There was only one sentence on her face:
"Chen Huihong, are you out of your mind?"
"Xiao Qin, have you ordered yet?" Chen Huihong pulled out another phone and started scanning the code to order.
"Not yet, Sister Hong, it’s your first time at Huang Ji, you order, I’ll follow your lead." Qin Huai said.
"Same here, I’m fine with anything." Qu Jing said with their mouth full, then continued to eat.
"Then I’ll go ahead and order to my taste." Although Chen Huihong said this, she ordered all Huang Ji’s famous signature dishes.
Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Sizzling Fried Eel, Biluo Shrimp, and the signature Cattail Soup from next-door Guanhe Building.
Clearly, she had done some research, but not very well.
At this time of year, Cattail leaves are mostly withered, so those used for soup are probably frozen, not fresh nor tender.
"Sister Hong, are you and Huihui free this Sunday noon?" Qin Huai asked, "Master Huang, to thank Qu Jing for introducing him to a specialist in rehabilitation, has specially reserved a private room and will personally cook for us."
"Master Huang invited me and Huang An Yao to join, and currently attending will be Ouyang, Qu Jing, Dr. Zhou from their department, the Director, and the Director’s daughter. Director Liu’s daughter is also in elementary school, about the same age as Huihui, there’s still room in the private room, so see if you have time to bring Huihui along."
"Today, it’s too late, and Huihui needs to sleep. As you can see, Huang Ji’s business is booming. If I were to always reserve a spot in the main hall for you and Huihui, it wouldn’t be practical. It’s easier with snacks, I can make an extra portion for you and Huihui to pick up every afternoon."
"But for proper dishes, it’s more challenging, they need to be eaten while hot. Although Master Huang’s back is better, he’s still advised not to overwork. Many of the big dishes, especially the Three Heads Banquet, are not usually made on a normal day, Sunday’s meal is a good opportunity, and if missed, it’ll be hard to catch again."
Chen Huihong wasn’t focused at all on the Sunday meal, and as soon as Qin Huai finished, Chen Huihong addressed the phone camera: "Did you hear that? The dishes must be eaten while hot!"
Then Chen Huihong looked at Qu Jing with satisfaction, "Jingjing has really become more outgoing, she’s made new friends in a new environment, even inviting colleagues and the director for meals."
Qu Jing looked up and smiled: "I’m also trying and learning how to make friends now."
"Before, giving a sweet potato would get you many friends, it’s different now."
Chen Huihong was full of emotion: "I really didn’t expect Jingjing to wake up so quickly, that side mission of yours truly had everyone puzzled. Not only Xiao Qin but Luo Jun and I couldn’t figure it out either."
"After Xiao Qin went to Gusu, I bought a bunch of Suzhou style snacks recipes, half for Luo Jun, half for me. The two of us would go through recipes at home when free, trying to find a snack Xiao Qin didn’t know but matched the soft, glutinous sweet traits."
"In the end, we couldn’t figure it out, so we had to rely on Xiao Qin to complete the task himself. The two of us were anxiously watching from the side, unable to help, worrying that you, Jingjing, might overthink and get stuck in a loop. All I could do was visit you daily, bringing fruit, quietly pulling open the curtains to let more sun in."
"How does that saying go, getting more sun is good for your mood, makes it less likely for a person to get depressed."
Qu Jing paused while eating her rice cake soup. She hadn’t expected that Chen Huihong and Luo Jun did so much for her behind the scenes.
The value of warm-hearted citizens Ms. Chen and Mr. Luo continued to rise.
Qu Jing quietly extended a hand, turned the phone towards herself, and said to the camera showing Luo Jun: "Mr. Luo, thank you. I’m sorry for worrying you over the past few years."
"But Sister Hong is right, rice cake soup really needs to be freshly made and hot to taste good, having it delivered loses the flavor."
Luo Jun: "...I heard from Qin Huai that you d all the money."
"Not all of it, I’ve kept a few thousand on hand, and I also have some cash with me. Plus, our hospital’s about to issue the year-end bonus, so there’re no issues with daily living costs."
Luo Jun nodded: "Still not too stupid, didn’t just rashly lose everything."
"What are your future plans?" Luo Jun asked.
"Qin Huai asked me the same question the day before yesterday, and I plan to live well, live normally, calmly, live through the experiences of birth, aging, sickness, and death of this life." Qu Jing said, "But back then I had just woken up, my mind was still a bit scrambled. Yesterday, I thought it over and realized I’d missed something crucial."
"This matter I may have to trouble you, Mr. Luo, to help with."
Luo Jun sat up straight: "Go ahead."
"I heard you know a private detective who specializes in finding people."
Luo Jun nodded: "I do, but I can’t guarantee his capabilities. Last time I asked him to find someone for me, and there’s still no news."
"I’d like you to help me find my parents from my past life."
When Qu Jing said this, Qin Huai and Chen Huihong were shocked, both of them who were originally drinking their rice cake soup looked up in astonishment.
Luo Jun seemed puzzled as well.
"They were really good to me, it’s just that in my past life I was too erratic and didn’t properly get along with them. Now thinking back, it’s been over 30 years, if they’re healthy, they should still be alive."
Luo Jun was silent for a few seconds, then said in a deep voice: "From the human perspective, your past life’s you is already dead."
"From the spirit’s perspective, you’ve successfully undergone tribulation, and those mere twenty-something years are just a fleeting moment in your long life."
"There are spirits who’ve succeeded in overcoming tribulations, yet failed when staying on in the human world."