“Eva, you remember these two guests, right? We had dinner together. The master borrowed our kitchen. Madam was kind and helped us improve the menu so our restaurant could continue to stay open. You must remember.” The old woman looked at her daughter-in-law in anticipation. “Don’t you? You remember.”
The lady boss, Eva, apologized hurriedly. “My mother has dementia. It’s been five years. Sorry for disturbing your meal. I’ll take her away now.”
The old woman was unwilling to leave. She cried sadly and continued shouting. “Er… Ernesto, come over quickly! I’m not lying. Come and take a look. It’s really them. They saved our restaurant three years ago.”
Eva apologized before dragging her mother-in-law away with her.
The boss, Ernesto, also came over to apologize. “I’m really sorry. Do you like seafood? I’ll bring you braised prawns to apologize.”
Ling Sheng did not know what she was feeling. Upon seeing the old lady being taken away by her daughter-in-law, she looked at them reluctantly. Her eyes were full of tears, as though she was telling them that they had to believe her.
However, three years ago, when the original host had been seven months pregnant, she should have been at home. How could she have been in the Maldives or with the Third Master? That was ridiculous!
Jun Shiyan looked at the boss. “Boss, what does your mother mean? How did we improve the menu?”
Ernesto told them that three years ago, the restaurant had been about to stop operating due to the food’s taste. The family’s livelihood had been about to come to an end.
One day, he’d had a sudden idea. After the menu was improved, the taste of the food was more in line with the tourists’ eating habits. The restaurant’s business had just come back to life, and it was slowly becoming popular again. “My mother has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for five years. She often confuses people for someone else. Sorry to disturb you.”
Jun Shiyan smiled and shook his head. “No, she’s very nice. Sorry to trouble you.”
After Ernesto left, Ling Sheng looked at Jun Shiyan thoughtfully. “Third Master, did she really recognize the wrong person?”
This old woman was not the only one. There was also the neighbor. Why were they so sure that they had seen them before? They had even said that they were husband and wife?
“I hope not.” Jun Shiyan smiled and picked up a rib for her. “It’s time to eat. It’ll get cold.”
Ling Sheng had just put a piece of spare ribs in her mouth when her expression gradually became curious. After a long while, she said, “Third Master, the ingredients are very familiar.”
Her family had a special recipe for sweet and sour pork. It was a recipe that her father had improved. The taste suited most people’s preferences. Even a foreigner who was eating Chinese food for the first time would like it.
Jun Shiyan smiled and asked, “Could you really have given them the recipe?”
Ling Sheng did not know, but she took another bite. Her eyes widened in shock. “Third Master, if I told you that the ingredients for these pork ribs are exactly the same as the ingredients of the recipe I made in secret, would you believe me?”
Was this a coincidence?
Why did she suddenly feel a chill run down her spine? Besides shock, she also felt fear.
Right.
Fear.
In combination with what the old lady had just said, she had no choice but to read more into it. However, she had no clues to begin her investigation, so she did not know what to think.
Upon seeing the young lady’s expression change instantly, Jun Shiyan felt an indescribable sense of strangeness. He touched the purple shell on his chest, stood up, and dragged her away. “Let’s go find the old lady.”