Financial freedom begins in Vietnam

When Chen Junhe drove the car to the vicinity of the rice noodle shop, he realized that it was very close to St. Joseph's Cathedral, only a few hundred meters away.

A little further on is Hoan Kiem Lake.

This rice noodle shop is located at the corner of two streets, with an orange-red signboard indicating "Number 10 Rice Noodles".

As lunchtime approached, a long queue had already formed in front of the noodle shop, including many blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.

"Chen, did you know? This noodle shop is the best in Hanoi. It has received the Michelin title for two consecutive years. Their beef soup is delicious."

Dalia seemed quite excited when she saw the rice noodle shop from afar, as if she really liked the rice noodles there.

"This shop has a dish called fried dough sticks, which are also delicious when soaked in soup."

Yulia, sitting in the back seat, also chimed in.

Chen Junhe glanced at the rearview mirror. Although Yelena didn't say anything, she sat there nodding repeatedly, seemingly agreeing with Dalia and Yulia's statements.

These three Russian girls all agreed that the rice noodles here were delicious, so there must be something special about this place.

Chen Junhe has a peculiar characteristic: he won't easily draw conclusions about something he thinks is delicious until he has personally experienced it.

Therefore, Chen Junhe decided to try it first, despite the strong recommendation from Dalia and the other two.

They parked their car on the side of the road, and their group of one man and four women immediately attracted the attention of those around them.

Especially Dalia and her two friends, all of whom were wearing super short denim shorts, stood out even among the large group of foreigners.

Their extraordinary height, with long, white legs that reach up to the chest of some Vietnamese girls, far exceeds that of ordinary people.

With those six long legs appearing, Chen Junhe seemed to have become invisible standing next to them.

Led by Chen Junhe, the four people stood obediently at the back of the line.

Normally, Chen Junhe would never queue for such a long time just to eat a bowl of noodles.

But since Dalia said she would treat them today, he patiently led them to the back of the line.

Dalia, Yelena, and the others seemed to be used to this kind of scene, standing there casually chatting with Chen Junhe about drinking in the bar street.

For Russians, drinking is practically in their blood.

"Chen, are you busy tonight? Let's go for another drink."

So before Dalia even started eating, she had already made plans to continue drinking with Chen Junhe that night.

This made Chen Junhe look at the note next to her health status, "slight dizziness after drinking," and it seemed like it was fake.

Perhaps for them, feeling slightly drunk is the most authentic state.

"Chen, you'll go, won't you?"

Yulia, standing to the side, looked at Chen Junhe expectantly, seemingly also hoping that he would come along.

"Chen, we all think you're a great guy. Come with us tonight," Yelena, the oldest among them, invited Chen Junhe.

Looking at the three pairs of large, expectant blue-gray eyes, Chen Junhe thought for a moment and realized that Pei Shirong wouldn't have any impact at school.

Aside from Lao Hu asking Chen Junhe and Gangzi to help him with the approval process, there don't seem to be any other arrangements for tonight.

"A friend needs me tonight, so even if he comes over for drinks, he won't be there until after 10 pm..."

Chen Junhe organized his thoughts and told Dalia and the others about the evening's arrangements.

"Chen, you don't need to worry at all. The nightlife is just beginning at 10 pm..."

Dalia blinked her big eyes and immediately replied that it was no problem. They wouldn't be going to the bar until after 9 p.m., so they could wait for Chen Junhe to go together.

So they arranged in advance for Chen Junhe to call or text Dalia and the others when he came over.

As a Michelin-starred rice noodle shop, although the queue is a bit long, the table turnover rate is also very fast, since eating a bowl of noodles doesn't take much time.

The four people waited for about 20 minutes before finally getting into the store.

Perhaps because of its reputation, this store is extremely popular.

The four or five employees in charge of cooking the rice noodles were so busy they couldn't even lift their heads.

The customers who came in started eating as soon as they received their noodles. The whole rice noodle restaurant looked like an assembly line for making and eating rice noodles.

As soon as the previous customer finished eating and put down their chopsticks, the waiter immediately took the bowl away, and the next customer had already sat down.

Here, a standard serving of Hanoi beef pho costs 7 VND, and an extra serving of small fried dough sticks costs 2 VND.

A meal costs the equivalent of 23 Vietnamese Dong (Chinese Dong currency), which is considered very expensive in Vietnam.

Chen Junhe felt that this price was simply a way to pay for Michelin.

Judging from the appearance of the rice noodles in front of other diners, there was nothing particularly special about them.

As for how it tastes, you'll have to try it yourself to know.

Dalia paid first, but she only paid for herself and Chen Junhe, because she had said on the phone that she would treat Chen Junhe to dinner today to thank him for carrying her home.

Yulia and Yelena each paid their own share.

They looked at her with an expression that said, "That's how it should be," when she paid.

Chen Junhe didn't step forward to pay for all four people's bills; respecting other people's habits is basic courtesy.

In any case, Dalia's life has already been changed without her knowing.

Now that she's already been bound to the system's quota, Chen Junhe has no way of letting her go.

The four of them quickly found a table that had just been vacated.

"Wait a moment."

Dalia was about to sit down when Chen Junhe grabbed her.

This caused Yelena and Yulia, who were also about to sit down, to abruptly stop.

"Chen, what's wrong with you?"

After glancing at the stool and finding nothing else on it, three pairs of eyes looked curiously at Chen Junhe, wondering why he was stopping them from sitting down.

"In my hometown, there's a saying that you should let a stool that someone else has just sat on cool down before you sit on it, otherwise you'll easily get pimples on your buttocks."

As soon as Chen Junhe finished speaking, Yelena exclaimed happily, "Yes, yes, I also heard this saying when I was in China."

"That's a really interesting habit."

Dalia and Yulia exchanged a glance and shrugged. They had never heard of such a saying when they were in the Dragon Kingdom.

Perhaps out of respect for Chen Junhe, or perhaps to prevent their own fair, perky buttocks from getting pimples, the three girls stood with Chen Junhe in place for two minutes.

Many people stared at them like they were idiots, wondering why these four people didn't sit down.

It wasn't until the rice noodles for the four people were served that Chen Junhe took the lead in inviting everyone to sit down.

"Sitting on a cooled stool does seem much more comfortable."

Yulia twisted her body and shared her experience.

"Yes, it seems we should all be more careful in the future."

Dalia nodded, seemingly acknowledging the validity of Chen Junhe's statement.

After everyone was seated, they began to focus on eating the rice noodles in front of them.

This is a typical Vietnamese beef pho, with five or six slices of beef soaking in a clear broth, sprinkled with scallions and cilantro.

A few golden-brown fried dough sticks are placed on a plate.

On the side, there were bean sprouts, small limes, and basil leaves, with the essential dipping sauce, fish sauce, placed in the middle of everyone.

There was also a bowl of thinly sliced ​​chili rings and a bowl of garlic water.

Chen Junhe first took a sip of the clear soup and found it to be bland and tasteless. He then ate a bite of beef, which was also unremarkable.

After a few more bites, I felt it was completely unworthy of the Michelin name. Eating a dry fried dough stick was at least average.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Chen Junhe still soaked the fried dough sticks in the bowl of noodles and finished it. He felt that it was not as good as the taste of any random roadside stall. The only advantage might be that the hygiene was better than some shops.

"If you still have room in your stomach, I can take you to try the rice noodles at another shop, it's on me."

Chen Junhe, who had just put down his chopsticks, sat up straight and extended an invitation to Dalia and the others.