Chapter 927 - 275: [New Mission] (6700) _2
It’s just that the old lady’s eyes clearly showed a bit of heartache.
After a while, the owner personally brought over two bowls of noodles.
Seeing the owner’s face all shiny with oil, walking with a limp, Chen Yan got up and took the bowl. The owner grinned, walked out, squatted by the curb at the doorstep, and went to smoke.
Chen Yan sat down, took a whiff of the steaming aroma, and nodded slightly.
This Huizhou-style noodles, while being made, are coated with sesame oil, giving the noodles their aroma. The broth is usually made from beef or mutton, mostly mutton.
A bite into it gives you a full sense of richness from the fat.
People who don’t like greasy flavors might find it hard to get used to. But dishes like these often originate from economically underdeveloped regions.
It’s usually the countryside where heavy physical labor is required more often.
Because, for people doing heavy labor, what they love is that one mouthful of aromatic fat!
The driver, having traveled all over, a bit wild in nature, quickly gulped down a bowl of noodles, wiped his mouth, and even took out a pack of cigarettes, handing one to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan declined with a smile. The driver also smiled, then walked to the doorway, sat beside the owner, and went on to chat and smoke.
Chen Yan ate the noodles one bite at a time, sipping the soup, occasionally picking out small slices of mutton.
There wasn’t much mutton, and it was sliced thin, but the taste was good, soaked in the broth.
Thinking about how the price of a bowl of noodles wasn’t high, Chen Yan didn’t find much to complain about regarding the scant mutton.
There was some commotion at the neighboring table; Chen Yan glanced over and saw the old lady whispering to the little girl. The little girl just focused on eating her noodles, occasionally shaking her head.
The movements weren’t large, but the act of shaking her head was resolute.
The old lady spoke on, her eyes tearing up a bit.
After finishing the noodles, the little girl finally looked up, glanced at the old lady, her expression seeming a bit troubled.
Hesitating for a moment, the little girl softly called out, "Granny."
"Eh?" The old lady reached out and patted the little girl’s hair.
"You... could you buy me a pack of milk candies?" The little girl lifted her head, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"...Sure, of course!" The old lady turned her head away, wiping the corner of her eyes, and led the little girl out of the noodle shop. They didn’t go far; they went to a small rural supermarket next door.
Chen Yan drank the last mouthful of noodle soup, got up, scanned the code to pay for the noodles, and walked outside the shop.
"Boss, finished eating? Ah... It’s not far to Yang Er Village where you want to go," the driver came over and said loudly with a smile, "I don’t come to this Dongliang Town often. The navigation malfunctions sometimes, and after asking the noodle shop owner earlier, I found out that the road to Yang Er Village was previously repaired and temporarily closed. Now we’re going to reroute from another village to get to Yang Er Village.
In these small rural places, road repairs and detours, the navigation software doesn’t update that quickly."
Chen Yan nodded, "Alright, let’s get going. No rush, finish your cigarette first."
The driver wasn’t shy, having seen that this passenger in the car didn’t smoke, he was also embarrassed to light one himself, holding back for quite a while.
You could tell that although this driver had a bit of mild road rage and a chatty mouth, his character was quite decent.
While speaking, suddenly a voice came from behind, "May I ask, sir..."
Chen Yan and the driver turned around to see the old lady pulling the little girl, coming up from behind.
It was the old lady who spoke.
"I heard you talking just now. Are you heading to Yang Er Village?"
The driver saw Chen Yan wasn’t speaking, so he responded first, "Do you need something?"
Actually, his tone was polite. It’s just that Southerners generally aren’t used to saying "you" in a formal way.
The old lady’s face showed a cautious smile, and she slowly said, "I see you’re driving a ride-hailing car, right?"
Saying this, she glanced at the car parked on the roadside, clearly marked with two big characters: DiDi.
This time, without waiting for the driver to answer, she explained her purpose, "We’re also going to Yang Er Village. The buses to the countryside are hard to catch and take over half an hour. It’s not practical for me to stand with the child on the roadside waiting.
Could you possibly give us a ride to Yang Er Village? I can pay for the ride."
The driver wasn’t against this kind of thing - after all, it was one trip, and he could earn a bit more.
The driver instinctively looked at Chen Yan, who casually smiled, "I don’t mind; there’s still space in the car."
The driver smiled, looked at the old lady, "Alright then, a bus ticket costs two yuan each anyway. But I own a small car, more comfortable than a bus. You two can give me five yuan, and I’ll take you to Yang Er Village. How about it?"
The old lady nodded, "Okay, thank you."
The little girl just looked down at her toes, keeping silent, but Chen Yan noticed she was tightly gripping a pack of candy, which didn’t look like a major brand, its packaging brightly colored, with a somewhat cheap feel.
Once back in the car, Chen Yan voluntarily took the front passenger seat this time, leaving the back seat for the grandmother and granddaughter.
Along the way, Chen Yan still rested quietly with his eyes closed, but he could hear the low whispering conversation from the grandmother and granddaughter in the back seat.
In fact, it was mostly the old lady speaking, with the little girl occasionally responding with a few words.
What the old lady said, in the local dialect, Chen Yan couldn’t fully grasp, but he could understand about fifty to sixty percent.
It was nothing more than reminding and advising the little girl to take care of her health, be safe, and eat well. If anything happens, remember to call her.
Things like that.
The relationship between this grandmother and granddaughter was a little peculiar, but Chen Yan didn’t have any intention of meddling further, so he quietly rested all the way.