txolops Chapter 166 Setting Off Fully Loaded
Chapter 166 Setting Off Fully Loaded
3:30 PM, in the kitchen of the rented apartment.
The sink was filled with water, and Wang Hai sat on a small stool, his hands quickly searching in the water.
"Splash—"
Wang Hai scooped the last handful of washed Shanghai bok choy hearts out of the water, shook off the excess water, and put them into the huge plastic colander next to him.
"call!"
Wang Hai stood up, shook his slightly sore arms, looked at the pile of emerald green cabbages in front of him, which looked like a small mountain and were still covered with water droplets, and wiped away his sweat.
"Brother Chen, all thirty catties of Shanghai bok choy have been washed!"
It's all the tenderest bok choy hearts; they look so crisp and fresh.
Lin Chen stood in front of the blazing stove and nodded slightly.
On the stove, the wide-mouthed iron pot was already boiling, with most of the pot of water churning violently and steaming.
"Serve the food."
Lin Chen spoke calmly, without uttering any unnecessary words.
"Alright!"
Wang Hai picked up the strainer basket, grabbed a handful of bright green bok choy hearts, and poured them directly into the boiling water.
Lin Chen poured a little oil into the pot with his left hand and sprinkled in a small handful of salt with his right hand.
Immediately afterwards, he picked up a large, long-handled strainer, and with a steady wrist, quickly pressed all the bok choy hearts into the boiling water.
The entire movement was fluid and incredibly fast.
Less than twenty seconds had passed.
The originally light green bok choy hearts instantly turned emerald green, with a thin sheen of oil on the surface.
"Out of the pot."
Lin Chen scooped up the pot with a slotted spoon and scooped out all the bok choy from the pot.
After shaking off the excess water, I poured it directly into the large stainless steel tray that was prepared next to me.
"Spread it out to let it cool down, don't let it turn yellow from the heat."
Lin Chen gave the order. Wang Hai quickly used chopsticks to smooth out the pile of bok choy.
For the next half hour, the two worked together seamlessly.
Lin Chen blanched all thirty catties of bok choy in batches, controlling the heat perfectly.
Wang Hai was responsible for neatly arranging the cooled, bright green bok choy hearts into a large food-grade insulated box.
4:15 PM.
All ingredients and seasonings have been prepared.
Lin Chen turned off the gas stove valve, took a clean cloth, and wiped all the water stains off the work surface.
"Wash your hands, go get Tangtang."
Lin Chen took off his apron and hung it behind the door.
"Alright! After picking up Little Lucky Star, let's head straight to the plaza!"
Wang Hai readily agreed and ran to the sink to wash his hands.
The two walked out of the rented room one after the other, locked the door, and quickly went downstairs.
Wang Hai got into the van. It drove out of the urban village and headed towards Qiming Bilingual Kindergarten.
……
4:30 p.m., outside the kindergarten gate.
The school bell rang on time.
A few minutes later, the children came out in neat rows.
"Daddy! Fatty Uncle!"
Tangtang spotted Lin Chen in the crowd at a glance, shouted happily, and pounced over like a little cannonball with her short legs.
Lin Chen bent down slightly, caught his daughter steadily, and lifted her up with one hand.
"Were you good at kindergarten today?"
Lin Chen's eyes softened as he gently straightened Tangtang's disheveled collar.
"Tangtang is the best girl!"
Tangtang proudly puffed out her little chest, revealing two cute little tiger teeth, "Daddy, I ate a whole big bowl of rice for lunch!"
Not a single drop is left!
Teacher Liu, who was following behind the group, walked over with a smile.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Wang, come pick up Tangtang."
Teacher Liu greeted her politely.
"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Liu."
Lin Chen nodded. "It's not hard work."
Teacher Liu looked at Lin Chen and couldn't help but laugh. "Mr. Lin, you're setting up a stall at the food festival in Yintai Plaza tonight, right?"
And it's in the very center, greenhouse number one?
Lin Chen paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."
"Did Tangtang tell you?"
"He's not just telling me!"
Teacher Liu covered her mouth and laughed, "This little girl praised her dad for making an incredibly delicious 'big meat' to everyone in class today."
She not only made all the children in the class drool, but even several teachers in our office were tempted by her words.
Our principal just said that after get off work, everyone will skip going home to cook and head over to your stall number one to try something new!
Upon hearing this, Wang Hai beamed with joy.
"Haha! Welcome, welcome! Teacher Liu, just come straight here, no need to queue, I'll save you a good spot!"
Wang Hai said.
"Thank you, Mr. Wang. See you later."
Teacher Liu smiled and waved goodbye.
Carrying Tangtang back to the bread truck, Lin Chen placed the little girl in the passenger seat and carefully fastened the buckle.
"Brother Chen, did you hear that?"
Even kindergarten teachers are going in groups!
"We're going to have a huge explosion tonight!"
Wang Hai sat in the driver's seat, rubbing his hands excitedly.
"Let's go home and load the truck first."
Lin Chen spoke up.
The van started up and soon stopped downstairs at the rental apartment.
The two hurried upstairs and began moving the supplies for their stall that evening.
Because of an extra major event, there are more than twice as many dishes today as usual.
Two large pots of steamed white rice, a bucket of old hen broth, and a thermal box filled with Shanghai bok choy and side dishes were unloaded from the van and placed in the back.
Finally, the two stood in front of the thermos in the kitchen.
Inside, there's a full fifty pounds of their secret-recipe minced meat sauce, simmered for a day and a night—their trump card for securing their place at stall number one tonight.
"Brother Chen, I'll count to three, then we'll all work together."
Wang Hai gripped the handle on the side of the bucket tightly and took a deep breath.
"Um."
Lin Chen gripped the other side, bent his legs slightly, and lowered his center of gravity.
"One, two, three! Go!"
With both of them exerting force at the same time, the stainless steel barrel was lifted up.
With steady steps, he carried the heavy "weapon" downstairs and placed it securely in the most central position in the trunk of the bread truck.
"call--"
Wang Hai slammed the trunk shut, dusted off his hands, and looked at the fully loaded van. His confidence had swelled to its peak.
"Brother Chen, everything's ready!"
Rice, vegetables, and meat are all you can eat!
Wang Hai's eyes lit up.
Lin Chen didn't say much. He walked to the bread cart and glanced at Tangtang in the child safety seat.
The little girl already had a small basket of plastic spoons in her hand, looking serious and ready to start working at any moment.
"Is Tangtang ready?"
Lin Chen asked gently.
"Ready? The spoon-distributing team is ready to go!"
Tangtang patted the small basket, making a crisp sound.
"Set off."
Lin Chen turned around and got on the electric tricycle.
Wang Hai turned the key to the bread truck.
Lin Chen also started the electric car's accelerator.
The early summer evening breeze swept through the streets.