"Okay! I'll put it in the pot right away!"
Old Liu chuckled, turned around and went back to work, his back view exuding a cheerful air of knowing but not saying.
In the corner, Lin Que pulled out a slightly wobbly round stool and sat down.
Ye Xi skillfully picked up the teapot on the table and rinsed the chopsticks and bowls with the boiling tea.
Her movements were fluid and graceful, showing none of the delicate air she usually had, as if she had never lifted a finger.
"Give."
She handed the hot chopsticks to Lin Que, her eyes sparkling:
"The environment here is a bit run-down, but the taste is absolutely the best in Nanjing."
You'll see when the noodles arrive; the pork skin is soaked with broth, and one bite... tsk tsk.
Lin Que took the chopsticks and looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were shining with excitement at the prospect of getting food.
It's hard to associate her with the pianist who plays Rachmaninoff in the Golden Hall, dressed in a haute couture gown and with a cool, aloof expression.
But she is more vibrant now than she was then.
"Seriously, your competition is way too insane."
While waiting, Ye Xi rested her chin on her hands, leaning on the slightly sticky table, looking at Lin Que with a sympathetic expression:
"Eight hours! Your butt must be flat from sitting for so long!"
I used to think that Yang Jie forcing me to practice the piano for five or six hours a day was the limit, but I never imagined that you scholars are even more ruthless to yourselves.
"good."
Lin Que smiled, unscrewed the vinegar bottle on the table, and shook it:
"It's alright, it's mainly my brain that's tired. By the end, I felt like I couldn't even recognize the words anymore."
Compared to your fingers that need to dance on thousands of piano keys, we only need to use a few brain cells.
"Tch, don't even try."
Ye Xi rested her chin on the back of her hand, her voice carrying a hint of complaint:
"Brain cells can regenerate, but if my finger is ruined, it will really hurt."
Ye Xi glanced at the band-aid on her hand, then sighed and rested her chin on the back of her hand:
"But to be honest, sometimes I envy you guys. Although it's tiring, at least what you write is your own."
Unlike me, I always play other people's pieces, and even my emotions have to follow the sheet music.
"Then play your own."
Lin Que looked at her, his tone calm yet resolute.
"Your hands are your own; you decide what you want to play."
Ye Xi paused for a moment while chewing on the pork belly.
She looked at Lin Que through the rising steam, her eyes brightening for a moment before quickly dimming.
She poked the poached egg at the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks, her voice muffled:
"It's not that easy, Lin Que. Sometimes I really want to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Old Liu's loud voice, like a thunderclap, interrupted her unfinished longing.
"The noodles are here—! Two bowls of the family-style noodles! Be careful, they're hot!"
Two large bowls, each bigger than a washbasin, were placed on the table with a thud.
Bright red chili oil covered the surface of the water, while golden and crispy pork skin, tender pork liver, and rosy sausages were piled up like a small mountain, steaming hot and fragrant.
Ye Xi's eyes widened instantly, and her previous worries vanished completely.
"Let's eat! I'm starving!"
She eagerly picked up her chopsticks, disregarding her appearance.
He picked up a large mouthful of noodles and put it in his mouth, his cheeks bulging out like a hamster hoarding food.
Lin Que smiled and took a bite as well.
It's really good.
The chili oil is fragrant but not dry, and the pork skin is soaked in the broth, bursting with a satisfying sensation in your mouth.
"By the way, when you go to Europe..."
Lin Que had just opened his mouth, before he could finish speaking,
"Dudu, dudu"
Then I heard the sound of hard-soled high heels stopping outside the door.
Ye Xi was picking up a piece of pork belly and putting it in her mouth when she heard this sound. She froze as if a pause button had been pressed, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air, and her face turned pale instantly.
The next second, the light at the doorway was blocked.
"Xi Xi!"
The piece of pork belly that Ye Xi had just picked up fell back into the bowl.
Lin Que put down his chopsticks and slowly turned around.
At the entrance of the small shop, a woman dressed in business attire and carrying a Hermès Birkin bag was standing there.
She looked at Ye Xi, whose mouth was covered in red oil, and then at Lin Que sitting opposite her.
His expression quickly shifted from surprise to a stern look, as if he'd been caught red-handed.
Ye Xi closed her eyes in despair.
Then, putting on a smiling face, she slowly turned around.
"Oh! Yang... Sister Yang, what a coincidence, you're here for noodles too?"
...
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