12. Ordinary Dad 1

"Please, save my child!" The old man covered in blood looked ahead with tears in his eyes, humbly begging the person in front of him to save his child.

Cheng Jiu looked at the man kneeling in front of him, murmuring incessantly and crying blood, desperately and miserably.

The crying sound was like a ball of cotton stalks stuck in the throat, making people feel very uncomfortable.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on the bed. I held my dizzy head and sat up to start sorting out my original memories.

The original Cheng Jiu was a 40-year-old native of City C, a single father who had been divorced for many years. His son was a 17-year-old sophomore at Chaodong High School. As a local, his parents had left him a small three-story house in an old neighborhood. While small, such a single-family home was a considerable asset for ordinary people. A stable home was incredibly important, so despite all the hardships and hardships, the original Cheng Jiu never considered selling the house.

The original body made a living by selling snacks at the night market, and for many years he and his son depended on each other for survival. Although the life of sleeping during the day and getting up at night was hard and tiring, he had always been willing to work hard to provide his son with a stable life.

Fortunately, my son has been well-behaved and sensible since he was young, with excellent grades. He was admitted to the best high school in C - Chaodong High School in the high school entrance examination.

The original owner worked hard every day, hoping to save more money while he was still young. His son's education would cost even more money, and if his son missed out on a good opportunity because of money, he would regret it to death. Unexpectedly, disaster struck.

A few nights before leaving home, he noticed his son seemed preoccupied and often distracted. He initially thought his son might be under too much academic pressure and suggested finding a time to talk to him. But before he could even open his mouth, something unexpected happened.

Cheng Jiu was stunned when he received the teacher's call. His son's hands had been broken by thugs! How could his son, always a sensible and well-behaved child, be implicated in a gangster? This must be a mistake! He hurriedly rode his electric scooter to his son's school, but unexpectedly got into a car accident and died.

After his death, his original self remained by his son's side in spirit form. He watched his son break down and cry over his loss. He watched his son miss the college entrance exam because his hands were broken. He watched his son finally become decadent and degenerate under this double blow. Finally, he was cornered in an alley by a gangster and had his leg broken. He learned the truth amidst the gangster's mocking words.

It turns out that all this was just a mistake made by a girl to satisfy her vanity.

The female classmate handed her a pack of tissues when she was crying. Later, he would occasionally meet this female classmate in the library, and the two would sometimes discuss some topics.

This scene was seen by the female classmate's friends, who thought that their son was the female classmate's suitor, after all, the female classmate was very beautiful.

When questioned by her friends, the female classmate, for some reason, admitted the affair. Later, her gangster suitor found out, grew jealous, and took revenge on her son. What a ridiculous excuse!

What was even more unacceptable to the original body was that this female classmate later became the top student in science in City C and was admitted to the Imperial Capital University. She also had a boyfriend who was a second-generation rich man and married into a wealthy family.

The original body's son dragged his disabled body to live and died in the old house at the age of 24. How could the original body accept this? So Cheng Jiu appeared.

Cheng Jiu sighed for the unfortunate father and son, then stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. The man's hair was disheveled, as if he hadn't been groomed often. His face was covered in stubble, his cheeks were thin, his skin was rough and sallow, and the dark circles under his eyes suggested he wasn't getting enough sleep. His unkempt appearance made Cheng Jiu feel disgusted with himself.

He checked his phone; it read 4 p.m. Oh, I should deal with my own mess first. Leaving the room, Cheng Jiu couldn't help but twitch his lips as he looked at the awful state of the living room. There was only one word to describe it: filthy and messy! As expected, don't expect a single, older man to care about the quality of his living environment. A busy life with a reversal of day and night wouldn't even notice these details.

He quickly washed his face and got dressed. After going out, he went straight to the barber shop and got a buzz cut. The refreshing hairstyle made him feel better.

Not far from the residential complex are snack streets and small commercial areas, and at the end of the pedestrian street is the urban village. Here, the population is dense and the land is limited, with narrow alleys winding and narrow. Some of the roads, paved with aging cement slabs, are uneven and uneven. Standing at the center, you can't see the end of the street. The occasional bicycle or electric scooter makes it even more difficult for pedestrians to walk.

After a simple dinner at the snack street, Cheng Jiu took the various cleaning supplies he bought from the supermarket and walked home slowly, humming a little tune.

Next up is a thorough cleaning. This house needs to be thoroughly cleaned, top to bottom, inside and out. Most of the unneeded furniture, appliances, and daily necessities should be dumped out in the front yard and cleared away tomorrow. Let's get started!

It was past 9 o'clock in the evening. Sitting on the sofa with his old waist exhausted, watching the empty house being cleaned, Cheng Jiu vomited.

He really couldn't stand the mess of clothes in his own place, the dirty floor, the black sofa and table, and the strange smell in the house.

After taking a shower, Cheng Jiu sat at the table and began to write down a plan to redecorate the house. It wouldn't take long to change the floor, paint, and buy new furniture.

The original owner's wish was that his son would not be harmed by others and would live a peaceful and smooth life.

Logically speaking, all he had to do was prevent his son from meeting that female classmate and avoid her pestering him. However, Cheng Jiu had a feeling that things were not that simple.

He decided not to continue his job as a night market vendor. That way, he wouldn't be around to stop the drama from happening. He needed to be closer to his son, to spend more time with him and prevent the incident from happening again. So, he planned to rent a shop near his son's school and open a small restaurant.

Although Cheng Jiu would forget everything from his previous experience each time he traveled through time, he never forgot the knowledge he had gained. When he thought about opening a restaurant, all sorts of cooking methods came to mind. After much deliberation, Cheng Jiu decided to open a noodle soup shop.

My son is about to enter his third year of high school. All students preparing for that year have to take extra classes at school. I'd like to give him a surprise when he returns from his studies. He's been trying to persuade me to give up on opening a shop, mainly because setting up shop at a night market is too tiring, especially on cold or rainy days.

But Cheng Jiu, a slow-witted person, thought opening a shop was a difficult undertaking and prone to losses. He wondered what would happen to his son if his hard-earned savings went down the drain. He would be filled with regret. Most people share this sentiment.

***

About 900 meters from Chaodong High School, on a pedestrian street, stands a shop that's been under renovation for two weeks. The shop's sign is beautifully designed, featuring a brown backdrop with a few green carvings embedded within. The characters "Ye Zi Tang Noodle Shop" stand in the center, their elegant font blending modern art.

The restaurant isn't very large. To the left of the front is a cash register, leaving only enough space for seven tables. The kitchen is located in the back, off-limits to the chef. A door lets the chef in and out, and there's a large glass wall with a single window for picking up food. Through the glass, you can clearly see the kitchen.

Nowadays, people are promoting a quality lifestyle, and clean, healthy food is an important way to attract people. Cheng Jiu naturally attaches great importance to this. He makes noodle soups, and the most important ingredients are the soup and sauce. These are all prepared in advance, so there is no need to worry about people stealing his skills.

On the opening day, Chengjiu bought two flower baskets and placed them at the door of the store. The opening ceremony was also very

Simple and casual. We also hired a young waiter named Xiaozhou, who is mainly responsible for taking orders, collecting money and serving dishes.

On the opening day, at nine o'clock, Xiao Zhou, a shop assistant, smelled the tempting aroma as soon as he arrived at the shop. He had eaten two buns for breakfast and was shamefully hungry.

Cheng Jiu was sitting on a stool eating breakfast, which consisted of freshly cooked bone soup noodles, the sauce prepared over the past few days, and the side dishes that had just been prepared.

Seeing Xiaozhou pushing the door in, Cheng Jiu asked, "Xiaozhou, you're here. Have you had breakfast? Would you like a bowl of noodles?" Then he turned around and went into the kitchen to make a bowl for Xiaozhou.

Xiao Zhou swallowed his saliva to cover up his saliva and said, "Uncle, no need, I ate when I came here."

Cheng Jiu replied from the kitchen, "It's okay. It's already this late, you should be hungry. Young men get hungry quickly, so eat something first. Do you want rice noodles or noodles?"

Xiao Zhou touched his belly and said sincerely, "Thank you, uncle. I want some rice noodles."

After a while, Cheng Jiu came out with a tray and put it on the table, and said to Xiao Zhou: "Eat it, and try my cooking."

Xiao Zhou smiled and said, "Thank you, uncle!"

The soup and rice noodles in the large earthenware bowl, which was eight-tenths full, were so delicious that they whetted one's appetite. The steam rising from the bowl mixed with the delicious aroma of the soup penetrated one's nostrils. Xiao Zhou couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks and start eating.

"Slurp, slurp"

"It's so good!" Xiao Zhou praised incoherently. The soup was still a little hot. The rich aroma of bones permeated the vermicelli. The special sauerkraut was extremely delicious, and there was minced meat in the vermicelli.

Cheng Jiu looked at Xiao Zhou's intoxicated expression, pointed to the small dish of hot sauce on the tray, and said with a smile: "Do you like spicy food? That hot sauce is good."

Xiao Zhou dipped his chopsticks in the chili sauce and ate it. His eyes lit up as the delicious taste instantly stimulated his taste buds. Fresh! Spicy! Fragrant! Xiao Zhou squinted his eyes. This was the first time he had tasted such delicious chili sauce. It was amazing!

Xiao Zhou slurped the food and felt happy. With the boss's cooking skills, the business would surely be booming.

Xiao Zhou, who was very satisfied with the meal, put a sign that said "New store opening, half price for everything" at the door, then went back to the store to wipe the tables and chairs again and waited for customers to come in.

There is no need to worry about a lack of customers here. As long as there are customers, Cheng Jiu is confident that they will become repeat customers.

Southerners rarely enjoy pasta; rice is the staple food. Rice noodles are a favorite among southerners. Sometimes, when their appetite is low, they enjoy slurping them at a rice noodle shop. The sour and spicy flavor is a real treat, and it really whets their appetite.

Chengjiu has rice noodles and noodles custom-made at noodle shops. They are made on the same day and the quality is guaranteed.

As expected, a week later, Ye Zi Tang Noodle Shop was packed at lunchtime. Their braised pork noodle soup, braised rice noodle soup with rice noodles, pickled cabbage and minced meat noodle soup, and minced meat noodle soup were their bestsellers. They were not only delicious, but also clean, cost-effective, and comfortable.