Chapter Sixty-Three
When we arrived at the Sichuan restaurant in the county, the owner, Chef Chen, greeted us warmly: "Lei Zi, you're here again? Same old spot, same old dishes?"
Lei Tingjun led a few brothers inside and nodded: "It's the same old thing, just do it as you see fit."
Such a familiar attitude, it's obvious they're regulars.
Even the restaurant owner knew that when Lei Tingjun and his friends came, they always sat at the square table near the door. They would usually order two servings of twice-cooked pork, which had to be three parts fat and seven parts lean, along with a dish of shredded green peppers and potatoes, a spicy boiled fish, a dry pot of braised pork intestines, and fried peanuts, which were a must-have with drinks.
They like to drink beer in the summer, preferably chilled in the freezer.
Restaurants that are doing well usually buy a freezer in order to store more vegetables and meat.
Freezers are slightly cheaper than household refrigerators. This Sichuan restaurant is doing well, and it bought a freezer not long after opening in the county.
So when Lei Tingjun and his team arrived, the boss quickly put two cases of beer in the freezer to keep them frozen.
Several grown men chatted and drank, and the two cases of beer were soon empty.
After drinking two or three bottles, Lei Tingjun saw that he had almost finished eating and said, "You guys eat first, I'm going to find Xiao Qiang at the recycling station, I have something to ask him."
At this time, none of the brothers knew that Lei Tingjun had been busy helping Ji Wanmei with the store renovation these past few days, and they thought he had just gone to find Xiao Qiang to drink.
Sun Xiaojun added, "Boss, you sit down. I'm quick on my feet, I'll go call him!"
Lei Tingjun said, "I have something to tell him, what good will it do you?"
Sun Xiaojun looked bewildered after being scolded: "Call him over and talk to him again, isn't that the same thing?"
Lei Tingjun got up and left.
Zhou Peng sat opposite him, popping a peanut into his mouth and laughing, "You guys really didn't notice anything strange about the boss these past few days?"
"I've noticed! The eldest brother has started to love studying. He's so diligent in his studies, he's even more hardworking than that bookworm Lao Xiao! He leaves early and comes home late every day, I don't know what he's busy with. Most importantly, the eldest brother has actually started to quit smoking!"
Sun Xiaojun started counting on his fingers in disbelief.
Is all these unusual events really the same Boss Lei they know?
Old Xiao nodded in agreement. He had spent a lot of time with Brother Lei during this period and was the one who felt it most clearly.
Zhou Peng popped a peanut into his mouth, took a sip of beer, and then said, "Then think carefully, when did this change in the boss begin?"
“This…” Sun Xiaojun scratched his head, “It seems to have started from the day I beat up Zuo Quangui?”
"Get out! Get out!" Zhou Peng cursed. "Don't be so shameless. Are you that important?"
"Have you all forgotten that the day we went to fight Zuo Quangui, the eldest brother didn't go, but where was he?"
Sun Xiaojun's eyes lit up immediately: "Dongfang Mingzhu! I remember, Dongfang Mingzhu came to talk to the boss that day, so the boss didn't go!"
"Hey, that's right." Zhou Peng looked like he was a promising student.
Old Xiao also seemed to be thinking: "And the stack of review books that Brother Lei brought back, the name written on the title page is Ji Wanmei."
"and……"
"And what?" the two people opposite asked in unison.
Old Xiao said, "Moreover, Lei Ge never lets me touch any notes that Miss Ji personally took. He keeps them under his pillow and treats them like treasures."
"That's it! The truth is out, the case is solved!" Zhou Peng shrugged. "There's only one reason for our boss's recent changes: he's fallen in love and is dating!"
"What???" Sun Xiaojun exclaimed incredulously, as if it were a fantasy. "Boss is really dating Oriental Pearl? That can't be..."
“You should tell me, I also thought it was unlikely at first,” Zhou Peng said calmly. “But now, it’s actually quite possible.”
It sounded like a tongue twister, but the people at the table looked at each other in shock.
"Why don't we go find Xiaoqiang later and ask him what the boss wants with him?"
"Yes, Xiaoqiang has been in frequent contact with the boss lately, so he must know some inside information."
Lei Tingjun arrived at the scrap metal recycling station on the back street and saw Xiao Qiang busy packing goods.
Xiaoqiang would take all the waste paper, waste plastic, and scrap iron that came his way and deliver them to a specialized recycling plant in a small truck. By transferring them between the two places, he could earn a hard-earned profit from the difference in price.
Although it's quite hard work, this business doesn't have to worry about the weather. If you have any scrap at home, you'll always have to get rid of it. Selling it for a few cents or dimes is better than just throwing it away.
So Xiaoqiang did make some money after opening this waste recycling station.
Upon seeing Lei Tingjun arrive, Xiao Qiang quickly jumped off the small truck and said with a grin, "Brother Lei, you're here!"
Lei Tingjun handed a cigarette to Xiao Qiang and asked, "How's the renovation going at the noodle shop?"
"Don't worry, Brother Lei. The workers I found are all hard-working and won't slack off. I'll finish loading the goods soon, and then we can go take a look together?"
“Okay, I’ll help you load it.” Lei Tingjun strode up to the back of the truck and had Xiao Qiang hand him the goods on the ground.
"Brother Lei, I can do this myself, there's no need to trouble you."
"Alright, enough talk. Two people working together will get the job done faster," Thunder soldier urged, standing tall and imposing on the truck.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
