"Wow, it smells so good!"
"Really, just smelling it makes me hungry!"
"Quick, try it!"
As they spoke, the three of them picked up their chopsticks and started eating the noodles.
"Oh my!"
"This flavor is incredible!"
"Damn, it's so delicious!"
...
After that, no one said another word, just the sound of slurping, exactly like Zhao Meng's earlier reaction.
Zhao Meng wasn't in the mood to mock the three now; watching the neighbors wolf down the noodles opposite him, he swallowed repeatedly, his anxious eyes occasionally glancing toward the kitchen.
In the end, each person ate two big bowls, and not a drop of soup was left!
They wanted more, but their stomachs couldn't take it!
Su Zhu hadn't planned to charge, but the four insisted on scanning the payment code, then rubbed their stomachs satisfiedly and left.
Before leaving, they told Su Zhu they'd come again for lunch!
After they left, Su Zhu thought carefully about the diners' reactions and felt certain that her noodles had won the approval of four people.
The noodle shop mainly served lunch and dinner; not many people ate noodles in the morning. Su Zhu had just finished clearing the tableware when Chenchen, wearing cartoon bear pajamas, rubbed her eyes and came in.
"Chenchen, you're awake?"
"Hungry, right? Let's brush your teeth and wash your face first. Mommy will make you some noodles. Try Mommy's new recipe."
With that, Su Zhu picked up Chenchen and went to the backyard.
A quarter of an hour later, mother and daughter returned to the noodle shop. Chenchen wore a white dress and had her hair in a bun, looking like a little angel straight out of a painting — just one glance and you couldn't help but feel affection.
Su Zhu made a small bowl of hand-pulled noodles, added two slices of beef and some leafy greens, and used a small fan to cool it down.
"Here, Chenchen, try Mommy's hand-pulled noodles."
Feeling the temperature was just right, Su Zhu picked up a small bite and brought it to Chenchen's mouth.
Chenchen took a bite, her beautiful eyes suddenly sparkling with dazzling light.
"Wow, it's so delicious!"
"Mommy, feed me more!"
"Mommy, you're amazing, absolutely awesome!"
"Mommy, you're the best in the whole world, even better than a princess!"
...
Chenchen's little mouth babbled nonstop, even while eating.
In no time, the bowl was empty, soup and all.
"Mommy, I want more!" Chenchen looked at Su Zhu eagerly.
"No, you just woke up, you can't eat too much. Go play for a while."
"Mommy, I want to play restaurant! I'll be the manager, you be the chef, okay?" Chenchen hugged Su Zhu's neck and pointed to the counter, her voice sweet and innocent.
"Okay, but you have to behave and not run around." Su Zhu tickled Chenchen's cute little nose and smiled.
"Mm-hmm," Chenchen nodded seriously. "Chef Mommy, don't worry. Manager promises not to run around!"
"All right, Manager, go ahead."
"Giggling, Chef Mommy, you get busy. Manager has work to do, don't bother me."
Chenchen bent down, crawled through the small door into the counter area, and climbed onto a chair, putting on a serious expression.
Su Zhu smiled and headed back to the kitchen. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Chenchen in the backyard, and having her follow in the kitchen risked burns. Compared to those, the front counter was the best option for now — with cameras installed, Su Zhu could monitor Chenchen anytime on her phone.
"Hello everyone, our noodle shop is now open. I am the shop manager Chenchen, welcome!"
Su Zhu's hand-pulled noodles had always tasted good. With the enthusiastic promotion by Zhao Meng and the three neighbors, customers kept coming. Soon the noodle shop was more than half full, mostly local shop owners on this street.
Just like Zhao Meng and his friends, once they took the first bite, they completely lost control...
"Su Zhu, another bowl for me! Make it a large bowl — a small one isn't enough!"
"Su Zhu, I'll have three bowls of the thin noodles — no, two to go, please!"
"Hey, Third Brother, hurry to Xiangyang Street for some noodles! It's open, Su Zhu's hand-pulled noodles are indescribable! You'll regret it if you don't eat!"
"Hey buddy, are you up? Come over! Xiangyang Street's noodles are killer!"
"Ouch, I bit my tongue eating too fast!"
"Slow down, no one's stealing your noodles. You're eating like a starving ghost!"
"Damn, you say that but your bowl's empty!"
...
No doubt, word of mouth was powerful. With customers inviting friends, by 9 AM there was already a queue outside. Su Zhu had no choice but to put up a sign outside: "Closed from 10:00 to 11:30 AM due to personal matters."
She had an appointment with Lin Fanglong at 10:30 to file divorce paperwork at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
For the next hour, Su Zhu kept making noodles, cooking, and washing dishes. The toy store owner, Chen Shufen, saw how busy Su Zhu was and stayed after finishing her noodles to help in the kitchen.
Su Zhu lost track of how many bowls she made, only stopping when the dough on the table was gone. One hundred portions — almost four times what she sold in a whole day, all gone in under four hours!
"Su Zhu, there are still more than 20 people waiting outside!" Chen Shufen reported as she returned from collecting bowls.
"Huh? Didn't we tell them we close at 10?" Su Zhu took off her apron and went outside.
Sure enough, there was still a line stretching more than ten meters.
"I have something to attend to. I expect to be back by 11:30. Plus, I have to make more dough, so I might not open until noon."
"Sorry, everyone, please disperse and come back at noon."
The queue was understanding and said:
"No problem, Boss Su, you focus on your work. We can wait until lunch!"
"Yeah, I don't have anything else to do anyway. I'm first in line so I won't miss out later."
"No doubt, if you don't line up now, it'll be even busier at noon!"
"Eleven thirty is only an hour away, we can wait!"
"My buddy hates noodles but ate two big bowls. I have to try it too!"
"My friend burned his tongue eating too fast!"
...
Hearing this, Su Zhu had no choice but to leave Chenchen with Chen Shufen at the toy store and took a taxi to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Chenchen was at the toy store for the first time with someone else watching her, and Su Zhu felt uneasy.
There weren't many people at the bureau, and the divorce was completed smoothly. Right after getting the certificate, Su Zhu hurried out, needing to catch a taxi back.
Chenchen was still at Chen Shufen's toy store, and Su Zhu wasn't comfortable leaving her there too long.
"Su Zhu, wait!" Lin Fanglong shouted after her as she stepped down the stairs.
To be honest, Lin Fanglong was furious. He thought Su Zhu would plead with him to get back together, since she was unemployed, had a child to take care of, and no one to support her — basically left to starve.
He had planned to harshly humiliate her today.
Most importantly, he had bragged to his buddies yesterday, claiming Su Zhu would be crying and begging to reconcile.
But what Lin Fanglong didn't expect was that Su Zhu didn't even glance at him when she walked straight into the bureau, finished the paperwork, and hurried away as if he was a nuisance.
Angered, Lin Fanglong called out again.
Su Zhu turned, coldly: "What do you want?"
Seeing Su Zhu, usually mild, speaking like this, Lin Fanglong's temper flared:
"Su Zhu, I'll give you one last chance. Apologize and admit your mistake now. Hand Chenchen over to me, and I'll give you one million yuan!"
"This is your last chance!"
Su Zhu seemed to hear the funniest thing ever and sneered:
"One million is a lot? Or do you think Chenchen is only worth one million?!"
"Lin Fanglong, I'll tell you this — I can provide for Chenchen's life just as well as you, but what I can give, you cannot!"
"Enough, I'm busy at the noodle shop, no time to argue. If Chenchen isn't close to you, that's on you to reflect!"
She turned and got into a taxi by the curb. The car started and sped away.
Lin Fanglong stood trembling with anger, watching the taxi disappear. After five years of marriage, he'd never seen Su Zhu this arrogant.
"Damn it, go to hell!"
As he cursed, a red BMW pulled up beside him. The driver was a woman with red hair.
She looked at Lin Fanglong and teased, "Hey, Long Ge, your yellow-faced wife didn't beg like you said, huh? And she was pretty cocky too!"
"Hmph," Lin Fanglong took a deep breath to calm down, then sneered, "She's just putting on a show for appearances. I know her well — she's the best at bluffing!"
He slammed the car door hard and ground his teeth:
"Let's go to Xiangyang Street. Today I'm not giving her any face. I want to see how she runs that crappy noodle shop that barely makes money, and how she's going to give my daughter a life a hundred times better than now!"
"Today, I'll make her lose face in front of all the neighbors, so she won't dare stay on this street anymore!"
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。