Chapter 382: Only Those Who Care About You Will Remember What You Love to Eat

Sang Yue stood there, dumbfounded, only reacting after Shen Lu had left.

"Huh? She didn’t answer my question!"

The next day, a Seventh Level gale kicked up, filling the sky with yellow sand and staining the horizon a strange, yellowish-red.

Suddenly remembering something, Shen Lu threw off her covers and ran to Fu Cheng’s room.

"The weather is terrible today. They’re not still coming to get you, are they?"

"They will," Fu Cheng said, pausing for a moment. "But they’ve moved it to this afternoon."

The military had its own weather monitoring department, which was more accurate than the government’s.

The winds were predicted to weaken for a two-hour window in the afternoon, and the military planned to use that time for the pickup.

"Alright, then."

Shen Lu was a little disappointed. She’d been hoping Fu Cheng’s trip to the hospital would be delayed.

’But on second thought, that was never going to happen.’

The military had plenty of vehicles that could handle weather like this and come get Fu Cheng.

But since her morning was free now, Shen Lu thought for a moment before turning her takeout app back on.

’Might as well earn what I can.’

As for her weekly mission, Shen Lu decided to just let things play out. If worse came to worst, she could always exploit the system’s loophole again in the last couple of days and bring over Xue Can and his group to meet the quota.

The moment she turned the takeout app on, orders for boxed meals came flooding in like snowflakes.

Without paying them much mind, Shen Lu opened the work group chat. She told Shu Meng to rest at home, explaining that Wang Daguo would be driving out later to pick up ingredients and would bring Xin Yu back with him, just like usual.

Shu Meng: Boss, maybe I should just catch a ride with Wang Daguo?

Shu Meng felt bad about resting at home while everyone else was working.

Shen Lu: Don’t worry about it, just get some rest. Takeout isn’t like dine-in service; we don’t need to prepare as many dishes.

Shen Lu: Besides, your place isn’t on his route.

Shu Meng: Alright...

Shen Lu was just about to get out of bed when she saw orders placed by Li Long and Bai Wanwan.

Shen Lu had to message both of them separately to confirm they really had someone to pick up the food. She wasn’t responsible for delivery, after all.

Bai Wanwan: Don’t you have a delivery vehicle running at noon? I’ll have my driver meet it at the Silver Sea Building.

Shen Lu: Since when does your family own a vehicle that can drive around freely in a Seventh Level gale?

Bai Wanwan: Hmph.

Bai Wanwan: We didn’t before, but we recently spent a fortune on it.

She and her brother, Bai Lei, had to do a lot of convincing before their parents agreed to buy it.

It wasn’t just to get food from Shen Lu, either. The vehicle was military-grade, capable of driving in Seventh or Level 8 gales. It was also highly resistant to attack—ordinary bullets and grenades couldn’t even penetrate its chassis.

After one near-death experience, the Bai family had started taking vehicle safety very seriously and were willing to spend a fortune on reliable transportation.

Shen Lu’s relationship with Li Long was strictly professional, so she kept her tone polite and formal.

Li Long: No problem. We’ll be there to pick it up at the usual time.

Shen Lu thought for a moment. It made sense that Li Long had the means; after all, he had a brother in the military.

’For a big brother like that, getting his younger brother a good vehicle wouldn’t be a problem at all.’

’Well, this is great. I was worried I’d make no progress on the weekly mission today, but I ended up getting two takeout orders.’

The kitchen was a hive of activity as dishes were finished one after another. Sang Yue took it upon herself to handle the packing, placing the freshly prepared meal boxes into insulated containers to keep them warm.

Around eleven o’clock, the Li Family’s driver arrived.

Shen Lu made a point to look at their vehicle. It wasn’t a military armored car—it was smaller—and while she couldn’t see the inside, the material of its chassis alone looked incredibly tough.

Wang Daguo and Xin Yu were about to set off as well. After reminding them to be careful, Shen Lu sent them on their way.

Just as she turned around, a group of people suddenly appeared outside the restaurant. They tried to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge, so they started pounding on it.

Warily, Shen Lu backed away behind the counter and told Wu Jun to see what was going on.

"We’re here to eat!" the man in the lead said. "We made arrangements with your server yesterday."

This was true; Sang Yue was the one who had agreed to it.

So, Shen Lu had Wu Jun open the door and let them in.

About fifteen or sixteen people came in, all wearing matching uniforms and gear to protect against the wind and sand.

As soon as they were inside, they started pulling off their headgear and shaking sand from their clothes.

Sang Yue, having just washed her hands, came out and saw them. Her eyes went wide with surprise. "How on earth did you get here in this weather?"

"It would be difficult for one person, but with this many of us, it was a lot easier," Hao Qing said, flashing a proud, white-toothed grin.

Shen Lu had Sang Yue get the group seated and pass out menus so they could order.

Hao Qing glanced over the menu, then asked Sang Yue if they could also order another table’s worth of dishes to go.

This time, Sang Yue didn’t make the call herself, saying she had to go ask her boss.

Shen Lu, of course, agreed. She had just asked Wu Jun and learned that these men were all from the Eagle Eye Mercenary Corps.

’The food they’re getting to-go must be for their other brothers in the corps.’

Shen Lu thought gleefully, ’I might even be able to complete my weekly mission today.’

They ended up ordering a lot of food.

The group eating in ordered nearly thirty dishes, and they ordered another ten or so to-go.

If they hadn’t been her only table of customers for the day, Shen Lu would never have allowed them to order so much.

After a little over an hour of hard work, they had finally sent out all the dishes.

Shen Lu was quite satisfied with their speed.

Her coordination with Deng Ying was becoming more and more seamless. Often, without her even having to say a word, Deng Ying would have the next ingredient she needed ready at hand.

She didn’t even have to worry about the dishes in the steamer and oven. Deng Ying would keep her updated on the cooking times and the state of the food, and all Shen Lu had to do was make adjustments as needed.

After finishing the customers’ dishes, Shen Lu started making the staff meal.

Shen Lu made Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce, Spicy Chicken, Pea Shoots in Superior Broth, and a Shredded Kelp Salad. She also made an extra dish of Steamed Egg with Shrimp just for Fu Cheng.

"Here, have some more of this." Shen Lu pointedly moved the Steamed Egg with Shrimp in front of Fu Cheng. "It’s your favorite."

’The Military Hospital is so far away; there’s no way I can bring him food every day.’

’Besides, I don’t even know if he’ll be able to eat after the surgery. So he should eat up while he still can.’

Fu Cheng’s mouth twitched.

He didn’t particularly love Steamed Egg with Shrimp; it was just the most convenient thing for him to eat back when his movement was restricted.

He never expected Shen Lu to misunderstand and remember it so clearly to this day.

And yet, wasn’t this a form of her caring for him?

Only someone who cares about you remembers what you love to eat and what you don’t.

Fu Cheng silently ate every last bite of the Steamed Egg with Shrimp.

Shen Lu gave him an I-knew-it look. "You really have a soft spot for steamed eggs."

After lunch, Shen Lu helped Fu Cheng pack his things.

There wasn’t much to pack, really. Fu Cheng only had a few changes of clothes, and he didn’t even need to bring those, since the hospital provided patient gowns.

Same for toiletries; the hospital provided everything.

Shen Lu packed a lot of food for Fu Cheng.

She packed the braised snacks she’d made with her Advanced secret recipe, which she had previously set aside and hadn’t had the heart to eat herself. She also added some small baked cookies, granola bars, and candies and nuts she’d bought from the System Mall.

"Just take these for now," she said. "I’ll make more when I have time. You can also send me a message if there’s anything you’re craving."

Shen Lu didn’t know why her heart felt so flustered. "Fu Cheng, don’t be scared. I’ll come visit you often."