Chapter 46: Abundant Noodles

After viewing the Sky Lantern and heading back, dusk had already deepened.

The two children, after a day's bumpy journey, were also very tired.

So, when returning, Prince Qing and Liu Dafu each held one child.

Then Sui Sui and Feng Xuanrui fell into a deep sleep.

After returning to the inn, while washing up, both were oblivious.

The system watched Sui Sui fall into a sweet dream, showing a kind smile.

The next day, it was overcast.

Not sure if it would rain, so they temporarily didn't travel.

Eating at the inn was inconvenient; they also needed to bother the staff to open a small kitchen.

So, early the next morning, Prince Qing and Liu Dafu led the group out to eat.

Part of Prince Qing's retinue had already gone ahead, escorting the bandit leader and the suspects from the earlier kidnapping case, first returning to Jing.

Now, Prince Qing's group had only about ten retainers left.

With so many people going out together for breakfast, it was actually quite impressive.

Prince Qing had them disperse themselves to avoid drawing too much attention.

After experiencing the earlier abduction of Feng Xuanrui and Sui Sui, Prince Qing also became more cautious.

Being too ostentatious is not good; it easily attracts bad people.

Today's group consisted only of Prince Qing, the two children, Liu Dafu, and the Qing Shan and Qing Shui brothers.

Di Jiao and Di Yu also followed the retinue to eat.

As for what to eat for breakfast, nobody had any particular ideas for now.

The town was fairly prosperous, even having a street dedicated to breakfast foods.

On the street were noodles, wontons, dumplings, buns…

One could say, all varieties were available.

The retainers directly ate hearty portions of wontons.

Feng Xuanrui thought anything was fine; lately, meals had been rather ordinary.

If it were himself, he would just follow Prince Qing's uncle's lead.

But, he has a younger sister.

Thinking of this, Feng Xuanrui pointed to a nearby breakfast stall and asked Sui Sui: "Little sister, which one do you want to eat?"

After speaking, fearing Sui Sui wouldn't dare to speak, Feng Xuanrui waved his hand boldly and said: "Just order whatever, we'll eat whatever!"

Rising white mist and bustling voices made the whole street feel full of lively atmosphere.

Sui Sui stood at the street corner, smelling the fragrant wafts in the air and hearing the vendors' cries, unable to help but squint her eyes in enjoyment.

Hearing Feng Xuanrui's words, Sui Sui lightly clenched the small fist at her side, turned her head, and asked nervously and carefully: "Is anything okay?"

Liu Dafu had recently relaxed the children's diet.

But, regarding eating heartily and meat, Sui Sui remained cautious and still didn't dare to let loose.

Feng Xuanrui couldn't bear seeing his sister so timid, so he shouted loudly: "Of course!"

This voice almost overlapped with the system's encouraging voice: "Of course!"

Brother said it was okay, and the system was also encouraging her.

Sui Sui felt her heart filled with strength and her body infused with limitless courage.

She imitated her brother, shouting loudly: "Sui Sui wants to eat noodles!"

When she actually spoke it out loud, Sui Sui realized: a single "I want" really only needs mustered courage to be spoken.

But before, where would she have had the qualification and courage to shout?

So, having a brother is really great!

Sui Sui sighed for the umpteenth time.

She even couldn't help but, in her consciousness, tell the system: "Every time like this, I even want to thank my uncle and aunt; if they hadn't thrown me onto the back mountain, I wouldn't have met my brother."

The system couldn't stand such PUA!

So, after Sui Sui's words fell silent, it spoke up.

【Don't be grateful to bad people!】

【Your meeting with your brother is a destined fate.】

【Whether or not those two villains exist, you will still meet.】

【Even if those two villains didn't exist, you might have met even earlier!】

Sui Sui actually also knew she shouldn't be grateful to her uncle and aunt.

She merely wanted to sigh: meeting her brother is really great!

The system corrected her thought, and Sui Sui obediently listened.

Seeing the little girl, although she didn't fully understand, she had indeed taken it in, and the system felt somewhat relieved.

Upon hearing this, Feng Xuanrui, upon learning his sister wanted noodles, immediately raised his arm: "I want noodles too!"

Liu Dafu smiled indulgently watching the two children fuss.

Hearing them say they wanted noodles, Liu Dafu nodded: "Then let's try some of this area's specialty noodles from Wen Prefecture."

Specialty?

It sounds delicious.

Feng Xuanrui curiously asked: "What kind of noodles is the specialty?"

Prince Qing had traveled south and north for many years, his knowledge was fairly broad.

Listening to Liu Dafu mention the specialty, he thought for a moment, uncertainly asking: "Is it wonton noodles?"

Liu Dafu smiled and nodded: "Yes, that's it. It's said to be springy, smooth, and delicious. Since we're here, not having a bite would be a pity."

Prince Qing nodded in agreement, Feng Xuanrui was curious, and Sui Sui didn't understand.

Liu Dafu led a few people to a small shop that specializes in wonton noodles.

Just as they approached, they smelled a fragrant aroma.

In that scent, there was a hint of mutton's gamy smell.

Feng Xuanrui sniffed, then his eyes lit up: "It's mutton!"

Liu Dafu nodded: "It's mutton; the hot oil drizzled over the wonton noodles at the end is all mutton fat. It's said that when prepared well, it smells fragrant and fresh, with no trace of gaminess."

Mutton!

These past days, Sui Sui has only had one meal of mutton.

Because it's warming and nourishing, Liu Dafu didn't let her eat more; she only tasted two small pieces in total.

Feng Xuanrui also said back then that this mutton was quite ordinary.

He also said that once they returned to Jing Cheng, he would have the residence's cook make better mutton so Sui Sui could eat her fill.

Thinking of the fragrant, delicious texture of mutton, Sui Sui swallowed a little saliva.

Before, for Sui Sui, eating was just a daily routine to maintain vital signs.

Of course, she's still young, possibly not understanding.

It was merely the survival instinct that made her strive to live.

Even if it meant competing with chickens for food, eating wild vegetables and grasses.

As long as she could stay alive, Sui Sui had eaten whatever chickens left behind.

But nowadays, eating for Sui Sui has become more and more like a pleasure.

She even unconsciously secretes saliva, developing a bit of appetite.

Before, eating meat was something Sui Sui dared not even think about.

Now, she also dares to harbor a little expectation.

The place Liu Dafu picked is a small shop that specializes in making noodles.

The shop isn't big, but its advantage is cleanliness.

To attract customers, they set up the big soup pot at the entrance.

By the soup pot, a middle-aged man busily works with a sieve, greeting customers warmly when he sees them.

Inside the shop, a teenage lad bustles about; he resembles the middle-aged man by about sixty or seventy percent, likely father and son.

At the accounts counter stands a neat and capable woman who occasionally comes over to help.

It looks like a small shop run by a family of three.

Liu Dafu looked around, satisfied, and chose a spot near the entrance: "This will do."

The second watch is at 19:00.

(End of chapter)