Chapter 30

First Business

Not long after the noodle stall opened, an ox cart passed by.

There was thick straw on the ox cart. An old woman was lying on it, and a middle-aged man in his forties was sitting in front of her.

“Son, why do I smell meat soup nearby?!” The old lady sat up and asked.

“Hey, Mom, don’t sit up. Be careful! There’s no meat soup. There seems to be a noodle stall in front!” The middle-aged man explained.

When the old lady heard her son’s words, she thought for a moment. “Son, stop! I want a bowl of noodles!”

The middle-aged man thought about how they had been traveling for most of the day, so it was normal for his mother to be hungry.

His mother wasn’t in good health and couldn’t eat hard and sticky things like grain. It wasn’t a bad idea to eat a bowl of noodles now.

“Alright, Mother, sit tight. I’ll drive the ox cart over now!” the middle-aged man said.

Soon, the ox cart was near the noodle stall.

Seeing this, Li Shun hurried forward to help.

“Are you here to eat noodles? Come, come, there’s a tree here. Just tie the reins here!” Li Shun said as he led the middle-aged man to stop the ox cart.

“How do you sell your noodles?” The middle-aged man asked after parking the ox cart.

When Li Xiaoran saw that a customer was here, she smiled and replied, “A bowl of plain noodles costs three copper coins, and noodles with some minced meat costs five copper coins!”

“I see! Then give me a bowl of plain noodles and a bowl of minced meat noodles!” The middle-aged man helped his mother down from the ox cart.

“Alright, wait a moment. I’ll cook it now!” Li Xiaoran replied as she took the dough. Then, she took a piece of bamboo and peeled a piece of dough into the pot.

After the middle-aged man helped his mother sit down, he saw Li Xiaoran’s move and immediately asked curiously, “Little girl, what kind of noodles are these?”

“This is called knife-cut noodles. The texture of these noodles is very chewy and delicious! Her teeth aren’t good, so I’ll cook it softer so that it’ll be easier for her to eat!” Li Xiaoran replied as she sliced.

When the middle-aged man heard this, he was relieved.

The old lady stared at the cloth mask on the Li family members’ faces and asked curiously, “Why are you wearing masks?”

When Zhao Xiu heard the old lady’s question, she brought two bowls of bone broth over.

“This is used to prevent saliva that is spit out when we talk. We’re in the food business, so we have to be more mindful. Only then can the customers be at ease with the food!” Zhao Xiu said what Li Xiaoran had said previously.

When the middle-aged man and the old woman heard this, they looked forward to the bowl of noodles.

“You should be more mindful about this. How nice!” The middle-aged man agreed.

“That’s right! Come, these are two bowls of soup made from pig bones. Drink two mouthfuls first to warm up. The noodles will be ready soon!” Zhao Xiu smiled and greeted them.

The middle-aged man nodded. Then, he blew on the old lady’s bowl of soup to make sure it wasn’t too hot before placing it in front of his mother.

“Mother, this soup isn’t hot. Drink it slowly!”

The old lady nodded and sipped from her spoon.

It had to be said that the soup made from pig bones was delicious even with only some salt and some spring onions.

The old lady was probably really hungry. She drank most of the bowl in one go.

On the other side, Li Xiaoran scooped out a bowl of sliced noodles and stirred the condiments and sliced noodles with her chopsticks before placing them in front of the middle-aged man.

“This is your noodles! This bowl of noodles has a chewier texture!”

The middle-aged man looked at the bowl of noodles in front of him and was shocked.

“How did you know that I like to add chili to my noodles?”

“I guessed it!” Li Xiaoran replied with a smile.

“You guessed correctly! Don’t put chili in my mother’s bowl of noodles later!” The middle-aged man reminded her.

“Okay, don’t worry, sir!” Li Xiaoran nodded and quickly went to season another bowl of noodles.

“This noodles smells so good!” the old lady exclaimed as she stared at the sliced noodles in her son’s bowl.

The middle-aged man put down his chopsticks and said with concern, “Mother, my bowl of noodles is a little chewier. You won’t be able to bite through it. The cooked noodles will be served later! Wait a moment!”

At this moment, the middle-aged man didn’t eat first. Instead, he waited with the old lady.

When Li Shun saw this scene, he was also touched.

It seemed that this man was a filial person.

“Your son is so filial to you. You’re so lucky!” Li Shun walked over with a smile.

The old woman’s eyes flicked to her son when she heard Li Shun’s words.

“That’s right. I’ve given birth to a few children in my life, but only this adopted son treats me the best! He’s not my biological son, but he treats me better than my biological son!”

The old woman’s words instantly stunned the Li family.

Even Luo Cheng, who was secretly watching everything, was stunned.

“Mother, why are you saying this?! A son will always be your son! Without you taking care of me back then, there wouldn’t be the current me! It’s my duty to support you in your old age! I just look forward to Mother following me in my old age. People say that having an old person in the family is like having a treasure. You’re our family’s lucky charm!” the middle-aged man said with a smile.

When Li Xiaoran heard this, a smile appeared on her face.

She felt a sense of peaceful happiness from both of them.

The middle-aged man in front of her wanted to be filial to this old lady from the bottom of his heart, and he wasn’t the kind of ingrate who only knew how to talk but was actually another person behind people’s back.

“Alright. Then I’ll have to live a few more years and watch you get married and take care of your grandson before I can bear to die!” The old granny said with a smile.

When Li Xiaoran heard this, she saw that the knife-cut noodles in the pot were ready, so she quickly scooped them up.

“Granny, your knife-cut noodles are ready! But it’s a little hot. Eat carefully!” Li Xiaoran reminded her after carrying it over.

The old lady nodded. Then she picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and ate it carefully.

As she ate the noodles, the old lady suddenly stopped eating and took another bite.

After taking a few bites in a row, tears streamed down the old lady’s face and she kept muttering, “It’s this taste! I haven’t experienced this taste in years!”

The middle-aged man was shocked when he saw this. He quickly took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the old lady’s tears.

“Mother, what happened to you?”