Rebirth: Once Again With You

The old man Zhou was pleasantly surprised when he saw that her granddaughter and customer had known each other.

"You guys know each other?"

Zhou Ya frowned in disapproval. "Grandpa, are you bothering our customer again?"

"Little Ya, I am really not this time. I was just making a small conversation with this pretty young lady."

Zhou Ya put her hand on her hips while shaking her head. "She's my classmate, and I think you have enough chatting for today, Grandpa."

"What?! But I still—!"

"No buts!" Zhou Ya didn't give in and ushered her grandfather to leave. The old man Zhou winked at Li Caiyi for the last time before Zhou Ya finally managed to get him back to the kitchen.

Then she approached Li Caiyi with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for my Grandpa. Did he say anything rude to you?"

Li Caiyi giggled. "No, we were mostly talking about you. He said he has a cute granddaughter studying in the same school as me."

Zhou Ya sighed. "I knew he was going to do that. He always told the customers stories about his family. Well, it's not like I hated it, but it just feels awkward when that customer comes again and suddenly knows everything about you."

"Your grandfather seemed like a nice person who loves his family."

Zhou Ya tucked her messy hair behind her ear and smiled bashfully. "Well, he sure did."

Li Caiyi also had a grandfather who had passed away when she was little. Whenever their family visited Grandfather's house, he always gave Li Caiyi extra candies and spoiled her rotten. At that time, she often complained to Grandfather that her father only liked her older brother, and her mother liked her twin sister more, so no one wanted her.

Grandfather would always coax her and tell her stories until she fell asleep. She didn't spend that much time with her grandfather, but that memory remained strong in her mind even until today.

"Did you come here to eat? How is our shop's noodle?"

Li Caiyi gave her a double thumbs-up. "It's the best! I have actually come here a few times before, but it's the first time I see you today."

"I only helped out when the shop was short of hand. Usually, a part-timer helps my Grandpa and Dad run the shop. When the shop is too crowded or when one of the part-timers is absent, that's when you'll see me."

"I see. No wonder I have never seen you before." Li Caiyi thought this might be her chance to dig further, so she leaned in closer to ask Zhou Ya. "By the way, do you perhaps know any customer with the name Shen Qiang? He is a boy around our age."

"Shen Qiang?" Zhou Ya was silent for a while, thinking very seriously. "Not that I know of, but that name does ring a bell. I don't remember where I heard that name, though."

Li Caiyi's eyes brightened. She felt like dancing now, just from how happy she was. "Please, Zhou Ya! I need to find this person as soon as possible. Can you think about it harder?"

Zhou Ya was surprised by Li Caiyi's eagerness. She had never seen her so enthusiastic about something before. This Shen Qiang person must be important to her, then.

Zhou Ya was tactful enough not to pry, but no matter how she tried, she just could not remember where she had ever heard that name before.

"I'm sorry, Li Caiyi, but I really can't remember. I might have heard it in the shop or perhaps in school, but I seriously can't remember further than that."

"School? Do you mean you might have heard about Shen Qiang in school?"

"I can not say for sure, but I rarely go anywhere besides my house and school, so there is a high possibility of that."

Li Caiyi's heart beat so fast thinking about the possibility that Shen Qiang might be their school's student. It made her so pumped up, and she could not wait for tomorrow to come.

Shen Qiang might be closer to her than she thought.

Maybe that was why she got transported around this time! Because this was her chance to meet the younger version of Shen Qiang!

Li Caiyi did not know why she was so convinced, but she had a wonderful feeling about that idea. How wonderful would it be if that were true?

Li Caiyi grabbed Zhou Ya's hand with both hands, and she gave her the brightest smile she could muster on her face.

"Zhou Ya, you are my lifesaver! Thank you so much for your help!"

Zhou Ya was astonished, but then she looked doubtful.

"Li Caiyi, what I have just said is merely a guess, and there's no guarantee that the Shen Qiang I randomly heard was the same person you were looking for. I do not want you to have a big hope, only to be disappointed later."

Li Caiyi understood what she meant, but she could not help but feel like she and Shen Qiang were tied with a string of fate. If not, how could both of them frequently visit the same shop, who actually owned by her friend's grandfather?

There was no way she would know about this before her rebirth, but there was a reason she came to know about it in this timeline.

Li Caiyi refused to believe that all of this was a mere coincidence.

"Zhou Ya, I'm very happy I can get to know you. Please let me know immediately if you remember anything about Shen Qiang! I will forever be indebted to you if you do!"

"Oh? O-okay…." Zhou Ya was not used to the passionate Li Caiyi, so she unknowingly stuttered in her words.

After that, they chatted for a bit before Li Caiyi left while leaving a generous tip for Zhou Ya. She wanted to refuse, but Li Caiyi insisted that Zhou Ya had helped her immensely today, so she reluctantly accepted it.

It was not until Li Caiyi got in the taxi and drove away that Zhou Ya finally rested. She let out a deep breath as she put the metal delivery box away. She received a hefty tip today, so her mood was pretty good.

That was when the chime on the door rang, signaling another customer's arrival. Zhou Ya immediately greeted him with a business smile.

"Welcome! Do you need a table for one person?" Zhou Ya asked after confirming that this new customer came alone.

"No need, I will order a takeaway," replied the young man.

"Understood. Please take a look at our menu and give me your order." Zhou Ya gestured on the menu board on top of the counter, then swiftly pulled out a pen and paper from her apron's pocket.

"I will take this one and that one. One portion each." The young man pointed to the menu directly, and Zhou Ya noted it down fast.

"Please wait a minute until your order is ready. You can take a seat first, and I will deliver your order to you when it's ready!"

The young man briefly nodded before making his way to the seat Li Caiyi previously sat on. Meanwhile, Zhou Ya went to the kitchen to place the young man's order on the queue list.

The young man gazed outside the window absentmindedly when his phone rang. He picked up the call with a faint smile.

"I'm waiting for your favorite noodle right now. Wait a bit more, Shen Qiang."