So he was running a stall selling fried rice noodles.
But what kind of heavenly fried rice noodles were these? They were unbelievably delicious.
Teacher Li had never eaten fried rice noodles this tasty before.
"Teacher Li, do you want some more?" Lu Xiyao stretched out her fair little finger and pointed at her fried rice noodles.
"Yes... oh no, I don't want any more. Yao Yao, you eat."
She actually really wanted some, but...
Teacher Li smiled awkwardly, placed the fried rice noodles in front of Lu Xiyao, and patted her little head.
It wasn't really proper for a teacher to mooch off a student's lunch.
Lu Xiyao began eating her fried rice noodles again.
The other children nearby stared fixedly at Lu Xiyao's fried rice noodles, no longer finding their own lunches appetizing.
Teacher Li gave a wry smile and gently patted each child on the back of the head. "Hurry up and eat your own food. Focus."
Zhong Shuyi picked up the half strand of fried rice noodle left by her mouth and slurped it into her mouth. She said to Lu Xiyao:
"Tomorrow, I'll have my chef uncle make fried rice noodles for me too."
"Mm, sure." Lu Xiyao's mouth was gleaming with oil as she ate, and she was in an exceptionally good mood. It was so delicious her head practically tingled.
She took out another lunch container and opened the lid. Inside was a full bowl of mung bean paste. After taking a spoonful, she felt even more satisfied, her little feet swinging beneath the table.
Zhong Shuyi looked at the yellowish-green soup and asked, "Yao Yao, what is this?"
"Mung bean paste. Dad made it too, and it's super tasty."
"Can I have a taste?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Zhong Shuyi used her own spoon to scoop up a little mung bean paste and put it into her mouth.
"It's so sweet and delicious! Your dad is amazing. Everything he makes tastes so good! Tomorrow, I'll have my chef uncle make mung bean paste too."
"Mm, sure."
During the afternoon playtime, many more children gathered around Lu Xiyao.
"Lu Xiyao, this strawberry hair clip is for you. I have two, so I'll give you one."
"Lu Xiyao, you can play with my toy robot dog."
"Yao Yao, let's play with modeling clay together."
"Lu Xiyao, can you bring a little more fried rice noodles tomorrow? Let me have a taste, please?"
"Lu Xiyao, have some beef jerky. Can I try the fried rice noodles your dad makes tomorrow?"
Seeing so many people surrounding her, their little faces full of hopeful looks, Lu Xiyao thought for a moment before saying:
"Sure. I'll have Dad make an extra portion tomorrow, and you can share it."
The moment she said that, all the children jumped up and down in excitement.
During free activity time.
Lu Xiyao's smartwatch rang.
Two elderly faces appeared on the watch screen. They were Shen Muyan's parents, Lu Xiyao's grandpa and grandma.
"Grandpa! Grandma! Hello!"
"Yao Yao, our little darling! Grandpa and Grandma missed you so much!"
"Dad said you went abroad on vacation. Was it fun overseas?"
"Not fun at all. The food was terrible, mostly raw meat or fast food. Your grandpa has gotten skinny from hunger." Shen Hongda rubbed his stomach with a pitiful expression.
This man in his sixties was imposing and stern at the company, but in front of Lu Xiyao, he was an adorable old child.
"Then come back soon, grandpa. I'll have dad make fried rice noodles for you!"
"Fried rice noodles? Grandpa doesn't eat fried rice noodles. Grandpa will take Yao Yao out to eat something delicious."
Jiang Qin smiled kindly from the side. "My little princess Yao Yao, have you missed Grandma? How have you been lately? Have you been good at kindergarten?"
"Yao Yao has been very good. Dad and Mom got divorced, and I moved into another house with Dad."
Lu Xiyao pouted. Seeing her grandpa and grandma reminded the little girl about her parents' divorce. It had affected her, after all.
The smiles immediately vanished from the two elders' faces on the other end of the video call.
"What? Divorced?"
"Divorced? When did that happen?"
Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin both found it hard to catch their breath.
They briefly asked Lu Xiyao about what had happened, then began comforting their precious granddaughter.
"Be good, Yao Yao. Your grandpa and grandma will always be your grandpa and grandma."
"That's right, Yao Yao. If you ever want to come stay at Grandpa's house, just tell Grandpa. I'll come pick you up myself."
Listening to Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin comfort her, the little gloom in Lu Xiyao's heart dissipated, and she became happy again.
After ending the call, Shen Hongda had someone book the earliest flight back home.
Orui International Hotel.
Luxury office on the top floor.
Shen Muyan's phone rang. She had just finished a meeting and was feeling somewhat tired, but Shen Hongda's fierce scolding through the phone immediately woke her up.
"Dad! I told you about my divorce from Lu Qin a long time ago."
"I didn't agree even if you did tell me! Where are you going to find such a good son-in-law as Lu Qin? Go remarry him immediately!"
Shen Muyan was speechless. "Dad, this is between Lu Qin and me. Can you stop forcing your way into it? We're both adults. Think about it—why do you think Lu Qin agreed to the divorce too?"
Shen Hongda fell silent for several seconds, though his tone remained harsh. "Your mother and I are going to be angered to death by you sooner or later!"
"Why did you make Lu Qin leave with nothing? How is he supposed to live while raising Yao Yao alone? Do you know what he's doing now? He's setting up a stall on the streets!"
"Running a stall?"
Shen Muyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She was surprised by this. Lu Qin had graduated from a prestigious university; no matter what, finding a job at a decent company should not have been difficult.
"I can help with that. I'll arrange a good job for him right away."
Shen Hongda immediately said, "No. Men have their pride. Since he didn't want any property in the divorce, he won't accept a job arranged by you either. Stay out of this. I'll handle it."
Shen Hongda lectured Shen Muyan for another five minutes, then Jiang Qin snatched the phone away and nagged her for more than twenty minutes.
After hanging up, Shen Muyan rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling a little irritated.
Running a stall?
Why was that man running a stall?
And taking the little girl with him?
Shen Muyan was rather speechless. She could picture that scene.
Her slender, jade-like fingers picked up the landline and dialed a number, instructing someone to investigate the matter.
During the two days since the divorce, she had been overwhelmed with work. Otherwise, she would have sent someone to find out how the father and daughter were living.
Shen Muyan picked up her phone again, opened WeChat, and sent a message: "He's running a stall with his daughter."
Fang Ya: "???"
This mung bean paste is freaking incredible—it could melt my stomach!
11:30 a.m.
Lu Qin fried rice noodles for lunch. After resting for a while after the meal, he began working.
He planned to set up his stall on the bustling Pedestrian Street that afternoon.
Lu Qin soaked the remaining thirty-odd pounds of mung beans in clean water, intending to turn all of them into mung bean paste.
Mung bean paste had a fairly good profit margin, and it sold rather quickly.
Customers who bought fried rice noodles would usually also get mung bean paste.
It was now mid-May, and the temperature in Jiangcheng was gradually rising.
On sunny afternoons, it was warm enough to wear short sleeves outside.
There were many tourists on the Pedestrian Street. After walking around until they were tired, they would surely feel hot and thirsty, making cold drinks and popsicles popular sellers.
Lu Qin finished cooking the mung bean paste and put it into the refrigerator to chill.
Using several dozen pounds of mung beans, Lu Qin made nearly five hundred cups of mung bean paste in total, 330 milliliters per cup.
Before you continue