Yang Ge approached the stall and, after swallowing a gulp of saliva with force, said, "I’ll have two bowls of meaty rice noodles, one large and one small!"
"Alright!"
The enthusiastic stall owner beckoned them to sit inside while calling out to her husband, who was cooking the rice noodles, "Two bowls of meaty rice noodles, one large and one small."
Following Yang Ge, Zhao Cha sat down and asked, "Big brother, didn’t you eat enough tonight?"
Yang Ge, staring at the stall owner cooking the noodles and without turning his head, perfunctorily replied, "Didn’t you just eat a bunch of snacks yourself?"
Zhao Cha retorted, "Is that the same thing?"
Yang Ge countered, "What’s the difference?"
Zhao Cha, puffing up with indignation, grabbed her snacks and continued nibbling on them bit by bit.
Once the stall owner finished cooking, he lifted two bowls of rice noodles and was about to bring them over to Yang Ge.
Yang Ge quickly interjected, "Shopkeep, can you add some chili... the blackish, reddish one."
Without realizing it, he had slipped into his Sichuan dialect.
The stall-owning couple looked back at him in surprise, then the husband, with a laugh, picked up a small spoon from the bowl of chili, "How much do you want?"
Yang Ge declared, "Just heap it on, I can handle spice!"
Without hesitation, the owner generously scooped three spoonfuls into the large bowl and one into the small bowl... To be precise, it should be called smothered chili pepper powder, not the kind ground from sun-dried chilies but rather sun-dried and then dry-roasted over a fire pit before being crushed into large granules with a stone mortar.
The stall owner’s wife, carrying over the two bowls of rice noodles, greeted them with a smile in Southwestern official language, "Little brother, where are you from?"
Mixing the rice noodles with his chopsticks, Yang Ge replied with a smile, "Bashu."
The stall owner’s wife raised an eyebrow in realization before nodding and saying, "We’re all fellow townsmen. My husband and I have just arrived in Lu Ting. If you ever crave this taste again, just come over..."
As she spoke, Yang Ge couldn’t wait and scooped up a mouthful of rice noodles into his mouth.
When the familiar spiciness irritated his tongue, which had not experienced spice in a long time, causing pain, an uncontrollable sourness spread across his cheeks, so acidic it brought tears to his eyes.
"Is it really that delicious?"
Zhao Cha, completely befuddled, watched him, and with a mix of skepticism and curiosity, she took a mouthful of the rice noodles to chew. Her face turned visibly red at a visible speed, and then she stuck out her tongue with a yelp, "Ahhh," trying to cool it by panting, "Spicy, spicy, so spicy!"
Seeing this, the stall owner couple chuckled good-naturedly, and the wife, exceedingly considerate, brought her a cup of tea, "Can you handle it? If not, add some soup, it won’t be so spicy."
Zhao Cha glanced at Yang Ge, who was eating faster and faster, picking up his bowl, and then waved off the offer, "No need, if he can eat it, so can I!"
After saying that, she mustered up the courage to continue lifting mouthfuls of the rice noodles to her lips.
"Spicy, spicy..."
"Delicious, so delicious..."
Zhao Cha grew more enthusiastic as she ate, her tears and snot forming a mess, yet she couldn’t bear to put down her chopsticks.
"Clang."
Putting down his thick porcelain bowl, Yang Ge took a deep breath, his whole body relaxing.
It was as if a traveler, long-separated from his hometown, had returned to find a bowl of the local delicacy he yearned for so long, and his entire being settled down.
He counted out nine copper coins from his purse and placed them on the table, then asked, "Boss, do you have any chili in stock? Can you sell me some? Any price is fine! And the seeds, can you get me some of those too? Any price is fine!"
The innkeeper, who was free at the moment, heard his words and hesitated before answering, "The Qin Pepper you mentioned? I do have a little left, but not much. This stuff can only be found in the big mountains of Yunnan. I’ve heard of people cultivating it, but I’ve never seen it myself. I bought the dried goods from a Miao compatriot; I haven’t even seen the seeds."
"In the big mountains of Yunnan?"
Yang Ge stroked his chin and nodded, "Alright, then I’ll figure out a way myself... As for the stock you have, can you sell me some? I’m willing to pay any price!"
The innkeeper exchanged a glance with his wife and, after a moment’s hesitation, waved his hand generously, "We’re all fellow villagers, and it’s not easy being away from home. Let’s not talk about selling. I don’t have much left myself, so I’ll share some with you for now. Later, I’ll ask the brothers from the horse caravan to inquire when they go back home, to see if there’s anymore. If there is, I’ll bring some more for you."
Yang Ge breathed a sigh of relief, clasping his hands in thanks, "Many thanks, older brother. You’ve really helped me out... My name is Yang Ge, I run an inn here in Lu Ting, the Yuelai Inn on the east side of the city. That’s our place. I’ve been here for quite a while, I know the area well, so if you or your sister-in-law ever run into trouble in Lu Ting, just come looking for me at the inn."
The couple was somewhat surprised as they looked at the young man before them, not quite dressed in anything particularly fancy, and they found it hard to believe that such a young and handsome man could own an inn in the valuable land of Luting County!
But the warm-hearted innkeeper took out a dried lotus leaf from under the counter, measured out a pack of chili powder for Yang Ge, and sent them off with a smiling face, telling them to come again when they had the chance.
After the two left, the innkeeper and his wife didn’t say much, simply continuing with their business as usual, not taking the encounter too seriously.
But soon after, the couple saw the night market manager, bowing and scraping, leading a robust official-looking man with a knife hanging from his waist, towards their stall.
The couple’s hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly mustered a smile to greet him.
The experienced innkeeper even stealthily hid two pieces of silver in his sleeve, ready to smoothly hand them over if the two bigshots found any fault.
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"Older Brother Zhang, come over here. This here is Hu, the local authority in charge of our Luting Street. Any big or small matter on the street has to go through Hu!"
The night market manager introduced the official to the couple as soon as he entered their stall.
The couple quickly stepped forward to greet him with clasped hands, "Old man pays his respect to Hu..."
The official was quick to respond, supporting one of them with his hand to prevent them from bowing down, "Don’t be nervous, we don’t have so many niggling rules in Lu Ting. I’ve come to introduce myself, so from now on, should you face any troubles on this patch of Lu Ting soil, just come to me. Also, from now on, you won’t have to pay the stall fees anymore... Are you free? Make me a bowl of rice noodles when you’re free and add lots of that kind of seasoning."
The official pointed to the coarse red specks amidst the black on the condiment table and said with a chuckle.
The couple, completely baffled, stood there stunned before it dawned on them, "That young man Yang just now..."
The official waved his hand, "You don’t need to worry about who he is. Just know that having met him means you’ve found good fortune. From now on, you can run your business here in Lu Ting with peace of mind. As long as you two don’t wrong anyone, no one will be able to wrong you!"
"This..."
The couple felt both surprised and overjoyed, a sense of having encountered a stroke of luck as they left home, softly muttering in their hearts, ’Blood is not thicker, than a fellow townsman.’
"Older Brother Zhang, what are you waiting for? Go cook the rice noodles, and make a bowl for me too!"
The night market manager, knowing how to play the situation, gave the innkeeper a light push.
Snapping out of his daze, the innkeeper wiped his hands on his apron, "Please, come inside and take a seat. Wife, hurry and pour some tea for Hu and Liu Da..."
"Yes!"
The innkeeper’s wife responded joyously, her face full of smiles as she warmly invited the two men to sit inside their stall.
The couple quickly brewed tea and cooked noodles, the initial feeling of instability rapidly dissipating, and they suddenly felt much less uncertain about the days to come.
If one could live comfortably in their hometown, who would wish to leave it behind?
Every person drifting in a foreign land has a reason they cannot return home.
The difference is,
Some don’t wish to return,
While others simply cannot.