txolops Chapter 3 Who Will Buy
Chapter 3 Who Will Buy
"Should we change the location of our stall?"
Wang Hai was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately.
He looked at Lin Chen, his mind going through all the night markets and food streets in the city where people could set up roadside stalls.
Last night, the original owner's stall was smashed, and all the owners of the East District Night Market knew about it. The leader of those thugs who sell Western fast food said that anyone who dares to take in Lin Chen is going against them.
"Brother Chen, we definitely can't go back to the East District."
The western area is too far away; this beat-up tricycle simply doesn't have enough battery power to get there.
Where are you planning to go?
Wang Hai pulled out a chair, stood up, and walked to Lin Chen's side.
Lin Chen tied a knot in his apron, looked up, and calmly gazed out the window.
"Go to the city center."
"where?"
Wang Hai thought he had misheard and suddenly rubbed his ears.
"The plaza below the Yintai office building in the city center."
Lin Chen turned around and repeated each word.
Quiet. The rented room was deathly quiet.
Two seconds later, Wang Hai suddenly jumped up as if he had stepped on an electric switch, grabbing his hair with both hands.
"Downtown?! Yintai?!"
Wang Hai's voice rose eight octaves, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, "Brother Chen, are you running a fever?"
Do you know what that place is?
Before Lin Chen could speak, Wang Hai paced back and forth in the living room, gesturing wildly with his hands.
"I deliver food in that area every day, so I know exactly what kind of people live there!"
It was full of high-level white-collar workers in suits and ties, as well as executives and presidents of big corporations!
What do those people usually eat?
It's a five-star restaurant in the land of romance!
It's a steak and lettuce that cost several hundred yuan!
Wang Hai stopped and turned around to stare intently at Lin Chen, slapping his thigh in frustration.
"In their eyes, Chinese food is synonymous with the lower class!"
They'd rather spend eighty yuan on a salad than even glance at a roadside fried rice stall!
Setting up a stall there is practically suicide.
Who would buy it?!
"Besides," Wang Hai took a deep breath and lowered his voice, "don't you know how strict the property security and urban management are there?"
Let alone setting up a stall, even if I park my electric scooter for food delivery slightly crooked, they will come up and lock it!
You push your beat-up tricycle with a wok on it, and before you even start cooking, they'll throw you and the tricycle out!
Tangtang sat on a high stool, looking at Wang Hai who suddenly started shouting, and shrank back in fear.
"Uncle Fatty, please don't speak so loudly..."
The little girl said timidly.
Lin Chen walked over, reached out and picked Tangtang up from the stool, gently patted her back to soothe his daughter's emotions.
Then, he turned his head and looked at Wang Hai, who was sweating profusely with anxiety.
Lin Chen's face remained expressionless; he neither backed down nor offered any explanation.
He simply looked quietly into Wang Hai's eyes.
"Fatty."
Lin Chen spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a sense of composure, "We've been brothers for so many years, do you trust me?"
Wang Hai was suddenly stunned.
He looked into Lin Chen's deep and determined eyes.
It was a composure and confidence that he had never seen in the original owner of the body.
In the past, Lin Chen would only complain, dodge, or even drown his sorrows in alcohol when faced with problems.
But Lin Chen now is like an unshakeable mountain.
Wang Hai's gaze involuntarily shifted downwards, landing on the empty bowl on the dining table that he had scraped until it gleamed.
The smooth texture of the egg and the fresh aroma of the scallions still seem to dance on the tip of your tongue.
That soul-stirring flavor was the most incredible thing he had ever eaten in his life.
Wang Hai swallowed hard.
He secretly tasted the rejected orders from customers when he delivered those so-called high-end Western restaurants and star-rated cuisines.
Compared to the fried rice with broken gold that Brother Chen made today, those other things aren't even worthy of carrying his shoes!
"Oh shit!"
Wang Hai suddenly gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh hard.
"Brother Chen, based on your cooking skills today, I believe in you!"
Wang Hai's anxious face suddenly turned into a crazy ruthlessness. "You're right. Why can their Western food sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars, while the skills passed down from our ancestors have to be treated as garbage?"
Your fried rice today is definitely no worse than those idiotic Western dishes!
Wang Hai unzipped his delivery uniform, rolled up his sleeves, and revealed his muscular arms.
"So what if we die! At worst, the car will be confiscated, and we brothers will both go to jail for a few days!"
Brother Chen, I'll go crazy with you this one time today! Let's go to the city center, let's go to Yintai!
I want to see if those self-proclaimed high-class white-collar workers can even take their seats after eating your food!
Wang Hai became more and more excited as he spoke, and then turned and walked towards the door.
"Let's go, Brother Chen, there's no time to lose, I'll go downstairs right now and push that broken tricycle out."
If there are security guards blocking the entrance, I'll go up and grab them around the waist, you just push the bike and rush in!
Seeing Wang Hai's posture of preparing to fight to the death, Lin Chen finally showed a helpless smile.
"stop."
Lin Chen called out to him.
Wang Hai had already stepped one leg out of the door when he turned around and looked at Lin Chen with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong, Brother Chen?"
"Weren't we supposed to be setting up a stall? If we go too late, the office buildings will be closing time."
"Don't rush."
Lin Chen stepped forward and pulled Wang Hai back. "What do you plan for me to sell in the city center?"
"Selling fried rice! The kind you just made!"
Wang Hai blurted it out.
Lin Chen pointed to the old refrigerator with its open kitchen door.
"What are you using to fry it? Air?"
Wang Hai looked in the direction Lin Chen was pointing. The empty refrigerator was covered with a thick layer of frost, and there wasn't even a single rotten vegetable leaf left.
The small bowl of leftover rice and three shriveled eggs were the last food for this family.
Wang Hai stared wide-eyed at the empty refrigerator, then suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Holy crap, I forgot!"
I was so excited just now that I forgot about that.
Wang Hai scratched his head awkwardly, "We don't even have a single grain of rice left, how can we possibly set up a stall?"
Lin Chen walked to the dining table and picked up the stack of 2,500 yuan bills that Wang Hai had just placed on the table.
He folded two thousand yuan and put it in his pocket to cover rent and living expenses, keeping the remaining five hundred yuan in his hand.
"Let's use this money to buy the goods first."
Lin Chen walked up to Wang Hai, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I'll pay you back the money with interest tonight."
"Brother Chen, you're being too polite by talking to me like that!"
Wang Hai shoved Lin Chen's hand away, "My money is your money, don't talk about whether you'll pay it back or not."
"Since we've decided to pull off something big, let's get started!"
Upon hearing that they were going out, Tangtang, who had been standing obediently to the side, immediately became excited.
"Daddy! Uncle Fatty! Are we going out to buy something?"
The little girl jumped up and down happily, then ran over and hugged Lin Chen's leg.
"Yes, let's go buy groceries."
Lin Chen bent down and picked Tangtang up with one arm, letting her sit steadily in his embrace. "Tangtang, how about you be Daddy's little helper today and help Daddy pick out the biggest and best eggs?"
"good!"
Tangtang nodded vigorously, her big eyes full of anticipation.
Wang Hai watched this scene from the side and grinned.
He turned around, walked quickly to the door, and opened the security door.
"Brother Chen, let's go! There's a big farmers' market just two streets ahead, I know it very well."
"I'll be your porter today; I'll carry back as much rice as you want!"
Lin Chen held his daughter tightly, clutching the five hundred yuan in his hand.
He glanced around the rented room, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp.
"Walk."
Lin Chen strode out of the house with Tangtang in his arms and Wang Hai.