txolops Chapter 135 The Insulated Bucket That's Almost Empty
Chapter 135 The Insulated Bucket That's Almost Empty
7:30 p.m., Yintai Plaza.
Night had completely enveloped the bustling city, with streetlights and neon lights from surrounding shops intertwined.
Clang!
Lin Chen scraped the bottom of the pan with the iron ladle in his hand and put the last portion of fried rice into a takeout box.
He put down the iron spoon and turned off the valve of the gas cylinder.
"Alright, this is the last serving of fried rice, hold on tight!"
Wang Hai tied up the package and handed it to a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses standing in front of the stall.
Then, Wang Hai turned around and pulled out the last one from the stack of disposable tasting cups.
He opened the small thermos next to him and scraped out the last bit of reserved white rice to line the bottom of the cup.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Hai lifted the stainless steel insulated container that held the minced meat.
The meat sauce in the bucket was now almost gone.
All that remained was a thick layer of sauce clinging to the sides of the bucket, and a few small pieces of meat at the bottom.
Wang Hai picked up a long-handled small soup spoon, scraped the bottom of the bucket, and managed to scrape out half a spoonful of minced meat sauce, which he poured onto the white rice in the small paper cup.
"Dude, you're the last customer at our stall today."
The minced meat sauce has been completely removed, leaving only the bottom portion. Don't think it's too little; just have a taste.
Wang Hai smiled and handed over the small paper cup.
Sitting on the small stool, Tangtang immediately pulled out the last mini plastic spoon from the small basket.
"Uncle, here you go!"
Tangtang handed over the spoon with both hands, her little face full of seriousness. "This is a new dish my dad made!"
"Thank you, little sister."
The bespectacled man smiled, took the spoon and paper cup, and sniffed them.
The rich, mellow aroma of meat instantly filled my nostrils.
Without hesitation, he picked up a small spoon, stirred the mixture in the cup a couple of times, and then shoved the rice and meat into his mouth.
After chewing a couple of times, the bespectacled man stopped.
He swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at the empty thermos in Wang Hai's hand.
"Boss, your minced meat sauce is absolutely delicious!"
The meat was stewed until it melted in your mouth, and the sauce was absolutely delicious!
The bespectacled man smacked his lips and said, "I see there's still some soup left at the bottom of your bucket, isn't there?"
"I'll buy another serving of white rice. Could you mix the rice with the remaining broth for me?"
Wang Hai was amused by the guest's persistence.
He simply opened the lid of the thermos completely, tilting the bottom of the container to show the other person.
"Dude, it's not that I don't want to sell it to you."
Look, the bottom of this bucket is cleaner than my face. What are we going to use to mix it for you?
Wang Hai smiled and pointed to the bottom of the bucket, "What I brought out today were all free samples; not a single spoonful was left."
The bespectacled man leaned over for a look, and sure enough, not a single scrap of meat remained inside.
He sighed regretfully, threw the small paper cup in his hand into the trash can next to him, and picked up his fried rice.
"Fine, I guess I just didn't catch a good time today."
Boss, when are you going to serve your new dishes?
You can't keep people waiting with just a small bite, can you?
The bespectacled man persisted in asking.
"It'll be soon, everyone don't need to rush."
Once the stalls are fully prepared, large quantities will naturally be available.
Just keep an eye on our stall.
Wang Hai said with a smile.
"Alright, then I'll keep an eye on your stall every day."
Remember to pour me an extra spoonful of soup on the day it goes on sale.
The bespectacled man shook his head, then turned and walked into the night with a look of anticipation on his face.
After seeing off the last customer, the area in front of the stall finally became completely quiet.
"call"
Wang Hai let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Although there was a breeze on this early summer evening, he had been busy packing fried rice and distributing samples by himself for more than two hours, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.
"Brother Chen, come and take a look first!"
Wang Hai picked up the thermos with both hands, walked up to Lin Chen, and showed Lin Chen the bottom of the thermos.
"Look at the bottom of this bucket! It's spotless!"
Wang Hai lowered his voice, "More than a hundred samples!"
The meat and broth were all divided up.
The pre-launch hype today has been surprisingly effective!
Lin Chen picked up a dry towel from the side and wiped his hands. He looked at the empty thermos and nodded slightly.
Wang Hai placed the thermos on the condiment stand and excitedly rubbed his hands together.
"Brother Chen, you've been tossing the wok all day and haven't been paying close attention."
At least half of the customers who took a bite from that small paper cup immediately asked if they could scan the QR code to add it to their order.
What does this mean?
This shows that the flavor of our minced meat rice is so irresistible that it captivates our customers!
Based on today's feedback, as long as we stock up on enough goods and start selling, these regular customers who tried the samples will definitely come in droves.
Tangtang, who had been sitting on the small stool, stood up at this moment.
The little girl hugged the small plastic basket in her arms, ran to Lin Chen's side with her short legs, raised her rosy little face, and her big eyes sparkled.
"Daddy! All of Tangtang's spoons have been given out!"
Tangtang held the small basket high and reported to the guide, "There are none left!"
Every uncle and auntie who ate the minced meat rice that Daddy made said it was delicious!
Seeing his daughter's adorable expression, yearning for praise, Lin Chen smiled.
He bent down and reached out to rub Tangtang's little head.
"Tangtang did a great job today, she was very attentive when handing out the spoons."
Lin Chen gave a soft compliment.
"hey-hey!"
Tangtang happily showed her two little tiger teeth, and stepped aside while holding her small basket.
Wang Hai took a bottle of mineral water from the side, unscrewed the cap, poured half of it down, and cleared his throat.
"Brother Chen, you saw what happened tonight."
Our braised pork rice is definitely a top-notch, main dish.
Wang Hai put down his water bottle and said confidently, "I have completely figured out the food preparation process."
One spoonful of rice, one spoonful of meat, cover and go.
"Once the food festival starts next Friday, you can focus on making fried rice. I'll handle all the serving and packing of the minced meat rice myself—no problem at all!"
Lin Chen took the bucket next to him and poured half a bucket of water into the still warm iron pot.
"Sizzle"
White steam rose up, accompanied by the lingering aroma of scallion oil.
Lin Chen picked up a brush and cleaned the grease from the bottom of the pot, saying without looking up, "This is just the first step today, to let the customers recognize the taste."
The key to next Friday's tough battle lies in the amount of inventory prepared.
"clear!"
Wang Hai immediately chimed in, already planning in his mind, "Next Thursday we'll go buy more pork; we need to double the quantity."
The sauce made from eight pounds of meat today is simply not enough. Next Thursday, we'll go to the farmers' market and buy half a pig!
Lin Chen turned the washed iron pot upside down on the stove and wrung out the rag, draping it over the handlebars.
Lin Chen interrupted Wang Hai's daydream: "Get to work, pack up and go home."
No matter how booming the business may be in the future, cleaning and resetting after closing time each day is the most basic task.
"Alright! I'll take it now!"
Wang Hai immediately shut his mouth and started working quickly.
He quickly and systematically moved the empty large thermos, the stainless steel bucket containing broth, and other miscellaneous items such as spice boxes into the trunk of the bread truck.
Lin Chen was responsible for cleaning the stove and condiment station.
He wiped the countertop twice from top to bottom with a cloth to make sure there was no oil or soup residue left.
He then gathered all the trash on the ground into a large black plastic bag and tied it tightly.
Tangtang wasn't idle either.
The little girl folded up her small stool, put it into the empty plastic basket, and then stood obediently by the flower bed waiting.
In less than ten minutes, the once bustling stall area was cleaned up and the area outside the mall was restored to its original cleanliness.
All the equipment had been safely loaded into the car.
Lin Chen picked up the bag of trash and threw it into a large trash can not far away.
When I walked back, Wang Hai was already sitting in the driver's seat of the van and starting the engine.
Lin Chen walked to the passenger side door of the van and opened it.
"Tangtang, get in the car."
"Here comes Daddy!"
Tangtang hugged her little basket, climbed into the car, and sat down in the child safety seat.
Lin Chen leaned forward and helped his daughter tighten the seatbelt buckle.
"I'll close my eyes and rest for a while in the car; we'll be home soon."
Lin Chen instructed gently. "Okay!"
Tangtang nodded obediently.
Lin Chen closed the passenger door and turned to look at Wang Hai in the driver's seat.
"Brother Chen, I'll drive ahead with Tangtang, and you ride behind on your bike."
Wang Hai lowered the car window and said.
"Drive carefully on the road."
Lin Chen gave a word of advice, then turned and walked toward the electric tricycle parked behind him.
Ahead, Wang Hai's bread truck lit up its taillights and slowly drove away from the parking area at the edge of the flower bed.
Lin Chen turned the handle and followed behind at a leisurely pace.
The gentle breeze of early summer nights carried away some of the daytime heat.