txolops Chapter 73 Preparing the Bento Box for the Trip
Chapter 73 Preparing the Bento Box for the Trip
On Saturday morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains of the rented room and fell onto the bed.
"Well……"
On the small bed, Tangtang groggily turned over and instinctively reached out to touch the side with her little hand.
All I got were bed sheets.
Tangtang rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up in bed.
With her slightly messy hair, she turned her head and looked around the bedroom, her big eyes showing a hint of sleepiness.
"Daddy's not here..."
Tangtang muttered something.
Based on the situation over the past few days, Tangtang subconsciously assumed that Lin Chen had gone to the farmers' market early in the morning again to buy ingredients for his afternoon stall.
The little girl obediently lifted the thin blanket and slid off the edge of the bed.
She tentatively searched under the bed with her little feet, put on the sandals with rabbit ears, and then pattered her way to the bedroom door, ready to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.
As soon as I opened the bedroom door, an enticing fragrance wafted in from the direction of the kitchen.
It has a delicate pastry aroma and a subtle sweetness.
Tangtang paused for a moment, followed the aroma to the kitchen door, and peeked inside.
In the kitchen, Lin Chen, wearing an apron, was busy.
At this moment, Lin Chen was holding a pair of wooden chopsticks and placing food into a lunchbox.
Inside the bento box were several rice balls shaped like cute little bears, garnished with delicate little flowers carved from carrots, and a few thick omelets fried to a golden brown and crispy.
"Poop?"
Tangtang's big eyes lit up, and she called out in a clear, crisp voice.
Lin Chen turned his head when he heard the sound.
Looking at her daughter standing at the door, her hair still a little messy.
"You're awake? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
Lin Chen put down his chopsticks, walked to the kitchen door, bent down and gently pinched his daughter's soft cheeks.
"Daddy, didn't you go buy rice and eggs?"
Tangtang tilted her little face up and curiously pointed to the small lunchbox on the stove, "Aren't we selling fried rice today?"
Lin Chen gently tidied his daughter's slightly messy hair and said softly, "We're not selling fried rice today."
Dad has the weekend off, so he won't be setting up the stall.
"Have a holiday?"
Tangtang seemed confused. "So, Uncle Fatty isn't coming to pick up the stuff either?"
"Nobody's coming."
Lin Chen reached out and picked Tangtang up so she could see what was on the stove. "Daddy is preparing our lunchboxes."
Didn't you say a few days ago that you wanted to go to the park to see the big windmill?
After breakfast, Dad will take you to the park.
Upon hearing the words "park" and "windmill," Tangtang's big eyes instantly widened, and all sleepiness vanished from her face.
"Really?!"
Tangtang excitedly hugged Lin Chen's neck, her short legs swinging happily a couple of times, "Daddy wants to take Tangtang to the park to play?"
Did you spend the whole day together?
"Yeah, we were together all day."
Lin Chen nodded.
"Yay! That's great!"
Tangtang happily kissed Lin Chen on the cheek, then immediately struggled to get down, "Daddy, put me down!"
I'm going to brush my teeth and wash my face, and I'm going to change into my prettiest little dress to go to the park!
Lin Chen smiled and put his daughter down.
The little girl seemed to have been recharged, and with her short legs, she rushed into the bathroom like a gust of wind. Soon, the sounds of her stepping on a small stool to get water and brushing her teeth could be heard from inside.
Watching his daughter's excited back, Lin Chen turned around and continued to finish putting the lunchbox on.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
It's 8:30 in the morning.
Wang Hai was lying on the bed, fast asleep with his head sprawled out.
"Buzzing—buzzing—"
The old cell phone on the bedside table started vibrating like a death knell.
Wang Hai closed his eyes, fumbled around for a while, grabbed his phone, swiped the screen, and squinted at it.
On my phone, the number of unread messages in the WeChat group called "Boss Lin's Fried Rice Squad" is rapidly increasing in the upper right corner.
Wang Hai regained some composure and opened the group chat.
The group chat was already buzzing with activity, with Liu Wei and Li Na from the planning department leading the charge in spamming the chat.
Liu Wei: "@Boss Wang, are you awake yet?"
Today is Saturday, what time do you set up your stall?
Are you going out at noon? I'm planning to go over and buy a few portions for lunch!
Li Na: "Yes, you usually only set up your stall in the afternoon on weekdays, but today is the weekend, could you set it up earlier at noon?"
I'm off today, so I deliberately didn't cook. I'm counting on Boss Lin's fried rice to keep me going!
Zhao Qiang: "Brother Wang, prepare more ingredients today!"
I missed out last night, so I'm definitely going to eat my fill today!
This was followed by a series of emojis of people queuing up and messages asking about the stall's opening hours.
Seeing these white-collar workers who were already thinking about fried rice so early in the morning, Wang Hai couldn't help but laugh and sat up.
He leaned against the headboard, his thumbs flying across the screen.
Wang Hai: "@Everyone, brothers and sisters, good morning!"
When Wang Hai popped up, the group chat went silent for a second, then immediately displayed more than a dozen messages.
"Brother Wang is out! Tell me what time it is!"
"Is the location still next to the flower bed in the square?"
Wang Hai smiled and sent out a long message.
Wang Hai: "Everyone, don't panic, listen to me."
Just to give you an official notice: Mr. Lin's fried rice stall will be closed this weekend!
Everyone, enjoy your weekend with plenty of food and drinks! See you next Monday at the same time and place!
Once the message was sent out, the previously lively WeChat group suddenly became as if it had been doused with cold water.
After a full half minute of silence, the group chat exploded again.
Liu Wei: "What??? Not setting up a stall?!"
Zhao Qiang: "No way, Brother Wang!"
It's the weekend, which is usually a busy time for business, why are you taking a break?
I've been swallowing my saliva all morning, isn't this torture?!
Li Na: "I'm devastated! My weekend has lost its soul... Brother Wang, is it because you sold so much yesterday that you can't get up to buy groceries today?"
Seeing the genuine lamentations from the executives and white-collar workers in the group, Wang Hai didn't keep them in suspense. He directly typed a line on the screen and sent it out.
Wang Hai: "It's not that I didn't buy groceries."
Our boss, Mr. Lin, has been busy setting up his stall these past few days and hasn't had time to spend much time with his daughter.
Tangtang has been talking about wanting to go to the park to see the windmills these past few days, so Boss Lin decided to close the shop for two days this weekend to take Tangtang to the park.
There's no way around it; as a father, I have to put my little princess first.
This message was sent successfully.
The messages in the WeChat group that were just complaining and wailing suddenly stopped.
A little while later.
Liu Wei was the first to send a message.
Liu Wei: "Oh, I see."
When I heard it was to take Tangtang out to play, I couldn't even bring myself to complain.
"I always see that little girl sitting on a small stool handing out spoons to us; she's so sweet and adorable, it breaks my heart."
Li Na: "So you were taking Tangtang to the park!"
That absolutely has to be a holiday! Making money is nothing compared to our boss who's always there to help us hand out spoons!
Brother Wang, could you please talk to Boss Lin for us and tell Tangtang to have a good time this weekend?
Zhao Qiang: "No problem!"
Tangtang usually stays at the stall for two or three hours without making a fuss, so it's time to take her out for some fun.
Okay, I'll just grab something quick this weekend. See you next Monday!
"Support! Support! The little girl is so cute, she definitely deserves to spend time with her this weekend."
"Then I wish Mr. Lin and Tangtang a happy weekend, and buy the little girl lots of treats!"
The atmosphere in the group chat changed instantly.
Without the forced praise, all that remained was affection and understanding for the little girl sitting obediently on the small stool, handing out spoons. Wang Hai leaned against the headboard, a contented smile on his face.
Chen Ge's culinary skills won over the group's stomachs, but Tangtang's well-behaved and sensible nature truly captured the hearts of these weary working people.
Wang Hai replied with a fist-clasped emoji in the group chat.
Wang Hai: "Thank you all for your understanding!"
On behalf of Tangtang, I also thank everyone for their blessings.
Everyone, have a good weekend! I'm going back to sleep now. See you Monday!
After sending the message, Wang Hai immediately silenced his phone, tossed it onto the bedside table, pulled the blanket over his head, and went back to sleep.