Inside the noodle shop, there's a back room that isn't open to the public.
The already small space of the back room is cluttered with messy and crowded miscellaneous items, making it feel even more cramped.
Fortunately, a space of less than ten square meters was cleared in the middle, with a square wooden table and a few plastic chairs, and two folded camp beds were placed beside it.
"Here, I added extra portions for both of you; it's our most popular beef noodle."
Tian Feng quickly brought in two full bowls of beef noodles from outside and placed them on the table, his face full of polite smiles.
After being recognized by Tian Feng earlier, Li Jing and the others were invited into the back room to eat noodles.
Tian Feng even set aside his work, letting his father-in-law and wife serve customers and cook noodles outside.
"Aren't you worried about not cooking noodles?"
Ge Qin took the rice noodles and saw Tian Feng also sitting down, so she couldn't help but ask.
"No worries, it's already ten o'clock, and there are a lot fewer people. My wife and father-in-law can handle it."
As he spoke, Tian Feng looked nostalgically at Li Jing and said with a face full of reminiscence, "Every day is the same, and it's rare to see old classmates, so I wanted to chat more with you."
Then, worried about delaying Li Jing, he hurriedly asked, "Are you okay to stay for a while? Do you have time to chat for a few minutes? Don't worry, it won't be long, just twenty or thirty minutes."
Seeing his enthusiasm, Li Jing couldn't refuse and nodded, "No worries, I'm just shopping with her."
Mentioning Ge Qin, Tian Feng looked at the two and hesitantly asked, "Are you together?"
"No, no, don't overthink it." Ge Qin glanced at Li Jing's expression and was the first to explain, "His uncle is my uncle-in-law. We met during the New Year, so we came out to stroll together."
"Oh! You guys are relatives too, what a coincidence."
Tian Feng seemed much more honest and sincere than before, but the tiger tattoo on his arm still silently told stories of his past.
Li Jing slurped a few mouthfuls of rice noodles, secretly surprised, discovering the taste was indeed good.
Then he glanced at his short hair and actively brought up a topic, "I remember you used to have dyed blond hair, right?"
Tian Feng was taken aback, then he sighed and waved his hand, shaking his head, "That was so many years ago."
He raised his tattooed arm, "I was young and ignorant back then; I paid dearly for it and learned what life is all about."
As he spoke, Tian Feng looked at Ge Qin and smiled, "Miss Ge probably didn't know me in school, right?"
Ge Qin slurped a mouthful of noodles, then nodded, "Yeah, if Li Jing hadn't recognized you, I wouldn't have known you were from No. 1 High School."
Ge Qin was a grade below Li Jing and had no interaction with Tian Feng during school.
"Haha, I guess No. 1 High School wouldn't want to acknowledge a student like me anyway."
Tian Feng chuckled at himself, looked at Li Jing, shook his head, and sighed, "Li Jing probably knows, I used to be a troublemaker. I thought I was so impressive back then, and I had people following me everywhere I went.
Once I graduated high school, I stopped studying and followed a big brother in society, messing around everywhere. But within a year, that big brother went to prison and hasn't come out yet."
Seeing Ge Qin was surprised looking at him, Tian Feng smiled wryly, "Without that big brother, I wandered around for a few more years, but things got worse, experiencing much hardship.
Later, I saw other classmates graduating from college and finding jobs. I began to regret not studying well."
While speaking, Tian Feng looked at Li Jing with envy, "Li Jing, your clothes don't seem cheap. Where have you made your fortune these years?"
"I wouldn't call it fortune, I'm just temporarily over in Tianhai."
Li Jing wasn't too familiar with him and didn't reveal much about himself.
Ge Qin, standing aside, heard this and, understanding Li Jing's thoughts, wisely remained silent.
"Tianhai? A big city."
Tian Feng was full of envy, "It really pays off to study well; I'll have to make sure my son studies hard in the future."
"You already have a son?" This time Li Jing was surprised.
Tian Feng then laughed, "Not just a son, I also have a daughter. The older one is already four years old.
It's because of these two little ones that I've calmed down to run this shop well. Now it's finally getting some traction, and I can see some hope for life. Of course, I can't compare to you."
"No, opening a shop is great."
Li Jing shook his head and placed a piece of beef in his mouth, "Being able to make the noodle shop famous shows you've put in a lot of effort, and that's truly admirable.
Honestly, I think you're doing just fine now, much better than before."
Looking into Li Jing's calm and sincere eyes, Tian Feng was slightly taken aback and then slowly nodded, "Yeah, I'm doing much better than before, and I should be satisfied."
Half an hour later, Li Jing and the others left the shop.
Tian Feng insisted on stuffing two bottles of beverages into Li Jing's hands, "Thank you for chatting with me for so long. I spend every day in the shop, and I don't have much personal interaction, so I always want to talk to someone. I didn't hold you up, did I?"
"No, thank you for hosting us."
Li Jing stood at the door, looking at the other person's face, which already looked like he was in his thirties, and after saying a few words, he waved his hand and turned to leave.
After a few steps away, Li Jing scanned the QR code he secretly took at the shop door earlier and entered two thousand yuan.
Ge Qin saw this and widened her eyes slightly.
"He has two kids, consider it New Year's red envelopes for them."
After adding a note below the transfer, Li Jing completed the transaction, put his phone away, and then placed his hands in his coat pockets, walking into the distance.
Watching Li Jing's series of actions, Ge Qin stood in place, blinking in slight surprise, then quickened her pace to catch up, grabbing Li Jing's arm and walking closely together.
Li Jing glanced at her, surprised, "What? You're not afraid of being seen by acquaintances now?"
Ge Qin leaned against Li Jing and softly replied, "But I still want to be close to you."
Meanwhile, inside the noodle shop, the woman finishing serving the last customer was startled when she heard the notification of an incoming two thousand yuan on Alipay. She quickly turned to look into the shop, "Who paid the wrong amount? I received two thousand here."
Hearing this, Tian Feng, who was clearing the table, immediately walked over, "Wait, let me see, we should refund it to them right away..."
As he spoke, he had already reached the stove, picked up the phone, and was still puzzled by the payment avatar when he suddenly noticed the small line below the transfer:
"This is a red envelope for your kids, don't refund it."
Staring at this message, Tian Feng was stunned on the spot.
"What's wrong? Who gave it?"
At this moment, Tian Feng's wife came up and asked with a frown.
Tian Feng waved his hand, shaking his head, "It's not wrong; it's a red envelope from my classmate for the kids."
"A red envelope?" The woman was shocked, "That much?"
Tian Feng nodded, holding the phone without saying more.
He turned his head to look in the direction Li Jing left, his expression complex, and he remained silent for a long time.