The friendship of two maids accompanying the 'foolish master'

The story of the Chinese noodle cart of Mr. Ho Thang Chi's family (40 years old) nestled in Xa Tay market (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) touched many people.

Memories of a noodle shop

At 5pm, I joined the traffic, returning home from the office to rest after a working day at the beginning of the week. On the way, I drove to Phu Dong Thien Vuong street, stopped by Xa Tay market to find Chi's family's noodle shop, which I had eaten at once when exploring Cho Lon area with a friend.

Mr. Chi's family noodle cart is located in Xa Tay market.

As the night falls, many of the food and drink shops here turn on their lights. Most of them sell dishes with typical Chinese flavors, making the atmosphere of this small " food court" extremely lively.

Mr. Chi's noodle cart is simple, nestled in a corner of Xa Tay market. In front, there is the word "Tuyen Ky" stained with time so that customers can recognize this is the name of the noodle shop that has been passed down through 3 generations of owners.

The restaurant's menu is diverse and brand new, printed in both Vietnamese and Chinese: wonton dumplings, fish noodle soup, fish balls and tofu, yellow vermicelli noodles, spaghetti, braised pork ribs with lago, beef stew with curry... The owner said that here, the prices of dishes start from 50,000 VND.

The noodle cart had just opened and was always full of customers. The shop had only three people, including two women with gray hair and Mr. Chi, the owner. When asked, it turned out that they were Mrs. Lien (70 years old) and Mrs. Ling (67 years old), who had both helped Mr. Chi’s family with their business for nearly four decades.

The mixed noodles are eye-catching.

Confiding in us, Mrs. Ling said that she was a neighbor of Mr. Chi's father - Mr. Ho To Ha. In 1977, she helped his family sell noodles and considered this noodle cart as her second home.

“This noodle cart was sold by Mr. Ha’s father before 1975, also in this Xa Tay market area. After he passed away, Mr. Ha’s family took over the business, with me and Mrs. Lien helping out,” she recalled pensively, then told me about the events of Mr. Ha’s family.

Accordingly, he had 3 children, 2 boys, 1 girl. In 1996, one of his daughters died in an accident, in 1997, Mr. Ha was also in pain when his son also passed away. So he only had Chi, a foolish son, not as active and lively as everyone else.

Ms. Lien (left) and Ms. Ling help Mr. Chi inherit the noodle cart that has been passed down through three generations of the family.

In 1998, he passed away, leaving the noodle cart to Chi and his mother to do business with two assistants. Life went on peacefully until 2019, when Chi's mother also passed away, leaving only him in the family. However, it was difficult for Chi to inherit the family business alone.

With only Chi left in the house, Mrs. Lien and I couldn't bear to abandon the noodle cart that had been with us for more than half our lives, so we continued to sell it until we couldn't sell it anymore. If we abandoned it, we would drink a lot, drink the noodle cart that so many lives had spent, so many people had built it...

Mrs. Ling, Assistant Manager

Dear customers, please come and support us forever.

The noodle cart that sold from 5pm to 11pm has started to gradually close. When asked why she doesn't sell in the morning or at noon, Mrs. Ling smiled and said that they are both old now and don't have the strength to sell all day. Every day, all three people in the shop spend time preparing the dishes. When it's time to welcome customers, Mrs. Lien prepares the dishes, Ling receives the customers, handles the payments, and Mr. Chi helps with the odd jobs. Yet, everyone has gotten used to the job over the years.

I ordered a familiar bowl of mixed noodles, Mrs. Lien quickly made it. In less than 3 minutes, the steaming hot bowl of noodles was served in front of me. The bowl of noodles looked simple with golden noodles, clear broth, eaten with shrimp, beef balls, pork tendons, kidney, tofu... Sprinkle a little pepper on top to enhance the flavor, eaten with the restaurant's "secret" dipping sauce, enough to fill me up for the whole evening.

The shop opens from 5pm, located at 3 Phu Dong Thien Vuong Street (District 5).

[CLIP]: Chinese noodle cart at Xa Tay market: 2 female assistants 'silly boss'

What I like most here is the sweet broth, the fresh ingredients, especially the traditional Chinese noodles. As for the taste, I give it an 8/10. It would be a great experience to eat noodles here while looking out onto the street to watch the bustling life of the largest Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Tran Dai (53 years old, living in District 5) said he has been eating at this restaurant since Mr. Chi's father was still selling. Agreeing with me, he said that the noodles here are delicious and tasty, so he comes here every week to eat, sometimes buying some to take home for his relatives.

“I love you so much! The whole family now has only Chi left, living alone like that. Back then, the whole family sold noodles together, it was so much fun. I don’t know what will happen to this noodle cart, but as long as it’s still selling, I will continue to support it,” the customer confided, looking at the noodle cart in front.

Mixed noodles cost 55,000 VND.

Although not as active as others, Mr. Chi is still very gentle and friendly with every customer who visits the noodle shop. Mrs. Ling confided that the noodle cart has now become an indispensable part of her life. Her happiness every day is still cooking, serving customers, and lighting the noodle cart that she has been attached to all her youth...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/xe-mi-khu-cho-lon-nghia-tinh-2-co-phu-viec-dong-hanh-cung-cau-chu-kho-185230807205706687.htm