After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

When Li Dayong heard Zhou Zhengming say that, he scoffed and turned away.

"Alright, then you can stay here and wait in line," Li Dayong said, putting his hands back in his coat pockets and walking back to the front of the line.

Zhou Xiaoya looked at her stubborn father, sighed, and knowing she couldn't persuade him, she could only helplessly shrink back and continue queuing.

Zhang Qiang and the other students standing nearby didn't dare to breathe, standing obediently in the cold, afraid of angering this "iron-faced judge" again.

Zhou Zhengming stood there with a stern face, his hands in his down jacket pockets, firmly in the middle of the line, behind his daughter.

The wind and snow stung his face, Zhou Zhengming's feet went numb from the cold, and the tip of his nose turned red. But his stubbornness kept him going, and he didn't back down an inch.

He wanted to see what kind of invigorating nonsense these students could come up with after drinking that cup of watery soy milk.

Time passed second by second.

The wooden door of the Lin family shop opened from the inside right on time.

Su Xiaoxiao came out with the blackboard and hung it on the shelf by the door, inviting everyone to come in.

"Everyone, it's cold outside, please come in."

The line began to move slowly.

Zhou Zhengming followed his daughter and several students up the steps and into the gate.

As soon as you enter, a wave of warmth hits you.

Zhou Zhengming habitually looked around. The environment was indeed clean, with wooden decorations featuring a small bridge and flowing water, completely lacking the greasy smell of typical restaurants.

In the lobby, Li Dayong and several middle-aged men had already found seats and were loudly ordering their food.

Zhou Zhengming was soon in line, and he walked to the bar.

Su Xiaoxiao was using a barcode scanner to calculate the bill.

"A cup of hot soy milk," Zhou Zhengming said with a stern face.

"Okay, one hundred yuan, scan here." Su Xiaoxiao pointed to the QR code.

Zhou Zhengming took out his phone to pay and found an empty table in the corner to sit down.

Zhou Xiaoya and the others, each carrying their own soy milk, sat cautiously at the next table, occasionally stealing a glance at him, none of them daring to speak loudly.

Not long after, Lin Yi came over carrying a black tray and placed a white porcelain cup steadily in front of Zhou Zhengming.

Inside the cup, the pale yellow soy milk was steaming, with a thin layer of oil skin already formed on the surface.

Zhou Zhengming didn't rush to drink.

He picked up the cup and, as if conducting a physicochemical analysis in a laboratory, brought it to his nose and gently sniffed the aroma.

It has no pungent artificial flavoring, nor the cloying sweetness of industrial saccharin. It only has a pure, natural bean aroma.

He looked down again to examine the color and consistency carefully, searching for traces of thickener.

The soy milk is smooth and even, with no suspended impurities or separated water layers.

"Pretentious," Zhou Zhengming thought to himself with a cold sneer.

Even if it looks good, it doesn't change the fact that selling a cup of soy milk for 100 yuan is a huge profit.

He blew on the steam rising from the surface, and with a critical eye, frowned as he took the first sip.

The warm liquid slid over the tip of my tongue and flowed down my throat into my esophagus.

Zhou Zhengming stopped moving.

The pure, mellow sweetness of the grains instantly spreads on the tip of the tongue.

There's absolutely no beany taste. This smoothness and richness are simply not something you can get from instant powder or regular soybeans.

Immediately afterwards, a reassuring warmth spread through my stomach.

Zhou Zhengming usually spends his time grading exam papers and writing lesson plans at his desk, which causes him to suffer from severe chronic cervical spondylosis.

In winter, my neck and shoulders become stiff and sore, like I'm carrying two heavy iron weights. I just stood outside for several hours, and my neck is numb from the cold.

But after swallowing that mouthful of hot soy milk, a warm feeling rose in my stomach, and a warm current actually traveled up my spine.

Zhou Zhengming subconsciously twisted his neck.

The stiff, bony friction that I usually felt when turning my head had largely disappeared. My stiff muscles felt completely relaxed, as if they had been treated with a hot towel.

My mind, which had been a little groggy from getting up early and being cold, suddenly became clear. My thoughts were as clear as if I had just had a good night's sleep.

Zhou Zhengming sat in the chair, remaining silent for a long time.

He looked down at the white porcelain cup in his hand, his expression shifting.

This is definitely not a placebo effect produced by sugar water. He knows his own body best. This intuitive physical feedback and muscle relaxation cannot lie.

Zhang Qiang, who was at the next table, had been keeping an eye on what was happening here.

He finished his soy milk in two gulps, feeling the clarity in his mind, swallowed, and mustered his courage to lean closer, asking in a low voice:

"Professor Zhou... how's the soy milk?"

Zhou Zhengming blushed.

He tightened his grip on the cup and coughed twice to cover his embarrassment.

Without answering Zhang Qiang's question, Zhou Zhengming picked up the cup, tilted his head back, and drank the rest of the soy milk in one gulp.

He pondered for a few seconds, then stood up and strode quickly to the fully transparent kitchen counter.

Lin Fan was standing inside, holding a purple-gold cleaver and cutting meat.

Zhou Zhengming stared at Lin Fan, his tone urgent:

"Boss, what variety of soybeans are these? What is the pH level of the soil where they're grown?"

"Ordinary soybeans on the market could never produce this kind of highly active plant protein! Where did you get these beans?"

Lin Fan's hands didn't stop moving.

Without even looking up, he plated the sliced ​​meat and replied with four words in a flat tone:

"Trade secrets".

Zhou Zhengming was taken aback, but his passion for academic research was completely rekindled.

Besides teaching advanced mathematics, he also leads some interdisciplinary data analysis projects and has experience with agricultural materials.

The plant protein activity exhibited in this cup of soy milk has exceeded his current understanding.

"Boss, could you make me another drink? I'd like to take it to go. I need to take it to the university lab for some physicochemical analysis." Zhou Zhengming took out his phone to scan the QR code.

"It's the shop's rule that each person is limited to one cup." Lin Fan wiped his hands, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Zhou Zhengming panicked: "I won't drink it, I'll use it for research!"

"No way." Lin Fan didn't back down and turned to check on the water in the pot.

Zhou Zhengming stood in front of the bar, staring at Lin Fan for a long time. Seeing that the other party was unmoved, he could only sigh helplessly.

He turned his head and saw Zhou Xiaoya chatting happily with several students.

Zhou Zhengming raised his hand, as if he wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. In the end, he lowered his hand, sighed, and pushed the door open and walked out.

Zhang Qiang and a few other boys followed behind, exchanging glances and secretly suppressing their laughter.

……

10:00 AM.

The heating in the room was still on full blast.

Counselor Xiao Wang was sitting in front of the computer compiling the final exam grade summary sheets. Physics teacher Lao Liu, holding a teacup, stood by the window watching the heavy snow outside.

With a creak, the office door was pushed open.

Zhou Zhengming walked in carrying a briefcase.

He took off his down jacket and hung it on the coat rack behind the door, then pulled out his office chair and sat down.

"Teacher Zhou, you're quite late today." Xiao Wang greeted Zhou Zhengming upon hearing the noise and said with a casual smile.

"You're usually the first one to arrive at our teaching and research office."