txolops Chapter 10: Bringing people to support you
Chapter 10: Bringing people to support you
"Click!"
Lin Chen abruptly turned off the blazing gas stove.
He picked up the iron pot with his left hand and gently pushed it with the spatula in his right.
Two portions of golden-brown, perfectly separated fried rice were placed in a takeout box.
Without any unnecessary words, Lin Chen handed the two lunchboxes to Zhao Qiang and Li Na, who had been waiting impatiently.
"Thank you, boss!"
Zhao Qiang took the lunchbox with both hands, saving himself the trouble of finding a stool to sit down.
He stood right next to the tricycle, picked up a plastic spoon, scooped up a large spoonful, and stuffed it into his mouth without even looking at it.
"Ouch—it's so hot!"
Zhao Qiang was gasping for breath from the heat, but he stubbornly refused to spit out the food in his mouth.
He chewed quickly, and the aroma of rice and the rich fragrance of eggs exploded in his mouth.
"Holy crap..."
Zhao Qiang mumbled something indistinctly, and the spoon in his hand immediately became a blur as he frantically shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth.
On the other side, Li Na held her lunchbox, looked at the fried rice inside without a trace of excess oil, and took a deep breath.
She gently scooped up a small spoonful and put it in her mouth.
The moment she chewed, Li Na's pupils contracted sharply.
The egg tightly wrapped around the rice grains, bouncing on the tongue, while the sweetness of the scallions perfectly balanced the slight saltiness.
Li Na originally wanted to maintain a sophisticated, professional demeanor while eating slowly, but her body's instincts instantly overwhelmed her reason.
She held the lunchbox in her left hand and a spoon in her right, and started eating heartily while still standing there.
She, who is usually very conscious of her image, didn't even bother to wipe the scallion stuck to the corner of her mouth.
Less than three minutes.
"Crunch... crunch..."
Zhao Qiang and Li Na started scraping the bottom of the plastic lunchbox with spoons almost at the same time, afraid of missing the last grain of rice.
"Phew—" Zhao Qiang let out a long breath and touched his slightly bloated stomach.
He turned his head and looked at Lin Chen, who was carefully wiping the stove with a rag.
Zhao Qiang silently burped, his eyes no longer showing the previous disdain, but instead a deep respect.
"Boss, I take back what I just said."
Zhao Qiang said with utmost seriousness, "This ninety-nine yuan a serving is the most worthwhile hundred yuan I've ever spent in my life."
Li Na also took out a tissue and gently wiped the oil stains from the corners of her mouth.
She looked at the empty lunchbox, her cheeks slightly flushed, and muttered softly, "If I had known this 99-yuan fried rice was so delicious, I shouldn't have been such a sucker for that 2,000-yuan five-star meal yesterday..."
Hearing their sighs, Lin Chen washed and wrung out the rag, draped it next to the iron pot, and said calmly, "Ingredients are not about price, but about the cooking time."
"Well said!"
Liu Wei, who was standing to the side, suddenly slapped his thigh.
He had already finished eating and was now looking down, frantically tapping his phone screen with both thumbs.
"Brother Liu, what are you doing?"
"Aren't you leaving yet?"
Zhao Qiang leaned over and took a look.
"Why are you leaving? I'm just sending a message to our planning team's little overtime group chat!"
Liu Wei didn't even look up. Zhao Qiang leaned closer for a look and immediately burst out laughing.
Liu Wei just took a picture of Lin Chen's stall and empty lunch boxes and sent it directly to the private group of more than a dozen core members of their department.
Liu Wei: Brothers and sisters, stop going to eat those so-called star-rated casual meals!
A phenomenal fried rice stall has appeared next to the plaza downstairs!
Ninety-nine yuan a serving, so delicious it'll make your soul leave your body!
I swear on my performance this month, this is absolutely the best food I've ever eaten in my life!
It'll be gone if you wait too long!
The group was quiet until this message came out, and it immediately went viral.
[Dude, your account got hacked? You spent 99 yuan on a roadside stall?]
[What kind of roadside stall could make Manager Liu come here to lose repeatedly? Could it be a shill?]
I just finished revising the project proposal and was about to leave work. Is it really that amazing? I'm going downstairs to check it out!
……
Seeing the messages popping up in the group chat, Li Na also took out her phone.
"Liu Wei is right. We can't let the few of us lose money on such delicious food."
As Li Na spoke, she opened her private group chat with her close friends and began typing rapidly.
"Absolutely!"
Zhao Qiang also pulled out his phone. "I'm going to post this on WeChat Moments right now. I have to give the boss a good shout-out today!"
Seeing these three high-level white-collar workers who had just been full of disdain suddenly turn into the most enthusiastic salesmen, Wang Hai, standing to the side, grinned so wide that the flesh on his face was squeezed together.
"Brother Chen, that's amazing!"
Wang Hai lowered his voice and gave Lin Chen a thumbs up, "With your cooking skills, anyone who eats this will be completely bewildered."
Lin Chen didn't say anything, but just turned his head to look at Tangtang sitting on the small stool next to him.
Sensing Lin Chen's gaze, Tangtang immediately raised her little face and revealed a sweet smile.
After sending the message, Liu Wei and his group tidied up their empty lunchboxes and threw them into the trash can next to them.
Standing not far away, Security Captain Zhang watched as the three people not only ate their fill but also frantically recruited others in the group chat. His stomach was churning with hunger.
But he had made too many threats earlier, and now he could only grit his teeth and stand there swallowing hard.
Liu Wei and his two companions straightened their slightly disheveled clothes and prepared to leave.
After taking only two steps, Liu Wei suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Chen.
"Boss, are you coming to set up your stall again tomorrow?"
Liu Wei's eyes held a hint of anticipation, fearing that Lin Chen was just experiencing life on a whim.
Li Na and Zhao Qiang immediately stopped and pricked up their ears, waiting for Lin Chen's answer.
Lin Chen looked at them and nodded calmly.
"Come."
Upon receiving Lin Chen's affirmative reply, Liu Wei breathed a long sigh of relief, and a smile returned to his face.
"Okay! Boss, I'll definitely come down early to queue tomorrow afternoon!"
I have to bring my whole department to support you!
"Me too! I have to have another one tomorrow!"
Zhao Qiang also shouted.
Tangtang sat on a small stool, waved her little hand at them, her big eyes curving into crescents, and called out in her childish voice, "Goodbye, uncles and aunties!"
I want to come back for Daddy's cooking again tomorrow!
"Daddy works the hardest when he cooks!"
Looking at the little girl's sensible and adorable appearance, Li Na's heart almost melted.
"Okay, okay, Auntie will definitely come tomorrow!"
Li Na smiled and waved.
Liu Wei and his two companions turned around with satisfaction and walked towards the subway station.
As they walked, the three of them were still enthusiastically discussing the lingering taste of the fried rice they had just eaten.
Watching the three figures walk away, Wang Hai turned around, looked at Lin Chen's calm face, and excitedly rubbed his hands together.
"Brother Chen, our first shot has been fired successfully!"
Judging from the way they're talking, once they get off the elevator, our stall is probably going to be surrounded!
Lin Chen didn't reply, but silently rearranged the empty takeout boxes, picked up a rag, and wiped the already clean stainless steel countertop again.
As the setting sun gradually sank into the gaps between the tall buildings, the CBD Plaza ushered in the real rush hour.
With the evening breeze, the aroma of fried rice was no longer confined to the area around the tricycle, but spread silently with the flow of people towards the entrance of the entire high-end office building and the edge of the street outside the square.