Chapter 63: Chicken Mushroom Soup Noodles
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Is he your friend?” Xian Han asked, slightly confused. The driver was a middle-aged man. No matter how he looked at it, the age did not seem to match. However, the middle-aged man seemed too young to be Lin Xiaowan’s father.
“No, no, he’s my driver. He usually fetches me around when I go out,” Lin Xiaowan explained as she followed Xiao Han down a small path.
“I see,” Xiao Han said with a nod.
The small path was bustling and noisy, completely different from the quiet Nanhu Road.
After walking a few steps, Lin Xiaowan smelled a distinct and alluring fragrance in the air, which caused her stomach to growl. She gulped and said, “Something smells good…”
It was very obvious when she gulped. She was so attracted by the fragrance that she stood still for a long time. She sniffed and looked around like a dog, trying to determine the source of the fragrance. There were many small shops here so it was a little difficult for her to determine which shop the fragrance came from.
Xiao Han frequented this place all the time so he understood with just a glance. He said, “I think you’re looking for Fan Jixian Restaurant. Do you want to have a look?”
Lin Xiaowan looked around for the restaurant that Xiao Han mentioned, but she did not see it. “Where is it? I don’t see it…”
Xiao Han quickly led the way.
Even before they reached the entrance of the shop, Lin Xiaowan had already confirmed that the fragrance indeed came from the shop. The closer they got, the stronger the fragrance was. When they reached the entrance, she felt as though an invisible hand was pulling her into the restaurant.
Xiao Han said, “Fan Jixian serves freshly stewed chicken soup every day at noon, and it’s famous for its chicken mushroom soup noodles.”
The restaurant was an old and famous noodle shop with two floors. As soon as one stepped into the restaurant, one could feel the weight of time. The shop was passed down for three generations. It started with just a small stall by the roadside, and the large pot of chicken soup placed at the side had a fragrance that could spread for ten miles.
Lin Xiaowan could not wait to enter the restaurant, but she restrained herself and asked Xiao Han politely, “Do you mind eating here or do you want to eat something else?”
“Let’s eat here. I’ll have some noodles,” Xiao Han replied.
When they entered the restaurant, the smell of the chicken soup was even stronger.
Apart from the signature chicken mushroom soup noodles, there were other kinds of noodles as well.
A leaderboard hung on the wall behind the counter. A small line of words could be seen at the bottom: Every Monday, the data will be reset. It displayed the sales volume of the different varieties of noodles on the menu for the week. The chicken mushroom soup noodle was far ahead of the other noodles, and their sales were a digit more than the Yangchun noodles that were in second place.
After Lin Xiaowan placed an order for a large serving of chicken mushroom soup noodles, she saw the number next to the chicken mushroom soup noodles on the leaderboard increase by one, and she was amused.
After Xiao Han placed his order, Lin Xiaowan ordered a bottle of soda and asked, “Do you want a drink?”
Xiao Han shook his head and asked the lady behind the counter how much it was.
The lady behind the counter asked, “Are you paying separately or together?”
Xiao Han and Lin Xiaowan both replied in unison to pay together, but Xiao Han was a step slower than Lin Xiaowan. While he was bringing out his phone, Lin Xiaowan had already paid the bill.
Lin Xiaowan looked triumphant, clearly happy that she beat Xiao Han to pay the bill first. She asked, “Where should we sit?”
Xiao Han did not know whether to laugh or cry when he saw this, and he quickly led her to a table.
The lady boss of the shop opened the old-fashioned soda bottle for Lin Xiaowan and gave her a straw before she said, “Our chicken soup is free. You can try it later. It’s delicious, and a hundred times better than soda.”
Lin Xiaowan nodded as she took a big gulp of the soda. “Okay.”
After taking a seat, Lin Xiaowan sent a message to Huo Zheng, telling him about the noodle shop.
[Lin Xiaowan: I’m waiting for my food. The noodles smell extremely good. I wonder if it’ll taste good as well.]
At this time, Xiao Han said, “I already said that I’ll treat you to lunch, but you still paid for it.”
Lin Xiaowan deliberately rushed to pay for the food. She said tactfully, “You’re teaching me so it’s only right that I treat you to lunch.”
Xiao Han propped his chin on his hands and looked at Lin Xiaowan.
They were sitting by the window, and the sunlight streamed in, shining on Lin Xiaowan. She held the soda bottle and drank it all in one go. When she was done, she turned to the side before letting out a small burp.
At this time, Xiao Han asked, “Why did you want to learn how to paint?”
Lin Xiaowan replied, “I just think it’s very beautiful. I’ve always been interested in painting. It’s just that 1 never had a chance to learn. I thought about it and felt that it’s never too late to learn…”
In fact, when Xiao Han learned that Hong Minhua wanted him to teach a friend’s friend the basics, he was slightly unhappy. It was still a long time before the academy would recruit students, but Hong Minhua accepted the other party as a student so he thought that the other party must have an extraordinary background. Not only that, but the other party also did not have any foundation. It was obvious that the other party was not like Hong Minhua’s other students.
He also assumed, for some reason, that the other party was a child. He was not good with children and would subconsciously treat them coldly and perfunctorily. At that time, Hong Minhua had told him that the other party was a young woman about his age, and he also realized he had assumed wrongly.
When he finally met Lin Xiaowan, he was quite surprised. Just as Hong Minhua said, she was very well-behaved. He had told her there was no need to bring anything, but she still brought a bag of supplies. He thought that she looked very cute when she waited for him by the roadside earlier, looking at a loss.
With that, he quickly accepted this ‘illegitimate junior sister’.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaowan who had finished the bottle of soda contemplated whether she should get another drink or listen to the lady boss’ suggestion and try a bowl of chicken soup. However, she felt like she should finish her noodles first before drinking the soup. In the end, she decided to get a bottle of flavored milk.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Han suddenly smacked his forehead. “Are you very thirsty? I’m sorry I forgot to offer you water earlier. We have a water dispenser in the studio.
Lin Xiaowan was indeed thirsty, but it had nothing to do with whether he served her water or not earlier. She replied, “It’s okay. I just really like these drinks.”
“You should drink less sugary drinks. If you drink too much, your teeth will fall out,” Xiao Han said jokingly.
Lin Xiaowan had just unscrewed the cap and had taken a big gulp when she heard this. She froze, not sure if she should continue drinking or not.. She was in a dilemma for a moment before she defended herself with great difficulty, “I… I rarely drink them…”