15: sense of smell

Lu Chuan was counting the money in the cash register when he suddenly noticed a message scrawled on one of the ten-yuan bills.

Under the light of the food cart, he looked closely:

"Xiao Mei, you finally called me by my name, even if it was wrong, but it doesn't matter, I'll change it right away."

"..."

Lu Chuan frowned, thought hard for a while, and then remembered that this bill was given by the last customer.

The last one, wasn't that?

Lu Chuan suddenly understood and couldn't help but glance at Li An, who was sitting on the wooden stool, a complex expression in his eyes.

Such a clear simp's quote, if it's you, I'm really not surprised at all.

Even though Lu Chuan had never been in love, he knew that a relationship should be between equals.

Is this kind of one-sided love truly love?

Lu Chuan originally didn't want to pay attention, but then he thought, Li An is his customer after all.

He still had to give him a encouraging smile.

So, his mouth twitched, and he forced out a stiff smile.

But to his surprise, his smile seemed to make Li An, not far away, start acting crazy again... frightened, Lu Chuan quickly lowered his head, not daring to make eye contact with him again.

---

Leng Hui, who had finished his fire drill for the day, took advantage of his day off and habitually walked around the park.

It was both to relieve his physical fatigue and to relax his tense mind.

It proved that seeing more of nature's scenery was indeed beneficial for both body and mind.

Leng Hui, in a great mood, left the park and saw that the shaded sidewalk outside was lined with snack stalls, which, for once, piqued his interest.

Ever since a fire mission two years ago, he had been exposed to exploding chemicals in a laboratory, which damaged his sense of smell.

Since then, he could no longer smell food, and his sense of taste was also slightly affected, so he gradually lost interest in food.

His usual requirement for food was simply to maintain his vital signs.

Under these circumstances, Leng Hui naturally wouldn't frequent roadside stalls.

However, today, on a whim, he didn't mind experiencing the joy of his student days again.

As he walked around, Leng Hui's hands were already holding a skewer of grilled squid, a skewer of grilled chicken wings, and a hand-grabbed pancake.

"Chew, chew, chew..."

"Hahaha, still no taste."

Leng Hui shook his head, casually tossed the finished trash into a roadside bin, then put his hands in his pockets and prepared to return to his squadron.

However, just then, his nose, which had long lost its sense of smell, suddenly twitched, and a hint of shock appeared on his face.

Immediately after, his feet unconsciously started moving, and he walked faster and faster, eventually almost running.

"My sense of smell has recovered?"

...No, my sense of smell hasn't recovered, it's this stinky smell that's special!

Leng Hui glanced at the "Public Restroom" sign ahead, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

But he thought about it and continued to run forward.

Even if it was the smell of a public restroom, he had to investigate.

It's hard for healthy people to empathize with those who have physical deficiencies.

Now that there was hope of recovery, Leng Hui's mood was understandable.

As he was about to turn the corner, he vaguely heard a burst of laughter.

"So lively?"

Leng Hui was startled and stepped around the corner.

What met his eyes was not what he had imagined.

He saw a small food cart quietly parked next to the public restroom.

The stall owner appeared to be a teenager, his smile shy and introverted, but his skills were indeed very seasoned.

And the customers, some were politely yielding to each other, some were enthusiastically composing poems, some were shaking their heads, all very harmonious.

"Oh, so it's the smell of stinky tofu."

Leng Hui looked at the prominent sign and finally remembered the source of the smell.

"To be able to make my nose smell again, this stinky tofu is extraordinary."

He rubbed his belly, which was only a third full, and immediately walked up.

"Boss, make me a serving of stinky tofu."

Unexpectedly, the young boss in front of him did not immediately respond, but instead looked at him with a surprised gaze.

Leng Hui thought he hadn't heard clearly and quickly repeated himself.

"Okay, guest, do you want a large portion or a small portion? The sauces are all on the counter; just tell me when you're brushing the sauce later."

Leng Hui looked with interest at the clean and tidy counter, where bottles and jars were neatly arranged.

Labels were affixed to them, reading chili oil, garlic sauce, sweet bean paste, doubanjiang, and a strange-flavored sauce.

"I'll take the large portion. How much is one portion? Can I only pay cash, not scan to pay?"

"The large portion is 30, and currently, only cash is accepted."

"Mm-hmm, okay, here's 30. Please put that strange-flavored sauce on for me later."

"Okay, guest, you can wait on the wooden stool over there. I'll call you when it's ready."

Leng Hui watched the young boss use special tongs to collect money, clearly paying great attention to food hygiene, and the satisfaction on his face became even more apparent.

He nodded at the young boss, but didn't walk away; instead, he took a few more steps closer and watched the preparation process.

---

Lu Chuan was a bit bewildered now.

He was already very familiar with the stinky tofu he made.

That stench, anyone who came would surely gag.

However, the man in front of him remained expressionless, even taking deep, seemingly enjoyable breaths of the odor.

He was incredibly curious and really wanted to ask him the reason directly.

But considering it involved the customer's privacy, he ultimately remained silent.

Soon, a steaming portion of stinky tofu was ready.

Lu Chuan quickly scooped it into a bowl, brushed on the sauce, added the ingredients, and then handed it to the man.

---

Leng Hui took it with both hands, nodded at Lu Chuan, then eagerly held it in front of him to admire.

"This stinky tofu looks so beautiful! And the color of this sauce is also very special; it doesn't look like what's sold in stores, more like the boss made it himself."

At this moment, the rich stench mixed with a unique beany aroma from the rising steam of the stinky tofu, along with the sweet, sour, spicy, and numbing flavors of the strange-flavored sauce, all rushed into Leng Hui's nostrils.

That powerfully impactful and dominant flavor instantly bloomed in his nasal cavity.

"Achoo!"

Leng Hui rubbed his itchy nose, finally unable to hold back.

He used bamboo chopsticks to pick up a piece of stinky tofu, fried to a golden crisp on the outside, but he didn't control the force in his hand, breaking the crispy shell and immediately revealing the sky-blue skin underneath, like a blue sky and sea, and further down, the soft, white tofu core, like agar-agar.

"Gulp."

Such an excellent presentation made Leng Hui swallow uncontrollably.

"Ah wuu..."

He immediately put the still-scalding stinky tofu into his mouth, and the next moment, he was so hot he grimaced.

But even so, he couldn't bear to spit it out.

Simply because a richer, more mellow flavor than before was erupting fiercely in his mouth.

It instantly and completely overwhelmed his reason.