In a blink of an eye, Gu Xin Ye managed to survive a few days working part-time in Qin Zhan's noodle store. On Saturday, the noodle stall opened in the afternoon. As the stall would be very busy on the weekend, the siblings, Luo Qi and Luo Jun came to help.
Gu Xin Ye showed up at the stall in the late morning, grabbed a clean towel, and started to wipe the bowl clean. After working with Qin Zhan for the last few days, she has begun to get used to the routine and could work around the stall without waiting for Qin Zhan to give her an instruction.
Luo Qi watched as Gu Xin Ye wiped the bowl with such speed and her eyes turned into a look of admiration. "Sister, it has only been a week since you started working here but it seemed that you have been adapting well."
Gu Xin Ye let out an anxious laugh. "It wasn't that difficult."
The girl beamed. "I didn't think that you would continue to stay here for a long time."
"You think I would quit?"
Luo Qi nodded.
Gu Xin Ye laughed. "Weekdays weren't so busy. The work wasn't too hard and everyone here was friendly."
Every day, the grandpas would visit the noodles stall and hang out for a long time. Unfortunately for her, she still hasn't found the right opportunity to learn more about Qin Zhan. With Qin Zhan always around, she could not find the perfect opportunity to ask them about him.
"That's not what I meant." Luo Qi giggled. "Working with my uncle should not be that easy, right?"
The two of them glanced at Qin Zhan who was tasting the soup in the big pot. The stall was expecting a lot of visitors during the weekend and Qin Zhan had to cook a large batch of soup.
At this time, the man had a terrible expression on his face.
Gu Xin Ye could not help but swallow as she sensed Qin Zhan's foul mood. She could almost picture herself getting scolded if she made a tiny mistake. Turning to Luo Qi, Gu Xin Ye saw that the girl had the same worrying thought as her.
"My uncle did not mistreat you while we weren't around, right?" Worried about Qin Zhan's foul mood, Luo Qi could only speak about him in a low voice.
"He's alright."
Luo Qi heaved in relief. "Perhaps, he was only acting like this because he know that it was going to be a busy day." Luo Qi smiled. "Sister, are you prepared?"
Gu Xin Ye thought about her experience working at this noodle stall last weekend and started to shiver. However, she flashed the girl a smile and spoke, "Of course."
She continued to wipe the bowl and glanced at Qin Zhan again. Seeing that the man was concentrating on the broth, Gu Xin Ye thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to ask a few things from Luo Qi before the crowd start coming.
However, before she could speak, Qin Zhan had broken the silence.
"Luo Qi, help me to taste this soup."
Hearing his voice, Gu Xin Ye raised her head to look at Qin Zhan. Their gazes met and her hands turned sweaty as she watched him narrowing his eyes.
Gu Xin Ye quickly looked away at the bowl in her hand. She could not stop thinking that perhaps, Qin Zhan had noticed her intention to inquire about him.
A long, heavy sigh escaped her. Gu Xin Ye could not help but think that she had wasted a week staying in this town.
The first group of visitors came to the stall and soon, the crowd began to build up. Gu Xin Ye was too busy cleaning bowls and cutleries for the next customer to care about Qin Zhan. She could not even lift her head to look at the customer who came and go.
In a short time, the beef noodle soup was all finished and a few customers who were queuing had to go back with empty hands.
As soon as Qin Zhan finished clearing his table work, he placed his cleaver on the chopping board and disappeared. When Luo Qi and Luo Jun came to help her clean up some pots and pans, the man still has not returned.
Gu Xin Ye scanned around her surrounding before she turned to Luo Jun who was crouching beside her. "Where's your uncle?"
Luo Jun turned in a direction and pointed with his chin. "At this time, Little Uncle should be resting."
"Making noodles for a large crowd is tiring," Luo Qi added. "His hands must be sore right now."
Gu Xin Ye followed their gaze and lowered her head. She had watched Qin Zhan and the long queue of customers that came to eat the beef noodles. Qin Zhan had indeed worked hard to prepare the noodles.
A thought came to her mind. Seeing that Qin Zhan was not around, Gu Xin Ye thought that this would b a good opportunity to ask them a few questions. She looked at her left and right before she spoke. "If you don't mind, can I ask you a few questions?"
Luo Qi lifted her head and waited for Gu Xin Ye to speak.
"Qin Zhan and the two of you... are you blood-related?"
The siblings looked at each other and smiled.
"Sister, are you curious because we have different surnames?" Luo Qi asked.
Gu Xin Ye nodded, thinking that she could use this excuse to find out more about Qin Zhan through the siblings. "Moreover, you don't look alike."
Initially, Gu Xin Ye thought that Qin Zhan might be related to the sibling's mother. However, knowing about Qin Zhan's background, Gu Xin Ye did not think that that would be the case.
"You guessed it right," Luo Qi said. "Although Little Uncle is always looking after us, he is not blood-related to us."
Gu Xin Ye's eyes lit up as the girl started to talk. Her heart grew a little excited thinking that she could finally learn a little bit about Qin Zhan.
However, Luo Qi suddenly lowered her gaze. "I heard that when Little Uncle was a teenager, our grandpa brought him home and raised him as if he was his own son."
"Your grandpa?"
"Un." Luo Qi nodded. "You should have heard about Grandpa Chen, the owner of this noodle stall. He is our maternal grandfather."
A light flashed in her eyes. Gu Xin Ye's mind whirled as she thought about Qin Zhan's relationship with Grandpa Chen.
If Qin Zhan was a child that was adopted by Grandpa Chen, then, it made sense why Qin Zhan chose to return to this small town and look after this small noodle stall.