Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 1011 - 493: What a Coincidence_2

The reason Qin Huai came up with was perfectly reasonable, and Zheng Siyuan didn't suspect anything. After all, Qin Huai and Luo Jun's good relationship was well-known, with Luo Jun consistently dominating the top spot on Qin Huai's list for exclusive meals. He was the only one who could send a nanny to the cafeteria to fetch snacks and still get the freshest, hottest meals.

Luo Jun's car wasn't parked in his usual spot but was directly parked in Qin Huai's space.

"Old Mr. Luo's temper hasn't been great lately," Ouyang lowered his voice, adopting a gossipy look, "He ordered 302 takeout orders last month and left over 350 bad reviews."

Zhao Cheng'an was shocked, "What?! 302 takeout orders in a month, can Mr. Luo really eat that much!"

Qin Huai: ...Mayfly, you're missing the point.

Luo Jun was somewhat of a celebrity in the Yunzhong District. Previously, when he went out, it concerned the entire community, and now, it's when he scolded people that grabbed their attention. Even though Zheng Siyuan had little interaction with Luo Jun, he knew about this legendary old man.

"How can one leave over 350 bad reviews with 302 takeout orders?" Zheng Siyuan was a bit curious.

"Apparently, some takeout vendors were not convinced, thinking Mr. Luo was picking faults on purpose. Everyone knew he was doing it intentionally, but some new vendors were stubborn and thought Mr. Luo was a competitor, which offended Mr. Luo, prompting him to leave many follow-up reviews using an alias."

"One of the top-rated reviews has over 3,000 likes. It's a bad review of a newly opened convenience store nearby. Their tea eggs weren't well-cooked and tasted bland, and now office workers around there love to check if the tea eggs are cracked when they pass by after work."

Qin Huai: ...Luo Jun still loves ordering tea eggs from convenience stores.

Zhao Cheng'an paused and then slowly said, "Tea eggs not cracked? They do deserve criticism. The tea eggs from the bun shop below my building are never cracked either. Can Mr. Luo order from them and leave a bad review for me?"

The three of them: ?

Are you treating Luo Jun as a deterrent weapon?

"What was Mr. Luo's previous big review frequency?" Zheng Siyuan asked curiously.

Ouyang pondered, "Though he often left bad reviews, the most in one month was just over 100. In earlier years, some vendors even banded together to report Mr. Luo's account, and some went to our local committee wanting us to mediate. But in the end, it all came to nothing." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"After all, Mr. Luo, despite often causing trouble unreasonably, writes really good reviews. Residents and office workers nearby love reading Mr. Luo's reviews, and the first thing they do when ordering takeout is check if there are any highly liked reviews from him. Even I used to enjoy reading them while slacking off at work."

"However, last month's over 350 reviews set a new record. I haven't left my work group chat yet, and I saw people discussing if something happened to Mr. Luo, making his temper so bad. Someone even asked Sister Hong in the chat if our local committee should organize another visit, but she said no, she would go alone."

"Sister Hong is really kind, she truly handles everything well when there's an issue."

Qin Huai: ...

Could it be possible that Luo Jun's bad temper lately is just because Chen Huihong visited too much?

Ouyang continued to chatter about the gossip that occurred in the neighborhood while Qin Huai was away these past few months, such as the Wang family's dog fancying the Li family's dog, but the Li family's dog didn't feel the same way. Each time the two families took their dogs out, the Wang family's dog would act like a clingy admirer and face rejection, leading the two families' owners to become enemies and quarrel endlessly.

After returning from Gusu, Uncle Wang added more tales of his past acquaintances, not just boasting about never making any accounting mistakes in decades, but finally detailing specific achievements, such as catching a certain section chief embezzling funds or discovering another one's fraud during audits.

The stories were engaging, but alas, Uncle Wang wasn't a great orator, so people weren't interested in listening, resulting in Uncle Wang having to reminisce only with his family, annoying his wife to the point where she now finds every excuse to go out for a walk to avoid listening.

The four of them kept gossiping on the second floor until past 1 AM. Feeling well-rested, Zheng Siyuan headed back to the kitchen to make some snacks.

Ouyang actually wanted to continue chatting, but alas, he now has a career to manage, with Xiao Ou's Handmade Lemon Tea Store's business still thriving. He'd already skipped work for a few hours in the morning for a good friend, and there were many office workers nearby waiting for his drinks to keep them going. Ouyang was well aware of his heavy responsibilities and knew it wasn't the time to slack off, so he returned to the store to make drinks.

Seeing both so passionate about their work, Qin Huai felt a slight twinge of guilt, which vanished immediately after glancing at Zhao Cheng'an.

"I can't believe how much Zheng Siyuan loves making snacks," Zhao Cheng'an marveled, "He loves making snacks yet he's Master Zheng's son."

Qin Huai: ...That's a great insight, but please refrain from making any more, especially in Zheng Da's presence.

Zhao Cheng'an took another sip of lemon tea, "You're right, Qin Huai, Ouyang's handmade lemon tea really does taste better than other stores'. Do you have some secret recipe for it?"

"No secret, just strength," Qin Huai said, "Do you think Ouyang is like a spirit?"

"Not really," Zhao Cheng'an replied, "He gained weight just by eating a bit of snacks and drinking some beverages, not at all like one."

"Think about Dang Kang. Despite eating like that every day, he only gained a dozen pounds or so."

Looking at his phone, Zhao Cheng'an suddenly cheered, "Sister Hong and the others are back, and she packed me some leftovers! Yay, Qin Huai, let's go check it out. What did she pack for me... Boiled Spicy Sliced Pork, Stir-Fried Pork Strips, Lion's Head Meatballs, Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Creamy Mushroom Soup... What kind of restaurant did they eat at? Such a strange mix of dishes."

Qin Huai slowly got up, "In a restaurant chosen by Sister Hong, there's nothing strange about the dishes. Even if she brought back a Pancake Roll with an Egg for you, it's not strange."

Seven minutes later, Qin Huai sat in Luo Jun's house, looking at the familiar, talkative old acquaintance before him with only four words in his mind:

No surprise it's you.

Sitting on the sofa, Gong Liang was as at ease as if he were a regular guest at Luo Jun's tea parties. Having new friends over whom he hadn't woken up, Luo Jun tried putting on a good face, watching TV without expression while sulking on the sofa.

Chen Huihong and Cheng Gong sat on the sofa chatting with Gong Liang, finding his topics quite intriguing. At the dining table, Zhao Cheng'an and Shi Dadan gleefully devoured food, even though Shi Dadan had already eaten earlier but managed to eat some more.

Qin Huai guessed they must have run into Gong Liang while eating. Cautious as ever, Shi Dadan focused on observing Gong Liang, not paying much attention to eating, so he now seized the chance to eat more.

According to Gong Liang, his wife and daughter went off to shop at the mall, so with nothing to do, he went to a well-known nearby restaurant alone, only to coincidentally run into Luo Jun and the others. Even if he didn't recognize Cheng Gong and Luo Jun, he knew Chen Huihong and Shi Dadan. Chen Huihong had a membership for discounts, and upon her invitation, Gong Liang shamelessly joined their table for a meal.

Feeling a bit guilty after the meal, Gong Liang asked for Luo Jun's home address and brought some things from home to visit Luo Jun.

As for how much of this coincidence was truly chance, only Gong Liang knew.

Initially, Qin Huai wondered how to get Gong Liang to Luo Jun's house for a tea party. Now it was settled; Gong Liang had come on his own accord.

With Gong Liang sorted out, Wang Gen Sheng and An Youyou should be easy to handle.

An Youyou was easily persuaded. Qin Huai planned to use the excuse of needing help making snacks at Luo Jun's place to get her to assist.

For Wang Gen Sheng, the direct approach would work.

Simply tell him about a private meal session and a tasting event, and Uncle Wang would surely, despite saying things like "Oh no, how can I impose," come eagerly to try the snacks without hesitation.

Thinking about this, Qin Huai drifted into momentary distraction.

Gong Liang's voice brought him back to reality.

"Master Qin, I never expected to meet so many old acquaintances just by going for a meal, and they're all your friends. Even though Assistant Chen and Old Shi aren't locals, what a coincidence," Gong Liang said with a smile.

Qin Huai nodded, "Yes, what a coincidence indeed."