201: The world is big, but sometimes it is really small

The morning sun peeked through the curtains, and the alarm clock rang on time.

I abruptly opened my eyes, then did a carp jump, but accidentally overshot it and rolled off the bed.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

After rubbing my forehead, I used one hand to steady myself on the bed and the other to support my waist, standing up and walking to the window to open it.

The morning breeze instantly blew away my sleepiness.

Perhaps it had rained last night, the world was clear and bright as if a filter had been applied.

The air in the residential area was incredibly fresh, and birds were chirping in the branches not far away.

Looking at the rare good weather, I stretched.

“What a beautiful morning!”

At this moment, I just wanted to announce to the whole world:

This old lady is on holiday!

According to the original plan, today is the first day of vacation, Disney, here we come!

After quickly washing up, I shuffled in my slippers to He Qianqian’s door, which was silent inside.

This girl, last night she swore she wouldn’t oversleep, but she’s clearly dead to the world again!

I raised an eyebrow and started banging on the door.

“He Qianqian! The sun’s already high! If you don’t get up, Disney’s fireworks will all be over!”

There was a rustling sound and an unhappy mumble from inside.

“Ho, looks like I’ll have to give you a shocking wake-up service!”

I twisted the doorknob and poked my head in.

“He Qianqian! Get…”

The sound caught in my throat.

The morning light gently spilled onto the messy quilt, and He Qianqian groggily sat up, the silky thin quilt sliding down her smooth shoulders… Then, a dazzling expanse of white and graceful curves unexpectedly crashed into my eyes.

Oh my goodness! This girl usually wraps herself up so tightly, I never thought her figure would be so unfair!

Probably not fully awake, He Qianqian was still rubbing her eyes in a daze.

I tiptoed in, quickly pinched her prominent and ample parts, then deliberately let out a lewd cackle.

“Wow! You little brat, the feel is quite good!”

“Ah—!”

A scream loud enough to lift the roof exploded.

He Qianqian instantly sobered up, frantically pulled the quilt to wrap herself up like a zongzi, glaring at me with shame and indignation.

“Li Zhenzhen! What are you doing?!”

Seeing her about to pounce on me, clawing and baring her teeth.

I was prepared, nimbly jumping to the doorway, laughing and pointing outside to remind her:

“Hey, hey, hey! Watch out! This is my cousin’s house! Are you sure you want to chase me out naked?”

He Qianqian froze, then, with lightning speed, she shrank back onto the bed.

She wrapped herself from head to toe in the quilt, leaving only a pair of eyes filled with shame and indignation.

“Get out! Get out!”

I held back my laughter and closed the door, only to almost bump into a “wall” when I turned around.

Looking up, it was my cousin Ban Yangming.

He stood by the dining table with a tray, the morning sun outlining his tall figure and handsome profile, a gentle yet slightly helpless smile on his lips, clearly having heard all the commotion just now.

My face flushed instantly, and the arrogant air I had from teasing He Qianqian vanished without a trace.

“C-cousin, good morning…”

I wished I could find a hole to crawl into.

“Morning, Zhenzhen.”

His voice was as gentle and kind as ever.

“It’s rare to have a holiday, let Qianqian sleep a bit longer. Breakfast is ready, come eat after you wash up.”

I nodded obediently, and before I had walked a few steps, the door behind me opened, and He Qianqian walked out.

I turned my head at the sound and was somewhat dumbfounded.

In that short amount of time, she had already tidied herself up!

Her hair was meticulously combed, she was neatly dressed, and the pure white dress she wore made her look like a refined young lady.

He Qianqian’s blush had not yet faded, but she gave my cousin an incredibly demure and well-behaved smile.

“Good morning, Brother Yangming, thank you for the trouble.”

Just a moment ago she looked ready to fight me to the death, but now she was so gentle and virtuous.

He Qianqian’s speed of changing her expression was truly astonishing to me.

Before long, He Qianqian and I had finished washing up and sat down at the dining table.

Because of what had just happened, the atmosphere was a bit subtle, but my cousin always found a way to lighten the mood.

The exquisite and delicious Western-style breakfast he made himself quickly diverted our attention.

Amidst laughter and conversation, a delicious breakfast was soon over.

The day at Disney was indeed as wonderful as a dream.

He Qianqian and I screamed, laughed, and chased the light and shadows of the fairy tale, tired but happy.

As night fell and the lights came on, our tired bodies awakened our hungry stomachs.

My cousin, understanding, suggested:

“I heard there’s a very famous Cantonese restaurant nearby! Shall we go treat ourselves?”

He Qianqian and I’s eyes lit up, and we immediately started discussing the route.

Just then, my cousin’s phone rang.

He answered the call, listened for a few sentences, and then spoke with some surprise.

“Hmm? Are you serious? The location is a bit remote? But the taste is superb? And you have to wait a long time? Okay, got it, thanks, brother!”

He hung up the phone, looked at us, and a warm smile, like spring, appeared on his face.

“My friend recommended a newly opened ‘hidden gem’ restaurant, he said it’s so delicious it makes you want to cry. Are you interested?”

“Yes!”

“Of course!”

We both said in unison.

Following the navigation through winding roads, the car finally stopped in a place that surprised all three of us.

This was an urban village that looked very dilapidated and out of place with the bustling magic city.

The car could no longer go in, so we had to proceed on foot.

My cousin led the way with the navigation, and the two of us followed closely behind.

The environment was really bad; some alley entrances were piled with household garbage and no one seemed to clean it up.

The brick-ppaved ground was uneven, and there was sewage flowing, emitting an unpleasant smell.

We walked for an unknown amount of time until we turned another alley.

At the end of the alley, a warm yellow lantern hung, and under the lantern, there was a queue that was not short but unusually quiet and full of anticipation.

The air was filled with an indescribable, captivating aroma of food.

“This place… is too hidden, isn’t it?”

He Qianqian whispered, her eyes curiously scanning her surroundings.

At this moment, I saw that after us, people kept coming to join the queue.

Unknowingly, I could no longer see the end of the line.

“What?”

I was very shocked inside.

Just then, the murmurs of the person in front of me drifted into my ears.

“I heard this boss is a genius kid? Only seventeen?”

“Exactly! And he sets up his stall randomly in different places every week, like guerrilla warfare! I also heard that he persistently sets up his stall through wind and rain, just to share delicious food with more people.”

“Not for money, just for sharing? What a strange person…”

“He’s pretty strange, but his cooking skills are really good! See those people queuing up ahead? I heard they all came specifically from Yinhua City, just to eat the delicious food made by this boss!”

“I believe that. The friend who introduced me said that his ‘braised green bean noodles’ made him want to cry it was so delicious!”

“Yes, yes, yes! My friend said that the ‘hand-grabbed lamb chops’ are also absolutely amazing!”

The three of us looked at each other, our curiosity and anticipation instantly soaring.

This boss sounds like… a legend?

We queued for an unknown amount of time, until we were all so hungry our stomachs were rumbling and our legs ached, before it was finally our turn.

The small shop had ten round tables packed tightly together.

The interior decoration was extremely simple and unadorned, one could even say there was no decoration.

A handsome young man in a clean chef’s uniform stood in the shop, serving as both boss and waiter.

He looked somewhat familiar, I felt like I had seen him somewhere before… and he seemed to avoid my gaze.

I tried to recall carefully, where exactly had I seen him?

I looked up at this point and saw He Qianqian also secretly observing the young boss. Her expression also seemed a bit puzzled.

It’s confirmed, we must have met, and He Qianqian also saw him, so it must have been when He Qianqian and I met him while working at the airport.

Just as I was about to remember, the young boss had already deftly handed us paper and pen.

Seeing that we could order, I immediately shifted my attention, picked up the paper, and started looking at it.

It turned out to be a blank piece of paper with no dish names on it.

Just as I was wondering, the young boss smiled and began to explain.

From what he said, we could order anything we wanted, as long as the shop happened to have the ingredients.

This surprised and delighted all three of us. We huddled together to discuss for a while and finally decided on our dishes.

“Boss, are you the only one busy?”

My cousin handed back the paper and pen, asking an extra question.

The young boss, while moving through the small space taking orders and serving water, replied in a clear voice:

“Yes, usually there’s a helper, but he wasn’t feeling well just now and took leave.”

He paused, then added:

“Don’t worry, I can manage by myself, it just might take a little longer for the dishes to come out.”

I didn’t know why my cousin suddenly asked that, I just saw him nod thoughtfully.

Of course, my cousin might have just asked out of curiosity, so I didn’t pay much attention and looked down at my phone to pass the time.

Out of caution, and also to avoid any pitfalls, we ordered the “braised green bean noodles” and “hand-grabbed lamb chops” that we had heard about outside the shop.

Since each person could only order one dish, I added a supposedly very special “emerald tofu soup.”

The waiting time was a bit longer than expected, but the rich aroma filling the shop and the satisfied expressions on the faces of the surrounding diners made us willingly wait.

When the three exquisitely plated dishes, emitting a fatally tempting aroma, were placed before us, all three of us were captivated.

We felt that, at this moment, all the waiting had turned into worthiness.

We didn’t know how the young boss knew our tastes.

Each dish was neither too salty nor too bland, seasoned just right.

The noodles were springy, and the sauce was so rich it made our souls tremble.

The lamb chops were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the spices and meat aroma perfectly blended, and juice overflowing with every bite.

The tofu soup was fresh and smooth, with a wonderful sweet aftertaste.

The three of us barely spoke, only the faint clinking of spoons and chopsticks and satisfied sighs remained.

Oh my god… this taste!

It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The young boss smiled as he watched us eat with such focus, then turned and walked back to the kitchen.

Good times always pass quickly.

I looked at the sparkling clean plates with regret and satisfaction, then patted my bulging tummy and followed them out of the restaurant.

At this point, I noticed again that before leaving, my cousin took a final look in the direction of the kitchen, his expression seeming a little wistful.

“Cousin, what’s wrong?”

I asked out of curiosity.

My cousin smiled and shook his head.

“Nothing, I just thought I saw an old acquaintance of mine in the shop while queuing outside, but I didn’t see him after entering. I guess I must have been mistaken.”

I vaguely knew the nature of my cousin’s profession, and a guess flashed through my mind.

He Qianqian heard this, looked back into the shop again, then suddenly leaned close to my ear and mysteriously said:

“Zhenzhen, I remember where I saw that boss!”

I looked over in surprise.

“Do you remember that mysterious group who ate thirty portions of food?”

Upon hearing this, my eyes instantly widened!

I remembered!

No wonder this young boss looked so familiar!

This made me sigh, the world is vast, but sometimes it’s truly small.

That He Qianqian and I could meet again.

“What are you two talking about? Why are you smiling so strangely?”

My cousin looked over, puzzled.

“No, nothing.”

He Qianqian and I shook our heads in unison.