Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  When Qin Shu smiled, she revealed two small white canines, making her look naughty and cute.

  The Lady Boss stared at her for a while and found that the young woman looked somewhat familiar. Perhaps it was because so many years had passed since they met, but it took her some time to remember.

  When she saw the young woman’s two small canines, an epiphany struck the boss, and she blurted out, “Are you that little girl who always forgot to bring money with her when she ate my wonton noodles? Ah! You’ve even brought this handsome gentleman with you this time!”


  The boss sized up Fu Tingyu again. Upon a closer inspection, she jolted with a start. The man’s piercing gaze was not one she could ever forget. “Y-you’re that man who chased her, aren’t you? I remember how you used to quarrel with each other and how you ordered a bowl of wonton noodles to placate her.”


  The Lady Boss chortled gleefully, reminiscing events of the past.

  Qin Shu’s mouth twitched. Shooting Fu Tingyu a glance, she could not help but feel that they shared a complicated history.

  Fu Tingyu recalled the incident Lady Boss was recounting, and his smile formed a beatific arc. “I’m amazed you still remember.”


  “How could I not? If it weren’t for the fact that I’m so busy every day, I would have recognised both of you a long time ago. it long ago.” The Lady Boss looked at Qin Shu again; she smiled and said, “In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so big. When you were young, I knew that you would be a beautiful girl when you grew up. Now that I look at you, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined…” The boss’s words trailed off as if she had thought of something else.

  The figure of a young boy, whose severe countenance betrayed few words, flitted through her mind. Abruptly, she asked, “Why didn’t the stony-faced boy accompany you this time?”


  When Qin Shu heard the Lady Boss mentioning a ‘stony-faced boy’, she involuntarily thought of Han Xiao. The person she was referring to was probably Han Xiao.

  The Lady Boss displayed her impeccable memory by rehashing events that had taken place in vivid detail. It was almost as if she possessed photographic memory despite her earlier fumbling.

  “He once came here to buy wonton noodles. At that time, I was closing up for a break. He said he would pay me ten times the value of a bowl of wonton noodles if I would only prepare one for him. I guess he bought it for you… He might not have been the chirpiest boy around and spoke very little, but he was a good lad. You talked, and he listened. I thought the two of you made quite a good pair.”


  Qin Shu looked up at the boss and sighed, not knowing what to say to her enthusiasm.

  The fact of the matter was that she could not remember her past.

  Annoyed by the Lady Boss’s incessant chatter regarding Han Xiao, Fu Tingyu cleared his throat and said, “I’m sure you must be very busy. We shan’t take any more of your time.” With that, he paid for the noodles, discreetly tugging Qin Shu’s hand and making for the door.

  The Lady Boss was in high spirits meeting old customers. So when she noticed the couple preparing to leave, she felt reluctant to part so quickly. “Please come again. We’ll serve you the best bowl of wonton noodles you’d ever taste!”


  Suddenly, Qin Shu stopped. Turning around to face the weathered boss of the establishment, she asked, “Did he and I often come to eat wonton noodles?”


  The Lady Boss smiled kindly, “Yes, you both came here to eat whenever you could. That lad was pretty tall, much taller than most average folk in these parts. He was aloof for a young man, though he was always polite. Once, when you injured your foot, he even carried you here just so the two of you could enjoy my wonton noodles together.”


  Fu Tingyu’s grip on Qin Shu’s hand tightened. In a tone belying his barely restrained irritation, he grounded out two words. “Let’s go.”


  Qin Shu pursed her lips in displeasure but did not contradict him. Bowing low, she bade farewell to the boss, “Thank you, Lady Boss.”


  She followed Fu Tingyu out after giving her thanks.

  The Lady Boss watched them leave with a heavy heart. Sighing, she murmured, “How time flies… They’re all adults now.”


  The young waitress looked at her mother with some confusion, “Mom, do you know them?”


  The mother of the teenaged girl nodded. “Yes, that woman used to come by very often to our wonton noodles.”


  “Then how about that man beside her? Do you know him too?” The love-struck girl pestered her mother eagerly.

  At this moment, the Lady Boss of the noodle house suddenly remembered that she still had plenty of work left for her in the kitchen. “I’m going to help your father. He’s probably struggling with the orders.”


  No sooner had she made this declaration than another guest entered, promptly ordering a bowl of wonton noodles.

  Han Xiao happened to see the Lady Boss as he entered the noodle shop “Lady Boss, give me a bowl of wonton noodles.”


  The Lady Boss stopped in her tracks. One handsome man had just left, and another arrived. There was something about the man’s voice that chilled her to the bone.

  Han Xiao found an empty seat and sat down, quietly waiting for his wonton noodles to arrive.

  The Lady Boss stared at her new customer thoughtfully. It did not take her long to recognise Han Xiao since she had been talking about him mere moments before. Quickly, she asked her daughter to prepare the wonton noodles while she walked up to Han Xiao and asked, “Are you the boy who often accompanied that little girl to eat wonton noodles?”


  Han Xiao nodded. “Yes.”


  The jovial, middle-aged boss recounted her meeting with Qin Shu and Fu Tingyu upon seeing another familiar face she had not seen in a long time. “That little girl you often ate with left with a handsome man not too long ago. If you had arrived earlier, you would have met them. The three of you could have caught up.”


  “I know.”


  Surprised, the Lady Boss echoed, “You know? Then how did you…”


  “The Lady Boss still remembers me.” Han Xiao cut her off.

  “Well, I had the deepest impression of that little girl, and you boys always followed her wherever she went. It’d be strange if I didn’t remember you all.”


  The Lady Boss took the seat opposite Han Xiao, like an old friend playing catch up.

  Although he could guess the identity of the other man who brought Qin Shu to the noodle house to eat, Han Xiao still asked, “Who else ate with her here?”


  “Why that handsome man who just left with her was the other fellow who came here to eat wonton noodles with her. I never really liked him, then or now; he always was too surly for my liking. You arrived right after they left.”


  With some hesitation, the Lady Boss decided to pry a little. “Where did you go after that incident?” Without giving Han Xiao a chance to respond, she prattled on, “That day, the little girl seemed to be in a bad mood. She came here to eat noodles alone, and that handsome guy chased her all the way here. She never came back to eat until today. For the longest time, I thought you were the one who made her unhappy. Now, I’m not so sure. What happened between the two of you?”


  It was a slow day for business, so she had time to spare.

  Han Xiao paused. There was only one reason why he never returned: He had left Mount Qi. “I left.”


  “No wonder I haven’t seen you in a long time. I only saw those two coming here.” The Lady Boss clapped her hands in realisation.

  “The little girl often came here to eat wonton noodles, but she never paid for it herself. It was always that handsome guy who paid. I think they had a bet of some sort where the loser would treat the other to a meal. The poor young man always lost, so he paid for the meal every time they came.”


  She never knew whether to laugh or cry every time the duo appeared for wonton noodles.

  Han Xiao listened to the boss’s chatter, gaining a clearer picture of the time following his departure from Mount Qi.

  He thought that after he left, no one would eat wonton noodles with his Little Munchkin.

  He was not irreplaceable, but neither was he replaced. It lifted a great weight over his shoulders.

  Sensing the change in Han Xiao’s demeanour, the Lady Boss poured him a cup of water and placed it in front of her guest.

  “Thank you,” Han Xiao accepted the cup of water graciously, taking a sip. He did not immediately put down the glass, nursing it in his hands.

  The Lady Boss continued, “One day, I saw that she was in a good mood, so I asked her, why didn’t the boy who had been following you come along?”


  Han Xiao looked up at the boss, waiting for her to continue.

  “She said that you left.”


  Han Xiao clenched the cup in his hand and asked, “What else did she say?”


  The Lady Boss’s daughter brought Han Xiao his bowl of wonton noodles and placed it in front of him. She glanced at her mother, who was gaily chatting and screamed inside…… What happened to the work she needed to do in the kitchen?!