Chapter 71Chapter 71 Showing weakness.
The reason why Lao Ding Ji Clay Pot Rice Noodles has been around for over 20 years and still holds its own in the university town is nothing more than two reasons:
First, with prices soaring these days, the boss, under pressure from competition, had to go along with the crowd to avoid being squeezed out by the surrounding merchants. Although the price increased by two yuan on the surface, the simple boss still used the two yuan increase to enrich the variety of vegetables for the students and increase the portion size. For these hard-working college students who have left their hometowns, this is a love that is no less than a father's.
Second, it’s really delicious.
"Shanghai University won't start school for another two weeks, why are you going so early?"
Tao Siyun paused slightly with his chopsticks in his hand.
The casserole was steaming and was still bubbling after being taken off the stove.
It was a little hot, so Tao Siyun picked up a piece of rice noodles with chopsticks, blew on it, and then ate it with a small bowl of sauce.
She had already made up her excuse, "...I know, but my brother has already bought the plane ticket, and besides...I still have to do my internship."
Tao Siyun did not follow his wishes, but emphasized the word "internship" and used it as an excuse to let Xu Ji know that his early trip to Jingfu had nothing to do with him and was purely for career reasons.
Very insincere, but sounds completely reasonable.
Xu Ji asked the crucial question with a half-smile, "Why would I 'accidentally' run into you on the same plane? What would I say if your brother asked?"
"Then...why don't you wear your hat and mask?"
The smile on Xu Ji's face disappeared immediately. He glanced at her and said, "How shameful am I to hide this?"
Tao Siyun licked the corner of his mouth and looked away guiltily.
"That's not what I meant... Otherwise, you could just say you're here to attend a college classmate's wedding..."
Even though this happened last month...
Xu Ji tapped the rim of the bowl with a white porcelain spoon in his hand, expressionless. "What if your brother asks me about my girlfriend? Do you want her over? I was showing off my affection on WeChat Moments yesterday, and now we're breaking up after Valentine's Day. What would your brother think?"
Tao Siyun took a sip of his soup and asked tentatively, "So...long-distance relationships?"
"Yeah." Xu Ji looked at her indifferently, then suddenly scooped a spoonful of spicy soup from his own bowl and poured it into her seafood casserole, repeating lightly, "Long-distance relationship."
“…”
The red chili oil quickly spread in the rich white soup.
Tao Siyun was stunned for a moment and frowned, "What are you doing?"
Xu Ji said: "To do something bad."
You are already an adult, but you are still childish...
Xu Ji was eating quietly. Tao Siyun tried to talk to him several times, but he always looked "uninterested", as if he was one of those people who "doesn't talk while eating or sleeping".
So she ate quietly.
Over the years, the store has been renovated and all the tables, chairs and benches have been replaced with new ones. They are no longer the wooden tables and long benches that she remembers. The lights are also brighter, but the tableware has not changed at all. You can see from the outer wall of the casserole that was burned by the fire that these traces took years to leave.
The boss retired years ago, and now the store is taken over by his eldest son.
Tao Siyun wondered if the reason this restaurant didn't change the tableware was because the aroma of the food had become one with the utensils.
Just like some tea lovers like to "maintain their cups", over the years, the tea fragrance seeps into the cup, forming a layer of tea scale on the surface. They magically say that they don't need to put tea leaves in, just pour boiled water into it and they can drink tea.
This kind of old and famous shop is quite particular about these things.
Tao Siyun picked up a shrimp for Xu Ji and said, as if to prove something, "The taste is still the same as before, it hasn't changed, really."
The "before" she was referring to was when she was in junior high school.
Xu Ji put down her chopsticks, peeled the shrimp, and put it on her small spoon. "Eat it."
Tao Siyun paused. She had been worried that he would ignore her, and her heart was in turmoil, but now she finally felt relieved.
She stared at the shrimp in the spoon and didn't move.
Xu Ji didn't think that if I gave him the shrimp, he would peel it for him, right?
Tao Siyun felt that he still needed to explain, "I don't want you to peel shrimp for me..."
Xu Ji took a tissue and wiped his hands, "I wanted to peel it."
“…”
All right.
I've already peeled the shrimp for her, why is she still so cold and indifferent?
Tao Siyun didn't know before that Xu Ji was also very good at expressing his anger. Although he couldn't show anything on the surface, he would let you know that he was "angry".
But the reason why he was unhappy was a little too... well, that's it.
Tao Siyun put himself in the situation and began to reflect deeply.
What if one day Xu Ji asked me to wear a hat and mask to pretend I wasn't familiar with him in front of his family and friends in order not to expose their relationship...
Um……
It seems quite aggrieved.
She would probably mind.
Tao Siyun has grown up and can count on one hand the number of people he has coaxed, but the only one he has never coaxed is a man who is having a bad temper...
So in order to attract his attention, she very childishly reached her spoon into Xu Ji's casserole, scooped a spoonful of spicy soup, put it in her mouth and swallowed it.
Seeing that he still ignored her, she scooped another spoonful.
Tao Siyun stretched the spoon in front of him for the second time, and Xu Ji finally raised his eyes.
However, before he could figure out what the girl meant or what she wanted to do, Tao Siyun was caught off guard and choked, covering his mouth and starting to cough.
The man's tense face finally showed a hint of relaxation. He quickly stood up and asked the boss for a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap and handed it to her.
Tao Siyun's face turned red from coughing, tears came out, and he gulped down water.
"Are you feeling better?" Xu Ji wiped the corner of her mouth.
Tao Siyun held his flushed face in his hands, stuck out his tongue in a spiciness, and acted cute. "I'm punishing myself, that's okay, right? Are you still angry now?"
Xu Ji looked at her for a few seconds, then reached out and gently scraped the sweat off the tip of her nose. He was a little helpless and asked, "Tao Siyun, did you do that on purpose?"
"I didn't mean to." Tao Siyun suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He lowered his head and said guiltily, "I really choked..."
"That's not what I meant."
Xu Ji folded his arms and leaned lazily against the back of the chair, squinting his eyes slightly and staring at her for several seconds.
He suddenly realized that this girl was actually very good at "showing weakness".
She did not act pretentiously or coquettishly, but instead tested his reaction in a very innocent and childish way. In this way, any problems between them as adults would be resolved bit by bit due to the unequal relationship.
That's pretty impressive, Dorothy.
"I don't think I've been here since I went to Huxi in high school."
This sentence follows the previous sentence when I picked up shrimp for him: "The taste is still the same as before, it hasn't changed."
Xu Ji said "hmm", and the two of them started talking again from this sentence.
He took out all the shrimps from the casserole, peeled them one by one and put them into the bowl in front of Tao Siyun.
Is this considered "reconciliation"?
Tao Siyun ate the shrimp in the bowl and sighed happily: "You were so lucky when you were in college. There were so many delicious foods at the school gate."
Xu Ji raised an eyebrow. There really wasn't much to eat abroad. Which international student didn't just hang on until they returned home...
***
I ate too much at noon and wasn’t very hungry at night.
Tao Siyun took a small bowl, sat down, and symbolically ate a little with his parents and brother.
Seeing that she had no appetite, Qin Shu moved the plate of braised short ribs that was closest to Tao Qian to Tao Siyun. "What did you have for lunch? It's already 8 o'clock, aren't you hungry?"
Tao Siyun poked the rice in the bowl and said, "I went to eat Lao Dingji casserole. I'm very full now."
Tao Qian stretched out his arm to pick up a piece of pork chop and asked casually, "Is it the one at the north gate of Peking University?"
"Um."
"You're not that far away. He opened a branch not far from our home." Tao Qian directly gave the shortest route: "Take bus No. 14 to Polytechnic University. It's less than fifteen minutes. You'll see it when you get off."
Tao Siyun raised his eyes and said stubbornly, "I think the food at the old shop tastes better."
"It's only been open for less than two weeks. When did you go to eat at the new restaurant?"
"I didn't go."
Tao Qian was speechless for a moment. He put down his chopsticks and began to gnaw on the ribs. He said vaguely, "So you said the old shop is delicious. The main shop and the branch shop have the same owner, so how can they make two different flavors?"
"My intuition tells me that most regular customers would go to the old store first. Wait!" Tao Siyun suddenly asked him in a tone that sounded like, "You're eating alone behind my back," "When did you go? Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"
“…I don’t have time to go anywhere.”
Tao Siyun looked doubtful, still unconvinced, "Then how did you know the boss opened a branch? No one told me when I went to dinner today."
Tao Qian glanced at her, put the gnawed bone on the plate, and continued eating. "It was sent to the university alumni group."
Lao Ding Ji clay pot rice noodles are very popular in Peking University, almost on par with the charcoal grilled goose legs that dominate the night snack list next door. They have always been in the top three of the university town food list, and they always have a large number of loyal diners. When Tao Qian was in college, he joined the "Lao Ding Ji clay pot rice noodles group (7)" and the "grilled goose legs group (5)".
After so many years, I don’t know how many hundredth place the foodie group is now ranked...
It's really not surprising.
Tao Siyun quietly sent Xu Ji a WeChat message asking, "Did you join the Lao Ding Ji Casserole Rice Noodles group when you were in college? Also the Roasted Goose Legs group? What's the number after the group number?"
Xu Ji replied immediately, but did not tell her immediately. Instead, he asked: [Which number did your brother add at the beginning? ]
Tao Siyun: [(7), (5) [What about you]]
Xu Ji typed two numbers according to the format she sent: [(27), (35)]
There's too much difference...
Tao Siyun said innocently, "Oh, does that mean roast goose legs are better? I've never had them."
However, Xu Ji's next answer put an end to her unfounded speculation: [Not necessarily.]
WeChat groups are added randomly, and no one knows how many Lao Dingji clay pot rice noodle groups and roast goose leg groups there are in Peking University. If you want to know, you may have to ask on the confession wall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
