Skin - Chapter 33
Chapter 33 – Barbeque Restaurant
They met again too soon. Meng Zhao had originally thought that after the argument in the car, he and Lu Shichen would not meet again in a short time.
Who would have thought that Lu Shichen would come to the Municipal Bureau on his own initiative? That guy really… didn’t play by the rules.
Meng Zhao suddenly realized that the moment he saw Lu Shichen, he actually felt a sense of relief.
”Brother Zhao, I’ll eat with you in the cafeteria tonight,” Zhou Qiyang informed as the traffic light turned green at the intersection and he drove towards the Municipal Bureau, “I’m starving after running all day. My parents went on a trip and left me alone…”
”Eat by yourself.” Meng Zhao said, looking across the intersection.
”Ah?” Zhou Qiyang was caught off guard by the sudden rejection and turned to look at Meng Zhao, “Then, where are you going to eat?”
”I’m going to eat outside.”
The car drove to the entrance of the Bureau. Zhou Qiyang was about to ask him where he was going to eat when Meng Zhao rolled down the window and shouted to the long-legged handsome guy a few steps away, “Lu Shichen!”
”Waiting for me?” Meng Zhao asked Lu Shichen as the car approached.
Lu Shichen looked at him, paused for two seconds, and said, “No. It’s someone else.”
”Huh?” Meng Zhao was choked by his words and couldn’t continue.
All the subtle expressions on Meng Zhao’s face were very vivid. Lu Shichen looked at him for a moment before asking, “Can you get off work now?”
”Aren’t you waiting for someone else?” Meng Zhao quickly retorted, “Does it matter to you whether I get off work or not? Xiao Zhou, let’s go.”
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Zhou Qiyang and said, “Step on the accelerator, what are you sitting dumb for?”
”Ah? Oh…” Zhou Qiyang drove into the Municipal Bureau and parked the car in the parking lot. He glanced at the entrance of the Municipal Bureau, “Hey Brother Zhao, it seems like he is really waiting for you.”
”I know.” Meng Zhao said.
”Then why are you…”
Before he could finish, Meng Zhao opened the door and got out of the car. Zhou Qiyang followed him out. He thought they were going to the Municipal Bureau building together, but unexpectedly Meng Zhao went around to the driver’s seat and opened the door.
”Brother Zhao, where are you going?”
”I’m going out for dinner. Aren’t you going to watch the surveillance footage all night? I’ll bring you some midnight snacks when I come back.” After he said that, he leaned down, got into the car, and closed the door.
Zhou Qiyang stood where he was and saw Meng Zhao do a smooth reverse drift and then drive straight towards Lu Shichen at the gate of the Municipal Bureau.
‘Hey, these two grown men, why are you saying one thing and thinking another?’
Zhou Qiyang felt that something was wrong. It was clearly a conversation between the two people, but how come it seemed like he was the only one being fooled in the end?
”Come in.” Meng Zhao parked the car at the door, leaned his elbow on the window frame, and leaned his head out to speak to Lu Shichen.
”Do you want me to drive?” Lu Shichen stood in front of him, looked at him and asked.
”Um?”
”Didn’t you run around outside all day?”
He didn’t feel very tired at first, but after Lu Shichen mentioned it, Meng Zhao did feel that his whole body seemed to be a little tired. Running around all day was both physically and mentally demanding, and, of course, it was quite tiring.
”Then you drive.” Meng Zhao didn’t bother to be polite. He got out of the car, walked to the passenger side, opened the door and got in.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, seeing Meng Zhao fasten his seat belt, Lu Shichen asked, “Where are we going?”
”Let’s go have a barbecue. I’ll make up for what I owed you yesterday.”
”Then let’s connect the navigation.”
”No need for navigation, I’ll show you the way.” Meng Zhao put his hands on his shoulders and moved his neck, making a slight clicking sound. After a day of driving outside, it really felt good to have someone take the initiative to be your driver.
Clearly, they had just had an argument in this car the other day, but now that he saw Lu Shichen, he was in a good mood. Meng Zhao felt that his good mood at the moment came inexplicably.
Chapter 37
The car drove onto the main road and neither of them spoke for a while.
It was quiet and there was no music. Meng Zhao felt that the atmosphere was a little weird. When he and Zhou Qiyang were sitting in the car, they often didn’t talk, but he had never had this weird feeling.
However, the strange atmosphere did not make him feel uncomfortable. Instead, it was a fresh and special experience.
”Did you have a headache today?” Meng Zhao leaned against the backrest and looked at Lu Shichen.
”No,” Lu Shichen said, “It doesn’t happen that often.”
”You should find some time to go to the hospital. You are so young, but you’ve had such headaches for more than ten years. What if…” Meng Zhao didn’t say anything unlucky, instead he changed the subject, “Don’t you want to live a few more years?”
Unexpectedly, Lu Shichen at the side seemed to laugh lightly, with a sound of air flow: “Is life that interesting?”
”Ah?” Meng Zhao didn’t expect Lu Shichen to discuss such a philosophical question with him. No wonder he had to take antidepressants. How could he not be depressed if he was so pessimistic? He looked at Lu Shichen, “What do you even think about every day…? Let me put it this way, you haven’t even eaten barbeque yet, so how can you say that life is boring?”
Lu Shichen laughed again, this time more obvious than last time.
Meng Zhao’s anger was immediately aroused by his half-smiley snort. He couldn’t stand people like Lu Shichen who despised other people’s lives and didn’t take their own life seriously.
”You need to watch the news every day and receive some education on the positive energy of socialism, instead of being corroded by the melancholy of the petty bourgeoisie.” Meng Zhao stood up and said, “Let me ask you, if you haven’t tried barbecue, have you ever tried hot pot?”
“Yes.”
“Spicy or bland?”
”I forgot. It was many years ago. It probably wasn’t spicy. I don’t eat spicy food.”
”You ate it abroad, right? That’s not called hot pot, it’s called boiled vegetables, right?” Meng Zhao said bluntly, “You haven’t even tried authentic hot pot, so what right do you have to say that life is meaningless? Then let me ask you again, what do you think is the most delicious thing you’ve eaten after returning to China?”
Lu Shichen thought for a moment and said, “The porridge.”
”That porridge is indeed good… but we can’t always eat such bland food, right?” Meng Zhao came to a conclusion, “I know why you feel that life is boring. If I always lived in such a bland way, I would also feel bored.”
”Don’t you solve cases every day? Isn’t that interesting?”
”Solving a case is quite interesting. Besides, my life has become so monotonous only because I have encountered this case recently. Usually, my life is very colorful.” Meng Zhao paused. “How about this, if this case which I am currently dealing with is completely solved, and, by then, if you are still in China, I will definitely let you feel how interesting life is, how about it?”
”Okay.” Lu Shichen agreed.
”The area around the new Municipal Bureau has not been developed yet, so it’s not interesting,” Meng Zhao leaned back in his seat and chatted with Lu Shichen. “Two years ago, the old Municipal Bureau was in Baoyue District, and the area around there was lively. When there were no cases, we would just pick a restaurant on the roadside. The taste would definitely beat any Michelin restaurant. The one I’m going to take you to is near the old Municipal Bureau. You can feel it… Hey, wait, why did you rent a house here? The takeout food is so disgusting…”
”It’s quiet here.” Lu Shichen answered.
”There are construction sites everywhere here. It’s not quiet at all. Turn right ahead…” Meng Zhao said, and found that Lu Shichen had already changed lanes and entered the right turn lane before he reminded him. “Do you know the way?”
”Isn’t it around the old city bureau? I probably know it.”
The place where Meng Zhao wanted to take Lu Shichen was an alley near the old Municipal Bureau.
The alley is hidden and should be seldom visited. However, there is a barbecue restaurant there which is said to have a history of more than 30 years. The store is not big but it is always packed with customers every day, which truly made it a testimony to the saying ‘Good wine needs no bush’.
Because of the barbecue restaurant, the alley has become increasingly famous in recent years, not only attracting more and more customers, but many restaurants have also set their sights on the Feng Shui treasure land. Gradually, it had developed into a famous local food alley.
The car stopped at a public parking lot across the alley. Meng Zhao and Lu Shichen pushed the door and got out. They crossed the road, walked a few dozen meters, and entered the food alley.
Compared with the alley behind Zhao Yunhua’s residence, where shops of all sizes were crowded together, although this alley visually appeared a bit cramped, the sanitary conditions were obviously much better.
Stepping into the alley and walking straight inside, Meng Zhao smelled the aroma of various foods, including the aroma of butter in the hot pot base, the aroma of home-cooked stir-fries, and the aroma of charcoal barbecue; all mixed together, that was the real life.
He took a deep breath and felt that he had almost attained immortality through fasting during the past six months in Huaian District.
”If you have free time, you can come here often,” Meng Zhao introduced the street to Lu Shichen as he walked forward, “Any restaurant here will taste good.”
Lu Shichen looked at the restaurants on both sides of the alley: “It’s quite lively.”
”That’s not right… It’s better to come on a weekday. Don’t come on weekends. There will be too many people.” When Lu Shichen reached the fork in the alley, he was about to continue walking forward. But, Meng Zhao raised his hand and pulled his arm, pulling him to turn left, “This way.”
After Lu Shichen looked at the restaurants in the alley, he began to look at Meng Zhao. Compared to high school, the sense of depression in Meng Zhao had disappeared, and gradually emerged deeper things in his life, such as a sense of justice and responsibility. Usually, probably because of his job, Meng Zhao’s steadiness and ease is more conspicuous, but Meng Zhao walking in the alley in front of him exuded a very vivid willfulness…
‘Living like this is quite lively.’ Lu Shichen thought, but at the same time, a thought suddenly rose in his heart. He wanted to know how Meng Zhao, who now carried a sense of justice and responsibility, would react if he was dragged into a wrong path by him…
The barbecue restaurant was converted from a private house, and customers eat in the open-air courtyard, so every winter it would remain closed for a few months and reopen in the spring of the following year.
After entering the yard, Meng Zhao went into the house to greet the boss as if he was familiar with the place, took out the menu, and then found a seat in the corner with Lu Shichen and sat down.
Pulling out a wooden chair and sitting down, Meng Zhao opened the menu: “Since you haven’t eaten it before, I’ll just order it according to my preferences.”
He ordered a lot in succession, including a handful of lamb skewers and beef skewers, as well as roasted frogs, roasted brains and roasted butter. He didn’t order anything complicated because the waiting time would be too long, and he was afraid that it would delay his overtime work in the evening. Finally, he ordered a bottle of wine for Lu Shichen.
The waiter helped to light the charcoal grill, and white smoke rose up. Meng Zhao held the bottle and poured wine into the glass in front of Lu Shichen: “These skewers need to be paired with some wine to be authentic. It’s your first time, so you should try something authentic.”
Lu Shichen watched Meng Zhao put the bottle back and asked him, “Aren’t you drinking?”
”The rules are strict now. We will have to report to our superiors if we are found drunk. Besides, I have to go back to the bureau to work overtime after dinner. You can drink. I will drive you back and go back to the bureau on the way.”
The waiter put the grilled skewers on the charcoal grill, and the golden fat burst with a sizzling sound under the charcoal fire.
Meng Zhao took a few skewers and handed them to Lu Shichen. After watching him take a bite, he bent his fingers and tapped the glass that was half filled with wine: “Take a sip and try it?”
Lu Shichen cooperated well, reaching out for the glass of wine poured by Meng Zhao and took a sip.
Lu Shichen swallowed the wine, and Meng Zhao looked at him: “How is it? Do you feel alive?”
Lu Shichen frowned, and his expression was no different than that of swallowing bitter Chinese medicine: “It doesn’t taste good.”
”Could it be that you’ve never drank alcohol?” Meng Zhao raised his eyebrows and looked at him curiously, “No way!”
”I drink a little red wine occasionally,” Lu Shichen said, “but I have never had any interest in alcohol.”
”So you’ve never been drunk?”
”Almost never.” Lu Shichen put down his wine glass. “How was work today? Why did Xu Yulin’s name disappear from the transcript?”
”Xu Yulin disappeared before Zhao Tong was bullied, so now he is inexplicably involved in another missing case. I asked my colleagues to investigate the specific circumstances…” Seeing that Lu Shichen’s brows were frowned again, Meng Zhao changed the subject, “Why are you discussing the case while eating? Comrade Lu Shichen, as the first suspect in Zhou Yan’s case, what you should do right now is avoid suspicion instead of being overly concerned about the case.” Meng Zhao said, and took another handful of skewers and placed them in front of him.
”Do I have to avoid suspicion in that bullying case as well? I thought I was far away enough since I was abroad at the time.”
”You should have some respect while eating, don’t you know? Why did you just take a sip? I ordered it specifically for you, and you won’t drink it if it doesn’t taste good?” Meng Zhao sighed, “Alas, I wasted all my efforts. I even put my work aside to bring you here.”
Lu Shichen looked up at him.
Meng Zhao also looked at Lu Shichen.
After looking at each other for a few seconds, Lu Shichen picked up the glass of wine poured by Meng Zhao, tilted his head back and drank it all in one breath.
‘Really drank it all…’ Seeing Lu Shichen’s Adam’s apple rolling and really drinking the glass of wine, even Meng Zhao himself was a little shocked: “You are giving me a face like this? Didn’t you not find it bitter?”
”Won’t you be unhappy if I don’t drink it?” Lu Shichen put down the glass, picked up the bottle, and poured a glass in front of himself.
Meng Zhao was stunned. Those words…he didn’t know how to respond.
At that time, the owner of the barbecue restaurant came over and greeted Meng Zhao warmly: “Hey, Captain Meng, long time no see. I was too busy just now and didn’t have time to greet you.”
”Brother Wei’s business is still so good.” Meng Zhao replied with a smile. Before the Municipal Bureau shifted, he and his colleagues often ate at the restaurant and became familiar with the boss.
”This handsome guy looks unfamiliar,” the boss looked at Lu Shichen again, “Is he a new recruit from the Municipal Bureau?”
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