Thomas had been in the hospital for a week and was alive and well again, and the doctor, after his last review, had made a snap decision to discharge him quickly.
In the hospital, three meals are strictly controlled, and sugar and calories are not allowed to exceed the amount of food, so the food is only a little better than the dark cuisine of Jensen's. Thomas woke up from hunger every day, and from hunger again. Thomas woke up from hunger every day, and went to sleep from hunger, dreaming that Qin Li made a table of fragrant food, and drooled a pillow, scared the nurse thought he had a nightmare.
When he was discharged from the hospital, he begged on his knees with two lines of tears to go to a restaurant for a meal.
The restaurant was founded by Dani Qu, a Sichuan hot pot restaurant, close to her workplace, where a lot of Chinese people go to eat, and it has a good reputation.
As soon as she got off work, she went to grab a seat, occupied a large round table, and waited for a while, people were arriving one after another.
Yan Sen and Qin Li, Thomas and Ma Shushu, all in pairs, but Dani Qu was alone.
She pulled Qin Li and said, "Come on, accompany me to go out for a smoke."
With that, she dragged her out without a second thought, leaving the others to dry out.
Qu Dani stood in the doorway, lit up a cigarette, her chin nodded toward the restaurant, and lowered her voice, "Why is she here?"
This she of course refers to Ma Shushu.
Qin Li followed her gaze and stood at this angle to see half of her face.
The injuries on Ma Shu Shu's face have healed almost to the point where she basically can't be seen with more makeup, but she's heartbroken from going through this. Only to see her sitting next to Thomas, silent, not speaking or smiling, completely different from the previous cheerful and talkative girl.
Qin Li sighed and said, "It's good to come out for a break."
Qu Dani didn't have her good heart, and pinched her with a face of hatred, saying, "You are also really lacking in heart so that you don't hang out with her."
"It's not that I want to hang out with her, it's that she wants to cling to Thomas. Thomas and Yan Sen are inseparable again, what can I do?" Qin Li's heart is also depressed, there are all kinds of medicine in the world, but there is no medicine for regret. If I had known today, I wouldn't have passed on this message to Thomas in the first place.
Looking at her fire big, Qin Li asked, "Say, why do you reject her so much? She and you have no past grievances and no recent enmity ah."
Qu Dani, "It's nothing in the past, but this person's heart is not right. And I just can't see her, would a person who doesn't even want her home and motherland be sentimental and righteous? Maybe one day she'll stab you in the back."
If people's hearts were that bad, the world would be over. As of now, it was true that Ma Shushu had never harmed herself, and, when she had money, she had always thought of her, perhaps because of their similar upbringing.
Qin Li said, "Forget it, don't talk about her like that she is quite poor."
"Pity my ass, all of her own making." She grunted, "Look at her, she's desperate for Thomas now, and as soon as a better option comes along, she'll turn her back on him. She doesn't need your sympathy, I'd say she's just a scheming bitch who's always calculating where she's going to get the benefit of the doubt."
These words left Qin Li with no way to refute, nor did she want to, because Ma Shushu was indeed such a person.
Seeing her silence, Qu Dani shook her head, "You're going to suffer sooner or later if you plant this scourge by your side."
Qin Li gives a dry laugh, "It's not that exaggerated! Life isn't a novel, it's not that bloody."
Qu Dani blankly glanced at her, "Your story tells me that often life is more bloody than novels."
Qin Li was blocked by her and had nothing to say, but Ma Shushu was now not only her friend but also Thomas' friend. Thomas was so close to her that he even brought her along when he came here for a meal, and there was nothing she could do about it since we all looked up but didn't see each other.
Qu Dani heard her say this and asked, "What kind of tendon did Thomas have that he looked at her."
"Yesterday Thomas said that he was not relieved that she was alone in the refugee camp, and had to take her to the farmhouse to live, and the two brothers quarreled over it."
Qu Dani was astonished, "No way. Thomas read his head off reading."
"It's all my fault." These days, kindness is also a sin. Therefore, people nowadays, live one life but seek no merits or faults.
Seeing her blaming herself, Qu Dani consoles, "Even if you don't give her your phone number, according to Ma Shushu's restless nature, she'll find a way to get in touch on her own."
Qin Li sighed, "I didn't expect things to turn out like this."
After all, Qu Dani was an outsider and was not in a position to say much, she could only vaguely worry about Qin Li's future.
The two of them spoke for a few moments, at which point, Thomas couldn't help himself and personally came to invite people.
"I say if the two of you don't come in and order some food, I'm going to starve to death."
Qu Dani twisted her cigarette out and walked in, "Waiting for me to do what, you won't order first?"
Thomas crooked his mouth, "Wouldn't order."
Qu Dani sat down and told the waiter, "A spicy hot pot."
The waiter asked, "Do you want to order your own, or unlimited?"
Qu Dani glanced at the two men in the room, whose food intake was as unpredictable as the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, so she said, "I think it's better to have five unlimited servings."
No one had any objections to this.
Dani Qu said, "Five more beers and two large Cokes."
After the waitress left, Thomas couldn't wait to ask, "Dani, what are we having tonight?"
Dani Qu, "Hot pot."
This was explained as if it wasn't, Thomas couldn't visualize it, so he asked, "Is it good?"
Qu Dani, "You won't know until you eat it."
After speaking, she turned to Qin Li and asked, "When do you plan to return to the farmhouse?"
Qin Li, "Early tomorrow morning."
Qu Dani, "Then I won't send you guys off, I have to work."
"What's the point of sending you off, it's not like you're going to a faraway place, it's only a hundred and seventy kilometers, you can always come when you miss me."
Qin Li waited for the waiter to bring the drinks and then raised his cup, "Then this meal is to celebrate Thomas' successful discharge from the hospital."
Qu Dani laughed, "In addition to that, I also wish you to be a happy female farmer in the countryside."
Qin Li said, "I definitely will. You're welcome to come sometime, there's always room for you."
Qu Dani said, "That's what you said."
Thomas asked, "My brother is also considered a successful blind date, right?"
Ma Shushu, who hadn't said anything, suddenly asked, "Is it only played on the successful blind date radio station?"
Qu Dani shook her head, "That's not necessarily true, but it's true that successful programs are more likely to be aired. If it suits the viewers' eyes, there can be another round after marriage and children."
Thomas asked, "When will it air on TV? I'm a little impatient."
Dani Qu, "The new series starts in October, and it's still in production."
Thomas, "I'll catch it. I wonder how much footage of me is in it?"
Dani Qu purposely teases him, saying, "All your scenes are edited out."
Thomas froze and asked, "Why?"
Qu Dani laughed out loud, "Because it's too amusing, for fear of pulling down the audience's IQ."
Thomas pulled down a face of black lines.
During the jokes, the hot pot was brought up, and the red spicy oil floated over the entire surface, making people's mouths water.
Thomas remembered the Hairy Blood Wanton from before, that sour flavor screamed, and he shouted, "Resolutely boycott the offal and blood."
"Then don't eat it." Qu Dani blankly glanced at him and took the lead in loading the seasonings. She took the lead, and the rest of the group went to get their favorite dishes one after another.
Yan Sen was in a nervous mood for his first time eating hot pot, and he followed behind Qin Li, taking whatever he saw Qin Li take.
Finally, loaded a bowl full of ... seasonings.
He walked back to the hot pot with satisfaction and called out to the passing waiter, "Please give me a bowl of rice."
Although the waiter was wondering why the hot pot needed to be eaten, there were many foreigners there, and there were many strange things. The habits of each ethnic group were different, so it was not strange.
Soon a bowl of rice was brought to him, and Yan Sen served a bowl of soup from the hot pot and poured it over the rice. Then he took the tip of his chopsticks picked a bite of the hot pot seasoning, and swallowed a mouthful of rice with a face of enjoyment.
The delicacies of the human world, ah, nothing more than that!
By the time Qin Li had wandered around and returned with all the dishes, Yan Sen had already eaten a bowl of white rice with the hot pot seasoning.
When he saw Qin Li, he said with surprise in his eyes, "Li, this is the best bibimbap I've ever eaten."
Qin Li, "..."
Seeing her with a face that was suffocating internal injuries, Yan Sen asked as an afterthought, "Is this not how you eat hot pot?"
Qin Li finally burst out laughing, this countryman ah, why so naive?
Qu Dani saw this and called out, "The godly man who eats seasonings and doesn't eat vegetables in the hot pot has finally appeared."
The three girls cried and laughed.
Afraid that Thomas is also like his brother, Qin Li can only sweep their blinders before eating, "All raw must be put in the pot to be hot, and only eat when it is cooked."
Thomas unashamedly asks, "How is it considered cooked?"
Qin Li, "You can eat the meat when it changes color, all kinds of meatballs should float, as well as vegetables when they are soft."
Qu Dani added, "Also, you have to dip it in the sauce when it's cooked, so the flavor will be fresh ... No need to eat it with rice haha."
Thomas picked up a slice of beef roll with his chopsticks and said, "Let me try."
...
Half an hour later, Thomas said sharply, "Is it ready? Is this ready to eat?"
"Not yet, eat this first." Saying that Mashu Shu gave him a fish ball.
He hurriedly stuffed a fish ball into his mouth, let out a mouthful of hot air, and said, "Spicy and hot, but truly delicious. Shu Shu, what did you give me to eat?"
Before Ma Shushu could open her mouth, Qu Dani grabbed it and joked, "It's the Ten Perfect Pills."
Thomas exaggeratedly pinched his neck and said, "Me me me will I die?"
Qu Dani babbled seriously, "No, but you'll soar."
Qin Li couldn't help but let out a giggle, nearly spitting out the meat in his mouth.
On that end, Yan Sen was sweating profusely as he battled the beef for three hundred rounds. He, a countryman from the countryside, was once again refreshed by the Chinese restaurant today with a new perception that beef and mutton could still be eaten this way! Thin slices of beef and mutton can be eaten as soon as they are scalded in the pot and fished up, and they are tender and chewy.
He had the urge to tear up, thirty years, he had lived in vain!
A fishball changed his outlook on life, said Thomas, the fish ball is Q and tender, and there is still elasticity in his mouth.
When he saw the fishball floating, he reached out to clip it and shouted, "What is this little pill made of, the texture is amazing. It feels like I'm eating silicone, but the flavor is first class, so I can't stop."
Hearing his description, everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Thomas's chopsticks were not yet on fire, these round balls could not be picked up at all, while the girl on his right and left easily picked them up, this hand of Chinese kung fu, ah, simply made his eyes hot.
Watching the pills that could make him soar were getting smaller one by one, so anxious that Thomas wailed and screamed, feeling that the wound that had just grown was about to collapse again.
Originally the covenant, not to eat offal, not to eat blood, not to eat spicy, the result of what ...
Those promises of faith were all farts.
A plate of duck blood was wiped out.
A plate of tripe was also wiped out.
Even the most resistant pork sausage is gone.
These two brothers, one exclaimed, why is it so delicious? The other silently called for another bowl of white rice, on the seasoning, the soup was also drunk.
After drinking and eating, the five people held their round stomachs and leaned back in their chairs.
Thomas said resentfully, "You guys are also too insufficient, with such good Chinese food, you didn't even bring us here."
Yan Sen was also lamenting, "I hope I didn't eat anything weird."
Qin Li found it funny and slapped him, saying, "It's too late to think of asking what you ate."
Qu Dani deliberately teased the brothers, so she said, "Actually, that tofu-looking thing isn't tofu."
Thomas asked, "What was it then?"
"It's monkey brain."
Jensen, "..."
Thomas, "..."