When it came to delicious malatang, nothing beat those unassuming little shops. The one Zheng Yan Che brought Yan Ningke to was in an alley beside Lincheng University.
They had arrived early, and it was not too crowded yet. The woman in a red apron greeted them warmly.
"Hey, boys, how many? Sit wherever you like."
Wearing a hat and mask, Yan Ningke looked around. The place seemed all right. Tables filled the little shop, with a few scattered university students sitting in the corners.
Zheng Yan Che stood before the display cabinet with a basket. "Ning... come see what you want to eat."
Yan Ningke was somewhat famous now. Zheng Yan Che was not sure whether anyone here would recognize him, but he cautiously avoided saying his name.
The shop was small but had everything, including a menu on the wall.
The sight nearly made Yan Ningke drool. He looked at Zheng Yan Che eagerly. "Bro, I want everything!"
Only children had to choose. He wanted it all!
Zheng Yan Che chuckled, his voice indulgent. "All right, I'll order it all for you."
He was eight years older than Yan Ningke. In fact, after his mother remarried, she had another son, who was eleven this year. Zheng Yan Che had seen him a few times over the past few years. He was a good kid, but Zheng Yan Che simply could not feel close to him.
He felt he had little affinity with his family, but from the first time Yan Ningke called him Zheng bro, he had felt that Yan Ningke was more like a little brother to him than his actual brother was.
There was also something magical about Yan Ningke that drew people to him without their realizing it. Somehow, Zheng Yan Che seemed to have