Chapter 480 Old Friends
The cook was dressed in a light blue dress, which was loose and had a small section that dragged on the ground, making it quite dirty.
It wasn't just that one dirty spot; her back and lower body had countless black marks, making it look like she hadn't washed it for ten days or half a month.
The cooks in most restaurants are women in their thirties or forties, but this woman, though her back was to them the whole time, looked to be at most twenty years old, judging from her posture and figure.
Seeing Meng Lingge's eyes glancing towards the kitchen from time to time, Wen Zhiming also noticed the figure she was looking at.
"Her hands were unsteady when chopping vegetables, which meant she was either a novice or had an injury. However, judging from her clothes, she must have been a cook for some time. In addition, her body was slightly hunched, and she walked with a slight tilt. She would unconsciously shrink back when someone approached. It was clear that she was a weak woman who was often abused, beaten, and oppressed for a long time."
After speaking to the person's back, Wen Zhiming looked at Meng Lingge.
"My lady, do you wish to save her?"
He wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, but his wife was kind-hearted, and if Meng Lingge was willing to help this woman, he would have to get involved even if it was a bit tricky.
Meng Lingge gave an irrelevant answer.
"Is this place called Dongyang Town? Is there a mountain nearby called Pingpu Mountain?"
The holly trees were abandoned here by Guan Yi'an back then.
Pingpu Mountain is the hill where Guan Yi'an threw Dongqing. Later, Meng Lingge sent several groups of people to search for Dongqing, but they found nothing, neither the person nor the remains.
Wen Zhiming nodded, "It's Dongyang Town. There's a deep mountain nearby that's famous for its fierce tigers and venomous snakes, but I don't know if it's called Pingpu Mountain."
He finished speaking and was about to ask someone when Meng Lingge continued, "It's too similar, but how could it be..."
Guan Yi'an said that Dongqing was barely alive at the time. In that state, being thrown into a deep mountain full of tigers, wolves, and venomous snakes in the middle of the night should have meant there was absolutely no chance of survival.
Guan Yi'an was ruthless. Since Dong Qing did not agree to his demands, he had no reason to let Dong Qing go. Therefore, Dong Qing's situation at that time was only more serious than he had described.
Even if Dongqing survived by chance, Dongyang Town is not far from the capital. Why did Dongqing not go to the capital to find her and the Meng family, but instead remained trapped in the dirty and messy kitchen of the restaurant for so long?
Meng Lingge had spent more than ten years with Dong Qing and was extremely familiar with him. Although the figure in front of her was slightly different from the one in her memory, the profile and stature of the face matched Dong Qing perfectly.
When Dongqing left with Guan Yi'an, it was indeed her own choice.
But the thought that Dong Qing would rather die than help Guan Yi'an deal with the Meng family made Meng Lingge's heart ache unbearably.
If she had sent people to hunt down Guan Yi'an earlier, or hadn't driven Dongqing away but instead found her another place to settle down, Dongqing wouldn't have ended up with no remains.
Meng Lingge really wanted to rush over and find out what was going on, but she was afraid of mistaking someone for someone else and being disappointed again.
Wen Zhiming asked curiously, "Who does it resemble?"
"Dongqing is the silly girl who accompanied me to Jiangnan with Qiulan before."
Dongqing is usually very clever, but when it comes to romantic relationships, she is an absolute idiot.
Hearing her say that, Wen Zhiming observed the cook more carefully and nodded, saying, "She does look very similar, but to confirm it, we need to see her face. I'll go take a look."
He had heard Meng Lingge talk about Holly.
During the first year of their marriage, when he lived with Meng Lingge in the Prince of Anshun's mansion, he was deeply impressed by Meng Lingge's four personal maids.
Now, three or four years have passed, and he couldn't recall this person for a while. But when Meng Lingge mentioned it, the memory immediately came to mind. Martial arts practitioners are more observant, and the more he looked, the more he felt that this person resembled Dong Qing.
As they were talking, the waiter started serving the dishes.
Meng Lingge stopped Wen Zhiming, who was about to leave, and said, "Let's eat first. Since she's already under our noses, there's no need to rush. Let's observe her for a while."
If it really is Dongqing, then we can see why she has been living in this state for the past three years. Is she suffering from her own hardships or has she been coerced?
Wen Zhiming guessed that she had other plans, so he sat down as instructed.
The restaurant's dishes were exquisite, but the taste was just average. However, the three of them were all quite hungry, so they weren't picky.
Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge glanced at the kitchen every now and then, seemingly unintentionally. Wen Woyu knew that her parents had something to do, so she ate obediently. The three of them quickly ate until they were half full.
At this moment, the cook in the kitchen had already chopped all the vegetables in two large basins, and someone forcefully dragged her to the other side to make her wash the dishes.
The dragging process was quick; neither of them saw the cook's face before she was thrown in front of a large bucket of bowls.
In the candlelight, a delicate yet haggard face flickered briefly before they lowered their heads.
With just one glance, Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming were almost certain that this person was Dong Qing.
She was already thin, and now she looked even more frail. The cook had thrown her with a bit too much force, and she fell to the ground, finding it difficult to even get up.
She tried to get up twice, supporting herself on the ground, but failed each time. Seeing her like this, the cook became even angrier. He cursed and rolled up his sleeves and raised his fist at her.
Upon seeing this, Dongqing immediately covered his head with his hands in fear, a practiced action that was heartbreaking to watch.
Meng Lingge stood up nervously, but Wen Zhiming was even faster. With a flick of his right hand, the chopsticks in his hand flew out and stabbed straight at the cook's fist.
"ah!"
The cook let out a scream, initially thinking that Dongqing had dared to resist and had stabbed him with something. But upon closer inspection, he saw that Dongqing was still holding his head in his hands, trembling uncontrollably, and that his fists had been pierced by two bamboo chopsticks, from which blood was flowing freely.
Who is it?
Despite the excruciating pain, the cook strode out of the kitchen, his sharp eyes sweeping across the main hall before finally settling on Wen Zhiming, who was holding no chopsticks and wearing a half-smile.
"It's quite a surprise that such a powerful expert has come to my little restaurant."
The cook smiled calmly, tore a strip of cloth from his clothes to bandage his wound, and then said to the other tables of customers, "There's a small matter to attend to at the restaurant today, so please excuse us. We don't need to settle the bill; this meal is on me!"
The diners, already frightened by this, wanted to leave as soon as possible to avoid being implicated. Upon hearing that they didn't have to pay the bill today, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts.
Everyone except Dongqing ran out of the kitchen, and the manager and waiters in the lobby were also present, but none of them stopped them from doing so. This suggests that the guy who looks like a chef must be the owner of this restaurant.
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