Chapter 52 The Ambiguity of Changing the Medicine
After Fang Che finished shouting, "Northeast Tiger Barbecue" was in an uproar.
The charcoal crackled, the meat skewers sizzled on the iron rack, and the aroma of cumin mixed with meat wafted across half the street.
Thirty tables were filled, with neighbors playing drinking games and drinking, while children bustled around delivering dishes.
In the kitchen, Cheng Tieniu, shirtless and sweating profusely, belted out an off-key Northeast folk song: "The young lady is beautiful, the young lady is wild, the young lady has entered the green cornfield—"
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Fang Che covered his ears and rushed into the kitchen. "Tiezi, your tune is way off track! You've scared away all the customers!"
Cheng Tieniu scratched his head and chuckled, "Che, I'm just happy! Look outside, there are crowds of people!"
“That’s what you call a packed house.” Fang Che rolled his eyes and casually picked up two skewers of freshly grilled lamb kidneys. “Stop singing and hurry up and grill them. Add twenty more skewers of lamb to Thirteen Sister’s table.”
"Okay!"
Fang Che straightened his back and walked out, feeling at ease.
The store was packed every day for the first three days after opening, and the numbers in the ledger kept rising.
At this rate, we can break even in a month.
It's a bit tough on your kidneys though!
Oh no, he'll do it himself.
My left shoulder wound hasn't fully healed yet, and it aches slightly after a busy day.
I just took a plate upstairs and had a bit of a scalding sensation, and now it's burning hot.
"Brother Che!" Xi Rong jogged over and whispered, "Mr. Lu's table added an extra order, and they also ordered a bottle of foreign liquor. He said... he'd like to talk about 'investment' again when you're free."
Fang Che glanced at the corner.
Lu Che sat alone, slowly eating his skewers while flipping through a copy of the "Hong Kong Economic Yearbook".
The bouquet of roses in the vase on the counter was so bright red that Lu Che's gaze would linger on it for a moment whenever he looked up.
“What investment?” Fang Che muttered. “What’s there to invest in with him… Wait, he said investment?”
Xi Rong nodded: "He said he has high hopes for our store and wants to invest in it."
Fang Che's heart sank.
Investing in a company? Doesn't that mean giving up the store?
No, this is the result of his, Tie Niu's, Xi Rong's, and all those children's hard work.
“Tell him that we are operating on a small scale and are not accepting investments for the time being,” Fang Che said, then added, “Be tactful, after all, he is a guest.”
"Okay."
As soon as Xi Rong left, Fang Che turned around and almost bumped into someone's arms.
He abruptly stepped back, then looked up and froze.
Li Hanzhou.
When did you arrive? Why is there no sound?
Li Hanzhou was wearing a black shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
He stood in the shadows by the counter, his gaze fixed on Fang Che.
"Brother Li?" Fang Che blinked. "Didn't you say you'd pick me up after closing time?"
Li Hanzhou didn't answer, but looked at his left shoulder: "How's the injury?"
"It's nothing!" Fang Che subconsciously tried to move his shoulder, but the moment he moved it, he winced in pain. "It only hurts a little bit, it's nothing."
Li Hanzhou frowned slightly.
At that moment, laughter erupted from Thirteen Sister's table.
Fang Che looked over and saw Thirteen Sister hugging a little boy, insisting on feeding him roasted chives. The child's face was as red as a monkey's bottom.
"Little brother!" Thirteen Sister waved and shouted, "Your kidneys are absolutely amazing! I'll come again tomorrow!"
Fang Che put on a smile: "I'm glad you like it, Thirteenth Sister! I'll save some fresh ones for you tomorrow!"
He smiled brightly, unaware that Li Hanzhou's eyes darkened beside him.
"Lu Che is here again?" Li Hanzhou asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
“They’re here, over there.” Fang Che pointed to the corner. “They said they wanted to invest, but I had Xi Rong turn them down. The shop just opened, we don’t lack money or partners.”
Li Hanzhou hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping over Lu Che's table before returning to Fang Che's face: "Have you dealt with the flowers Jiang Tianqi sent?"
"It's been taken care of!" Fang Che quickly said. "It was taken away as garbage yesterday. Do you think Jiang Tianqi is crazy? What's with sending roses to a grown man like him? He should have sent kidneys instead; at least you can eat them..."
He kept rambling on, unaware that Li Hanzhou's lips had slightly curved upwards.
"It's good that you know to take precautions." Li Hanzhou paused, then suddenly reached out and gently touched the fabric of Fang Che's left shoulder.
Fang Che's body stiffened.
Li Hanzhou pressed his fingers against the edge of the wound through the T-shirt: "It's bleeding."
"No way?" Fang Che looked down and saw a faint red stain on the shoulder of his white T-shirt. "I probably tore it while carrying the plate... It's okay, I'll change the bandage later..."
"Go change now." Li Hanzhou's tone left no room for argument. "Agui, take him upstairs."
Ah Gui, who was in the shadows, stepped forward and said, "Let's go."
Fang Che tried to argue, "Brother Li, I'm busy right now, the guests..."
“Xi Rong and Cheng Tie Niu can handle it.” Li Hanzhou had already turned and walked upstairs. “Or, would you like me to change it for you here?”
Fang Che imagined the scene!
Li Hanzhou undressed him and applied medicine in front of a room full of guests...
"I'm going upstairs! Right now!"
He scrambled to catch up.
Second floor lounge.
Fang Che sat on the sofa, feeling a little awkward.
Li Hanzhou skillfully took out iodine, cotton balls, and gauze from the first-aid kit.
Under the dim light, the lines of his profile appeared clear.
"Take off your clothes." Li Hanzhou said without looking up.
Fang Che awkwardly tried to pull off the hem of his T-shirt with his uninjured right hand. It was inconvenient to use one hand, and he couldn't get it off after trying for a long time.
Li Hanzhou looked up at him and sighed.
He put down his things, walked up to Fang Che, and bent down.
Fang Che's breath hitched.
Too close.
Li Hanzhou's breath almost hit his face, carrying a faint smell of tobacco.
Those phoenix eyes were so close, Fang Che could clearly see his reflection in their pupils.
"Don't move," Li Hanzhou said in a low voice, reaching out to hold the edges of his T-shirt.
The fingers touched the skin on Fang Che's side.
Slightly cool.
Fang Che trembled involuntarily.
Li Hanzhou paused for a moment, but quickly continued, carefully helping him take the T-shirt off his head.
The whole process was very gentle and didn't aggravate the wound.
Fang Che's entire face turned red.
With his upper body exposed to the air, he instinctively tried to curl up, but Li Hanzhou held him down.
"Sit up straight."
The tone was commanding, but the pressure on his hands was very light.
Li Hanzhou picked up the iodine and cotton balls again and sat down next to Fang Che.
The sofa wasn't big, and the two were very close together; Fang Che could even feel the warmth emanating from Li Hanzhou's thigh.
"It might hurt," Li Hanzhou said, picking up a cotton ball with tweezers and dipping it in iodine.
The icy touch landed on the wound, and Fang Che gasped.
"Does it hurt?" Li Hanzhou stopped moving.
"It's alright..." Fang Che gritted his teeth, "Brother Li, you keep going, I can handle it!"
Li Hanzhou glanced at him and continued his work, but with even less force.
The room was quiet, with only the soft rustling sound of cotton balls being used to wipe the wound.
Fang Che could hear his own heartbeat, thump-thump-thump, as loud as a drum.
He secretly glanced at Li Hanzhou.
The man kept his head down, his expression focused.
The light shone down from his side and above, casting a soft shadow on his eyelashes.
His fingers were steady, and the knuckles of his fingers, which were gripping the tweezers, were slightly white.
It's really beautiful.
This thought suddenly popped into Fang Che's mind.
Then he was terrified by himself!
What am I thinking?! Brother Li is a guy! And I'm a guy too! Although Brother Li is indeed handsome... but that's not the point!
"What are you thinking about?"
Li Hanzhou suddenly spoke, startling Fang Che.
"I wasn't thinking about anything!" Fang Che quickly shook his head. "I was just thinking... Brother Li, your technique is quite skilled. Did you often apply medicine to people before?"
Li Hanzhou's hands didn't stop moving: "You're the first one."
"ah?"
"The first person I've ever had to change my dressing myself." Li Hanzhou looked up at him, his eyes deep. "Before, when I was injured, I would either treat it myself or have Uncle Chen do it."
Fang Che was stunned.
The first one?
He suddenly felt a strange, indescribable feeling, as if he had been gently bumped by something.
"Then I'm honored..." Fang Che chuckled twice, trying to ease the tension, "But Brother Li, your service was top-notch, five stars! I'll definitely come back to you next time I get injured!"
He wanted to slap himself as soon as he said it!
What kind of talk is that! You'll get hurt again!
Fortunately, Li Hanzhou wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled slightly and said, "It's best if there doesn't happen again."
He put down the used cotton ball and picked up a clean gauze: "What did Lu Che talk to you about today?"
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