"A bowl of shredded pork noodles."
"A bowl of pork chop noodles."
"A bowl of braised beef noodles with an extra pork chop, vegetarian chicken, shredded pork, egg, dried tofu, and extra noodles."
"..."
The three of them found a seat in the noodle shop. It was tucked away in an extremely remote spot, far from the main road, and even its signboard was battered and shabby. Yet the aroma of noodles drifting from inside could be smelled from far away.
It was already past ten at night. Lin Qiye's group was the only table in the entire shop. Instead of sitting inside the dim storefront, they settled down at a small table outside the entrance.
In the quiet, dim alley, the faint light spilling from the kitchen mingled with the colorful neon glow of the adult store next door, scattering across the blue-gray tabletop. In the midst of this noisy city, it had its own unique charm.
"So when you said we were having noodles... you meant eating somewhere like this?"
Baili Pangpang looked around, then leaned close to Lin Qiye's ear and muttered under his breath.
"With the situation we're in, could I take you to some fancy hotel restaurant?" Lin Qiye rolled his eyes. "We need to pick some out-of-the-way place nobody visits if we want to eat in peace."
"I see. Qiye, you really do think ahead."
"Besides, I only have enough money to treat you guys to noodles here."
"..."
"Don't worry. The place might not look like much, but the noodles are absolutely top-notch," Lin Qiye added.
Before long, three steaming bowls of noodles were brought to their little table. In the dead of night, that rich noodle fragrance somehow felt both ordinary and astonishing.
"Boss, how much is it altogether?" Lin Qiye took