Sweet 80s

A few days later, Lin Xiangdong and Zhou Zheng arrived at the designated delivery location.

After negotiating the cargo issue with the manufacturer, they set off on their return journey.

"There's a noodle shop a little further down the road, around the bend. Let's drive over there and have a break and a meal."

Zhou Zheng had only walked for a little over an hour since leaving the factory and was already thinking about taking a break. Lin Xiangdong couldn't help but feel curious.

"What do you mean?" Lin Xiangdong narrowed his eyes and glanced at Zhou Zheng with ill intent.

"Just now at the factory, the chef said that the noodles made in that restaurant are delicious. We have to eat anyway, so why not try it?"

Not long after, the car stopped in front of the small restaurant Zhou Zheng mentioned.

Lin Xiangdong looked around and found that the restaurant didn't even have a sign. Perhaps because it was located on the roadside, the doors, windows and the ground were covered with dust.

Even the leaves of the plants growing nearby were covered with thick dust.

A female dog and seven or eight puppies were lying on a stone platform not far from the door to rest.

Lifting the leather curtain, the two walked into the restaurant.

The aroma of rice wafted towards him, and Lin Xiangdong swallowed subconsciously.

"Teacher, eat."

This is a self-built house of about 70 or 80 square meters, and the furnishings inside are tattered.

There is a two or three meter long counter on the left side of the door with several thermoses on it, and three rows of wooden menus are hung on the wall behind you.

Unlike state-owned restaurants, the prices below the menu are cheaper, but I don’t know about the quantity and taste of the dishes.

The tables, chairs and benches are a bit worn out, and there is an old-fashioned heating stove in the middle of the lobby. Of course, there is no open flame in the stove.

Lin Xiangdong curled his lips, thinking that it was already what month and the stove hadn't been removed yet. This boss was really lazy.

Opposite the main door is a small door. Through the open space, you can see a small courtyard inside, which is probably connected to the shop owner's house.

Such small self-operated restaurants and repair shops are common along the national highway.

"Hey, here we come."

Ten seconds after the voice came out, a middle-aged man ran out from the small door.

The man had a dirty cloth wrapped around his waist and he wiped the water stains on his hands on the cloth a few times.

"You're here, what do you want to eat?"

Zhou Zheng first looked towards the yard, then came to the counter and asked Lin Xiangdong: "What do you want to eat?"

Lin Xiangdong walked to a table and sat down: "Just watch it, I can do anything."

Afterwards, Zhou Zheng ordered the dishes: "Fried peanuts, hot and sour bean sprouts, cold-mixed pork head, vegetarian dishes, and two bowls of sesame leaf noodles."

"okay."

After the boss left, Lin Xiangdong looked a little surprised and said, "There are only two of us. Why did you order so many dishes? Can we finish them?"

"Eat it and finish it."

After saying that, Zhou Zheng went to the cashier counter, picked up a bottle of beer, and opened it with a bang.

"Do you want to drink?" He turned and asked Lin Xiangdong.

Lin Xiangdong waved his hand.

Watch how familiar the other person is with the dishes when ordering, and how he or she performs a series of skillful movements such as accurately finding the bottle opener and opening the beer.

He couldn't help but suspect that this was not the first time Zhou Zheng had come.

See through, don’t say through.

Lin Xiangdong felt that this matter was not simple, so he secretly observed Zhou Zheng's behavior and expression.

Soon, the first dish arrived.

"thank you."

Zhou Zheng said a polite word to the person who served the food, and then did not pick up a single peanut. His eyes followed the waiter as he returned to the courtyard.

The abnormal behavior aroused Lin Xiangdong's curiosity.

The second dish is cold pork head.

The pig head meat is braised in advance.

After it cools down, pick it up and cut it into thin slices. Pour garlic juice, soy sauce, aged vinegar, pepper oil, and chili oil on it, mix well, and then add shredded green onions and coriander.

So the food is served very quickly.

This time, Lin Xiangdong paid special attention to the waiter and looked at him a few more times.

Sure enough, the waiter looked to be in his early 20s.

Against the backdrop of two shiny black braids, her already fair skin appears even more tender and lustrous.

A pair of big watery eyes blinked and the mouth opened and closed slightly several times.

Although he didn't say anything, the corners of his lips slightly upturned with a playful smile.

He then glanced at Zhou Zheng stealthily, his eyes staring as if they wanted to penetrate into the other's body.

After the girl left, Lin Xiangdong pretended nothing had happened and picked up a piece of meat while eating and asked: "What's her name?"

"Lanlan." Zhou Zheng blurted out.

"Haha~"

"What are you laughing at? I'll just call you Lanlan, Bai Xuelan, that sounds nice, right?"

Lin Xiangdong put down his chopsticks, locked his eyes on the other person, and spoke with an expression that showed he saw through everything.

"You confessed without being asked. You even said that someone from the factory introduced you. You know their name, so you must have come here quite often."

Zhou Zheng was stunned, then he realized that he was exposed.

Then he warned with a playful smile: "Don't tell my wife. If her tigress finds out, she will kill someone."

"If you are afraid, don't mess with the messy people. There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. If you do something like that, the news will get out sooner or later."

Out of his understanding of Zhou Zheng, Lin Xiangdong sincerely advised him to be careful with his words and actions.

From the first day he was assigned to the transportation company after his demobilization, he and Zhou Zheng became partners. Several years have passed, and the two have never had a quarrel.

He knew that Zhou Zheng didn't have any major problems, except that he couldn't control his eyes. Whenever he saw a woman who was a little pretty, he would always take a few more glances.

So many years have passed, and there have been no issues with lifestyle.

"She is not just any woman. Lanlan is the daughter of the shop owner. She... is mute."

"What?" Lin Xiangdong didn't expect that the other person, who was so beautiful, was actually deaf and dumb. He felt really sorry for her.

"Is it natural?"

Zhou Zheng shook his head with a hint of regret on his face.

"I had a serious illness when I was three years old and met a quack doctor. Since then, I can hear but I can no longer speak."

While expressing his emotion, Lin Xiangdong suddenly realized that the other party was in a bad mood.

He was able to understand other people's family affairs clearly because Zhou Zheng was a cheerful person who talked a lot.

But the little emotions that leak out inadvertently may very likely make him lose his last bit of composure.

Forget it, this is all just my imagination. He may not really do something irreversible.

Just as Lin Xiangdong was struggling with his inner struggle, the last two bowls of sesame leaf noodles were served on the table.

There are different winds in a hundred miles, and different customs in a thousand miles.

In my hometown, it is rare to eat authentic sesame leaf noodles.

When it was served, the noodles in the bowl didn’t look very good.

The sesame leaves were bubbling in the noodle soup, and the noodles were sticky and sticky.

The faint smell of dried sesame leaves hits your nose, smelling like sweet tea with a slight bitter taste.

Can this be delicious?

Lin Xiangdong picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth with doubt.

Sesame leaves taste slightly bitter, but are very appetizing and delicious.

The chewy texture and fragrance of sesame oil are combined with the soft and smooth hand-rolled noodles, which complement each other perfectly.

The sticky soup doesn't contain any seasonings but it still has a unique fresh flavor.

It is a real, classic delicacy that is rich in the local flavor of the Central Plains and cannot be replaced by fish or meat.

It's like a whiff of the taste of hometown, leaving an endless aftertaste on your tongue.

"How's it going? Is it delicious?"

After taking another sip of the sticky noodle soup, Lin Xiangdong gave an affirmative answer.

"Not bad. After eating this bowl of noodles, I feel refreshed all over."

Because he was driving, Lin Xiangdong drank tea instead of wine, and the two of them toasted each other many times. After he finished his work, the shop owner came to the restaurant to wipe the tables, chairs and benches.

"Boss, it's almost May. Why don't you take down this stove? It's such a nuisance here." Lin Xiangdong started chatting with the shop owner.

The shop owner is also a talkative person. He pointed to the backyard and said, "My daughter needs to take Chinese medicine every few days. We need to keep a stove to boil it. The fire in the stove is too big. The doctor said it can't be used."

"That's right...How old is your daughter? She's still not married." After saying that, Lin Xiangdong looked at Zhou Zheng.

At this moment, Zhou Zheng's face suddenly turned red, and he pricked up his ears to listen to the shopkeeper's answer.

The shop owner just sighed deeply, then pulled out a chair and sat on it.

"Don't mention it. I had decided on one before. When we went on a blind date, they said they liked her, but they changed their minds after two days. They said she was a dumb hen that couldn't even make a sound when laying an egg..."

At this point, the shop owner cursed angrily and threw the rag in his hand heavily on the table to vent his anger.

"Damn it, the whole family is full of bastards!"

Not long after he finished speaking, Bai Xuelan walked in with two puppies in her arms.

As soon as he saw his daughter coming, the shop owner's face quickly put on a smile.

"You hold these two puppies every day, but their mother wants you to have a child."

If the store owner hadn't told him, Lin Xiangdong would never have noticed that there was a female dog wagging its tail following the little girl.

"Hey, isn't this the dog lying on the stone slab when I came here just now?" Zhou Zheng pointed outside.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with the dogs, they gave birth to so many in one litter." The shop owner answered with a smile.

"Uh, uh."

This was the first time I heard any sound coming out of Bai Xuelan's mouth after learning that she had a speech disorder.

It's like the humming sound of a baby learning to speak.

Bai Xuelan held the two dogs in her arms and waved them towards Lin Xiangdong and Zhou Zheng. The shop owner immediately understood what his daughter meant.

"Fine, I know."

The shopkeeper patted his daughter's shoulder with a smile, then turned and spoke to the two of them.

"Lan Lan asked if you wanted puppies. If you did, I'd give you two."