Noodle Stall Owner Goes Viral After Cooking for Injured Fan

A humble bowl of fried noodles is drawing crowds of visitors from across the country to Jiyuan, Henan Province, this holiday.

The vendor, Zhou, who runs Yaozai Fried Noodles, shot to fame online after he went all way to cooking for one of his loyal fans, who had just been released out of hospital due to a car accident, according to Red Star News.

Xiaomi, the devoted fan, kept craving for Zhou's noodles during her stay in hospital. The accident itself had occurred on her way to his stall.

Touched by her story, Zhou spared his peak night-market business hours to cook at her doorstep.

The half-hour video of the encounter, titled "Chosen Family," was uploaded to Douyin, where it exploded in popularity.

Within two days it racked up more than 2.2 million likes and nearly 80,000 comments, with netizens praising Zhou as "a kind man in a complicated world."

His stall has since seen nightly queues stretching into the early morning, while his October 1 livestream drew nearly 10,000 viewers at its peak.

Customers traveled hours to get a bite, including one who drove nine hours from Qingdao and another who came all the way from Hohhot, according to the report.

Owner of the social media account described the event as "boring but romantic" saying that even small gestures of sincerity and kindness can heal anxiety in modern life.

"Friends are the family you choose," they explained in the video.

Despite the sudden fame, Zhou told Red Star News he never expected to go viral: "For me, it was just a small favor. I just want to run my stall as usual."

Xiaomi and her friends who invited Zhou, meanwhile, say the experience left them with a memory they will "recall countless times," and hope others can also find healing in the small lights of everyday life.