A Familiar Taste

Inside the noodle shop, the seats by the window were still empty.

Shen Qingyi did not let go of her hand even after she sat down.

Lu Xing was led by the hand, so he had no choice but to sit down next to her.

There was a pot of hot tea on the table, with a small chip in the spout.

The fan by the wall wasn't on, but the sound of boiling water could be heard constantly coming from the kitchen.

"What would you like to eat?"

The boss walked over with a notebook in his hand.

Lu Xing glanced at the price list on the wall.

"Two bowls of beef noodles, one large and one small, the large one with extra beef."

"Where are the chili peppers?"

"Ah, let's put it separately."

"Okay, just a moment."

The boss turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Lu Xing picked up the teapot and poured some hot water into the cup.

As soon as I put the teapot down, my sleeve was gently tugged.

He turned his head...

Shen Qingyi was quietly gazing at him.

The girl barely spoke from the moment she came down the mountain until she entered the shop.

Her eyes, which were already red, hadn't recovered yet.

She had many questions she wanted to ask...

But once he sat down, he hesitated to speak.

Lu Xing pushed the teacup in front of her.

"Have some tea. Look, your lips are a bit dry."

Shen Qingyi did not touch it.

She gripped his hand, her fingers tightening little by little.

"Land journey".

"Um."

"Are you...?"

His voice trembled slightly as soon as it came out.

She paused for a moment and looked down at their clasped hands.

"Is it also...?"

Lu Xing looked at her and nodded.

"Yes."

Shen Qingyi stared at him blankly, her lips moving slightly, but no sound came out.

She had almost guessed it when she was in the pavilion.

The path up the mountain, the innermost part of the path, and those few words before descending...

But when she heard his answer, tears still streamed down her face.

Lu Xing reached out and caught the tears that slid down her cheek, gently wiping them away with his thumb.

"Why are you crying again?"

The girl shook her head.

She doesn't know either.

They should be happy.

She lowered her head, wanting to reach for the tissues on the table, but her fingers seemed to be acting on their own.

Lu Xing took out two bills and handed them to her.

He then moved the chair closer to her.

Shen Qingyi clutched the paper, leaned to the side, and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

Lu Xing raised his hand and slowly patted her back.

Someone called out from the kitchen, and two more guests entered through the door.

Lu Xing turned his body slightly to block her view from outside.

"When...?"

The girl's voice was muffled on his shoulder.

"Um...it happened a few days before the competition."

Lu Xing looked down at her.

"When I took that cup of lemon tea, many things came to mind."

Shen Qingyi raised her face.

"The day you bought me breakfast?"

"It was the day before."

The girl's eyelashes were still glistening with tears, but upon hearing this, her brow furrowed slightly.

"So you... didn't actually not sleep well."

"Um."

"He also said the competition is coming up soon, and he's a little nervous..."

Lu Xing looked at her and couldn't help but laugh.

"That was just to fool you."

"..."

Shen Qingyi pursed her lips and pinched his arm.

"hiss!!!"

Lu Xing gritted his teeth...

Damn, this woman's pinch still hurts so much.

After pinching her, Shen Qingyi did not withdraw her hand, but only gripped the sleeve of her clothes even tighter.

Why didn't you tell me?

Lu Xing remained silent for a while.

"When I first remembered it, it was actually a bit of a mess."

He looked at the girl.

"Later, I wanted to be honest with you, but then I remembered this place, so I thought I'd bring you here after the competition ended."

Shen Qingyi looked at him, her eyes reddening again.

"What if I don't ask today?"

"Yes, I can talk about it too."

Lu Xing wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"How could I let you keep guessing all by yourself?"

"……snort."

Shen Qingyi took a small sip of hot tea.

The cup was a little hot, but when she held it in her hands, she only felt warmth.

Lu Xing took out a tissue and gently wiped away the water stains that hadn't been completely removed from the side of her face.

The girl cooperated by raising her chin slightly.

After he withdrew his hand, he couldn't help but ask again:

"So... how much of it have you remembered?"

The land operation was temporarily halted.

"The meals we ate together, the places we went together."

"You waited for me to come home tonight, and while you were waiting, you fell asleep on the sofa."

"The TV is still on, and sometimes the remote is under you. Ugh, I can search for ages and still not find it."

Shen Qingyi sniffed.

"It's obvious that my eyesight is bad."

"Haha, maybe so..."

Lu Xing folded the tissues neatly.

"You brought me food, but I told you I hadn't finished what I was doing and that you should go home first."

The girl didn't reply.

She lowered her eyes and gently rubbed the inside of the cup with her thumb.

Lu Xing looked at her for a while, then continued:

"I keep thinking that things will get better after this busy period."

"Once the project is finished and I'm less busy, I'll take you on a trip. I was even thinking of getting a pet together..."

He paused at this point.

Looking back now, I'm glad I didn't rush into getting a pet.

Shen Qingyi slowly put down her cup.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Lu Xing took her hand first.

"Qingyi".

"Um?"

"I remember all of that."

Shen Qingyi gazed at him for a long while before softly asking:

"And... in the end?"

Lu Xing raised his eyes.

The girl didn't finish her sentence, but the color in her face had already faded.

He reached out his other hand and took her hand that was holding the teacup.

"...I remember too."

Shen Qingyi's breath hitched.

She instinctively looked out the window.

A car happened to pass by on the side of the road, its tires making a short, sharp sound as they rolled over the surface.

Lu Xing pulled her hand closer to him.

"Look at me."

The girl slowly turned back.

He was sitting right next to me.

His eyebrows and eyes were clear, and his palms were warm.

She even tugged at the cuffs of her shirt, creating several wrinkles.

Lu Xing looked at her but didn't go on to say any more details.

I just held her hand a little more firmly.

"Now, we sit here."

"After we finish eating the noodles, we'll go back together."

Shen Qingyi stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then finally lowered her head and softly responded.

"Bad guy."

……

"Two bowls of beef noodles, here they come!"

The owner came over with a tray, and when he saw the two sitting on the same side, he paused for a moment.

"Put it here?"

"Yes, thank you."

Lu Xing released one hand and moved the teacup on the table to the side.

The aroma of hot soup wafted out.

The beef is piled on top, and chopped green onions sway gently in the soup.

The shopkeeper put down his bowl and couldn't help but glance at Shen Qingyi's reddened eyes.

Before Lu Xing could speak, the girl had already sat up straighter.

"Thanks."

The owner smiled, didn't ask any further questions, and turned to attend to the next table.

After everyone had gone far away, Shen Qingyi lowered her head and reached out to touch the corner of her eye.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Lu Xing looked at her.

"Hmm... the boss is still a good person."

The girl stopped talking.

Lu Xing smiled and handed over the chopsticks.

"It's okay, the boss shouldn't remember it for too long."

Shen Qingyi pouted, somewhat dissatisfied.

"It's all your fault, people saw me looking so ugly..."

Lu Xing picked up a few slices of beef and put them into the girl's bowl.

"With so many customers at lunchtime, how can he possibly remember whose noodles don't need cilantro?"

"Then on the second day, and the third day, you became a new customer again."

Shen Qingyi was stunned for a moment.

Then, she couldn't help but lower her head and laugh out loud.

Her eyes were still red, and when she smiled, she looked a little pitiful.

Lu Xing watched for two seconds, then laughed too.

"Let's eat."

Shen Qingyi took the chopsticks, picked up a noodle, and blew on it.

After taking just one bite, his movements slowed down.

Lu Xing's attention remained fixed on her.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Qingyi took another small sip of soup.

"...It still tastes the same."

Lu Xing took a bite and nodded.

"Hmm~"

"It smells so good..."

The two of them ate a few bites in silence.

Then, Shen Qingyi slowly reached out with her chopsticks.

Lu Xing looked at her and took a piece of beef from his own bowl.

The girl met his gaze.

"what?"

"It's nothing..."

Lu Xing lowered his head and stirred the noodles.

"I don't eat beef."

Shen Qingyi was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"They're using the same old tired jokes again."

Then, she took another piece of beef.

Not long after, Shen Qingyi pushed the bowl over.

Lu Xing glanced at it.

Ok……

There was no beef left, but quite a bit of noodles were left.

"..."

Shen Qingyi bit her chopsticks and gently looked away.

"I'm stuffed."

Lu Xing nodded.

"Yes, I'll eat it."

"You have a problem with that?"

"No, how could that be?"

He scooped the remaining noodles into his own bowl and began slurping them up like crazy.

But halfway through his slurping, Lu Xing remembered something and pondered:

"At this time, it seems that Prisoner is still around..."

"If you dare change your profile picture to that kind of image, I'm not talking to you anymore."

Why restrict the freedom of profile pictures?