"Brother Lu, you may not know, but donkey meat is really something special."
When it came to food, Liu Fugui started talking animatedly, his face full of expression.
"Not only is it delicious and tender, but it's also very nutritious. Even the ancient Emperor Li Shimin praised it highly."
"The meat of dragons in heaven and donkey on earth, this phrase was said by Li Shimin."
"Legend has it that before ascending to the throne, Li Shimin once stayed at a scholar's house. The scholar treated him with donkey meat, which Li Shimin found extremely delicious, so much so that he still remembered it fondly even after becoming an emperor."
He waved his head around, quoted classics, and spoke fluently.
"Old Liu said it well! What the emperors ate in ancient times, we can now also eat! Isn't that the same treatment as the emperors!" Chen Jinfu clapped his hands in approval beside him.
"No, no, no! Nowadays, with money, what delicacy can't you eat? Whether the emperor has eaten it or not, we can all have it, and enjoy it even more than the emperor!"
These two were truly kindred spirits.
Soon enough.
The donkey meat arrived.
Sauced donkey meat, stewed donkey meat, scallion-burst donkey meat, donkey meat rolls, spicy grilled donkey ribs... quite a full donkey feast!
It was a feast for the eyes and the palate.
However, everyone swallowed their saliva and did not move their chopsticks, waiting for Lu Fei to take a look first.
That corpse eel had truly left a shadow in everyone's minds.
Lu Fei looked at it with a smile and nodded, "No problem."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief and then began to use their chopsticks.
"Eat, eat, don't be polite!"
Lu Fei took a taste, and the donkey meat indeed was delicious, tender and rich in flavor.
Everyone enjoyed the meal heartily.
Even the little black dog ate quite a bit, its small belly now round and full.
Liu Fugui, in particular, dug in with gusto, eating as much as he could.
It was a pity that Hu Zi was not there to miss this wonderful feast.
"Old Liu, take it easy. Just the other day I heard you talking about your high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar," Chen Jinfah said with concern after reluctantly putting down his chopsticks, seeing that Liu Fugui was eating without any restraint.
"No worries!" Liu Fugui patted his belly, quite proud, "Brother Jinfah, haven't you noticed that I've lost weight?"
"How did you lose that belly?" Chen Jinfah asked in surprise, "Last week when I saw you, you looked like you were about to give birth. How did it flatten out so quickly?"
Liu Fugui chuckled, "Little Brother Lu recently got a great treasure that helps people slim down. One use and you'll see results right away! I'm not afraid of gaining weight anymore, I can eat whatever I want now! Ha ha, how about you try it too, Brother Jinfah?"
"Is there really such a treasure? I definitely have to try it then!" Chen Jinfah perked up, "At our age, we have no choice. Back in the day, my body was even stronger than Ah Long's. Now, I get out of breath just from running a few steps. I can't eat much, I can't drink much, it's just hard to accept getting old."
He sighed wistfully, like a hero past his prime, and looked at Lu Fei with some envy.
"Youth is wonderful! When I was around Lu Shopkeeper's age, I had women on both sides, seven times a night... Ah, forget it, forget it, a true hero doesn't dwell on the past."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Shopkeeper Lu, are there treasures in this world that can make one younger?"
"If it's an evil object, there will always be a corresponding price," Lu Fei replied with a smile, "If such an evil object really existed, what would everyone be willing to exchange for their youth?"
"This..." Chen Jinfah hesitated, stroking his chin.
Liu Fugui waved his hand directly and said, "We're not women, what do we need youth for? A man at forty is a flower, and right now we're at the golden age!"
"Old Liu really has the right idea." Chen Jinfah nodded.
"With this slimming treasure, I'm content!" Liu Fugui continued, "My current wish is to taste all the delicious food in the world! I've recently discovered a few more good restaurants. Next time, I'll take Brother Xiao Lu and Fa Ge to try them."
"Sure, sure, I'm looking forward to it!"
The two of them laughed heartily and clinked their glasses.
They had eaten almost enough.
A Long raised his glass and toasted to Lu Fei.
"Manager Lu, bottoms up, you just drink as you like! And remember, if there's anything you need from me, A Long, just speak up!"
He didn't like to say formalities; everything was in the drinks, and he downed three cups in a row.
Lu Fei doesn't have a good tolerance for alcohol, so he knows when to stop.
"That's right! My brothers are also Brother Lu's brothers!" Chen Jinfahad had quite a bit to drink and patted Ah Long on the shoulder, "But speaking of which, Ah Long, why didn't you tell me if you had something on your mind?"
"It's such a small matter, I didn't want to bother Brother Fa."
"If you say that, then you're not treating me as your big brother. I consider you like a real brother!"
"Yes, I'll let you know in advance next time." Ah Long smiled.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Chen Jinfa held his wine glass and squinted, "Back in the day, all the brothers we used to hang out with have either died or scattered. You're the only one still following me. Speaking of which, you're not getting any younger. We're doing legitimate business now. Have you ever thought about starting a family? I'll take care of the house and car for you."
"Big brother, someone like me shouldn't start a family." Ah Long shook his head.
"What's wrong with you? It's just because of what happened back then..."
"Big brother." Ah Long stood up, cutting Chen Jinfa off, and found an excuse to leave the private room.
"This kid, every time I bring this up, he does this..." Chen Jinfa sighed and said no more, dragging Liu Fugui to continue drinking.
Lu Fei felt that A Long was also a man with a story.
"Brother Fa, why did A Long say that?"
"He..." Chen Jinfat hesitated, "Boss Lu, don't be scared when I tell you."
"Scared?"
Lu Fei became even more curious.
"He killed someone and served time in prison before." Chen Jinfat lowered his voice, "I don't know the reason; he wouldn't tell me, and I didn't want to ask too much. Anyway, no matter who he used to be, now he's my brother, Chen Jinfat's brother."
"Maybe he had his reasons. I feel that A Long is a good person." Lu Fei was somewhat surprised, but not entirely.
"Whether he's a good person or a bad person doesn't matter; he's my brother, and that's enough." Chen Jinfat smiled, "These are things from the bottom of my heart. I only say these things because Boss Lu is one of us."
Lu Fei nodded and stopped asking questions.
After a satisfying meal and plenty of drinks.
Chen Jinfa still wanted to arrange other programs, but Lu Fei politely declined.
"Brother Fa, you and Old Liu have a good time. I have something to do when I get back."
"Boss Lu, while you're young, you should play more. When you get older, you won't even be able to play anymore."
Chen Jinfa was full of regret.
"My shopping mall is almost completed. You must come for the ribbon-cutting ceremony!"
After bidding them farewell, Lu Fei returned to Sinisterium Pawnshop and continued to absorb the power of the black flood dragon's demon bead.
When dawn broke, the last bit of power from the demon bead was absorbed into Lu Fei's dantian. Lu Fei exhaled a long breath of stagnant air and fell asleep.
Lu Fei slept until the afternoon before getting up to open the shop.
Liu Fugui came by to give Lu Fei the money earned from the slimming treasure in recent days.
"Brother Lu, here's the ledger, take a look. After deducting my 30%, the rest is all yours, a total of 210,000 yuan."
"No need, I trust you with the task."
Lu Fei took the money without even looking at it.
"Slimming Treasure is really a good thing. Today, another peculiar customer came. Just from that person, I can make quite a bit of money." Liu Fugui was in high spirits.
"What do you mean by a peculiar customer?" Lu Fei was curious.
Liu Fugui made a face: "That person looks really strange! Short and fat, with hardly any hair on his head, a round body with short arms and legs, he looks like a toad walking on two legs!"