Lijia'ao was more than ten miles from Hongqi Production Brigade, and it took Lin Wanqiu nearly an hour to reach it. The village was built against the mountainside, with houses scattered across the slope in a pleasing, staggered fashion. A clear stream flowed through the middle of the village, its waters babbling gently. The willow leaves on the banks were already turning yellow, swaying softly in the breeze. Lin Wanqiu pushed her bicycle along the path beside the stream into the village, encountering many villagers along the way, all of whom curiously scrutinized this unfamiliar woman.
"Excuse me, comrade, where does Grandpa Li live?" Lin Wanqiu stopped an elderly woman who was washing clothes by the stream and asked politely.
The old woman looked up and sized Lin Wanqiu up and down, her eyes filled with wariness: "Do you have something to discuss with Old Master Li?"
"I'm Lin Wanqiu from the Hongqi Production Brigade, and I'm in the food business," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. "I've heard that Grandpa Li makes exceptionally good handmade noodles, and I'd like to come and learn his craft."
Upon hearing this, the old woman's wariness lessened somewhat. She pointed to an old house at the east end of the village: "If you walk along this road, the easternmost brick and tile house is Old Master Li's house. However, don't get your hopes up too high. Old Master Li has a very strange temper. Over the years, many people have come to him to ask for his skills, but he has driven them all away."
"Thank you so much, Auntie." Lin Wanqiu quickly expressed her gratitude and pushed her bicycle toward the east end of the village.
Sure enough, just as the old woman had said, there was a brick house with tiled roof at the east end of the village, its courtyard wall made of stone, and an old locust tree with a thick trunk and lush foliage standing in front of it. Lin Wanqiu walked to the courtyard gate and gently knocked on the wooden door: "Is anyone home?"
After a long while, the door was slowly opened a crack, and an old man with gray hair and a wrinkled face poked his head out, looking sharply at Lin Wanqiu: "Who are you looking for?"
"Hello, sir. My name is Lin Wanqiu, and I'm from the Hongqi Production Brigade." Lin Wanqiu smiled sincerely. "I heard that you make exceptionally good handmade noodles, so I came here specifically to learn your craft."
Old Master Li sized Lin Wanqiu up and down, then frowned. "Seeking instruction? I think you're here to steal my skills? Get out, you're not welcome here!" With that, he turned to close the door.
Lin Wanqiu quickly reached out to block the door and said urgently, "Grandpa, you've misunderstood. I'm not here to steal your skills. I sincerely want to learn from you, and I also want to cooperate with you."
"Cooperation?" Old Master Li was taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "How do you intend to cooperate?"
“I want to promote your handmade noodles to a wider market,” Lin Wanqiu said earnestly. “Your noodle-making skills are so good that they shouldn’t just be passed down in this small Lijia’ao. I have a food workshop and sales channels. We can cooperate. You can be in charge of making the noodles, and I can be in charge of sales. We can split the profits. Moreover, I also want to pass on your skills, train more inheritors, and let more people know about your handmade noodles.”
A flicker of emotion crossed Old Master Li's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "You make it sound nice, but why should I believe you?"
“Grandpa, I know words are meaningless.” Lin Wanqiu took out the flour and sugar she had brought from her canvas bag. “This is a small token of my appreciation; they are all top-quality ingredients. I’m not here today to get your approval right away, but simply to let you know my sincerity. I can stay and help you with the work. You can then decide whether you want to cooperate with me based on my character and work ethic.”
Grandpa Li looked at the ingredients in Lin Wanqiu's hands, then at her sincere eyes, and after a moment of silence, finally relented: "Come in."
Lin Wanqiu was overjoyed and quickly followed Grandpa Li into the courtyard. The courtyard was spotless, with a shed built against the wall, under which were the tools for making noodles, including a wooden frame, a basin, and a rolling pin. Grandpa Li led Lin Wanqiu into the main room, which was simply furnished with an eight-immortal table, a few chairs, and an ancient landscape painting hanging on the wall.
"Please sit down." Old Master Li gestured to the chair next to him and then sat in the main seat.
After sitting down, Lin Wanqiu took the initiative to speak, "Grandpa, I know you value your skills very much, and I understand your desire not to let them be lost. I also sincerely want to pass on these traditional delicacies so that more people can taste the delicious food left by our ancestors."
Grandpa Li picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and slowly said, "I've made noodles my whole life. This craft was passed down from my ancestors and contains countless efforts. Over the years, I've tried to find a reliable successor, but either they have bad intentions and want to steal my skills to make money, or they can't endure the hardship and give up after a few days. You're a young woman, can you endure this kind of hardship?"
“Grandpa, although I am a woman, I am not afraid of hardship,” Lin Wanqiu said firmly. “I went from having nothing to owning my own food workshop because of my perseverance and hard work. As long as you are willing to teach me, I will definitely learn diligently, master your skills, and pass them on.”
Seeing the determination in Lin Wanqiu's eyes, Old Master Li nodded inwardly. He pondered for a moment and said, "Since you're so sincere, I'll give you a chance. From today onward, you'll stay and help me with the work. I'll see if you can persevere. However, let me be clear: making handmade noodles is meticulous work with many steps. From kneading the dough, letting it rest, rolling it out, cutting it, to hanging and drying it, every step must be done carefully. A slight mistake will ruin everything. Moreover, you have to get up before dawn every day to work. Can you do that?"
"Yes!" Lin Wanqiu agreed without hesitation. "Grandpa, don't worry, I will definitely follow your requirements strictly and will never be lazy or try to shirk my responsibilities."
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