Chapter 10

Seeing the young man get out of the car, Qing Linqiu immediately stood up straight and pulled open the rear car door. He was very clear about his own status.

Even his grandfather could only be a cook, so what was he? Just a groom who came to pick someone up.

Moreover, the person he was picking up was his grandfather's savior, a debt of gratitude so great that not showing respect would be disrespectful to himself.

However, he couldn't help but scrutinize the young man in front of him.

A fresh and handsome young man, who looked like a high school student, probably in the lower grades, with a face so young it made one doubt. Although he had seen the photos, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you... Nan Ming?"

He unconsciously used polite language.

"Hello, my name is Nan Ming." The young man didn't directly sit in the back seat but instead sat in the front passenger seat and politely said thank you.

What a polite and well-mannered young man.

Qing Linqiu thought, immediately forming a good impression.

It was clear that the young man was a bit nervous in front of a stranger. Qing Linqiu smiled and said, "I'm Qing Linqiu. I'll be responsible for picking you up these few days. If you need anything, just call me."

While Qing Linqiu was observing Nan Ming, Nan Ming was also observing Qing Linqiu.

Dark skin, a resolute face, short hair with a hat mark, and a familiar aura.

"Is Brother Qing a veteran?" Nan Ming asked.

"Sort of." Qing Linqiu smiled, not saying more. The car skillfully drove through the streets and turned into a small alley.

The small alley was lined with tile-roofed houses. The car stopped in front of one of them, where the black lacquered wooden door was open. A bamboo screen wall stood before it, with green bamboo swaying in the wind, creating a very elegant atmosphere.

Qing Linqiu got out of the car and opened the car door for Nan Ming, standing aside like a bodyguard in a TV show.

A young man got into the driver's seat and parked the car elsewhere, while Qing Linqiu accompanied Nan Ming into the courtyard.

"What a beautiful courtyard!" Nan Ming exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know there were places like this. Is this what you call a farmhouse?"

Qing Linqiu stumbled, but managed to catch himself on the wall.

The courtyard was paved with blue bricks, filled with various plants, and a huge wutong tree covered the entire courtyard, providing a cool breeze even in the scorching summer.

Grandpa Qing had been waiting under the wutong tree. Seeing Nan Ming, he quickly said, "You must be Uncle Qing. I'm sorry to trouble you."

Qing Linqiu stumbled again. If Nan Ming called Grandpa Qing 'Uncle Qing,' what did that make him?

Grandpa Qing forced a smile, but the twisted expression looked worse than a cry.

"We're not a farmhouse..." he explained, somewhat speechless.

When he saw Nan Ming, he felt like he had been tricked by Grandpa Lu. This little guy saved his and his own life? No way.

He didn't believe it.

But since he had promised, he couldn't go back on his word.

"Then it's a private kitchen?" Nan Ming asked again.

Just eat the food! Why so many words! A million horses galloped through Grandpa Qing's mind.

But he barely restrained his urge to explode and asked with a strained smile, "What would you like to eat?"

"Um... do you have a menu?" Nan Ming asked.

Grandpa Qing and Qing Linqiu looked at each other.

"What... no menu..." Nan Ming muttered softly. Apart from the good service and the car pick-up and drop-off, it didn't seem very reliable...

But Nan Ming was naturally optimistic: "Private kitchens are like this, I guess. It's fine..."

Are you still dissatisfied? What right do you have to be dissatisfied? Grandpa Qing was about to explode.

"I want to eat Nine-turns Intestine, Braised Pork, and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs..." Nan Ming called out a few dishes he thought were delicious.

"Okay." Grandpa Qing responded and went to the kitchen.

Qing Linqiu, now acting as a waiter, led Nan Ming into the main hall, where an old square table was placed in the center, with a vintage look. There were no modern decorations, just a traditional atmosphere.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Ice water."

Qing Linqiu pulled out a chair for Nan Ming, set up the tableware, and brought a bottle of chilled purified water, then stood aside with his hands behind his back.

This was how he used to stand guard in the military, and he was used to it.

Nan Ming, not very talkative in front of strangers, played with his phone, creating an awkward atmosphere.

【To-Do List: Collect 10 energy bars / 1st energy bar / Trick, deceive, and steal to advance to a grand meal! / A mysterious new place will be added to the package】

In the kitchen, Grandpa Qing got angrier the more he thought about it, wanting to call Grandpa Lu and scold him. He angrily threw the intestines into the oil pot, but the force was too strong, and the oil splattered, burning his hand, making him cry out in pain.

Nan Ming was stunned, but before he could react, Qing Linqiu leaped out of the main hall like a leopard and rushed into the kitchen.

Seeing Grandpa Qing's burn, Qing Linqiu was shocked and quickly shouted, "Cold water! Cold water!"

"Coming." Nan Ming handed over a large bottle of chilled purified water and began to command the young men who rushed in to prepare more cold water and red flower oil.

"It's fine, just a small injury, I won't die." Grandpa Qing's face was red with embarrassment, feeling he had lost face today.

He hadn't cooked for so many years, and his hands were rusty.

Although it was a small injury, the oil in the pot was boiling, and the skin was visibly red and swollen. Fortunately, it was treated in time, and no blisters formed.

Nan Ming felt very guilty. This old man, at his age, still had to run a private kitchen to make money, which was really tough.

And he was burned while cooking for him. He wondered if he could still cook for the next few days, feeling sorry for him.

The place seemed deserted, and the business didn't seem to be good.

Nan Ming decided to help him!

"Okay, I'll continue cooking." Grandpa Qing applied a cold compress and was about to start again, but no one could persuade him otherwise.

Nan Ming felt even more sorry for Grandpa Qing, who couldn't even rest with an injury.

Nan Ming held the red flower oil and said, "Uncle Qing, at least apply some red flower oil."

Qing Linqiu reached out to take it, but Nan Ming stopped him and said, "I'll do it."

He checked his saved energy, which was about one-third full, and carefully used the enhancement ability, reducing the energy by half.

A silver light flashed, and Nan Ming poured the red flower oil onto his hand, carefully applying it to Grandpa Qing's burned arm.

As soon as the red flower oil was applied, Grandpa Qing involuntarily groaned in comfort.

"Done." Nan Ming patted Grandpa Qing's arm and said, "It shouldn't hurt anymore."

"Indeed, it doesn't hurt." Grandpa Qing was stunned, watching the redness and swelling on his arm disappear before his eyes.

Strangely, even the age spots began to fade.

"What kind of red flower oil is this..." Grandpa Qing wanted to ask, but saw Nan Ming casually put the red flower oil in his pocket.

Last time, he enhanced a bottle of ** in front of Chen Wei, so he didn't dare to take it. But now, it was just a bottle of red flower oil...

He hoped today's meal would be worth the energy he had used.

Grandpa Qing looked at Nan Ming's back, shaking his head and smiling.

Indeed, he was his savior.

"Uncle, here's the Nine-turns Intestine." When Qing Linqiu brought a plate of Nine-turns Intestine, Nan Ming was stunned, "What did you call me?"

"Your Uncle Qing is my grandfather. What should I call you?" Qing Linqiu smiled, a bit less respectful but more friendly.

"This... no need to do that, let's just be formal." Nan Ming quickly said.

Qing Linqiu laughed, "I don't want to get my legs broken by my grandfather."

If the relationship was casual, they would be formal. If the relationship was close, they couldn't be too casual.

Nan Ming didn't understand the significance and could only blink and shake his head.

How did he suddenly get a nephew?

Actually, as the youngest of his generation, his oldest cousin was already in his fifties or sixties, and his oldest nephew was over ten years older than him.

So, he didn't think it was a big deal, just thinking...

It seemed there was no business here, and it was really pitiful. To keep him, the only customer, they had to lower their status.

Even if the food wasn't good, he could come more often.

Uncle Lu was a big shot, so he couldn't pay less.

Helping such a pitiful person, Nan Ming didn't feel much accomplishment, but the upcoming meal was worth it.

"Try this Nine-turns Intestine. I've only had it once, made by my grandfather. It's too troublesome to make, so it's not easy to eat." Qing Linqiu looked at the Nine-turns Intestine, feeling hungry, and with great willpower, stood behind Nan Ming again.

When Grandpa Qing finally came out of the kitchen, he saw Nan Ming eating heartily, sweating profusely.

For some reason, Grandpa Qing suddenly felt a sense of genuine accomplishment and said with a smile, "How is it, Nan Ming? Is the food good? What do you think of the taste?"

"Delicious!" Nan Ming gave a thumbs up, "I've only had one dish better than this in my life."

"Oh... where did you have it?" Grandpa Qing's face twitched, his good mood and sense of accomplishment instantly gone. Was the kid itching for a beating? The food he, Qing Tiger, made wasn't the best he had ever eaten?

"At the Wengji Hotel, when Uncle Lu invited me. He said the chef was a specially invited master of Shandong cuisine." Nan Ming didn't realize he had hurt a fragile heart and continued to eat heartily.

The Nine-turns Intestine was tender and fragrant, the Braised Pork was not tough, and the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs were perfectly balanced. Grandpa Qing had some culinary skills, and the elegant environment made it feel like eating at home. Moreover, there was no Chen Wei glaring at him, so Nan Ming ate happily, and the energy bar rose rapidly, reaching two-thirds in no time, more than enough to recover the energy used to enhance the red flower oil.

When Nan Ming finished the main dishes and side dishes on the table, patting his stomach and groaning, Grandpa Qing was a bit worried. What if he overate?

But Nan Ming drank a glass of water, and in less than five minutes, he was lively again.

This kid