Chapter 21 Someone I Don't Want to See
The next morning, Pei Song was awakened by the sound of talking downstairs.
I walked into the living room and saw my parents browsing some documents with anxious looks on their faces.
When she saw him coming down, she immediately put away the documents and forced a smile.
"Dad, Mom..." Pei Song looked at his parents carefully.
However, in just a few months, the two seemed to have aged a lot.
My father's white hair has obviously increased, and my mother's face has a few more wrinkles.
His mother pulled him to sit down and said with all her strength, "What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."
"Let me do it." Pei Song held his mother's trembling hand, "You guys take a rest first."
At this time, Shi Yanchen also came downstairs. Seeing this scene, he paused for a moment and walked towards the kitchen naturally: "Do you want my help?"
The parents watched in amazement as the elegant young man put on an apron and began to handle the ingredients with skillful movements.
"Did you teach him?" Mother asked Pei Song in a low voice.
Pei Song nodded, but felt a little sad in his heart. These were all what Shi Yanchen had secretly learned from him during this period of time.
During breakfast, the family deliberately avoided company topics and talked about light things, but the deliberate cheerfulness made the atmosphere even more heavy.
"I want to take Shi Yanchen to the food street." Pei Song changed the subject.
"Okay." My father immediately said, "Let Xiao Shi have a taste of our specialties."
Walking along the old street, Pei Song introduced each store like a tour guide:
"The tofu pudding here is a recipe that has been passed down for three generations..."
"The sweet noodles over there were my favorite when I was in school..."
Shi Yanchen listened carefully, asked some details from time to time, and even took out his mobile phone to record the location and characteristics of each store.
"Why do you remember these?" Pei Song asked curiously.
"Save it for later." Shi Yanchen said while looking at the phone, his tone meaningful.
"By the way, didn't I say I would take you to eat Dandan noodles?" Pei Song suddenly remembered, "I know a very authentic one."
After many twists and turns, the two arrived at an inconspicuous noodle restaurant.
The store is not big, but there is a long line at the door.
"This is it," Pei Song said, pointing at the sign. "I used to come here often when I was in high school."
Shi Yanchen glanced at the name of the store: "Lao Yang Dan Dan Noodles?"
"Well, their dandan noodles are handmade." Pei Song explained, "The noodles are freshly rolled, and the sauce is also freshly prepared every day."
After finally getting his turn in line, Pei Song placed his order expertly: "Two bowls of dandan noodles, one slightly spicy, one extra spicy."
The noodles arrived quickly, steaming hot in the bowl, with beautiful red oil, and just the right amount of crushed peanuts and chopped green onions.
Shi Yanchen picked up the chopsticks with a serious expression as if he was attending some important ceremony.
"How is it?" Pei Song looked at him expectantly.
Shi Yanchen tasted it carefully, and his eyes lit up: "It's better than I thought."
"Really?" Pei Song said with some pride, "Their chili oil is a secret recipe, using 20 to 30 kinds of spices..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw Shi Yanchen already concentrating on eating.
Pei Song couldn't help but laugh: "Eat slowly, be careful of the heat."
"Before in Country D," Shi Yanchen looked up at him and said, "I really want to try these delicacies you often mention and see what they taste like."
Pei Song was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.
The noodle shop was bustling with people coming and going.
Pei Song finished eating first, and seeing that he was eating very seriously, he stood up and said he wanted to go buy a cup of milk tea nearby.
"I'll be back soon." Pei Song said with a smile.
Shi Yanchen nodded, his eyes still focused on the food in front of him.
As soon as Pei Song walked to the door of the milk tea shop, he met someone he didn't want to see.
"Isn't this Pei Song?" A slightly sarcastic voice sounded, "I heard that you are back from Country D?"
Pei Song turned around and saw his college classmate Liu Yan.
"Yes, I just came back." Pei Song responded politely.
"Have you found a job?" Chen Ming asked. "I remember that you went to Country D to study finance. The competition in the domestic financial industry is very fierce now."
Pei Song shook his head: "Still considering it."
"Are you still considering it?" Liu Yan answered, with a bit of boasting in his tone, "Our company is recruiting recently, but..."
He paused meaningfully: "Maybe your level is not high enough, after all, your family's current situation..."
"We all heard about your family's affairs," Liu Yan sighed hypocritically, "I don't know who spread it, saying that the capital chain was broken and the debt was billions..."
Pei Song forced himself to keep smiling: "Those are just rumors."
"By the way," Liu Yan's eyes suddenly lit up, "Do you still remember Senior Zhou Feng?"
Hearing this name, Pei Song's fingers clenched unconsciously.
"Senior Zhou is now a senior executive of our company," Liu Yan continued, his tone becoming more and more proud. "I have a very good relationship with him and we often have dinner together. Do you want me to help you get back in touch with him?"
Pei Song's face turned pale.
Liu Yan was very satisfied with his reaction and continued to say with a smile, "Mr. Zhou is single now. If you still..."
"Excuse me." A cold voice suddenly interrupted, and Shi Yanchen stood beside Pei Song without knowing when.
Liu Yan frowned: "Who are you?"
Shi Yanchen glanced at Liu Yan indifferently: "I was Pei Song's roommate in Country D. Speaking of the financial industry, Pei Song's thesis received unanimous praise from his tutors. His research on the combination of machine learning and traditional pricing models has been included in many international journals."
The corners of his mouth slightly raised, with a hint of sarcasm: "But these may be a little difficult to understand for those who only rely on currying favor with leaders to get promoted."
Liu Yan's face suddenly became extremely ugly.
"As for work," Shi Yanchen continued, his tone becoming increasingly cold, "You may not know that Pei Song's restaurant in Country D has passed the Michelin evaluation, which is not something that everyone can do."
A look of surprise flashed across Liu Yan's face.
"Sir," Shi Yanchen glanced at Liu Yan indifferently, "I suggest that instead of worrying about other people's work, you should consider your own career development first. After all, some people have been around for so long that they are only qualified to be messengers. They can only rely on bragging about their relationships with others to gild themselves."
These words hit the nail on the head. Liu Yan stood on the side of the road in a daze, completely speechless.
"Let's go." Shi Yanchen turned to Pei Song and said, his voice suddenly softened, "I'm done eating."
On the way home, Pei Song kept his head down and said nothing.
After a long while, he whispered, "I'm sorry for letting you hear those unpleasant things."
Shi Yanchen glanced at him and said, "Some people don't deserve your apology."
The two passed by a snack stand, and an enthusiastic voice came: "Is Pei Song back?"
It’s Uncle Wang who runs a tofu pudding shop.
"Uncle Wang!" Pei Song greeted with a smile.
"I heard that you are a food blogger abroad, you are very successful!" Uncle Wang said enthusiastically, "Come on, I will give you and your friend a bowl of tofu pudding each."
Along the way, many neighbors greeted Pei Song enthusiastically.
Shi Yanchen was surprised to find that Pei Song seemed to be particularly popular on this street.
"I used to come here often and got to know everyone," Pei Song explained. "These uncles and aunts watched me grow up."
Shi Yanchen nodded, and his eyes softened as he watched Pei Song chatting cordially with the neighbors.