"Hello, Uncle Peng." Zhou Yuanyuan could see that Geng Xiaoliang and Peng Youliang were very familiar with each other, so she greeted him politely.
"Okay, okay, the girl is so pretty and sweet-mouthed. Uncle Peng will treat you to some big meat buns later." Peng Youliang had been in the market for many years. Seeing that Zhou Yuanyuan looked very noble and was dressed in fancy clothes, he guessed that Zhou Yuanyuan must be a child from a wealthy family, and the smile on his face became even more pronounced.
In the past two years, many Western fast food restaurants have opened in Kyoto, and many children from wealthy families have taken to eating Western fast food for breakfast as a trend. This has put a lot of pressure on Chinese snack shops like Peng Youliang's.
Peng Youliang felt that young women these days were all too spoiled. Most of them would go to Western fast food restaurants for breakfast with their boyfriends. It was rare to find a young woman like Zhou Yuanyuan, who was down-to-earth (loving traditional Chinese breakfast) and not vain (not taking advantage of Geng Xiaoliang's expense). Although Geng Xiaoliang denied that Zhou Yuanyuan was his girlfriend, in Peng Youliang's eyes, they were a perfect match. Geng Xiaoliang's admiration for Zhou Yuanyuan was genuine.
If Geng Xiaoliang knew that Peng Youliang thought this about him, he would definitely cry out in injustice. Zhou Yuanyuan has a good family background, is beautiful, and most importantly, has high ability. Geng Xiaoliang is very self-aware. He is envious of Zhou Yuanyuan! How can it be admiration?
It was already business hours, and there were four or five empty seats in the shop. Geng Xiaoliang found a seat by the window and asked Zhou Yuanyuan to sit down.
Before Geng Xiaoliang could even get up to order, the waitress, Sister Liu, had already brought over two bowls of salty soy milk and two baskets of plump white buns. Sister Liu was Peng Youliang's wife, a forty-year-old with short hair, a white hat, a white apron, and a pair of white sleeves. She looked neat and clean.
The "Delicious" snack bar is not big, and when it's busy, Peng Youliang and his wife can still take care of it even if they are a little busy.
"Xiaoliang! Your Uncle Peng is treating us today. Take your time and call me for more if it's not enough," Sister Liu said enthusiastically after placing the full tray on the table. Uncle Peng and Xiaoliang's father were good friends, and this was Xiaoliang's first time bringing a girl to their restaurant, so Sister Liu was willing to give Geng Xiaoliang some face.
"Thank you, Auntie." Geng Xiaoliang was not polite in response to the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Peng Youliang.
After Sister Liu left, Geng Xiaoliang pointed at the plump white buns and said to Zhou Yuanyuan, "Zhou Yuanyuan, try it. Uncle Peng's bun making skills are really good. His buns have thin skins and rich fillings. When you bite into them, they are so juicy and delicious that you can even swallow them with your tongue."
As he spoke, Geng Xiaoliang had already picked up a big bun and took a big bite.
Geng Xiaoliang's eating habits made Zhou Yuanyuan very hungry. Zhou Yuanyuan did not hesitate to imitate Geng Xiaoliang, holding the soy milk in one hand and the bun in the other and started eating.
Geng Xiaoliang hadn't lied. The "delicious" buns here were indeed fresh and tasted even better than those made by Wang Ma at General Zhou's house. Zhou Yuanyuan ate two in one go before reluctantly stopping.
Geng Xiaoliang had a bigger appetite than Zhou Yuanyuan. He had breakfast at home and finished three steamed buns and a bowl of soy milk. Afterward, Geng Xiaoliang rubbed his stomach with a look of satisfaction and breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Yuanyuan couldn't help but laugh at Geng Xiaoliang.
"Zhou Yuanyuan, I need your help with something." After Geng Xiaoliang had eaten and drunk his fill, he quickly brought up the important matter.
Geng Xiaoliang has a case on his hands. He has been busy since the Chinese New Year and has interviewed many people, but he still can't come to a conclusion. Geng Xiaoliang thought that Zhou Yuanyuan was a "superpower" after all, and might know something mysterious. So he had an idea and asked Zhou Yuanyuan for help.
Geng Xiaoliang wasn't just randomly looking for help; his case was just an ordinary civil one, not a confidential one. Geng Xiaoliang figured Zhou Yuanyuan wasn't an outsider, and any cases they couldn't handle would eventually be taken over by the special operations team.
"Huh? I was wondering why someone was so eager to treat us today! So you're waiting for something?" Zhou Yuanyuan teased Geng Xiaoliang deliberately. Who asked Geng Xiaoliang to treat us, and it turned out to be Peng Youliang who paid?
"Yuanyuan, if you say that, I'm so ashamed I'm going to crawl under the table." Geng Xiaoliang's face is no longer the same as it was a few years ago. If it were Geng Xiaoliang a few years ago, his face would have been red with shame. But now, when Geng Xiaoliang saw Zhou Yuanyuan teasing him, he quickly made a face and pretended to crawl under the table, which made Zhou Yuanyuan laugh.
"Go ahead! As long as I can help. We're friends after all!" Zhou Yuanyuan and Geng Xiaoliang have known each other for many years and know him well. Geng Xiaoliang's sunny demeanor remains unchanged, which is why Zhou Yuanyuan is willing to help him.
"Yuanyuan, um... have you seen a skeleton man before?" Geng Xiaoliang thought that what he was going to say next was a bit unbelievable, so he leaned close to Zhou Yuanyuan's ear and asked softly.
Skeleton man? Zhou Yuanyuan shook her head.
A hint of disappointment crossed Geng Xiaoliang's face. Of course, Zhou Yuanyuan was even younger than him! Even the veteran police officers in their branch, nearing retirement, had never seen anything so bizarre. A person could be as skinny as a piece of dried wood, yet still be breathing.
"How about you tell me more about it?" Zhou Yuanyuan felt a little sorry when she saw Geng Xiaoliang's sunny smile dim. He was just sitting around doing nothing anyway, and if she hadn't seen it, didn't she still have Xiaoyu, who was knowledgeable and experienced?
"Here, take a look at this first." Geng Xiaoliang carefully took out a laminated photo from a bag he was carrying.
The photo shows a person lying in bed. Calling it a "person" isn't quite the right word, as the "person" in the photo has no life in their eyes, and the face and limbs exposed outside their clothes are just a layer of skin clinging to their bones, resembling a skeleton.
Zhou Yuanyuan looked at the "person" in the photo, her brows furrowed tightly. Somehow, Zhou Yuanyuan felt that this unrecognizable "person" in the photo gave her a sense of familiarity.
"Is there anything strange about this person?" Zhou Yuanyuan asked Geng Xiaoliang softly.
Peng Youliang and Sister Xu were sitting far away. Seeing Geng Xiaoliang and Zhou Yuanyuan huddled so close together, they couldn't help but smile. "This Geng Xiaoliang, you still say he's not your girlfriend? With them being so close, it looks like Geng Datie will have a grandchild soon!" Peng Youliang and Sister Liu thought the same thing.
Geng Xiaoliang had no idea that he had been misunderstood by Peng Youliang and his wife. The "skeleton man" incident remained a secret to the public until the truth of the case became known. The "skeleton man" looked so horrific that they were afraid of causing panic among the public.
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