Chapter 300: An Itchy Heart
Ning Xiyue reminded the two excited “Crouching Dragon and Hidden Phoenix” girls hugging each other: “Let’s go, get the food—there isn’t much left.”
“Right, right, eating is important—my fish!” Liu Yao let go of Wang Mengmeng without hesitation and went to queue behind Wang Jiandong, craning her neck to check the line ahead.
Wang Mengmeng, unwilling to be left behind, ran after her and queued as well, murmuring about the pork stewed with noodles.
How interesting, Ning Xiyue thought with a soft laugh. She greeted Chen Yechu and followed them into the line, glancing around for her second brother.
She still couldn’t spot him—had he finished his tasks?
While Ning Xiyue was scanning for her brother, Ning Qingyuan carried two trays of prepared meals, looking around for people. He finally spotted Ning Xiyue at the window, handed the food to Yu Zhiyu for safekeeping, and ran toward Ning Xiyue, calling out as she was about to get her meal.
“Little sister, no need to get food. I’ve already got it here.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Ning Xiyue turned and saw her second brother. She withdrew the meal tickets in her hand, apologized to the aunt at the window, left the line, and walked toward Ning Qingyuan.
“Second brother, you’re done with your tasks?”
“Yeah, let’s eat. Yu Zhiyu is holding our food.”
Ning Qingyuan looked at the three standing nearby with trays of food and said, “There’s space over there—you can sit there.”
Wang Jiandong nodded. “Okay, Qingyuan brother, please lead the way.”
The four of them followed Ning Qingyuan toward the gathering spot in the youth courtyard.
Zhao Jianshe was also there. He had finished his kitchen duties for now and came out to eat.
Xia Zhipeng, aware of his low standing, knew Wang Mengmeng didn’t like him, so he sat alone at a spot neither near nor far from the group.
The four who weren’t in the mining team but were dedicated to eating at the canteen eagerly picked up their chopsticks to taste the meals in their trays.
Taking the first bite, Ning Xiyue was astonished—the flavor surpassed even the master chefs’ dishes in county-run restaurants. She couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“Mmm, this fermented bean fish tastes amazing! The beans are delicious too. The cooking skill here is like that of a master chef in a state-run restaurant, not something the aunties in the team could make,” she said.
It wasn’t that the aunties couldn’t cook, but they were frugal with oil, so their stir-fried dishes tasted different. The fermented bean fish was clearly fried in visible rapeseed oil—definitely not made by the aunties.
Judging from the taste alone, she could eat at the canteen every day.
Wang Mengmeng proudly declared after tasting the pork stewed with noodles: “My decision was right—these dishes are so good! My meal tickets weren’t wasted. The canteen is my second home from now on.”
Zhao Jianshe, who worked in the kitchen, explained while eating: “The main chef in the kitchen isn’t the aunties. They only handle noodles, steamed rice, soup, and assistant work. Someone else does the stir-frying, and he only cooks dishes, nothing else.
This master chef is a full-time employee from the mining team, not a temporary hire like us. He used to be a master chef at a provincial state-run restaurant. Skilled in many cuisines, very impressive.
He came to the mining team because an engineer there is his wife. That’s why the food tastes so good—it’s his love for his wife.”
Ning Xiyue swallowed and said, “I see. No wonder it tastes so good. If he always cooks, I’m willing to eat here every meal.”
“I’m willing too. This afternoon I’ll exchange all my rations for meal tickets. Yechu handles ticket exchanges, so it’s convenient. Is that okay, cousin?” Liu Yao asked Yu Zhiyu.
Distracted until then, Yu Zhiyu perked up at the mention of Chen Yechu, nodding eagerly and volunteering to help.
“Okay, I’ll help you exchange in the afternoon. I still have rations to trade in.”
Ning Xiyue noticed Yu Zhiyu’s behavior and wondered—is it because he hadn’t succeeded in confessing his feelings?
She was curious but couldn’t ask Chen Yechu, who was still busy with ticket exchanges.
Ning Qingyuan wasn’t paying attention to Yu Zhiyu; he was focused on eating.
“Little sister, use the rations I brought to exchange for tickets too. From now on, we’ll eat at the canteen and not bother cooking.”
Ning Xiyue refused firmly: “No, keep the rations. I’ll cook occasionally. Eating at the canteen every meal gets boring. We’ll use money to exchange.”
Rations are scarce, money isn’t. Of course, it’s more cost-effective to save the rations and pay cash.
“Okay, sounds good, little sister,” Ning Qingyuan said, nodding and continuing to eat.
The food was so delicious that everyone in the youth courtyard ate silently, focused on their meals.
Ning Xiyue noticed that only Yu Zhiyu occasionally glanced toward the ticket exchange spot, obviously preoccupied.
The meaning was clear: love, that teasing little devil, making one’s heart itch.
