The white-haired old grandpa in the shop saw Yan Heng and Zhu Yaya, paused for a moment, and said, "Hengzai?"
Yan Heng nodded. "Grandpa, it's me."
"Oh my, you've grown so big!" The old grandpa laughed heartily, patted Yan Heng's shoulder, and glanced at Zhu Yaya, whose hand was held by Yan Heng. "This must be your girlfriend!"
Yan Heng just smiled and didn't say anything.
Zhu Yaya, with a shy smile, nodded to the old grandpa. "Hello, Grandpa!"
"Good, good. What would you like to eat?" The old grandpa smiled affectionately. "I remember, when Hengzai was little, he loved my beef noodles the most, and he'd always add three yuan worth of braised ribs. Right?"
"Yes. You still remember. We'll just have two bowls of beef noodles!" The corners of Yan Heng's lips curled up slightly.
"The little lady doesn't eat spicy food, right?"
Zhu Yaya was about to answer, but Yan Heng beat her to it.
"Grandpa, she eats spicy food."
While Yan Heng was talking with the old grandpa, Zhu Yaya had been curiously looking around the noodle stall. Plastic tables and stools, with a slight gleam of oil on the tabletops. She noticed the old grandma sitting next to the old grandpa. She was always smiling, but seemed a bit unusual. No matter what Yan Heng and the old grandpa were talking about, she just sat there quietly smiling, like a demure young lady.
Yan Heng led Zhu Yaya to a table. He first used the tissue paper on the table to wipe the table and stool clean before letting Zhu Yaya sit down.
Yan Heng noticed Zhu Yaya kept glancing at the old grandma from the corner of her eye. He lowered his voice and said to Zhu Yaya, "Grandma has Alzheimer's."
Zhu Yaya suddenly understood, feeling a wave of sympathy in her heart.
The old grandpa went to make the noodles. He grinned and said to the quietly sitting old grandma, "Guifen, I'm going to make the noodles now!"
"Okay," the old grandma nodded obediently.
Zhu Yaya noticed this scene, and her heart felt warm. So this is what love looks like! She looked at Yan Heng, wondering if, many years later, she and Yan Heng would also support each other like this.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yaya's face turned red. She hurriedly poured herself a cup of water, drinking to cover up her embarrassment.
The noodles arrived.
Red chili oil floated on the brown beef broth, and a large portion of thin, smooth, and bright yellow noodles was soaked in the soup. It was garnished with several large chunks of reddish-brown beef and fresh, emerald-green vegetable leaves. A spicy and savory aroma wafted to her face, stimulating Zhu Yaya's taste buds.
Although the old grandpa's hair was all white, he looked very hale and hearty. He carried the two large bowls of beef noodles without his hands shaking at all.
"Here are the beef noodles. Hengzai, give it a try! Is it still the same taste?" After serving the noodles, the old grandpa didn't leave immediately but stood beside the table, smiling.
Yan Heng picked up a large clump of noodles with his chopsticks, blew on them, and took a big bite.
He gave a thumbs up.
Zhu Yaya also followed Yan Heng's example, picked up a large clump of noodles, and took a big bite. When she swallowed the first mouthful, Zhu Yaya's eyes lit up.
The noodles were very chewy and, soaked in the broth, were extremely delicious.
The old grandpa watched Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng cheerfully and slowly walked away.
Zhu Yaya ate the noodles enthusiastically, not noticing that Yan Heng, while eating, kept looking at her with gentle eyes.
Zhu Yaya originally wanted to maintain her ladylike demeanor, but once the beef noodles entered her mouth, she simply tossed all those thoughts aside and focused entirely on eating the noodles in front of her. She didn't even spare the broth, finishing it all completely.
Yan Heng couldn't help but chuckle. He pulled out a tissue and reached over to wipe the corner of Zhu Yaya's mouth. "Eat slowly. If you like it, I'll bring you here often from now on."
Zhu Yaya's earlobes turned red. "Okay."
Cute.
Yan Heng chuckled softly. Unable to hold back for a moment, he reached out and gently pinched Zhu Yaya's red earlobe.
Zhu Yaya's face flushed completely red, and she glared at Yan Heng, thinking she looked very fierce.
Yan Heng raised both hands, smiling as he made a gesture of surrender.
When they finished eating, Yan Heng was about to pay but was stopped by the old grandpa.
"Sigh, Hengzai, it's rare for you to come here, what are you paying for! It's just two bowls of beef noodles! I have my pension, I don't care about this little bit of money of yours!"
"No. You must accept this money! How can we eat for free?"
...
The two of them were at a stalemate.
Yan Heng gave Zhu Yaya a look, and Zhu Yaya understood instantly.
Zhu Yaya stealthily moved to the entrance of the noodle stall. Yan Heng shoved the money in his hand into the old grandpa's hands, turned around, and ran. When he reached the entrance of the stall, he grabbed Zhu Yaya's hand.
The corners of Zhu Yaya's mouth curled up wildly. She squeezed Yan Heng's hand back as they ran through the secluded alleyway.
The moonlight flowed quietly in the alleyway. Wandering here along with the moonlight were the romantic feelings between Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng.
After running for a good while, Yan Heng finally stopped. He gently patted Zhu Yaya's back to help her catch her breath. "Are you tired?"
Zhu Yaya panted slightly. "No, not tired at all! I... I jog in the mornings."
Yan Heng explained, "Don't let the grandpa's white hair fool you. He's a retired veteran, and his physical fitness is exceptionally good!"
"No wonder."
Yan Heng turned on his phone screen. "It's getting late. I'll take you home."
"Okay."
The hands they were holding still hadn't let go.
When they arrived downstairs at Zhu Yaya's apartment complex, Yan Heng took a card out of his pocket and gave it to Zhu Yaya.
"What's this?" Zhu Yaya took it curiously and found it was a bank card.
For some reason, a classic scene from a domineering CEO novel inappropriately popped into Zhu Yaya's mind—
The aloof and domineering CEO throws a black card at the innocent female lead: "Woman, swipe it as much as you want! You're not allowed to come home today until you've maxed it out."
Thinking of this, Zhu Yaya burst out laughing.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Cough, Yan Heng, why are you giving me a bank card?" Zhu Yaya adjusted her emotions.
"Before, when my mom was sick, you lent me 240,000 yuan. This card has the money I've saved up. But there's only 40,000 on it. In the future, I will continue to deposit money into this card until the 240,000 and the interest are fully paid off."
So that was it!
A wave of disappointment washed over Zhu Yaya's heart.
She... she had thought Yan Heng meant something else.
Zhu Yaya secretly curled her lip, but she still didn't take the card.
She cleared her throat and answered seriously, "You keep holding onto this card and saving! Wait until..."
Her voice suddenly softened. "Wait until you come back, then you can come find me with this card!"
Because by that time, I will become your future wife, taking this card in the capacity of the lady of the house!
The corners of Yan Heng's lips curled up slightly. "Okay."
Since this Saturday date, the relationship between Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng had undergone a noticeable change, which both of them tacitly understood.
However, after returning from the date, Zhu Yaya found that the 'Dating Tips for Girls' note she had stuffed in her satchel was gone.
She figured she must have lost it while running in the alleyway with Yan Heng.
Zhu Yaya breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Yan Heng didn't pick it up, it was fine!
Little did she know that a few days later, Yan Heng returned to that noodle stall.
The white-haired old man chuckled warmly as he pressed a crumpled ball of paper into Yan Heng's hand. "The young lady who was with you last time dropped this in our shop."
