Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

"My mom gave the order. Unless it’s raining knives, we’re to have three meals a day, and not a single one can be missed." Huang Bing pulled a cigarette from his pocket, stuck it in his mouth, and was about to light it. He paused when he saw Zhou Momo cover her mouth and retreat to Zhou Yan’s side, then silently snapped the cigarette in half and stuffed it back into his pocket.

’Forget it. It’s not like I have to smoke.’

"I’ll have an order of Braised Beef Noodles, and also an order of the double-pepper minced meat noodles," Huang Ying said, looking back at Zhou Yan.

"You got here late. I only have two servings of noodles left for you, one for each," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"We can only have one bowl each?" Huang Ying felt like the sky was falling.

She’d biked for over half an hour on an empty stomach this morning. Now she was so hungry her heart was fluttering, and she felt like she could eat a whole cow.

After a moment of indecision, she clenched her fists and said, "Then... I’ll have the Braised Beef Noodles!"

"I’ll have a bowl of the dry-mixed minced beef noodles." Huang Bing, on the other hand, made his decision instantly.

"You got it," Zhou Yan replied, turning to walk into the back kitchen.

Zhao Tieying grabbed two large bowls, mixed hot water with herbal tea, and brought one to each of them. "Here, have some warm water."

"Thank you, Auntie," Huang Ying said sweetly.

"Thanks, Auntie," Huang Bing added.

The two of them lifted their large bowls and started drinking. GULP, GULP, GULP.

The water temperature was just right. The herbal tea had mint leaves in it, making it incredibly thirst-quenching.

With a bowl of water in their stomachs, they instantly felt much more comfortable.

However...

They felt half-full just from the water.

They weren’t quite as starving anymore.

Zhou Momo came over to chat with Huang Ying. The little girl was a chatterbox, jumping from one topic to the next. She’d especially broadened her horizons after going into the city yesterday, so her range of topics was even wider.

Huang Ying was soft-spoken and patient, so she made a point to reply to everything the little girl said, even if her answers weren’t always accurate.

Huang Bing sat nearby, chuckling as he listened.

"Huang Bing, what are you laughing at?" Huang Ying shot him a glare.

"You’re so childish, spouting nonsense to fool a kid," Huang Bing pursed his lips.

"None of your business!" Huang Ying huffed, ignoring him and continuing her chat with Zhou Momo.

Huang Bing turned away, but he pricked up his ears to keep listening, chuckling nonstop.

’He hadn’t really noticed before. Huang Ying was still as funny as she was when they were kids—kind of goofy. The little sister from his memories hadn’t changed one bit.’

"Here you go." Zhou Yan came out carrying two bowls of noodles, along with a small dish of pickled radish.

The famished siblings’ eyes were instantly glued to the bowls.

The Braised Beef Noodles were topped with a layer of beef and dried bamboo shoots. The broth, with a layer of red chili oil floating on top, looked incredibly appetizing. The fragrance of the beef wafted over with the steam, and Huang Ying couldn’t help but swallow.

’It smells so good!’

She glanced at Huang Bing’s bowl of Dry-Mixed Double-Pepper Beef Noodles. He was stirring it with his chopsticks, and the double-pepper minced beef was evenly coating the noodles, dotted with green and red peppers. It looked equally tempting.

"Three. I’ll buy that bowl of noodles from you," Huang Ying offered.

Huang Bing, who had just picked up a mouthful of noodles and was about to put them in his mouth, paused and shot her a sidelong glance. "How much?"

"Three! Five times the original price." Huang Ying held up five fingers.

"Who do you take me for? I came all this way just for this bowl of noodles, and you think you can buy it for a measly three bucks!" Huang Bing stuffed the noodles directly into his mouth, his eyes immediately lighting up.

’This is delicious!’

Yesterday’s double-pepper minced beef with rice had been unforgettable, but these mixed noodles today were on another level.

The chewy noodles were coated in crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside beef bits, wrapped in the fresh spice of green and red peppers and the tangy aroma of pickled vegetables. That one bite was rich yet refreshing, with numbing, spicy, and savory flavors battling on the tip of his tongue.

He couldn’t stop, eating one mouthful after another.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the large bowl of mixed noodles was gone.

One word: Sublime!

Huang Bing didn’t usually like noodles, preferring steamed buns and fried dough sticks.

But today’s double-pepper minced beef noodles had completely changed his mind.

’I never knew noodles could be this good!’

Huang Ying couldn’t resist either. She picked up her chopsticks and started slurping up her noodles.

’These noodles smell amazing!’

Soaked in rich broth, they were exceptionally savory, smooth, and chewy.

The red oil on top looked fiery red, but the spiciness wasn’t actually prominent. Instead, the aroma was richer, and it wasn’t greasy at all.

Then she ate a large, tender chunk of beef brisket. One bite was just so satisfying!

SLURP SLURP!

She couldn’t stop eating either.

Every now and then she’d take a sip of the broth. It was savory and delicious—absolutely mind-blowing!

The fatigue and resentment from waking up early to bike for over half an hour to Suji immediately vanished without a trace after that one mouthful of noodles.

’Was it worth it?’

’It was so worth it!’

Zhou Momo didn’t disturb Huang Ying while she ate. Seeing Zhou Yan sitting down to rest, she immediately ran over, started climbing onto his lap, and began, "Brother... Brother..."

Zhou Yan, dizzy from her chattering, had no choice but to play "airplane" with her for a bit, making her giggle.

After finishing his bowl of noodles, the pale color in Huang Bing’s face was replaced by a healthy flush, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He still wasn’t satisfied and felt like he could eat another bowl.

Huang Ying lifted her bowl and drank every last drop of the broth.

She put down her bowl and glanced at Huang Bing. "Huang Bing, are you still hungry?"

Huang Bing rolled his eyes. "Look at other people’s little sisters. They’re so cute, and they even call their brother ’Brother.’ Not like you. All day long you’re just yelling ’Huang Bing! Huang Bing!’ at the top of your lungs. The moment you open your mouth, it’s ’I’m hungry!’"

"Then why don’t you look at other people’s older brothers? They’re handsome, have great bodies, and can even lift their little sisters up high." Huang Ying crossed her arms and looked at Huang Bing. "How about this: I’ll call you ’Brother,’ and you can lift me up high."

Huang Bing looked at her, silent for a moment, then sighed. "Never mind. I think you calling me ’Huang Bing’ is just fine..."

"Hmph, you weakling!" Huang Ying pouted.

"Fatty!" Huang Bing retorted, baring his teeth.

Huang Ying ignored him and turned to Zhou Yan with a pleading expression. "Boss Zhou, are you really out of noodles? Even half a bowl would be okay..."