The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 338 The Whereabouts of the Fourth Disciple
"Is this where Mr. Gu Cong used to live...?"

Qin Lang looked at the small villa with a garden in front of him, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Contrary to his expectations of a dilapidated house, the old villa, though worn, still showed signs of cleanliness through the windows, and the garden outside clearly showed signs of trimming.

There are still signs of habitation here; it is not completely abandoned.

"How about we go up and ring the doorbell?" Cao Dongdong looked around, somewhat eager to try, "to see who lives here."

"That works too." Qin Lang nodded after thinking for a moment.

He originally planned to visit Gu Cong's former residence and then start by talking to the neighbors in the surrounding area, but now there seems to be a new opportunity.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and carefully pressed the doorbell.

"Ding-dong-"

The doorbell rang repeatedly, but no one came out after a short wait.

Qin Lang pressed it again, but the result was the same.

"It seems there's no one left." Zhao Qian shook her head, her gaze falling on an old woman walking by not far away, her eyes lighting up.

"Grandma, please wait!"

As she called out, she quickly walked up to the other person, pointed to Gu Cong's former residence, and asked, "Is anyone living in this house?"

You mean this house?

The old woman glanced at the house, then at Zhao Qian and Qin Lang and the others following closely behind, and shook her head. "No one has lived here for a long time, but an old gentleman comes to clean it every now and then."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

"Do you know when that old man will come to clean next?" Cao Dongdong couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know about that," the old woman shook her head again. "The old man's coming time is not fixed."

“However…” the old woman pondered for a moment, then slowly said, “Judging by the time, it seems he hasn’t come for quite some time now.”

At this point, the old woman couldn't help but sigh, "That old gentleman was about my age."

"People our age, even the slightest bump or bruise is a hassle, I wonder if he is..."

"Sigh..." The old woman shook her head as she said this.

Qin Lang and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Grandma, do you know anything else about that old gentleman?" Qin Lang couldn't help but ask again.

“I spoke with them briefly once before…” A look of reminiscence appeared in the old woman’s eyes, but she didn’t speak immediately. Instead, she looked at Qin Lang and the others with some wariness. “Why are you asking so many questions?”

"Do you have any ideas about this house?"

"Of course not." Qin Lang shook his head with a wry smile. "The owner of this house was a very skilled spirit chef. We came here because of his reputation and wanted to visit people related to him."

"I see." The old woman looked enlightened. "I remember when the owner of this house was still alive, there were indeed many guests coming and going."

"At the time, the neighbors were all saying that the owner of this house might be an extraordinary person!"

No longer doubting Qin Lang and the others' motives, the old woman slowly explained, "That old gentleman's surname is Xu, and he is a businessman in the catering industry."

“Every time he came, he dressed very elegantly and formally, but he never asked anyone else to clean this old house.”

“I asked him why he didn’t hire a cleaner to do this kind of thing.”

"That old Mr. Xu said that the owner of this house was the most important person to him before his death, so only he can handle this matter." Upon hearing this, Qin Lang and the other four exchanged glances.

The surname was unfamiliar, but Mr. Gu Cong was the most important person to him.

Is it...

This is the fourth disciple that Mr. Gu Cong accepted in his later years.

Realizing this possibility, everyone's eyes lit up.

"Grandma, thank you so much," Qin Lang said earnestly.

"Haha, you're welcome," the old woman said with a laugh. "This neighborhood is too desolate; now it's just us old folks living here."

"It's rare to meet young people, and I'm very happy to chat with you."

"It's almost noon, how about we come to my house for lunch?"

"In that case," Qin Lang smiled, "why don't we cook you a meal as a token of our gratitude?"

"Oh?" The old woman was a little surprised, but then her smile became even brighter. "That's wonderful!"
-
"Be careful on the road~"

The old woman stood at the door of her house and waved to Qin Lang and the others, a broad smile on her face.

The meal she had just eaten was the most delicious food she had ever had in her life. It made this elderly woman, whose appetite had been gradually declining with age, eat an extra large bowl of rice.

"Young people these days are really amazing," the old woman couldn't help but sigh, and only slowly closed the door after Qin Lang and the others had disappeared from sight.

On the other side, Qin Lang and his group were walking on the road after leaving the old woman's house when Cao Dongdong's phone received a message. He glanced at it and then looked up.

"We've found out Mr. Xu's identity."

"So fast?" Qin Lang and the others all showed surprise.

Before dinner, Cao Dongdong said he could have someone from Tianzhou Group check the catering industry in Yuehu City to see if there was a boss with the surname Xu.

Unexpectedly, they locked onto their target in just one meal.

“There’s only one restaurant owner surnamed Xu in Yuehu City,” Cao Dongdong said, shrugging. “There’s simply no other option.”

“Xu Chen is seventy-eight years old this year. He started from scratch and built a restaurant called ‘Fish Flavor’ in Yuehu City.” Cao Dongdong read the message he had just received, pausing for a moment, “It’s exactly the same as what the old lady mentioned.”

“‘Fish Flavor’ restaurant is now one of the top ten most popular restaurants in Yuehu City, and is currently owned by Xu Chen’s son, Xu Zhe.”

Qin Lang nodded, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "This Mr. Xu Chen should be Mr. Gu Cong's fourth disciple."

"Shall we go directly to 'Fish Flavor' restaurant to visit Mr. Xu Chen?" Zhao Qian held up her phone. "I checked, and that restaurant isn't too far from here!"

"Let's go!" Qin Lang took a deep breath.

After obtaining some clues from Su Wanxia, ​​their search efficiency increased significantly. Qin Lang was quite surprised that they were able to identify Mr. Gu Cong's fourth disciple so quickly.

嗏

Thinking of what the old woman had said—that Mr. Xu Chen hadn't cleaned his old residence for a while—Qin Lang felt a sense of urgency. He felt that meeting Xu Chen might not go as smoothly as everyone expected.

Guided by the navigation, the five people soon arrived at a luxurious and grand restaurant, where the "Fish Flavor" signboard with its flamboyant calligraphy caught their eye.

We've arrived at "Fish Flavor" restaurant.

(End of this chapter)