At dawn the next morning, I grabbed Jinbao and drove to the west of the city.
Jinbao yawned all the way. He hadn't gotten up so early for a long time.
In the past, when he worked at a food stall, he would often work until late at night, and would not get up until he had to sleep for lunch the next day.
It's relatively leisurely when you come to my place. I often stay up until after 10 o'clock, and he can naturally sleep in too. This sudden early rise made Jin Bao very uncomfortable.
The passenger in the car I was sitting in was also a little worried. There were a lot of people going to work in the early morning. It would be bad if he hit someone while driving in this state.
I saw a noodle shop at the intersection ahead, with a few big characters on the signboard - There is a noodle shop. I quickly asked Jinbao to stop there and have breakfast before leaving. There was no shortage of time.
This noodle shop is a mom-and-pop noodle shop with 8 tables. The proprietress is responsible for the cashier and preparation, while the boss is busy in the kitchen.
The main specialty of this noodle shop is beef noodles. The couple are in their forties and should be a hard-working couple. The shop is well managed.
Seeing Jinbao and I come in, the landlady warmly greeted us to sit down and said to me very politely: "Come on, brother, what do you want to eat today?"
It was obvious that the landlady was very knowledgeable and had a very good eye. She could tell at a glance that I was in charge.
But the business of this shop is really not that good. It should be the peak time for breakfast now, and there are no competitors nearby, but there are only seven or eight people eating noodles here. From this, we can conclude that the business of this noodle shop is It won't taste very good.
Looking at the menu on the wall, a large bowl of beef noodles only costs 15 yuan, and a regular large bowl of plain noodles only costs 5 yuan. The prices of other noodles are also very affordable, which made me more sure of my guess.
But it doesn't matter when you think about it. I've been eating food that looks like pig food for more than ten years. No matter how bad the taste of this noodle shop is, how could it be any worse?
"Two bowls of beef noodles, add two eggs, and a bowl of soy milk for each person."
I ordered my meal in one go, and the landlady agreed and went to tell the kitchen to prepare it.
After only five or six minutes of waiting, two bowls of hot beef noodles were served. A poached egg was placed on each of the full bowls of noodles. I have to say, the portion of these noodles was really filling.
I stirred the noodles with chopsticks, and seven or eight pieces of beef were exposed. The beef was cut into pieces, and each piece was as big as a finger. Wouldn’t the boss lose business by doing this?
Jinbao picked up the chopsticks, picked up the noodles and started to eat them in big mouthfuls. The food looked so sweet. I guess my analysis was wrong. The noodles here should taste good.
I also picked up the chopsticks, picked up the noodles, and stuffed them into my mouth. A spicy feeling hit my taste buds. This noodles was so spicy, not only spicy, but also very salty.
I was so stimulated by this sudden impact that my expression was almost distorted. I put down my chopsticks and said to Jin Bao sitting opposite, "Isn't it salty?"
“It’s very good, the saltiness is just right!”
Jinbao answered me without raising his head, then took another mouthful of noodles and started eating them.
"Isn't it spicy?"
I asked again doubtfully.
Jinbao swallowed the noodles, raised his head and looked at me and said, "Not spicy, just right. Brother Fei, what's wrong with you today? Did you eat too much of the good stuff, and your mouth is too picky? This beef noodle is too much."
As Jin Bao spoke, he turned around and shouted to the wife of the boss: "Mom boss, please have another bowl of beef noodles."
I was speechless. This was simply unpalatable to me, but Jinbao ate it so deliciously. One of us must have had a problem with our taste buds.
The landlady then brought up two bowls of soy milk, and I quickly picked up the soy milk and took a sip.
With a "pop" sound, I squirted out the soy milk in my mouth, and it just hit Jinbao opposite me in the face.
This soy milk is actually rancid!
Jinbao was sprayed with soy milk on his face by me. He looked at me in surprise. He must have thought I was weird today.
He was stunned for three seconds, then picked up a tissue and wiped his face. Without saying anything, he picked up his soy milk and took a big sip.
"How about soy milk?"
I asked Jin Baodao. I asked carefully this time. I hoped to get the answer I wanted to hear.
"It's very fragrant, full of bean flavor!"
Jinbao didn't give me the answer I wanted to hear. He turned around and shouted to the landlady: "Mrs. boss, give me some sugar!"
I couldn't eat the noodles, and couldn't drink the soy milk. I picked out the eggs and beef in the bowl, put them in Jinbao's bowl, and watched him finish them in big gulps.
Jinbao quickly finished the first bowl of beef noodles. At this time, the second bowl of beef noodles was also served. Jinbao without any politeness, ate the second bowl of noodles cleanly. The soup was also finished.
I am speechless. Jinbao is not pretending. There is something wrong with the beef noodles in this noodle shop. No, there is something wrong with all the food.
I observed it carefully and found that there was nothing special about this noodle shop. Now is not the time to study this matter. The most urgent thing is to visit Zhang Tian first, right?
After having breakfast, Jinbao became more focused. We drove quickly to a single-family villa in Xicheng. According to Liu Dabao, Zhang Tianshi lived here.
The villa is located at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by lush woods, where frogs and birds can be heard from time to time.
The exterior design of the villa is simple and elegant. The white courtyard walls and the gray roof exposed at the rear complement each other, making it look particularly noble and elegant.
There was a little boy standing at the door of the villa. When the little boy saw us parking our car in the parking lot opposite the villa, he laughed excitedly and said, "I won, I won, Grandpa, Xiaobao won."
The little boy danced happily. He turned around and ran into the villa. He didn't even close the door.
Jinbao and I got out of the car and came to the door of the villa. Out of respect for the owner, we did not go in directly, but rang the doorbell in a polite manner.
I looked at the world inside the gate carefully. Inside the gate was the courtyard of the villa.
The courtyard has a garden design, with small bridges, flowing water, rockeries and rocks, and is filled with various flowers and plants.
The owner obviously took care of it carefully. The colors of the various flowers and plants are naturally matched and complement each other. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as beautiful.
A cobblestone path winds up to the villa, which has a three-story design. The red door of the villa was half opened by the little boy, and the conversation between an old man and the little boy came from inside.
"Haha, Xiaobao wins. Grandpa will tell Xiaobao a wonderful story later. Guess again, Xiaobao, will the guest enter the yard now?"
The old man's voice was very kind, full of love for the little boy.
"Xiaobao guessed that they would definitely come in, because I deliberately did not close the courtyard door. Xiaobao guessed correctly, and my great-grandpa will tell Xiaobao two wonderful stories."
The little boy's voice sounded, full of confidence.
"Okay, let's go take a look."
The old man agreed to the little boy, and soon, the door was completely opened, and two figures, one old and one young, appeared at the door.
