Heart Stealer

In the late 90s, after several years of hard work, Xiao Tuobang's parents finally saved some money in the city.

They decided to take the six-year-old Xiao Tuobang back to their hometown, Platycodon Town, to start a new life.

Father Xiao sat on the worn sofa, smoking a cigarette, and said to Mother Xiao: "We have worked hard in the city for so many years, it's time to go back."

While packing her luggage, Xiao's mother replied, "Yes, although life in the city is good, my hometown is still the most reassuring place."

Xiao Tuobang stood aside, eyes wide open, and asked curiously, "Mom and Dad, why do we have to go back to our hometown?"

Father Xiao touched Xiao Tuobang's head and said with a smile: "Our hometown has our roots, our memories and our relatives."

Mother Xiao stuffed the last piece of clothing into the box, straightened up, and said to Xiao Tuobang: "Baby, when we go back, we can live in a big house and play with our friends."

After hearing this, Xiao Tuobang clapped his hands excitedly: "Great! I want to catch butterflies with my friends!"

The family of three set out on the journey home with their dreams for the future.

Platycodon Town, this beautiful seaside town is surrounded by the sea on three sides. It seems to be the darling of the sea and blessed by the gifts of nature.

It has a winding and beautiful coastline, like a necklace of the sea, sparkling with charming light.

The sand on this beach is extremely white, soft and fine, as if it is a work of art carefully crafted by nature.

When you walk barefoot on this beach and feel the sand flowing under your feet, it is like a gentle embrace of nature, making you feel extremely comfortable and relaxed.

The sea breeze gently blows on your face, bringing the freshness and moisture of the ocean, making you feel a kind of secluded tranquility and peace.

When the waves gently hit the shore, it is like nature's lullaby, making you feel deeply relaxed and comfortable.

Here, you can fully enjoy the gifts of nature and feel the magnificence and beauty of the sea.

You can sunbathe, play and play with sand on the beach, or go swimming, surfing and diving in the sea to experience an exciting adventure.

As the fame of Platycodon Town spreads, more and more tourists are attracted by its beauty.

They traveled thousands of miles to come here just to experience the charm of this unique town for themselves.

They left behind beautiful memories here and took away awe and gratitude for nature.

"Dad, look at this Qingban Street, there are so many tourists!" Xiao Tuobang said excitedly, pointing to the bustling crowd on the street.

"Yes, son, this is a good place. If we open our noodle shop here, the business will definitely be good." Father Xiao answered with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

Mother Xiao carefully looked at the shop and nodded with satisfaction: "Although this shop is a little small, it has a good location and the decoration is also good."

On the first day of Xiaojiafen’s opening, the store was bustling with activity.

"Wow, this rice noodle looks so tempting!" A customer walked into the store and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration when he saw the wide variety of rice noodles on the menu.

Father Xiao greeted the customer warmly: "Welcome, our store is having a free tasting event today, you can try various flavors of rice noodles." As he spoke, he skillfully served the customer a bowl of barbecued pork noodles.

The customer took the rice noodles, smelled the tempting aroma, and couldn't wait to eat it.

"Mm, it tastes really good!" The customer gave a thumbs-up while eating. "This barbecue pork noodles tastes authentic and has a rich variety of side dishes."

Father Xiao smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment. We have many other flavors of rice noodles. You can try them all."

At this time, several more customers came in, and Xiao's father and mother greeted them warmly.

"Welcome, welcome, come and try our rice noodles!" Father Xiao said with a smile, while skillfully preparing rice noodles for the customers.

Xiao's mother kept introducing various flavors of rice noodles and side dishes to customers.

With everyone's joint efforts, the reputation of Xiao's Noodle Shop spread quickly, more and more diners came here, and the business of the shop became more and more prosperous.

Early in the morning, when the first ray of sunshine shone on the sea, the old captain happily came to Xiao's Noodle Shop with a full load of freshly caught seafood.

He was carrying a large basket filled with all kinds of seafood, including lively fish, fat crabs, and fresh shellfish.

"Old Xiao, look what good stuff I brought you today!" the old captain shouted with a smile, his face filled with a smug smile.

Old Xiao came out upon hearing the sound, and his eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the basket in the old captain's hand.

"Wow, so many good things! Come in, come in!" he invited enthusiastically.

There are several rows of neatly arranged tables and chairs in front of Xiaofen Restaurant. Customers are sitting or standing, some are enjoying the food, some are chatting, and some are waiting.

When Lao Xiao and the old captain walked into the store, the waiter immediately came over and helped them move the seafood to the kitchen.

The decoration inside the store is simple and warm, with some ocean photos and decorations hanging on the walls, making people feel like they are at the seaside.

The air is filled with a light aroma of rice noodles, which stimulates your appetite.

Lao Xiao and the old captain sat in a corner of the store, enjoying the food and chatting.

Their topics ranged from the ocean to life, from the past to the present, and it seemed as if they had endless things to talk about.

"Lao Xiao, your noodles are really delicious. I feel very refreshed every time I eat them." The old captain said with praise.

"Haha, of course! The rice noodles in my family are a secret recipe passed down from our ancestors. Only we know how to make them." Lao Xiao said with a proud smile.

The two were chatting happily when they suddenly heard a noise coming from outside.

When they walked out of the store, they saw a group of people gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Lao Xiao asked curiously.

"I heard someone encountered a shark at sea and almost lost his life!" someone said in horror.

Lao Xiao and the old captain looked at each other and saw worry in each other's eyes.

"This is no small matter. We have to go and take a look." Lao Xiao said.

The two hurried to the scene and saw rough waves on the sea and a fishing boat struggling hard.

They immediately put on life jackets, jumped onto the rescue boat and rushed towards the fishing boat.

After some effort, they finally rescued the fishermen in distress onto the boat.

Seeing that the fishermen were safe and sound, Lao Xiao and the old captain both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you! If you hadn't arrived in time, we would have died!" the rescued fishermen said with tears of gratitude.

"It's okay, this is what we should do." Lao Xiao said with a smile, his eyes full of determination and courage.

After this incident, Lao Xiao and the old captain became even more famous.

They are not only excellent fishermen, but also brave lifesavers.

And their friendship became even deeper because of this incident.

The old captain has a daughter named Zhang Sufang, who is about the same age as Xiao Tuobang.

During every festive occasion, the two families would always get together to enjoy delicious food and drink fine wine.

Xiao Tuobang has been fascinated by the vast ocean since he was a child.

Whenever the old captain returned with his fleet, he would rush forward impatiently and pester the old captain to tell him the thrilling stories he had encountered at sea.

The old captain described every detail vividly, as if bringing Xiao Tuobang into the rough sea.

Those stories were deeply imprinted in Xiao Tuobang's young mind and aroused his inner ambitions.

He secretly made up his mind that when he grew up he must become a brave and fearless sailor like the old captain and conquer this vast ocean.

As time passed, Xiao Tuobang grew up, but his passion for the sea never diminished.

Whenever he has free time, he would go fishing with the old captain and learn various fishing techniques.

Xiao Tuobang is not only smart and studious, but also has a persistent love for the sea.

The old captain saw this and was delighted. He decided to pass on all the knowledge and experience he had learned throughout his life to Xiao Tuobang without reservation.

Under the careful guidance of the old captain, Xiao Tuobang quickly mastered many navigation skills and fishing methods.

When he grew up a little, he started going fishing on his own and always returned with a full load.

His outstanding performance was recognized and appreciated by the old captain, and also won the respect of other brothers and fishermen.

Xiao Tuobang was not satisfied with the status quo.

He was well aware that his cultural level was limited and he could not better understand and apply navigation technology.

He decided to take the college entrance examination and work hard to improve his cultural literacy.

After unremitting efforts, he finally got admitted to a university in the provincial capital as he wished.

The news spread throughout the town of Platycodon, and people felt proud of him.

As one of the few college students in the small town, Xiao Tuobang became the focus of everyone's attention.

However, after graduating from university, Xiao Tuobang made an unexpected decision: he resolutely gave up the well-paid working environment in the city and chose to return to the small town of Platycodon to go fishing with the old captain.

Xiao Tuobang's university teachers and classmates all felt very sorry for him.

People in the town also talked about it, but Xiao Tuobang never regretted his choice.

He is determined and persistent in his heart, and he knows what he really wants.

The hustle and bustle of the city made him feel depressed and constrained, and he longed for freedom and tranquility.

Every time he goes out to sea, Xiao Tuobang can feel the sea breeze, the sound of the waves and the fish swimming in the water, all of which make him feel extremely happy.

He likes this simple and pure life and does not need too much material and prosperity.

After returning to the town, Xiao Tuobang went to the old captain's house first.

When the old captain saw him come back, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but then he showed a relieved smile.

Xiao Tuobang held the old captain's hand tightly and said, "Master, I'm back. I want to go fishing with you."

The old captain nodded, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good boy, welcome back."

From then on, Xiao Tuobang would get up early every day and go out to sea with the old captain.

He learned how to repair fishing nets, how to determine the location of fish schools, and how to deal with various situations at sea.

His hard work and diligence made the old captain very satisfied, and he gradually became an excellent fisherman.

Although he sometimes encountered difficulties and setbacks, Xiao Tuobang never thought of giving up.

Platycodon Town is his eternal home and the sea is his stage. Here he has the familiar sea breeze, warm sunshine and his beloved girl.

He wants to show his life value here.

After Xiao Tuobang returned home for a while, his life returned to normal.

He found that his junior sister's attitude towards him suddenly became lukewarm.

After a few days of observation, Xiao Tuobang learned that during the years when he went to the city to attend university, Wu Xin, one of the old captain's most proud apprentices, was also pursuing his junior sister vigorously.

Xiao Tuobang was distressed by his junior sister's indifference.

He wanted to have a good talk with his junior sister, but he was afraid that he would get an answer he didn't want to hear.