The Egg Fried Rice was made up of distinct, separate grains, with flecks of emerald-green scallion nestled between them. A sheen of oil clung to the rim of the bowl, glimmering under the light, while an almost imperceptible aroma lingered in the air.
Seeing Fang Qingyue staring blankly at the Egg Fried Rice without eating, Fang Mother reminded her, “What are you waiting for? Eat up, or you’ll have to wait a while.”
She added, “Your dad was afraid you and your aunt hadn’t eaten enough, so he specially made this for the two of you.”
Fang Qingyue slowly raised her hand and touched the cold exterior of the insulated container. Then she turned away and picked up the spoon on the table.
She scooped up a big spoonful and put it straight into her mouth.
Before she could taste it, tears came. Her eyes, which had just dried, grew moist again.
Her aunt’s words echoed again and again in her mind—
'Your dad was locked up for ten years. He’s practically out of step with society, so he needs a little time to adjust, right?'
'Your dad did go out looking for work, but things probably didn’t go too well. He’s always had a strong sense of pride, even as a kid. Like you, he tends to keep things bottled up and doesn’t like talking about them.'
'Your dad even chose your name. He thought about it for ages back then, saying he had to give you a pretty name worthy of such a sweet daughter.'
Her aunt had told her many other stories from his childhood, making it clear in every way that he was a good person.
Was he really that good?
Fang Qingyue took another spoonful of Egg Fried Rice from the insulated container. She didn’t know.
After finishing the bowl of warm Egg Fried Rice, Fang Qingyue suddenly felt less sad. She was just a little dizzy and sleepy.
After washing up, Fang Mother saw that Fang Qingyue had finished every last bit of the Egg Fried Rice in the insulated container. A faint smile appeared on her face. “Go brush your teeth and wash your face. I’ll wash the dishes.”
“I’ll do it myself.”
As she spoke, Fang Qingyue picked up the insulated container and walked toward the kitchen at the end of the corridor.
As she passed Zhou Shengcai and Fang Shuwen’s room, she heard the faint sound of conversation from inside and slowly came to a stop.
Inside, Fang Zhiwei was saying, “Sis, when I passed that Noodle Stall while buying groceries today, I saw they sell ready-made Dumplings and Wontons. How come your stall doesn’t sell them?”
“Uh—”
Fang Shuwen fell silent for a moment and slowly looked away. He really knew how to bring up the one thing she didn’t want to talk about.
Zhou Shengcai burst out laughing. “Maybe you want to eat Dumplings every day, too?”
“Eat them every day?”
Seeing Fang Zhiwei’s puzzled expression, Zhou Shengcai burst into laughter. “Hahahahaha! They’re so bad nobody will buy them, so we have to eat them ourselves!”
Fang Zhiwei: ...
All right, then.
Seeing Zhou Shengcai laughing so wildly, Fang Shuwen jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “Laugh, laugh, laugh. What the hell are you laughing at?”
Zhou Shengcai dodged with a grin and winked at Fang Shuwen. Wasn’t he laughing his “ass” off?
Fang Zhiwei couldn’t bear to watch the real couple flirt, so he continued, “Sis, brother-in-law, could I set up a small table beside your stall and sell freshly made Dumplings? Also, could I borrow five hundred yuan? I want to buy ingredients for the Dumpling Filling. I’ll take the Dough Wrappers on credit for now and pay you back once I’ve sold some Dumplings.”
This time, there was a hint of pleading in Fang Zhiwei’s words.
Fang Shuwen and Zhou Shengcai exchanged a glance. They both saw the approval in each other’s eyes and nodded repeatedly. “Sure!”
“Why wouldn’t you be able to?”
If they hadn’t eaten the meal that Fang Zhiwei had made that evening, they might have thought it over first. But after tasting his cooking, they had complete faith in his skills.
Besides, five hundred yuan was hardly fifty thousand. Even if business didn’t go well, he had the drive to improve himself and step into society, and they wanted to support him.
Zhou Shengcai even said frankly, “If I’d known you had this kind of talent, I—I wouldn’t have—”
—gone through with what happened today.
At that, Fang Zhiwei’s voice grew quieter. “It’s been too long. I don’t even know what tastes good or bad anymore.”
Fang Shuwen felt a pang in her heart. Her spirits, which had just lifted, sank back to rock bottom.
Zhou Shengcai was all right, though. Trying to lighten the mood, he praised him. “Zhiwei, the dishes you cooked tonight were delicious. And I tried some of that Egg Fried Rice, too. It was good.”
A smile appeared on Fang Zhiwei’s face. “I’m glad you liked it.”
As he spoke, a little more confidence showed on his face.
Fang Qingyue heard most of what they said from the corridor. Sensing that Fang Zhiwei was about to come out, she hurried toward the kitchen at the far end.
She had just finished washing the container when she ran into Fang Zhiwei coming out of Fang Shuwen and Zhou Shengcai’s room.
Fang Zhiwei glanced at Fang Qingyue. Seeing that she looked as usual, he felt relieved and asked, “Are you full?”
Fang Qingyue looked at Fang Zhiwei without speaking, then nodded.
Fang Zhiwei continued, “Go to bed early. You have to get up early for school tomorrow.”
Fang Qingyue nodded again.
Father and daughter passed each other. Fang Qingyue’s words, “You should go to bed early, too,” remained caught in her throat.
Before the sky had even brightened, Fang Zhiwei estimated the time and got up. He happened to run into Fang Shuwen and her husband as they were heading out.
Yawning, Zhou Shengcai asked, “Why are you up so early, too?”
Fang Zhiwei was bleary-eyed and caught a yawn from him. “I’ll give you two a hand, and work on adjusting my Dumpling recipe while I’m at it.”
Fang Shuwen nodded. “All right, then. Go wash up, and we’ll head over together.”
“Right away.”
Once they arrived at the Fresh Noodle Shop, the couple immediately sprang into action, adding water to the flour, kneading the dough, and starting up the machine, all in an orderly fashion.
Without a word, Fang Zhiwei took on some of the heavier work on Fang Shuwen’s side. After letting him help lift a few basins, Fang Shuwen was satisfied and shooed him away. “We don’t need you here anymore. Go to the market and buy what you need to make your Dumplings.”
The Vegetable Market was completely covered by a canopy, so there was no way to tell whether the sky outside had grown light. But the market was gradually filling with people. Hearing this, Fang Zhiwei wiped the flour from his hands and went out to buy groceries.
Since it was the Soft Opening, Fang Zhiwei didn’t plan to prepare much. He would make only Pork and Scallion filling and a carrot, corn, and pork filling that kids liked.
After walking around the Vegetable Market, he carefully picked out pork, scallions, carrots, and corn that were reasonably priced and of the best quality.
After buying the groceries, Fang Zhiwei went to a seasoning shop to get the seasonings he needed.
As soon as he returned to the Noodle Stall, customers with Orders came to pick up their noodles, so Fang Zhiwei quickened his pace.
First, he sorted out the scallions and washed them along with the other ingredients. Then came the long process of chopping vegetables and mincing meat.
Inside the small Shop, Fang Zhiwei and the couple each busied themselves with their own tasks. They didn’t get in one another’s way, yet the atmosphere was exceptionally warm and harmonious.