Chapter 70 Tangerine Peel Tea

All eyes in the cafeteria were fixed on Luo Jun. Some looked solemn, some whispered among themselves, some avoided eye contact, and others were already sending messages to announce to the world that Luo Jun had actually gone out.

Zhang Shumei, who had been consecutively awarded the title of “the most desired caregiver in Yunzhong Community to be poached” for five years, pushed a wheelchair into the cafeteria. She was about to find a corner to park it when she was startled by the large number of people inside—especially since they were all staring straight at Luo Jun.

But Luo Jun remained completely unfazed. Under everyone’s gaze, he calmly walked to the counter and said to Qin Huai, “Two baskets of Five-Delicacy Buns, and two liang of crispy pastries.”

“There are no crispy pastries today,” Qin Huai replied.

“How long until they’re ready?” Luo Jun asked.

“The crispy pastries are made by the two Chef Zhengs. They’ve both returned to Suzhou. The cafeteria isn’t selling crispy pastries today,” Qin Huai explained. The occasional crispy pastries had run out, and in truth, the ones he made weren’t as good as those made by Zheng Siyuan and Zheng Da.

Everyone has their specialty. Qin Luo preferred filled pastries, especially meat-filled ones. For her, crispy pastries were just occasional snacks, and Qin Huai didn’t make them often.

Luo Jun’s eyes widened slightly, his expression clearly saying: You brought me two gift boxes of pastries just a couple of days ago to whet my appetite, and now you’re telling me they’re not for sale?

Preposterous!

“However,” Qin Huai added kindly, “the crispy pastries in the gift box I brought you last time were made by Chef Xiao Zheng. He runs a pastry shop in Suzhou. You can have someone go there and bring some back.”

“What’s the name of his shop? Where is it located?” Luo Jun gritted his teeth and chose to compromise. “I’ll call a courier.”

Qin Huai: ?

Call a courier?

Truly, wealthy lonely elders are very willful.

The elderly men and women sitting farther from the counter couldn’t hear their conversation clearly. Curious, they stretched their necks and asked, “What is Old Luo saying? Why does he sound so gritted with his teeth?”

“I knew it! He’s definitely here to cause trouble!”

“Xiao Qin is still smiling and welcoming him. What a good kid—such a kind young man!”

Three minutes later, Luo Jun, now seated at the only empty table, calmly ate his meal while having successfully added Qin Huai on WeChat. He forwarded the address Qin Huai sent him to Zhang Shumei, instructing her to find a courier service that could purchase the pastries as quickly as possible and even fly them over.

Zhang Shumei, experienced and composed, began arranging the courier while also asking whether Luo Jun would allow a temporary courier from a nearby city to travel by high-speed train to Suzhou to buy the pastries. She mentioned that a distant nephew of hers lived near Suzhou and would be happy to take on the job for a fee.

The atmosphere gradually grew tense.

The elderly patrons, watching closely as if guarding the “world’s best Xiao Qin,” didn’t want to make things difficult for him. Each of them ordered one or two items for breakfast but left them untouched, pretending to eat while occasionally sipping soy milk or mung bean soup, all the while keeping their eyes locked on Luo Jun.

The staff were also unsure what was going on, and everyone felt inexplicably nervous.

When people feel nervous, they often do strange things to hide their awkwardness—like pretending to wipe the same cabinet for ten minutes, glancing randomly at a document without actually reading it, or standing upright in a corner as if working diligently.

In the kitchen, the situation was no different.

Qin Congwen, who had run the shop for years and seen all sorts of scenes—including fights breaking out mid-meal among delinquent youths and troublemakers—was nervously kneading buns while pounding his lower back, unsure whether he should step forward heroically to intervene if something happened, or stay out of it to protect himself.

Zhao Rong was confused and wondered if Luo Jun had come for a food safety inspection. The pressure made her lose focus while wrapping buns.

Qin Luo sat in a corner, seizing every second to play on her phone.

As for Qin Huai, he was genuinely a bit nervous.

Not because he was worried about completing the side quest, but because he feared that after drinking the tangerine peel tea, Luo Jun might mock him face-to-face—calling him ignorant, saying he couldn’t even make herbal tea properly, and reminding him how he had once argued that tangerine peel tea shouldn’t be brewed that way.

Before today, Qin Huai had never worried about such a scenario.

But after hearing the elders at table nine describe Luo Jun’s past exploits, he felt Luo Jun had been quite restrained these past two years.

When the neighborhood committee visited before, Luo Jun’s “combat power” seemed to be less than half of what it used to be.

Now that he had re-emerged, it was hard to tell whether his intensity had returned to peak levels.

Meanwhile, Luo Jun continued eating his buns calmly.

The way he ate was very refined—some people eat quickly, some slowly, and some in a way that just looks wealthy.

Luo Jun belonged to the last category.

He ate his buns with an “old money” elegance.

Graceful—truly graceful.

Of course, it might simply be because he was older and had weaker teeth, making him eat slowly.

But if he had poor teeth and still loved crispy pastries…

Qin Huai could only say—it was impossible to figure him out.

Luo Jun’s breakfast lasted until 10 a.m.

By then, even Zhang Shumei’s nephew had already set off. Only then did Luo Jun slowly wipe his mouth, glance at his phone, eat a mint, and finally give Qin Huai a look.

“Xiao Qin, is the tangerine peel tea ready?”

“It’s ready. Following the formula you gave last time, I’ve made three flavors. I also added two new ones—would you like to try all of them?”

Luo Jun nodded. Qin Huai went to fetch the cooled tea, and Zhang Shumei stepped forward to receive it.

At that moment, Chen Huihong and Qu Jing arrived right on time.

Upon entering, Chen Huihong exclaimed, “There are so many people today!”

Qu Jing removed her hat and sunglasses, though she kept her mask on. With a smile in her eyes, she nodded at Luo Jun in greeting. “Good morning, Mr. Luo.”

“Good morning,” Luo Jun replied, stubbornly insisting that it was still morning.

“Have you had it yet?” Qu Jing asked, sitting directly across from Luo Jun, while Chen Huihong sat beside her.

Luo Jun didn’t answer directly. He glanced at Chen Huihong, then looked away and signaled toward Zhang Shumei. The two instantly understood.

Not yet—they had made it in time.

Zhang Shumei used a tray as a container and steadily carried over five small bowls of tangerine peel tea. Her hands were so steady she could have worked in a high-end restaurant.

Luo Jun didn’t drink immediately. Instead, he asked Qu Jing, “Why did you really come? Isn’t your hospital job that relaxed?”

“You’re a VIP patient at our hospital. Making a special trip to ensure your health is part of my job,” Qu Jing replied. She then took out a document folder from her bag. “These are your latest physical examination results. Even though the check is complete, I still recommend you come to the hospital for a full examination—the equipment there is more comprehensive.”

“Since you’re willing to go out to drink herbal tea, I assume you wouldn’t mind making a trip to the hospital for a checkup, right?”

“Don’t try to pressure me,” Luo Jun said bluntly. Having spent plenty of time online, he rejected the suggestion without hesitation.

Then he picked up the tea in front of him and took a sip to moisten his throat.

“That’s more like it. This is what tangerine peel tea should taste like. Young people these days simply don’t know how to brew it,” Luo Jun said, clearly satisfied as he took another sip.

Qin Huai watched expressionlessly as Luo Jun drank one bowl after another, tasting each one briefly.

The game notification never appeared—the side quest had not been completed.

Following Luo Jun’s recipe, the tangerine peel tea did taste quite good, and even he acknowledged its quality. But it still wasn’t the flavor he personally preferred.

As expected, the most unpredictable customers in the world are children and the elderly.