Chapter 264: About to Vomit Blood from Anger at My Own Mother

After slowly brushing her teeth, washing her face, and getting dressed, Shen Lu went downstairs.

At a table in the dining area, Little Bei, Huo Qian, and the others were each happily eating a bowl of noodles.

"You’re down so early," Fu Cheng said, walking over. "I was just thinking about bringing a bowl up to you."

"Once I’m awake, I can never get back to sleep," Shen Lu said, rubbing her face. "I can’t believe I’m already like an old person at my age."

"Waking up early is good for your health," Xue Can said, approaching with a bowl of noodles. "Boss Shen, I just got this bowl. Do you want it?"

Shen Lu waved her hand. "I can get my own. You go ahead and eat."

’Rejected?’

Xue Can gritted his teeth, nearly crushing the bowl in his hands.

A triumphant smile spread across Fu Cheng’s face. "Sister Cai even made a topping today—shredded pork with wood ear mushrooms. It’s light but flavorful, really delicious."

"Oh, really? Sister Cai is getting better and better. In that case, I’d better have a big bowl."

Eagerly rubbing her hands together, Shen Lu headed to the back kitchen for her noodles. Sister Cai had not only made the topping but had also fried eggs.

Shen Lu had to stop Sister Cai from putting three fried eggs in her bowl.

"I’m an adult now. One is enough for breakfast. Any more will be too much, and I’ll get all chubby!"

Sister Cai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Boss, aren’t you still underage?"

’She remembered Shen Lu saying she wasn’t even eighteen yet.’

Shen Lu grinned. "Well, that’s about to change."

"Is your birthday soon? What’s the date, Boss? You have to do something special for your eighteenth!"

"Ah, we’ll see when the time comes. Just having a nice meal with everyone from the shop will be enough."

’She personally didn’t care much about turning eighteen. After all, she wasn’t *really* eighteen—mentally, she was already in her late twenties.’

’Besides, these were troubled times. A simple celebration was more than enough for something non-essential.’

Meanwhile, Yang Jing slowly regained consciousness.

The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes were pristine white walls. A warm, pleasant aroma filled the air, and for a moment, she thought she had died and gone to heaven.

"So this is what heaven looks like?"

"Mom, can you stop saying things like that?!" Liu Yaozu wouldn’t dare raise his voice at Shen Lu, but he had no qualms about snapping at Yang Jing. "I’m hungry. Go get some food from Shen Lu."

Her son’s voice brought Yang Jing back to her senses.

"W-we were saved?" Yang Jing stammered, climbing out of bed. "How’s your father?"

"He’s not dead." Liu Yaozu rolled his eyes. "If you don’t go get some food soon, I’m going to die—of starvation!"

Yang Jing’s head was still spinning. "Who saved us? And what about Little Deer? Is she okay?"

"She’s fine! Couldn’t be better, so you can stop worrying about her!" Liu Yaozu was exasperated by his mother’s dallying. "Can you just bring the food first? Do I really have to talk to you while I’m starving?!"

"Alright, alright, I’m going now."

Yang Jing hastily smoothed her hair, straightened her disheveled clothes, and then opened the door and left.

She had never been in the staff dormitories before, so she had to rely on instinct to find her way.

When she opened the door to the main living area, Huo Qian and Xiao Lang were walking over with two bowls of noodles.

Yang Jing had never met them and awkwardly stepped aside.

"You’re awake, Auntie," Xiao Lang greeted her in a bright, crisp voice.

Yang Jing responded a beat late. "Oh? Y-yes, I am."

"Perfect timing, then. You can have breakfast."

Xiao Lang placed the noodles on the table, then tilted his head to look at Yang Jing. "Auntie, have you brushed your teeth and washed your face yet?"

Yang Jing shook her head. Her son had rushed her out to find food the moment she woke up. She hadn’t had time to wash up, and besides, she didn’t even know where the bathroom was.

"I’ll take you!"

Playing the part of a little host, Xiao Lang enthusiastically led the way. "Every room has its own bathroom! There are toiletries behind the mirror cabinet."

And so, Liu Yaozu could only watch as his mother, who had just left, returned under Xiao Lang’s guidance.

"Mom, didn’t I tell you to get food?"

"I..." Yang Jing started to explain, but Xiao Lang cut her off. "You have to be good and wash your face and brush your teeth before breakfast! Sister Shen doesn’t like it when people aren’t clean!"

’His mom had told him many times.’

’Sister Shen likes things to be clean and is very particular about hygiene.’

’Xiao Lang was a good boy, and he was always very diligent about being clean.’

’At the same time, he would make sure others did it right, too.’

"Where did this little brat come from? Get him out of here!" Liu Yaozu hated kids, especially the goody-goody types.

Xiao Lang’s cheeks puffed out in anger. He didn’t like this big brother; his words were so mean.

Huo Qian knocked on the door. She shot Liu Yaozu a piercing glare, the warning in her eyes unmistakable.

Liu Yaozu gritted his teeth. ’This woman looks like a tough fighter. I’m injured right now, so it’s not a good time to pick a fight with her. Better just put up with it for now.’

’Just wait until I’m better. I’ll show her!’

Following Xiao Lang’s instructions, Yang Jing washed up. It was the first time in her life she had ever used clean water to do so. The experience was both magical and incredibly comforting.

Thinking of her son, she hesitantly asked Xiao Lang if she could get some water to wash him, too.

"Uh-huh, of course! He’s all stinky! Sister Shen would get mad!"

As he spoke, Xiao Lang waved a small hand in front of his nose, as if warding off a bad smell.

Yang Jing filled a basin with water and helped her son wash up. Liu Qiang was still unconscious, so she just wiped his face.

Since Liu Yaozu couldn’t move easily, Yang Jing brought the noodles to him and fed him one mouthful at a time.

Only after her son was full did she begin to eat herself.

Xiao Lang watched to make sure Yang Jing cleaned everything up before he and Huo Qian took the empty bowls and left.

Yang Jing sat on the edge of the bed, her face a mask of disbelief.

"This place is just too nice."

Liu Yaozu sneered. "So what if it’s nice? Shen Lu will never let us stay here."

Yang Jing sighed. "Well, there’s nothing Little Deer can do. Her boss won’t allow it."

"Mom, how can you be as dumb as a brick? This whole place belongs to Shen Lu!"

"But didn’t we meet her boss? That fierce-looking man in the wheelchair."

Liu Yaozu rolled his eyes. "If this shop really belonged to that guy, then why would Boss Jin have kidnapped us to threaten Shen Lu?"

"That bad guy must have made a mistake."

...

Liu Yaozu felt like he was going to cough up blood from the sheer frustration of dealing with his own mother.

He simply closed his eyes, refusing to speak to her any further.

Shen Lu, meanwhile, was about to begin her daily routine.

Signing for ingredients, assigning people to wash and chop vegetables, and getting the cooking started.

They were missing the capable Song Zhigao, and Shen Lu still wasn’t quite used to his absence.

’Speaking of which, I’ve left him to stew for two or three days now. He should have had enough time to think things through, right?’

After showing Shu Meng how to get the braised pork belly started, Shen Lu found a spare moment and went up to the third floor.

Song Zhigao was just as she’d left him, leaning against a pillar. Shen Lu suspected he might not have moved from that spot for the past two days.

"Song Zhigao," Shen Lu began. "It doesn’t really matter whether you talk now or not. If I’m not mistaken, the person who put you up to this was the head of the Commerce Association, Boss Jin. Correct?"

"You..." Song Zhigao looked up, his voice painfully dry and hoarse. "How did you know?"