Chapter 253 Extra: Snail Rice Noodles Sold Next to the Concert
Two years later
Outside the venue for Lu Linchuan's concert, the noise was deafening. Fans, holding light sticks and banners, crowded the entrance, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of their light sticks.
Su Yingxue chose an empty corner by the side entrance of the venue, set up a small folding table she had picked up, and placed her polished iron pot on it.
Xu Qingqing helped her arrange the soaked rice noodles neatly, and then took out red oil soup base, pickled bamboo shoots, dried bean curd sticks and fried peanuts from the insulated box. These ingredients were what she had found at the nearby farmers' market yesterday. The pickled bamboo shoots were homemade, and the chili oil was made from bone broth, so fragrant that it could entice anyone to drink it.
"Luosifen (river snail rice noodles) - ten yuan a bowl, extra spicy, extra stinky, double the amount!" Su Yingxue shouted at the top of her lungs.
At first, no one paid any attention to her; the fans' attention was entirely focused on the rehearsals inside the venue.
But not long after, that domineering yet alluring aroma seemed to have grown legs, quietly slipping into the crowd. First, two young girls couldn't resist coming over, hesitatingly buying two bowls, their eyes lighting up after the first sip;
Next came a group of boys who came together. They couldn't resist the aroma and bought five bowls in one go.
In the end, a long queue formed in front of Su Yingxue's stall, and the slurping sounds of people eating noodles drowned out the cheers of the fans.
"Hey! What is this? The smell is too strong!" A girl holding a Lu Linchuan light stick squeezed through the crowd with a frown, her tone very sharp.
"What if this smell gets into the venue and affects our brother's singing? Are you sent by the rival to deliberately cause trouble?"
As soon as she said that, several fans next to her chimed in, "Exactly! It smells sour and rotten, it's awful!"
"Hurry up and pack up, stop smearing our Linchuan here!"
Su Yingxue was scooping pickled bamboo shoots into her bowl when she heard this. She paused, looked up with a puzzled expression, and said, "Smearing? How is selling snail rice noodles being smeared?"
"You smell so strong, what if you get on us and we won't be able to hug our brother when we meet later!"
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, about to say something, when suddenly a loud melody filled the venue—the rehearsal had begun.
The fans instantly forgot about arguing and rushed towards the entrance. The girl in the lead glared at Su Yingxue, muttered "You're lucky," and then turned and ran.
Su Yingxue shrugged and continued cooking the noodles. Xu Qingqing handed chopsticks to the fans while leaning over and whispering, "Sister Su, where are our tickets? The concert is about to start, and we'll miss the opening if we don't go in soon."
Su Yingxue then remembered the slightly crumpled ticket in her pocket, took it out, and unfolded it to take a look.
First row inside, right in the middle.
Xu Qingqing's eyes widened instantly: "Holy crap! This seat must be a god-tier seat! I heard you can't buy it even if you have money!"
The two quickly packed up their stall and rushed into the venue with the remaining half-pot of soup base. The staff at the ticket gate were taken aback when they saw their uniforms stained with red oil, but after scanning their tickets, they immediately and respectfully let them through.
As soon as they sat down, the fans around them recognized Su Yingxue.
"Hey? Isn't she the one who sold snail rice noodles earlier?"
"How did she get a ticket for the first row of the inner section? Isn't that a VIP seat? I tried to get one through all my connections but couldn't!"
"Could it be that they hired someone to bid for the items? That's outrageous..."
The buzzing of voices drifted into her ears, making Su Yingxue feel uneasy. She simply pretended to be watching the stage and ignored it.
The lights suddenly dimmed, and the screams from the audience nearly lifted the roof off. A spotlight illuminated the center of the stage, and Lu Linchuan walked out wearing a simple white shirt, instantly sending the fans into a frenzy.
He is one of the fastest rising singers in recent years. After returning from studying abroad, his lyrics are poignant and his melodies are catchy. Any song he writes can top the charts.
Under the spotlight, he had handsome features and a cool demeanor, completely different from his usual self.
After several songs, the fans' enthusiasm reached its peak. Lu Linchuan held the microphone and waited for the screams from the audience to subside before slowly speaking, his voice carrying throughout the entire venue through the speakers:
Finally, I want to thank one person.
His gaze swept past countless waving light boards and landed precisely on Su Yingxue in the first row of the inner field, a faint smile curving his lips.
"Many people don't know that I used to have severe anorexia. During the most difficult time in China, it was her boxed meals that saved my appetite and saved me from those days when I was about to give up."
The entire venue fell silent for a second, followed by an even louder burst of screams.
Su Yingxue's face flushed bright red instantly. She looked at the dazzling person on the stage.
Looking at the shocked expressions of the fans around him, only one thought occupied his mind—
Run! Run now!
She grabbed Xu Qingqing beside her, lowered her head, and rushed towards the exit. Xu Qingqing stumbled a couple of steps as she ran, calling back as she went, "Sister Su! Wait for me! We haven't gotten the soup base yet!"
The screams behind them mingled with Lu Linchuan's gentle singing voice, drifting far away.
Su Yingxue ran out of the stadium, and the evening breeze cooled the heat on her face a little. She glanced back at the brightly lit stadium and couldn't help but smile.
Selling snail rice noodles with this kind of fanfare is probably one of a kind.
The headlights of the electric scooter pierced the night. Su Yingxue carried half a pot of unsold snail rice noodle soup base, while Xu Qingqing on the back seat tightly hugged the styrofoam box containing the rice noodles. The wind blew their hair wildly.
"Sister Su, slow down! The soup is going to spill!" Xu Qingqing's voice was broken by the wind.
Su Yingxue sighed, stepped on the brake, slowed down, and turned into a narrow alley in the old town.
The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow on the mottled walls along the roadside. The night-blooming jasmine at the base of the walls was in full bloom, mingling with the aroma of snail rice noodles carried on the wind, a scent that brought a sense of peace and comfort.
The two returned to Su Yingxue's rented apartment. As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by the lively atmosphere of home cooking—glass bottles and spice jars they had collected were piled up by the stove, pickled bamboo shoots were drying on the windowsill, and a folding table used for setting up a stall during the day was placed in the corner.
Xu Qingqing deftly poured the soup base into the pot and heated it. As the bubbling sound began, the tangy aroma instantly filled the entire room.
"I told you, keeping this broth was definitely the right thing to do!"
As Xu Qingqing tossed vegetables into the pot, she leaned over to smell them. "They smell even better than what we sell during the day! The vegetables make them even fresher!"
Su Yingxue smiled and shook her head, taking out two sets of bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard. She recalled the concert that evening, the look in Lu Linchuan's eyes as he looked at her on stage, and the shocked comments from the fans, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile.
Who would have thought that the kid would be Lu Linchuan, who is now incredibly famous.
The soup in the pot was boiling vigorously, and the vegetables were blanched to a vibrant green. Xu Qingqing had already filled her bowl to the brim, slurping up the noodles, her tongue lolling out from the heat, but she still exclaimed, "Delicious! So fragrant! Let's set up a stall outside the concert venue again tomorrow, it'll definitely be a hit!"
Su Yingxue also filled a bowl and sat on a small stool to eat slowly. The spicy broth coated the smooth rice noodles, the pickled bamboo shoots were crisp and tender, and the tofu skin was soaked with broth. One bite left a lingering fragrance in her mouth.
The windows of the house weren't closed tightly, and the evening breeze carried the scent of night-blooming jasmine, which mingled with the aroma of snail rice noodles, creating an indescribably comfortable feeling.
She suddenly realized that this kind of life was quite nice. She didn't have to fight tooth and nail for anything; she could just stay with her little pot and pan, set up the stove wherever she went, and cook up pots of warm, comforting meals with the most ordinary ingredients.
Maybe I'll set up a stall at the night market tomorrow, maybe I'll meet new customers, maybe... one day I'll bump into that big star on the street and ask him with a smile, "Would you like a bowl of snail rice noodles?"
My phone pinged. It was a text message from an unknown number. It was just a short sentence: Next time you set up a stall, remember to leave a bowl of extra spicy and stinky snail rice noodles.
Su Yingxue looked at the screen and couldn't help but smile. She moved her fingertips and replied with "Okay".
Then he put away his phone, scooped up a large spoonful of pickled bamboo shoots, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The streetlights outside the window cast a dim yellow glow, a gentle evening breeze blew by, and the night-blooming jasmine in the alley was still quietly releasing its fragrance.
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