txolops Chapter 156 Preparing for the Summer Food Festival
Chapter 156 Preparing for the Summer Food Festival
In the evening, a gentle breeze blows across the square.
After Liu Wei and his group left, the atmosphere in front of the stall only grew stronger.
"Next! How many servings of fried rice would you like?"
Wang Hai stood in front of the condiment station, holding a takeout bag in his hand, and greeted the customers.
Two servings!
"Okay!"
Lin Chen stood in front of the stove.
He was not affected in the slightest by the commotion around him.
"Uncle, here's a spoon for you!"
Sitting on a small stool, Tangtang used her two little hands to hand a small plastic spoon to the customer who had just received the fried rice.
"Thank you, Tangtang."
The guest accepted it with a smile and left satisfied.
Time passed by, second by second.
7:20 PM.
Taking advantage of a break, Wang Hai turned around, lifted the lid of the insulated bucket next to him, and saw that there was very little white rice left at the bottom of the bucket.
He turned to Lin Chen and said, "Brother Chen, we're almost out of rice. We can only make three more servings at most."
"Put up the sign."
Lin Chen didn't even look up before speaking.
"Alright."
Wang Hai immediately picked up the small wooden sign, walked to the end of the line, placed the sign behind the corresponding number of guests, and persuaded the guests behind to disperse.
Although the guests who didn't get a turn were a little disappointed, they didn't linger and went their separate ways.
At 7:30, the last serving of fried rice was ready, and Lin Chen turned off the gas cylinder valve.
"Closing up shop."
The stalls, which had been bustling for more than two hours, quieted down.
The two had a clear division of labor, and in less than ten minutes they had loaded all the equipment into the car and driven away from Yintai Plaza with Tangtang.
……
Silent all night.
The next day, Thursday morning.
Sunlight streamed into the bread truck through the car windows.
As usual, Lin Chen and Wang Hai drove their van to the entrance of Qiming Bilingual Kindergarten after breakfast.
"Goodbye, Daddy! Goodbye, Fatty Uncle!"
Outside the drop-off area, Tangtang, carrying a small backpack with a big windmill painted on it, turned around and waved her little hand vigorously at the two of them.
"Be a good boy/girl at kindergarten and drink plenty of water."
Lin Chen gave a word of advice.
"Goodbye, Candy! Uncle Fatty will pick you up tonight!"
Wang Hai waved and smiled from the driver's seat.
Watching Tangtang follow the teacher into the teaching building, Lin Chen turned around, got back into the car, and closed the door.
"Let's go to the farmers' market."
Lin Chen spoke up.
"Let's go! Today's the main event!"
Wang Hai stepped on the gas, and the bread truck merged into the morning rush hour traffic, heading straight for the agricultural wholesale market.
At 8:30 a.m., the farmers' market was bustling with activity.
In less than half an hour, the two of them had bought all the ingredients for their stall that night and loaded them into the trunk of their car.
"Brother Chen, all the usual ingredients are here."
Wang Hai patted the dust off his hands.
Lin Chen nodded slightly and looked towards the meat wholesale area deep inside the market.
"Go to Old Zhang's place and inspect the meat."
Lin Chen said in a deep voice.
"Yes! That's the real big deal today!"
Wang Hai immediately followed Lin Chen's footsteps, his eyes full of anticipation.
The two walked through the crowd and arrived at the largest pork wholesale stall at the back of the market.
Today, instead of working at his counter, stall owner Lao Zhang stood in front of a large refrigerated box next to his stall, waiting.
As soon as he saw Lin Chen and Wang Hai approaching, he immediately greeted them with a smile.
"Hey, Boss Lin, Brother Wang, you've finally arrived!"
Old Zhang rubbed his hands together. "I've been waiting for you guys here since this morning!"
"Boss Zhang, you've prepared the meat so early?"
Wang Hai walked forward with a smile.
"Absolutely! Yesterday, Boss Lin repeatedly emphasized that these fifty catties of top-quality pork belly were crucial; how could I, Old Zhang, dare to delay?"
As he spoke, Old Zhang turned and walked to the large constant-temperature refrigerated box.
He reached out and patted the lid of the refrigerated box, looking at Lin Chen and saying, "Boss Lin, in order to gather these fifty catties of top-quality meat for you, I went to the slaughterhouse at three o'clock this morning!"
They picked out four freshly slaughtered local pigs to get all the best parts for you.
You take a look!
After saying that, Old Zhang used both hands to forcefully open the lid of the refrigerated box.
Inside the refrigerated box, several large, neatly cut pieces of pork were stacked.
Wang Hai immediately stepped forward, and his eyes lit up after just one glance.
"Wow! That's some good meat!"
Wang Hai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
The pork belly in the box was bright in color.
On the cross-section of each piece of meat, you can clearly see the layers of texture.
The snow-white fat and bright red lean meat are clearly layered and interwoven, without any excess fat or dry, tough lean meat.
This is the most standard and perfect "five flowers and three layers".
Lin Chen stepped forward.
He reached out and pressed down on one of the pieces of pork belly.
The meat is firm and elastic; the indentation left by pressing it instantly returns to its original shape.
There was no excess moisture left on my fingers; they were dry and fresh.
"How about it, Boss Lin? I, Old Zhang, haven't ruined my own reputation, have I?"
Old Zhang stood aside, smiling broadly as he asked, confident in his judgment.
"The meat is very good."
Lin Chen withdrew his hand and nodded. "The meat is well-marbled, with distinct layers, and the texture is very fresh."
"It is indeed top-quality pork offal; Boss Zhang has gone to great lengths."
Hearing Lin Chen's words, Old Zhang's smile became even brighter.
"Haha, as long as Boss Lin is satisfied!"
Now that I've taken on this big job, I definitely have to do it perfectly!
Old Zhang said.
"Boss Zhang, your efficiency is truly remarkable."
From now on, we'll only buy meat from your stall!
Wang Hai gave a thumbs up from the side.
Without saying a word, Lin Chen took out his phone.
"How much is the final payment?"
Lin Chen looked at Old Zhang and asked.
"This meat is top-quality, so the purchase price was already high."
However, since we're doing business long-term, I'll offer you the fair wholesale price.
Old Zhang gave a number, "After deducting the 500 yuan deposit you paid yesterday, the remaining balance is 1,450 yuan."
Round it down, one thousand fourteen will do!
"it is good."
Lin Chen opened the scan function and scanned the payment code on the stall.
"Received payment via WeChat, 1400 yuan."
The small speaker on the stall emitted a crisp notification sound.
"Alright! Money received!"
Old Zhang clapped his hands and said, "Boss Lin, Brother Wang, where did you park your car?"
Fifty pounds of meat is quite a lot, I'll help you carry it over!
"It's parked outside the side gate of the market. Could you please lend a hand, Mr. Zhang?"
Wang Hai said with a smile.
"No trouble at all, it's nothing!"
Old Zhang found several thick, clean plastic bags, divided the premium pork belly from the refrigerated box into smaller portions, and tied the bags tightly.
Then, the three of them, each carrying two large bags, quickly walked out of the farmers' market and arrived at the bread cart.
Wang Hai opened the trunk of the van and cleared out a clean space.
The three of them worked together to put the pork belly inside.
"Alright, Mr. Lin, the meat has been loaded onto the truck. Take care."
If you need anything in the future, just give me a call!
Old Zhang dusted off his hands, smiled, and waved goodbye.
"Okay, see you later."
Lin Chen nodded slightly. "See you later, Boss Zhang!"
Wang Hai also waved.
After saying goodbye to Lao Zhang, the two got into the bread cart.
Wang Hai turned the key to light the engine and spoke.
"Brother Chen, we finally have all the most important ingredients!"
As Wang Hai turned the steering wheel, he excitedly said, "With this fifty pounds of top-quality pork belly as a base, if we simmer the meat sauce this afternoon, it'll definitely make all the customers at Yintai Plaza drool with the aroma tomorrow night!"
"Okay, go back and prepare the ingredients."
Lin Chen sat in the passenger seat, looking at the road ahead, and spoke.
The bread truck drove out of the farmers' market, merged into the traffic on the street, and sped straight towards the rental house with a full load of groceries.