The shop owner and chef are indeed quite skilled.
Because Ma Xiaolan's hair was just past her shoulders, the hairstylist designed a Hong Kong-style perm for her, which was currently very popular.
Her hair was permed into large curls, with the ends curling outwards to form a natural arc that nicely framed Ma Xiaolan's face.
As they left the hair salon, Ma Xiaolan kept touching her hair somewhat awkwardly, asking, "How is Jiang Xuan? Does she really look good?"
"It looks good! Didn't you just look in the mirror too?"
"But it cost three yuan, isn't that too expensive? Three yuan is enough to buy Xiuxiu a new dress."
Xiuxiu held Ma Xiaolan's hand and said, "Mom, you don't have to always think about me. I just like it when Mom is dressed up beautifully."
"See, Sister Lan? Even Xiuxiu thinks so. Let's go eat."
"Xiuxiu, what do you want to eat?"
Xiuxiu whispered, "I want to eat pork rib noodles."
"Alright then, let's go take a look ahead."
As soon as they reached the corner, they saw a Sichuan restaurant opening for business.
A bright red banner hangs at the entrance of the restaurant, which reads "Shu Liuxiang Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant Grand Opening". Several pots of blooming flowers are also placed on both sides.
The store manager was a middle-aged man dressed in a clean and neat Chinese-style outfit, standing at the door with a smile to greet the first batch of customers.
Several shop assistants stood beside him, wearing matching white aprons and beaming with warm smiles.
A staff member shouted, "Shu Liu Xiang Grand Opening Special: All dishes are 50% off!"
Jiang Xuan was moved.
"Xiuxiu, how about we go eat Sichuan food?"
Xiuxiu nodded gently.
"Sister Lan, what do you think?"
Ma Xiaolan said with some difficulty, "Isn't it too expensive?"
"It's not expensive. It's half price today. Besides, there are three of us, so we can't eat many dishes. Let's go."
*
The restaurant is simply and elegantly decorated, with several pictures of traditional Sichuan dishes hanging on the wall, and about twenty brand-new tables and chairs arranged neatly.
As two tables of diners placed their orders, the chefs began to get busy in the kitchen, wielding their spatulas, and soon the air was filled with the aroma of spicy numbing spiciness.
More and more diners were attracted by the aroma and entered the store.
Jiang Xuan led Ma Xiaolan and her daughter to a table by the window.
Soon, a sweet-looking young waitress came over with a plate of boiled edamame and a menu, all smiles.
"Hello, welcome to Shu Liuxiang Sichuan Restaurant. Boiled edamame is complimentary. Here is the menu."
Jiang Xuan pushed the menu over, "Sister Lan, what do you and Xiuxiu want to eat?"
"I've never had Sichuan food before, why don't you order?"
Jiang Xuan ordered several classic Sichuan dishes, including Kung Pao Chicken, Boiled Beef in Chili Oil, Mapo Tofu, and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs.
Jiang Xuan handed over the written menu and asked the waiter, "By the way, it's this young lady's birthday today. Do you have noodles here?"
Ma Xiaolan tugged at Jiang Xuan: "No need, we've already ordered enough."
"It's nothing, it's just my birthday."
The waiter smiled and said, "I'm not sure about that. Noodles aren't on the menu. I'll go ask our manager. You can have the edamame first."
A short while later, the waiter came over and said, "I asked our manager, and he said we can give you a small bowl of longevity noodles for free."
Okay, thank you.
"You're welcome. Please wait a moment, the dishes will be served shortly."
Soon, the dishes were served one after another, steaming hot and fragrant.
Jiang Xuan placed a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs into Xiuxiu's bowl. "Xiuxiu, happy birthday."
"Thank you, Auntie."
Jiang Xuan patted Xiuxiu's head and said with a smile, "You're welcome. Eat up, the longevity noodles might take a while."
As she spoke, Jiang Xuan served Xiuxiu some other dishes.
Xiuxiu nodded and put another piece of pork rib on her mother's plate, "Mom, you eat too."
Ma Xiaolan felt a little sad and her eyes reddened.
"Sister Lan, don't be like this. Today is Xiuxiu's birthday. We should be happy."
"I'm just happy." Ma Xiaolan wiped her eyes. "Jiang Xuan, you've been so good to us, mother and son. I don't know how to repay you."
"Oh my god, Sister Lan, do you want to listen to what you're saying? What do you mean by reward? We're neighbors, helping each other is only natural. Please stop saying these things, you're making me feel awkward."
Jiang Xuan put some food on Ma Xiaolan's plate. "Eat up, Sister Lan. Don't overthink things. Don't worry, things will definitely get better and better."
Ma Xiaolan nodded and began to eat.
"Hey, isn't this Ma Xiaolan?"
Jiang Xuan turned her head and saw a woman wearing a floral dress, with curly hair, carrying a cloth bag walking towards her.
The woman was fairly good-looking and was wearing makeup.
Ma Xiaolan explained to Jiang Xuan in a low voice, "She is our colleague in the sewing workshop, her name is Cheng Xiaoxia."
Cheng Xiaoxia looked Ma Xiaolan up and down. "Oh, Ma Xiaolan, I almost didn't recognize you dressed up like this."
"It's not that exaggerated." Ma Xiaolan touched her hair awkwardly.
"Your hair looks pretty good after the perm, it's like you're not even the same person anymore. How much did it cost?"
"3 yuan."
Cheng Xiaoxia was extremely jealous. Ma Xiaolan, who was usually so frugal that she could sleep in a straw, was actually willing to spend so much money to perm her hair.
Even someone like her who likes to dress up wouldn't dare to get such an expensive perm.
"Oh, I thought something had happened to you since you didn't work the night shift last night. Turns out you were just having a good time here. You have no idea how exhausted I was last night covering for you."
Ma Xiaolan smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry, Xiaoxia, I didn't know that Supervisor Zhang would ask you to fill in. It's my daughter's birthday today, and I took the day off yesterday. Today I'm taking her out to eat with some friends."
Cheng Xiaoxia shifted her gaze back to Jiang Xuan.
She had already glanced at Kang Hyun several times.
She was strikingly good-looking and dressed smartly, and didn't seem like someone who worked in a factory.
Judging from her demeanor, she probably has a pretty respectable job.
When did Ma Xiaolan make such a friend?
She said sourly, "Ma Xiaolan, it seems you're quite wealthy now. You're getting your hair permed, buying clothes, and even daring to eat at such a big restaurant."
"No way, I..."
Before Ma Xiaolan could finish speaking, Jiang Xuan put a piece of pork rib into her bowl and said, "Sister Lan, eat quickly, we can order more if you're not full."
"If we don't order more, there's still so much left, I'm afraid we won't be able to finish it."
At this moment, the waiter brought over a bowl of longevity noodles, with two empty bowls in his other hand.
"Hello, this is a gift of longevity noodles. The three of you can share it."
The longevity noodles look delicious, with a round fried egg on top of the thin noodles, and finely chopped green onions sprinkled on top of the fried egg.
Jiang Xuan placed the noodles in front of Xiuxiu, added a few pieces of pork ribs, and said, "Here comes the pork rib noodles you wanted."
Cheng Xiaoxia couldn't help but swallow.
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