(Word Count: 4389)
In the past two years, Han’s Noodle House on the street of Shuangji Town’s vegetable market has become a frequent place for people in the town to treat guests to dinner. Although it is just a noodle house, people in Shuangji Town think that it is extremely prestigious to treat friends and relatives to a bowl of ten-yuan noodles at Han’s Noodle House. Treating guests to dinner at Han’s Noodle House has become a topic of conversation for people to show off.
Xiao Wang from the police station was introduced by his family and got engaged. His girlfriend was a girl from the county town, surnamed Zhao. On weekends, Xiao Wang invited his fiancée, Xiao Zhao, to Shuangji Town to have a date and cultivate their relationship. At noon, Xiao Zhao thought that even if his girlfriend didn’t invite her to a big restaurant in town, she would prepare a table of dishes for her at home. Unexpectedly, he took her to a noodle restaurant.
Although the noodle restaurant was well decorated and clean, it couldn’t hide the fact that it was just a noodle restaurant. At that time, Xiao Zhao felt a little uncomfortable. She came all the way from the county town to meet him, but he was so stingy that he only invited her to eat noodles. Her good upbringing made her not show it, but she felt bitter in her heart, wondering if he didn’t like her.
Xiao Wang sat at the dining table, staring at Han Ze cooking noodles, and didn’t notice his fiancée’s reaction. In his mind, Han’s noodles were the best food in town, no, in the world, and it was impossible that no one liked them.
The performance of her boyfriend made Xiao Zhao even more disappointed. She sat at the table in silence, and her eyes could not help but glance at other customers. She saw that they were all eating noodles with big mouthfuls. Those movements would make people who didn’t know think that they had been hungry for many days. It was no different from Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit.
Two bowls of noodles were served on the table. Xiao Wang took the chopsticks and handed them to his fiancée, and whispered anxiously: “Let’s eat quickly. Maybe we can grab the second bowl after we finish it.”
Xiao Zhao’s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened for a moment, and her eyes looked at the noodles in the bowl unnaturally. Does she look like a girl who can eat so much? Her boyfriend thinks too highly of her. It’s good enough that she can finish this bowl of noodles.
After Xiao Wang said that, he couldn’t wait to eat noodles with big mouthfuls. It was as if the bowl of noodles in front of him was made of dragon liver and phoenix marrow. The young man who was restrained in front of his fiancée before the meal, at this moment, all his reserved face was thrown behind his mind, and all his thoughts were on the bowl in front of him.
Xiao Zhao pulled the corner of her mouth, her body became stiffer, and she looked at the noodles in front of her angrily. She wanted to taste how delicious this bowl of noodles was. It even made her boyfriend so crazy. She lowered her head, picked up a noodle slowly, and slowly put it into her mouth. In an instant, her eyes narrowed. My God, this noodle is really made of dragon liver and phoenix marrow. It tastes so good…
The little girl narrowed her eyes and looked like she was enjoying it. The movement of her hands could not help but speed up. If you didn’t know her expression and movement, you would think she was smoking opium.
Xiao Wang finished the noodles in the bowl, looked up, and found that the noodles in the bowl of his fiancée had been finished. She was holding the big bowl and buried her head in the bowl to drink the noodle soup.
Xiao Wang: “…”
The impression of his fiancée has always been gentle, elegant, dignified and beautiful. Why does this bold action make him feel she is so cute?
Xiao Zhao put down her chopsticks and saw her fiancé’s straight eyes. She was stunned for a moment. Xiao Wang smiled and suggested, “Would you like another bowl?”
Xiao Zhao swallowed and nodded continuously: “Yes, yes, yes.”
Xiao Wang turned to look at Han Ze and said loudly, “Chef Han, two more bowls of noodles.”
Han Ze looked at him and said apologetically, “The noodles are sold out.”
A sense of loss instantly hit the two of them. Xiao Zhao looked at her fiancé hesitantly and asked expectantly, “How about we come back to eat in the evening?”
Xiao Wang smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, “Do you know why I asked you to eat quickly just now? That’s because Chef Han sells a fixed number of noodles for each meal, only sixty bowls, and they will be gone once they are sold out, and Chef Han’s noodles are only sold twice a day, in the morning and at noon. You won’t be able to eat them even if you come in the evening.”
Xiao Zhao’s expectant face suddenly dimmed. After thinking about it and feeling unwilling, she took a deep breath and said, “I’m not going back tonight.”
“Ah?” Xiao Wang was shocked. Although they were engaged, they were not married yet. He didn’t dare to do anything rash.
Xiao Zhao glanced at him and said, “I’ll eat noodles tomorrow morning before I leave.”
Xiao Wang breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Ze heard the conversation between the two and said, “You may not be able to eat the noodles I made when you come tomorrow morning.”
“Why?”
The two asked at the same time. Xiao Wang was worried. Could it be that Chef Han had some difficulties again and was not in the mood to sell noodles?
Han Ze explained, “I opened a noodle shop in the county town. The noodle shop over there will open tomorrow. It is reasonable for me to go there and wait for a while.”
Xiao Wang exclaimed, but Xiao Zhao became happy and asked hurriedly, “Chef Han, where is your noodle shop? My family is in the county town. I can go to your noodle shop to eat noodles when the time comes.”
Xiao Zhao wanted to introduce customers to Chef Han, but suddenly she remembered that Chef Han’s noodles could be sold even without her introduction, so she didn’t bother to make trouble. Instead, she thought that if she introduced customers to Chef Han, wouldn’t it be one more person competing with her for noodles? Forget it.
Han Ze said, “No. 18 Chunhui Road, behind the No. 1 High School in the county.”
Xiao Zhao laughed and cheered and clapped his hands, “It’s very close to where I work. It’s great. I can eat noodles made by Chef Han every day.”
Xiao Wang came back to his senses from ‘I wouldn’t be able to eat noodles made by Chef Han for some time’, and heard his fiancée’s words. He had a strange look on his face. Why was the smile on his fiancée’s face so dazzling? He kept comparing in his heart, whether his fiancée was more important or the noodles were more important. In the end, he found that noodles were more important…
Xiao Wang felt a little guilty towards his fiancée. This guilt flashed through his mind and disappeared without a trace, because he thought that he had been eating noodles at Han’s Noodle House for more than two years, and he had only known his fiancée for two months. Compared with two months, two years is definitely longer. Love grows over time. Although he also has feelings for his fiancée, it is obvious that his feelings for the noodles at Han’s Noodle House are deeper, so deep that they are in his bones and cannot be given up.
Thinking of this, he said bitterly: “Chef Han, you must not stay in the county noodle restaurant all the time. You must not forget the diners in the town who have always supported you.”
Xiao Zhao was a little dissatisfied. She glared at her fiancé and said: “The county noodle restaurant has just opened. Chef Han will definitely have to be the chef there for a while, otherwise the customers will have complaints.”
Xiao Wang glanced at her and said in a stiff tone: “Chef Han has opened the noodle restaurant in town for more than two years. He has developed feelings for the diners in our town. He will definitely not be willing to leave us.”
Xiao Zhao turned her head and ignored him.
Han Ze didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and said slowly: “Don’t worry, I have made a plan. When there is a market in Shuangji Town, I will come here to cook. On the days when there is no market, I will go to the county town to cook. Even if I am not there on that day, my two apprentices will also open, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to eat noodles.”
“Chef Han, we only want to eat the noodles you make.”
Xiao Wang has eaten the noodles made by Chef Han’s two apprentices. Although the taste is not bad, better than the noodles in other restaurants in the town, it is a world of difference compared to the noodles made by Chef Han. It’s like the noodles made by one are immortal dishes, and the noodles made by the other are delicious, but can only be regarded as ordinary taste. Can the delicacies eaten by immortals be the same as the delicacies eaten by mortals?
Han Ze touched the back of his head and said in a naive tone, “The noodles made by my apprentices are cheap. They’re only going to charge two dollars and fifty cents a bowl. It’s cheap.”
Xiao Wang wailed, “Cheap noodles are everywhere. We just want to eat the noodles you make.”
Han Ze was stunned and said embarrassedly, “The day before yesterday, I heard a young man complain that he had spent all his money eating the noodles I made every day. Later, he went shopping with his new girlfriend, and when it was time to pay for clothes, he couldn’t afford it. The girl broke up with the young man in a fit of anger.”
Xiao Wang had an embarrassed expression on his face. He spent all his monthly salary on noodles and dumplings. His mother did business in the county town and her family was wealthy. She knew that he used the money for food and did not spend it indiscriminately, so she often subsidized him. Otherwise, he would be penniless and would also face the dilemma of not being able to pay when shopping with his girlfriend.
Han Ze looked guilty and said sincerely, “This is not a solution. I can’t let you eat the noodles I make and make it that he can’t even find a partner. So, after some consideration, I decided to open a noodle shop in the county town to disperse the customer base. I can also save more money for him.”
Xiao Wang suddenly realized. He wondered why Chef Han thought of opening a noodle shop in the county town for no reason. It turned out that a diners complained in front of him that eating Chef Han’s noodles cost them all their money. He was angry in his heart, but he kept calm and asked, “Chef Han, who is the young man you just mentioned?”
Let him know who it is, he will not be forgiven. If you don’t have money, why pretend to be a big clove of garlic? If you don’t have money, just don’t eat Chef Han’s noodles. Why are you complaining? You should know that one less diner means one less person snatching noodles from them. The diners wish that someone would not come to eat noodles every day because they have no money.
Han Ze looked at him and said, “Don’t ask about this. He’d be embarrassed if other young men knew about it.”
After a pause, he said, “You’ve been eating the noodles I made since I set up a stall to sell noodles. We’ve been dealing with each other for more than two years. I think our relationship should not be that of a chef and a diner, but more like that of brothers or friends. Do you agree with this?”
Chef Han treated him as a brother. Xiao Wang was very happy and definitely agreed with him. In the past two years, he had more opportunities to meet Chef Han than to meet his parents. If they were not brothers, then who were they?
Han Ze smiled and said, “Since you agree, I’ll say something I shouldn’t say. You’re dating now, so you should save some money. Otherwise, you won’t be able to pay for your partner’s things, and I’m afraid your partner will come after me.”
Xiao Wang felt bad. The reason why they, the customers, have been willing to support Han’s Noodle House is not only because the noodles made by Chef Han are delicious, but also because they like the way Chef Han is.
Chef Han’s cooking skills are comparable to miracles, but he is honest and simple. He has never changed in the past two years. Even if he is flattered, he is never proud or complacent. He is sincere to his customers like family. For example, this time, Chef Han actually went to the county to open a noodle house because the young man complained about eating noodles and spent all his money. He must say that he was really touched. Chef Han is not the kind of person who consumes customers wantonly for money.
Xiao Zhao suddenly said, “Chef Han, I won’t come after you.”
Han Ze looked at the two of them, smiled and said, “If you don’t come after me, I won’t dare to continue running the business like this. You are not married, so you don’t know how difficult it is to be the head of a household. When you get married, you will know that in addition to food and drink, we need money for many other things.”
Xiao Wang and Xiao Zhao were stunned. They were not married, and their parents at home kept nagging them every day about spending money after marriage, asking them to save money. They had never experienced or taken to heart things that had not happened. They just had to spend the money as they should. For some reason, when they heard Chef Han’s words, they took them to heart.
Han Ze’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he said with a smile in his eyes, “So boys and girls, work harder to save money from now on. I don’t want to see your future children come to the store and want to eat noodles, but you can’t pay. ”
Hearing about future children, the two young people’s cheeks flushed.
…
The next day, the diners saw that the chef was Han’s apprentice, and learned that Han Ze had also opened a noodle restaurant in the county. Some of the new diners did not know Han Ze, and the relationship between the chef and the diners was not stable. They were very dissatisfied with Han Ze’s choice to open a restaurant in the county. Some of the narrow-minded ones even said, “Chef Han is greedy for money. He doesn’t think it is enough to make so much money in the town, so he goes to the county to earn the money of city people. ”
When Xiao Wang heard this, he felt sorry for Chef Han. If Chef Han was a money-grubber, he would not sell only 60 bowls of noodles and 60 bowls of dumplings for every meal. Now Chef Han wanted the diners to save more money and stay away from his family to open a restaurant in the county town. Such a noble Chef Han actually said this to them. He felt it was not worth it for Chef Han.
Xiao Wang could not help but tell them that the reason why Chef Han went to the county town to open a restaurant was because he was afraid that the diners would empty their family’s savings to eat the noodles and dumplings in the restaurant, so he opened one day less to let the diners spend less money.
The diners fell silent after hearing what Xiao Wang said. Indeed, they spent a lot of money to eat noodles at Han’s Noodle House. Chef Han thought so much about them. For more than two years, they didn’t say they knew Chef Han very well, but they also understood him very well. They were not surprised that Chef Han would do this, but they were still moved by it.
However, they wanted to say that it was nothing to spend some money. They just wanted to eat noodles every day.
…
Time flies. In a blink of an eye, Han Yao was admitted to the No. 1 high school in the county. Han Min was also admitted to the experimental class of Shuangji Middle School with excellent grades. Although Han Jin’s grades were still not good, and she was only on the edge of passing every exam, fortunately her grades did not improve or decline.
Han Ze finally felt a little comforted and sighed again, this child just has no talent for school. You say she is not hardworking, she does nothing every day when she comes home, just doing homework, and she will not go out to play until the homework is finished. She studies harder than her two sisters, but the rewards she receives are less than half of her two sisters.
But this child is more persistent in learning than anyone else. Every time the child holds the test paper and looks at the score that has hardly risen, she will study harder after returning. She does the homework assigned by the teacher over and over again. She not only copies the new words and phrases once, but she copies them two, three, or even more times.
Seeing her like this, Han Ze couldn’t help but want to say to her: “Girl, if you can’t learn well, we won’t learn anymore. If you can’t get into college, you can just go home and learn to make noodles with your dad.”
Looking at the child’s stubborn eyes, he couldn’t say anything. He silently changed his way to make food for her to replenish her body, so that she wouldn’t damage her body because of studying.
God rewards hard work. The child studied hard and finally scored nearly 80 points in Chinese and mathematics in the final exam. Her grades were still not as good as her two sisters, but compared with her previous performance, she had improved in stages. This gave Han Jin hope. God will not let down those who work hard. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will always gain something. She believed that she could get into college with her own efforts.
In the past few years, Han Ze has been running between the town and the county. For convenience, he spent tens of thousands of yuan to buy the first car in the family. Later, when he made more money, he bought one house after another in the county, and realized his grand wish of preparing a house for each daughter early.
Now that they have a home in the county, Han Ze asked Wu Hongmei to take the children to the county to play and relax when the children were on vacation.
There is a small zoo in the county. On weekends, Han Ze drove his car to take his wife and children to the zoo to see small animals. There were many people in the zoo, and Han Ze wanted to back out, but the children were very excited. He had no choice but to accompany them. The children were sensible and studied hard. He only bought them food and clothes, but never took them out to play. Let them have fun today.
There are many snacks and plush toy bears and tigers made of velvet at the entrance of the zoo. In recent years, the children’s mouths have been spoiled by Han Ze. They don’t react to snacks, but they can’t move their feet when they see those cute and fluffy animals.
Han Ze could only stand there and wait for them. The fourth girl was holding a puppy, looking at her father expectantly, and said, “Dad, I want this puppy. I can hold it to sleep at night.”
Han Ze bought it with a big hand.
Wu Hongmei couldn’t help frowning when she saw it.
“Dad, Dad, I want this tiger, I want this tiger.”
The one who spoke was Wu Yatou, who was over four years old this year. She was the youngest child in the family and also the most blessed child in the family. The children above her had more or less some childhood shadows under the suppression of Mrs. Han, but Wu Yatou was born in the best time. Since she was born, Mrs. Han moved away, the family had money, and she was spoiled by her sisters, her parents, and she could be said to have never suffered a bit of hardship. The little girl’s temper was a bit spoiled.
Han Ze also bought it with a big hand.
Wu Hongmei kept frowning beside him.
Finally, Han Yao, Han Min, and Han Jin also chose their favorite small animals, and Han Ze bought them all without saying a word.
Wu Hongmei grumbled beside her, “Why buy these? It’s a waste of money.”
Han Ze smiled and said, “The children have never bought these things. It’s rare to bring them out to play, so let them have fun.”
Wu Hongmei disagreed, “I don’t know how much money it will cost to let them have fun. You just spoil them. Sooner or later, the children will be spoiled by you.”
Han Ze said, “Our children can’t be spoiled. Don’t you know what their personalities are?”
Wu Hongmei stopped talking. She still believed in her own children.
“Mom, I want to buy toys.” A boy’s voice sounded nearby.
The voice sounded familiar. Han Ze turned around and saw Han Yang and his wife standing next to them with their two children.
Han Yang and his wife also saw Han Ze. Han Yang was very surprised. He lived in the county town. Before his eldest brother moved to the town, they rarely met. Later, his eldest brother moved to the town. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, they did not see each other for a year. He remembered that the last time he saw his eldest brother was during the Chinese New Year two years ago. They had not seen each other for more than a year.
Thinking of this, Han Yang sighed in his heart. After all, they were brothers. After not seeing each other for such a long time, he was still surprised to see his elder brother. He smiled and said, “Brother, how come you have time to come to the county town?”
Han Ze said whatever he wanted to say, “I opened a noodle shop in the county town.”
Han Yang couldn’t believe it. For so many years, he had known that his elder brother had made money by opening a noodle shop in the town, but he never thought that he would open a noodle shop in the county town. For a while, his heart was very complicated. In the past, he actually looked down on his honest elder brother, otherwise he would not have colluded with his mother and Old Blind Han to deceive the family.
In the past, he felt that with his elder brother’s character and attitude towards life, no matter how hard he tried, there would be no way to get ahead. In addition to digging gravel and planting crops with his face facing the loess and his back facing the sky, his elder brother could do nothing else.
Now the elder brother who he looked down on actually opened a noodle shop in the county town. It seems that the elder brother’s noodle shop is not just as simple as making money, it should be very profitable.
Han Yang put away the complex expression on his face and said with emotion: “I didn’t expect that among the three brothers, the eldest brother is the most promising.”
Han Ze habitually touched the back of his head, his face as simple and honest as always: “Third brother, you are a high school student, I didn’t even graduate from junior high school, I don’t have much education, and I can only earn some hard-earned money by my skills. It’s better for you to work in a factory, holding a stable job, and you can rest and spend time with your children on holidays. I run between the two noodle shops in this town and the county. If I don’t open for a day, I will have no money. I am busy all day and have no time to take the children out to play.”
Han Yang: “…..”
Is eldest brother mocking him?
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but look at the eldest brother’s expression carefully. Seeing that his expression was very sincere, without any sarcasm, it was obvious that what he said was what he thought. The eldest brother really envied his so-called stable job. He smiled bitterly. Yes, the eldest brother didn’t know that he was about to be laid off, so he said that.
Thinking of this, he relaxed a little. The elder brother was still the elder brother. He smiled and said, “Since you like my job so much, why don’t we switch?”
Han Ze hurriedly shook his head: “How can I do your job? I don’t have much education and can only do hard labor.”
Han Yang pulled the corner of his mouth helplessly. He wanted to switch with his elder brother.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152