Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Chapter 1254 600: Are You Going to See Mr. Xu?

Qin Huai skillfully conducted the newcomer orientation for Wang Gen Sheng, speaking for about 40 minutes. He talked so much that his mouth felt dry, and he wanted a sip of tea, only to find that the pot had already been emptied by Shi Dadan. So he went out to get a bottle of mineral water, drank half of it, and continued with the orientation.

As for why he didn't ask the kitchen helpers to brew another pot of tea...

The kitchen staff had finished work by this time, even An Youyou had left. That's why Qin Huai and the others could sit in the kitchen and talk about these things without restraint.

After introducing everyone's situation, Qin Huai skillfully added Wang Gen Sheng to the group chat, but regrettably told him that he had woken up too late. If he had awakened before Luo Jun's death, they could have had a tea party at Luo Jun's house with free fruit.

Now, Luo Jun's house was given to Qin Huai, so they could hold a tea party there, just without free fruit—Chen Huihong only bought fruit once.

Qin Huai was busy every day with work and making snacks, and didn't have time to pick fruit at a boutique fruit store.

After introducing everyone, Qin Huai began to ask Wang Gen Sheng about his situation. Why did he fail at crossing the tribulation, and what exactly was his obsession?

Wang Gen Sheng gave a brief account, saying his failed tribulation was a typical storyline that matched popular perception.

In his first life, during a time of chaos, as a Law Beast, Wang Gen Sheng did not flee to the mountains like Qu Jing but instead entered the human world to learn its rules, even becoming a civil servant in government agencies.

If Wang Gen Sheng had been in a well-governed, law-abiding society, he might have successfully crossed the tribulation on his first try. Unfortunately, in his era, government agencies were devoid of honest people; it was merely a matter of degrees of corruption.

Wang Gen Sheng didn't want to join the corruption, but he had no opportunity.

He didn't even have the chance to report anyone. Who would he report? All his colleagues and superiors?

Such an environment was a dead end for a Law Beast, so his failure to cross the tribulation was understandable.

In his second life, Wang Gen Sheng wanted to continue holding onto his beliefs. He studied diligently to become an accountant but ultimately gave in under family and peer pressure, choosing neither to participate nor report.

Now it was Wang Gen Sheng's third life.

Xu Nuo made a very accurate assessment of Wang Gen Sheng's obsession and status. To successfully cross the tribulation, Wang Gen Sheng must remain true to himself and uphold his beliefs, despite any dangers or obstacles. Xu Nuo knew how difficult this persistence could be, so he chose to sacrifice himself to strengthen Wang Gen Sheng's resolve before his death.

Even without Qin Huai, Wang Gen Sheng would have succeeded in this life, because he had already accomplished it.

Wang Gen Sheng's story was now very clear.

"Uncle Wang, I still prefer to call you that. Now that you're awake, and since I learned through your memories that Mr. Xu actually knew Xu Nuo and Shi Dadan were spirits, I also told you that we visited Mr. Xu in Gusu a while ago."

"I think we can have a straightforward conversation with Mr. Xu. It might not even be necessary, as I suspect Mr. Xu has already realized that Old Shi is Xu Nuo and An Youyou is the leader."

"Would you like to go to Gusu with me tomorrow afternoon?" Qin Huai asked Wang Gen Sheng.

Qin Huai thought Wang Gen Sheng had the smallest gap between his pre- and post-awakening states among the spirits, possibly due to his nature as a Law Beast. His personality was quite consistent whether as a human or a spirit, with nearly no discernible difference.

Because there wasn't much of a difference, Qin Huai suspected that Wang Gen Sheng might be struggling to face Mr. Xu immediately.

The relationship between Wang Gen Sheng and Mr. Xu was quite complex. They were steadfast allies, yet Xu Nuo's death added to the matter. Mr. Xu didn't significantly promote Wang Gen Sheng. At least in the textile factory, Wang Gen Sheng didn't get quick promotions or raises, but Mr. Xu didn't break their alliance after the report either.

If Mr. Xu hadn't protected Wang Gen Sheng, he'd long have been demoted to a grueling, exhausting position in the factory.

Moreover, Wang Gen Sheng hadn't sold the Double Crab Bun recipe Xu Nuo gave him, considering it a keepsake from a friend that he was reluctant to part with. The money for Wang Gen Sheng's father's surgery was loaned by Mr. Xu, and it took Wang Gen Sheng many years to pay it back with interest.

In recounting his past lives, Wang Gen Sheng briefly mentioned the Red Silk Cake.

Before awakening, he didn't want to tell Qin Huai the truth because the Red Silk Cake was something he couldn't face in his life.

He longed to taste it yet feared mentioning it, so he couldn't tell Qin Huai the truth, couldn't tell him which friend made it, and didn't dare say he didn't even know its taste. That single sweet bite of the Red Silk Cake he tasted through tears the day he returned home after Xu Nuo died.

The cake was sweet, the tears salty, but to Wang Gen Sheng at that time, it tasted bitter.

He couldn't describe the taste because his memory contained no genuine flavor, only true pain.

To Wang Gen Sheng, whether Xu Nuo's death was an accident or not, he bore some responsibility. Xu Nuo had been killed by a truck on the way back from buying ingredients for the cake.

Xu Nuo had planned to make the cake for him, intending for him to enjoy it after work during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Vice Factory Director Zhou and others had gotten wind of his whereabouts, leading to the fatal accident.

To Wang Gen Sheng, he bore undeniable responsibility for Xu Nuo's death.

That package of Red Silk Cake was saved until New Year. On New Year's Eve, as Wang Gen Sheng took the oil paper package out of the cabinet, he found it had been eaten by mice long ago. The clever mice had gnawed a large hole on the package's back, so Wang Gen Sheng never noticed during his routine checks.

Wang Gen Sheng kept that gnawed oil paper for over two decades until it disintegrated during a move.

He didn't have many of Xu Nuo's belongings, but he tried to preserve each one. After leaving Gusu, Wang Gen Sheng never saw Mr. Xu again, detailing the complexity of his feelings towards him.

Now that Wang Gen Sheng had awakened and knew Xu Nuo was a spirit, that his death didn't mean true death, it didn't mean Wang Gen Sheng could absolve himself from responsibility for Xu Nuo's demise.

Because that's who Wang Gen Sheng was.

He held onto principles, clung to his beliefs, whether human or spirit, his character remained unchanged. As a Law Beast, he stood for fairness, justice, and the Law within him.

Faced with Qin Huai's questions, Wang Gen Sheng fell silent.

"Even if Mr. Xu knows Xu Nuo is a spirit and that he can reincarnate, he'll still blame me."

"The reincarnated Xu Nuo is no longer Xu Nuo. His son truly died because of me."

"Mr. Xu won't blame you." Qin Huai said to Wang Gen Sheng, "Because before Xu Nuo died, he told Mr. Xu not to blame you."

"Last time, when we visited Mr. Xu at the nursing home, he didn't mention much about Xu Nuo. Perhaps he didn't want to talk about it. But I could tell he dearly loved his youngest son."

"You'll remember Xu Nuo's last words to you for a lifetime, for decades without forgetting, proving with your actions that you remembered."

"I believe Mr. Xu is the same. He won't blame you. Moreover, if he learns you're a spirit, and Xu Nuo wanted you to awaken, and now you truly have, he'll be happy."

For the first time, Wang Gen Sheng's eyes misted.

"Then I'll check the flight tickets now." Wang Gen Sheng pulled out his phone to book a ticket.

"I've got the schedule covered. There's a flight at 2 PM to Shanghai, which connects to a high-speed train. We can eat dinner at Huang Ji. After a night's rest, we visit Mr. Xu at the nursing home in the morning, and we can invite Mr. Gong too."

"If Mr. Xu finds out he knows so many spirits, he'll definitely be amazed."