Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 90 - 088 Instant Noodles One More

Chapter 90: 088 Instant Noodles One More

Everyone wasn’t hungry in the evening; they had some water and a few biscuits and then went to bed.

Because they slept early, Li Xianglu woke up early the next morning, while Grandpa Li was still asleep. Aunt Qi from the opposite lower bunk also got up, and Li Xianglu greeted her with a smile and went to freshen up.

After washing up, she saw Aunt Qi come out and said with a smile, "Aunt Qi, give me your lunch box."

Qi Minjun thought the kid was going to buy some porridge, so she handed it over without hesitation.

However, Li Xianglu didn’t buy porridge; instead, she spent five cents at the dining car for two large boxes of freshly boiled water.

Li Xianglu skillfully soaked two instant noodle cakes in each lunch box and squeezed all the seasoning packets over them before carefully securing the box and walking back to the carriage with a borrowed tray.

Upon reaching the carriage, she found that Grandpa and Uncle Xie were awake. She greeted them with a smile, put down the lunch boxes, and returned the tray.

On this side, after washing her face, Qi Minjun came in and smelled a strong sauce aroma. She sniffed around, wondering where the scent was coming from.

Grandpa Li also noticed the delicious aroma and looked around curiously. At that moment, Li Xianglu returned the tray and entered. Seeing the three of them sniffing around, she chuckled, went in, and opened her family’s lunch box. The noodles inside had already soaked up and were emitting the enticing aroma of savory instant noodles.

Curious, Grandpa Li exclaimed, "Did you buy these noodles from the dining car?"

Li Xianglu shook her head and replied, "I bought them at the big store at the train station."

It wasn’t a lie, because it was still early, and she, Qin Xi, and Qin Zhen had walked around a bit. It was pitch dark and nothing was open, but the big store at the train station was open 24 hours. It had quite a few food items, and Li Xianglu saw the simplistically packaged instant noodles there. The noodles were especially dry and didn’t look appetizing, but in order to avoid drawing attention, Li Xianglu insisted on buying a few packs. Qin Xi didn’t say anything and just paid for them.

However, the noodles that Li Xianglu soaked were not those she bought but from her own Storage Ring. Her Storage Ring had a plethora of snacks, including instant noodles with Tom Yum flavor from Thailand. She must have been really afraid of going hungry back then.

Although she couldn’t remember the reasons for stocking up, Li Xianglu was very happy with her past decision, or else she would not have had so many snacks now.

When the Xie family couple saw the two noodle cakes and the un-melted red oil, they asked in confusion, "What is this?" Nowadays, instant noodles are manufactured by Shanghai First Food Factory under a brand named Yimin. The packaging is simple, containing just a fried noodle cake and a packet of spicy salt seasoning. They taste average, just a bit warm.

But the noodles Li Xianglu brought back in the two large lunch boxes clearly tasted much better than the ones bought outside.

Qi Minjun didn’t wait for Li Xianglu to answer and tried stirring them. The entire noodle cake had soaked up well, became stretchy, and emitted a strong savory aroma.

Li Xianglu smiled and said, "I fried some sauces and added them on top. I thought just the chili powder in the packet wouldn’t taste good, so I added some sauce."

Mr. Li took out another lunch box, dished out half a box of noodles for his granddaughter, poured some soup, and started eating himself. He couldn’t stop praising, "Wow, these noodles are really delicious! You’re so clever this time. Have you given some to Qin Xi’s side yet?"

Li Xianglu took a bite of the noodles before responding, "No, there’s no hot water in the hard seat carriage, it’s inconvenient, so I just gave them Baiji Bread, pickles, and canned pears."

Previously having tried instant noodles once, brought from Shanghai by her husband and cooked with added eggs and vegetables, Qi Minjun found it not too bad. It wasn’t as chewy as homemade noodles, but it was already great to have such food on a train. The four of them enjoyed the noodles and also had some moist steamed buns. Qi Minjun even drank all the soup in her bowl and, breaking into a sweat, laughed, "You clever girl, who would’ve thought to add sauce to the instant noodles? No one else thought of that!"

Li Xianglu silently fretted; she shouldn’t have been so careless. After all, instant noodles really didn’t come with seasoning packs until the 1990s. It was indeed a surprise to bring it out decades in advance, but remembering that seasoning packs were not easy to make and were patented after years of experimentation, she reassured herself and smiled, "It was a spontaneous idea! Us Guanzhong people love Saozi Noodles the most. I thought it would be tasty to add some saozi into the noodles."

Qi Minjun nodded in agreement, "Absolutely! Our Saozi Noodles would be too bland without the saozi."

The train was late and didn’t arrive until ten in the morning the next day. It took over thirty hours. Li Xianglu stretched and climbed out of bed, quickly got into her shoes. They only carried two large army-green canvas travel bags, while the Xie couple brought more items including two urea bags and a suitcase.

Seeing Li Xianglu’s curious glance, Qi Minjun explained with a smile, "These are special products for the kids’ grandparents."

After the train stopped, everyone had already grabbed their belongings and waited by the door.

It was just stair platforms, inconvenient. Li Xianglu first pulled down a bag, then quickly turned to help Mr. Li.

At that moment, Qin Xi quickly ran over from the hard seat carriage and took over both people’s luggage.

Some of the Xie family were there to pick them up. Qi Minjun warmly invited Li Xianglu and Mr. Li to come visit their home, but Li Xianglu smiled and said, "I’ll visit after returning home." Qi Minjun didn’t insist further; her own mother-in-law’s house wasn’t big and it wasn’t convenient to entertain guests; moreover, it was her husband’s parents’ home, not hers, so she left, reminding Li Xianglu to definitely keep in touch when she went back.

Qin Xi looked a bit sour seeing Aunt Qi’s warm attitude, "Just spending thirty hours on the train and you already don’t want to part, wanting to take her home?"

Li Xianglu proudly tilted her head and laughed, "That’s right, I’m very likable!" turning to her grandfather, she said, "Grandpa, you agree, right?"

Mr. Li, nagged by his granddaughter, shook his head and said, "Yes, indeed, everyone loves you!"

Just then, Qin Zhen ran over from another carriage, complaining to his brother, "Why did you run so fast, big brother?"

Qin Xi glared at his brother, "You’re all grown up, can’t you even find the right carriage?"

In a rush, the group made their way out, had their tickets checked at the entrance, and Li Xianglu sighed in relief at the exit, "Oh, how come Shanghai’s winter air is both damp and cold!"