Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 117: The Noodle Shop and the Customers
Something happened in Gaojing Qingyu Alley that would go unnoticed by passersby, but it held significant meaning for Lin Feng and Lin Miaomiao.
The Lanzhou Noodle House opened its doors.
Lin Feng was responsible for making the broth, pulling the noodles, and cooking them. Magenta took care of serving tea and water. As for Lin Miaomiao, she naturally assumed the role of the boss, handling the accounts.
The Lanzhou Noodle House opened quietly and continued to operate just as quietly.
Lin Feng sat in a chair, looking bored. "It's been two days, and not a single customer has come in."
Lin Miaomiao played with the abacus on the counter. "You don't need the money; you just want peace and quiet. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
"True, I do want peace and quiet. But I opened this noodle shop after all. If I can't sell even a single bowl of noodles, it will be a serious blow to my confidence," Lin Feng replied, visibly frustrated.
Lin Miaomiao chuckled, "None of your ancestors ran a noodle shop for three generations. If you actually manage to sell something, that would be truly surprising."
"Are you looking down on me? I, Lin Feng, swear that if I can't sell a thousand bowls of noodles, I won't leave Gaojing," Lin Feng declared earnestly.
Magenta wiped the wooden table that had been cleaned countless times. "Young Master, in three days, the first trial of the Jiuzhou Gathering Conference begins. Sister Miao has already secured an exemption from the first trial. Shouldn't you prepare? Perhaps we should reconsider opening..."
"Even you don't believe in me, do you? Magenta, since you don't believe in me, you should leave early and find someone else," Lin Feng interrupted, knowing what Magenta was thinking.
Lin Miaomiao laughed. "If you're determined to sell a thousand bowls before giving up, Sister Magenta might indeed look for another opportunity. Just think about it: if she returns to Red Flower Palace and her master asks her, 'Magenta, did you find what you were looking for on this Journey to the Central Plains?'"
Then Miaomiao mimicked Magenta's tone to answer herself: "Master, I found him."
"Very good! And who is he? Which sect does he belong to? What is his ranking on the Stele? How does he rank in the Jiuzhou Gathering Conference?" Miaomiao continued to imitate an elderly figure.
"Master, he... he... he runs a noodle shop..."
At this point, Lin Miaomiao found it particularly amusing and couldn't help but laugh, hands on her hips, shaking with mirth.
Lin Feng looked at Lin Miaomiao with dissatisfaction and said, "Miaomiao, I think you're just too bored. Why don't we move back to Solitary Moon Mansion? It's much livelier there."
"Come on, can't I admit my mistake?" Lin Miaomiao replied, looking at Lin Feng with a charming smile.
"That's more like it. To keep you carefree, do you know how hard it was for me to find such a secluded place? If we were on a bustling street, I'd be busy from dawn till dusk," Lin Feng justified himself.
Just as Lin Miaomiao was about to respond, a loud 'bang' echoed through the air as a large hole was smashed into the wooden wall of the shop. A middle-aged man landed inside the noodle shop.
The middle-aged man wore a black long robe and held a Black Longsword in his hand. His robe was somewhat disheveled, covered in wounds. His face was pale, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Lying on the ground, the man's gaze shifted among Lin Feng and the others before finally settling on Lin Feng, who wore a white skirt. He struggled to utter two words: "Help me."
Lin Miaomiao looked at Lin Feng seriously and said, "There are three people outside, all at the peak of Fate Realization."
Magenta paused her cleaning of the table and remarked, "Young Master, the Jiuzhou Gathering Conference is about to begin. Shouldn't we avoid trouble?"
"As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Why are you two women so heartless?"
After saying this, Lin Feng displayed a noble and righteous smile as he looked at the middle-aged man. "If you can move me with just one sentence, I will help you."
"Think carefully; you only have one chance," Lin Feng added kindly.
The middle-aged man smiled and even loosened his grip on the longsword. Relaxing on the ground, he finally spoke: "Boss, I'll have a bowl of noodles."
"Sure thing."
Lin Feng's mood suddenly brightened, feeling refreshed. When he looked at Lin Miaomiao, he deliberately chuckled with satisfaction. He turned and walked toward the room, but suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "What kind of noodles do you want?"
"Anything," the middle-aged man replied.
Lin Feng paused, looking at the man seriously. "You're brushing me off. Saving a life comes with many risks. If you're going to treat your savior like this, then I can only apologize."
The middle-aged man was taken aback and had to prop himself up to sit. Just then, he noticed the sign that had flown in with him, which read: Lanzhou Noodles.
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Boss, I'll have a bowl of Lanzhou Noodles."
Lin Miaomiao and Magenta burst into laughter upon hearing this. Lin Miaomiao joyfully remarked, "Lin Feng, your shop name is quite peculiar. I think you should listen to me and change it to 'Feng Miao Noodle House.'"
"Not happening; you should just find another place," Lin Feng replied as he returned to his seat.
The middle-aged man forced a smile and tentatively asked, "Do you have Beef Noodle Soup?"
"Of course! That's my specialty," Lin Feng said as he turned and entered the kitchen, starting to knead and stretch the dough. The long, soft dough hit the table with a thud. Soon, a steaming bowl of noodles was served, topped with slices of braised beef and scallions.
At this point, the middle-aged man had already settled onto a nearby stool. Looking at the fragrant bowl of noodles before him, he couldn't help but lick his lips and say, "Smells great. Boss, you have good skills."
Outside the shop, the three waited for a long time without seeing the middle-aged man come out. They finally decided to enter the noodle shop. When they saw the middle-aged man quietly enjoying his noodles, their expressions turned to surprise.
"You actually have the time to eat noodles?" one person said coldly.
"Since we're all going to die anyway, being a well-fed ghost is better than being a hungry one," another replied.
"Should we let him finish that bowl of noodles?" Third Person asked.
"Of course not, how could it be as he wishes?"
The three reached a consensus and slowly approached the middle-aged man. Then, Magenta appeared between the middle-aged man and the trio. Looking at them with a smile, Magenta asked, "Are you three here for noodles as well?"
The leader, the shortest and slightly plump among them, looked at Magenta with disdain and snapped, "The Qingshan Gang does things their way. If you don't want to die, get lost."
"I understand."
Magenta remained in place and turned to Lin Feng, saying, "Boss, he doesn't want noodles."
"What’s he doing in my shop if he doesn’t want noodles? Get him out," Lin Feng replied irritably.
"What a big mouth," the tallest and thinnest among them coldly remarked, glaring at Lin Feng with a strong killing intent.
"This is good noodles. Boss, your skills are impressive; the broth is clear yet flavorful, and the noodles are fine and exquisite. Truly exceptional noodles," the middle-aged man said as he continued to eat with increasing enthusiasm, slurping the noodles noisily.
Lin Miaomiao stepped out from behind the counter, deliberately dispersing her cultivation aura. She didn't want to stir up trouble and said, "Gentlemen, we have no intention of interfering in any sect's affairs. This person is just here to eat noodles. Once he finishes his bowl, he'll leave. We don't know him."
"That is indeed true," Lin Feng added.
"Boss, why waste words on them? It's just a well-known Foundation girl," the only fat one sneered.
The leader glanced around the noodle shop at the three of them. After a moment of silence, he found a table and sat down. He asked, "Boss, what kind of noodles do you have here?"
With business coming in, Lin Feng was happy to introduce: "Our shop has been operating for a century and offers various Beef Noodle Soups. We have beef soup noodles, beef fried noodles, beef brisket noodles, and even nourishing beef n noodles."
"What is he eating?" the leader inquired.
"Beef Noodle Soup," Lin Feng replied.
"Three bowls of Beef Noodle Soup," the leader replied.
"Alright, please wait a moment," Lin Feng said as he quickly walked into the room. The sound of clattering could be heard from inside.
The tallest and thinnest man whispered, "Boss, why are we being so cautious?"
The leader coldly replied, "That girl we just saw looks to be around fourteen years old, yet she has reached the peak of Fate Realization in her cultivation. In any sect across Zhongzhou, she would be among the top talents. Her identity cannot be that simple."
"So we just wait here?" the chubby man said impatiently.
"Do you think a cooked duck can still fly away?" the leader snorted.
The four of them sat across from each other, tension thick in the air as they ate their noodles. The middle-aged man devoured bowl after bowl with astonishing appetite, eating from noon until dusk without any sign of wanting to leave.
The leader grew increasingly restless as he observed Lin Feng and his companions, trying to discern their backgrounds but finding nothing. He then turned to the man across from him and said, "Tu Yu, do you really think dragging this out will bring someone to rescue you?"
The chubby man scoffed and added arrogantly, "All twelve leaders of your Flying Fish Gang are now dead."
"Is that so?" Tu Yu retorted with a faint smile.
The leader felt uneasy under Tu Yu's smile and said, "Do you still think your Flying Fish Gang can turn things around?"
"It seems it's your Qingshan Gang that won't be able to turn things around," Tu Yu replied as he took out a porcelain vial and swallowed a spirit pill.
At that moment, a blood-soaked youth burst into the noodle shop. He looked at the leader and said, "Boss, it's over."
"What happened to make you so panicked?" the leader shouted.
"The three leaders of the Flying Fish Gang were false defectors; now they've invaded our Qingshan Gang's headquarters. All our leaders have been killed," the youth exclaimed in horror.
"What?"
The leader suddenly realized, gritting his teeth as he looked at Tu Yu and said, "You deliberately entered the ambush set by the three of us to draw away the three strongest members of my Qingshan Gang. This is to allow your Flying Fish Gang's Leader to infiltrate our Qingshan Gang's headquarters?"
"This noodle shop was also scouted out by you beforehand, right? You used the three young Fate Realization Walkers to hold us back, buying time for your Flying Fish Gang's Leader to conquer our headquarters?"
Tu Yu clapped his hands in praise and said, "Fang Bangzhu is indeed exceptionally clever, hitting the nail on the head."
"You think you've won? You can find more men if they die. You can reclaim lost territory. But if the leader is gone, that is true annihilation. One against three, you will undoubtedly die," Fang Shan retorted angrily.
Tu Yu remained calm and replied, "This shop has only been open for two days. If you want to tear it down, the Boss will definitely not agree. If you choose to drag this out with me, my people should be on their way here."
"So today, your Qingshan Gang will inevitably be eliminated in Gaojing." With those final words, Tu Yu exuded a terrifying aura that made it feel as though his words were absolute truth. (To be continued...)
Comment 0 Comment Count