Chapter 6792
Looking for us?
"Look at that car, with its streamlined body and smooth paint. And look at our shabby shop, the walls are peeling and the tables and chairs are old and broken."
"Look at those shiny silver rims on the wheels, they're probably worth more than our property management fees this month... Wait, that's not right, why would rich people come to this run-down little place that nobody knows about?"
"Did we take the wrong turn?"
The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. She grabbed her son's sleeve and swayed it back and forth, her fingers turning white from the force, pulling his blue cotton jacket into several creases, which mirrored the layers of doubt rising in her heart.
Zhang Fei stared enviously at the approaching Zunjie, his eyes wide as if trying to see through the car.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva, the bitter taste of the cigarette still lingering in his throat.
"Mom, don't worry about it. These people have nothing to do with us anyway."
"What business is it of ours if people come to a place like this?"
"Maybe it's the landlord coming to collect rent? He always appears out of nowhere, he might just show up suddenly today."
"Isn't there an office building next door? Maybe the big boss inside got lost and was driving around the alley, and accidentally ended up here."
"Anyway, it's none of our business! Instead of wasting our time, we'd better hurry up and cut the mutton. Mr. Xiao loves grilled skewers with a good balance of lean and fat, saying that's what makes them chewy. One bite and the aroma of the meat fills your mouth. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
As he spoke, his eyes never left the gleaming car body, which sparkled under the streetlights, as if he were looking at some rare treasure. His gaze was full of longing, as if he could have such a life if he just looked at it a few more times.
Upon hearing her son's words, the proprietress's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. She also felt that her son's words made sense.
These rich people are like people living in the clouds, and they are destined to be two parallel lines that will never intersect, just like ordinary people struggling in the mud. They will never become customers of this small barbecue restaurant. It's pointless for you to worry about this.
She subconsciously looked down at her hands, which were covered in flour. Her hands were rough like old tree bark from years of labor, and there was still bits of meat stuck in her fingernails from chopping meat that morning. No matter how much she washed them, they wouldn't get clean.
Then look at that spotless luxury car, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the light of the streetlights, as if mocking her poverty and dishevelment.
A sudden, inexplicable sour feeling welled up inside her, like drinking a sip of unsweetened lemonade; the taste spread through her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
She sighed softly, turned around to go into the store, and prepared to continue preparing ingredients to welcome Mr. Xiao and his friends who might be arriving.
Just then, her movements suddenly froze, her eyes widened, and her face was full of surprise.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly came to a stop not far from the barbecue restaurant, with its front facing the "Zhang Peng Barbecue" sign they had hung up.
The signboard was quite old; much of the paint had peeled off, revealing the mottled wooden planks underneath.
The light bulb on the signboard was malfunctioning, flickering on and off like an old man struggling to breathe, making the words "Zhang Peng" appear and disappear intermittently, as if playing hide-and-seek with people.
The driver's side door clicked open, like a crisp horn shattering the momentary tranquility.
A man in a black suit stepped out. The suit was impeccably pressed, without a single wrinkle, as if it had just been taken out of the closet.
His tie was tied even more rigidly than Uncle Wang's belt, clinging tightly to his neck, making it seem almost suffocating to look at him. His leather shoes were polished so brightly they reflected a person's image, gleaming black, and even the curve of the toes looked meticulously measured, perfectly flawless.
The man, holding a cell phone, hurried to the entrance of the barbecue restaurant.
He first looked up at the faded sign, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. Then he looked down and took out his phone to compare the information, his brows furrowing slightly like two small hills, as if he were solving a complex math problem, carefully comparing the information on his phone with the sign in front of him.
A few seconds later, he let out a long sigh of relief, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxing, and muttered, "This should be it."
The voice was very soft, but the landlady still heard it.
The sequins on his leather shoes were stained with a bit of mud and dust from the alleyway, like a bright star with a speck of dust on it. Despite the imperfections, their exquisite craftsmanship was still undeniable.
The leather shoes looked out of place in the greasy alley, like a white swan falling into a black mud pit, appearing so abrupt and incongruous.
The proprietress and Zhang Fei stood at the shop entrance, staring blankly at the man, unsure of what to say.
The proprietress and Zhang Fei were completely dumbfounded. They looked at each other like two frozen statues, their eyes filled with confusion and astonishment.
The muscles around his mouth were stiff, as if frozen by this sudden situation, and he couldn't even manage a smile.
The wind in the alley carried the acrid smell of barbecue, a mixture of oil and charcoal, a scent they were all too familiar with, but now it felt particularly pungent to them.
The wind whipped up a few plastic bags from the ground. The bags, like kites with broken strings, flew haphazardly in the air, eventually getting tangled around their ankles and swaying gently with the rhythm of the wind, as if putting invisible shackles on them.
What is going on?
The proprietress kept muttering to herself, her brows furrowed so tightly they could almost trap a fly.
She couldn't understand how such a high-end luxury car, which she had only ever seen on TV, could actually drive up to the door of their run-down shop.
The car was like a mysterious messenger, disrupting their originally peaceful and mundane lives and leaving them somewhat bewildered.
Would someone really bring a car to their run-down shop like this?
Zhang Fei was also full of doubts. He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was dreaming.
But the car was right there, its body gleaming coldly under the streetlights, stinging his eyes.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the world was changing so fast that he couldn't keep up.
Driver Xiao Wang noticed the elderly couple standing blankly at the door. He narrowed his eyes slightly and tried to force a polite smile, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes looked stiff, like strings that had been forcibly pulled apart.
He cleared his throat and asked in a loud yet polite voice, "Hello, is this Zhang Peng Barbecue Restaurant on Chengnan Food Street?"
His white gloves gleamed softly under the light, like two pristine white clouds, spotless and without a trace of impurity. (End of Chapter)