Discovery II (Please Bookmark)

"He went to the market to buy groceries. Xiao Yi and Li Yi went with him and haven't come back yet."

As she spoke, Hu Leimei took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and handed it to Hu Qi.

"How's your leg feeling? You've gotten so thin lately."

"I'm fine. Much better!"

For a moment, Hu Qi did not know what to say and merely nodded in reply.

In truth, he had not lost weight at all. On the contrary, because he had been practicing the Comprehensive Combat Technique and eating heavily at every meal, he had even gained some weight.

It was only because he wore a jacket, while the fat on his body had decreased through training and his muscles had grown firm, reshaping his physique, that he appeared somewhat thinner than before.

The two chatted idly, trading a few words back and forth.

Before long, the table of customers who had been eating got up, paid their bill, and left.

A while later.

A little red-painted three-wheeled cart stopped outside the entrance.

"Xiao Qi's here!"

A middle-aged man who bore a slight resemblance to Li Yi walked in carrying several bags of vegetables.

The man had an honest-looking face and a broad, solid build. He looked more like a butcher who slaughtered pigs and sold meat.

He was none other than Hu Leimei's husband, Li Zhenguo.

Behind him came Li Yi, along with a young woman.

The woman had fair, clean features and a shoulder-length bob of black hair.

She wore a plain white shirt on top, its collar buttoned to the second button, perfectly showing off her slender neck.

The cuffs of her shirt were neatly rolled up, giving her a capable, crisp appearance.

She wore dark-blue straight-leg jeans below, the cuffs slightly rolled to reveal her slender ankles, along with a pair of white sneakers.

Her entire bearing exuded competence and neatness.

Upon seeing Hu Qi, Li Yi merely gave a faint nod.

Hu Qi was not surprised by this.

According to the original owner's memories, although this Li Yi was only a year older than him, she had a mature personality and excelled academically. She had always been the kind of child other parents held up as an example.

She looked down greatly on the original owner, her cousin who had not even gone to university.

On top of that, the original owner's past bizarre antics had undoubtedly deepened that impression.

And when faced with this cousin who had entered a prestigious university at such a young age and whose future stretched bright before her, the original owner had felt inferior, always believing himself beneath her.

This was also one of the reasons why the original owner did not like visiting his aunt's home.

But none of that meant anything to Hu Qi. His expression remained unchanged as he nodded.

He called her Cousin, then said nothing more.

His attitude surprised Li Yi somewhat.

He seemed different from the Hu Qi she had known before.

But she did not dwell on it. She had heard a little about what had happened to him recently and simply assumed he had suffered some blows, causing a slight change in mindset.

Unfortunately, a leopard could not change its spots.

She sneered inwardly.

After briefly greeting him, Li Zhenguo went upstairs to get busy in the kitchen.

Hu Leimei gave a quick instruction before heading into the kitchen as well to help prepare the ingredients.

Normally, the restaurant was run by Hu Leimei and Li Zhenguo. The former served dishes and handled payments, while the latter took care of the kitchen.

Only during the busiest one or two hours at mealtimes did they hire a few hourly workers to help out.

But with street-stall culture rising over the past two years, restaurant business had become difficult. Most of the time, the couple could barely manage on their own.

Li Yi walked over.

"Brother Qi, come on. Let's queue up and play a match."

With a chuckle, he pulled out his phone and showed off a tower-defense game that was loading.

Hu Qi had nothing else to do, so he agreed.

When he had been bored at night before, he had downloaded it and played a couple of rounds. It was fairly fun.

"Brother Qi, quick! They're one hit from death!"

Li Yi shouted excitedly.

"No, this is what you call one hit from death?"

Hu Qi looked speechlessly at the three full-health guys who burst out of the bushes and promptly KO'd him, feeling utterly helpless.

"It was definitely a near-kill. Maybe you were too slow, Brother Qi, and the other side recovered some health."

Faced with this situation, Li Yi pushed up the black-rimmed glasses on his nose and stubbornly defended himself.

The two had only played one round when customers began coming into the shop.

After that, customers arrived in twos and threes, one after another without end.

Most of them were workers from a nearby garment factory, dressed in dark blue, white, and gray uniforms, while some were local residents.

Before long, the shop was full.

Since it was summer vacation, the college student working part-time by the hour was naturally absent.

At first, Li Yi and Li Yi could still manage, but later, too many customers came flooding in at once.

Hu Qi had no choice but to roll up his sleeves and start helping as well.

Because he had practiced Combat Technique and his physique had improved, Hu Qi worked with remarkable speed and efficiency.

Even Hu Leimei could not help feeling surprised by the sight.

After all, when he had come before, at most he had only helped settle the accounts.

From the customers' conversations, Hu Qi finally learned that today was the Harmony Reunion Festival of the Xiya Federation.

This festival symbolized family reunion, good fortune, and harmony. On this day, people would generally gather with relatives and friends for a meal.

That also explained why the shop was so busy today.

Soon, the time reached eight thirty in the evening.

By then, the customers gradually began to leave.

Once most of them had gone, only one table remained, still drinking.

Hu Qi and the others gathered around a table as well and began to eat.

On the table were grilled fish, chicken cooked in a wok, several stir-fried dishes, cold dishes, and barbecue.

The fragrance filled the air, and the spread was exceptionally lavish.

"Xiao Qi, you worked hard today. If you hadn't come, we might not have been able to handle it all.

Here, have some braised eel. It was brought from our hometown—wild-caught, and very nutritious."

Hu Leimei spoke as she picked up a plate of braised eel and set it in front of Hu Qi.

On the pristine white porcelain plate, the braised eel looked especially enticing.

Thick, reddish-brown sauce coated the curled pieces of eel, gleaming with a rich oily sheen.

The pieces were thick and evenly cut, their edges lightly seared while the insides remained tender and juicy, the flesh firm and springy.

Scattered over the top were bright green chopped scallions and finely minced garlic.

Hu Qi thanked her and picked up two pieces, placing them in his bowl.

"Xiao Yi, Li Yi, you two eat too."

Hu Leimei called out to Li Yi and Li Yi.

The former only took one piece, while the latter, Li Yi, shook her head with a look of disgust.

"That thing looks way too scary. I'll eat something else."

"You child, you're really such a picky eater. No wonder you're so skinny..."

Hu Qi watched the scene without saying much.

He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

In his previous life, he had been a chef for more than ten years. What had he not eaten?

He had cooked lizards, snakes, and toads before.

Since he cooked food, tasting it to judge the flavor was naturally necessary.

He closed his mouth and gently bit down. After chewing for a while, he spat out a section of eel bone.

Yet the instant he swallowed the eel meat in his mouth, Hu Qi's movements stiffened slightly.

Immediately after that.

A flicker of disbelief and wild delight surged up from the depths of his eyes.

Thanks to man, Mr. Hands with Emotions, Tianzi Daozhu, Lihentian Twelve, Xiao Luo, Xumi Jue, Zhu Zhu Shao, and all the big shots for the Qidian coins, as well as everyone's monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Three Q!