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

Old Liu was so angry he could barely contain himself.

He grabbed the bamboo chopsticks, his calluses on the back of his hands revealing his eagerness, picked up a large strand of amber-colored wide rice noodles soaked in golden broth, and slurped it into his mouth.

"Slurp—!!"

The rice noodles were incredibly smooth, coated with a thin layer of hot, sour soup oil. They slid across the tongue with a soft slurp and landed directly in the mouth.

Old Liu clenched his teeth forcefully.

"Crack!"

It has none of the hardness of edible glue; its texture is soft and chewy with an amazing resilience, like chewing a warm and smooth piece of soft jade between your teeth.

Immediately afterwards, the scalding hot juice that was tightly locked inside the vermicelli bursts out with a bang as you chew!

The aroma of roasted pork fat from the black mountain pig, the sweet fragrance of roasted garlic cloves after being simmered in oil, the rich and savory broth from simmering black carp spine bones, and the mellow and slightly sour taste of pickled mustard greens after slow fermentation in an old jar at low temperature, all gush out from the broken ends of the vermicelli!

The sour taste is refreshing and crisp, instantly dissolving all the greasiness of the bone broth, making your mouth water and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes.

"My God...!!"

Old Liu chewed a few mouthfuls and swallowed, the scalding hot and sour soup burning his way down his esophagus into his stomach, making him shudder violently and his eyes widen in shock.

"These glass noodles... how can they be so flavorful, penetrating right into the bones?! They're so smooth and bouncy, and when you bite into them, they're filled with piping hot, sour fish bone broth! It's amazing!"

Sweat beaded on Old Liu's forehead in an instant, and then he picked up a slice of snow-white black fish and stuffed it into his mouth.

The fish meat is as thin as a cicada's wing, and the thin outer layer of paste is so smooth that it can hardly stick to chopsticks. It doesn't require much chewing when you put it in your mouth. Just press it lightly with the tip of your tongue, and the delicate and firm fish meat will turn into a sweet and fresh juice. There is no rough or tough feeling of muscle fibers, and you can't find a single bone.

Old Liu was sweating profusely as he ate. He rolled up the sleeves of his thin sweater, picked up the porcelain bowl which was bigger than his face, tilted his head back, and gulped down three large mouthfuls of piping hot sauerkraut soup.

The aroma of the dried chili paste, thoroughly infused with hot oil, mingles with the spiciness of white pepper, rushing straight up your throat and to the top of your head.

After spending the morning in the biting cold of the snow, this large bowl of piping hot, spicy fish soup with vermicelli forced him into a deep sweat, which seeped out from the pores of his back. The old man exhaled a long, puffy breath of comfort.

"This old man has lived for sixty years and eaten at countless banquets in various restaurants, but to make a bowl of pickled cabbage fish and vermicelli so captivating... I've never heard of such a thing! This isn't just eating; it's like giving my internal organs a hot bath!"

Aunt Wang also picked up a soup spoon, took a small sip of soup, and then picked up a piece of pickled mustard greens from her own jar and chewed it.

"Click, click."

The diced pickled cabbage bursts with a refreshing, slightly sour, and crunchy juice between your teeth, without any roughness or toughness. It's sour but not astringent, with a sweet aftertaste.

The old lady held the bowl, her eyes unconsciously becoming moist.

"My jar of pickled vegetables had been stored in the cellar back home for a whole year. Usually, when I stir-fried them myself, they were salty and tough. But in Xiao Fan's hands... how did they become so crisp and delicate..."

"It's because your sauerkraut is of such good quality, ma'am, with pure, naturally fermented lactic acid bacteria," Lin Fan said gently from the side.

The four people sat around the table, gulping down their food. The only sounds in the hall were the rapid, forceful slurping of noodles, chewing of fish, and swallowing of hot soup.

In less than fifteen minutes, the sliced ​​blackfish, wide rice noodles, and diced pickled mustard greens in the two medium-sized black clay pots were devoured in a flash. Old Liu even scraped the last drop of golden sour soup from the bottom of the bowl with a ladle.

"ha--!!"

Old Liu put down his empty bowl, let out a very loud, hot burp, and slumped back in his solid wood chair. His face was rosy, he was sweating profusely, and every bone in his body seemed to radiate a sense of well-being.

Looking at the two clay pots on the table, cleaner than if they had been washed, and then at the pile of empty bowls in front of Old Liu, completely clean and without a single drop of chili oil left, Aunt Wang felt slightly embarrassed. She raised her hand and slapped Old Liu's arm lightly.

"You old Liu, you're like a starving ghost reincarnated! Xiao Fan invited us in to have a taste of the salty food, but you just shoveled it all down your throat! Aren't you ashamed?!"

Old Liu rubbed his bruised arm, chuckled dryly, his face flushed, and he picked at his rough fingernails, a little embarrassed.

"Auntie, you really can't blame me... I've never had such a delicious soup in my life."

"The glass noodles were so slippery, they slid right down my throat as soon as they touched my tongue. The fish soup was both fresh and sour, and the spiciness of the white pepper hit me so hard that my hands and brain felt completely numb. By the time I came to my senses, the bowl was empty!"

Old Liu turned his head, looked at Lin Fan somewhat awkwardly, and rubbed his palms together nervously:

"Boss Lin, look at the mess this has made... I came here by following the smell, and ended up eating all the new dishes you and your daughter made."

"This...this black carp looks very expensive, it must cost a lot of money, right?"

"Old man, I don't have any cash on me. How about... I'll fix all those tricycles in the back alley and the water pipes in front for you? For the next year, you can just order me around for any odd jobs in the shop!"

Aunt Wang hurriedly pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from a hidden pocket inside her cotton-padded jacket, her fingers trembling as she tried to untie the knot:

"Yes, yes, Xiao Fan, we can't let this go to waste!"

"Auntie knows your cooking skills are precious. Those two big blackfish have such tender meat, they must not be ordinary fish that cost tens of yuan per catty in the market."

"Although the older woman doesn't have much money, she has to pay for this meal, otherwise she won't be able to sleep well tonight!"

"Auntie, Uncle Liu, please put your hands away."

Lin Fan shook his head, both amused and exasperated. He picked up the rough earthenware teapot on the table, poured half a cup of steaming warm water for each of the two elders, and pushed it in front of them.

"Drink some warm water to soothe your throat first. You just sweated a lot, so don't upset your throat."

Lin Fan gathered the empty bowls and plates on the table, his expression gentle and composed:

"This morning at the alley entrance, if it weren't for you, Auntie, coming out to argue with those bastards, and if Uncle Liu hadn't been quick-witted and grabbed them from behind, who knows what outrageous things those people might have done."

"The young man got into a fight in a fit of anger, and you two went to the police station to testify, standing in the cold wind in the lobby all morning. What's the big deal about me treating you to a simple meal? If we're really going to settle accounts, I should be giving you two big red envelopes."

"That's completely different!"

Aunt Wang slammed her handkerchief bundle onto the table, waving her hands anxiously.

"We've lived on Golden Street for decades. How can we stand by and watch these outsiders bully honest people right under our noses all day long?"

"Besides, that girl Xiaoxiao only attacked me to protect me. If anyone's owed a debt, it's me who owes you a huge favor!"