Midnight Bookstore

Panda Novel

When they arrived at the place, it was already getting late. The restaurant was chosen by an Old Daoist. It was called “Wang Pozi’s Dog Meat Hotpot.” It was located by the side of the road. On the other side was a scenic river.

However, many tables and chairs of this restaurant were placed on the opposite side, leaning against the river.

Zhou Ze and the others chose a place that leaned against the river and sat down. The suitcase containing the old man in sunglasses was beside Lawyer An.

The interrogation had not started yet. Since everyone was out for dinner, they couldn’t leave the old man alone in the hotel. It was better to carry him with them at all times.

The old man’s three clones were destroyed. This was equivalent to a tiger having its teeth pulled out. His vitality was greatly damaged, so the threat was not great. However, it was important to keep an eye on such people at all times.

As for whether or not they would be abused, no one thought about that.

The old man had been fanning the flames and stirring up trouble everywhere these days. If the abduction of the village was not considered as satisfying, it almost led to the tragedy of a hundred ghosts coming out of their cages when he helped Zhu Shengnan in Tongcheng. There was no sympathy for such a person.

Yingying wiped the table with a wet towel. She felt that the conditions here were a little dirty and was afraid that her boss would not like it.

However, the Old Taoist seemed to be very familiar with the owner of the restaurant. He was still ordering dishes in the back kitchen and had not returned yet.

The dog meat in Pei County had always been famous. Liu Bang’s general who had saved the master at the Hongmen Banquet, Fan Kuai, had been in the dog butcher business in Pei County in his early years. Thus, the dog meat culture in Pei County had been passed down from generation to generation.

Many people did not like to eat dog meat. Firstly, they could not bear to eat it. Secondly, the irritating taste of dog meat made some people dislike it. However, it was a delicacy that could not be forgotten for people who liked this taste.

Unfortunately, it was not winter yet. It was best to wait until it snowed a little more. A basin of dog meat hotpot with half a bottle of white wine would be a true immortal-like enjoyment.

Zhou Ze did not have much interest in food. Since the Old Priest and Lawyer An strongly requested to eat this, he agreed.

The Old Priest returned with a burly middle-aged man beside him. He looked rather stylish.

“Come, come. I have personally chosen the meat. You are Old Lu’s friends. You are my friends now. Let’s have a toast first!”

It was normal to toast with the customers and offer them cigarettes. However, this restaurant was so famous that it dared to place the tables and chairs by the river across the road, it could be seen that the owner’s family must have a strong relationship.

Looking at the current situation, even if they did not have to do any inspections, some restaurants were not allowed to place the tables and chairs in the area outside the door, let alone across the road.

With one hand behind his back and the other holding a wine glass, Ma Zi Wang gave a toast in an imposing manner.

Zhou Ze and Lawyer An both picked up their wine glasses and took a sip with the boss.

Ma Zi Wang was a little unhappy when he saw that everyone at the table was indifferent. He didn’t show it and he didn’t stay too long. He shared another cigarette with the Old Priest before leaving.

“I’ve chosen the meat. It’s guaranteed to be fresh!”

After the Old Priest sat down, he looked a little impatient. He was the only one among them who had a primitive need for delicious food.

“Hehe, I’ve known the owner of this shop for a long time. I used to know his father. At that time, pockmarked Wang was still young and was in primary school. I even prayed for his father.”

“Then?” Before the dog meat was served, Lawyer An picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth to chew. He had just drunk the spider lilies’ oral liquid and was ready to feast. He was in a very good mood.

“My leg was blown off at the front line of Laoshan.”

“Uh…” Lawyer An.

“Old Priest, are you sure that pockmarked Wang won’t poison us with dog meat later?” Zhou Ze asked worriedly.

“No, no, his family is grateful to me. They said that if this penniless priest hadn’t prayed for blessings, they might have directly blown up their lives.”

“Hehe, this family’s attitude is good.” Lawyer An smiled.

“I met this pockmarked Wang a few years ago. At that time, he was still a police officer at the police station and hadn’t opened this restaurant yet. After meeting me and chatting, this penniless priest prayed for him again.”

“Then it’s still useful this time. The business of this shop is pretty good. It should be considered a fortune.” Lawyer An said.

“No, wait a little longer. Something’s not right.” Zhou Ze remembered the actions and expressions of pockmarked Wang when he was toasting. At that time, he still thought that the boss was deliberately putting on airs. Now that he thought about it, it didn’t seem like it. “Listen to this penniless priest. Aren’t you a police officer?”

“It seems that two thugs kidnapped the hostage. When they were rescuing the hostage, pockmarked Wang rushed forward. In order to protect the hostage, his arm was seriously injured, so he had no choice but to amputate.”

“Pfft…”

Lawyer An almost choked.

Zhou Ze couldn’t help but shake his head. This Old Priest had a grudge with the father and son. One had a broken leg, and the other had a broken hand. What kind of sin did the father and son commit? They had met this Old Priest and asked this piece of trash to bless their family.

“He’s also stubborn. He directly gave up being a police officer and opened his own dog meat shop to do business. These few years, he can be considered to have been doing well.” The Old Priest pointed around and said, “Look at these tables and chairs. The owners of other shops wouldn’t dare to place them here, but he does.”

“Father and son, two generations. One lost his leg for the country, the other lost his hand for the people. If they occupy the road and manage it, no one would be able to say no, right?”

Zhou Ze and Lawyer An nodded their heads. People who relied on the contributions of the two generations of father and son to obtain a little bit of privilege were more acceptable to the common folk compared to those who were born with privileges.

“Even in this state, can you still be a good friend of their family?” Lawyer An asked.

“I can. At that time, the gangster stabbed Pockmark Wang’s chest with a knife. He would have almost stabbed his heart. How lucky he was to have survived. It was all thanks to this penniless priest’s blessing.”

“…” Zhou Ze.

“…” Lawyer An.

“When Pockmark Wang’s son was in his mother’s womb, this penniless priest also prayed for blessings.”

“This must be another sad story.” Zhou Ze said with his hand on his forehead.

“I can’t bear to hear it.” Lawyer An lowered his head.

“He was born with cerebral palsy.” The Old Priest took a sip of wine and sighed.

“Old Priest, do you have a grudge against this family?” Lawyer An asked.

“You know… Oh no, the boss knows. The rate of treatment for this kind of congenital malformation is very low. It is precisely because this poor priest prayed for pockmarked Wang’s son that the treatment was effective. He is almost ten years old now. Other than his grades being the lowest in the class, everything else is normal. He is very talented in football and even got into Su Ning’s youth team.”

“Look, isn’t this the effect of this penniless priest praying for blessings?”

“Tsk Tsk…” Lawyer An sighed. “Boss, let’s eat the dog meat. If pockmarked Wang hates this Old Priest, he probably won’t even bother to poison him. He’ll just bring someone out to chop this guy to death and feed him to the dog before eating the dog meat to vent his anger, right?”

The dog meat was soon served. A basin of meat. The fragrance assailed their nostrils.

The Old Daoist and Lawyer An immediately started eating. The two of them ate to their heart’s content. They were preparing to taste the new tea after the interrogation at night so they ate with extra effort. The two of them practically used chopsticks to fight in the pot.

“Mine!” Lawyer An shouted.

“This penniless priest!”

“Give it to me!”

“Give it to me, lawyer. This penniless priest will pray for you tonight?!”

When Lawyer An heard this, he fought even harder!

Zhou Ze ate two pieces of meat and realized that he could not stand this kind of taste.

Yingying did not eat. She sat there and looked at her hands from time to time. Her hands were a little black. It was probably a stain from when she wiped the table just now.

Bai Yingying was a germaphobe because her boss was a germaphobe. When there was something dirty on her hands, she didn’t know whether to sit or stand. She felt very uncomfortable.

“Yingying, let me accompany you to wash your hands.” Zhou Ze stood up.

“Huh?” Yingying was stunned. When did the pig trotter become so considerate?

“Okay, boss.” No matter what the boss asked, Yingying would not refuse.

The two did not go to the store to look for the faucet. They walked along the river bank. This river was still very clear for a scenic spot. There must be a special department responsible for cleaning it.

After they had walked some distance away from pockmarked Wang’s dog meat restaurant, Zhou Ze heaved a long sigh of relief. He was feeling a little regretful that he had wasted a bottle of spider lilies’ oral liquid.

Yingying happily squatted by the riverside to wash her hands. After washing her hands, she found her boss sitting on a rock by the riverside. She obediently sat down beside him.

The hottest summer was almost over. The bleak autumn and winter had yet to come.

At this time of night, it was quite comfortable to sit by the riverside to enjoy the breeze. The master and servant sat side by side without saying a word. However, compared to the chattering of thousands of words, the quiet atmosphere was more comfortable.

“Boss, did you have a dream today?” Yingying asked.

“You saw me kill someone too?”

“I did.”

“Yeah.”

“Boss was so manly back then!”

“Hehe.” Zhou Ze smiled and took out his cigarette.

Yingying took the cigarette and lighter from Zhou Ze’s hands. Zhou Ze handed it over. He was ready to enjoy it.

A person’s bottom line was getting lower with such a person as Yingying by your side. Zhou Ze felt that he was getting more depraved. This was not good. He will change it tomorrow.

Just as Yingying bit the cigarette on her lips and was about to light it, she suddenly pointed at the river in front of her and shouted, “Boss, someone is putting out lotus lanterns!”

Zhou Ze looked over. There were indeed many flower lanterns floating on the river. They decorated the calm surface of the river in a very mysterious and charming manner.

However, Zhou Ze suddenly stood up and looked around!

“What’s wrong, boss?”

“This isn’t a lotus lantern. This is a flower from the other shore!”

“When the flowers bloom on the other shore, people will go to the afterlife. Where will you go, lover? When will you return, lover? Sister, I’ll be waiting for you on the boat…”

A ballad with a strong local accent floated out from the river. A bamboo raft slowly floated out from the bottom of the river.

On the raft stood a young girl who was holding a bamboo pole and rowing a boat. The young girl’s dark skin color was a little pale under the light of the Resurrection Lily on the dark surface of the river. It was a little white!