Love Apartment: Yifei is my junior aunt

Chapter 73 Unparalleled Good Face

With the bustling activity of rolling out the noodles over, this bowl of clear soup noodles, prepared from morning till night, was finally served on the table.

The finest young chicks are bled and dried, coated with more than a dozen seasonings, then ground into powder, kneaded with flour, and finally rolled into noodles.

Pour water into a pot and wait until it just boils. Then, add the rolled-out noodles, sprinkle with a little salt to enhance their elasticity, and drizzle in a few drops of olive oil to make them smoother and less sticky.

After the noodles are cooked, they are soaked in purified water to enhance their elasticity.

Drain the soaked noodles and put them in a bowl, then pour in a large spoonful of the delicious fish soup that has been simmering all day without any bones or meat.

Finally, sprinkle a few chopped green onions on top as a garnish, and a delicious bowl of clear soup noodles is ready.

Hmm... that should be the case in theory.

At the dining table, everyone looked at the steaming bowl of clear broth noodles in front of them, their faces beaming with anticipation, but no one took the first bite.

The expectant smiles were just for Yifei's benefit; only the glances exchanged between each person revealed their true thoughts.

Perhaps because they have spent a considerable amount of time together, they are even able to understand what the other is trying to say through their eyes and actions.

"Eat up, you guys, Yifei's watching right now." Zeng Xiaoxian placed his chopsticks on the table, pointing them directly at Yifei.

【We definitely need to eat, but who will be the Shennong to taste it first and see if it's poisonous?】Nanfeng looked around.

"Is it really necessary to call this 'tasting poison'? This doesn't look very appealing." Curry Sauce used his chopsticks to pick at the translucent noodles in the milky white broth.

"Of course it looks good because Guangu and I rolled out most of the dough. But what good is a good-looking dough if we can't even eat it?" Meijia rested her chin on her hands, subtly pointing at herself and Guangu with her two index fingers.

[Zhanbo, Wanyu, haven't you been helping out the whole time? How is it? Is this noodle soup edible?] Guangu looked at Zhanbo and Wanyu.

"The fact that neither of us who were helping dared to pick up our chopsticks first means we weren't sure either." Zhanbo and Wanyu exchanged a glance, half nodding and half shaking their heads in Yifei's blind spot.

"Anyway, I won't eat it. I'm a seriously ill patient. I had three IV drips at the hospital today. Please spare me." Ziqiao gently tapped the needle mark on his other hand with his index finger, his eyes full of pleading.

Yu Mo couldn't read the other people's expressions, but she clearly knew her best friend's cooking skills very well. She also said with a fake smile how delicious the noodles smelled and how beautiful they looked, but she just wouldn't touch them.

"Eat up! Why aren't you eating? The noodles will get cold if you don't eat soon." Yifei's smile was a little stiff.

Although everyone was making their little movements discreetly, avoiding Yifei's gaze, you all said a lot of nice things, but not a single one of you touched your chopsticks.

Do you really think I'm stupid?!

All eyes turned to Nanfeng.

【You ordered this bowl of noodles!!!】 Everyone's eyes were quite firm.

Nanfeng sighed, picked up his chopsticks, and began searching through the bowl.

There was no wire for washing pots, no hair, and no other random stuff.

Pass the Minesweeper game.

Nanfeng picked up a noodle and slowly put it into his mouth under everyone's expectant gaze.

"How is it?" Yifei asked anxiously before the south wind even entered her mouth.

"Um?"

Nanfeng looked at the noodles, then glanced at Hu Yifei with suspicion, as if surprised by her extraordinary performance.

Nanfeng didn't say much, but met Yifei's expectant gaze and picked up another mouthful of noodles.

"I'll praise you after I finish eating," Nanfeng said casually, taking another sip of soup.

Apart from the overjoyed Hu Yifei, everyone else looked at each other in bewilderment.

Could it be that Yifei's performance today was quite good?

Yu Mo became the second brave person, and she also picked up a mouthful of noodles and ate it.

"Yifei, the noodles you made are delicious." Yu Mo gave Yifei a thumbs up and started drinking the soup in big gulps.

Ziqiao didn't believe in this superstition, so he cautiously took a bite of the noodles.

"Wow, Yifei, your skills have improved!" Ziqiao picked up the bowl and started drinking the soup.

Seeing this, the remaining people also started eating.

Almost the instant the noodles entered his mouth, all sorts of praises came out.

"Delicious, so delicious."

"This is the best noodles I've ever eaten in my life."

"Yifei, you've worked hard. You should try it too."

"Yes, this noodle is so delicious. It will taste different when it gets cold. Yifei, eat it quickly."

"..."

In an instant, room 3601 was filled with everyone praising Yifei. Everyone looked at each other, sharing the joy of tasting delicious food.

Yifei was flattered by everyone's praise and, under everyone's expectant gaze, she also picked up a piece of noodles and ate it.

Then she almost threw up the noodles.

"Pah! This stuff tastes awful!"

The moment the noodles enter your mouth, the bittersweet flavor hidden beneath the delicious fish soup bombards your taste buds like a thousand rock singers performing on your tongue.

If it weren't in front of so many people, Yifei would definitely have spat out this thing that could be considered a culinary disaster.

She drank the soup in large gulps, washing away the bitter and salty taste that was deeply rooted on her tongue.

Yifei now understood why these bastards only cared about drinking the soup after finishing their first bite of noodles.

Seeing that the last unlucky person had fallen into the trap, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to tell the truth.

"This is awful, absolutely awful." Yu Mo's eyes were lifeless. "I don't plan to eat noodles for the next six months."

"It tastes awful, it feels like someone has brushed layers and layers of bile onto your tongue," the curry sauce commented aptly.

Mika looked utterly dejected: "Oh my god, I saw you all eating with such relish, I really thought this noodle dish was delicious. I took a big bite and almost spat it out."

"If you really spit it out, I won't have to eat anymore." Wan Yu, who had just started eating noodles after Mei Jia, looked annoyed.

"No way, I can't let myself suffer like this. I'll take advantage of as many people as I can."

As she spoke, Meijia quickly pulled a lollipop out of her pocket and put it in her mouth to get rid of the bitter taste.

"I'm the unluckiest one, okay?" Zeng Xiaoxian complained, picking at his teeth and prying out a small piece of his manicure under everyone's disgusted stares.

"I checked the noodles several times today to make sure there were no hairs, wires, or other random bits of stuff in them. I never expected there would be something like that in your noodles!"

"Hahaha, Teacher Zeng, you're in for a treat today!" Everyone burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs.

The truth is, Yifei's noodles today were indeed exceptionally well done, but unfortunately, they didn't improve; they declined.

Everyone who was tricked into happily eating the so-called "superb noodles" immediately felt extremely regretful. However, adhering to the tactical idea of ​​"since I've already suffered, I might as well trick one more person," they could be said to have put on the best acting performance of their lives.

The final result was exactly what everyone expected; everyone fell into this trap that hurt both sides.

Of course, this group of people obviously does not include our last unfortunate soul who tasted it, and who is also the creator of this "perfect noodle": Hu Yifei.

Hu Yifei was gripped by self-doubt. She picked up the noodles and examined them repeatedly: "This shouldn't be. It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it. How can it taste so bad?"

Guan Gu, who is most knowledgeable about cooking, gave the answer: "You probably added too much alkali. Too much alkali will turn the dough yellow and bitter. But since this dough already contains chicken powder, it will turn yellow, so you didn't realize it at first."

As Guan Gu spoke, he himself became confused: "But I couldn't quite figure out what that savory, salty-to-the-bitter taste was. It felt like too much MSG... Yi Fei, did you put MSG in the dough?"

"How could that be? I have that much common sense. What normal person would put MSG in dough?" Hu Yifei felt that Guan Gu was seriously questioning her intelligence.

"That's true." Guan Gu was even more confused now. "So what exactly happened?"

Zeng Xiaoxian asked Yifei, "Besides the ingredients in the dough-making tutorial, what else did you add to the flour?"

"It's chicken powder. The essence of this clear broth noodle soup is simply mixing chicken powder into the flour and kneading the dough."

"Later, there was too much flour and not enough chicken powder... so I added some chicken bouillon."

"Chicken essence?!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"What's the problem?" Yifei looked blank. "I saw on TV that chicken bouillon is made from chicken powder, right? I didn't have enough chicken powder and didn't have time to make more, so I had to use chicken bouillon instead."

"Yifei," Guan Gu explained patiently while rubbing his temples, "chicken essence and chicken powder are not the same thing."

"The main ingredient of chicken essence is not chicken meat; in fact, chicken powder accounts for only a very, very small proportion of the ingredients in chicken essence."

"The main ingredient in chicken bouillon is MSG... How much chicken bouillon did you put in?"

Yifei held up one finger: "A full spoonful."

"A spoonful? That shouldn't be the case."

"It's that spoon."

Following the direction Yifei pointed, everyone looked at the large soup ladle used for making soup and cooking, which was hanging in the kitchen and nestled next to the spatula.

"What?!?!"

Everyone stiffly turned their heads back to look at Yifei. Luckily, that big spoonful of chicken essence was mixed into this huge lump of dough, otherwise Yifei would really have sent them all to the hospital.

After all, if the sodium glutamate in chicken essence is ingested in excess in a short period of time and the body cannot metabolize it in time, it may indeed cause acute poisoning.

Just as everyone was marveling at Yifei's unique talent in cooking, Nanfeng's simple four words surprised them even more.

"I've finished eating."

Everyone's eyes turned to look, only to find that Nanfeng's bowl was empty.

Then everyone remembered that while they were all lying about eating noodles, Nanfeng hadn't stopped eating almost the whole time.

They thought that Nanfeng was really willing to kill himself in order to trick everyone into eating noodles, which was already a case of hurting the enemy eight hundred while losing eight thousand of his own.

And now, Nanfeng has actually finished the whole bowl of noodles?

Ziqiao tentatively asked, "Nanfeng, what do you think of the taste of this bowl of noodles?"

He strongly suspected that Nanfeng's sense of taste had malfunctioned.

"It's hard to eat, but it's delicious," Nanfeng replied honestly.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a wave of dizziness.

Oh no, this person's sense of taste isn't malfunctioning, their brain has been completely shattered by this bowl of noodles.

"What kind of looks are those?" Nanfeng couldn't help but chuckle.

Yifei asked worriedly, "Nanfeng, are you feeling very unwell right now?"

She herself felt nauseous after eating this bowl of noodles, so how could a normal person possibly finish it and still say it was delicious?

"I'm fine. I think I'll be better by tomorrow after a good night's sleep."

Nanfeng knew what everyone was worried about, and he simply said, "Why do you all think that 'bad' and 'delicious' must be antonyms?"

Yu Mo asked curiously, "What else could it be but antonyms?"

You all know the story of Zhu Yuanzhang's bowl of pearl, jade and white jade soup, right? The so-called pearl, jade and white jade soup was actually just a bowl of swill soup, but that didn't stop the starving Zhu Yuanzhang from thinking it was the most delicious soup in the world.

"This bowl of noodles is the same."

Hu Yifei's face darkened: "Are you trying to say that the noodles I made were also made from swill?"

[Zeng Xiaoxian: You're wrong. Even a pig that's been eating swill can eat it with relish, but a pig would shake its head at the sight of your noodles.]

Logically speaking, Zeng Xiaoxian wouldn't miss any opportunity to mock Hu Yifei, but if he were to speak his mind now, it wouldn't just anger Hu Yifei, but also the petty Nanfeng.

Nanfeng laughed and said, "That's not what I meant. I meant that it's true that the noodles were hard to eat, but it's also true that they were delicious to me."

"Sister Yifei, I have never eaten such bad noodles before, but it has also been many years since I have eaten delicious noodles."

"Thank you."

Nanfeng's tone was very sincere, so sincere that it was obvious he wasn't lying, but it was precisely this sincerity that made everyone fall silent.

What kind of memories could possibly make him eat such a terrible bowl of noodles?

Nanfeng's gaze was fixed on Yifei, but it seemed as if he was looking at more than just Yifei.

His gratitude seemed directed at Yifei, yet also at that blurry, unseen figure in his memory.

Thank you so much, thank you so much.

Even though the taste of the noodles was completely different, that slight similarity was enough to evoke memories that he thought he had forgotten, warming the patient Nanfeng for an entire night.

He remembered that whenever he was sick when he was a child, his mother would always cook him a bowl of clear soup noodles. He had long forgotten the taste of that bowl of noodles, but he could still remember the soft murmur in his ear.

South wind, south wind, grow up quickly, healthy and free from illness, roaming the world.

Later in his memory, when he was sick, it was no longer that bowl of clear soup noodles.

However, it was only when I was sick that my father remembered that he was a father and not a strict piano teacher.

Only when I'm sick can I escape the piano, play, make noise, and eat what I like, even so-called junk food like fried chicken and barbecue.

Did Nanfeng really like eating these junk foods back then? Nanfeng didn't know.

But Nanfeng knew that eating these things would slow down his recovery and prolong his illness.

That way, Dad will always be Dad.

And then, and then...

Later on, Nanfeng stopped wanting to get sick.

……

Yifei had no idea what Nanfeng was thinking; she was already moved by Nanfeng's sincere gratitude.

She choked back tears and said, "Nanfeng, do you really think my noodles are delicious?"

Nanfeng smiled and said, "Really."

"If that's the case, then..."

"Then you can finish my bowl too."

In an instant, Nanfeng's pupils dilated, while a dazzling light simultaneously shone in the eyes of the others.

"This, this isn't quite right," Nanfeng said with a smile.

"What's wrong with that? It's just to avoid waste." Yifei pushed the bowl of noodles in front of her to Nanfeng.

"Yes, yes, it's such a waste."

"And this bowl of mine, eat more if you think it's delicious."

"Don't worry, there's nothing else tonight, just plenty of noodles."

Looking at the nine bowls of noodles pushed in front of him, Nanfeng mechanically picked up his chopsticks, met everyone's malicious gazes, and helplessly uttered two words.

"goodbye."

Nanfeng didn't even have time to put down her chopsticks before she jumped over the wall from the balcony and ran away.

Are you kidding me? I'm only able to eat one bowl of this stuff because I'm surviving on memories. How could I possibly eat nine more?

By the time the sun rises tomorrow morning, his body will be completely cold.

Whoever wants to eat it can eat it; I certainly can't.

A wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall, so I'm leaving!

"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

Of course, they couldn't really expect Nanfeng to finish all the noodles, but since you've been hiding your evil intentions and tricked us into eating them one by one, how could we possibly give you the chance to laugh at us like a victor for falling for your trick?

If we don't retaliate by playing a trick on Nanfeng, everyone will probably have to get up in the middle of the night to be angry before they can go back to sleep.

Now that we're in Love Apartment, it's only a matter of time before we end up scamming others and getting scammed ourselves.

Yifei looked at the nine bowls of noodles on the table and asked somewhat abruptly, "He ran away, so what are we going to do with the rest of the noodles?"

The lively laughter from 3601 came to an abrupt halt.

"What else can we do but throw it away?"

The remaining people looked at each other, and finally Ziqiao stepped forward to make a decision.

"Are you guys even capable? Nanfeng could finish it, but you can't?"

"Nonsense," Ziqiao sneered. "Is Nanfeng eating noodles? He's eating his own stories and memories. How can that be the same thing?"

"That makes sense," Yifei nodded, but then a problem arose in her mind. "But it's so late now, what are we going to eat if not noodles?"

Yu Mo said, "Nan Feng and I bought a lot of cooked food just in case, and we put it in the big refrigerator in 3603. We can just heat it up in the microwave and eat it."

Yifei was satisfied: "You two are so thoughtful."

Xiaoxian scoffed, "Is that being thoughtful? It's because I never expected you to do this well in the first place, you idiot."

Hu Yifei raised an eyebrow, about to argue with Zeng Xiaoxian, when Yu Mo interrupted her.

Yu Mo clung to Yi Fei's arm and said coquettishly, "Alright, it's so late, stop arguing with Teacher Zeng. Everyone's starving, we really don't want to listen to you two doing stand-up comedy."

Meijia also stood up and began to give orders: "The girls are responsible for pouring out the noodles, washing the bowls, and tidying up the kitchen."

"Boys, hurry up and go to room 3603 to get your food. Heat up the cooked food in the microwave. All three suites have microwaves, don't be silly and bring everything here to heat up."

"Let's get moving, or we'll only be able to eat midnight snacks."

Yu Mo reminded, "Oh right, there's a lot of snacks and beer in the fridge, bring them all over too. I'm planning to watch a movie with Yi Fei tonight, why don't you all come along? We don't have to work tomorrow anyway."

"Watch a movie? Sure, sure!" Everyone agreed except for Zeng Xiaoxian, who had to work the night shift, and Ziqiao, who was seriously ill and planned to go back to sleep.

"You're not planning to leave tonight?" Yifei looked at Yumo in surprise. "Also, I've been wanting to ask you this dress, where did you get it?"

Yu Mo shoved Yi Fei into the kitchen to work: "Okay, I'll tell you all about these things when we go to bed tonight."

"Please let me stay one more night, dear sister..." Yu Mo said sweetly.

"That's so cheesy! If you want to stay, fine, do you think I'm going to kick you out?"

Although Hu Yifei said she found it disgusting, she actually fell for it the most. Even though she knew that if Yu Mo stayed any longer, something bad would definitely happen again tomorrow, Yifei couldn't think of a proper reason to refuse.

And indeed, she and Yu Mo hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Hmm, thinking about it this way, something doesn't feel right.

We live in the same city, but I haven't seen you come looking for me much before.

What a jerk who values ​​women over friends!

"Yifei, you're the best."

Having achieved her goal, Yu Mo immediately released Hu Yifei, who was no longer of any use, and ran to the balcony to shout at 3603, "Nanfeng, do you want to watch a movie with everyone tonight?"

"No need, I'm doing voice-over work in the dubbing studio tonight."

Nanfeng's voice drifted over: "But you can come over and move my projector. Watching movies with this creates a better atmosphere."

Hu Yifei looked at Yu Mo, who had a smug expression on his face, and sighed helplessly.

Suddenly, a special notification sound rang in my WeChat Moments.

Yifei opened her WeChat Moments, where she saw a post that Nanfeng had just shared.

【South Wind Knows My Heart】: An absolutely stunning face!

The accompanying photo was taken by Nanfeng at some unknown time; he was sitting at the end of the table and captured everyone's expectant expressions as they held their bowls of noodles.

The lighting and composition of the photo are quite ordinary, but just looking at the photo makes you feel as if laughter is ringing in your ears. Before you know it, the joy has moved from the photo to the corners of your mouth.

Yifei smiled and smiled, but as soon as a "like" message appeared, the smile on her lips suddenly disappeared, and she finally sighed helplessly.

To the right of the heart-shaped icon for liking, an ID was clearly displayed.

【Dreaming of the Western Continent】.

……

【Blowing Dreams to the Western Continent】: Are you sick?

Nanfeng looked at the message on WeChat and then glanced at the time in surprise.

It's only a few o'clock, and this busy person actually has time.

【South Wind Knows My Heart】: Hmm.

It wasn't that Nanfeng was cold; it was just that he really didn't know what to say to her.

The last time the two chatted was ten months ago on their birthdays, and the conversation was very brief.

【Blowing Dreams to the Western Continent】: When I have time, I'll come home and cook you some clear soup noodles.

Are you free? When will you be free? I don't even know if you'll be free to attend my funeral the day I die.

Go home? Where is home? Is it one of those big houses where only the cook and I live?

Cooking noodles? You probably haven't set foot in the kitchen in over a decade, have you?

All sorts of hurtful words, like those of a child, welled up in Nanfeng's mind. He took a deep breath, banished all distracting thoughts, and tried his best to prevent the seeds of resentment from growing between the two of them.

【South Wind Knows My Heart】: Okay, Aunt Gu.

Nanfeng watched helplessly as the name at the top of WeChat changed to "typing..."

One minute, two minutes, three minutes... ten minutes...

There was still no message from the other side; only the unchanging "typing" at the top proved that the person on the other side hadn't just glanced at his reply and then ignored it.

【Blowing Dreams to the Western Continent】: Hmm.

Nanfeng smiled and put his phone aside. He took off the pendant from his chest and held it firmly in his hand.

The pendant snapped open, revealing a family photo of the three of them.

My husband is the quintessential sunny, handsome guy—radiant and enthusiastic. Just seeing his smile makes me feel like he's glowing.

The wife is as aloof as moonlight, cold and lonely, but as long as she stands there quietly, your eyes can only see the moon.

But both the sun and the moon were smiling like children at this moment, their eyes full of tenderness and affection.

Only the real child had a stern face, like a difficult-to-get-along-with elementary school student.

Nanfeng's fingertips gently touched the photo, and as always, a wave of regret surged up.

……

If I had known this was the only family photo, I should have smiled more.

The "Peerless Beauty" episode has ended.

It's a super update! A 6,600-word chapter, focusing on a swordsman who doesn't rest overnight.

Tomorrow I need to sort out the plot of the new chapter. The most painful parts of each chapter are the beginning, the transition in the middle, and the ending.

That's right, there's not a single place that isn't painful.

Finally, please continue reading, please add to your favorites, please give me monthly tickets, please recommend, please!

(End of this chapter)