Chapter 236 : Weak Body Can’t Take Tonics
Chapter 236: Weak Body Can’t Take Tonics
“Sis, weren’t you saying you wanted to lose weight? Why are you killing another chicken now?”
Inside the same private room on the second floor of the farmhouse chicken restaurant they had eaten at yesterday, Lin Mo looked at his cousin with an expression of disbelief.
She kept saying she wanted to lose weight, but she hadn’t skipped a single bite of anything she liked to eat. Truly, all talk and no action.
“What are you talking about? If I don’t eat enough, where would I get the strength to lose weight? Besides, I haven’t eaten all day,” Su He said pitifully, rubbing her stomach.
Lin Mo sneered. “And that chicken wing you ate at noon—was that for the dog? What about the watermelon? Who did that go into?”
Su He coughed lightly. “Fine, I admit I had two more pieces of watermelon, but that’s just water weight! And chicken meat, what’s wrong with that? It’s high-quality protein, low in calories—every dieter eats chicken.”
Lin Mo was speechless. That farmhouse chicken restaurant wasn’t anything special to him—if he cooked it himself, it would definitely taste better. After all, as a chef who had specialized in cooking chicken for thirty years, being dragged out to eat this kind of chicken felt more like an insult to his craft.
“Who said that? Before we came here, didn’t we go on a blind date? The guy treated us to Western food,” Liu Rushuang, sitting beside them, added with a teasing smile.
At that, Su He shot Liu Rushuang a glare and spat, “You still remember that? Didn’t the two of us run away halfway through?”
Lin Mo froze, eyes widening. “Huh? You two went on a blind date together? And ran off halfway?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea! I was just accompanying her—to see the world a bit, since I’ve never been on one myself. As for why we ran…” Liu Rushuang waved her hand, a little embarrassed as she trailed off.
Su He snorted coldly. “That scumbag of a man—when he saw this chick, his eyes nearly popped out! Completely ignored me, the actual date. And the worst part? The bastard even asked for her WeChat right in front of me.
Pah! Shameless man! I didn’t even split the bill this time—let him see how cruel the world can be.”
Although Su He had guessed this might happen when bringing Liu Rushuang along, she didn’t expect it to play out that obviously.
Normally, even if a man found the friend of his blind date prettier, he’d at least be polite enough to finish the meal. But this guy? He’d completely forgotten she existed!
“No way—he really had no shame at all? How could he?” Lin Mo was utterly stunned.
If he were in that guy’s shoes, he would never be so rude. He didn’t think he even had skin thick enough to try that.
“That blind date was one of those spoiled rich second-generation types. His family owns a big supermarket, and he runs a store himself. Probably thought he was something special. The moment we sat down, he started waving that Rolex on his wrist in front of us, afraid that Rushuang wouldn’t notice how rich he was.
And his Mercedes car key—he kept putting it on the table like it was a decoration. It fell off three times before the meal even ended.
You should’ve seen his face when he saw the car we left in—it went redder than a beet!” Su He had started her story full of irritation, but by the end, her expression was pure satisfaction.
Even though Lin Mo hadn’t witnessed it himself, he still felt secondhand embarrassment for the poor guy.
Of all people to show off in front of, he had to pick Rushuang Empress? That was just begging to crash into an iron wall.
As the two cousins chatted idly, Liu Rushuang felt more convinced that college students really were the best—at least they were simple, straightforward, and a little shy. Even when they had thoughts, they didn’t dare to show them outright in front of her.
When Lin Mo tried to please her, his intentions were always clear—he usually wanted something. And although he never hid his desire to make money, he had never tried to freeload from her. Even when she had given him hints, he had never crossed that line.
By comparison, Liu Rushuang felt quite content. Her mom was right—date someone handsome, simple-minded, and fun. That was the way to go.
Soon, the freshly killed chicken was served. The three shared a makeshift meal together, and since the effect of the Qilin Watermelon was still lingering, everyone’s mood was rather buoyant—they even had a few drinks.
By eight o’clock, they stepped out of the restaurant. A light rain had started again, bringing a refreshing coolness to the humid evening.
“Let’s call a designated driver—safety first!” Liu Rushuang said, glancing out at the rain.
All three had been drinking, so driving was out of the question. Even though Lin Mo hadn’t drunk much, he was a man of principle—drunk driving was a firm no.
“No need. Let’s just take a cab home. We can leave the car here and pick it up tomorrow. In this small county, a taxi ride home is five yuan—no need for a driver,” Su He said, waving her hand.
That was true—designated drivers barely made a living here. A ten-yuan ride could take you from east to west of the town, and another ten yuan the next morning to retrieve the car. Why waste money on a chauffeur?
“What about your little brother, then?”
“No problem, let him get a cab himself. His place isn’t far. Bye, little bro!” Su He said, pulling Liu Rushuang into a taxi. She waved at him before they drove off.
Lin Mo nodded, and after watching the cab disappear, he took a deep breath and began walking home.
He didn’t hail a taxi—just walked through the drizzle. His state of mind felt strange. He had been fine when others were around, distracted by conversation, but now that he was alone, thoughts from yesterday started resurfacing.
He felt like he should be sad, yet there was a light, almost excited energy inside him. The contradiction made him feel split, as if his subconscious was warring against itself.
At a crossroads, he stopped to buy a candied hawthorn skewer. The sweet and sour taste made him squint with pleasure.
He didn’t quite know how to process his emotions, so he just kept walking through the rain. The drizzle grew heavier.
But Lin Mo didn’t quicken his pace. With no one around, his emotions surged. For some reason, he suddenly felt the urge to go crazy.
Raising the half-eaten candied hawthorn like a lance, he laughed aloud, “My spear has grown dull from the rain! My warhorse is rusting! But my charge—my charge is a Don Quixote charge! You great windmill of life, come—three hundred rounds, I’ll fight you for three hundred rounds!”
Saying that, Lin Mo began running down the empty street. Though his face was bright with laughter, anyone who saw him would have realized—it was the laughter of a man venting after being overwhelmed by emotion.
Humans were strange creatures. Their emotions rarely matched their words. They could be suppressed but not erased. When contradictions arose, what came out was often bizarre behavior.
By the time Lin Mo reached home, soaked through, the first thing he saw was both his parents—each with tissue stuffed up their nostrils.
“What happened? Mom, Dad—did you two fight?” Lin Mo asked, eyes wide in shock.
He’d never once seen his parents get physical. They might bicker sometimes, but this? Both with bloody noses?
Hearing their son’s question, neither of them even noticed his drenched clothes. Mom (Zhou Min) awkwardly explained,
“Your dad brought something home—said it was from your cousin’s classmate. I looked inside and found cordyceps, so I boiled some to drink. And, well, you can see the result.”
Old Lin shot his wife a glare. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch it? You didn’t listen. See what happened? Our bodies just can’t handle this rich stuff—it’s like poor folks suddenly eating like the rich. Can’t take it!”
“Nonsense! Why can’t I take it? It’s just a tonic, no matter how expensive! I’m only supplementing myself, what’s wrong with that?
You’re the one who can’t handle rich food! I’ll change the recipe tomorrow and finish all of it myself.
It’s not like I haven’t had cordyceps before—why didn’t it hit this hard back then? Did my health get worse, or were those fakes?” Zhou Min muttered, clearly unconvinced but confused.
Lin Mo: “…”
“Mom, maybe Dad’s right. Your body just can’t handle it—you’re over-supplementing yourself.”
Zhou Min: “You’re talking nonsense!”
Lin Mo: “…”