10. The Noodle Shop at the Alley’s Entrance

At six in the morning, Tang Yiyi woke up naturally. Full of energy, she jumped out of bed, got ready, and headed downstairs. At the stairwell, she suddenly stopped, turned around, tiptoed over to the railing, and peeked over at the neighboring terrace—no one was there.

She straightened up, held onto the railing, did a few stretches bending at the waist and pressing her legs, bounced on the spot a couple of times, then finally turned and went downstairs.

Qin’s Noodle House was shuttered and silent in the early morning. The bustling crowd and steaming bowls from the night before felt like a dream.

Tang Yiyi found it odd that she had seen Qin Baike at six in the morning yesterday. Qin’s Noodle House operated from seven in the evening until three in the morning; at this hour, Qin Baike should be fast asleep.

Shaking her head, she passed the noodle shop and jogged lightly toward the riverbank.

She mentally reviewed the recipe she’d compared last night, growing more pleased the more she pondered it. It was true—there was nothing more satisfying than truly mastering something.

By the time Tang Yiyi returned to the clinic, drenched in sweat, she found Xu Bin, looking haggard, smoking at the door.

“What did you get up to last night? Playing games all night?” Tang Yiyi asked.

“What games?” Xu Bin looked completely baffled.

“League of Legends, teaming up.”

“You play that? You’re a top student—how do you have time for games?”

“My friends play all the time. Occasionally, I want to join, but they never let me. They say I’m an undercover agent—if I join, it’s basically four against six.”

“I don’t get those games,” Xu Bin replied, shaking his head, uninterested.

“So what were you really doing last night?” Tang Yiyi pressed.

“Neurasthenia—insomnia, all right?” Xu Bin stubbed out his cigarette on the wall and went inside to find a trash can.

“If you can’t sleep, you don’t need the master to treat you. I could write you a prescription that would cure it. Here, let me check your pulse.” Tang Yiyi tried to pull him toward the table.

“Enough, you actually think you’ve graduated as a doctor?” Xu Bin pulled his arm back.

“Let me try—think of it as practice.”

Xu Bin brushed her hand away and headed for the stairs. After two steps, he stopped. “Hey, want to go out for some Ran noodles? I’ll take you.”

“Where do we eat?”

“Right at the entrance to the alley.”

“Let’s tell Master’s wife first.”

So Xu Bin raised his voice and called upstairs, “Mom, I’m taking Yiyi out for Ran noodles!” Then he grabbed Tang Yiyi and dashed off, leaving Madam Xu’s complaints far behind.

The Ran Noodle King shop at the alley’s entrance was bustling with business. All nine tables were occupied. A round-faced woman in an apron greeted Xu Bin at the door with a smile, “Ran noodles?”

Xu Bin nodded. “One small bowl, one large bowl.” Then he turned to Tang Yiyi. “Is a small bowl enough? Or do you want a large one?”

Tang Yiyi shook her head quickly. “Small is enough. And a cup of soy milk, please.”

With no empty tables, they joined another group.

“You must be a regular—everyone knows what you want,” Tang Yiyi remarked.

“Of course. I come every other day. It’s just that Brother Bai doesn’t open during the day! Otherwise, Brother Bai’s Ran noodles would be just a touch better than these.” Xu Bin lowered his voice deliberately. “Maybe you’d think they taste exactly the same, but I swear Brother Bai’s are just better.”

“He must be your idol—you practically worship him,” Tang Yiyi teased, certain that Xu Bin’s admiration for Qin Baike was beyond rescue.

“You don’t get it. It’s because Brother Bai’s the real deal,” Xu Bin said, utterly serious.

“The real deal?”

“This shop learned their craft from Qin’s.”

“Oh, so the owner is Brother Bai’s fellow apprentice?”

“Wrong!” Xu Bin’s face all but shouted, ‘Ask me more!’

“Then what’s their relationship?” Tang Yiyi didn’t usually care for gossip, but she was willing to play along.

“Heh.” Xu Bin cupped his hand to his mouth and leaned closer. “They’re father and son!”

“What?!”

“Don’t gape when you’re surprised—close your mouth!”

Obediently, she closed her mouth.

“Love, hate, and tangled fates—far more than words can tell!” Xu Bin wore a look of supreme satisfaction at his bit of gossip. “Oh, here come the noodles—let’s eat.”

The Ran noodles were indeed authentic—generously topped, with fragrant chili oil.

Tang Yiyi glanced around the shop. The kitchen was half open; by the noodle pot stood an elderly man, a bit taller than most, his figure grown stout with age. One look, and you could tell he ran a restaurant, though his head was bowed so she couldn’t see his face.

The décor was worn, with the greasy feel of lived-in kitchens everywhere. The five or six staff wore mismatched aprons, advertising everything from MSG to soy sauce. All were uniformly dirty, a stark contrast to the clean, orderly feel at Qin’s Noodle House. And yet, these two shops belonged to father and son.

After they quickly finished their noodles and stepped outside, Xu Bin asked, “How was it?”

“Delicious! Authentic!”

“It’s Qin’s recipe, after all.”

“So, you said they’re father and son—was that old man really Brother Bai’s father?”

“Yes. The round-faced woman at the door is his father’s current wife. That’s a long story—we’ll get to it another time. For now, just don’t come here for noodles. Support Brother Bai—stand on his side!”

“…But you still come!” Tang Yiyi had never seen someone so strict with others and so lenient with himself, yet Xu Bin seemed perfectly justified.

“Well, Brother Bai doesn’t open during the day. Besides, Uncle Xiang watched me grow up—it’s not like I can cut ties completely. But you? You’re new; he doesn’t know you.”

“His father’s surname is Xiang?”

“Yeah, Xiang Shengli. Brother Bai takes his mother’s surname.”

“I can already sense a story full of love and resentment,” Tang Yiyi said, her mind weaving all sorts of dramatic plots.