Lin Yiqian pointed at Ming Ji’s Deli. “It’s almost time for lunch. Let’s eat the dumplings at Ming Ji’s Deli. We can bring some home to Xiaoxiao as well. It seems to enjoy the dumplings quite a lot.”
Lin Yiqian unbuckled her seatbelt as she prepared to get out of the car.
When Gu Nianshen heard that she wanted to go to Ming Ji’s Deli, he immediately shook his head with a look of disgust on his face. “Why would I eat trashy food by the road?”
As he spoke, he glanced at Ming Ji’s Deli. When he saw the owner of the stall, he immediately turned away.
Lin Yiqian was not bothered by his comment as she continued to get out of the car.
Perhaps she had spoken too suddenly. How could he possibly eat with her at a roadside stall?
Lin Yiqian chuckled to herself.
“Lin Yiqian, I’ll bring you somewhere else for better food. There’s a new restaurant which serves dumplings near the office. Everyone says it’s good,” Gu Nianshen suddenly voiced out.
She was very surprised.
Could she have heard him wrong?
Did he just offer to bring her to a restaurant near his office which served good food?
Lin Yiqian could not help but stop moving as she turned around with her brows furrowed. However, she was still greeted by Gu Nianshen’s proud expression.
As she gradually calmed herself down, she responded to Gu Nianshen with a smile. “I only like the dumplings from this place. You can either wait for me or get a ride to the office from someone else.”
As she finished her sentence, Lin Yiqian decisively got out of the car.
Without turning around, she closed the door and started walking toward Ming Ji’s Deli.
“Lin Yiqian!” Gu Nianshen called out from the open window. He gritted his teeth as he looked at Lin Yiqian who was walking steadfastly forward.
‘What a dumb woman!’ He thought. She was actually arguing with him over food. How could she be this desperate for food?
When Lin Yiqian arrived at Ming Ji’s Deli, she smiled at the owner who was preparing the dumplings. “Hey mister, how’s the business?”
She had spoken in a casual yet pleasant tone.
When the owner heard someone greeting him, he lifted his head. To his surprise, the lady who stood before him looked strangely familiar. However, he could not quite remember her name. “Hey, aren’t you…”
“Two boxes of dumplings without onions.” Lin Yiqian smiled.
“Yiqian!” The owner immediately recalled who she was.
Excitedly, he placed the dough in his hands back on the table as he wiped his hands over his apron before walking out to greet Lin Yiqian.
“I thought you have forgotten who I was.”
When the owner had called out her name, Lin Yiqian felt a strange warm sensation in her chest.
Perhaps she had been feeling too lonely all this while with the lack of friends. Therefore, when someone remembered who she was and recognized her, she felt somewhat comforted.
‘Isn’t this ironic?’ She thought.
“How could I forget you? It’s been a long time though, hasn’t it?” The owner said warmly.
“Yeah. It’s been years.” Lin Yiqian nodded.
If she was not mistaken, she had not been here since after she had graduated from primary school. It was probably more than ten years ago when she last did.
Indeed, she must have eaten there so frequently that the owner remembered her despite the fact that she had not visited for such a long time.
“Hurry on inside. I’ll make the dumplings for you right away.”
“Alright.”
As Lin Yiqian walked into the stall, she noticed that it had been refurbished. The space seemed much bigger too.
She was the only customer inside because it was still too early for lunch.
Just as she was about to sit down at the table closest to the entrance, the owner suddenly turned to face her. “Did my dumplings last night taste the same to you after all these years?”
“Last night?”
Lin Yiqian was confused. How did the owner know that she had eaten dumplings from his stall last night?
Could Song Changlin have told him that he was buying the dumplings for her?