Inspired by Episode 41. Shancai and Daoming Si return to see Mrs. Yue.
Daoming Si was the last person Mrs. Yue had expected to see in her shop today.
The last time she had seen the boy, he was completely heartbroken sitting across from the girl his family wouldn't allow him to be with. Her heart ached for the young couple, and hoped that some peace would be found in this time of turmoil. The taste of Shancai's Eight Treasure Spicy noodles was still vivid to her. The forward sweetness of the dish was cut with a bitterness that somehow intermingled with one another in each bite. She smiled sadly at the recollection of Si's comment when she remarked on the bitterness. "I must have left that impression on her at that time."
Si cleared his throat, breaking Mrs. Yue out of her train of thought. "Si what can I make for you today? It has been so long since I last saw you. I almost thought I wouldn't find you here after the last time..." Si smiled softly at her last comment, "About that Mrs. Yue..." She must have touched a nerve. She interrupted him, "Nonsense, no need to talk about it. Let's eat! Go ahead and sit at your usual table I'll bring your favorite dishes by. You're way too skinny. How are you supposed to run the Daoming Group on an empty stomach." He nodded politely and walked to the table nearby.
Mrs. Yue rushed to the kitchen, having her son begin on Si's dishes before grabbing some green tea, and returning to his table. She set a cup in front of him, and was about to return to the kitchen when he asked, "Ah Mrs. Yue, will you bring another cup? I'm actually meeting someone here." She smiled, "Of course, I'll bring another plate too." Her heart ached for the boy. She had noticed that he was now wearing a platinum wedding band, but didn't dare to comment on that. She had seen the news right after Si had come in with Shancai all those months ago. He was to marry the eldest daughter of the He Business Group. She didn't want to meet the woman who he had to leave Shancai for.
She walked into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on all the dishes, and returned to his table; carefully lining the dishes up at the table for him to share with his new wife. Maybe it wouldn't be her, but one of the other members of F4. She hoped that he wasn't forcing himself to be happy while he was in her shop. Since he was a small boy he had sought refuge here; always seeking the comfort of home when he was outside of Shanghai. As he had gotten older, he still continued to do so even when his visits to London were infrequent. "Si, anything else I can get you?" He looked up from his phone, and before he could respond, the bell to the front door dinged. She looked back at Si apologetically, "Let me get them situated, and I'll return to your table." Si nodded in response, and his attention went back to his phone.
Mrs. Yue rounded the corner towards the entrance of her shop, and froze when she saw it was none other than Shancai waiting at the front counter. "Dong Shancai! What are you doing here?" She quietly exclaimed, trying not to draw any attention to them, as she pulled the young woman into a hug. "Mrs. Yue, it's so good to see you too. I'm actually looking for someone. He should have arrived by now." Mrs. Yue stepped back to take a good look at Shancai, she looked different from the last time she had seen her. Shancai seemed to be full of life. Her face was glowing, and her outfit was more polished than the jeans and oversized sweaters she had worn when she saw her last. Shancai currently had on a fitted summer dress, and light trench coat on. Her cheeks were a bit flushed and she was leaning on her suitcase for a bit of support.
Mrs. Yue didn't want to bring up the fact that Daoming Si also happened to be in her shop this afternoon. What were the odds that she would see them both in the same day? "Who might you be looking for? I'll escort you to that table." Mrs. Yue asked. More importantly she needed to keep Shancai as far as she could from seeing Daoming Si with someone else. "Well Mrs. Yue, I asked my husband to meet me here..." Shancai trailed off as her phone began to ring, and she went to answer it, "Hi, yes I'm here in the entryway. I'm walking there now." Shancai turned to Mrs. Yue, "Sorry about that. He told me where he was, so I'll go on ahead."
Mrs. Yue was utterly flabbergasted. Shancai was already married? Did Daoming Feng force her into an arranged marriage as well to ensure that neither party could marry one another? How cruel! More importantly, how was she going to prevent them from running into one another? Trying to not make a scene, she casually walked behind Shancai, pausing to check on two tables in the process. She thought her jaw had hit the ground when she saw Shancai sit down at Si's table. As she approached the table, she heard Si scolding Shancai, "I would have picked you up at the airport. Your lucky that nothing bad happened." Shancai reached over to grab his hand, "I'm sorry. I didn't want the paparazzi to bother you if they got wind of you being at the airport. They still haven't settled down since the last time. Now, let's eat! I'm so hungry!"
"Ah! Not so fast, Mrs. Daoming. If apologies worked then why do we need the police?" Si tried to give Shancai the sternest look he could before breaking into a grin. Shancai laughed, "I see that I will have to work hard to earn your forgiveness today." Shancai got up from her seat and started to walk towards Mrs, Yue. "May I borrow your kitchen really quick? I'd like to make a dish for Si. Do you mind sitting with him? I know he has been meaning to catch up with you. He doesn't get as many free days out in the city now that he is the Director." Mrs, Yue nodded in shock, and slowly walked over to their table. She pulled out a chair next to Si to sit down.
"The two of you are married? How is that possible? What happened in the six months since I last saw you?" She wanted answers, and pulled on his ear a bit. "Ah Mrs. Yue, I'll tell you what happened just stop pulling on my ear!" Si yelled, rubbing his ear after she had let go. He began their story right after they had departed her shop, and the crazy events that had escalated soon after. Mrs. Yue wiped the tears that spilled down her face as she listened to him speak. The young couple had already gone through so much in their short time together, but they had persevered each obstacle thrown their way. They were married, and she was so happy. She lightly slapped Si on the shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me this when you came in? I was so nervous about who you were meeting. I almost thought that the He woman you were supposed to be marrying was going to show up! The grief you've given me today!"
Si pretended to be injured from her slap "Auntie, you didn't give me a chance! Besides, this is still a business, your customers come first. I was fine with waiting to tell you everything when it slowed down a bit more." Mrs. Yue smiled at his concern, "The little boy I once knew has really grown into a man now. I'm so happy for the both of you. It's good to know that you got your happiness with Shancai." Si grinned, "After that day, I realized I didn't have to give up on either part of myself, and she was going to be with me every step of the way." Mrs Yue teared up again at the sentimental comment, and squeezed his hand.
"I made this to celebrate our reunion today!" Shancai set down two platters of her Eight Treasure Spicy Noodles on the table in front of Mrs. Yue and Si. "I think making your favorite dish should put me back in your good graces, right? Shancai teased as she sat down.
"...I haven't had this since we were here last." Si said, grabbing his chopsticks to begin eating. Mrs. Yue teared up a little again and encouraged him to dig in. "Auntie, I think you should start making this dish again here in your shop." Shancai mentioned in between bites. "We'll be primarily living in London moving forward, so it would be wonderful to see this on the menu again. I know we asked you to stop selling it, but I think that was quite selfish of us to ask that of you back then."
"I don't think it was selfish of you at all to ask me of such a thing." Mrs Yue finally responded. She grabbed the teapot and went to fill up the cups at the table. "You see, I've always seen Si as one of my own children in a way. When he initially asked me to start cooking the Eight Treasure Spicy Noodle dish for him to enjoy while he was here was a no brainer. I can't give him much, but I've always fed him. I've cooked my love into the food he has been given. I'll never forget the sorrow I saw in his eyes that evening when he asked me to remove the dish from the menu. I would only be feeding him sadness if I had refused the request."
Mrs. Yue found herself in Si's embrace as he hugged her tightly. "Thank you for everything you've done for me over the years." He whispered before letting go. "Of course, my dear. Though now that I know the two of you are planning on being London for a while I expect both of you to come in as regularly as you can. You better not show up six months from now!" Both Shancai and Si nodded their heads in agreement, and Mrs. Yue began to rise from her seat. "Good. Now that has been settled; I'll be checking on my other customers. Go ahead, and enjoy the rest of your meal." With that, she walked away allowing the Daomings to enjoy the rest of the meal as a couple.
Shancai made sure Mrs. Yue was out of hearing distance before turning back towards her husband. He was currently stuffing his face with the remaining noodles on the platter. "Oi, have you not been eating since I went back to Shanghai? I was only gone a few days. You should be glad to hear that I was able to switch the majority of my remaining classes from Mingde to their sister University here in London." He took a moment to pause from eating. "Well my little white pig, you should know that I have been very busy at work. On top of that I had to worry about you travelling alone. Now that you are part of the Daoming Group your safety is even more crucial, so it was very hard to eat when all I did was work crazy long hours, and when I wasn't working I was worried about you." He leaned over the table to pinch her cheek.
Shancai stuck her tongue out at him in response. "Good thing I asked you to meet me here then. I figured you weren't taking good care of yourself! Keep eating. How are you supposed to lead us through this new plan of yours if you aren't eating?" She piled up his plate a bit more before munching on the remaining bits of her plate. They continued enjoying the light hearted banter, and discussing their plans for the future. The mood was completely different from the last time they sat here, and it felt good to create happier memories in this shop.
Shancai and Si had just finished their meal, and were ready to return home. When Si attempted to pay the bill at the front counter, Mrs. Yue refused any payment. "No need. I think you needed this outing over here more than you know. I was watching the two of you earlier, and you both radiated happiness the entire time. It was a privilege to know that you had that experience today. I hope that offsets the tribulations you've gone through in the past." Shancai stepped up to give Mrs. Yue one last hug for the afternoon. "Thank you again." She said, and stepped back to take Si's hand and exit the restaurant.