178: Midnight Diner

A dilapidated house is called dilapidated because its structure is damaged, with the potential to collapse at any time, making it unsafe for living and use.

Just looking at the exposed rebar and concrete on the second floor gave Lu Chuan a headache.

Fortunately, this mission only lasted five days; with some patching and repairs, it could hold up.

After a simple tidying up, the storefront that had previously caused a headache with a single glance now looked barely presentable.

Lu Chuan clapped his hands, nodded in satisfaction, then walked to the left of the shop door, stepped onto a stool, and took down the sign hung by the previous owner.

He Jingrui, who was standing nearby, immediately unfolded the collapsible sign he had brought from home and handed it to Lu Chuan to hang up.

Then, he connected the sign to the power cord, and when the switch was pressed, the formerly dim storefront was instantly illuminated by the sign's light.

On the sign, the four brush-stroke characters for "Midnight Diner" flowed like dragons and snakes, looking quite imposing.

"I didn't expect you could write such good calligraphy; I truly underestimated you!"

Lu Chuan looked at He Jingrui with new eyes once again.

He had originally thought about finding someone online to custom-make a sign, but time was tight, and he also considered just printing a simple one at a print shop.

However, as soon as He Jingrui heard about the sign, he immediately patted his broad chest, looking like it was all on him.

Just as Lu Chuan wondered how he would do it, He Jingrui turned around, set up a table in the courtyard, and pulled out the four treasures of the study from who knows where.

He ground the ink, dipped his brush, and with a few swift strokes, produced a piece of calligraphy that left Lu Chuan utterly stunned.

"Old Dean taught me; he said if I learned well, I'd get candy, so I practiced diligently, and before I knew it, I developed the habit of practicing calligraphy."

"But I haven't seen you write lately?"

"I do practice! When I have nothing to do, I'll trace characters on the ground with my finger."

...

Lu Chuan was speechless and could only give He Jingrui a thumbs-up.

At the same time, he developed a strong curiosity about the Old Dean He Jingrui constantly mentioned, thinking that if he ever had the chance, he definitely had to meet him to see what kind of extraordinary person he was.

"Let's go, let's go inside and wait for business."

Lu Chuan looked at the dim surroundings, then at the brightly lit storefront, and couldn't help but shake his head, calling He Jingrui to go inside.

As the two left, the shop sign flickered slightly.

The wind swept through the deep alley, and surrounded by the dark buildings, the only lit restaurant was like a lone boat anchored by a dark night river... "Achoo!"

Ding Xinyang was walking in the dark alley when he suddenly let out a loud sneeze.

He rubbed his nose and complained.

"How can it be so hot on the main road outside, but so chilly in this alley?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed back and forth in the narrow alley, followed by waves of reverberations.

In this deserted and dark environment, he inexplicably started to feel a chill down his spine.

"Headquarters is too stingy. They saw that renting here was cheap, so they arranged for us salespeople in training to live in this godforsaken place, sigh..."

Ding Xinyang hunched his shoulders and could only quicken his pace.

But this road was truly difficult to navigate; all sorts of broken tiles and bricks were scattered on the ground, and the limited range of his phone's flashlight meant he tripped and fell to the ground if he wasn't careful.

"Hiss!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Ding Xinyang gasped, then felt a piercing pain in his calf.

He quickly shone his light there and found several cuts on his calf from a sharp tile, with blood continuously flowing out.

"This!"

A look of alarm appeared on his face. He wanted to press on it with his hand, but found the blood flowed even faster.

There were no hemostatic or disinfectant medicines in his backpack, so he could only take out a towel and tie it around the injured part of his calf. Then, enduring the pain, he limped towards his rented room.

Fortunately, the remaining distance wasn't far; it would take at most a few minutes to walk.

Thinking this, Ding Xinyang's complexion improved slightly.

Just then, his nose twitched, and he smelled the aroma of cooked food.

Perhaps due to the distance, the scent was faint—barely noticeable if one didn't pay attention—but it was surprisingly alluring.

"It smells so good! Which family is cooking?"

Ding Xinyang swallowed, then rubbed his somewhat empty stomach, and couldn't help but think of headquarters' petty ways again.

"Stingy, cheap. The living conditions are bad enough, but they don't even prepare a late-night snack after training us so late."

"No wonder the company's old employees don't stay long, which is why they have to recruit a large number of fresh graduates every year."

"Sigh, I should have taken the civil service exam; then I wouldn't have to put up with this nonsense all day!"

"To think how cheerful and lively I used to be; now I've become an ox or horse under the capitalist's whip, unable to laugh heartily anymore!"

Ding Xinyang, lamenting his bad luck, sniffed hard at the faint aroma of cooked food while furiously complaining about his superiors and his job.

A string of grumbles did little to alleviate the bitterness in his heart after his injury.

Looking down at the road, Ding Xinyang didn't notice that as he walked, his surroundings gradually brightened.

It wasn't until the aroma of food suddenly intensified that it caught his attention.

When he looked up, he saw a brightly lit restaurant not far away, open for business.

Smelling the aroma that was wildly stirring the glutton in his stomach, Ding Xinyang squinted until his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the lights. Only then did he look at the storefront and murmur aloud.

"Midnight Diner?"

"When did this restaurant open? When I passed by this morning, it seemed like there wasn't..."

Before he could finish his sentence, stimulated by the aroma of the food, his stomach suddenly rumbled.

"Grrr..."

Ding Xinyang quickly rubbed his stomach.

Then he swallowed, looked at his injured calf, and without further thought, limped towards the restaurant.

Upon entering the restaurant, he found that the interior looked like it had just been cleaned, with a faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air.

The tables, chairs, and cashier counter were spotless, and the floor was impeccably clean.

To see such a clean restaurant in the depths of a remote and lonely urban village left Ding Xinyang somewhat startled.

But he was very hungry at this point, and his calf was still bleeding, needing a quick rinse, disinfection, and bandaging, so he didn't dwell on it.

Seeing no one in the front hall but hearing movement in the kitchen, Ding Xinyang thought for a moment and then called out.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?"

As soon as his voice fell, he saw the kitchen door open, revealing what looked like a double-door refrigerator.

Oh... it wasn't a double-door refrigerator, but a young man whose build was very similar to one.

"Gulp."

Feeling the immense pressure from that physique, Ding Xinyang couldn't help but step back.

This instinctive retreat, however, aggravated his calf injury, and he immediately tumbled to the ground.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."