1 Three-Shred Sour Soup Noodles

In the height of midsummer, the temperature was already scorching, and today was particularly bright and sunny. The blazing sun baked the asphalt until it was boiling hot, and the heat radiating from the road surface felt almost painful to the pedestrians walking on it.

Two passersby sought refuge from the heat under the shadow of a shop sign. One of them said, "Brother Yang, it's lunchtime. Let's find a place to eat."

The man addressed as Brother Yang frowned. "It's too hot, I have no appetite. You go ahead and eat first."

How could Xu Jun eat alone? He immediately pulled Yang Xinzhi along. "I know a decent noodle shop nearby. They should have cold noodles or something similar for the summer. Let's just grab a quick bowl."

Braving the scorching sun for half a block, they arrived at the spot where Xu Jun remembered the noodle shop being. His heart sank. The old sign had been taken down at some point, replaced by one that read "Nanlai Restaurant."

In this day and age, the restaurant business was tough; it was no surprise that a noodle shop had gone under.

Both of their faces were flushed red from the heat. Unwilling to search for another place, they decided that anything would do and stepped inside.

The air conditioning was on inside, and a wave of cool air washed over them. Xu Jun let out a sigh of relief and looked toward the server approaching with menus.

This young waitress was incredibly elegant! She had fair skin, delicate features, and, above all, a scholarly aura about her.

Xu Jun reasoned to himself that she was probably a college student helping out at her family's restaurant during the summer break.

The waitress spoke up, "Hello, we are currently in our soft opening phase, so there are only a few dishes available."

Eating was the most important thing in the world.

Xu Jun immediately looked at the menu and was delighted to find that although the noodle shop was gone, this new restaurant also served cold noodles.

Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce — 25 yuan.
Three-Shred Sour Soup Noodles — 19 yuan.
Eight-Treasure Tofu...

It was just cold noodles. Even with meat sauce, twenty-five yuan was far too expensive! The only reason Xu Jun didn't turn around and leave was that he didn't want to make his friend wander around in the blazing sun any longer.

Yang Xinzhi's expression remained neutral as he ordered the Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce. Seeing this, Xu Jun also ordered a bowl of Three-Shred Sour Soup Noodles.

The two of them then watched as the waitress put on a chef's hat and disappeared into the kitchen.

So she wasn't a waitress, but the chef?

Xu Jun thought to himself that this was bad. A chef's good looks couldn't fill a stomach; if her culinary skills were terrible, they would be the ones to suffer!

Although cold noodles didn't require much technical skill, having such a young chef still made him uneasy. In the short time since they had entered the shop, this was already the second time he regretted not walking away.

He looked up at Yang Xinzhi, who had a faint smile on his lips. Clearly guessing what was on Xu Jun's mind, Yang Xinzhi comforted him, "Just think of it as paying for the air conditioning."

With that thought, Xu Jun felt a bit better.

***

In the kitchen, Nan Tu set a pot of water to boil for the noodles and heated up beef bone broth in another pot.

Even though the restaurant was quiet and lacked customers, she prepared every dish with utmost care, never cutting corners, unwilling to tarnish the reputation of Nanlai Restaurant.

The sign at the entrance had been passed down to Nan Tu by her grandfather.

The original Nanlai Restaurant used to be located a few blocks away. Although it was small and not luxuriously decorated, it was highly renowned among the neighbors. Every day, long before peak dining hours, it would be packed to capacity. If there were no tables or chairs left, the neighbors would bring their own stools just to have a meal there.

The popularity of Nanlai Restaurant was, of course, inseparable from the culinary skills of Nan Tu's grandfather, Nan Yuanhai. Having lost both her parents at a young age, Nan Tu had followed her grandfather around since childhood. Influenced by what she saw and heard, she began helping in the kitchen in her teens. At first, the neighbors could still tell the difference between the dishes cooked by Nan Tu and those by Nan Yuanhai, but eventually, they could no longer distinguish between them. They praised Nan Tu as a culinary prodigy destined to inherit Nanlai Restaurant.

Nan Yuanhai, however, did not think so. The culinary trade was known as a "diligent profession"—it required hard labor and endurance to make a living. His granddaughter excelled in her studies and was meant to work in an office. How could she spend her life hovering around a stove like him?

Fulfilling Nan Yuanhai's expectations, Nan Tu went to university in another province and worked at a large corporation after graduation, leaving the greasy, smoke-filled kitchen far behind.

That was until a month ago, when the company's layoffs reached her. To save on severance pay, the seemingly respectable company used every trick in the book to pressure Nan Tu into leaving. Her once-friendly boss and colleagues changed their attitudes overnight.

Lost and bewildered, Nan Tu walked the bustling yet unfamiliar streets, realizing that this city was not her home and that she didn't even like the job.

But there was no longer a Nanlai Restaurant for her to inherit either.

Shortly after she started university, a subway station was slated to be built near the original Nanlai Restaurant, and the entire area was demolished. The demolition did not make the Nan family instantly wealthy—the storefront had been rented.

Back then, Nan Yuanhai felt he could still toss a wok and did not want to retire. He took a liking to another storefront a few streets away, which was much more spacious and brighter than the old one, yet cheap enough for them to afford. Correspondingly, the location was slightly worse, even a bit remote, but Nan Yuanhai was confident. Good wine fears no dark alley—the neighbors would always recognize the Nanlai Restaurant sign!

No one expected that before the renovations were completed, Nan Yuanhai would be diagnosed with lung disease. Despite active treatment and rest, he passed away two years ago.

The remaining storefront was leased to someone else to run a noodle shop. A few months ago, that noodle shop went under. Before Nan Tu could find the next tenant, she lost her own job.

Only when one is entirely alone does the taste of loneliness become clearest. She missed the Nanlai Restaurant she could never return to, the aroma of cooking in the kitchen, and the busy, slightly hunched figure in her memory.

Nan Tu made a decision. Since the old Nanlai Restaurant was gone, she would open a new one.

The noodles were done. Nan Tu snapped out of her thoughts, scooped them out, and rinsed them with cold water.

Neither of the noodle dishes ordered by the customers was difficult to make. Running a shop by herself for the first time, Nan Tu did not dare to take too large a step; the current menu consisted only of quick and easy dishes.

The "three shreds" in the Three-Shred Sour Soup Noodles were shredded wood ear mushrooms, shredded fried tofu puffs, and shredded egg crepes. After adding these thickly shredded ingredients to the seasoned broth, Nan Tu turned her attention to the Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce.

The meat sauce was a beef paste she made herself. The diced beef was fried until fragrant and crispy, then combined with pine nuts and white sesame seeds roasted over a low flame. It had a rich and mellow taste. Whether mixed with rice or noodles, it could instantly elevate the flavor of the food by several levels.

She ladled a generous spoonful of beef sauce, sprinkled a handful of pre-fried soybeans—which had to be cooled to be crispy, so Nan Tu had fried them beforehand and set them aside—and finished with a handful of bright green chopped scallions. The Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce were ready.

***

Before long, the dishes ordered by the two men were served.

It seemed that although the chef of this restaurant was young, she was quite efficient.

Xu Jun looked at his Three-Shred Sour Soup Noodles. The broth was slightly thick. Bright green cilantro, pale yellow egg shreds, and glossy black wood ear mushroom shreds were set against the red chili oil dotted on the surface. The array of colors in the bowl instantly whetted his appetite.

He threw his previous thought of "paying for the air conditioning" to the wind. Eagerly picking up his chopsticks, he lifted a large mouthful of noodles and took a bite. His eyes lit up instantly.

The noodles were cooked to perfection—soft enough to be cut with chopsticks, yet with a slight chewiness, never becoming mushy or losing their texture.

The broth was sour, spicy, and rich in flavor. Slightly thickened, it clung to the noodles. The clean, refreshing sourness and the perfectly balanced spiciness stimulated his taste buds, instantly dispelling the summer stuffiness and leaving him feeling thoroughly refreshed!

Taking another bite with the toppings, the wood ear mushrooms were tender and crunchy, the egg shreds soft and delicate, and best of all were the shredded tofu puffs. Their hollow centers were fully saturated with the savory broth, making them chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, incredibly delicious.

He buried his head in his food, completely forgetting about Yang Xinzhi sitting opposite him, until a rich meaty aroma wafted to his nose. Only then did Xu Jun remember that Yang Xinzhi had ordered the Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce.

Xu Jun highly recommended it, saying, "Brother Yang, these Three-Shred Sour Soup Noodles are amazing. The broth is incredibly savory. You must try them next time."

Yang Xinzhi was tossing his cold noodles. The aroma from before had burst forth the moment he mixed the beef sauce in.

Once the noodles were mixed, the scent made him ravenous. He impatiently lifted a bite of noodles into his mouth and said as soon as he tasted it, "This twenty-five yuan was well spent. The beef sauce in this is truly excellent."

The noodles were springy and elastic. Once tossed, every strand was coated in meat sauce and dressing. Cool and smooth, each bite offered crispy, fragrant bits of beef, accompanied by a unique aroma. The crunchy soybeans and refreshing bean sprouts added layers of texture, making the dish mouthwatering.

With Yang Xinzhi's palate, he could only identify pine nuts and sesame seeds in the beef sauce. To find such generous chunks of beef and expensive pine nuts in a small roadside diner made twenty-five yuan seem not expensive at all. Instead, it felt like a great bargain—this was a truly honest business!

Crunch, crunch. It was like a symphony playing in his mind as the juices from the bean sprouts and cucumber shreds burst, filling his mouth with a clean, refreshing flavor. The specially prepared hot and sour dressing stimulated his senses, sending his appetite into overdrive.

Both men devoured their noodles. While thoroughly satisfied, they were also curious about what the other was eating, secretly planning to try it next time.

What puzzled them was that despite the owner's superb culinary skills, the shop was completely deserted; they remained the only two customers.

During this time, a few other customers did walk in, but they either hesitated and left upon seeing the exceptionally young owner, or retreated after seeing the prices on the menu.

Xu Jun couldn't bear to watch and even tried to recommend the food to them. However, the look the customers gave him as they turned to leave clearly said, "You're just a shill trying to trick me. No way!"

"Hey, look at them!" Xu Jun said, indignant. "It really is delicious!"

Without them noticing, Nan Tu walked over and set down two cups.

"Since we just opened, here is a complimentary cup of lemon cold-brewed tea for each of you."

Seeing that a few customers had just walked out, Xu Jun was afraid she might feel discouraged and quickly offered encouragement: "Boss, your noodles are fantastic. We'll definitely be back."

Nan Tu smiled faintly. Running a restaurant was indeed much harder than she had anticipated. Having been closed for so many years, few people still remembered Nanlai Restaurant, and her young age made it difficult to gain customers' trust. While the business was not doing well at the moment, she was determined to keep pushing forward.

Having finished his noodles, Yang Xinzhi was still thinking about the beef sauce. It could be said that eighty percent of the credit for the deliciousness of this bowl of cold noodles went to the rich yet non-greasy beef sauce.

With some roadside cold noodles, one could easily guess the seasonings used after just one bite.

But the beef sauce in these cold noodles was impossible to decipher and left one craving for more. Finding a substitute was out of the question, leaving him longing to return just to eat it again.

If only cold noodles weren't so difficult to pack for takeout, he would have bought two more portions to take home for his wife to try.

If the noodles couldn't be packed, what about the sauce? With a sudden thought, Yang Xinzhi asked, "Boss, how much is the beef sauce?"

Nan Tu replied, "An extra portion of meat sauce is eight yuan."

"What if you pack a jar of it for me separately?"

"Selling the beef sauce on its own?" Nan Tu understood Yang Xinzhi's intent and shook her head decisively. "My shop doesn't have the license for that."

Selling jarred beef sauce fell under pre-packaged food regulations. Without the proper certification, she would face a fine if caught, and Nan Tu did not want to take that risk.

Xu Jun chimed in to persuade her, "Boss, you have to be flexible when doing business."

Nan Tu still refused.

An idea suddenly popped into Yang Xinzhi's head, and he slapped the table. He was determined to bring that beef sauce home today!

"Give me another order of Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce, and add ten extra portions of beef sauce."

The beef sauce was delicious, but... wouldn't that be too salty? Nan Tu looked at him in confusion.

She then heard Yang Xinzhi say, "Put the extra meat sauce in a separate bowl."

A moment later, the Cold Noodles with Meat Sauce were ready. Yang Xinzhi and Xu Jun split the bowl of noodles. After devouring it all, Yang Xinzhi pointed to the ten untouched portions of beef sauce and said, "Boss, pack up the leftovers for takeout."

Nothing could stop him!