The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 496 Substitution
After viewing the apartment, Gong Liang readily agreed to sign the rental contract on the spot. Although Luo Jun owned many properties, some of which were rented out through lawyers, he never handled rental matters himself. Therefore, he was unaware of the contract or the price.

On the surface, the houses where Shi Dadan and Chen Gong lived were rented to them by Luo Jun, but in reality, Luo Jun didn't charge them any money, just like Chen Huihong never charged Qu Jing any rent after Qu Jing woke up.

Therefore, when Gong Liang asked Luo Jun how much the rent was, Luo Jun casually said six thousand and asked Chen Huihong to draft the contract. This directly led Gong Liang to become even more convinced that Luo Jun was an empty-nest old man who appeared to have a bad temper but was actually kind-hearted and lonely.

During the afternoon tea party, he practically wore his intention to take care of elderly people living alone on his face, showering Luo Jun with concern and care.

In previous years, the neighborhood committee staff used the same approach, and those skilled in this method were all scolded by Luo Jun to the point that they dared not visit him. What Luo Jun hated most was people thinking he was an empty-nest elderly person who needed care. In Luo Jun's view, how could a dignified Bi Fang need care? Even if he was about to die, he didn't need it.

But Gong Liang wasn't human; he was an unawakened spirit. Luo Jun was afraid that if he lost his temper in a fit of rage, Gong Liang would berate him so badly that his Dao heart would shatter, causing him to fail his tribulation and become a sinner for all eternity. So he could only swallow his anger and reluctantly accept Gong Liang's kindness. His face was like a spilled palette, changing wildly all afternoon.

Chen Huihong was eating melon seeds with great gusto on the side, having consumed half a pound of them.

If Gong Liang hadn't gone back to pack his bags and move in with his wife and children, leaving early, Qin Huai would have been afraid that Luo Jun would lose his temper and explode on the spot.

"Mr. Luo, I have to go back and pack my things, so I'll take my leave now. I'll visit you again next time. Physiotherapy is really helpful for your leg problems. If you really don't like physiotherapy, applying some hot compress plasters is also good. I just happened to bring some plasters with me, so I'll bring you two boxes next time. I'll be leaving now." Gong Liang left with the packed snacks and tangerine peel tea. Although his words were polite, his concern for Mr. Luo was genuine.

Gong Liang is essentially a kind-hearted person, but his kindness is selective, unlike Chen Huihong's indiscriminate kindness before.

After Gong Liang left, Luo Jun, who had been holding back for hours, finally didn't have to pretend to be nice anymore. His face instantly darkened, and he raised his voice, his tone filled with anger, as he asked Qin Huai, who was still making desserts in the kitchen:

"Qin Huai, what mission did you just trigger? Was it because of this damned Evil Beast? When will he wake up? You better make sure he wakes up before I die! If I can only curse him in my next life, I won't die in peace."

The last few words were written with considerable grit and determination.

Qin Huai was kneading dough balls in the kitchen when he heard Luo Jun's angry roar and quickly ran out to smooth things over: "Mr. Luo, please don't be angry. Ignorance is bliss."

"Although Mr. Gong likes to say nice things, likes to create coincidences, and likes to use all sorts of ways to get delicious snacks, his heart is definitely good, and his concern for you is definitely genuine. Although I don't quite understand why he cares about you so much."

"We should judge by actions, not intentions. Mr. Gong's actions and intentions are both good, so please bear with him. Would you like orange or banana pasta? Right now, the banana pasta doesn't look good and the taste is off, while the orange pasta looks okay but the taste is off. Which one would you like?"

Luo Jun snorted coldly, revealing the typical villainous NPC expression: "I want to eat apple noodles."

Qin Huai: ...As expected of Luo Jun, he chose C over B.

Okay, it's good that they didn't choose 'and'.

"There's a freshly made orange pastry in the kitchen. Why don't you have this first? Zhao Cheng'an's butterfly cookies will be ready in two minutes, and this pastry I have will be done in about two or three minutes. Wait a few more minutes, and while we eat, I'll tell everyone about the mission I triggered. What do you think?"

Qin Huai knew that Luo Jun had already given Gong Liang a lot of face today. Given Luo Jun's temperament, it was a miracle that he could hold back his temper for several hours.

It's worth noting that whenever Chen Huihong stayed at Luo Jun's house, the phrase "Chen Huihong, are you sick?" would echo in the room every 20 minutes on average.

Upon hearing that there was a task to be done, Chen Huihong immediately sprang into action, skillfully opening the drawer in Luo Jun's house where various teas were kept and taking out a packet of black tea.

"Let's get down to business. To get down to business, we need to drink black tea. I'll go make some tea."

"I'll go cut some fruit," Shi Dadan said cheerfully.

Seeing that everyone had something to do, Chen Gong felt embarrassed to be idle. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Luo Jun and said, "Mr. Luo, how about I chat with you for two minutes?"

"Get lost," Luo Jun said succinctly. "Don't force me to hit you."

"Mr. Luo is still so direct," Chen Gong said with a smile, plopping down on the sofa next to Luo Jun, looking like he didn't care if Luo Jun hit him, as long as it made Mr. Luo happy.

Luo Jun: ...

Qin Huai rushed back to the kitchen to quickly prepare orange-flavored pasta. Zhao Cheng'an, who was already eating fruit in the kitchen and was starting to burp, glanced at the pasta in Qin Huai's hand and said, "Your pasta is not bad, it looks quite like an orange."

Zhao Cheng'an is eating an orange.

"Eat less, there'll be plenty of time to eat later when we're talking about serious business," Qin Huai said.

Hearing Qin Huai mention this, Zhao Cheng'an felt a surge of sorrow and said indignantly, "You still say that? We were supposed to have a tea party at Luo Jun's house at noon, and I thought the afternoon would be a break. But it turns out that we have to make snacks in the kitchen for the tea party. Last time it was a buffet, but this time it's turned into making snacks."

"I don't even want to think about what it will be like next time."

Qin Huai could only comfort him: "The capable should do more. The tea party snacks need to be made anyway. You are a pastry chef, and so am I. If the two of us don't do it, who will? Luo Jun provided the fruit and the venue all by himself. Those with money contribute money, and those with strength contribute strength. In terms of annual salary, you are the lowest among us, tens of thousands of yuan lower than Qu Jing. Not to mention your assets, I've never seen your stock trading software turn red. When Luo Jun dies, I'll give you a share of his inheritance. You won't lose out."

Zhao Cheng'an: ? Do you believe I can just call Xia Murui right now and have him transfer me hundreds of thousands to see what I'm capable of?
"Could you give me a share of this apartment? I really love it."

"You'd have to ask Mr. Luo. What if he gets used to living in this house and wants to live there again after he's reincarnated as a human?"

“I can live here for 20 years first, and then I can renovate it and give it back to him.”

Luo Jun's voice rose again from the living room: "You two, I'm not dead yet! Next time you discuss how to divide my inheritance, close the kitchen door first! Also, this house is not to be given to anyone else, and no one is allowed to live in it. I want to live here in my next life!"

Zhao Cheng'an could only eat the apple with a regretful expression.

Shi Dadan was still washing fruit by the pool, washing dates, and asked, "Qin Huai, do you want to eat some bananas? Do you want some kiwis? If so, I'll peel some for you. I've already eaten all the kiwis I peeled."

"One banana is enough, I won't eat the rest." Qin Huai said, adding the last touch of color to the orange pasta in his hand, looking it over with satisfaction, and then putting it down.

Qin Huai sighed, "Ah, if only the game notification that rang in my mind when I finished making these orange pasta dumplings would say: 'Ding, congratulations! Your dough-making has reached the Master level!' But skill upgrades don't trigger game notifications, and these pasta dumplings I made today won't upgrade my dough-making skills. What a pity."

Zhao Cheng'an was certain that Qin Huai was obsessed with leveling up. He swallowed the last bite of orange, and at the same time, the oven dinged, indicating that the butterfly cookies inside were ready. Everyone set out pastries, noodles, tea, and fruit on the table, and gathered around to listen to Qin Huai talk about the newly triggered side quest.

After Qin Huai finished reading the mission details, Shi Dadan was the first to exclaim, "I didn't expect Gong Liang to like this type of TV series. My wife also likes to watch this type of series, but she prefers to watch family dramas and happy endings after the children have fallen out."

Chen Huihong was still eating sunflower seeds, her tea untouched.

Zhao Cheng'an focused on eating fruit, as if discussing such a difficult task was their business and had nothing to do with him, Fuyou. He had spent the whole afternoon making snacks and couldn't even sit down and enjoy them.

Luo Jun remained silent, deep in thought.

The restaurant fell silent for a moment, until Chen Gong broke the silence and began his analysis: "I didn't expect Mr. Gong to be this kind of person. No wonder he was so warm and friendly to Mr. Luo today."

"What do you mean?" Luo Jun asked, his tone and the look in his eyes were full of displeasure. He already didn't like Chen Gong, and in Luo Jun's eyes, even Chen Gong's breathing was wrong.

"Mr. Gong likes family reunion stories, and he doesn't even need any reason as long as his family is reunited. In addition, Mr. Gong's two previous memories are related to Master Jing, which means that Master Jing holds a very high position in Mr. Gong's heart in this life. Master Jing is also an old man, a lonely old man who looks fierce but is actually very kind and gentle."

As soon as Chen Gong said this, everyone realized what was going on and looked at Luo Jun.

Luo Jun was stunned, his voice filled with disbelief: "So, Gong Liang is so mentally unstable that he's treating me like a substitute for Jing Lixiang?!"

“It can’t be said to be a replacement.” Chen Gong continued to analyze calmly. “After all, Master Jing has been gone for so many years. Mr. Gong may simply be feeling nostalgic because of the scenery and thinks that you, Mr. Luo, are very similar to Master Jing in many ways, so he subconsciously wants to be good to you.”

Luo Jun looked more uncomfortable than if he had swallowed a fly.

"The composition and atmosphere of our tea party today actually fit Mr. Gong's preferred family-friendly atmosphere. Without any reason or logic, a group of seemingly unrelated people gathered together to celebrate, including a lonely elderly person who looks very much like a respected elder. This kind of family-friendly atmosphere is probably the main reason that triggered Mr. Gong's side quest."

Qin Huai realized: "So, the mission details not only gave me hints about the tea party, but also hints about where to ask for snacks."

Chen Gong nodded: "The fact that Gong Liang was moved by the scene means that the pastry that left a deep impression on him also appeared in a similar setting, which was most likely when Master Jing was present."

Chen Huihong suddenly realized, "If that's the case, then the scope has narrowed down a lot. Qin Huai can just ask him directly."

"Actually, it hasn't shrunk that much." Shi Dadan said in a moment of distraction while he was busy eating snacks. "Although I wasn't very familiar with Gong Liang in my past life, I only met him a few times and knew that he existed, but I knew that he was Master Jing's neighbor and had a good relationship with Master Jing. If eating with Zheng Da and Huang Shengli counts as a family gathering, they probably get together at least 100 times a year."

Qin Huai: ? Gong Liang was eating so well before?

So you're not cooking anything, and just eating next door?

Just as everyone fell silent again, Luo Jun, who hadn't spoken until now, opened his mouth. His tone was slightly raised, with a hint of smugness, which was typical of his confident tone.

"If four people getting together to eat something casually is considered a family gathering, then the term 'family gathering' is worthless."

"Qin Huai can't handle this matter."

Qin Huai opened his mouth: "I can just..."

Luo Jun interrupted Qin Huai without any mercy: "You want to ask directly? Do you think E's beast is some kind of dim-witted plant spirit like Chen Huihong, who can accept any abrupt topic without a doubt? How can you ask directly? If it really happens more than 100 times a year, how can you ask directly?"

"If you can't find out, I'll have to ask."

“Isn’t he supposed to come to my house tonight to sign the contract? Chen Huihong, find a print shop to print out the contract. None of you should stay at my house tonight. Go do whatever you need to do and don’t hang around in front of me and get in my way.”

"Gong Liang will definitely come to my house with some things tonight. What does he like to eat? Qin Huai, make some more of his favorite dishes. Let him stay and leave. Make a pot of tangerine peel tea for me to drink tonight. Leave the rest to me."

Seeing Luo Jun's confidence, his continued detachment from the matter, and even his blatant use of his phone, Zhao Cheng'an couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Luo, what method do you intend to use to ask?"

Luo Jun rolled his eyes at Zhao Cheng'an: "What does this have to do with you? Do you think I'm like you mayflies, that I've lived eight lifetimes in vain, and that after waking up I'm still being dragged down by my skills from my first life? All eight of my lives combined are not as good as my first life. Do you really think I've been a vegetarian for the past 90 years?"

Zhao Cheng'an, who was verbally attacked by Luo Jun for the first time, felt that sometimes Qin Huai and Tan Weian's words were not so unpleasant.

When the two of them made personal attacks, they at least had some sense of reasoning. Luo Jun's personal attacks were pure attacks.

Zhao Cheng'an silently shut up.

Seeing that Luo Jun was unwilling to talk, Qin Huai didn't ask any more questions. He made a batch of Four Happiness Flower Rolls and another batch of Four Happiness Tangyuan before going home to wait for news.

The others also went home. Before leaving, Chen Huihong not only packed up the fruit, but also took the sunflower seeds she hadn't finished eating.

Qin Huai waited quietly at home until 10 p.m. During this time, the group chat for "[A Loving Family]" reached 999+ messages. Chen Huihong tagged Luo Jun more than 30 times, asking him if he had gotten any information out of him, but Luo Jun did not respond.

Finally, at 10:3 PM, Luo Jun sent Qin Huai a list.

The list contains 12 kinds of snacks.

The list also includes a note: "You must have made all 12 of these snacks. If you haven't completed the task, it means you're doing it wrong."

Qin Huai: !
Family, experience truly matters!

Bifang is different; the value of its life is indeed higher than that of an ephemeral mayfly's eight lifetimes.

(End of this chapter)