Lucy's languid voice sounded like a kitten's.
"You're up this early?"
Su Xiao rinsed his hands under the faucet, then wiped them on his apron. "Couldn't sleep. What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."
Lucy scratched her slightly disheveled white hair. "There's a kind of noodle you have in Ceres that smells bad but tastes really good. Can you make that?"
"You mean luosifen? Let me say this again: luosifen doesn't stink. People who rarely eat it just think it has a smell. I grew up eating it, and I've never thought it smelled strange."
"Yes, that one. One bowl, please. Thanks."
"You're in luck. I've still got a packet of Haohuanluo."
After taking a shower and getting dressed, Lucy came downstairs and sat on the sofa.
She propped her cheek on her slender wrist, tilted her head, and watched Su Xiao bustle around the kitchen.
Her mind went blank. She wasn't thinking about anything; she simply found the scene rather cozy.
"Hey. Hey."
Lucy jolted awake.
Steam from the freshly cooked food washed over her face, and the distinctive smell of luosifen drifted into her nose.
She had actually fallen asleep without realizing it.
"If you're still sleepy, go back and lie down. It's not like we work nine-to-five jobs. Get up once you've had a good, comfortable sleep."
"No, no." Lucy's cute little nose twitched as she took the disposable chopsticks Su Xiao handed her. "I'm digging in."
She lifted a tangle of noodles from the bowl with her chopsticks, sending steam billowing into the air.
She blew hard on them a few times, brushed the hair off her forehead with her free hand, and brought the noodles to her small, rosy lips.
Standing in front of her, Su Xiao asked, "How is it?"