The other bowl of soup, with a salty and fragrant hint of sweet and sour tomato flavour. Just by looking at the colour of the broth, one could tell how rich the taste was. Curly noodles were stirred apart by a pair of chopsticks.
The middle-aged man was initially worried about the noodles being undercooked, but recalling what a few students said, he felt reassured. Why would the train attendant sell him undercooked noodles?
He picked up a very elastic noodle with his chopsticks and took a bite, savouring the lingering flavour.
“Uncle, are the tomato instant noodles delicious?” one student asked, trying to swallow his saliva with effort. He knew this was a pointless question.
Anyone present with a nose could smell the overpowering aroma in the air!
It felt like the entire train car was drowning in the essence of tomato instant noodles.
The middle-aged man was generous; he didn’t mind the mockery that came from his clumsiness in conversation. He remembered how those students had spoken up for him earlier and raised the bowl, inviting them to taste it.
Under his invitation, a few students shyly took small bites, but since the bowl of instant noodles was not very large, it eventually ended up with only a smear at the bottom.
Several students cheered and ran towards the dining car.
The young woman looked at the bland and tasteless noodle soup in her hand, then glanced at the middle-aged man holding the appetizing instant noodles, feeling utterly annoyed. She just kept telling herself that it certainly smelled good but was probably just that – misleading aroma because there were no vegetables in it, and all those seasonings couldn’t be healthy.
That’s right, it must be so!
But it really did smell amazing!
“What is that that’s so aromatic?”
The scent of the tomato instant noodles was truly overwhelming. People from other train cars came over, learning that it was the tomato instant noodles sold on the green train, rushing towards the dining car.
Some who didn’t understand the situation saw the crowd and decided to join in the fun.
At first, they had doubts when they heard they had to make it themselves with hot water, but after tasting it, they all admitted how delicious it was!
Now the entire train car was indeed filled with the smell of tomato instant noodles.
In the dining car, more and more people came to buy the tomato instant noodles, with some even purchasing three or four servings.
Realizing that the stock was running low, the train attendant limited each person to one serving, but that didn’t deter the growing crowd.
How could one bowl of instant noodles fill them up? They wanted two bowls!
“Sister, the instant noodles are gone!” a girl whispered to the person in front of her while rummaging through her money.
Gone?!
How could such a large box of instant noodles sell out?!
The curly-haired attendant showed a look of disbelief, confirming several times before reluctantly explaining to the passengers that there was no stock left aboard the train.
Those who arrived later, hearing the attendant’s words, shouted, “Gone? How can it be gone?”
“How do you run your business? There are so many of us and we haven’t eaten yet!”
“Sorry comrades, too many people came to buy tomato instant noodles today, and we simply ran out.”
The curly-haired attendant patiently explained, feeling puzzled. Every time she took the train, so many people would bring their own food; when had anyone come to sell box lunches? What was going on today, that so many couldn’t keep up with the demand?
Is it really that delicious?!
She heard that they were also sold at the supply and marketing cooperative and decided she had to try one after her shift.
*****
In a certain village, a wife was organizing her husband’s package when she picked up something and asked, “Dear, what’s this strange item in your bag? It looks like a flatbread. Didn’t you eat today? Why didn’t you mention it earlier?!”
“What flatbread?” the somewhat familiar middle-aged man asked, recognizing himself as the “uncle” referred to by several students.
He took the familiar flatbread and, in a moment of nostalgia, recounted the events on the train that day.
After listening, his wife said sympathetically, “Why did that woman speak like that? If it weren’t for those students, you could have been bullied. Thankfully they were there.”
“There are still many good people in the world!” the uncle thought of the few innocent students who had helped him today, feeling emotional.
They must have secretly slipped it into his bag while he went to the restroom.
A child slurped the noodles from the bowl and said, “Dad, this is so good! I’ve never had noodles this delicious before.”
“Well, you should study hard like those folks your father met.”
The child eating instant noodles nodded seriously, “Dad, when I grow up, I want to help those who need help!”
At this moment, although the green train departing from Liuzhen was bound for different destinations, everyone remembered one thing: that was the tomato instant noodles produced by Yejia Factory!
*****
At the supply and marketing cooperative.
“Do you have tomato instant noodles?” the curly-haired attendant, still in uniform, rushed to ask as soon as she got off work.
The salesperson was taken aback, “Tomato instant noodles?”
After thinking for a moment, the salesperson recalled, thanks to a reminder from a bystander, that a box of strange noodles had arrived today, and it sounded like that.
The salesperson pulled a package from a box in the corner and asked, “Is this what you meant?”
“Uh… Yejia Factory, that’s it! Give me two packages.” The curly-haired attendant glanced at it, confirming it was just like the one on the green train, without hesitation.
One after another, more train staff in uniforms came to buy tomato instant noodles.
The salesperson was somewhat baffled. What was going on with this group of green train attendants? Why were so many of them suddenly buying this strange item?
In the factory, a supervisor stared angrily at Ye Xia.
“Ye Xia, you’re slacking off again! Are you out of work?”
Ye Xia held his head high, “What if I took a break for a bit? What’s the problem?”
“There are people who want to work, but you don’t!”
“If I don’t want to work, then I won’t! I don’t care!” Ye Xia scoffed, leaving amid astonished glances from everyone.
On the walking street,
Ye Second sister-in-law saw that there was no small cart belonging to Ye mother across from her, feeling smug.
Even if she had invented it earlier, so what? It couldn’t keep running after being suppressed by herself.
Now it was just her family left. She needed to raise the prices quickly to earn more money.
“Why is it selling for three coins now? Didn’t your family sell it for two coins?”