Open Secret
Hearing that her grandfather was hanging out at Old Chen's noodle place after he went fishing with a few of his friends, Edith placed her luggage in her room before she went out again.
She grabbed the keys hung on the wall and walked out the door.
"Where are you going?" Aaron stopped her.
"Of course I'm going to find my grandpa. Aaron, you should go back first. I'll come over to find you later," Edith said. Without waiting for his answer, she then hopped on the scooter. Fortunately, her grandfather has been using the scooter once in a while and therefore, it did not take her too long to start the engine.
Aaron Li crossed his arms on his chest and smiled as he watched the scooter disappeared from his eyesight.
He could guess at what will happen at Old Chen's noodle stall later and knew that it would be an exciting scene. He pondered whether he should go and join the fun. However, he then decided to head back to his mother's place and help her.
…
It did not take Edith a long time to arrive at the jetty area. It was the weekend. Usually, the area would be packed with the people from the city who came to enjoy Old Chen's beef noodle. However, it was still too early and therefore, there were only a few people around.
At this time, Old Chen was slicing some beef for the noodles as his two little assistants wiped the bowls and utensils at the side.
Edith parked her scooter at the side and immediately saw her grandfather along with his best buddy, George Bei. Their fishing rods were at their side and they were joking around with Old Chen.
George Bei was the first to notice her presence. He poked at his friend's waist and soon, her grandfather looked up with surprise on his face.
"Old Qian, you're in trouble," George Bei whispered to his friend.
Mike Qian's face changed slightly as his granddaughter approached. "Edith." He forced a smile. "Why are you here? You should stay at home and wait for me."
"Grandpa, you said you weren't going out to the sea to fish!"
"I said I was not going to stay longer on the sea to fish," Mike Qian explained. "I went out early in the morning and came back quickly. Didn't I promise that I will catch some fish for you?"
Edith Qian narrowed her eyes at her grandfather.
"Did Aaron came and pick you up from the bus station?" Mike Qian let out a dry cough when his granddaughter did not answer. "Edith, come here and sit down for a while. Did you have your breakfast yet?" He turned to Old Chen who was still slicing the beef and waved his hand. "Old Chen, make one bowl for my granddaughter. Remember to add in a lot of meat."
Old Chen nodded. He raised his head to look at Edith and smiled. "Edith. I haven't seen you in a while. Your grandfather said you were working in the city."
"Grandpa Chen," Edith turned to the old man and smiled amiably. When her gaze shifted to her grandfather again, the smile quickly disappeared.
"Edith, extra chilies in your bowl of noodle, as usual, right?" Old Chen spoke as he grabbed the bowl behind him. He watched the girl nodded and smiled. "Hey, my memory is still good."
Seeing that the old man had boiled a portion of noodle, Edith walked over to her grandfather and stared at him.
"Alright, don't get angry," Mike Qian tried to appease his granddaughter. "Didn't I came back? I promised you that we will be visiting your mother the next morning, right? Of course, I will not break my promise." He touched the tip of his nose when his granddaughter continued to ignore him. "How about this? I'll make lunch for you, alright? I caught some Sea bass. I'll steam them for you later. Or would you like it deep-fried?"
Edith did not reply to his grandfather and instead turned to his best buddy, George Bei. "Grandpa George, tell me, did my grandfather caught this fish?"
George Bei laughed at her question. Meanwhile, Mike Qian's face turned a few shades darker.
"You don't have to worry," George Bei said. "This time, your grandpa was the one who caught this fish."
"Old Bei, what do you mean 'this time'," Mike Qian turned to his friend and frown. "Speak properly."
It was an open secret that Mike Qian often went to the sea, but usually, he would not come back with any fish. Whenever his granddaughter was around, he would buy some fish from other fishermen and claimed it as his hard work. However, no one was supposed to mention this.
George Bei smiled and decided not to say anything. He pulled out a stool and patted at it, signaling Edith to sit down.
Seeing that his granddaughter had sat down, Mike Qian knew that his granddaughter was no longer angry at him. He took out the utensils and placed it in front of her.
Soon, the Old Chen came over with a piping hot beef noodle soup. The broth was clear and there were a few more slices of beef on top as well as some chilies, just the way she liked it.
Tempted by the look and smell of the noodle, Edith tasted the broth and eat the noodle.
Old Chen's noodle was always springy. The broth was tasty, refreshing and full of flavor. No matter how many beef noodle she had tried, Edith thought that Old Chen's beef noodle was always the best she had ever tasted.
Once his granddaughter started to eat, Mike Qian finally heaved with relief. Anyway, he always knew that his granddaughter wouldn't really be angry at him. As long as he can coax her with food, everything should be fine, right?
As Edith condinued to eat her noodle, a luxury car stopped at the side.
By now, the local was familiar with this scene. During the weekend, Old Chen's noodle stall would be packed with people from the city. But mostly, they would start to come over in the afternoon.
Just as Edith was about to take another sip at the broth, a cheery voice greeted her.
"Yi? Teacher Qian?"
When she looked up, her student, Hazel Mo stood at the entrance with her uncle.
The soup suddenly caught in her throat. The chili pepper then started to burn her throat and Edith was coughing. Fortunately, her grandfather brought a glass of water for her. She emptied the glass and looked at the uncle and niece in front of her.
"Hazel," Edith patted at her chest to calm down. "Why are you here?"