txolops Chapter 144 The Regular Customer's "Condemnation" and the Friday Appointment
Chapter 144 The Regular Customer's "Condemnation" and the Friday Appointment
Lin Chen turned around, picked up the kitchen knife on the cutting board, and said, "The list is clear. We'll go buy it tomorrow morning."
Now let's get back to work and prepare all the side dishes for tonight's stall.
"Alright!"
Wang Hai responded.
He rolled up his sleeves, walked to the sink, grabbed a handful of washed scallions, and began chopping them.
The kitchen has returned to its busy rhythm.
……
Time flies by in the midst of busyness.
At 4:30 pm, at the entrance of Sunflower Kindergarten.
The school bell had just rung when the gate was already packed with parents waiting to pick up their children.
Wang Hai parked the bread truck in a parking space across the street, and Lin Chen got out of the car. The two of them walked together across the zebra crossing to the kindergarten entrance.
Before long, the children from each class, led by their teachers, walked out of the school building in a line.
"Daddy! Fatty Uncle!"
Tangtang, wearing her school uniform, spotted Lin Chen in the crowd at a glance.
The little girl's eyes lit up, and she immediately waved her chubby little hands, calling out in a clear voice.
As they reached the door, Teacher Liu smiled and handed Tangtang to Lin Chen.
"Mr. Lin, Tangtang behaved exceptionally well at kindergarten today."
She worked very diligently in her morning craft class and got along well with the other children.
Teacher Liu responded with a smile.
"Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Liu."
Lin Chen nodded slightly and reached out to take Tangtang's little schoolbag.
Goodbye, Teacher Liu!
Tangtang waved her little hand politely.
Lin Chen picked up his daughter and turned to walk towards the bread truck.
"Tangtang, did you have a good time at kindergarten today?"
Wang Hai opened the car door and teased her with a smile.
"happy!"
Tangtang sat in her car seat, dangling her little legs, and proudly raised her face. "Teacher Liu praised my big castle in front of the whole class today!"
They even rewarded me with a little red flower!
Wow, that's amazing!
"Our Tangtang is such a little artist!"
Wang Hai gave a thumbs up.
Lin Chen helped his daughter fasten her seatbelt, a gentle smile appearing on his lips, and reached out to rub her little head.
"Sit still, we're going home to get our things ready to set up our stall."
"Um!"
The van drove back to the urban village.
The two loaded the prepared broth, rice, and various side dishes into the car.
……
5:30 PM, Yintai Plaza.
The two cars stopped one after the other in the usual spot by the flower bed.
Lin Chen and Wang Hai unloaded the truck, set up folding tables and chairs, and pulled apart the barriers for queuing.
I had just finished arranging the condiment boxes on the stall when I looked up and saw three familiar faces wearing name tags walking over together.
They were office workers from a nearby office building: Liu Wei, Zhao Qiang, and Li Na.
"Boss Lin, Wang Hai, you're pretty punctual for setting up your stall today!"
Liu Wei was walking at the front, and his voice could already be heard before he even got close.
However, his tone today lacked his usual enthusiasm for food, and instead carried a hint of resentment and complaints typical of regular customers.
"Brother Liu, Brother Zhao, Sister Na, are you off work?"
Wang Hai greeted him, "Same as always, three servings of fried rice?"
"Fried rice is a must."
Liu Wei walked to the condiment station, glanced at the counter, and said, "But Wang Hai, I have to condemn you guys first!"
"We were giving out new dishes for tasting over the weekend—such a great perk! And you guys just pulled a surprise attack without even giving us a heads-up in the group chat?"
Zhao Qiang nodded beside him, his tone full of regret: "That's right!"
Yesterday, we saw a picture of minced meat rice posted by that guy with glasses in the group chat, and our mouths were watering.
We were resting at home over the weekend, and it was so agonizing to have to watch the group chat post all sorts of toxic content.
Li Na also sighed: "We come here every day on weekdays, but on weekends, you guys quietly bring out the new dishes."
I missed the tasting, and I've been thinking about it all day at my desk.
Seeing the three people's reactions, Wang Hai couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh dear, you three, this really isn't our fault."
While tidying up the takeout boxes, Wang Hai explained with a smile, "The meat sauce was indeed freshly made on the weekend, but the quantity is very small. Mainly, Boss Lin wanted everyone to get a feel for the taste beforehand."
As mentioned in the group chat, we'll be officially launching our new products this Friday for the food festival!
After listening, Liu Wei shook his head helplessly and turned to look at Lin Chen, who was heating up the pot.
"Boss Lin, we absolutely trust your skills."
Since you've already posted photos in the group chat, why not just sell them directly today?
Liu Wei asked again, unwilling to give up.
Lin Chen turned on the valve of the gas cylinder, and with a "boom," blue flames leaped up.
He picked up a dry towel and wiped the iron pot, replying, "Making the minced meat sauce takes too long."
"We can't manage everything on weekdays, so we stock up on goods and go live on Fridays."
"Okay, if Boss Lin says Friday, then it's Friday."
Zhao Qiang rubbed his stomach and swallowed. "Let's have some fried rice to tide us over for today."
"Boss Lin, three servings of fried rice, and please add extra scallions to mine!"
"I also need to add more crispy radishes. The company lunch was awful today, I need to make up for it tonight."
Li Na followed suit and placed her order.
Lin Chen nodded slightly.
In less than five minutes, three servings of fried rice were ready.
"Here you go, you three, take this!"
Wang Hai handed over the takeout box and bag.
Tangtang, who was sitting on a small stool next to her, immediately took out three plastic spoons from her small basket, stood up, and handed them over with both hands.
"Uncle and Auntie, here's a spoon for you!"
Tangtang's voice was clear and crisp.
"Thank you, Tangtang. Tangtang is such a good girl."
Li Na smiled as she took the spoon, her tone gentle.
The three of them didn't go far; they took their lunchboxes and sat down at the folding table on the side of the stall.
Having just gotten off work, and starving, the three of them opened the lid and eagerly began to eat.
"Phew...it smells so good! Even though I didn't get to have minced meat rice today, this fried rice is still cooked to perfection."
Liu Wei shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Yes, the rice is chewy and becomes more fragrant the more you chew it."
Zhao Qiang nodded as he ate.
Li Na swallowed the food in her mouth and turned to look at Wang Hai, who was wiping the table.
"Wang Hai, we've got this all figured out! You guys need to make sure you have plenty of minced meat rice for the food festival this Friday!"
Li Na, still worried, reminded him, "I bragged to my colleagues in other groups in the office today that I'd bring them here this Friday for a good meal."
"If you sell out too early, I'll be really embarrassed."
"Sister Na, don't worry!"
Wang Hai patted his chest and assured him, "We'll go to the kitchenware market tomorrow morning and exchange them for two commercial-grade large pots!"
This Friday, we prepared dozens of kilograms of minced meat.
If you come and line up, I'll definitely let you go home with a full box of minced meat rice!
"Great! With you saying that, I'm confident I can go and vouch for it to my colleagues!"
Liu Wei's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Then let's just put up with our cravings for the next few days."
This Friday after get off work, the three of us pressed the time clock and rushed downstairs to line up!
"Yes, I absolutely will not work overtime on Fridays; I'll leave on time."
Zhao Qiang immediately agreed.
As the setting sun cast its glow on the square, the number of customers queuing in front of the stalls gradually increased, eventually forming a long line.
Lin Chen stood in front of the stove, watching the heat in the pot and tossing the iron ladle.
The surrounding noise and the expectant discussions of the guests did not disrupt his steady pace of serving food.
Liu Wei and his two companions sat around a folding table, eating fried rice and chatting casually about their plans for Friday's dinner.