The look was cold, but also without the slightest contempt or disgust. It was more like a... quick scan based on information.
He saw the old woman's worn but fairly clean clothes, her skinny wrists due to long-term malnutrition, and the fatigue and... a hint of despair deep in her eyes that she tried hard to conceal but couldn't completely hide.
"Yes." Chen Yanxiu spoke, his voice as clear and low as ever, without any emotion. "Sit down."
The old lady seemed relieved, but also seemed even more embarrassed.
She moved to a table farthest from the kitchen and closest to the door, and sat down slowly, holding the cloth bag tightly in her arms as if she were holding some treasure.
Chen Yanxiu turned around, scooped a ladle of boiling bone broth from the large pot of noodles, and poured it into a clean, coarse porcelain bowl. The broth was the unique, jade-like, milky white color that comes from long simmering, and its rich aroma instantly filled the air.
He did not cook the noodles immediately. Instead, he took out a clean small bowl, scooped half a bowl of pure, steaming bone soup, and picked up a small plate of finely chopped, juicy green onions. He brought them over and gently placed them in front of the old lady.
"Drink some soup first to warm yourself up." His tone was still a statement, without any concern in his voice, he was just stating an action.
The old lady was obviously stunned for a moment, and a glimmer of disbelief flashed in her cloudy eyes.
She looked at the bowl of clear and fragrant soup and the plate of fresh chopped green onions in front of her, her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something of thanks, but in the end she just uttered a low "ah", and picked up the bowl with her calloused and cracked hands trembling a little.
The scorching temperature was transmitted through the coarse porcelain to her cold palm, causing her to shrink involuntarily, and then she held it tightly, as if absorbing this rare heat.
She blew on it carefully and then took small sips.
As the hot soup entered her throat, a warm current slowly spread to her limbs and bones, and her tense and hunched back seemed to relax a little.
Chen Yanxiu returned to the counter and began to cook noodles. He cooked the thinnest dragon beard noodles, his movements still precise and neat.
Chen Yanbai had come over at some point. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms folded, his eyes beneath his silver hair still looking at the old lady without any emotion.
His eyes swept across the old woman's skinny wrist and fell on the tattered cloth bag she was holding tightly. At the edge of the pocket, a corner of neatly folded paper seemed to be exposed, but it was obviously worn at the edges due to repeated rubbing.
The old lady quickly finished the half bowl of soup, and her face seemed to have regained some color.
She put down the bowl and unconsciously clenched the cloth bag tightly with both hands.
"Boss...um..." She spoke again, her voice even lower than before, with an awkward tone, "I...I just want a bowl of the cheapest...vegetarian noodles, okay? No meat..."
As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily glanced at the simple price list on the wall. The number in the cheapest plain noodles column was obviously too high for her.
Chen Yanxiu said nothing, only nodded. He scooped up the cooked dragon beard noodles. The thin white noodles were like silver threads, each one distinct in the clear broth.
He didn't put any toppings, just sprinkled a handful of green chopped green onions on the noodles and added two drops of sesame oil.
Then, he took the bowl of steaming noodles with a simple aroma and placed it in front of the old lady.
"Enjoy your meal." Still just two simple words.
"Thank you...thank you boss..." The old lady thanked him repeatedly, her voice choked with sobs.
She picked up her chopsticks, her hands still trembling, and began to eat the noodles in small bites. She ate slowly, savoring each bite, chewing each mouthful carefully. In her eyes, that bowl of plain noodles seemed more precious than any other delicacy.
Chen Yanbai watched the old man eat noodles with great care. In those beautiful peach blossom eyes, something extremely subtle seemed to flash, so fast that it was impossible to catch it.
He suddenly turned around, walked to the old freezer in the corner, opened the door, and took out a clean glass jar. The jar was filled with brightly colored pickled radish strips that he had pickled himself.
He picked up a few and put them on a small plate, then walked to the old lady's table and put the plate on the table with a "pop".
"It's a gift." He dropped those two words, his tone hard and even a bit impatient, as if he was just getting rid of an unnecessary item.
Then, without even looking at the old lady's reaction, he returned to the kitchen counter where he had just leaned against and continued to stare out the window, as if the action just now had nothing to do with him.
The old lady was stunned again when she saw the red and white pickled radish strips that suddenly appeared and looked crispy and delicious.
She looked up at Chen Yanbai's cold profile, then at the plate of side dishes, and her eyes suddenly became red.
She quickly lowered her head and, disguisedly, picked up a sliver of radish and put it in her mouth. It was sour, sweet, crisp, and slightly spicy, refreshing and appetizing, instantly diluting the blandness of the plain noodles.
She ate in silence, tears silently dripping into the noodle soup.
The old lady spent a long time eating a small bowl of vegetarian noodles. The only sounds in the shop were the sound of her slow chewing and the gentle gurgling of the noodle soup.
Chen Yanxiu was quietly wiping the cooking table, while Chen Yanbai was staring out the window in a daze, as if the customers in the restaurant did not exist.
Finally, the old lady finished the last noodle and drank up the soup. She put down her bowl and chopsticks, wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeves, and then carefully hugged the cloth bag in her arms again.
She took a deep breath, as if she had made a huge decision, and reached into the tattered pocket with a trembling hand, groping around.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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