txolops Chapter 87 The Old Customer Who Was Craving It
Chapter 87 The Old Customer Who Was Craving It
5:15 PM.
The air at Yintai Plaza was stiflingly hot.
Although the sun had begun to set, there was still no cool breeze between the tall buildings, and the road surface was still radiating the residual heat from the daytime scorching sun.
Lin Chen rode his electric tricycle to the edge of the square.
Behind him, Wang Hai drove the bread truck, following at a leisurely pace.
As soon as the two cars appeared, a small commotion broke out beside the previously quiet flowerbed in the square.
Because they didn't set up their stall for the weekend, their regular customers, who were really craving the food, arrived even earlier than usual today.
More than ten minutes before the agreed time of 5:30, a line had already spontaneously formed next to the flower bed.
At the very front of the line were Liu Wei, Li Na, and Zhao Qiang.
"They're here! They're finally here!"
Liu Wei, with his sharp eyes, was the first to spot Lin Chen's tricycle and called out to him.
He was holding a folder in his hand, fanning his sweaty face.
"Oh my god, this is finally here! I'm practically melting from the heat."
Li Na wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, complaining about the sweltering heat, "In this sweltering heat, I didn't have any appetite at all, but just thinking about Boss Lin's fried rice makes my stomach ache."
"You can argue with that. I didn't get to eat anything for two days over the weekend, and it felt like the whole weekend was just bland. My mouth was so empty."
Zhao Qiang put his hands on his hips, and because he was so hot, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.
Lin Chen parked the electric tricycle in the same old spot next to the flower bed.
Wang Hai also parked his bread truck in the marked parking space next to him.
"Click".
The van door was opened.
Wang Hai leaned out, unbuckled the seatbelt of the pink child seat in the back, and took Tangtang out of the car.
"Tangtang, go sit in your designated spot first, Uncle Fatty has to get to work."
Wang Hai smiled and patted the little girl's shoulder.
"good!"
Tangtang nodded obediently, then walked over to the small stool next to the tricycle and sat down, watching the adults busy themselves.
"Hey little boss, you're here to inspect the work today too?"
Liu Wei greeted Tangtang with a smile from a few steps away.
"Hello, Uncle!"
Tangtang waved her little hand politely.
"Brother Liu, Sister Li, Brother Qiang, you guys are moving pretty fast today! It's not even time to clock out yet, is it?"
Wang Hai greeted them as he turned and walked toward the trunk of the van.
"Hey, the three of us sneaked down ten minutes early to be the first to taste it."
Liu Wei said with a smile, then a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he pointed to the car behind Wang Hai, "Wang Hai, your business has been upgraded?"
They've even brought in a bread truck?
"It's convenient for hauling goods, and it saves Tangtang from getting chilled in the wind when picking her up and dropping her off."
Wang Hai grinned. He reached into the trunk, took out the thermos full of clear soup, and placed it next to the tricycle.
Then, he turned around, carried the large stainless steel bucket containing the chilled sweet and sour radishes down, and placed it in a shady corner on the other side.
Lin Chen wasn't idle either.
He parked the car, untied the dust cover from the iron pot, and turned on the valve of the gas cylinder.
With a soft "pop," the lighter shot out a ball of blue flame from under the stove.
The flames licked the dark iron pot's bottom, emitting a soft whistling sound.
"Boss Lin, it's been two days. Your skills haven't gotten rusty, have they?"
Zhao Qiang, standing at the front of the line, craned his neck and asked jokingly.
Lin Chen picked up a clean rag, quickly wiped the bottom of the pot, and looked up at him.
"Still the same as always."
Lin Chen replied.
"Alright, alright, stop chatting and hurry up and order. My stomach is rumbling."
Li Na was getting impatient from the sweltering weather and urged Liu Wei, who was ahead of her, to hurry up.
After moving his things, Wang Hai took the plastic sign with the WeChat payment code printed on it and placed it on the folding table.
"Come on, everyone, line up!"
The rules remain the same.
"First three, please place your orders!"
Wang Hai cleared his throat and shouted loudly.
Liu Wei immediately took a step forward and pulled out his phone.
"I'd like a plate of fried rice."
I'm so craving it this weekend, I need to hurry!
Liu Wei scanned the QR code and said, "WeChat payment, 99 yuan."
Li Na, who was following behind, immediately stepped forward to scan the code and pay.
"I'll have one too. It's so hot today, there's not a breath of wind. The only thing I can eat is Boss Lin's fried rice. I'll pass on the 99 yuan."
Li Na showed Wang Hai the payment success screen.
Zhao forced his way forward impatiently: "Wang Hai, mine!"
Ninety-nine dollars! Hurry up and fry it, I have to eat a ton of carbs today!
After the three of them placed their orders, Lin Chen began to prepare them.
Heat the wok, then pour in a little oil to coat the wok.
Lin Chen took a small bowl full of rice with his left hand and grabbed three free-range eggs from the egg tray next to him with his right hand.
"Click, click, click."
Crack an egg with one hand.
Three eggs were dropped into the hot oil one after another, instantly creating a cloud of golden egg bubbles.
Almost at the same second, the rice in Lin Chen's left hand poured down.
"boom--"
Flames leaped up along the edge of the pot.
Lin Chen quickly stirred the iron spoon in his hand.
The rice grains and egg mixture collide and blend instantly in the iron pot.
The enticing aroma of caramelized caramel and scallions immediately and forcefully spread through the sweltering air.
Upon smelling the familiar aroma, Liu Wei and the other two people in front of them all swallowed hard.
"This is the taste! It smells amazing!"
Liu Wei took a deep breath.
While waiting for the fried rice to be ready, Liu Wei seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to look at Wang Hai, who was standing to the side preparing takeout boxes.
"Oh, right, Wang Hai."
Liu Wei fanned himself with a folder, "When you sent the notification in the WeChat group just now, you said that besides having enough stock, what other hidden surprises were there today?"
What's going on? Has Boss Lin launched some new cuisine besides fried rice?
Upon hearing this, Li Na and Zhao Qiang, who were standing nearby, immediately perked up.
"Yes, yes, I saw it too!"
Li Na leaned closer and asked, "Is there a new staple food?"
Fried rice noodles or fried noodles?
"It doesn't look like a staple food to me."
Zhao Qiangba analyzed, "Boss Lin is meticulous about fried rice, so he certainly wouldn't add staple food casually to distract him."
I guess they added a new side dish.
Faced with the three people's guesses, Wang Hai chuckled and deliberately kept them in suspense.
"Neither."
Wang Hai shook his head, reached out and patted the stainless steel bucket next to him, "Sausage and truffle are too greasy."
It's so hot, everyone must be suffering standing here in line.
Our boss, Mr. Lin, is very considerate of everyone and has specially prepared some refreshing and palate-cleansing treats.
Upon hearing this, all three of them turned their gazes to the stainless steel bucket.
"A good way to cool down and cut through the greasiness?"
Liu Wei stared at the bucket and guessed, "It's definitely not soup. We usually give a bowl of old hen soup with every serving of fried rice."
Could it be... a cold dish?
Smashed cucumber? Or a cold seaweed salad?
"If it were a cold dish, that would be perfect!"
Li Na's eyes lit up. She felt that on this sweltering afternoon, a refreshing cold dish was a lifesaver. "Cucumber salad with fried rice, amazing!"
Looking at their expectant eyes, Wang Hai's smile deepened.
"Don't make wild guesses. These are fresh ingredients that Boss Lin specially picked out at the morning market yesterday and personally seasoned and marinated."
"You'll find out what the hidden surprise is when you get your fried rice."
Wang Hai said mysteriously.
Seeing that Wang Hai refused to reveal the answer in advance, the three people's curiosity was completely piqued.
"Okay, why all the secrecy?"
However, anything made by Boss Lin is guaranteed to taste good.
Liu Wei fanned himself, his gaze returning to Lin Chen, who was tossing the wok.
In the few minutes they were talking, the first batch of fried rice in Lin Chen's pot was nearing completion.
The fire evaporated the last bit of moisture, and the scallions tumbled among the golden rice grains, releasing an exquisite dry aroma.
Lin Chen turned down the heat and gripped the handle of the iron pot.
"Pack."
Lin Chen shouted.