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

A large bowl of white rice was emptied in less than two minutes.

"Xiaoxiao, please add another half bowl of rice for me." Chen Min was panting from the spiciness, her lips were bright red, but she just couldn't stop eating.

In less than ten minutes, they finished the whole plate of Mapo Tofu. Even the last bit of chili oil at the bottom of the plate was scraped up by Li Na with rice.

After finishing their meal, the three of them leaned back in their solid wood chairs, their foreheads glistening with a fine layer of sweat.

"I finally understand why those big bosses who drive luxury cars are willing to queue for two hours to eat here." Wang Jia patted her round belly and let out a long sigh.

This isn't just a gimmick; I was genuinely captivated by the taste.

The warmth from the heating in the hall dispelled the chill they had picked up from standing outside for more than two hours.

Li Na sat up straight and took out a pilling coin purse from the canvas bag next to her.

She took out the thousand yuan she had scraped together. Ten red bills, some with folded corners. She bent down and carefully smoothed out the money, then stood up and walked to the counter in the open kitchen.

Lin Fan was rinsing the heavy iron pot at the sink. The sound of the running water was quite loud.

"Boss Lin." Li Na neatly placed the thousand yuan on the stainless steel table, her voice tinged with the awkwardness of someone new to the workforce, "Thank you for your hospitality. This is for the meal, please accept it."

The tap is off.

Lin Fan grabbed a dry towel to wipe his hands, then turned to look at the money on the table.

"Take it back." Lin Fan's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Boss, we've come all this way, how can we eat your food for free?" Li Na said anxiously, waving her hands repeatedly. "This dish isn't on the menu, but it really tastes just as good as, if not better than, the food at big restaurants. We..."

"If the restaurant doesn't have this dish, you don't have to pay. That's the rule."

Lin Fan interrupted her and draped the towel over the back of the chair.

He looked at the somewhat flustered female college student in front of him and softened his tone slightly.

"You all worked hard to get the plum juice distribution business in the university town, running around helping with shipping and statistics. This meal is what you deserve. Take the money and go back to school."

Li Na stood frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.

A thousand yuan is more than half a month's living expenses for them, and it is indeed not easy to scrape together.

But since they're open for business and use top-quality ingredients that cost real money, they don't want to take advantage of them.

After Su Xiaoxiao finished clearing the dishes from the next table, she came over, picked up the money on the table, and stuffed it directly back into Li Na's hand.

"Take it." Su Xiaoxiao smiled and patted her roommates on the shoulder. "If you really feel bad, just help Brother Lin build a good reputation in the school group chat in the future."

Li Na held the money in her hand, looked at Su Xiaoxiao, and then at Lin Fan, who had turned his back to clean the stove again.

"Well... thank you, Boss Lin."

The three girls thanked her sincerely.

Pushing open the shop door, the cold wind of early winter blew in my face, carrying fallen leaves from the street, which swirled in the air.

But this time, they didn't feel cold. Their stomachs felt warm, which made them feel very grounded, and their steps became lighter.

After my roommate left, the lobby became completely quiet.

A wooden sign that read "Sold Out Today" hung on the doorknob, completely shutting out the noise from the street.

Lin Fan took off his white apron and hung it on the wall.

He walked to a corner of the hall, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Tuantuan was lying on the small wooden table, holding a pink crayon in her hand, drawing a red square on the paper, with a few small black dots next to it.

"A drawing of Mapo Tofu?" Lin Fan glanced down and asked softly.

"Mmm." Tuantuan tilted her head back, blinked her big eyes, and twitched her little nose. "Daddy, it smells so good! I want to eat spicy tofu too."

"Kids shouldn't eat such spicy food." Lin Fan smiled as he looked at Tuantuan's unfulfilled expression, and reached out to smooth her little braids. "When we get home tonight, Daddy will make you sweet and sour pork as a special treat, okay?"

"Okay!" Tuantuan nodded happily and put down the crayons in her hand.

The little girl, having eaten and drunk her fill, seemed a bit sleepy. She yawned slightly and leaned against Lin Fan's arm.

There was no music playing in the store, only the whooshing sound of the heating air conditioner blowing air.

Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, letting his daughter lean against him.

He wasn't in a hurry to settle today's accounts.

During this period, he was on edge every day.

It was a rare quiet afternoon, and the father and daughter sat together, not thinking about anything.

The sky outside the window was somewhat gloomy, with low-hanging clouds that looked like a cold rain was brewing.

After a while, Su Xiaoxiao walked in from the backyard. There was no heating in the backyard, and her hands were a little red from the cold.

Su Xiaoxiao walked to the water dispenser, poured herself a glass of warm water, and held it in her hands to warm it.

"Brother Lin, it's getting colder and colder today. Just now, when Chairman Chen and the others left, they were saying that they were sweating a lot after eating noodles, but when they went outside and were hit by this cold wind, their stomachs felt a bit cold."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan's gaze fell on the tree branches outside the window, swaying in the wind.

Autumn winds sweep away fallen leaves, and temperatures plummet. While hot soup noodles are certainly filling this season, hot tea is the best way to warm up and ward off the cold.

Just as the thought flashed through his mind, a crisp notification sound rang out from the depths of his mind.

[Ding! Hidden achievement "Gratitude for Food and Food" has been achieved.]

[System Reward: Unlocks Advanced Auxiliary Material Illustrations - Ten-Year Aged Tangerine Peel, Lingyin Osmanthus.]

[System Reward: Recipe for Traditional Osmanthus and Aged Tangerine Peel Tea]

Lin Fan's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not get up immediately.

He glanced down and saw that Tuantuan was fast asleep, leaning against his arm.

The little girl was breathing evenly, her long eyelashes drooping obediently, and she was still loosely holding the pink crayon in her hand.

Lin Fan moved very gently, taking the crayon from her hand, putting his arm around her shoulder, and steadily lifting her up.

Lin Fan walked up to the bedroom on the third floor, put Tuantuan on the small bed, took off her coat and shoes, and covered her with a blanket. He stood by the bed for a while, making sure his daughter was sleeping soundly, before turning around and going downstairs.

In the lobby on the first floor, Su Xiaoxiao was using a calculator at the bar to calculate the lunchtime transaction records.

Lin Fan didn't disturb her. He went straight into the kitchen, closed the door behind him, and locked it.

He sat down on a chair in the corner, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the system space.

In the original system space that only contained farmland and fishponds, a rustic blue-brick teahouse has been added. Outside the teahouse, there is a lush osmanthus tree.

This tree is different from the common osmanthus trees found outside.

The trunk has a deep, calm brown color, and the crown is covered with tiny, dense flowers. The petals are a pure golden yellow, without a single blemish.

This is the Lingyin Golden Osmanthus.

Lin Fan stepped forward, and before he even got close, a rich and lingering fragrance of osmanthus wafted towards him.

The fragrance is not sweet or overpowering, but carries a unique coolness and cleanliness reminiscent of deep mountain forests.