Noodle Slurping

After working a busy all-nighter, Master Lin decided to grab a bowl of authentic Yi noodles.

Since there were no such places near his home, Lin Mo made a special trip early in the morning to a time-honored noodle shop in the old town.

Jianji Noodle Shop.

The shop was modest in size, with a third of the space taken up by the open kitchen where the noodles were boiled. The interior felt rather dated, its walls faintly yellowed by years of accumulated cooking smoke.

Yet, it was precisely this sense of history and weathered charm that put true foodies at ease.

The moment Lin Mo stepped up to the entrance, the rich, savory aroma of braised beef brisket, mingled with the distinct scent of freshly boiled Yi noodles, aggressively flooded his senses, instantly revitalizing him.

The shop was already quite full. There were elderly folks, corporate drones heading to work on a weekend, and a few simply dressed children—a complete mix of young, middle-aged, and old.

Almost everyone had a steaming bowl of noodles in front of them.

The signature dish of this establishment was its authentic Yi noodles.

Yi noodles are also known as Yifu noodles.

Truth be told, this dish is actually the true ancestor of modern instant noodles.

"What'll you have, handsome?" From behind the cash register, a middle-aged woman with a curly perm and reading glasses didn't even look up. Her fingers danced expertly across a calculator, her tone as casual as if she were commenting on the weather.

Lin Mo was well accustomed to the straightforward style of these old establishments. He glanced at the wooden menu boards hanging on the wall and rattled off his order at lightning speed.

"Dry-tossed Yi noodles with Zhajiang pork and intestines, add a side of beef brisket. Then, a bowl of beef brisket Yi noodles, add an extra portion of plain brisket, and a side of pig trotters."

The cashier looked up, her reading glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. Fixing him with a scrutinizing stare, she peered over Lin Mo's shoulder to check behind him.

There was no one there.

"Just you eating all that?" she asked, her tone a mix of thirty percent surprise and seventy percent skepticism.

"Yeah, don't worry, I can finish it all."

Lin Mo patted his chest confidently.

The cashier didn't press the matter. She simply wrote out the ticket and handed Lin Mo a number plate.

"Find a seat yourself."

Such was the hospitality of old Guangzhou establishments—no fake pleasantries; the food's flavor was the ultimate customer service.

Number plate in hand, Lin Mo found a random empty seat and sat down.

He looked around, listening to the diners chatting away in Cantonese about their daily lives, and watching the older waitresses dart back and forth across the dining room. Everything felt so familiar and wonderfully grounded in local community spirit.

Right now, this shop was still a hidden gem known only to the local Guangzhou natives.

In a few years, the Michelin Guide would bestow an award upon this place.

That accolade would instantly transform this historic eatery into a viral internet sensation.

The massive lines out the door would eventually scare away the true regulars, and the prices would skyrocket along with its newfound fame.

While the food quality wouldn't drop significantly, the relaxed, carefree atmosphere of quietly enjoying a bowl of noodles would be lost forever.

A faint, almost imperceptible sense of regret rippled through Lin Mo's heart.

For tourists, dining there might ultimately be just an "it was okay" experience, but for the old neighborhood locals, they would be losing a piece of their everyday lives.

That was why many out-of-towners who came on a culinary pilgrimage often left disappointed, having built up unreasonably high expectations.

Still, that was perfectly normal. After all, when it came to food, it was impossible to please everyone.

At the very least, Lin Mo loved the noodles here; his parents used to bring him here when he was younger.

His thoughts were interrupted by two loud clatters as two heaping plates of noodles were set heavily onto his table.

One plate featured slightly yellow Yi noodles smothered in a reddish-brown Zhajiang sauce and glossy, braised pork intestines. However, the beef brisket ladled over the very top was the true star of the dish.

On the second plate, the beef brisket completely blanketed the dish, making the Yi noodles underneath almost invisible.

The sheer volume of meat was so staggering that the children at the next table stared in wide-eyed shock.

They were clearly doubting whether Lin Mo could actually finish it all.

But Lin Mo was ready to dig in. He picked up his chopsticks and gave the noodles a good toss.

With all those savory toppings generously ladled over the Yi noodles, just the sight of it was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Yi noodles were essentially made by kneading dough with eggs, shaping it into regular noodles, and then deep-frying them to extend their shelf life.

Since Yifu noodles were invented in ancient times when there were no refrigerators, deep-frying was a practical way to keep the noodles fresh for long periods.

The deep-frying process created countless tiny pores in the noodles, allowing them to perfectly soak up and hold onto the rich sauces.

Despite the thick, heavy sauce, the noodles rarely clumped together; their fried texture ensured that every single strand remained distinct.

Once everything was mixed, Lin Mo began to inhale the food like a vacuum.

The sauce-coated noodles burst with flavor in his mouth, so incredibly delicious it made him want to stomp his feet in joy.

At the end of the day, carbs just bring pure happiness.

Of course, these carbs were also paired with hearty meats like beef brisket and pork intestines.

The smooth, tender beef brisket had clearly been stewed for hours; the tendons inside had completely melted into a gelatinous softness.

Lin Mo bit through the brisket with virtually zero effort.

Devouring his meal at breakneck speed, he polished off the Zhajiang and pork intestine Yi noodles first. As he moved on to the second massive plate, he drew the stares of quite a few onlookers.

After all, in this era, the trend of massive competitive eaters hadn't emerged yet, and Liangzi was still just a nobody.

Right as Lin Mo was tearing through his food, a few new customers walked through the door.

"Sister Yue, what do you want to eat? Go find a seat first."

Jiang Chengyue didn't stand on ceremony. "Alright, I'll have the beef brisket Yi noodles."

Sweeping her gaze across the room, she immediately locked onto Lin Mo, who was hunched over his noodles.

"Huh?"

As a journalist, Reporter Jiang prided herself on her sharp pen and even sharper eyes; she recognized Lin Mo just from the top of his head.

She confidently strolled over to him.

"Lin Mo, what are you doing here?"

Actually, even before Jiang Chengyue walked in, Lin Mo had already detected her with his divine sense.

One look at her group made it obvious they had just finished an interview or some similar assignment nearby.

Nevertheless, Lin Mo looked up, feigning a look of mild surprise. "Miss Jiang?! What brings you here?"

Despite the conversation, Lin Mo didn't pause his eating for a single second.

Jiang Chengyue's attention was successfully diverted. She let out an exaggerated sigh. "Just here for an interview. The station wanted a report on the Tianguang Market, so we had to come out super early."

"Ah, I see." Lin Mo nodded emphatically, then immediately ducked his head back down into his noodles.

Jokes aside, Lin Mo could tell at a glance that Jiang Chengyue was just feeding him a line. Since that was the case, he simply didn't pry any further.

If anything, he began inhaling his food even faster.

Once he was full, Lin Mo stood up and brushed off his pants.

"I'm all done. You and your colleagues can have this table. I'll be taking off now."

Caught off guard by Lin Mo's smooth deflection, Jiang Chengyue completely forgot what she had originally intended to ask and simply nodded.

"Uh-huh."

It wasn't until Lin Mo had reached the door that Jiang Chengyue finally remembered she had meant to ask him why he was in this specific neighborhood.

She clearly remembered that Lin Mo's home was quite a long distance from here.

The young man from her group finished ordering and sat down in Lin Mo's recently vacated seat, holding a number plate.

"Sister Yue, who was that guy? A friend of yours?"

"Just a classmate of my niece."

Seeing that Lin Mo was already long gone, Jiang Chengyue couldn't be bothered to overthink it.

After breakfast, Lin Mo didn't head straight home. Instead, he took a leisurely stroll down the street, making his way toward Tao Street to check in on Old Yang.

After the incident last time was resolved, Old Yang had managed to redeem his entire collection of treasures.

Old Yang had even made a special point to call Lin Mo and share the good news.