Chapter 6: Noodles with Minced Meat Sauce, Served with Garlic

Lin Ran withdrew his arm from the young girl’s embrace, merely wanting her help to handle the box of silver dollars, yet the gesture looked as if they were about to check into a hotel room.

He turned to close the courtyard gate, but a polished leather shoe pressed firmly against the door panel.

A sharply dressed bodyguard in black stepped forward, speaking respectfully yet with an unmistakable authority: “Young Master Lin, there’s no need to close the gate, is there?”

Lin Ran curled his lip, unwilling to argue: “Fine, leave it open.”

Whether open or closed, he had no real intention of doing anything.

But Shen Zhiyao wouldn’t have it. Her eyebrows knitted tightly as she shot the bodyguard a coquettish command: “Step aside! Brother Lin can do whatever he wants!”

“Miss, but—”

“No buts!”

Before he could finish, Shen Zhiyao slammed the heavy wooden door shut with a muffled bang, cutting off any outside view.

Immediately, she clung to Lin Ran like a koala, tightly wrapping her arms around his, lifting her delicate face to look up at him with eyes sparkling brightly.

“All right~ Now no one’s bothering us! You… can do whatever you want!”

Her suggestive words gave Lin Ran a headache. “Shen Zhiyao, can you be normal for once? Spill out the water in your brain!”

“Who’s not normal? I think you’re the one who’s crazy!”

She pouted angrily, looking like a fluffed-up, beautiful ragdoll cat.

A long-legged beauty like her throwing herself into his arms, yet he remained indifferent? Even the most unyielding straight men wouldn’t be this stiff!

Lin Ran pulled his arm free again. “Let’s talk business! If you keep this up, you’re out!”

Shen Zhiyao immediately backed down. “Okay, okay, business talk! What are we discussing? Marriage proposals with me, perhaps?”

Lin Ran ignored her and strode into the house.

Shen Zhiyao followed closely behind like a little tail, curiously looking around.

Lin Ran pointed to the wooden box on the floor. “Over ten thousand silver dollars here. Help me get rid of them.”

A handful of silver coins would be easy to handle, but with over ten thousand, he had no choice but to seek help from the eldest Miss Shen.

Yet Shen Zhiyao didn’t even glance at the treasure worth millions. Instead, she curiously scanned the room.

“Wow! Lin Ran, is this your home?” She looked around the modest old house.

“So small! It’s not even as big as my bathroom! When we get married, will we live here? Should I have someone buy the place next door and connect them?”

Lin Ran pointed toward the door. “Let’s go. I don’t need your help.”

“Oh, just joking!” Shen Zhiyao laughed, pulling out her phone and swiftly sending a few messages.

“Done! The expert is on their way!”

She folded her arms, lifting her chin with fluttering long lashes: “So… how are you going to thank me?”

“Dinner?” Lin Ran was indeed hungry; his stomach grumbled at just the right moment.

“Great, great!”

Shen Zhiyao immediately jumped up and down happily, her eyes curved like crescent moons, as if she’d received the greatest favor.

Lin Ran headed to the kitchen. “Wait here.”

Shen Zhiyao leaned against the doorframe, watching his busy figure, a smile never leaving her lips.

Soon, two bowls of fried sauce noodles were placed on the table.

“Don’t look down on it, this is all we have at home,” Lin Ran said.

“No way! I would never look down on you!” Shen Zhiyao protested, hands on her hips.

“All right, help me move the table outside.”

“How do we move it?”

“Forget it, you carry the noodles; I’ll handle the table.” Lin Ran efficiently moved the small round table and bamboo chairs.

They sat down in the courtyard.

Shen Zhiyao cautiously took a bite of the noodles.

“Wow! So delicious! This is the best fried sauce noodles I’ve ever had!”

Lin Ran chuckled. The eldest Miss Shen had surely tasted all kinds of delicacies; her praise was overly obvious.

“If you like it, eat more.”

“Mm-hmm!” Shen Zhiyao nodded but only took small bites, her eyes sparkling.

Lin Ran ignored her, eagerly shoveling a big mouthful of noodles into his mouth—he was truly starving.

He then peeled a clove of garlic.

“Lin Ran, what are you doing?”

“Peeling garlic.”

“But it makes your breath stink!”

“Eating noodles without garlic loses half the flavor! I feel bad all day if I don’t eat it!” Lin Ran teased her deliberately.

Hearing this, Shen Zhiyao immediately reached out and snatched a clove. “Then I’ll eat it too! No scaring me away!”

She bit into it lightly.

“Yikes… ha…” Her delicate face instantly scrunched up like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Lin Ran laughed. “Quick, eat some noodles to balance it out.”

She hurriedly swallowed a large mouthful and her eyes suddenly brightened. “Ah! It really tastes better!”

“The wisdom of the ancestors cannot be wrong.”

Lin Ran ate garlic and noodles alternately, thoroughly enjoying his meal.

Shen Zhiyao seemed to discover a new world and imitated him cautiously, nibbling noodles and small bites of garlic, savoring each mouthful.

“Knock, knock, knock—”

The courtyard gate was knocked.

“Miss Shen, are you home? Li Shouchun!”

Lin Ran stood up to open the door.

Outside stood an elderly man in traditional Tang attire, followed by two young apprentices.

“Hello, I am Li Shouchun. Miss Shen has summoned me,” the old man said, bowing low.

“Please come in,” Lin Ran stepped aside.

Li Shouchun led his apprentices into the courtyard, praising as they walked in: “What a lovely courtyard! In spring, magnolia petals fall on your shoulders; in summer, grapevines hum with cicadas; in autumn, you sweep the fallen sycamore leaves; in winter, the red walls reflect the snow—wonderful, wonderful!”

Lin Ran smiled. His home was just an ordinary, unremarkable quadrangle courtyard, but in this old man’s mouth, it was almost comparable to a prince’s mansion.

“Please, Mr. Li, right this way,” Lin Ran led the way.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Li Shouchun followed closely behind.

As the three entered the courtyard, their eyes fell upon the grape arbor—

There, Shen Zhiyao held a bowl of noodles in one hand, a bitten clove of garlic in the other, her small mouth stained dark, looking up in surprise.

“Uh… hello, Mr. Ni…” she greeted, her voice muffled, the garlic clove still suspended mid-air.