His grandmother was safe and sound, which made him feel more at ease than anything else.
"The beef noodles are ready." As he closed his eyes to rest, a cool voice came from above him. He was looking up, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he met the gaze of the cashier.
The man's hat brim was pulled low, making the eyes that met his gaze appear somewhat dim and lifeless.
Su Jinning sized up the person in front of her, but felt that his aloof and scholarly demeanor was somewhat incompatible with his work uniform.
"Thank you." Su Jinning politely accepted the chopsticks, glanced at Shen Moyu's departing figure, and frowned.
This person is about the same age as me, why are they working at the noodle shop so early? Is it for family reasons? Or are they here to help out?
But he was still a stranger, just a bit good-looking. He wasn't particularly interested, and they might never meet again.
Thinking about how he had been running between the school and the hospital these past few days, he was already exhausted. When he heard that his grandmother had an emergency, he rushed to the hospital without even having breakfast. It turned out that his father only sent him a WeChat message when he was almost there to say that his grandmother was alright.
While eating his hot beef noodles, he couldn't help but complain about his father.
——
Hey! Kid! Give me two bottles of beer!
Upon hearing this, Shen Moyu got up, took two bottles of beer, placed them on the table, and nodded politely before leaving.
Not giving up, the blond-haired man, with his legs crossed, called out to him again: "What's wrong with your service? Aren't you going to help me open it? You have no professional ethics at all!"
You're already complaining about being full before you've even eaten any noodles?!
Shen Moyu closed his eyes patiently and turned to say, "Remember to let me know in advance if you need anything next time."
After saying that, he deftly opened the two bottles of beer and placed them on the table.
The blond-haired man grinned, revealing a row of large yellow teeth. His eyelids and lower eyelids seemed to be connected, leaving only a slit: "Thanks, brother."
Shen Moyu found it strange that he suddenly thanked him. Before he could react, he felt a cold liquid completely soak through his clothes, and he was startled by the sudden coldness.
The bottle of beer shattered in the aisle between the two tables.
Like a sharp blade slicing through the noise, the noodle shop suddenly fell silent, everyone staring intently at table number three.
Su Jinning glanced at the blond-haired boy's school badge and calmly looked away.
On this snack street near No. 8 Middle School, only a few notorious ringleaders dare to act arrogantly and unreasonably; there are plenty of them on the street. However, the more arrogant they are, the less capable they are.
He does like to help those in need, but he has suffered losses in the past.
Last time I stood up for justice and helped, I ended up having to pay for the store's damaged goods, and I also got a good scolding from his dad.
However, he was quite unlucky; he always seemed to run into these kinds of things while eating out.
"Oh, look at me, sorry, sorry!" The blond-haired man patted the wine stains off Shen Moyu's clothes perfunctorily, still grinning at him with his big yellow teeth, looking like a smug little man.
He was hoping Shen Moyu would get angry now, so he would have a reason to vent his frustration.
There was a burst of laughter at table number three; it was obvious whether it was intentional or not.
But Shen Moyu just wrung out the wine stain on his clothes amidst the laughter, then turned around and returned to the cashier as if nothing had happened.
The noodle shop returned to its previous hustle and bustle, as if the whole world was unwilling to argue with the group at table number three.
When the thugs at table number three saw that Shen Moyu had no reaction at all, they looked at each other in confusion, as if trying to recall if they hadn't gone too far enough just now.
Even Su Jinning admired this person's patience; if it were her, she would have already punched him.
"Smack."
Shen Moyu slammed the receipt on the table, this time without even looking up: "Including the broken bottle of beer, it's a total of one hundred and thirty. If you need anything else..."
He looked up, squinted, and smiled: "Let's talk after you pay."
He emphasized the last few words, staring at the blond-haired man with a forced smile.
Huang Mao immediately slammed his hand on the table: "Why did you include the broken bottle in the count? I already said it wasn't intentional!" He stood up as if he had exploded, his 1.7-meter height slightly raised as he looked at the 1.8-meter-tall waiter in front of him.
The whispers inside the store grew louder, but Shen Moyu just looked at him coldly and said expressionlessly, "I'm sorry, I can forgive you if you tell me it wasn't intentional, but..."
He shook his head with a hint of regret: "The alcohol cannot forgive you."
"Pfft..." Su Jinning couldn't help but spit out half of the beef noodles in her mouth, successfully attracting the attention of the blond-haired man in the crowd who were all quietly watching the excitement.
"What are you laughing at! Can't even eat noodles shut you up?" Seeing that he had lost face, the blond-haired man immediately turned his anger towards Su Jinning, trying to regain some authority.
Su Jinning didn't want to meddle, so he chuckled softly as he turned the noodles in his bowl, then silently took another big bite, as if ignoring a fly buzzing around him while he ate.
"That's enough, isn't it?" Shen Moyu forcefully shoved the arm that the blond-haired man was pointing at Su Jinning back, his face turning cold: "Please sit down and eat quietly, don't cause trouble."
This was Shen Moyu's last warning. He wasn't sure if Huang Mao would go any further and he would just punch him.
"I'm causing trouble?" The blond-haired man gripped his wrist and cursed, "What kind of attitude is that! Who do you think you are? You're just a waiter! What right do you have to lay a hand on me!"
"Brother, why waste your breath on him? He's just a lowly waiter."
Encouraged by the thugs behind him, Huang Mao punched Shen Moyu in the shoulder without saying a word.
That punch was hard; even though Shen Moyu had taken precautions, he was still pushed two steps away by the blond-haired man and crashed hard into Su Jinning's table.
The table shook violently, and the glass bowl shattered on the floor. The splattering soup and the harsh curses were as rapid as boiling water.
"Holy shit!" Su Jinning stood up reflexively, staring blankly at the beef noodles she had barely eaten, now smashed on the ground.
The beef noodles were poured too quickly, and some of the soup spilled onto Su Jinning, and her white t-shirt was also splattered with oil stains.