Chapter 235 : Local Specialty
Chapter 235: Local Specialty
She had been in a good mood at first. Liu Rushuang even thought she might have pulled off a big win from something small—only to find out that Comrade Old Lin had merely asked his son to arrange a meal for her.
For a moment, she had the urge to take back the gifts. How could this man be so oblivious?
Of course, that thought flashed by only for an instant. After all, she couldn’t possibly think she could really bribe a living person with just a few presents, could she?
Upstairs, Comrade Old Lin sat on the sofa with a dazed look, while Mom Zhou Min handed him a wet towel.
“Quick, wipe your face. Honestly, what kind of person are you? You go home to pay respects at a grave and come back drunk out of your mind?
You left right after breakfast—look at the time now, huh?”
Facing her husband, who had gone out perfectly fine in the morning but came back completely drunk, Zhou Min naturally gave him quite a scolding.
Especially since, when she called in the afternoon to check, their son had said his father was drunk—Zhou Min’s temper had immediately flared.
But when her man actually stumbled home drunk, she still swallowed her anger and tended to him.
“Wife, this really wasn’t my fault. I just planned to drink two bottles of beer for form’s sake, have our son drive me back. But then Xiao Su brought a classmate along.
That girl—she could really drink. She kept toasting me as a junior; how could I refuse? But I’ve got to say, that young lady was quite nice—pretty, polite. Just now downstairs, she insisted on giving me some tea. I said no, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Comrade Old Lin wiped his face with the wet towel, sobering up a little.
“So you dared to accept something from a young lady you just met? You must’ve drunk fake liquor, huh? Answer me! If you get into trouble from drinking again, you’ll quit entirely!” Mom Zhou Min was furious.
Their family’s means were modest, but they weren’t the kind to accept gifts from just anyone. It was her husband’s first meeting with that girl—how could he have the nerve!
“I was cornered, alright? I regretted it the moment I got upstairs. Fortunately, I had our son go and arrange a meal for them,” Comrade Old Lin sighed helplessly.
That saying, ‘drinking leads to trouble’, couldn’t have been truer. Had he been sober, he would never have accepted those things.
“Hmph, truly hard work for you,” Zhou Min rolled her eyes, then glanced at the two boxes her husband had brought back. “Tea leaves—and what’s this, cordyceps? This stuff isn’t cheap, is it?”
“No idea, but the wine that girl brought out today definitely wasn’t cheap. And just from her outfit and demeanor, you can tell she’s from a wealthy family,” Old Lin nodded.
“You even drank her good wine? You really can’t help yourself!”
Comrade Old Lin: .
Fortunately, Zhou Min’s attention was still fixed on her anger, so she didn’t look too closely at the gifts. Otherwise, she might have noticed something suspicious.
Cigarettes, alcohol, candy, tea, health supplements—individually, they meant nothing. But when given together, they spoke volumes.
Otherwise, Lin Mo’s Aunt Zhou Hui wouldn’t have suspected that her daughter might be into girls.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo sat in the car, aimlessly circling the outer ring road of South City.
“My sister really splurged today. Come on, you came all this way and even brought things for my dad—what do you want to eat tonight? I’ll arrange it,” Lin Mo said from the driver’s seat.
Liu Rushuang’s actions today had genuinely confused him. He couldn’t tell if it was really like his cousin Su He said—that Liu Rushuang’s family was just strict about etiquette. So, he could only try to return the favor properly.
Besides, even if Liu Rushuang hadn’t brought gifts, she had still come all the way to South City. As the host, it was only right to treat her to dinner—especially since she was his financial backer.
“Cough cough. You think those gifts came free? Ever heard the saying ‘there’s no free lunch’? Free things are the most expensive—if she asks you for a few hundred million later, don’t be surprised,” Su He said coldly with a knowing smirk.
Hearing that, Liu Rushuang—sitting in the passenger seat—punched her and spat, “Oh, shut up! I didn’t take anything when I went to your place, did I? Cigarettes, alcohol, tea—I’ve got plenty of those! It’s called manners, alright? My dad taught me since I was a kid: when you’re out and about, being polite never hurts.”
Though she said that, her heart still fluttered with guilt. She knew exactly what her real intentions were.
Especially after hearing Su He’s jab, she quickly scrambled to defend herself and added, “Anyway, let’s go to the biggest restaurant in South City! The three of us will eat till we burst! My little brother’s treating—so I won’t hold back!”
At that, both Su He and Lin Mo gave her the same odd look.
“The biggest restaurant?” Lin Mo repeated, arching an eyebrow.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re too stingy to treat?” Liu Rushuang teased, glancing at him sideways.
Hearing this, the siblings exchanged a look and sighed.
Less than ten minutes later, Su He parked the car in Wanda’s parking lot.
“What? Aren’t we going to eat?” Liu Rushuang asked in confusion.
Su He lifted her chin toward the front of the car, pointing at the KFC. “There. You picked it—the biggest restaurant!”
Lin Mo added, “That building was just finished last year, opened earlier this year. The whole first floor’s KFC—massive space. If you don’t like it, there’s more on the second floor—snack stalls, buffets, roujiamo, fried noodles, you name it. All kinds of choices—eat whatever you want!”
Liu Rushuang:
“You’re kidding me, right? I came all this way and you’re giving me this? Shouldn’t we at least go somewhere fancy?”
Su He snorted coldly. “You picked it yourself, idol.”
“Come on, this is just a small county town. You think it’s Jiangning? There aren’t any luxury restaurants here. Even if we really splurge, it’s maybe one or two thousand yuan tops. Fancy places can’t survive here,” Lin Mo said, trying not to laugh.
And that was true. Their little county town had no star-rated hotels, no high-end specialty cuisine—everything was affordably priced.
Of course, maybe there were some fancier places—but both siblings came from ordinary families and had no reason to visit them.
“I don’t care. I’m not eating this. Find another place!” Liu Rushuang refused to get out of the passenger seat, looking like she’d rather die than eat fast food.
Hearing that, Lin Mo sighed helplessly from the back seat. “Then you tell us—what do you want to eat? You need a target, right?”
“Doesn’t South City have any local specialties? Let’s eat that! When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When you visit a place, you have to eat its local specialty!” Liu Rushuang thought for a moment and realized she wasn’t familiar with the area, so she pinned her hopes on South City itself. If something could represent a whole city, it couldn’t possibly taste bad, right?
Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a restaurant that looked like it had been around for years. On the signboard at the entrance were four bold characters: 【South City Aged Vinegar】.
Liu Rushuang:
“You two are messing with me, aren’t you? Who drinks vinegar for a meal? Food, I said—cuisine! Don’t you understand?”
Seeing how flustered she looked, the siblings were in excellent spirits.
“Didn’t you say you wanted something local? Well, here it is—our South City specialty! Aged vinegar! It’s famous! When nearby counties talk about vinegar, the first name that comes up is ours,” Lin Mo said with a grin.
As soon as he finished, Liu Rushuang whipped her head around and glared at him so fiercely that Lin Mo shrank back instinctively, half-afraid she’d actually bite him.
Just then, Cousin Su He spoke up. “Actually, there’s another local specialty here in South City.”
“Really? Then let’s have that instead! As long as it’s not vinegar!” Liu Rushuang’s face lit up instantly.
Lin Mo, on the other hand, looked confused. “Sis, we’ve got another specialty? How come I’ve never heard of it?”
He had lived here for over twenty years—how could he not know his own hometown’s specialties? He’d never heard of anything else besides the aged vinegar.
Smiling slyly, Su He said, “Of course there is. It’s sitting right behind you.
Let me tell you, Rushuang—my cousin here is the biggest specialty in South City. A local specialty. If you don’t find him delicious, it’s free.”
Lin Mo: .
Liu Rushuang: .