Chapter 42: Doing It Himself

A September night; the wind is gentle, and the moon is bright.

Compared to the entire bustling Gourmet Street, the fried rice stall is but an insignificant drop in the ocean; passersby come and go in groups of three or five, either holding food and eating happily as they walk, or scanning back and forth across the dazzling array of snack stalls.

Hardly anyone notices that the fried rice stall has quietly ushered in a "new boss."

Glancing over the various side dishes on the food cart, Shen Yan nods with satisfaction; setting aside the boss's skill, at least the preparations were quite thorough.

He immediately begins to work.

He heats the wok, pours in oil to coat it, adds eggs and scrambles them, then adds ham sausage and chopped green onions, followed by bean sprouts and greens, stir-frying until just cooked; finally, he pours in the rice noodles, tosses them evenly, and seasons the dish.

The series of movements is fluid and smooth, without a single wasted motion, as if it were a work of art honed through thousands of repetitions; the boss's expression shifts from initial casualness to gradual seriousness, and finally, to sheer amazement.

Good heavens! Are university students these days this competitive? His skills are more than a little better than mine.

Who is the one actually running the stall here?

Hao Anqi's fox-like eyes are also shining with brilliance; from the moment Shen Yan starts tossing the wok, she stares without blinking, then immediately takes out her Nokia phone to start recording a video.

At this moment, she is incredibly annoyed that she didn't bring her camera out.

Her boyfriend is simply incredibly handsome; the moment he tosses the wok, he creates a "sea wave" effect, and the spatula dances in those large hands with such vigor, as if he were about to crush everything.

It is likely no less impressive than those of professional restaurant chefs.

Feeling the resolution isn't clear enough, Hao Anqi takes the Apple 3GS out of Shen Yan's pocket, and after asking for clear instructions on how to operate it, she starts filming impatiently.

Occasionally, a university student or two passing by the stall discovers Shen Yan's conspicuous camouflage uniform, and their eyes instantly widen to the size of copper bells.

Are snack stalls this competitive now? Wearing a camouflage uniform just to attract traffic?

But that guy is so handsome! So young! I bet no one would believe it if you said he wasn't a university student.

One girl with a round face takes the initiative to step forward and ask: "Handsome! Are you the boss of this stall?"

Shen Yan doesn't even look up, tossing the wok as he says: "The boss is this big brother beside me; I'm just playing around because my hands were itching."

"Then can I have a portion? I want this fried rice noodle too."

The round-faced girl is instantly overjoyed; that's right, it would be such a pity for a guy this devastatingly handsome to be out running a stall.

Sensing the "ill-intentioned" gaze of the little beauty, Hao Anqi takes a step forward and says with a closed-mouth smile: "Sorry, my boyfriend is a bit tired today; the boss can serve you at any time."

The middle-aged boss nods repeatedly, his face breaking into a smile that reveals two shallow dimples, looking quite honest and endearing.

Suddenly, a bewitching, jade-like beauty who looks like a fox appears, claiming to be Shen Yan's girlfriend; the round-faced girl's expression falls, and she can only pull her friend away in disappointment.

Sigh! Another good cabbage has been arched by a pig.

Hao Anqi sways her body triumphantly, like a general who has won a battle; Mom was right after all, you have to strike early for good things, or else you'll only be left with what others don't want.

In less than five minutes, a steaming bowl of fried rice noodles is placed on the table; the colors are vibrant and multicolored, crystal clear and bright, a feast for the eyes.

The long, wide rice noodle strips look like golden silk, with bright red ham mixed in, appearing very conspicuous; the yellow, tender eggs shimmer like crushed silver, and specks of green onion are scattered throughout—just one look is enough to make one drool.

"Try it and see how it is." At the table, Shen Yan picks up a pair of disposable chopsticks and hands them to Hao Anqi.

Although he hasn't cooked in a while, those techniques seem carved into his bones, coming to him naturally; Shen Yan feels he performed at his peak.

After Hao Anqi takes the chopsticks, she impatiently picks up a strand of rice noodle and puts it in her mouth, her eyes instantly lighting up as she exclaims: "Shuai Yan, this fried rice noodle is truly delicious; I didn't know you were so good at cooking."

Shen Yan rubs his wrist and chuckles: "My uncle owns a noodle shop; I learned this trick from watching him all the time. I'm glad you like it."

"Hee hee! I love it so much; I'm going to eat this whole bowl."

The two chat while eating; the young couple seems to have endless topics to talk about. After all, Shen Yan has lived for over thirty years, and even as a seasoned shut-in, his experiences are not something an eighteen-year-old girl like Hao Anqi can compare to, so his words are always refreshing.

During this time, Hao Anqi asks Shen Yan if she can post the video of the fried rice noodles to her QQ Space, to which Shen Yan readily agrees, and he takes the initiative to teach Hao Anqi how to share videos on the Apple phone.

"Wow! So this phone's technology is so advanced; it's so fun."

Coming into contact with an Apple phone for the first time, the silky, smooth operation leaves Hao Anqi incredibly shocked; her fingers slide gently across the screen, and everything becomes so natural and wonderful. Every tap, every swipe, feels like a tacit communication with the phone.

It makes one unable to put it down.

Noticing the contact name Shen Yan gave her—the very official "Hao Anqi"—Hao Anqi pouts so much she could hang a soy sauce bottle from it; she moves her little finger to change it to "Qiqi Little Cutie," then flashes a look of smug satisfaction.

That's more like it!

Additionally, Hao Anqi discovers that Shen Yan's QQ interface is super simple; aside from the class group chat and a few roommates, there are only two girls: one named Wu Yue'er and one named Youwei. She knows Wu Yue'er, and this Youwei must be one of the girls from the private room at that party the other day.

The nicknames are quite intimate, too.

She has the urge to click on the chat history, but feels it wouldn't be appropriate, so Hao Anqi eventually gives up on the idea.

Whatever, anyway, Shuai Yan won't be able to escape the palm of the Buddha's hand.

After their late-night snack, Shen Yan and Hao Anqi stroll along the quiet path opposite the Communication University of China supermarket; there is an artificial lake here, and as soon as one looks up, there is the shimmering water rippling in the green waves, with the tide gently lapping against the shore, making a "splash! splash!" sound.

The quiet path is paved with pebbles, winding around the artificial lake in an irregular shape, neither round nor square, and beyond that is a large grove of trees.

It's unclear who took the initiative, but before they know it, their two small hands are held together again; they start by holding them casually, but before long, it evolves into fingers interlaced.

Feeling the fine, sticky moisture on his broad palm, Hao Anqi smiles faintly and says: "You must have put some special seasoning in the noodles earlier; I feel like I'm already a bit addicted."

"Is it that serious? It's just a bowl of fried rice noodles, you can find them everywhere on the street. Next time I have a chance, I'll make you a whole table of seafood, and I bet you'll be leaning against the wall to walk afterward."

Shen Yan tosses a small pebble into the lake and watches the ripples; his heart is completely at peace.

Hao Anqi finds it interesting, so she pinches a small pebble between her thumb and index finger, then with a slight flick of her thumb, the pebble is launched like a marble; at the same time, Hao Anqi wears a hungry expression and says, "Okay, okay!"

For a foodie, nothing is more delightful than good food.