Tokyo, Shinjuku District, four figures walked back and forth on the street at night.
"I said, why can't we take a taxi?" The little fat man walking at the front couldn't stop complaining, "This road is so bad, my shoes will wear out when I walk on it."
"Isn't it because this road is so bad that it's hard to take a taxi? Narusawa, think about it, it's difficult for a person with two legs to walk, and a car with four wheels will definitely not be able to get in." She said like a housewife.
A young woman educates her children, "And I see that there seems to be a warning sign prohibiting cars from passing at this intersection."
The little fat man is Lu Mingfei's cousin Lu Mingze, and the middle-aged woman is Lu Mingze's mother and Lu Mingfei's aunt.
This backstreet located at the National University of Tokyo is indeed closed to all vehicles. In fact, after the disaster a week ago, the traffic in Tokyo has become extremely bad, the roads are bumpy, and almost all public transportation facilities are damaged. With the efforts of the whole city,
During the one-week rescue period, most roads in the city were barely passable by vehicles, but the number of private cars on the road was several times less than before the disaster.
Because after Tokyo was devastated by the super tsunami a week ago, at least 70% of the cars in the city were soaked in water or suffered varying degrees of damage. During this week, the business of the car repair shop was very prosperous, but the insurance
However, the company had a huge headache. Several insurance companies with the largest market share in Tokyo declared bankruptcy one after another within a week, and the entire Tokyo economy fell back for at least ten years.
Therefore, during this period of time, the cost of traveling in Tokyo has become staggeringly high. Transportation costs in Japan were already very expensive. Now the starting price of a taxi is five times higher, and sometimes you may not even be able to get one in half an hour.
For a car, the air ticket was increased by ten times by the airline, and it was hard to find a ticket. The woman stayed up all night and snagged some tickets to fly to South Korea at Narita Airport. Just as the group was happy to leave
When we were in this damn damn place, that damn flight was suddenly cancelled. The weird thing was that it was the only one canceled all day long, and I couldn't get any tickets after that.
Moreover, all the hotels and inns in Tokyo were full, and even the Internet cafes were crowded with people. Even those with money couldn't afford to stay there. Fortunately, there was no end to the problem. Just when a group of people were about to sleep on the streets, aunt
A winning message suddenly popped up on their phone. It was from the four-star hotel they had booked before. In the past, my aunt could get free Perrier water because of the good reviews, so she was extra careful when leaving good reviews and sent a long list. Now her intentions are
Finally, the reward came. The four-star hotel offered them two reserved rooms at 40% off the usual price, and also gave them an extra brunch.
Auntie hurriedly booked the room. She didn't even have time to think about whether the text message might be a scam. She quickly led everyone back to the hotel to confirm with the front desk. When the beautiful girl at the front desk smiled and nodded at her aunt politely,
After confirming that the activity was real and valid and lasted for ten days, my aunt happily asked everyone for credit. She also said that Japan is actually a pretty good place. I didn’t have all the fun in a few days. Since the hotel was discounted, the hotel also provided free food.
Yes, the bulk of the expenses have already been taken care of. The rest of the time is spent grabbing air tickets while enjoying the rebuilt Tokyo.
The aunt generously gave one of the rooms to Director Chen and his family. After all, they were helpless in Japan, and they had invited them to Japan in the first place, so they were too embarrassed to leave them alone... In the end
The main thing is that after meeting her nephew, Director Chen and his family no longer have the domineering and arrogant attitude they used to have. The girl Jiajia still looks pretty good. My aunt thinks that this little girl is a perfect match for her Ming Ze.
of.
Everyone was impressed by the luck of this middle-aged woman who usually looked busy, but even the aunt herself didn't know that their stay in Japan had been arranged long ago, regardless of the sudden cancellation of the flight.
, or the seemingly pie-in-the-sky lottery win, is actually the work of Eva and Kaguya. To ordinary people like my aunt and family who know nothing about the truth of the world, they are like people in a big iron can.
As an ant, both fate and life trajectory can be arranged arbitrarily.
"Mingfei, did you say you took us to eat in this alley?" The uncle stretched his head and looked at the street with few street lights, "It can't be another Michelin-starred restaurant. I heard my friend say that it is the most expensive in Japan.
The most meaningful restaurants are actually hidden in such inconspicuous alleys. Surely the one you take us to is not a century-old restaurant, right? Don’t let it cost you too much!"
Lu Mingze, who was walking at the front, almost burst into laughter when he heard these words. He couldn't help but speed up his steps. He never complained about the shoes scratching his feet. In fact, he was watching TV in the hotel when his cousin came. Originally, he was watching TV in the hotel.
He didn't plan to go out, but Lu Mingfei said he would invite his aunt and his family to have a meal, and Lu Mingze suddenly jumped out of bed... The luxurious meal he had in Beiqingshan last time left a deep impression on him.
Before leaving Japan, I dreamed of having another meal, but my aunt, who was always thrifty, probably wouldn't satisfy Lu Mingze's extravagant appetite. I didn't think about it, so I thought that my cousin who was dating a girl from a wealthy family would just come to visit again.
"It's not a century-old store... but it must have been open for more than sixty years." Lu Mingfei said vaguely. He hadn't told his uncle and aunt yet what the purpose of inviting them out this time was. "But it still has a lot of meaning, because
The master has been doing this business since he was young, and everyone who has eaten it says it is good."
"We are also discussing that the prices in Tokyo are getting higher and higher this week, and there are people everywhere. We are worried about where to eat tonight. You are the one who came here, and I am embarrassed to ask you to invite your aunt again this time.
"Yes." The aunt turned to smile at her nephew, "But now we are obviously not prosperous. We have made a lot of money, and we are still thinking about my uncle and aunt's family. It is a good character to not forget your roots. If your parents are still in China, you must be very filial.
them."
The aunt said a rare pleasant word, and Lu Mingfei also smiled. He said to his aunt: "Actually, this time I want my uncle and aunt to replace my parents."
"Ah?" Auntie was stunned, "What do you mean?"
Lu Mingfei didn't immediately answer her aunt's doubts. Instead, she pointed to a glowing stall on the corner of the street. Lu Mingfei said, "We're here."
The whole group was stunned and stopped, including uncle, aunt, and Lu Mingze... because Lu Mingfei was pointing at a ramen stall.
Where is the Michelin star restaurant that was promised? Where is the century-old restaurant that was promised? Where is the feast that was promised... Oh no, it seems that Lu Mingfei has not promised any of these. He just went to his uncle and aunt's family and said that he would treat them to dinner, and then
They followed, and Lu Mingfei never said whether he wanted lobster, abalone or soy sauce ramen tonight.
"This is... Mingfei, the place where you said you wanted to treat us to a meal?" My aunt pointed at the ramen stand and asked with some disbelief, "That ramen stand?"
"Yes." Lu Mingfei nodded, "I want to take you to meet the ramen master. He has been working here for more than sixty years."
"What's so good about the ramen master? What's so good about ramen? You tricked me out of the hotel." Lu Mingze looked downcast, like an eggplant battered by frost, "I might as well eat instant noodles in the hotel.
You can eat while watching TV.”
"Oh, oh, oh, don't say that, ramen is pretty good, isn't it?" At this time, my uncle stood up and smoothed things over, "And didn't Mingfei say that the ramen chef here has been doing this for more than 60 years, which proves his
The standard is very high. I heard that a handmade sushi or a bowl of noodles in many old sushi and ramen restaurants in Japan is more expensive than a plate of Wagyu beef outside!"
Auntie and Lu Mingze followed Lu Mingfei to the ramen stall suspiciously. Their disappointed expressions became more and more obvious the closer they got to the stall.
I don’t know how many years of use the cotton and linen door curtains have been worn to the point where the lines are no longer visible, but they are still quite clean after being washed. The decoration of the entire stall can only be said to be quite satisfactory and a bit old-fashioned, which is not what it looks like.
A place that makes high-end ramen, a typical yatai cart model. The signboard at the door of the ramen stall indicates the types and prices of ramen. The cheapest soy sauce ramen with a braised egg only costs 600 yen a bowl, which is better than the chain fast food ramen on the street.
Amortization is cheaper.
What puzzles the aunt's family is that at the bottom of the signboard there is a warning slogan "Angers and Dogs" prohibited. They don't know who Angers is...is it some new type of vicious dog?
Lu Mingfei led his aunt and his family to sit down at the ramen stall. He deliberately sat in the second seat on the left. His uncle, aunt and Lu Mingfei sat in the row to his right.
There were no customers in the entire ramen stall. Maybe it was because there was a closed sign hanging outside the stall, but the water in the soup pot was already boiling, and the fragrance of the noodle soup filled the entire stage car. Smelling the pure fragrance of the soup, the hungry aunt and Lu
The resentment and dissatisfaction on Narusawa's face softened slightly.
"Mingfei, where is the ramen chef here?" The uncle looked around, "Why don't you see him?"
"He should have gone to pick someone up. My appointment with him is at eight o'clock." Lu Mingfei looked at his watch, "He will be here in a moment. The ramen soup should be the one he has just heated."
"I hope the ramen chef in this shop is really good at his craftsmanship, otherwise taking the bus and walking such a long way would not be enough to go back and forth." My aunt couldn't help complaining.
"I just said stay in the hotel and watch TV. What's so delicious about Japanese ramen? The most indispensable thing in Japan is ramen!" Lu Mingze also joined in.
"Okay, okay, it's rare to find such a stall in an alley. I think it still has a flavor of life, just like the night market stalls when I traveled to Wuhan a few years ago." The uncle comforted the mother and son, "And
Mingfei said that this ramen chef has been a guest for more than sixty years, so his craftsmanship should be quite authentic."
"Who knows if he has really been in business for more than sixty years? The pancake and fruit stall that has been open in front of our school for a few months all claims that its century-old craftsmanship has been passed down from our ancestors." Lu Mingze said, "But my senior brother said that he was here half a year ago.
I just saw the old man making pancakes and fruits learning the craft from other chefs two streets away."
"My ancestors were not ramen makers." A voice floated from far away, "It was 1949 when I made my first bowl of ramen. You can calculate how long I have been making ramen."
The old man dressed as a ramen chef suddenly appeared across from Lu Mingfei and the others. The three aunts were startled. None of them could see clearly how the old man walked into the ramen stall. It seemed as if he appeared out of thin air.
"Let me introduce, this is Master Yue." Lu Mingfei pointed to Uesugi Yue, who was standing in front of the soup pot, and then pointed to his uncles and others beside him, "These are my uncle, aunt, and my cousin."
Uesugoshi glanced at his aunt's family and didn't say anything. He just started kneading the dough. For a moment, his uncle and aunt didn't know how to speak. After all, they all thought Uesugoshi was Japanese and didn't understand the language, and they didn't know Lu Mingfei.
Why should we introduce a ramen chef to them in such a grand manner? Aren’t we just here to eat noodles today?
"Where's Eriyi?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice as he rushed to Shangyue.
"I'm still changing clothes up there. I said I wanted to dress more formally today." Uesugoshi said in a neither salty nor cool tone. He didn't look at Lu Mingfei and just kneaded the dough wholeheartedly. "I originally planned to wait for her to come down together, but
When she heard that you were coming, she asked me to entertain you first so that you would not go hungry."
The uncle and aunt looked at each other. Lu Mingfei and Uesugoshi communicated in Japanese the whole time. They didn't understand a word. They just thought that the ramen chef's attitude was very unruly. It didn't look like a shopkeeper treating his customers, but more like
Father to son?
"Oh oh oh, let's wait until Eriki comes." Lu Mingfei looked at Uesugi who was kneading the dough and said politely, "I'm really troubling you today, uncle."
"What are you calling me, uncle? Don't get involved. I'm old enough to be your grandfather!" Uesugi Yue snorted coldly, "Just call me Master Yue. Don't think that just because Eri is devoted to you, you can act recklessly in front of me. I
Let me tell you, I am still in the inspection period for you!"
"Yes, yes." Lu Mingfei shrank his head.
This scene made the aunt's family watch in silence. Although they couldn't understand Japanese, they could tell from the tone and gestures of the two of them that Lu Mingfei seemed to have said something to offend the ramen chef, and then he was taught a lesson.
"Does this old master have a bad temper?" the uncle asked Lu Mingfei in a low voice, only daring to glance at Uesugoshi out of the corner of his eye.
Even though he has been a ramen chef for more than sixty years, he is still the former mafia supreme, with the noble "royal blood" flowing in his body. Uesugoshi puts on airs and appears to be calm and self-confident in front of ordinary people.
.
"No, it's probably because he's not in a good mood lately." Lu Mingfei didn't intend to say that Uesugi was in a bad mood because he had an affair with the girl he just met.
"Why are there such shopkeepers? Isn't the management of the service industry in Japan very strict? You are not afraid of complaints for your attitude towards customers? No wonder the ramen stalls are not busy during the meal." The aunt was also a little dissatisfied with the ramen chef.