After Mo Yuan ordered a bowl of beef noodles as well, the old man gave Han Ruoruo and Mo Yuan a meaningful look, then cheerfully turned and went into the kitchen to start cooking.
Mo Yuan turned his attention from the old man to Han Ruoruo, who seemed a little distracted across from him, and asked, "Senior Sister, is Old Man Hu a Soul Master too?"
"Huh?" Mo Yuan's question brought Han Ruoruo out of her daze. "No, Grandpa Hu is just an ordinary person. His Soul Power is below level ten."
Mo Yuan nodded and said no more. He turned to quietly watch the people passing outside the shop. Han Ruoruo didn't say anything either.
After glancing at Mo Yuan's flawless profile, she lowered her eyes, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
The air fell silent. The Outer Court students at the other tables had been about to greet Han Ruoruo when they saw her Inner Court uniform, but now they immediately drew back their half-raised feet.
Fortunately, the atmosphere didn't last long. When the old man set two steaming bowls of noodles on the table, the stillness was broken.
"Eat while it's hot. If you want more, just tell me."
With that, the old man turned and went back into the kitchen to continue his busy work.
"Give it a try. If our tastes aren't too different, I think you'll like it, Junior Brother." Han Ruoruo had returned to normal. As she spoke, she handed Mo Yuan a pair of chopsticks.
"If you recommend it so highly, Senior Sister, I'm sure it'll be good."
In the large bowl, wheat-colored noodles gave off a rich beef aroma, their surface drenched in golden broth and dotted with bright green scallions and cilantro.
More than a dozen slices of beef were piled along one side. Mo Yuan barely touched them with his chopsticks before they fell apart, tender and soft.
He didn't hesitate. The moment he tasted the noodles, the rich flavor of beef and the savory broth filled his mouth. The noodles were firm, springy, and wonderfully chewy.
Mo Yuan's eyes lit up. In his previous life, as someone from a country of food lovers, he had always adored good food.
Unfortunately, after arriving on Douluo Continent, he had wandered from place to place without a home. With no one else to rely on, he'd had to stay alert for danger, so he usually just grabbed something to eat and got on with his day.
Now that he was safe and finally had the leisure to enjoy himself, this was the first time he'd had a proper meal.
"How is it? Good, right?"
"Ten out of ten!"
Mo Yuan gave a thumbs-up. Then he noticed that, compared to his bowl, Han Ruoruo's was practically overflowing with beef.
Noticing his gaze, Han Ruoruo smiled faintly and used her chopsticks to transfer nearly half the beef from her bowl to his.
"Senior Sister, aren't you going to eat?"
"Senior Sister isn't hungry yet. The important thing is to make sure Junior Brother gets his fill." Han Ruoruo smiled, her eyes curving into pretty crescents.
???
Three question marks appeared over Mo Yuan's head. Why did that sound so familiar?
After thinking for a moment, Mo Yuan suddenly remembered where he'd heard those words before. His mother had said them to him in both his past life and this one!
Good grief...
Mo Yuan quickly shook his head, trying to clear away all the suspicious thoughts in his mind. His gaze at Han Ruoruo grew more and more peculiar.
I think of you as my senior sister. You're not trying to be my mom, are you?
"Is there something on my face?" Han Ruoruo asked, noticing Mo Yuan staring at her strangely.
"Nothing. Something else just crossed my mind, and I got distracted."
Mo Yuan brushed her off, then lowered his head and went back to eating his noodles.
Half an hour later, Mo Yuan swallowed the last mouthful of broth, bringing their culinary adventure to an end.
Since Han Ruoruo and the old man knew each other well, he didn't charge either of them. He just cheerfully told them to come back often.
After leaving A Nuo Noodle Shop, Mo Yuan and Han Ruoruo wandered through Shrek City as they made their way back to the academy.
Unlike Han Ruoruo, who looked curiously at the various shops, Mo Yuan kept his attention on the city's roads and layout, trying to commit them to memory.
It was a habit he'd developed after years of living alone. Whenever he arrived somewhere unfamiliar, he first learned the surroundings so he'd be ready to deal with danger.
As they passed the East Gate, Han Ruoruo, walking beside him, seemed to catch a scent. Her delicate nose twitched slightly.
"Junior Brother, do you smell something delicious?"
"Something delicious?"
Mo Yuan had been studying his surroundings, but as soon as he came back to his senses, a rich, tempting aroma wafted into his nose.
It smelled like roasted meat, much like barbecue. After a moment's thought, Mo Yuan guessed it was grilled fish.
Taking their location and what he remembered from the Original Work into account, he had a pretty good idea where the smell was coming from.
Han Ruoruo had followed the scent to its source as well.
"Little Huo's Grilled Fish?"
Following Han Ruoruo's gaze, Mo Yuan saw a grilled fish stall among the many vendors near the East Gate. Three people ran it, and its sign read "Little Huo's Grilled Fish."
He knew all three of them: Tang Ya, Beibei, and Huo Yuhao.
"Hm? Beibei is here too?" Seeing Beibei there, Han Ruoruo's already strong desire to try the grilled fish grew even stronger.
"Junior Brother, do you want some grilled fish?"
"Of course."
Mo Yuan smiled. This was the grilled fish made by the God of Emotion. He couldn't pass it up...
As Mo Yuan and Han Ruoruo headed toward Huo Yuhao's stall, Huo Yuhao ran into a little trouble.
Just like in the Original Work, Huo Yuhao had only just refused Jiang Nannan's request for a discount, prompting her to decide not to buy anything, when a deep, booming male voice filled with anger suddenly rang out.
"Kid! You dare refuse to sell it?"
As the words fell, a golden glint shot straight toward Huo Yuhao's stall.
Clang—
The golden glint struck the grill with pinpoint accuracy. Huo Yuhao took a closer look and was horrified to find a Gold Coin embedded firmly in it.
Then a figure shoved through the crowd and strode over. He wore the black uniform of Shrek Academy, looked about Beibei's age, and had a broad build and regular features.
It was Fei Yangyang, Xu Sanshi!
Xu Sanshi reached the scene and immediately went to the grilled fish stall, reaching straight for the only two fish left. He didn't even bother looking at Huo Yuhao when he tried to stop him, simply dodging him with ease.
"Xu Sanshi, what are you doing?!"
"Nannan, I bought you grilled fish!"
Xu Sanshi held the two fish and grinned as he offered them to the girl in front of him. She looked about thirteen or fourteen, with a tall, slender figure. A Rabbit Ear Hairband held her long, wavy hair in place.
She was beautiful, with fair skin and a tender, gentle look in her eyes. She seemed so delicate that anyone would feel the urge to cherish her.
Xu Sanshi had left Jiang Nannan with a deep psychological scar, and she loathed him. Even though he had humbled himself to the utmost, she still wanted nothing to do with him.
Jiang Nannan gave a cold snort, ignored the fish Xu Sanshi was holding out, and turned to leave.
"Nannan, wait for me!"
Xu Sanshi immediately tried to follow her. But before his first step had even touched the ground, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"Who the hell is that?!"
Furious that someone had interrupted his pursuit of Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi shouted and turned around, ready to teach the person a lesson.
But when he saw the person standing behind him, cold sweat broke out down his back in an instant.
"B-big b-brother... I mean, I wasn't c-calling you that! You believe me, right?"
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