sbdcsierra Chapter 481 Teacher Meng
Chapter 481 Teacher Meng
The folding table in front of Li Jian was completely filled.
Thirteen golden and crispy fried dough sticks are arranged in a radial fan shape, each one puffed up and sizzling with oil at the edges.
Two baskets of soup dumplings were stacked on the side, their thin skin revealing the amber color of the soup, and the fresh aroma of crab roe leaking from the gaps in the steamer made the people at the next table swallow their saliva.
The most eye-catching dish was the large bowl of roasted pork belly and beef rice—the caramel-colored roasted pork belly was piled up like a small mountain, the crispy skin glistened with a honey-colored luster in the morning light, and the yolk of the soft-boiled egg, which had been punctured, was slowly seeping into the rice.
Li Jian crackled as he gripped a fried dough stick in his left hand, while his right chopsticks precisely pierced the skin of a soup dumpling to sip the broth. In between bites, he scooped up large chunks of beef and stuffed them into his cheeks.
"Brother Qiang!"
Just as Li Jian was about to help Lu Yao clean up the mess, he suddenly heard Ruan Yuehua shout out.
Li Jian looked up and saw a man wearing a blue suit, brown sunglasses, and a gold tie blocking the entrance of the snack shop.
The man's brown sunglasses reflected the mess on the table, and the tiny diamonds on his gold tie clip were so sharp they hurt the eyes.
The blue suit was Italian-tailored, but the shoulder line stretched out to resemble the shape of a holster.
The man's leather shoes had half a fried dough stick crushed between the toes, and he didn't care that the crocodile skin of his shoes was stained with chili oil.
It was Lu Jinqiang, a bigwig who came from Yongheng Village.
This is also someone Li Jian pays close attention to.
Lu Jinqiang's attire stood out starkly from the chaotic breakfast stall. As soon as he arrived, someone offered him a seat: "Brother Qiang, sit here."
Ruan Yuehua wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Brother Qiang, here to collect rent?"
Lu Jinqiang sat down casually and said, "No, I know you went to the village entrance yesterday morning, so I came to see if you were alright."
Ruan Yuehua replied curtly, "I'm fine."
Lu Jinqiang looked at Ruan Yuehua, who was covered in grime and said, "If you need money, just ask me for it. You're always running around and making yourself look like a garbage collector."
Also, you've blocked A-Yuan's shrine. No way, I'll have the nanny come over and help you clean it up later.
Lu Jinqiang brushed aside the ledgers covered in soot and the rusted coins, revealing the sandalwood ancestral tablet hidden deep at the bottom of the cash register.
The surface of the memorial tablet was yellowed from the incense smoke, but the five characters "deceased husband Lu Yongyuan" were still deeply engraved, and the gold powder reflected faintly in the dim light.
The man in the photo is wearing a floral shirt popular in the 1990s, with a Marlboro cigarette dangling from his lips, and half of his face is blurred by the smoke.
The incense burner in front of the sign was filled with a thick layer of incense ash, indicating that people often burn incense there.
Lu Jinqiang took three incense sticks from the altar, lit them, and inserted them into the incense burner.
Lu Jinqiang bowed twice to Lu Yongyuan's shrine: "Yongyuan, you must protect Hua Nu and Risheng and prevent them from getting involved with shady people."
Ruan Yuehua was bending down to clean up the leftovers from the previous table of guests.
Lu Jinqiang walked up to Ruan Yuehua, suddenly grabbed her hand, forcibly took the bowl and chopsticks from her hand, put them on the table, and then stuffed a wad of banknotes into her hand.
"Hua Nu, I know you have backbone, but you must remember, the most important thing is that you have me, you have me, do you understand?"
Ruan Yuehua said, "I know."
Lu Jinqiang said, "Then call me if you need anything. Do you have my number?"
Ruan Yuehua said, "I have your number on my phone."
Lu Jinqiang said, "What if you lose your phone? Remember that, right?"
Ruan Yuehua said, "I remember."
Lu Jinqiang said, "Call me if anything happens."
Ruan Yuehua nodded quickly; "Okay."
Seeing Lu Jinqiang sticking to Ruan Yuehua like a shadow, Li Jian couldn't help but pull Lu Yao's hand and ask, "Hey, who is that person? Why is he always bothering your mom?"
Lu Yao curled her lips and said, "Him? His name is Lu Jinqiang. He used to be a scoundrel. Five years ago, he made a fortune by buying and selling Ding Quan. He and a few cronies acted like bullies and didn't respect us at all."
Ever since my dad had the car accident, this annoying guy has been harassing my mom every few days.
My mom didn't want to talk to him at all, but she did it out of consideration for us being from the same village, and also because that annoying guy was incredibly generous with his money; he always gave my mom money whenever he came over. But my mom secretly saved it all and never spent a single penny.
Li Jian nodded.
Lu Jinqiang just spent several thousand yuan in one go. With such generosity, Lu Yao shouldn't be short of money.
Ruan Yuehua doesn't have to work so hard; she doesn't have to do several jobs.
From this perspective, Ruan Yuehua was indeed a good woman, unmoved by money.
Li Jian then asked, "Has Lu Jinqiang ever bought you anything?"
Lu Yao nodded and said, "I did buy it, but my mom made me return it. After that happened twice, Lu Jinqiang stopped buying me anything. However, the computer my brother plays with was a gift from Lu Jinqiang, which cost tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars."
Li Jian asked, "Then why didn't your mother return the computer?"
Ruan Yuehua said, "Of course it's been returned. It's just that my mom doesn't understand computers and was afraid she'd break it if she messed with it, so it's been sitting at home."
Li Jian nodded.
After finishing breakfast, Li Jian drove Lu Yao to school.
At the school gate, Li Jian bumped into a woman riding a motorcycle.
That girl looked like a leading lady who had just stepped out of an idol drama; she was so young and fresh, in her early twenties, that you could practically squeeze water out of her.
Her long, straight black hair cascaded down to her waist, the ends gleaming with a bluish-black satin sheen in the sunlight.
Her nose bridge was so high it could be used as a slide, and a small mole adorned the tip, adding to her delicate charm.
Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled boiled egg, yet her cheeks had a natural rosy glow, like the flush of blood after running 800 meters.
What's most captivating are her almond-shaped eyes, with an astonishingly large proportion of black pupils. When she blinks, her eyelashes flutter like butterfly wings, and the corners of her eyes naturally curve slightly upward, making even the trash can look like she's gazing at it with affection.
She was wearing an oversized denim jacket, with her slender fingers peeking out from the cuffs—her nails were painted in the currently trending translucent pink, but her index finger had a band-aid on it.
When the wind lifted her skirt, her calves were as smooth as those of a life model from an art academy, and the red rope bells tied to her ankles jingled.
Li Jian thought the woman looked familiar; she resembled the actress Li Caihua somewhat.
Li Jian quickly got off his car and helped the woman lift the motorcycle: "Are you alright?"
The woman lay on the ground groaning, "How do you drive? You almost killed me! Oh well, you drive such a nice car, you must be rich. Just pay me 20,000 yuan and I won't go to the hospital."
“Teacher Meng!” Lu Yao, who got out of the passenger seat, immediately recognized the woman in front of her.
The woman looked up, saw it was Lu Yao, and blushed slightly: "Lu Yao, what are you doing here?"
Lu Yao quickly stepped forward and helped Li Jian help Teacher Meng up: "Teacher Meng, this is my boyfriend. He brought me to school. I didn't expect him to bump into you. I'm so sorry."