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"It's probably around 50,000 words," Chen Zhiyuan nodded. "But if you want to read it, you'd better hurry. I have to send the manuscript to the newspaper by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

He Fei really wanted to say, "Then let me borrow it today, and I'll return it to you tomorrow," but she swallowed the words back.

She is smart, not stupid at all.

She knew that such an important manuscript might not be something people would feel comfortable lending to outsiders to take home and read.

She lowered her head slightly to think for a moment, then raised her clear eyes and asked hopefully, "When would be a convenient time for you? I'd like to... read your masterpiece."

She used a very formal word.

Without a second thought, Chen Zhiyuan readily agreed, "I usually write at home and only go out occasionally. If you have time, you can just come to my house."

In his previous life, as a middle-aged man, this was perfectly normal—upright and honest.

What's the big deal if a classmate comes over to look at my manuscript?

He Fei was introverted and a girl, and upon hearing this, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she seemed quite hesitant.

She's never been to a boy's house before.

Although I was only going to read Chen Zhiyuan's manuscript, the thought of stepping into his home made my heart pound inexplicably, and I felt inexplicably nervous.

To go or not to go?

Go ahead... I'm really a little embarrassed, Chen Zhiyuan is a boy after all.

She couldn't resist the allure of the story's plot; the book was simply too tempting for her.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Seeing her daughter's hesitation, Li Xiufang smiled and agreed for her: "Xiao Chen, then I'll have to trouble you. Feifei will come to see you when she has time."

"No trouble at all, you're welcome anytime!" Chen Zhiyuan replied loudly.

He waved to the mother and daughter: "I'm mostly at home, just come find me. Auntie, He Fei, I'll be going now!"

After saying that, he turned around in a good mood, started running, and continued running towards the residential area of ​​Shuguang Machinery Factory.

The sunlight cast a long shadow of him, radiating youthful energy.

As I ran back, nearing the entrance to the residential area of ​​Shuguang Machinery Factory, a rich and familiar aroma unexpectedly wafted into my nostrils.

Almost instinctively, Chen Zhiyuan slowed his pace, his nostrils twitching involuntarily—it smells so good!

It's that flavor etched deep in my memory, the flavor that belongs to the old neighborhood.

My stomach seemed to receive a signal, and without warning, it rumbled softly, and I instantly felt hungry.

I'm really hungry. I only drank a glass of warm water when I woke up this morning, and I haven't had breakfast yet.

The aroma came from "Liu's Beef Noodles," a shop located next to the entrance of the residential area.

The shop is small and even a bit old, but it's still packed with people and doing brisk business.

Although it was nearly nine o'clock in the morning, past the busiest breakfast rush, there were still quite a few people sitting in the shop, slurping their noodles with gusto, the air filled with the rich aroma of beef broth and the spiciness of chili oil.

For the people of Jiangnan Province, a good day often begins with a bowl of steaming hot and flavorful rice noodles.

Chen Zhiyuan grew up here and knows that the history of this noodle shop is longer than his own age. It is said to be a family-inherited craft with a unique recipe, and it has a great reputation in this area.

Since my stomach is rumbling, let's treat it to a bowl of noodles first.

When I was in school, I was always in a rush and mostly just grabbed a quick bite at home. It was rare to have the leisure to sit down and enjoy a delicious bowl of rice noodles at my own pace.

He took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, and walked into the shop. Knowing the way well, he called out towards the busy stove, "Uncle Liu, a bowl of braised beef rice noodles, round rice noodles, please!"

Chen Zhiyuan has always preferred round rice noodles with a chewier texture to flat rice noodles.

Uncle Liu, the shop owner who was busy flipping a large ladle and sweating profusely, turned his head when he heard the sound. When he saw that it was Chen Zhiyuan, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes on his face, which was blackened and red from the stove fire, immediately smoothed out and he showed an exceptionally warm smile.

"Oh, it's Xiao Yuan! You've come all the way here to enjoy some rice noodles today?" He joked, but his hands moved with surprising speed.

Less than a minute later, a large bowl of steaming hot and fragrant braised beef noodles was placed steadily on the table in front of Chen Zhiyuan with a "thud".

Chen Zhiyuan was slightly taken aback. There were clearly several other customers waiting in the shop, and his bowl of noodles... seemed to have cut in line and enjoyed a "privilege".

He remembered it wasn't like this before.

Although I know Uncle Liu, we're neighbors, but most of the people who eat noodles here are acquaintances from the neighborhood, and everyone is familiar with Uncle Liu.

In the past, when he came, he would just call out "Give me a bowl of noodles," and he would have to wait in line patiently for a while.

What's wrong with me today?

Not only was it made for him first, but... the portion of this bowl of noodles was significantly larger than I remembered!

Especially the braised beef on top, with its large, thick pieces, glistening with oil and so tempting, piled high, probably weighing three or four ounces!

It's worth noting that in many beef noodle shops, the beef in the bowl is often only two or three thin slices, so thin that light can pass through them, which is jokingly referred to as a "lost beef notice".

Some people even joked that a certain ramen shop bought two kilograms of beef and still hadn't finished it after a year.

While this statement may be an exaggeration, it does reflect the stinginess many restaurants have towards the amount of meat they serve.

But this bowl in front of me... chunks of evenly sized, tender and flavorful braised beef, soaked in a bright red and oily broth, sprinkled with bright green scallions and a few pieces of crispy fried chili flakes, steaming hot, a feast for the eyes and the palate, making one's mouth water at first sight.

Chen Zhiyuan couldn't help but swallow, excitedly picked up his chopsticks, and put a piece of beef into his mouth.

Mmm! It's that familiar taste! The beef is tender and flavorful, with the richness of the braising sauce and a perfect touch of spiciness, making your mouth water.

He chewed contentedly, then looked up at Uncle Liu, who was still busy, and said, "Uncle Liu, there's... way too much beef today! Thank you!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Liu turned around, bursting into laughter, his voice booming, "Xiao Yuan, your article is so well-written! I read it every day now! Giving you two extra pieces of beef is nothing! From now on, whenever you come to my place for noodles, it'll be on me, no charge!"

Such a good thing? Such a benefit!

Chen Zhiyuan was taken aback at first, then smiled happily: "Uncle Liu, thank you so much!"

The two were talking quite loudly, which immediately attracted the attention of many diners nearby.

In 1999, many people still read newspapers, especially provincial newspapers like the Jiangnan Daily, which had a very wide readership.

Immediately, someone asked curiously in a loud voice, "Boss, what article did this young man write? He doesn't even need to pay for his noodles here anymore?"