Chapter 12 - The North Heaven Queen
Noodles are not unusual. Jiangcheng had many such noodle shops, but the Su’s ramen noodles were very exquisite in workmanship. Others wouldn’t know its secret, so they couldn’t learn just by watching.
Xiao Bing kneaded the noodles into a ball, then made it into a strip, neither too thin nor too thick. He then put the strip on the chopping board and used the kitchen knife in his hand to cut the strip into even pieces in spectacular fashion.
Perhaps it was to highlight the uniqueness of the noodles made by the Su family: the noodles in the Xiaoxiao Noodle House was made in the hall, so that every customer could see it personally.
When Xiao Bing did it, everyone in the store was dumbfounded. Kneading, molding, cutting, and rolling. The process of making noodles was so fluid that it looked like magic. The way Li Chunlan made the noodles was perfect, but Xiao Bing made it look like an artform. No one had ever thought that making noodles could actually become artistic.
It isn’t easy toachieve such perfection, especially for women who do not have sufficient strength in their arms and wrists as compared to men. So, after the death of Su Peiya’s father, Xiao Bing was the first to make noodles in the Su family’s style.
Yezi rested on her chin and looked at Xiao Bing unblinkingly. The two girls beside her winked at each other and chuckled. Xu Wenting said in a deliberately loud voice, “It seems that Sister Ye has a crush on Soldier Brother. A hero and a beautiful lady, a handsome breadwinner meets the wealthy girl from a rich family. It’s just like a fairy tale.”
Chen Yuanyuan looked at Xiao Bing like a love-struck fool, and echoed, “He is really good-looking and manly. But too bad, he’s a plebian…”
After a pause, Chen Yuanyuan smiled again and said, “But it’s nothing much. As you said, Yezi’s family is not short of money. It is the richest family in Jiangcheng City. If she inherits her family’s wealth, she won’t have any money problems. She doesn’t need a man to support her.”
At some point, Chen Yuanyuan suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly shut her mouth. Yezi looked back with furrowed brows. Chen Yuanyuan stuck her tongue out and asked, “Yezi, are you angry?”
“No.” Yezi’s tone was light as she spoke, “Don’t mention my family. My family and I are seperate things.”
Chen Yuanyuan stuck her tongue out again. Xu Wenting smiled by her side and said, “Yezi, do you really like him? There are so many boys pursuing you in school and you don’t care for any of them. You’ve never taken notice of any man before.”
Yezi turned back to Xiao Bing and looked at him. No one could tell what she was thinking. But when Xiao Bing served a bowl of noodles, her eyes began to arc upwards, and a faint smile formed at the corners of her mouth.
Xiao Bing brought a large bowl of noodles to Yezi, then sat down on the chair beside her. Lihong, a waiter at the restaurant, brought another two large bowls of noodles for Yezi’s friends and placed several side dishes on the table.
“What would you like to drink?” Xiao Bing laughed, “It’s on me.”
Yezi laughed, “You owe me a drink. You’re not trying to pay for it with a bowl of noodles, are you?”
“This meal is for your friends. Next time, I’ll treat you when you’re alone…”
“Do you mean that this meal is mainly for my friends?”
Xiao Bing laughed loudly, “That’s what I meant.”
Yezi also laughed, “Hey, what do you two want to drink? He personally came down to cook for the two of you.”
Xu Wenting looked at Yezi and Xiao Bing bickering and felt amused. She couldn’t help laughing, “Just two bottles of drinks.”
“What kind of drinks?”
“Anything is fine.”
Yezi said with indifference, “Same with me.”
Xiao Bing snapped his fingers, looked at Lihong and shouted, “Sister Hong, bring me another three bottles of black tea and put them on my bill.”
Li Hong acknowleged, before bringing over three bottles of black tea and putting them on the table.
Xu Wenting was considered a pretty good-looking young girl. She looked at Xiao Bing with big, watery eyes and said, “Soldier Brother, please tell me, how long have you known each other and how did you get to know each other? Please, Soldier Brother~~.”
When Xu Wenting spoke, her voice was so soft and gentle. She intentionally acted like a delicate girl which appeared somewhat irresistible and tempting.
Chen Yuanyuan also echoed, “Yeah, Soldier Brother, tell us about it. Is there any story between the two of you?”
Yezi looked at the two girls and said with half of a smile, “Isn’t it weird to ask for such false gossip in front of me?”
Chen Yuanyuan laughed, “Since it’s false, isn’t it fine for Soldier Brother to tell us?”
Xiao Bing looked at the three girls bickering with each other. He felt as if he had become several years younger. Xiao Bing finally stopped smiling when all three of them were eagerly looking at him, waiting for him to answer the question.
Xiao Bing touched his nose with a wry smile. Yezi said, “Go ahead, since it’s nothing much anyway.”
“Ok then. Actually, how we met was very simple. Yezi was bullied by hooligans in public, and I beat them away.”
The tale of a hero saving a damsel in distress was nonchalantly told by Xiao Bing, neither showing off nor seeking credit. Yezi glanced at Xiao Bing with complex feelings, before lowering her head. No one could tell what she was thinking.
Xiao Bing continued with a smile, “Are you satisfied with my answer? Isn’t it boring and bland? Isn’t it completely different from the love story between Prince Charming and Snow White that you had imagined?”
Xiao Bing said that only to find that the two girls were looking at him with gleaming eyes. Chen Yuanyuan’s character was cheerful and lively, or more accurately, crazy. At this moment, she seemed to have become a hopeless romantic. She said excitedly, “The hero saves the beauty. Brother Bing rescues the girl among thousands of troops. This can totally be written into love novels.”
Xu Wenting’s character was much calmer than Chen Yuanyuan’s, but she also smiled softly and said, “Soldier Brother and our girl are a perfect match.”
Xiao Bing said with a wry smile, “Don’t talk nonsense. Be careful, or Yezi will get angry.”
Xu Wenting asked, with a smirk on her face, “You are so afraid of her anger. So, you really do love her. I’ve heard that men in the army are generally strong-willed and don’t know the meaning of fear, except from the women they love…”
Yezi couldn’t listen to it anymore. She coughed twice and said, “I need to clarify that Brother Bing is called Xiao Bing, which is why he is called Brother Bing. Moreover, I called him Brother Bing, not Soldier Brother… although Brother Bing was indeed a former soldier.”
Yezi was losing confidence while talking. In her mind, she thought about what Xu Wenting said. ‘Soldiers are generally strong-willed men, not knowing the meaning of fear, except for the women they love.’
The young Yezi gently held her face with her white, tender hands. She was quietly staring at Xiao Bing with gleaming eyes, who himself was telling stories seriously.
At the same time, Xie Lun was still sitting in the Heavenly King Hall in the Peony Fairy’s residence. He had been sitting here since three in the afternoon. He did not know how many cups of tea he had drunk from three in the afternoon till eight in the evening. His anger was already kindled, and he felt humiliated. If it were any other time, he would have left already. It just happened to be that besides the North Heaven Queen, he could never think of anyone who could punish Xiao Bing in the North District.
You have to be humble when you’re stuck in a bad situation!
Once the matter regarding Xiao Bing was finished, I will definitely get payback for today’s shame, Xie Lun thought in his mind.
At this time, someone finally came into the quiet Heavenly King Hall. Two maids in long red dresses took small steps and walked slowly up to Xie Lun. After walking to his front, they smiled sweetly, “Mr. Xie, the Peony Fairy has just finished showering, so you can talk with her in her bedroom.”
Bedroom?
Xie Lun gulped. With unsteady breaths, he got up and followed the two maids. His legs were numb because of the long time spent sitting, nearly falling when he stood up. It took a few steps before he recovered.
While following the two maids, Xie Lun thought, what did the Peony Fairy want me to do in her bedroom?
Xie Lun dared not have any silly ideas. No one in the whole of Jiangcheng City dared to mess with the Peony Fairy. Although the Peony Fairy was called a fairy, her mode of operation was more terrible than the devil.
Yet Xie Lun couldn’t prevent himself from having silly ideas. No one had ever seen the Peony Fairy, but there was a rumor that she was as beautiful as a fairy and charming as a fox spirit. The more mysterious a woman was, the more she can arouse the desire in men’s hearts. The Peony Fairy, who no one had ever seen before, had formed all kinds of images in men’s minds in the Jiangcheng City. Some obscene men even fantisized about her repeatedly.
Xie Lun followed the two maids through the long corridor. On both sides of the corridor were all kinds of peonies, and the whole corridor was filled with the smell of peonies. The strong fragrance cause Xie Lun’s heart to feel hot and heavy.
At the end of the corridor was a pink door. The two maids stopped before stepped forward gently, and then knocked at the door and cautiously called out, “Fairy, Mr. Xie has arrived.”
“Please come in.” The voice was gentle and soft. Despite the simplicity of the words, it caused an electrifying sensation in Xie Lun’s body, and an evil fire was lit up in his loins. It was a fire full of desires.