Reading Guide:
1. Seven-year age gap, happy ending
2. Noodle shop owner (older) x lawyer (younger), an ordinary love story
1.
At 25, Jiang Han has just received her license to practice law. She works late into the night, with the first case she is handling independently due in court tomorrow.
A colleague sends her a photo, saying a new place called Chunfang Noodle House has opened downstairs, and asks if she wants to grab a late-night snack together.
In the corner of the photo, a woman making noodles is blurred. Jiang Han jolts and zooms in, her breath quickening.
Memories flash back.
Years ago, in a cramped prefab room at a logistics park,
she shared a narrow bed with this woman, listening to trains rumble past in the dead of night.
They had once tentatively sought comfort in each other, crushed the fragile bed beneath them, and rolled together, sticky with sweat, beside a pile of flour.
Now, Jiang Han doesn’t have the courage to go downstairs and eat a bowl of noodles.
2.
On the day of the trial, Lin Luoshen sits in the defendant’s seat, her expression calm as still water. Her gaze rests on the shocked face of Jiang Han, the plaintiff’s lawyer.
Four years ago, she and the girl across from her had dreamed of moving into a cozy home, one with a sturdy double bed.
In court, Jiang Han’s calm, professional questioning carries a trace of reluctance.
Lin Luoshen quietly tells her lawyer, “Let her win.”
After the hearing, on the courthouse steps, she reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Jiang Han’s ear and smiles faintly. “Congratulations, Attorney Jiang.”
Jiang Han bites her lip. She has won her first case, but feels no joy at all.
3.
That night, Chunfang Noodle House welcomes its final customer, just like the tiny, fly-ridden eatery from years ago.
Jiang Han sits down inside, tips back a gulp of beer, then slams the glass onto the table. Her tears fall into the steaming noodles.
The usually skilled Lin Luoshen makes a mistake. The noodles she breaks on the cutting board are even more tangled than her thoughts.
With a helpless sigh, she washes her hands and brings Jiang Han a peeled tea egg. “Don’t cry.”
Jiang Han: “You’ve lost your home. Where will you live?”
Lin Luoshen: “I don’t know yet.”
Jiang Han: “My place... My roommate is just about to move out. How about you...”
Lin Luoshen smiles. “Now it’s your turn to take me in?”
(Jiang Han’s roommate: Huh? How come I didn’t know I was moving out? I’m rooting for you!)
[Blurb updated on 2025.07.28 and archived]
Theme: Live earnestly, and love each other well.
