Red Oil Cold Noodles

He couldn't help but pick up some shredded cucumbers from the side dish plate and put them in his mouth. The cucumbers were very fresh, crisp, sweet, and had a sharp spicy kick. After the spiciness passed, the aroma of the chili oil finally bloomed, making him unable to stop chewing the noodles.

The cold noodles were coated in aromatic and spicy chili oil, paired with refreshing cucumbers, crunchy bean sprouts, and fragrant fried soybeans. His stomach, which had lost its appetite due to the hot weather, seemed to wake up and began to cry out: "So delicious!" The chili oil in the noodles had a moderate level of spiciness and a unique fragrance, unlike ordinary chili oil that only burned the mouth. Jiang Zhou felt that after eating, his stomach didn't feel uncomfortable like it did after eating hotpot; on the contrary, it felt warm. He had heard that chili oil had the effect of dispelling cold, and people in Si Chuan and Chong Qing liked eating spicy food to remove dampness. Although his back was sweating slightly, his body felt as refreshed as if he had just finished a run.

During the lunch break, Zhang Yue opened a food delivery app, sighed at the prices that were all several dozen yuan. The price of vegetables rose, housing prices rose, and even takeout prices rose, while salaries remained stagnant. Living in Hai Shi was truly not easy. Just as he was about to place an order, a peculiar fragrance wafted into his nose. He looked up and saw his colleague, Jiang Zhou, eating lunch; the aroma was coming from there.

The spicy fragrance of the chili oil left Zhang Yue mesmerized. He put down his phone and asked Jiang Zhou, "What are you eating that smells so good?"

Jiang Zhou continued to eat without looking up, replying, "Red Oil Cold Noodles bought from the street market."

Zhang Yue thought Jiang Zhou was joking. How could the cold noodles he had eaten before have such a fragrance? When he looked closer, he saw that although Jiang Zhou's bowl contained ordinary cold noodles, the toppings and meat were very abundant, looking much more appealing.

Not just Zhang Yue, but more than ten others in the office were also attracted by the scent. Soon, Jiang Zhou was surrounded.

"Wow, what are you eating that smells so heavenly?"
"This smell is making my mouth water!"
"Jiang Zhou, let me have a bite."
"Give us the address of the shop, I want to buy some too."

Seeing everyone about to "attack" his bowl of noodles, Jiang Zhou hurriedly hugged it tight: "No way, I'm not giving any. These are cold noodles from the Bai Ji shop in the street market. If you want to eat them, go buy them yourselves!"

He pushed everyone away and added, "That shop doesn't seem to have a delivery service. It's a new shop so there's a discount right now. Hurry up and go, and leave me alone!"

Seeing that they couldn't "beg" for any, everyone gave up, but in their hearts, they had already decided to head to the street market.

"Brother Zhang, are you going too? It's so hot outside, could you help me buy a bowl? I'll treat you to milk tea next time."

The street market was only about 500 meters away, which was quite close.