Although Zhu Zhizhi and Wu Yuanyuan were the main cooks for lunch, no diners raised any questions, and lunch passed by uneventfully.
After the last customer left, Sister Ma closed the door, and Wu Yuanyuan and Zhu Zhizhi came out of the kitchen. Looking at the mess outside, they felt a sense of relief, as if they had just escaped a disaster.
"Xiao Zhu, Xiao Wu, you can rest assured now!" Sister Ma asked with a smile.
Wu Yuanyuan nodded hurriedly: "I'm relieved, I'm relieved, but I still hope Master will come back soon!"
Zhu Zhizhi chimed in, "Yes, this afternoon felt longer than a year!"
"That's all you've got!" Bling quipped.
Wu Yuanyuan and Zhu Zhizhi exchanged a glance and said in unison, "We're useless!"
Bling: ....
Fine, as long as they're happy!
After the jokes, Sister Ma rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning. Zhu Zhizhi also went to help, while Wu Yuanyuan found a chair and slowly sat down. As a pregnant woman, she had been cooking for so long and had been worried for so long. If she hadn't had a breath left, she would have collapsed long ago!
Bu Ling silently poured her a glass of warm water: "Sister Yuanyuan, have some water!"
Wu Yuanyuan took the water glass, took a sip, and then asked curiously, "Ling, why haven't my master and Manager Zhu come back yet?"
"I don't know either, I guess they ran into some trouble!" Bu Ling pulled up a chair and sat down next to Wu Yuanyuan. The two of them held hot water and stared blankly at the street outside.
Suddenly, Wu Yuanyuan's eyes narrowed: "Ling, look, isn't that Manager Zhu?"
Upon hearing this, Bling looked up and stared intently: "It really is!"
Their conversation drew the attention of Sister Ma and Zhu Zhizhi: "Manager Zhu is back?"
“There!” Wu Yuanyuan pointed outside.
Zhu Zhizhi and Sister Ma looked in the direction she pointed and sure enough, they saw Manager Zhu walking quickly towards them. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the restaurant entrance. Bu Ling saw him push the door open and come in, his face looking quite unpleasant.
Admittedly, Manager Zhu usually has a cold expression, but the look on his face now can't be described as just indifference.
"Manager Zhu, what's wrong? What happened? Where's Grandpa Tan?" Bu Ling asked anxiously.
Wu Yuanyuan and the other two also looked at Manager Zhu.
Manager Zhu didn't answer Bu Ling's question immediately. He poured himself a glass of water, gulped it down, and then put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "Old Tan is in the hospital!"
"What?" the four exclaimed in unison.
"What happened? Why is Master in the hospital? Is he sick?" Wu Yuanyuan stood up and asked anxiously.
"I don't know. I found Lao Tan in a corner of an alley. When I found him, he was only wearing a thermal undershirt and long underwear, his face was pale, and there was blood flowing from his forehead. He looked like he was unconscious."
"I took him to the hospital, notified Lao Tan's family, and then came back. When I got back, Lao Tan was still unconscious!" Manager Zhu explained the whole story in a simple way.
Then he asked, "Who cooked lunch today?"
"I noticed that Master and Manager Zhu rarely came back, so I took it upon myself to work with Zhizhi to draft the menu and cook the dishes!" Wu Yuanyuan replied.
Manager Zhu said with approval, "Well done, and good job too, Xiao Zhu. You two can discuss what to eat for dinner tonight." After saying that, he turned and went into his office.
The four people left behind, Bu Ling and his companions, were filled with questions.
After a long silence, Sister Ma said, "Does Manager Zhu mean that Grandpa Tan still won't be back tonight?"
"More than that. According to Manager Zhu's description, Grandpa Tan probably won't be back tomorrow or the day after," Bu Ling chimed in. There was something she didn't say: given Grandpa Tan's condition, it's uncertain whether he'll even wake up.
Wu Yuanyuan and Zhu Zhizhi frowned simultaneously, their eyes revealing their concern for Grandpa Tan.
"I need to go to the hospital to get checked out after I get off work tonight," Wu Yuanyuan said.
Zhu Zhizhi nodded immediately, "Sister Yuanyuan, I'll go with you."
Sister Ma hesitated for a long time before saying, "Then I'll go too!"
Finally, all three looked at Bling, who tilted her head and said, "Of course I'm... with you guys!"
The sudden news of Grandpa Tan's attack cast a shadow over the hearts of Wu Yuanyuan and the other three.
The state-run restaurant in the afternoon lacked the cheerful atmosphere of before. The four of them, including Bu Ling, sat in their own seats, some silent and some lost in thought, each pondering their own worries.
Dinner passed without incident, though some guests raised concerns that the taste had changed, but Bu Ling brushed them off.
At 4:30, when the restaurant was at its busiest, Aunt Fang arrived. After she arrived, she didn't disturb the busy Bu Ling, but found a corner to sit down and waited quietly.
Only after Buling hung up the sign saying the food was sold out did she stand up and walk to the window: "Lingling? Are you done? Are you tired? Aunt Fang brought you some chicken soup, have a couple of sips!"
When Bu Ling saw Aunt Fang, she smiled and took the lunchbox from her hand. "Aunt Fang, come in and sit down. When did you arrive?"
Following Bu Ling's lead, Aunt Fang went behind the counter. "It just arrived, Lingling, have some chicken soup, it's almost cold."
"Okay!" Buling smiled at Aunt Fang, opened the lunchbox lid, and saw the golden chicken soup inside. Her stomach rumbled twice in response: "Aunt Fang, you're just in time! I won't be polite!"
"Don't be shy, drink up! There's more at home. When we get back, Aunt Fang will make you noodles in chicken soup, plain white noodles!" Aunt Fang said with a smile.
Buling drank the chicken soup in big gulps. After finishing the soup, she took out two pieces of chicken meat and ate them. Only then did she feel a little better.
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