Chapter 43: A Generous Gift... Thanks?

The kitchen door creaked open.

Lu Mingyuan walked in, followed by Steward Li.

"Mr. Lu, the clear soup noodles are ready. Please have a try," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

Instead of looking at the noodles immediately, Lu Mingyuan stepped forward and grasped Lin Xiao's hand. "Thank you for your hard work. I am sure the noodles you made are delicious!"

It had to be said that this wealthiest man in the city was truly considerate of other people's feelings.

He possessed a strong charisma, completely devoid of any domineering arrogance.

Yet Lin Xiao knew this was primarily because the disparity in status between himself and Lu Mingyuan was simply too vast.

Those in high positions were always amiable toward ordinary people, but toward subordinates directly responsible to them, they rarely maintained such good tempers.

Through Lu Mingyuan's polite remarks, Lin Xiao still detected a subtle nuance. The tycoon's exact words had been: "I am sure the noodles you made are delicious!"

However, Lin Xiao's task today was not merely to whip up a delicious bowl of noodles, but to replicate the exact craftsmanship of Madam Lu.

Lin Xiao knew that Lu Mingyuan still lacked a measure of confidence in him, but such doubts could only be dispelled by cold, hard facts.

Therefore, he stepped aside, revealing the bowl of clear soup noodles on the dining table behind him to Lu Mingyuan. "Mr. Lu, please taste it."

When Lu Mingyuan's gaze finally fell upon that bowl of noodles, his entire body abruptly froze.

The three golden rings of sesame oil floating on the surface of the soup, the meticulously minced scallions chopped to absolute perfection, and even the slightly softened texture of the noodles—every single detail struck like a heavy hammer deep within his memories.

Taking a slightly hurried step forward, he cupped the soup bowl in both hands. The bowl was still warm, not burning hot, just like... just like the temperature of the bowl his wife used to hand him on those nights in the past.

"This..." Lu Mingyuan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and the fingers holding the bowl trembled slightly.

A familiar aroma drifted into his nasal cavity, and the very instant the first sip of soup touched his lips, Lu Mingyuan slammed his eyes shut.

It was as if some switch had been triggered within him, and he suddenly began to devour the food in massive mouthfuls, casting all regard for his image to the wind.

The noodles were slurped with a distinct sound, and the porcelain spoon clattered loudly against the rim of the bowl. This billionaire, who usually paid the utmost attention to etiquette, was currently eating like a starving child.

"Uncle Lu, slow down..." Xu Tao reached out to hand him a tissue, only to pull his hand back halfway.

He stared in shock at this normally restrained elder, who remained completely oblivious to the noodle broth splashing onto the front of his shirt.

When the very last drop of soup had been consumed, Lu Mingyuan finally set down the bowl and raised his head, his eye rims slightly reddened.

"It has been nearly twenty years... I never thought I would get to taste this flavor again..."

Patting Lin Xiao's shoulder with deep emotion, Lu Mingyuan said, "Lin Xiao, I truly must thank you."

Lin Xiao noticed that Lu Mingyuan no longer addressed him as Mr. Lin; the previous politeness and sense of alienation had been completely swept away.

As a person of high status and an elder, addressing him directly by his given name was no sign of disrespect, but rather a gesture of closeness.

Lin Xiao replied, "Mr. Lu, there is something I must tell you."

Lu Mingyuan looked at him with a puzzled gaze. "Go ahead."

"The reason this bowl of noodles was able to recreate Madam Lu's flavor..." Lin Xiao's voice was soft, yet every single word was crystal clear, "...is because I saw every single detail of how she used to cook noodles for you."

Lin Xiao recounted them one by one: the noodles deliberately broken to a shorter length, the extra boiling time to accommodate his teeth, the careful selection of the mushroom broth base, the mindful avoidance of the spicy parts of the scallions...

"She always let the soup cool to the right temperature first because she knew you had an impatient temper," Lin Xiao concluded. "Furthermore, she knew that eating anything too greasy at night was bad for you, yet she worried the broth would be too bland, so she used precisely three drops of sesame oil."

With every word Lin Xiao uttered, Lu Mingyuan's body trembled slightly.

By the time Lin Xiao finished speaking, Lu Mingyuan had turned slightly to the side, yet Lin Xiao still caught sight of a weathered tear rolling down his furrowed cheek.

Lin Xiao tugged at Xu Tao's sleeve, and the two of them silently backed out of the kitchen.

The moment the door clicked shut, the sound of long-suppressed sobbing echoed from within, as emotions accumulated over twenty years finally breached the dam.

After about twenty minutes, Steward Li approached them with a respectful expression. "I apologize for keeping you both waiting. The master is waiting for you in the study."

When Lin Xiao and Xu Tao stepped into the study once more, Lu Mingyuan had already changed into a clean set of clothes. Though his eyes were still somewhat bloodshot, he looked as though an invisible burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and his demeanor was much lighter.

"Little Lin..." Lu Mingyuan changed his form of address once again, his tone now as intimate as if he were speaking to a nephew of his own family. "For today's matter, I owe you a massive favor. How can I ever thank you?"

Xu Tao chimed in opportunely, "Uncle Lu, Lin Xiao needs to help a friend out with a favor, and he's lacking a piece of Millennium Spiritual Wood. I think the brush holder on your desk would fit the bill perfectly."

"That won't do!" Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

Lin Xiao inwardly sighed. After all, that brush holder was carved from two-millennium-old Spiritual Wood, placing it at the absolute pinnacle of Tier 3 transcendental materials, worth no less than ten million.

He feared today's favor was still insufficient to exchange for such a precious item.

Xu Tao was also taken aback, wondering why he had been refused outright.

He had never anticipated such a response.

To his surprise, Lu Mingyuan stood up from his chair and strode rapidly toward the safe hidden behind the bookcase. "That brush holder is far too inferior. If we are talking compensation, only the best will do."

He retrieved a block of wood that appeared almost entirely pitch-black from the safe. "This is a five-millennium Spiritual Wood, which I have collected for many years."

Without waiting for a reply, he thrust it directly into Lin Xiao's hands. "Take it."

Just as Lin Xiao was about to decline, Lu Mingyuan beat him to it by grasping his hand, forcing his fingers to tighten around the wood.

"Little Lin, what you gave me today was far more than just a bowl of noodles—you allowed me to see her heart... and all those things I never knew about..." Lu Mingyuan's voice grew somewhat choked with emotion once again.

"Although this material is immensely valuable, you need not carry any psychological burden. You are keeping it for your own use rather than selling it off for profit, so what does its monetary value matter?"

He took a deep breath and gave Lin Xiao's shoulder a firm pat. "This is a token of my sincerity, so I must insist that you do not refuse."

Seeing Lu Mingyuan's resolute attitude, Lin Xiao could only nod in gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

As he had said, if it was purely for personal use and not for commercial profit, it wouldn't constitute an unfair transaction that might trigger a binding vow of hardship, would it?

"Just like Xiao Tao, you should call me Uncle Lu from now on," Lu Mingyuan said earnestly.

"Yes, Un... Uncle Lu."

"Uncle Lu, I can see you are tired, so we will take our leave for today and come visit you another day," Xu Tao said, seizing the opportunity when he noticed Lu Mingyuan's fatigue.

Lu Mingyuan nodded, signaling that they were free to leave.

Yet just as the two of them reached the study door, Lu Mingyuan suddenly spoke again. "Little Lin..."

"Yes?"

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Lin Xiao was slightly bewildered. "I... I'm not sure..."

Lu Mingyuan chuckled softly. "I suddenly have a premonition that you will become a very important person in my life. Meeting you today might just change my destiny entirely."

Lin Xiao had never expected Lu Mingyuan to hold him in such high regard.

Unsure of how to respond for a moment, he could only say, "Thank you for your high praise."

Lu Mingyuan said no more, simply waving his hand to bid them farewell.

As soon as Xu Tao pulled Lin Xiao out of the study, he said excitedly, "You've made a killing today! You simply cannot buy a piece of five-millennium Spiritual Wood like this on the open market! Tell me, what do you think we should name this piece of wood?"

Lin Xiao: "..."

He had no desire to engage with Xu Tao, sensing another deeply cliché pun coming on.

Xu Tao grinned: "After all, this is a piece of over-aged old wood!"

Lin Xiao: (눈益눈)

Would this ever end? Resorting to a lame pun just to pull off a callback by changing a single character?

Noticing Lin Xiao's menacing expression, Xu Tao prudently changed the subject. "The material of this old wood is substantial indeed! Once we plan it out properly, we can easily craft two pieces of transcendental equipment out of it!"

Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned. If that was the case, after fulfilling Huang Lingzhao's requirements, he would still have enough left over to craft a brand-new piece of equipment for himself?