As soon as she left the hall, Jiang Mian spotted a state-owned restaurant across the street and rushed in without hesitation.
The moment she stepped inside, the aroma of oil and cooking hit her nose, and her stomach rumbled uncontrollably.
On the small blackboard in the restaurant, three words were written: Zhajiang Noodles.
Even those words seemed to carry a mouthwatering fragrance.
Jiang Mian nearly drooled.
She had long heard educated youths in the capital talk about how delicious Beijing’s zhajiang noodles were. Now that she was here, she had to try them no matter what.
With money and grain coupons in her pocket, she decided to splurge for once and ordered two large bowls.
One to fill her stomach.
One to calm her nerves.
The auntie in the restaurant looked at her ordering so much and asked:
“Can you finish all that?”
Jiang Mian revealed her round, bulging pregnant belly:
“I can. There are three more in here.”
“Three? Triplets?!” The auntie was instantly shocked. “Alright, alright, I’ll make it for you right away!”
Soon, the auntie brought out the zhajiang noodles, neatly topped with bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and sauce.
She then scooped a large ladle of sauce from the pot and added extra to both bowls:
“Triplets, huh? Eat more. I’ll give you extra sauce—if it’s not enough, just tell me.”
As she spoke, the auntie kept staring at Jiang Mian’s big belly.
She was utterly envious.
Triplets!
Whose daughter-in-law could give birth to so many at once?
Wouldn’t the mother-in-law be overjoyed?
If a daughter-in-law gave birth to three grandchildren in one go, she’d be treated like royalty!
After paying with money and grain coupons, Jiang Mian thanked the auntie, carried her noodles to a table, sat down, and began eating.
The legendary zhajiang noodles.
She was finally tasting them today!
So fragrant and delicious!
The noodles were firm and chewy, and the sauce was rich and savory.
Paired with crisp mung bean sprouts, it perfectly balanced the heaviness of the sauce.
It was a pity there were no cucumbers in winter—if there were, it would taste even better.
Jiang Mian finished both large bowls in one go.
With the noodles in her stomach, she finally felt comfortable.
Her body warmed up.
The shock from earlier gradually faded.
Thinking back to what had just happened at the conference hall, it had truly scared her out of her wits.
“Jiang Mian! Jiang Mian!”
Xu Hongmei came looking for her. When she saw the two empty bowls in front of her, she said angrily:
“You still have the mood to eat noodles? Where’s the certificate?!”
Jiang Mian: “……”
That’s right—she had been thinking about running away, and the certificate was still in that damn man’s hands.
“That certificate is supposed to be taken back and framed. Now that it’s gone, how are we going to report back?”
Jiang Mian said, “Then why don’t you go find that Professor Lu and ask him to return it?”
Xu Hongmei twisted uneasily.
“I… I’d like to, but I can’t find him. And even if I did, he might not give it to me.”
Mentioning Professor Lu made Xu Hongmei complain again:
“What was wrong with you just now? On stage, you were pulling and pestering that professor in front of so many people. Have you lost your mind?!”
Jiang Mian replied, “How are you so sure it was me pulling him, and not him holding onto me and refusing to let go?”
Xu Hongmei: “……”
She felt choked up again and again today.
She really wanted Jiang Mian to take a look at herself—what kind of person did she think she was? With a belly about to give birth, did she really think Professor Lu would cling to her?
Does Professor Lu even know who you are?
But now wasn’t the time to argue about that.
“Hurry and think of a way to get the certificate back. Without it, we can’t report back!”
This was a national-level certificate!
Before they left, her father had repeatedly instructed them to take good care of it and not damage it.
He had even already picked out a spot in his office to hang the certificate, just waiting for them to bring it back and display it on the wall.
After all, not every farm could obtain such a national honor.
Jiang Mian was also troubled.
She really had to get the certificate back.
Not for anything else, but because before coming, she had specifically asked the farm director if there would be any reward for receiving the certificate.
The director had been unusually generous and said that as long as she brought the certificate back, the farm would reward her with one hundred yuan.
A full one hundred yuan!
Three months’ salary!
Jiang Mian had been waiting to take the certificate back and claim that reward.
After all, triplets were about to be born, and there would be many expenses ahead.
She had to earn money!
Raising children alone wasn’t like being a sow that could manage several at once without worry.
She couldn’t bear to let the children suffer, so she had to earn more.
Composing herself, Jiang Mian said:
“Don’t worry. Professor Lu will take the initiative to return the certificate to us.”
Xu Hongmei: “……”
She couldn’t help but feel that something was seriously wrong with Jiang Mian’s brain.