Chapter Two: Handing Out Instant Noodles
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Poplar Village.
Beneath the ancient locust tree at the center of the village, Li Yaoyao dragged a large sack along with great excitement.
“Little Li, what are you hauling there?”
Several elderly men, gaunt from hunger, were chatting beneath the locust tree when they happened to see Li Yaoyao passing by.
It was already October, yet nothing could be grown in the fields. The villagers were preparing to give up.
By October, it was too late to plant anything.
The old men had already made arrangements for their final affairs.
They would not survive this winter. They might as well spend their remaining days chatting with old friends.
“Uncle Yang, you really guessed it!” Li Yaoyao propped the large sack against the locust tree and took out a bucket of old hen soup noodles.
“Uncle Yang, do you have any boiling water?”
“We have no food, but plenty of boiling water. A bunch of old fellows like us can only cling to life by drinking it.” As he spoke, Yang Kairen retrieved a thermos from beneath the cloth wrapped around his legs. “Take it and drink. We’ve made you city folk suffer by coming to the village and enduring hardship alongside a bunch of worthless old bones like us.”
Li Yaoyao took the thermos, poured boiling water into two buckets of chicken soup noodles, and prepared another bucket for each of the two old men, Yang Kairen and Zhang Qing.
“Uncle Yang, don’t talk nonsense. The Teacher said long ago that everyone is equal. How can human lives be divided into noble and lowly?”
The moment the two men took the instant noodles, they caught the rich aroma of chicken soup.
Chicken soup?
They exchanged a glance, disbelief plain in both their eyes.
Who still had chickens in times like these?
“This is… chicken soup?” Zhang Qing could hardly wait to open the lid, but Li Yaoyao stopped him.
Before coming, she had read the instructions. The noodles had to steep for three full minutes before they could be eaten, otherwise they might cause bloating. She did not really understand what bloating meant, but waiting the proper amount of time was surely best.
“Wait a little longer.”
Smiling, Li Yaoyao told the two old men to wait. She returned to the tree and took all the instant noodles from the sack, lining them up beneath the branches. There were more than forty buckets in all. It was not a great deal, but enough for every villager to have one.
By now, the village was made up almost entirely of old people and children. Anyone still strong enough had gone out to find work, doing whatever they could to bring food home.
It would not be reliable for her to notify everyone by herself. The villagers were all far too hungry, and a scramble was inevitable. Someone had to keep watch, and she could not leave. So she could only wait for Uncle Yang and Uncle Zhang to finish eating before sending them to spread the word.
Before they knew it, the time was up.
With Li Yaoyao’s permission, the two old men ignored the heat and wolfed down several mouthfuls in succession.
The chicken soup was rich and savory, and the noodles springy.
It was ambrosia itself!
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But after only a few bites, both men stopped at the same time.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” Li Yaoyao asked curiously.
At a time like this, who cared whether the food tasted good? Filling their stomachs was more important than anything else!
“No, no. I’m already an old man with one foot in the grave. If I die, so be it. But I have a good grandson at home. I should save this for him first.”
“That’s right. My eldest grandson is still hungry too.”
Both old men spoke at once.
At their words, Li Yaoyao’s hands fell still.
At some point, tears had already filled her eyes. They were starving themselves, yet all they could think about were the children waiting at home.
“Neither of you is allowed to leave. I still have plenty of food here. Once you’ve finished eating, bring the children over. There’s enough for everyone!” Li Yaoyao pretended to scold them.
“There’s more?”
The two men were astonished. Only then did they notice how many buckets Li Yaoyao had already arranged beneath the ancient locust tree.
Now they could finally relax. With so much delicious chicken soup, their grandsons would be able to eat their fill as well.
The two men exchanged a glance, unable to conceal the delight in their eyes.
They slurped down the remaining noodles in a few gulps, drained every last drop of soup, and then hurried home in high spirits.
“Remember to tell all the neighbors on both sides!” Li Yaoyao called after them.
Before long, more and more villagers gathered beneath the locust tree. They had all heard that Educated Youth Li had somehow obtained chicken soup noodles, and everyone came rushing over.
“Educated Youth Li, where did all this food come from?” one of the old men asked.
Claiming that an immortal had given it to her clearly would not sound believable. After thinking it over, Li Yaoyao decided she could only keep the immortal’s existence secret for now. If she got the chance later, she would explain everything to them.
“My friends in the city sent all of this. Don’t worry—go ahead and eat!”
As she spoke, Li Yaoyao prepared noodles for everyone one bucket at a time.
Thanks to the thorough announcements made by the two elders, nearly everyone had brought their own boiling water. The preparation proceeded in perfect order.
Before long, every villager held a bucket of instant noodles. In the early autumn weather, a bucket of hot noodles was enough to warm a person from the inside out.
“Old Hen Soup Noodles—they smell wonderful!”
“This Spicy Beef Noodles flavor is truly incredible!”
Beneath the locust tree, the faces of both the old and the young were filled with satisfaction.
In less than fifteen minutes, every last bucket of instant noodles that had been stacked high was gone.
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Li Yaoyao also ate a bucket of Braised Beef Noodles. They were delicious!
“Comrade Little Li, do you have any more of this delicacy?”
After finishing their meal, several old men blinked at Li Yaoyao, gazing at her with hopeful expressions.
This meal was over, but they still had to think about the next one.
“Folks, don’t worry. The provincial relief supplies will arrive within the next couple of days. Please be patient a little longer!”
Li Yaoyao could not guarantee anything about the instant noodles, but according to the schedule, the disaster-relief supplies should arrive within the next two days.
Only after hearing this did the villagers leave contentedly.
As long as supplies were on the way, everything would be fine!
After seeing everyone off, Li Yaoyao tidied up beneath the tree and carried the sack home.
The first thing she did upon returning was open the wooden chest to see whether any new supplies had arrived that day. Unfortunately, there was still nothing.
“The immortal has already helped me so much. I shouldn’t ask for too much.”
Li Yaoyao spoke softly.
Before long, her gaze fell upon the snacks the immortal had sent her.
She opened a packet of spicy strips and tasted a few. Their delicious flavor exploded across her palate.
Fragrant and spicy at first, with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
They were absolutely delicious!
After a while, Li Yaoyao thought it over carefully. She still ought to write the immortal another letter of thanks. Without the immortal’s help, everyone would have gone hungry today.
Without giving it further thought, she picked up her pen and wrote another long letter of gratitude. Then, with a nervous heart, she placed it into the wooden chest.
“I hope the immortal can see it.”
After a short while, the wooden chest changed once again. Her letter was returned, with several additional words written upon it.
“I am not an immortal. I am only an ordinary person.”
Only an ordinary person?
Li Yaoyao studied the few crooked characters written on the letter.
How could an ordinary person make so many delicious foods appear from inside a chest?
“If the immortal does not wish to reveal his identity, Yaoyao will not press the matter. Regardless, I must still thank the immortal for his generous gift.”
Li Yaoyao thought about it. Perhaps this was what the old saying meant by not revealing the secrets of Heaven. That must be why the immortal was unwilling to tell her too much.
Before long, the note returned once more.
“My name is Ye Fan. I come from the year 2024.”
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