588. Late-night Snack
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“Alright, let’s just pack it up,” the class teacher said as she wiped her hands with a tissue, leaned on her knees, and stood up. “Since there aren’t any customers today, I’m taking you two out for dinner.”
It was barely nine o’clock, which was right in the thick of the night market’s hustle and bustle. Even if Lin Nan didn’t know the first thing about running a business, she understood this time slot was just getting started for street vendors.
But the class teacher was already gathering her things, so Lin Nan had no choice but to help Chen Yao get up too.
The teacher had an old, beat-up pickup truck and started tossing boxes of clothes into the back, even leaving a few hangers attached, hoisting them straight onto the truck, and securing everything with ropes.
“Get in! Lin Nan, you sit up front, Chen Yao, hop in the back.”
With only two seats in the cab, Chen Yao made a face and jumped up to the truck’s cargo area, looking like a disgruntled gorilla sitting on a pile of clothes, while almost everyone else stared at him.
He ducked his head, pretended to be engrossed in his phone, and awkwardly held onto the side of the truck for balance.
It felt like an eternity — about half an hour — before the pickup finally left the pedestrian street. The teacher was all business behind the wheel, not throwing Lin Nan any chatty vibes, her eyes laser-focused on the front and rearview mirrors, driving like a pro who’d never get pulled over.
Once they finally hit the underground parking garage of a residential area, the class teacher’s face broke into a smile. “Forget about going out to eat — too dirty. I’ll cook for you.”
Lin Nan noticed the teacher seemed to have some ulterior motive to impress her.
She raised an eyebrow and nodded without hesitation. “Sure! I haven’t tried your cooking yet.”
“I used to handle all the cooking when I had time. Can’t say I’m bad at it.”
Pulling into a parking spot, Lin Nan hopped out first, only to find Chen Yao already standing patiently beside the truck.
This was Lin Nan’s first visit to the class teacher’s home.
It was in a residential area behind the school, easily visible from the campus. Back in high school, the teacher had pointed to this building and told Lin Nan he was buying a place here, and at the time, she hadn’t believed him one bit.
Back then, people cared more about being close to school for their daily commute, but now this place was quite a trek from the pedestrian street.
As they walked into the neighborhood, Lin Nan looked around and realized how rundown the place was — the buildings were probably only seven or eight stories tall, no elevators, and just four buildings in total.
The teacher lived on the top floor and had bought a second-hand apartment, so it wasn’t too expensive even for a spot in the city center.
“After the divorce, my salary struggles to cover the mortgage,” the class teacher said, even though he was in his forties, he bounded up the stairs like a gazelle.
Lin Nan was lagging behind, huffing and puffing to keep up.
“So that’s why you stopped teaching?”
“With teacher salaries, I’d be starving if I had to pay the mortgage too!” the teacher chuckled. “It was easier with two people; the school cafeteria was cheap. Now it’s just me, and my savings went to my ex-wife. If I don’t switch jobs, I’ll end up on a diet.”
Chen Yao scratched his head. “When I was at school, Long Ge said you quit teaching because of the divorce hit you too hard!”
“Don’t listen to him, he talks nonsense. If I could make ends meet, being a teacher would’ve been great! I’d get to hang out with you little rascals every day; it keeps you young!”
By the time they reached the eighth floor, Lin Nan was out of breath.
She wasn’t the fittest, and climbing eight flights of stairs wasn’t the problem. The real issue was the teacher and Chen Yao were too speedy, and to keep up, she had to burn more energy.
As the teacher opened the door, he shot her a glance, teasing, “You’ve got worse stamina than this old man! Weren’t you so full of life in high school? Has it only been two years, and you’re already fading?”
He shook a thermos in his hand. “Stop with the cola, drink some goji berry water to nourish your health.”
“Well, I’ll just have cola with goji berries, then,” Lin Nan pouted.
The door swung open, revealing a spacious apartment — Lin Nan guessed it was around 150 square meters. The decor was fresh, designed as a three-bedroom layout, but the place was rather bare, with minimal furniture making it feel a bit lifeless.
The floors and tables weren’t dirty, just a bit dusty, except for the sofa and coffee table that seemed to sparkle, probably because the teacher hadn’t had time to clean.
“The living room has air conditioning; feel free to switch it on. I’m heading to the kitchen to cook for you,” the class teacher said, dismissing the dust like it was a non-issue and marched straight to the kitchen.
Chen Yao flopped down comfortably on the sofa and hollered, “Hey, old teacher! I want ribs!”
“Only noodles!”
“Who invites guests over for noodles? You’re so cheap, old teacher!”
“Only got noodles here; eat it or don’t!”
Watching the duo bicker, Lin Nan contemplated for a moment before striding over to the balcony.
Moments later, she returned to the living room wielding a broom, dustpan, mop, and bucket.
She kicked off her slightly bothersome low-heeled sandals, letting her bare feet hit the dusty floor, and started cleaning.
The class teacher, hearing the commotion, peeked out of the kitchen only to see her sweeping, and frowned. “Stop being busy! Just sit with Chen Yao on the couch and watch some TV.”
“It’s fine; you used to help me clean sometimes,” Lin Nan answered without even looking up.
The teacher paused for a moment, then chuckled as he scolded, “Chen Yao, look at how thoughtful Lin Nan is. No wonder you’re not popular.”
“Just a minute ago you said I’m charming and likable, but now that Lin Nan does something nice, you switch sides! Where’s your class teacher integrity?” Chen Yao huffed indignantly.
“None! If you’re not cleaning, get over here and help me!”
“Who needs help cooking noodles…” Chen Yao muttered as he got up to saunter into the kitchen, but he quickly realized that although the teacher planned on making noodles, he was pulling out plenty of frozen seafood. Clearly, this noodle dish was going to be a feast!
Those seafood items alone could have made at least three dishes and a soup, but it was getting a little late; cooking noodles was simply faster.
The place wasn’t particularly dirty, just dusty, and after Lin Nan finished sweeping, she moved on to mopping. By the time the living room was all spick-and-span, the teacher emerged from the kitchen, carrying a massive pot brimming with seafood noodles and plopped it down on the dining table. Meanwhile, Chen Yao was diligently setting the table with bowls and chopsticks, obediently serving the noodles like a well-trained puppy.
“Alright, let’s have a late-night snack!”
“Coming!”
Lin Nan set down her cleaning supplies and hurried to the dining room. Gazing at the hefty pot of seafood noodles, she couldn’t resist exclaiming, “Wow, I didn’t expect you to be such a good cook, old teacher! It smells delicious.”
“Of course, that’s because I had help,” Chen Yao scoffed. “He can barely cut the abalone without nicking himself.”
“Eh?”
The teacher waved his hand dismissively. “No big deal, just a little scratch — didn’t even bleed.”
