Chapter 3 Thinking_1

"Gurgle~"

Just as Cao Ge leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen deep in thought, his stomach suddenly clenched in pain.

The sharp pain made Cao Ge involuntarily arch his back and he kept pressing his hand against his stomach to alleviate the discomfort.

"I'm so hungry!" Cao Ge blinked and muttered.

It was only when he unintentionally glanced at the bottom right corner of his computer screen that he realized he had been asleep for a whole day and night.

Cao Ge looked around at his computer desk, cluttered with drink cans and instant noodle boxes, and the cardboard box beside the desk, now empty.

Realizing there was nothing left to eat in the room, Cao Ge instinctively looked out the window at the street vendors outside the community, then he shut down the computer, went to the bathroom to wash up quickly, combed his hair, changed his clothes, took his phone, and finally hurriedly left the room.

Walking through the old residential area, Cao Ge looked at the deserted leisure park and headed towards the main gate of the community.

He planned to grab something to eat and then get a haircut; his hair had grown as long as Ding Yi's in the drama since it had been a month since his last haircut.

Cao Ge was a man who liked to keep clean. He neglected personal grooming only due to the pressing nature of his research, but now that he had some free time, naturally he wanted to spruce himself up. He didn't wish to be a pure scholar or scientist; the reason he coded day and night was that he was a man who loved life.

A scientist who doesn't care about his image might gain the respect of ordinary people, but it is very hard to be liked by them, let alone to inspire admiration.

"Beep beep beep!!!"

The moment Cao Ge stepped out of the community gate, he heard the sound of car horns on the street.

Cao Ge lived in an old urban district. Once out of the community, both sides of the street were lined with small vendors doing business.

Cao Ge looked at the old car models on the street and the motorcycles weaving through traffic. Though a month had passed, he still felt as if he had stepped into a different era.

He remembered the scene from when he had just started his university life. It felt like he was back there again, and honestly, he felt a bit nostalgic.

Indulging in his nostalgia for a moment, Cao Ge then continued on his way down the street where he had come from and soon arrived at a street full of stir-fry restaurants.

Smelling the scent of food in the air, his stomach gave another embarrassing growl.

Cao Ge walked down the street, looking at the various types of eateries lined up on both sides: noodle shops, braised dishes, and many more.

There were quite a few stir-fry places too, and eventually, Cao Ge stopped in front of a shop that was filled with the strong scent of chili peppers.

Cao Ge, being from Hunan and having grown up there, wasn't exactly a "no chili, no joy" kind of guy, but he did crave a bite every now and then; otherwise, not only his stomach but also his heart would feel uncomfortable.

For someone who had been hungry for two days, this whiff of his hometown's flavor was irresistible.

He stopped in front of this particular shop because of the Hunan chili scent that pervaded the air.

Cao Ge turned and walked straight into the shabby little diner.

The diner wasn't large, being approximately ten meters in width; its rectangular shape measuring about four to five meters left to right. In this not-so-spacious area, there were six rectangular wooden dining tables. The walls, painted white, were plastered with many old posters and stickers, menus included.

At this time of day, most people hadn't left work yet, so there were few customers inside—just a middle-aged man in a white tank top and shorts eating his meal. Besides him, there was a woman sitting on a chair near the kitchen, resting, likely the owner of the diner.

Cao Ge briefly scanned the layout of the diner, then chose a table nearby, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He began to look over the menu set on the chair.

Glancing over the menu, indeed, a whole section was devoted to Hunan cuisine. Looking at those bold characters, even though he couldn't see the actual dishes, Cao Ge's appetite was already whetted.

Seeing a customer sitting down, the aunt who had been resting by the door curtain stood up and came over.

"What would you like to eat?" the auntie asked without preamble.

Cao Ge looked up at the approaching auntie, and without any small talk, pointed directly to the menu and said, "I'll have a serving of stir-fried pork with green peppers."

The auntie glanced at where Cao Ge was pointing, then picked up the paper and pen in her hand, and as she wrote, she read aloud, "One serving of stir-fried pork with green peppers. Anything else?"

"Another serving of hot and sour shredded potatoes."

"Hot and sour shredded potatoes."

"And for the last dish, a serving of seaweed egg drop soup," said Cao Ge, moving his finger.

"OK, just wait a moment, the food will be ready shortly." After noting down the order, the auntie spoke to him, then turned and walked towards the back of the restaurant, lifting the curtain that led to the kitchen as she went in.

Then, just a few seconds later, the auntie came back out and continued to rest in the spot where she had been sitting before. Not long after she sat down, in about a minute, the sound of furious stir-frying came from the kitchen, followed before long by the delicious aroma of chili-fried meat wafting from the kitchen.

Cao Ge glanced at the bustling figure behind the half-drawn curtain, then turned his gaze to the middle-aged uncle eating across the restaurant, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

Fifteen minutes later.

Cao Ge looked at the steaming dishes in front of him, swallowed his saliva, then, without any hesitation, picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began to eat.

Whether it was the stir-fried pork with green peppers or the hot and sour shredded potatoes, both were perfect companions to the rice. Cao Ge helped himself to hearty mouthfuls, especially the grayish-green broth from the meat and the yellowish-red potato broth. Stirred together with rice in a bowl, it was sheer deliciousness.

Having not eaten for two days, Cao Ge devoured the two dishes and soup like a starving wolf attacks a gazelle, finishing everything in just half an hour.

He didn't care about the wisdom of not eating too much after being hungry for a while, and had three bowls of rice, consuming all the dishes.

In those days, restaurants were quite generous, so after two large plates of food and a big bowl of soup, he felt satisfied and let out a contented belch.

"Burp~"

His previously flat stomach was now distended. Cao Ge touched his belly, then took a piece of paper and wiped his mouth.

After eating, Cao Ge sat in his chair and rested for a good while before calling out to the auntie, "Boss, check please."

"That'll be 32 yuan."

Cao Ge reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change to pay the boss, then stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

Walking out of the restaurant, Cao Ge strolled slowly down the street, taking his time.

Soon after leaving the street, he reached a more open road. The highway had become newer and wider. Trees were planted on both sides of the street, which no longer housed buildings but rather green belts.

Cao Ge watched the occasional few cars passing by on the street while he began to ponder some other issues in his head.

Initially, his thoughts were on the science conference he was attending the next day, what he should do when he got there, what to say, and what attitude to adopt in facing them.

Gradually, his thoughts extended to how he should survive in this world in the future.

Should he live as an ordinary person, or should he get involved in those projects that influence the course of the world? If so, in what role?

Several hours passed on this walk, and it wasn't until the evening that Cao Ge came out of a barbershop and returned to his apartment building.