NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 9 - These Days, Taking Care of Kids is the Real Deal! Can Good Looks Feed You?
Chapter 9 These Days, Taking Care of Kids is the Real Deal! Can Good Looks Feed You?
It was 9 p.m. in the city. Jiang City never sleeps. The flickering lights of the night market illuminated the bustling crowds weaving through the stalls. Students from nearby universities—engineering, finance, media—hurried back to campus before curfew, their arms filled with street food from the market, slipping through the side gates of their dorms.
In a room inside one of the girls’ dormitories.
“Oh my gosh, dorm leader! What took you so long with my grilled cold noodles? Were you trying to starve me?”
“Serves you right, lazybones. You’re lucky I brought you anything at all.”
“My dearest dorm leader, what goodies did you bring back? I just got back from the library and I’m famished!”
“Here, see for yourself, stinky tofu, spicy chicken skewers, marinated pork rolls.”
“Wow, marinated pork rolls—my favorite! Did you get them from Sister Pang’s stall?”
The group gathered eagerly around the table, diving into their late-night snacks. The dorm leader, though, held her own box tight, not looking inclined to share.
“Hey, dorm leader, what’s that you’re hiding? Share with us!”
“Fried noodles. You all don’t like them, remember?”
“Fried noodles? Nah, too dry for me.”
“Same. I don’t do noodles.”
“I’m more of a snack person, not into full meals.”
With just a quick glance, the others lost interest, returning to their own food. That was exactly what the dorm leader had hoped for—her fried noodles were all hers, after all that effort. She had spent 20 minutes in line just to get them.
Opening the lid, the rich aroma of sauce filled the room.
Gurgle.
Her stomach rumbled loudly. She swallowed hard, unable to resist the smell any longer. She grabbed her chopsticks and was about to take her first bite—when someone snatched the chopsticks from her hand.
“Hey! You said you didn’t like noodles!”
“Uh… sorry. It just smells too good. I just want a taste.”
“…”
One bite, and her world stopped. The flavor exploded on her tongue—rich, savory, and perfect.
“Let me try a bite too.”
“But you don’t even like—”
Sss! Phew!
“Wooow! Dorm leader, these noodles are amazing! So smooth, so flavorful—absolutely perfect!”
“I want a bite too!”
“Hold up! Let me get another bite first!”
“Stop fighting! Stick to your grilled cold noodles!”
In less than a minute, the entire box of fried noodles was gone.
“Dorm leader, why didn’t you bring more of those amazing noodles?”
“Yeah, I only got, like, two bites!”
Holding the empty container, the dorm leader clenched her teeth, rage bubbling up inside her.
“I only got one bite! And you guys still have the nerve to complain!”
After tasting the divine fried noodles, no one cared much for the other snacks. They took a few half-hearted bites, but eventually tossed the rest into the trash, their taste buds still yearning for the lingering memory of the fried noodles.
…
In the class chat group, people were having their usual bedtime conversations.
Lu Qin’s fried noodles stall soon became a hot topic of discussion…
“It’s a handsome guy’s stir-fried noodles stall on Alley Street. I highly recommend it, it’s really good!”
“I think I saw it around 8:30, there were a lot of people. I regret not buying it. Is it really that good?”
“Is it run by that super handsome young boss? I think he has a kid. That kid is so cute, I just want to pinch her cheeks!”
“Our dorm shared one portion of stir-fried rice noodles, and I’m still craving it. Tomorrow we’re going to buy more, each getting one—no, two portions each!!”
“Let’s go together! Will he still be there tomorrow night?”
“I’m not sure, but he should be. With business that good, I bet he’ll be back!”
“Did you get the handsome boss’s WeChat?”
“He’s got a kid with him!!”
“So what? Nowadays, bringing a kid along is even more appealing. Plus, the kid is adorable and super cute! That’s a win-win!”
“Is he single?”
“Definitely! Otherwise, why would he be bringing his kid to work?”
…
On the other hand, at 9:15, Lu Qin had already sold out all the noodles. He sold over 200 portions in total, going through 50 pounds of rice noodles, and nearly all of the ham and meat cubes were gone.
Seeing the empty baskets, the few customers still waiting in line looked disappointed.
“It’s so early, and you’re sold out? That’s not enough! I didn’t even get to try it!”
“Boss, nightlife is just starting, and you’re already closing up?”
“Exactly! Smelling it but not tasting it is the worst!”
“Ahhh! I waited almost 20 minutes, and now it’s sold out? That’s unfair!”
A few customers were scratching their heads and stomping their feet. Just earlier, they saw other customers eating right after buying their noodles, and from the looks of it, the flavor was incredible!
They were so envious!
But now that it was finally their turn, only to be told it’s sold out, they were pretty frustrated.
“Sorry, everyone. I’ll be back tomorrow evening, so come a little earlier then,” Lu Qin apologized with a smile. He hadn’t expected business to pick up so much, even this late.
And it was the kind of business where things were really booming. The line of customers kept growing, almost reaching 20 people, and the small alley could hardly contain them.
Lu Qin had to sacrifice a bit of the noodles’ texture, cooking five portions in one go. But thanks to his skills, the noodles still tasted delicious, even though the texture suffered a little. The average person wouldn’t notice the difference unless they were really paying attention. The remaining customers reluctantly left.
The uncle at the oden stall next door snapped out of his thoughts and cheerfully said to Lu Qin, “Didn’t I tell you, young man? With noodles that taste that good, your business was never going to be slow.”
He said that, though inwardly, he was quite envious.
The stir-fried noodles next door were doing great, so he thought his oden business might pick up too. But he didn’t expect Lu Qin’s noodles to be so irresistible that customers weren’t even interested in his oden. They only emptied out his drinks, iced tea, Sprite, and Coke.
Lu Qin packed up his cart, and it was already 9:45. His little girl was starting to yawn.
“Let’s go home and sleep, Yao Yao.”
“Tomorrow, you can stay home and watch TV, okay? If you’re tired, you can sleep.”
“No, I’m not tired. I want to help you again tomorrow, Daddy! I can help a lot!”
She said she wasn’t tired, but only got one sentence out while yawning twice. Usually, she would be in bed by 9:30, and after Lu Qin told her a bedtime story, she would be asleep by no later than 9:45.
Today, after getting home and washing up, the earliest she’d be in bed was 10:30. Lu Qin felt a little sorry for her. She was so young, and running a food stall was really tiring.
But today, business had really picked up, and tomorrow, he was sure that as soon as they opened, there would be customers. They wouldn’t have to sell as late.
Lu Qin decided that no matter how much business they did, he would close up by 9:00 to make sure his little girl could stick to her bedtime routine. He carried his drowsy little girl into the cart and drove out of the alley.
At the entrance to the alley, there were still three or four customers buying stir-fried noodles from Master Liu’s stall. As he was frying noodles, Master Liu looked up and saw Lu Qin driving off. He gave him a meaningful glance.
Earlier, there had been a sudden lull in business at his stall. All his customers had disappeared, having gone further down the alley. Master Liu observed that it was Lu Qin’s new stall.
Maybe people went to Lu Qin’s because he was handsome?
Quite likely.
He had seen several girls leave with their stir-fried noodles, smiling from ear to ear.
Master Liu felt a bit bitter.
Can good looks really sell noodles?
Skill is what really matters!
…