At this time, Li Huiguo's wife brought over a plate of cold dishes first, and we stopped talking about this topic.
"Madam boss, how long have the people at the two tables next door been here?" I asked.
She replied: "I started eating at six o'clock. I just added two more dishes. Lao Li will fry them right away. I will fry them for you later."
"No hurry, no rush." The old cat said with a smile.
When ordering, Lao Mao introduced us to Li Huiguo’s medicinal wine, and the three of us came for two liang and chatted while drinking.
After waiting for about ten minutes, all the dishes we ordered were served, and the sound of fists on the table next to them was much quieter. I took a look and saw that many of them were eating rice and must be leaving soon.
Li returned to the pot and finished cooking, then came out and untied his apron as he walked. The apron was dark and greasy. He seemed to have just washed his hands. After taking off the apron, he wiped his hands on his clothes casually.
When he saw us, he smiled and walked over to say hello. Old Mao gave him a cigarette. He took it and walked to the door, facing the dark street, sat on a stool and started smoking.
Crazy brother asked the old cat softly: "Li Huiguo had a fight with Xu Tao because of his son. Where is his son now?"
"When he went to college in the provincial capital, his whole family relied on this hotel. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to pay for his son's tuition." Lao Mao replied.
I looked at his slightly bowed back, thinking about the scene when he just walked out of the kitchen, and couldn't help but say: "It's a pity that the former special forces had to hide their sharp edges and deal with oil fumes every day in order to make a living."
Lao Mao agreed, "Yes, he has been very low-key in recent years and doesn't walk around the town very much. He just guards this restaurant all day long."
After another nearly twenty minutes, the two tables finally left. Old Mao invited Li Huiguo to come over for a drink. Li Huiguo smiled and refused. Old Mao walked over and pulled him over, and asked the landlady to give Li Huiguo a drink.
I bought two taels of medicinal wine and said that the money for the wine would be on our heads.
Li Huiguo couldn't defeat the old cat, but he was not familiar with Crazy Brother and I. After sitting down, his expression looked a little uncomfortable.
Crazy brother smiled and said: "Don't be nervous, Boss Li. We ate your food and thought it was delicious. I would like to ask where you learned your craft."
At this time, her wife brought the wine, and Li Huiguo took a sip, and then said: "You guys are laughing at me. This is a household skill, and I didn't learn it anywhere in particular. The restaurant business depends on the town."
The villagers cheered."
I said: "Boss Li, you are so humble. You are well-known. Not only the residents of the town love to eat your food, but people from many factories and companies around here also like to come to your place."
I said the last sentence on purpose, because Lu Yushan was among them. I kept staring at Li Huiguo when I spoke, but his expression did not change much.
Crazy Brother picked up the wine glass and suggested: "Boss Li, a special soldier can put down his body and become a chef. It is worth learning. Come on, let us toast you."
We all picked up the cups, and Li Huiguo stood up in a panic, saying: "I don't dare to be a soldier, I don't dare to be a soldier. The special forces happened many years ago. If you don't mention it, I'm just a bad old man now."
Crazy brother said: "That's different. It's easy to be a soldier, but it's difficult to be a special forces soldier. We are similar in age. I know that in those days, after joining the army, if you want to join the special forces, you have to go through a series of strict assessments. Whose family
If a special soldier is released, it will bring glory to the whole family."
Li Huiguo smiled and said nothing more. After clinking glasses with us, he took a big sip.
Putting down the cup, I continued what Crazy Brother said and said with a smile: "Yes, I admire the special forces very much. I guess many people in Qingshan Town do the same. Maybe part of the reason why they come to take care of your business is because they admire you."
"It's natural. When I worked in the town, I knew that there were many people who admired Boss Li." Lao Mao agreed.
The conversation between Lao Mao and I led to Lu Yushan, because Xiao Feng said that he admired Li Huiguo.
However, Li Huiguo's expression still didn't change much. I thought to myself, did Li Huiguo not understand the meaning of my words, or was his psychological quality still as strong as when he was a special forces soldier?
"Those are all empty, and worship cannot be used as food. When you return to a place, you have to adapt to the local way of life." Li Huiguo said, taking a sip of wine.
When Li returned to the pot, Crazy Brother couldn't wait any longer. He put away his smile and asked directly: "Boss Li, did Lu Yushan from the lumber factory like to come to your restaurant for dinner during his lifetime?"
When Madge asked, I always paid attention to Li Huiguo's actions. His expression did not change. However, when he put the cup on the table, he let go of his hand before the cup completely touched the table.
The remaining wine in the glass was sloshing around a bit.
This was enough to show that there were turmoil in his heart.
He raised his head, looked at Crazy Brother and said, "I've been here before, but Lu Yushan has a wife and doesn't have much time to go to restaurants."
Xiao Feng said that Lu Yushan often mentioned Li Huiguo in front of him and would ask Li Huiguo for a drink "from time to time". From a literal point of view, Li Huiguo's words are not inconsistent with this.
Crazy brother asked again: "When he came to your restaurant, was he alone or with his wife?"
This time Li returned to the pot without hesitation: "His wife seems to like playing cards, and he is alone most of the time."
"When is it usually?" Old Cat asked.
"night."
"What time is it?" I asked further. Because Xiao Feng said that Lu Yushan asked Li Huiguo for a drink, and Li Huiguo should be busy during dinner and would not have time to accompany him.
Sure enough, Li Huiguo replied: "It will be after seven or eight o'clock."
People in the town eat early and usually have dinner after six o'clock. That time is also the peak period of Li Huiguo Restaurant. After seven o'clock, the number of people gradually becomes less and less after eight o'clock.
"Is he eating and drinking here?" Crazy Brother asked.
"Yes, sometimes when he sees that I am not busy, he will ask me to drink some with him." Li Huiguo finally took the initiative to explain a little bit.
Crazy brother took out the cigarette case, scattered the cigarettes for Li Huiguo and Lao Mao, and lit one himself. After taking a puff, he asked: "Did he say anything special when you were drinking?"
Li Huiguo replied: "It's nothing special. He feels that life is a bit boring now. He likes to come over and listen to me talk about things in the army."
"He regards you as a close friend. Does he behave casually in front of you?" Lao Mao asked.
Li returned to the pot and asked: "What move?"
The question of Lu Yushan's sexual orientation involves his privacy, so we shouldn't ask too obviously, so Mad Brother asked instead: "Did he say that he has no feelings for Feng Rong?"
Li Huiguo shook his head and said: "He rarely mentioned Feng Rong, and I didn't ask about this. I only know that Feng Rong is in charge of his salary, and he only keeps 800 yuan a month for himself."