"Brother Xu, Teacher Cui and I would each like a portion of fried noodles. Yue Liyue said they are really tasty, so we want to give them a try."
Geng Lele had originally planned to joke and call him ’Grandpa Lin’ again.
But then she thought if she called Lin Xu ’Grandpa’, Professor Cui would have to start calling him ’Uncle Lin’. She decided against it to avoid any awkwardness with her teacher.
"Alright, I’ll get on it."
Lin Xu replied, then looked at Shen Baobao and asked, "How’s it coming along?"
"I’m leaning towards getting a Continental, but to make sure it suits my taste, I picked several other coupes of the sa class to try out... It’s such a hassle. It would be so much easier if it were like shopping at the supermarket."
If that’s what she finds troubleso, then what wouldn’t be?
Lin Xu said with a smile, "No worries, take your ti. We’re not in a rush."
He then went back to the kitchen to continue making the fried noodles.
Downstairs, Ren Jie finished up his plate of fried noodles.
Besides the fried noodles, the table also held beef sandwiches in sesa buns and Tiger Skin Chicken Feet—dishes he had tried once before and couldn’t forget. Everything was extrely delicious.
"Little cop, what’s the best al you’ve ever had?"
Seeing Ren Jie enjoy the food, Chen Yan felt a sense of pride.
Although she hadn’t made it herself, it was her relative’s restaurant, after all. The more popular the food, the happier she felt.
This question indeed stumped Ren Jie for a mont.
He thought for a bit and said, "Last winter, we were trying to catch a car theft gang in one swoop. We staked out in the suburbs until over five in the morning before we finally caught them. Back at the police station, after the handover, the canteen made a big pot of Tomato Egg Noodles. We devoured it noisily... That was the best al I’ve ever had."
He had been out in the cold for nearly a whole night and involved in the arrest. Afterward, he was cold and hungry, and a bowl of Tomato Egg Noodles was enough to dispel all the cold and fatigue.
Chen Yan hadn’t experienced these things, so she couldn’t quite relate.
She just sighed in agreent, "Life at the police station must be tough..."
The police station?
Ren Jie was taken aback. I was talking about the detective squad, not the police station.
However, a few days ago, while reviewing case files at the police station, he had noticed the conditions there were indeed worse than at the detective squad. So, he nodded and said, "Indeed, it’s quite tough. It’s a common issue at the grassroots level."
He didn’t mind that they weren’t quite on the sa wavelength. He finished his Sour Plum Soup in one gulp, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood up, saying, "I have to be on duty tonight, so I’ll head back now. I’ll co find you for a al again when I’m free."
As Chen Yan was still reflecting on the hardships of life at the police station, she saw him ready to leave and offered, "How about I give you a ride?"
This little cop has it too tough. If I keep up this act, I’ll just be teasing him. I should probably co clean on the drive and clear up this misunderstanding.
Upon hearing this, Ren Jie couldn’t help but chuckle, "Aren’t you afraid Lin Ji will fire you for skipping work like this? Besides, it’s not that far. Why drive? A stroll back will be good for my digestion."
He initially wanted to say, ’You’re just a junior kitchen hand, what car would you have?’ But on second thought, he held back. She’s all alone working in Beijing, which is hard enough. Now that she’s showing a little bit of vanity, it’s better not to burst her bubble.
Life at the detective squad was heavy and mundane. Occasionally coming over to chat with the junior kitchen hand and taste so of the restaurant’s off-nu dishes felt pretty good.
After paying with his card at the front desk, Ren Jie ruffled Dundun’s head, "Hello Dundun, we’ve got police dogs at our station. Want to go make so friends?"
Dundun gave him a disdainful look. Have you ever seen a cat beco friends with a dog? A cat that befriends dogs—is that even a proper cat?
After swiping his card, Ren Jie patted Dundun a couple more tis, then said goodbye to Shu Yun and Chen Yan before heading out.
Only when his handso silhouette disappeared from the doorway did Shu Yun nudge Chen Yan with her elbow, "Are you addicted to this cosplay? Planning on playing Cinderella forever?"
Chen Yan replied in distress, "I was actually about to confess to him just now, but he wasn’t cooperating, so I didn’t bring it up again."
"You’re being so lodramatic, just tell him! Don’t co crying on my shoulder if he finds so millionaire and kicks you—a ten-millionaire who enjoys playing Cinderella—to the curb. My shoulder won’t be available for your tears then."
"Pfft, as if I’d want it. It’d be too lumpy for comfort anyway."
Outside the store, as Ren Jie was unlocking a shared electric scooter with his phone to head back to the station, he received a WeChat ssage from his mom, "Xiao Jie, are you free this weekend? Your Aunt Wang’s niece returned from her studies in California last month. If you’re not too busy, how about eting her for a coffee and a chat? Just give it a try."
Reading this ssage, the image of soone in a chef’s uniform involuntarily flashed through Ren Jie’s mind.
He replied, "National Day is coming up, and the station needs to sort out policing arrangents for the holiday. I probably won’t have any ti before then. Mom, please stop trying to set up blind dates for . It’s better not to arrange things if I can’t make it, so people don’t say we’re being impolite."
After sending the reply, he straddled the electric scooter, put on the helt that was attached to the handlebars, and, in a cheerful mood, maneuvered around the parking spaces in front of the shop to turn onto the road. Just then, he saw that white Porsche 911 again.
Hmm, it’s parked quite properly this ti.
Ren Jie nodded with satisfaction and continued on his way.
In the evening, after work, Lin Xu checked his task progress and was surprised to find they had sold over thirty servings of fried noodles that night.
They were all requested by regular custors. It seems the company’s promotion was spot on.
Since that was the case, he decided that the next morning he would have the company’s team shoot a video of him making fried noodles, so custors could experience the charm of this thod of stir-frying fresh noodles.
「The next morning.」
Once the video of the fried noodles was uploaded, netizens went crazy.
"Damn! It’s *that* kind of fried noodles! I gotta apply for an out-of-office pass right away. I’ll say I’m eting a client. Can’t miss out on these fried noodles for lunch!"
"Haha, I’m telling my manager the sa thing right now. ’Going out to see a client’ is such a versatile excuse."
"Last ti I wanted to get my hair perd, I used this excuse. When I got back, I told my supervisor I went with a client to get it done, and he even praised for doing the right thing."
"The fried noodles from my hotown were made just like this when I was a kid. It’s a sha I can’t find them anymore."
"’Hotown Fried Noodles’—that na is perfect! It makes really want to go back ho for a visit."
"I’m scrambling for high-speed train tickets right now! No matter what, I have to go ho this National Day and taste those hotown delicacies I’ve been dreaming about."
"..."
In the Spring Breeze Vegetable Market, a chubby Mr. Hu, his belly protruding, strode over to Uncle Shen’s stall, "Lin Ji is serving fried noodles for lunch today—the kind we used to eat when we were young. Want to go try it together?"
"I watched that video. Even if I don’t sell a single pound of these vegetables, I have to go taste it at noon and see if it’s the old flavor I rember."
「In the shop.」
Lin Xu was still unaware that his fried noodles had beco an internet sensation.
He was currently fiddling with a pile of pebbles his senior brother had brought over, planning to use these stones to prepare a dish...
————————
This Chapter has 5,300 words. I’m begging for Monthly Tickets, guys!
User Comments
0 comments from readers