novelslam Chapter 58 Lu Yuan's Donation
Chapter 58 Lu Yuan's Donation
Apart from stewed free-range chicken, all the dishes Lu Yuan makes are home-style dishes that are not limited to any particular region.
Braised beef with potatoes, braised eggplant, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried greens, and cold green bean salad are all prepared in a relatively sweeter style.
The medical team was indeed starving; they didn't say a word, but as soon as they picked up their rice, they started showing it off.
In less than half an hour, the entire table of food was devoured.
After putting down their bowls and looking up, the group couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.
"I haven't had such a satisfying meal in ages!"
Xiao He's sentiments resonated with everyone.
Although most restaurants sell the dishes Lu Yuan makes, his cooking methods are more suitable for them.
Local restaurants tend to make spicy dishes with strong flavors, which results in very different styles of dishes.
A person's taste is largely influenced by their upbringing.
Sweet and savory tofu pudding and meat-filled rice dumplings are just one small difference among them.
This effect can last a lifetime, and prolonged periods without familiar foods can lead to physical discomfort.
Therefore, their primary feeling is that they enjoy the food, even more so than the deliciousness itself.
After quickly tidying up the kitchen, Lu Yuan returned to the front hall and sat behind the bar, quietly flipping through his notebook.
After the medical team finished eating, Dr. Huang walked to the front desk and gently tapped the table.
"Boss, the secret menu is great, we were very satisfied with our meal."
Lu Yuan raised his head and replied calmly, "Well, that's good."
"How much does this meal cost?" Dr. Huang asked.
"It's free."
"Oh, wait a minute, how much?" Dr. Huang was somewhat shocked after realizing what was happening.
After closing his notebook, Lu Yuan stood up and solemnly said, "It's free."
When Huang met Lu Yuan's gaze, he understood what Lu Yuan meant.
He assumed that Lu Yuan knew about their free clinic and therefore didn't want his money.
He encountered this kind of situation more than once during his career of providing free medical services.
"That won't do; we have to pay for the meal!"
Dr. Huang took out his wallet and, without saying a word, pulled out 200 yuan and placed it on the front desk.
Lu Yuan ignored it and did not answer, but instead asked:
"I heard you've run into some trouble? I can help you sort it out."
While they were talking, Lu Yuan wasn't cooking, but he overheard some of their conversation.
Dr. Huang knew Lu Yuan meant well, but he still remained wary: "Thank you, but no need."
"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse." Lu Yuan turned to the side and leaned against the front desk:
"Do you want to know what happened to my elementary school classmate in the end?"
Recalling the story told by Wei Yinghong, Dr. Huang and his colleagues remained deeply bothered by the term "rotten mouth."
Old Wu couldn't help but ask, "Did he eventually have surgery? Did he continue his studies?"
Xiao He and Xiao Zhang weren't here just now, so I don't know what everyone was talking about.
After Dr. Wang quickly gave a brief overview, they were also very curious about what happened next.
Lu Yuan's expression suddenly turned serious, and his eyes dimmed as he said, "He committed suicide."
"What?" Xiao He couldn't take it anymore and stood up abruptly.
The others were also stunned, and a strange sadness spread through them.
Lu Yuan continued, "So my wish is the same as yours, which is to save more patients with cleft lips. If they can get repaired in time, this tragedy will not happen again."
"I can provide you with accommodation and meals, so you can go to the free clinic with peace of mind."
"Dr. Huang, just agree. The boss is just trying to be helpful," Old Wu advised from the side.
Dr. Huang was the leader of this event, so he was the one who ultimately made the decision.
But he was caught in a deep conflict, feeling that staying at the villagers' homes and eating and drinking there went against the original intention of charity.
"Dr. Huang, right? Consider this my donation to this free clinic. Charity isn't just your business," Lu Yuan also advised.
"Well said!" Doctor Wang couldn't help but give a thumbs up.
She never expected that such a resounding declaration would come from such a remote rural restaurant.
"Alright!" Doctor Huang nodded emphatically, then grasped Lu Yuan's hand and said:
"Mr. Lu, thank you for your contributions to charity. I will definitely apply for an award for you after this free clinic concludes!"
Lu Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "That doesn't matter. You guys pack your things and come with me."
Lu Yuan led them to the courtyard where they were preparing to open a mala tang (spicy hot pot) shop.
The rooms here were recently renovated by Wang Faqiang; all that's needed is to lay out bedding.
Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter were also arranged to stay here, but they went home first to pack their clothes.
Lu Yuan led them through the front door of the restaurant to the courtyard, where they were divided into two rooms according to gender.
"Please forgive us, the countryside is rather simple. I'll bring you some bedding in a bit. If you need to wash up or use the toilet, just go to my yard."
As Lu Yuan settled them in, he took out a key and handed it to them.
Looking at the bunch of keys, Xiao He asked in confusion:
"Boss Lu, how do you have the key to someone else's shop?"
Lu Yuan replied casually, "Oh, these are all my shops."
hiss!
Everyone gasped in surprise, never expecting that Lu Yuan was also a landlord.
Director Huang's eye twitched slightly, thinking to himself that he should have known better than to be so polite earlier.
After giving his instructions, Lu Yuan went home and asked his mother to tidy up the bedding.
His family didn't have enough bedding, so Wei Yinghong got some more from her second aunt and her aunt's house.
Several sisters-in-law went together to the courtyard of the mala tang restaurant to help set up the medical team.
This deeply moved the medical team, and the young doctors kept marveling at the simple and honest nature of the local people.
Lu Yuan, carrying his notebook, strolled leisurely to the small shop, where the village had the only landline phone.
Of course, it also benefited from its proximity to the national highway; it was a telephone line laid along the way.
In other villages, they wouldn't be able to afford to install telephone lines.
The convenience store was run by Eighth Grandfather's family, and Lu Yuan and his friends often came here to buy snacks when they were young.
When Lu Yuan arrived at the convenience store, he found that his grandfather was there as well.
Grandpa and his eighth grandfather were watching an old black-and-white TV and chatting, stuffing sunflower seeds into their mouths like they were loading bullets into a machine gun.
Grandpa was also surprised to see Lu Yuan: "Little Yuan, is the shop closed?"
"We've been closed for a long time."
After responding, Lu Yuan greeted his eighth grandfather.
Then, with practiced ease, he took two bottles of beer from the shelf and handed them to the two old men.
"Just cracking sunflower seeds is no fun, let me buy you some drinks!"
Lu Yuan's actions immediately earned him effusive praise from his two grandfathers. In just a few words, Lu Yuan had already risen to become the No. 1 among the younger generation of the Lu family.
Lu Yuan smiled and sat down at the counter, opened his laptop, found Chen Dongsheng's home phone number, and dialed it.
"Hello, who is it?"
"Hello, Auntie, this is Lu Yuan. Is Chen Dongsheng home?"
"Oh, Xiao Yuan, wait a minute, I'll call him for you, Dong Sheng~ Xiao Yuan wants to see you!"
After a series of clattering sounds of slippers, Chen Dongsheng picked up the phone.
"It's far away. What have you been busy with lately? Why did it take you so long to call your brother Dongsheng?"
Lu Yuan didn't waste any more words with him and asked directly:
"Why haven't you come to visit me lately?"
Chen Dongsheng asked with some doubt, "I don't think so?"
"Okay, don't come looking for me for the next two weeks."
"Beep beep beep beep..."
After settling Chen Dongsheng in, Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Dongsheng was the classmate he claimed committed suicide; it was just a white lie he told to persuade Dr. Huang.
In reality, Chen Dongsheng is a typical rich second-generation, but his parents were busy when he was young, so he lived with his grandmother in the village.
He later disappeared, apparently to undergo reconstructive surgery in another city.
He didn't fight to protect Chen Dongsheng; Chen Dongsheng was the one who started the trouble, and he had no choice but to fight back.