After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

Sun Peng waved his hand, picked up two exquisite children's clothing bags, and led his wife and children at the front.

It was lunchtime, and the seventh floor was filled with the aroma of various dishes.

Sun Peng, familiar with the place, chose a traditional Chu cuisine restaurant with an elegant facade and carved wooden windows.

There was a spacious eight-person round table right by the window in the lobby, and the sunlight shone through the glass, making it feel warm and cozy.

"Come on, Lao Lin, sit here. It's bright and airy by the window!"

Sun Peng pulled out chairs and gestured for Lin Fan and Su Xiaoxiao to sit down.

Once the adults were seated, Sun Peng's son, Yangyang, was a little shy, but he was quickly drawn to the imported milk candy in Tuantuan's hand.

Two little ones, about the same age, huddled at one corner of the round table, exchanging gummy candies and plastic toy cars. Before long, they were whispering to each other and playing together.

Sun Peng took the menu from the waiter, flipped through two pages, and then turned to Lin Fan with a smile:

"Old Lin, Zhou Yun and I often come to this Hubei cuisine restaurant. Their braised pork ribs with wild lotus root soup and steamed Wuchang fish are their signature dishes, and they taste just like the real thing. You guys definitely have to try them."

Sun Peng checked off the two signature dishes, casually handed the menu to the other side of the round table, and pushed it in front of Lin Fan and Su Xiaoxiao:

"Come on, Lao Lin, Xiao Xiao, see what else you want to eat, order whatever you like! Don't be shy, and don't try to save me money, pick what Tuan Tuan likes to eat!"

Lin Fan took the menu and looked down at his daughter in his arms: "What would Tuantuan like to eat?"

The little girl peeked out and pointed at the round, plump rice balls covered in glistening glutinous rice in the menu picture: "Daddy, I want to eat these little white rice balls!"

"Okay, order some pearl dumplings for Tuantuan." Lin Fan marked a spot on the menu with a pencil and then selected a light and refreshing stir-fried Hongshan rapeseed.

"This is soft and easy for children to digest, and we'll have some stir-fried rapeseed to cut through the richness."

Lin Fan handed the menu to Su Xiaoxiao next to him: "Xiaoxiao, see what you like to eat."

Su Xiaoxiao was a little embarrassed. She looked at the dishes on the table and said, "Brother Lin, this is enough. I'm fine with whatever I eat."

Sitting across from her, Zhou Yun smiled and said, "Xiaoxiao, don't be shy. Their signature shrimp paste and baked pumpkin with salted egg yolk are especially authentic, soft and sweet, kids love them too. I'll add these two more."

Sun Peng took the menu, glanced at it, closed it, and handed it to the waiter next to him.

"Okay, add our signature braised pork hock to the menu, and a bucket of rice with a strong aroma for our main course. We'll order these dishes for now, and we'll add more if needed."

After ordering, Sun Peng turned to Lin Fan and asked, "Old Lin, how about two glasses of baijiu or beer?"

Lin Fan smiled and waved his hand: "I have to drive this afternoon, so I won't drink alcohol. Just a pot of hot tea will do."

"Okay, whatever you say. Let's have some tea then." Sun Peng turned to the waiter and instructed, "Bring a pot of hot barley tea, and a pitcher of warm freshly squeezed corn juice for the lady and the child."

The waiter noted down the menu and politely left the private room.

Looking at Lin Fan sitting opposite him, Sun Peng picked up his teacup, his eyes full of nostalgia: "It's been three years since I last saw him. When I suddenly saw him downstairs just now, I almost didn't recognize him."

"Aside from your hair being a bit shorter and your eyes looking a bit more mature, you haven't changed much from your college days."

Sun Peng took a sip of hot tea and couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Back in our architecture department, who didn't know your name, Lin Fan?"

"During my sophomore year, when we were doing ancient building surveying, the whole class stayed up for three nights and still hadn't finished the drawings. You, sitting alone in your dorm with just a T-square and two drawing pencils, managed to submit a complete set of national standard design drawings ahead of schedule. The old dean was so amazed that he praised you at the college-wide meeting."

Zhou Yun peeled an orange for her son while smiling and chiming in:

"Old Sun has mentioned this to me quite a few times. He said that back then, when the end of the semester was approaching, everyone in the dorm had to beg Lin Fan to draw the key points. Anyone who could get a sketch from Lin Fan was guaranteed to be in the top ten in terms of GPA."

Su Xiaoxiao sat beside her, holding a cup of warm water, listening with great interest.

She only knew that Lin Fan was a master cook and had a calm and reserved personality, but she never knew that her boss was such a brilliant engineering student in college.

Sun Peng then remarked with emotion, "I still remember that time in the dormitory when the school was very strict in checking for high-power electrical appliances."

"Our dorm secretly bought a small electric cooker and hid it under Lao Lin's bed."

"Whenever I get hungry while drawing late at night, I always rely on Lao Lin to do it for me."

"Whether it's buying two packs of cheap instant noodles or picking up a few cents' worth of green leafy vegetables at the market on the way, as long as it passes through your hands, Lin Fan, the aroma of the soup base can fill the entire floor along the corridor, attracting the hungry wolves in the next dormitory to knock on the door every night to freeload."

Sun Peng patted the table and laughed, "Back then, we joked that if Lao Lin used those hands to draw, he could become a master; if he used them to toss a wok, he could become a great chef! Hahaha!"

The waiter worked quickly and soon brought the steaming hot dishes to the table.

A large clay pot of thick, creamy pork rib and lotus root soup sits in the center, while several large, glossy, braised pork hocks exude a rich, savory aroma. Steamed Wuchang fish is topped with fine scallions and steams away.

Sun Peng picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of tender, boneless pork rib on each of Tuantuan and Su Xiaoxiao's plates, and then served his son a bowl of lotus root soup.

Seeing everyone start eating, Sun Peng picked up his teacup, his earlier teasing smile vanished, and looked at Lin Fan seriously, asking:

"By the way, Lao Lin, I wanted to ask you something back at the counter downstairs. Back when you graduated from university, you even turned down a guaranteed admission spot to the provincial academy so you could marry Su Qing."

"Where did you go after that? Was it really like the rumors said, that you settled down as a pampered young master in the Su family?"

The atmosphere at the table paused slightly after these words were spoken.

Zhou Yun also stopped eating and looked over curiously.

Su Xiaoxiao raised her head and blinked her big eyes at Lin Fan.

During the time she spent with Lin Fan, although she knew that Lin Fan had recently divorced, she knew nothing about Lin Fan's experiences over the past few years.

Lin Fan swallowed the food in his mouth and calmly put down his chopsticks.

He took the teapot and poured half a cup of warm tea for Sun Peng and himself, his tone calm as if he were telling someone else's story:

"There's no such thing as a rich young master. For the first two years after graduation, I worked as an apprentice in the kitchen of a long-established restaurant in the old town for two whole years."

"puff--"

Sun Peng almost spat out the mouthful of hot tea he had just taken a sip of.

He coughed violently twice, not even bothering to grab a tissue, and suddenly raised his head to stare intently at Lin Fan, his eyes wide open:

"What did you say?! To be an apprentice at a restaurant?!"