to fight a guerrilla war and a protracted war with them. We can't rush it, and we can't panic. Every step must be taken steadily, leaving no openings."
Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Su Xiaonuan's anxiety caused by uncertainty strangely subsided.
Yes, he's here.
He is like a steadfast mountain, always giving people a sense of security and strength.
"Okay, I know." Su Xiaonuan put down her water glass and stood up. "Are you hungry? I'll go get something to eat. It won't be as good as what you get at the stall, but it'll have to do."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
