txolops Chapter 27 Sold Out and Closing Down - Zhang Family
Chapter 27 Sold Out and Closing Down - Zhang Family
Liu Wei, Zhao Qiang, and Li Na, who had been frozen in place, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"My dear mother, she's finally gone."
Zhao Qiang felt sweat trickling down his back. He quickly picked up the plastic takeout box in his hand and said, "Brother Liu, Sister Na, let's get out of here quickly."
"It would be so awkward if President Su sent someone down later and they found us standing here."
"Let's go, let's eat on the benches over there in the square."
Liu Wei loosened his tie and started walking away from the main entrance of the building.
The three of them quickly walked to a row of wooden benches in the corner of the square, plopped down, and eagerly opened the lids of their lunchboxes.
The pure aroma of aged rice and scallions instantly fills the air.
The three of them didn't even have time to talk; they picked up plastic spoons and started stuffing large mouthfuls into their mouths.
The dry rice grains mixed with the fresh aroma of free-range eggs instantly soothed their fatigue after a long day of work.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the long queue in front of the stall continued to inching forward.
"Click".
Lin Chen remained calm, pressing the gas stove knob with his left hand while rhythmically tossing the large, shiny black iron pot with his right.
Heat the pan, add the eggs, add the rice, and sprinkle with chopped green onions.
Every batch of fried rice maintains an extremely strict consistency in color and taste.
There was no cutting corners or being perfunctory just because there were long queues.
Wang Hai stood aside, sweating profusely from his busy work.
He held the takeout box in one hand and looked at the payment notification on his phone screen with the other.
"Beep—WeChat payment received, 99 yuan."
"Next, please take this!"
The queue gradually shortened, and the stock in the two large stainless steel insulated containers on the tricycle was dwindling at a visible rate.
An hour later.
Wang Hai took a spoon and scraped the bottom of the second stainless steel bucket twice, making a crisp "clang" sound.
The bottom of the bucket was spotless; not a single grain of old rice remained.
The eight trays of free-range eggs next to it were now just empty cardboard trays.
Wang Hai straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face with the towel draped around his neck, and looked at the back of the line.
At this point, there were about ten people left in the team.
"My dear brothers and sisters, I'm so sorry!"
Wang Hai cleared his throat and shouted loudly to the remaining dozen or so people, "Today's 100 servings of fried rice have been completely sold out!"
There's not a single bit left!
These words immediately caused an uproar among the people in line.
"What?! Sold out again? I've been waiting in line for almost forty minutes!"
"Seriously, boss? I've already prepared the money, and you're telling me there's no food?"
"Boss, can't you just go buy some rice and stir-fry a pot of it?"
I'll pay more, I'm starving!
Faced with the complaints and sighs of the crowd, Lin Chen turned off the gas stove, took a clean rag, and began to calmly wipe the edge of the iron pot.
"If we can't achieve a dry texture, we won't ruin our reputation."
Lin Chen didn't even look up, and calmly explained, "Today's stock has reached the limit of one person's physical strength, and it's sold out."
Please come early tomorrow, everyone.
Hearing Lin Chen's decisive refusal, those who couldn't buy the item could only sigh in regret.
They watched as people around them, who had already bought fried rice and were even eating it right there by the flowerbeds in the square, swallowed hard with envy.
"Never mind, this boss is a man of principle."
A male office worker who failed to buy a ticket shook his head and sighed, "Tomorrow I'll sneak down five minutes early, I refuse to believe I won't be able to get a ticket."
Seeing that there was no hope, the crowd dispersed in twos and threes.
At this moment, on a bench in the corner of the square.
Zhao Qiang had already cleaned the lunchbox thoroughly.
He let out a satisfied burp, took out his phone, and opened the "Planning Department Core Group," which only had a few members.
His fingers flew across the screen.
[Zhao Qiang]: Brothers, this ninety-nine yuan was totally worth it!
Not only was the food so delicious I wanted to cry, but I also stumbled upon some shocking gossip today!
[Xiao Li, who wants to retire] (group member): What's the juicy gossip?
Didn't you go to buy fried rice?
[Zhao Qiang]: Can you believe it?
Our usually aloof CEO, Mr. Su, actually came downstairs to queue up for fried rice just now!
And because he wasn't feeling well, he sat down on a broken stool at a roadside stall and ate!
As soon as the message was sent, the group was silent for a few seconds, and then the screen was flooded with exclamation marks.
[Li, who wants to retire]: Holy crap?!
Really?! Mr. Su is sitting on a small stool eating at a roadside stall?!
[Zhao Qiang]: Absolutely true!
Brother Liu and I saw it with our own eyes!
Even CEO Su was won over! Don't you think this fried rice is a miracle?!
Sitting next to him, Liu Wei watched the increasingly outrageous discussion in the group chat and quickly took out his phone to type.
[Liu Wei]: Shut up, all of you!
The fried rice is indeed delicious, but President Su's matter is buried in this small group. If anyone dares to take a screenshot and post it to the large group of hundreds of people in the building, don't blame me for being ruthless!
After Liu Wei's warning, the people in the group quickly put away their gossipy thoughts, but they were all deeply shocked by the sentence "Even President Su was conquered".
[Little Li who wants to retire]: Boss, don't worry, I will definitely not spread rumors.
But even President Su ate it... I'm not going to eat lunch tomorrow, I'll go downstairs and wait for him at 5 pm!
Seeing the reactions in the group chat, Liu Wei put away his phone and threw the empty lunchbox into the trash can.
"Let's go home."
Liu Wei stood up. "No need to rush them tomorrow. These guys will probably run away faster than we do."
at the same time.
In front of the stall.
Lin Chen had already wiped the pot spotless.
Wang Hai quickly folded up the small tables and loaded them all onto the back of the tricycle.
"Uncle Fatty is amazing, he's so fast!"
Tangtang sat on a small stool, cupping her cheeks with her two little hands, and looked at Wang Hai with a smile.
"That's right, Uncle has practiced it."
Wang Hai grinned, walked over and picked up the little stool that Tangtang was sitting on, folded it up and put it in the car.
Lin Chen took off his faded apron, folded it neatly, and put it in a bag.
He walked to the bucket, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, and quickly rinsed his hands.
"Brother Chen, everything's cleaned up. I even picked up the trash on the ground."
Wang Hai dusted off his hands and walked to the driver's seat of the tricycle.
"Um."
Lin Chen nodded, turned around and walked to Tangtang's side, put his hands under his daughter's armpits, and steadily picked her up.
"Daddy, the aunties and uncles all had a great time eating today."
Tangtang hugged Lin Chen's neck and said in a childish voice.
"Because we followed the rules and didn't lie."
Lin Chen smiled gently, picked up his daughter, and sat in the passenger seat of the tricycle.
Wang Hai got into the driver's seat and turned the key.
"Brother Chen, that was a fantastic job making 100 orders today!"
Let's continue tomorrow!
Wang Hai shouted excitedly, then turned on the switch.
"Squeak—" The old tricycle emitted a dull motor sound, carrying three people, and drove steadily away from the edge of the Yintai Building plaza, heading towards the rental houses in the urban village, facing the cool night breeze of early autumn.
Apart from a faint lingering aroma of scallions in the air, there was no trace of the frenzied queuing that had once taken place in the square.