Chapter 28: A Heartfelt Meal with Old Master

Old Master wanted to go to KFC, and I couldn’t find a way around it. I flagged down a taxi on the side of the road. Fortunately, Old Master’s wheelchair was high-quality and foldable, so I folded it and placed it in the trunk. I then helped Old Master into the car.

The place I took Old Master to for KFC was the same mall where I had gone shopping with Dragon Brother. After shopping with Dragon Brother, we were a bit hungry, so I brought her here for a quick meal.

KFC is everywhere, but if you ask me to pinpoint a specific location, I couldn’t really say. Since this is the only place I remember, I decided to bring Old Master to the mall.

After pushing the wheelchair into the store, I noticed that there was a university nearby, and most of the people eating fast food were students. They kept glancing at us as I pushed the wheelchair in.

I pushed Old Master to the counter and asked, ‘What would you like to eat?’ Old Master pointed at the menu, thinking for a long time before asking, ‘Which one is good?’

I glanced at my watch and replied, ‘They’re all good. What would you like?’ After some thought, Old Master ordered a Spicy Chicken meal, saying, ‘That one has more red, it’s festive.’

I sighed and started to reach for my wallet.

The girl behind the counter kept glancing at us, hesitating before finally speaking up, ‘Um… if you’ve just had surgery, KFC might not be the best choice…’

This girl clearly doesn’t know how to do business. Who pushes customers out the door like that?

I leaned in towards the counter and asked, ‘Are you a university student working part-time?’ The girl looked at me weakly and nodded. I nodded back, took out a fifty-yuan note, and handed it to her, saying, ‘Here, a tip.’

The girl was stunned, holding the fifty-yuan note and unable to process it. Old Master chuckled and patted me on the back.

‘Er… er?’ The girl was at a loss, still holding the fifty-yuan note.

I nodded at her and found a window seat, moving the chair to the side. Old Master looked out the window at the passing cars.

It was almost noon, and a gentle breeze was blowing outside. Cars were driving slowly on the road, with no honking, making it very peaceful.

I leaned forward, looking at Old Master, and smiled, ‘You’re quite the character. I said I’d take you to eat delicacies, and that would have been it. You, however, insisted on eating tea eggs and coming here to KFC.’

Old Master continued to look out the window, ‘When you were little, Xiao Feng, you loved eating these. I just wanted to try them. For half my life, I’ve had a strong prejudice against these foods. Now that I think about it, I’ve never even tried them. I don’t know what they taste like, so why did I have such a prejudice? Today, I’ll give them a try and see for myself…’

I remained silent. Old Master looked around the store and nodded, ‘This is an old store. I remember it from before, with an old man with a white beard, serving fries and smiling. I remember it clearly. Since it’s been open for so long, it must have some secret recipe.’

The bell on the table buzzed, and I went to the counter to pick up our orders. The girl was still standing there, holding the fifty-yuan note. When she saw me, she quickly tried to put the money on the tray, stammering, ‘I… I can’t take this…’

I smiled at her and said, ‘Then let’s be friends. Write your WeChat number on a piece of paper, and I’ll add you later.’

The girl was confused again, her bright eyes fixed on me.

I returned to our table with the two meals. Old Master must have seen me, as he chuckled, ‘You really remind me of myself when I was young, especially your shamelessness.’

I grinned, ‘Talented people are always ahead of their time.’

We both smiled at each other, chuckling.

It was almost noon, and after chatting for a while, we were getting hungry. I took a bite of a burger and sipped some cola. Old Master looked at me, then picked up a burger, examining it for a while before taking a bite of the bread, chewing slowly.

‘This bread is fragrant, and it even has sesame seeds on it,’ he commented.

‘I’m glad you like it, Old Master,’ I replied.

Old Master ate very slowly, chewing each bite thoroughly. By the time he had eaten half a slice of bread, I had finished my burger. He then picked up the lettuce from the burger, chewing it slowly.

I wolfed down my burger, glancing at Old Master. He seemed lost in thought, eating while looking out the window. After finishing the lettuce, he turned to me and offered the chicken from the burger, saying, ‘Eat more meat, it’s good for you.’

I accepted the chicken and placed it in the burger wrapper, sipping my cola. Although Old Master doesn’t have much time left, he’s just had surgery, so we need to be careful about what he eats, especially greasy foods, which can cause stomach pain for the elderly.

Old Master couldn’t finish the burger, so he started eating the fries, not dipping them in ketchup. I squeezed some ketchup onto a piece of paper and handed him a fry to dip, saying, ‘Try it this way, it’s delicious.’

‘Mmm, this is good,’ he agreed.

‘Glad you like it,’ I said.

People in the store kept glancing at us, especially two students behind me who kept looking our way, whispering and smiling. It was probably unusual to see an elderly person in a hospital gown eating at KFC.

I looked at Old Master’s face, which was as pale as a fading candle. I wanted to say so much, but the words wouldn’t come out.

I’ve known Old Master longer than I’ve known Old Han. When I was a kid, our family lived in a small apartment complex. I didn’t have a computer at home, so I used to wander around a lot. Old Master would sit downstairs, fanning himself, and teach me how to play Chinese chess.

Old Master silently ate his fries, now dipping them in ketchup with ease.

‘I have a question for you, Old Master,’ I said.

‘What is it?’ he asked, leaning back in his wheelchair, clearly enjoying the taste.

My voice was strained, ‘Do you have any regrets?’

I’m usually careful about what I say, but the hospital said Old Master had stopped his treatment. Now, he’s just taking morphine and pain relievers, which only ease the symptoms. Old Master only has two months left, maybe even less.

For the remaining time, I’ll let him do whatever he wants. Even if he says he wants to fly to the moon, I’ll make it happen.

Old Master was quiet for a long time, eating a fry. I thought he might give me a smack on the head and say, ‘You little brat, what kind of question is that?’ But after a while, he said, ‘Yes, I do have a regret.’

‘I’ll make it happen,’ I said. ‘Do you want to ride in a helicopter or a submarine?’

Old Master thought for a moment, then said, ‘I want to ride a roller coaster.’

My mouth twitched.

‘Look at you, ha… cough!’ Old Master started laughing, then coughed violently, scaring me. I quickly stood up and patted his back until he caught his breath, laughing and saying, ‘I was just kidding! You should see your face, you looked so scared… cough!’

I sighed, feeling helpless.

Old Han’s family sure knows how to play tricks.

After coughing for a while, Old Master waved his hand, and I sat back down, sighing and getting back to business, ‘Old Master, Old Han is currently out of town… He’ll be back soon, and he’s worried about you…’

Old Master waved his hand, looking out the window, ‘I understand, I understand.’

‘Young people are busier the better,’ he muttered.

I didn’t know what to say, so I just drank my cola. Old Master watched the passing cars, murmuring, ‘Even if they’re busy, I’m already half in the ground. They should still come visit…’

His words made my heart ache. I wanted to say something, but I just kept drinking my cola.

Old Master looked at me and smiled, ‘You’re a good kid, coming to visit me.’

I smiled back, not saying anything.

Old Master looked at me for a while, then suddenly said, ‘If Xiao Feng was a girl, it would be perfect. We could have arranged a childhood engagement, and you two could have gotten married, saving on the dowry…’

I was drinking my cola when Old Master said that, and I couldn’t help but imagine the scene—Old Han in a wedding dress, shyly leaning against me…

‘Cough…!’ I choked on my cola, barely managing to swallow it. I grabbed a napkin and coughed violently, almost coughing up my lungs.

Old Master put a fry in his mouth and laughed heartily.

After coughing for a while, I took a sip of my cola, smiling bitterly. Old Master was eating happily, even drinking some cola—

Going out with this Old Han is exhausting for my heart—

Maybe we should head back home soon. Dragon Brother and the others should be waking up, and I need to cook for them.

A soft, clear voice spoke beside me, ‘Was that you who gave the fifty-yuan tip?’

I turned to see a girl standing next to me, holding a fifty-yuan note and looking at me calmly.

She had a very refined appearance, with fair skin that looked like it could be squeezed for milk. Her silver eyes were large and deep, drawing you in. Her petite figure made you want to protect her, and some people might find her attractive.

The girl from the counter was shyly standing behind her—

She’s quite pretty… but I’m not a pervert.

I just thought she was cute, so I gave her the money. There’s no need to take it back.

I waved my hand, but before I could speak, the refined girl suddenly looked at me and said, ‘Lu Ren?’

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