Chapter 92

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Uncle Lu was a very amiable person and did not show any impatience at the Fat Man Sun's interruption. He smiled and recounted to Sun how Luo Tai had saved him back then.

Sun was startled and surprised, and when he realized that the incident had happened on the night they went to the nightclub, he suddenly understood and nodded at Luo Tai, saying, "No wonder you disappeared halfway through the night without a word. When I asked you later, you didn't say anything. It turns out you were afraid of those hooligans retaliating after saving Uncle Lu, so you left first. I always thought you were a bit stubborn. If you had told me, we could have left together, and it would have been safer. If something had happened to you on the way, how could I have lived with myself?"

Sun's incessant chatter made Luo Tai feel a bit touched. Sun was still as good a friend as ever, but sometimes his naivety was both endearing and exasperating.

Luo Tai picked up a piece of kidney and stuffed it into Sun's mouth, blocking his endless chatter. He sighed and said to Sun, "Don't act silly in front of Uncle Lu. Not to mention whether those hooligans could threaten me, do you think the Seven Wolves are just playing house?"

Sun then realized he had been acting foolish again. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, lowering his head to focus on the food, refusing to look up.

After silencing Sun's chattering mouth, Luo Tai smiled at Uncle Lu and said, "Sorry, Uncle Lu. We brothers are used to being rowdy. I hope you don't mind."

Uncle Lu nodded slightly, "Not at all. Seeing the camaraderie between you two makes me happy. It reminds me of my younger days. I had a brother-in-arms back then, and our relationship was much like yours. Unfortunately, time takes away many things, and those days can never be relived."

Luo Tai took a pair of sterilized chopsticks and handed them to Uncle Lu, "Have you eaten, Uncle Lu? If you don't mind, please try the dishes I made."

Uncle Lu waved his hand, "I've already eaten, and I'm old, so I need to take care of my health. I can't just add extra meals, so I can only thank you for your kindness, Mr. Luo."

At this moment, Sun raised his head, with a mouthful of rice, and said, "Uncle Lu, you should try the dishes Luo Tai made. I'm not exaggerating; you won't find such delicious food anywhere else."

Uncle Lu chuckled, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I'll try a bite to see Mr. Luo's skills."

Taking the chopsticks from Luo Tai, Uncle Lu glanced at the two dishes on the table.

Luo Tai had cooked two dishes for lunch, both meat dishes to cater to Sun's love for meat. One was stir-fried kidney, and the other was minced meat with eggplant. Both were very common home-style dishes.

Uncle Lu, being older, hesitated for a moment and did not pick the relatively greasy stir-fried kidney. Instead, he picked a piece of eggplant from the minced meat dish and gently placed it in his mouth.

After just a couple of chews, Uncle Lu's eyes lit up. The texture of the eggplant in his mouth was incredibly surprising.

The dish had cooled slightly due to Uncle Lu's interruption, and when he first picked it up, he didn't even smell the eggplant's aroma. However, when he bit into the eggplant, the internal fragrance seemed to burst out, instantly filling his mouth.

As the eggplant slid down his tongue to the back of his mouth, the meat aroma mixed with the eggplant's fragrance suddenly intensified. The sudden stimulation made Uncle Lu reluctant to swallow the eggplant. He used his tongue to push the chewed eggplant back to the front of his mouth and chewed it again. Only after the eggplant's fragrance was fully mixed with his saliva did he reluctantly swallow it.

"Delicious!"

After swallowing the eggplant, Uncle Lu loudly praised it and eagerly reached for the minced meat eggplant dish again.

Seeing Uncle Lu boldly competing for the food, Sun immediately increased his eating speed. As a result, Uncle Lu only managed to eat three bites of the minced meat eggplant before the sauce was poured into Sun's bowl.

Sun, not the least bit embarrassed, pointed at the stir-fried kidney with his chopsticks and said to Uncle Lu, "Uncle Lu, try this one."

Uncle Lu, now curious about Luo Tai's cooking skills, ignored the greasiness of the kidney and picked a piece to taste.

The kidney did not disappoint Uncle Lu. The smooth kidney slowly released a rich fragrance in his mouth, without any of the usual gamey smell. Most importantly, Luo Tai had somehow treated the kidney so that it had a slight chewiness, which made it bounce in his teeth, tempting him to bite harder. When he finally bit down hard, the chewiness suddenly disappeared, and the kidney's juices burst out, filling his mouth with even more fragrance, leaving a lingering taste.

By the time Uncle Lu came to his senses from the kidney's aftertaste, he saw Sun shamelessly pouring the stir-fried kidney into his bowl.

"Stop!" Uncle Lu weakly tried to stop him but then realized that these dishes were meant for Luo Tai and Sun, and he had only tried them out of politeness.

Putting down his chopsticks, Uncle Lu asked Luo Tai seriously, "Mr. Luo, did you really cook these dishes yourself?"

Sun, after swallowing his mouthful of food, said somewhat discontentedly, "Of course Luo Tai cooked them. Why would we lie to you?"

Uncle Lu laughed and shook his head, "I'm not doubting you; I just wanted to confirm it."

Taking out a business card, Uncle Lu handed it to Luo Tai with both hands, "Mr. Luo, we need to get to know each other better. My name is Lu Sideng. This is my card. Please take it."

Luo Tai, unsure of what was happening, hurriedly took the card with both hands and looked down at it.

Before Luo Tai could read the card, Sun jumped up from his chair, his finger trembling as he pointed at Uncle Lu, his voice hoarse and distorted, "Lu Sideng? You're really the big boss of Dingtian Restaurant, Lu Sideng?"

Sun's words made Luo Tai realize that Lu Sideng was a well-known figure in Jibei City. Dingtian Restaurant, under his name, was one of the top three restaurants in Jibei City.

It was said that more than half of the government receptions in Jibei City were held at Dingtian Restaurant because it had a head chef who was one of the top ten chefs of Shandong cuisine. The Shandong cuisine served at Dingtian Restaurant was considered the best in Jibei City, if not in the entire Shanxi Province.

Lu Sideng was the founder of Dingtian Restaurant, and the "Ding" in the restaurant's name came from his name.

Luo Tai looked at the card in his hand. It was very simple, with no gold or silver embellishments. On the ordinary copper plate paper, "Lu Sideng" was printed in large letters, and below his name was a small line: Chairman of Dingtian Group.

So, Uncle Lu was indeed the famous Lu Sideng of Jibei City. But if Uncle Lu really had such a prestigious identity, why was he drinking himself into a stupor in a regular nightclub on Dajing Street, almost getting beaten up by a group of hooligans?

Meeting Luo Tai's puzzled gaze, Uncle Lu seemed to guess what he was thinking.

"Mr. Luo, you must be wondering why the chairman of Dingtian Restaurant would be drinking alone in such a common nightclub, right?"

Luo Tai nodded, admitting his confusion.

Uncle Lu sighed deeply and said with a bitter smile, "I never wanted to mention this again, but since you're puzzled, I'll tell you the whole story to avoid any misunderstandings. I just hope you won't laugh at me after you hear it." (To be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature for faster updates and better reading experience!)