txolops Chapter 99 Is this pig feed you're selling? Give me my money back!
Chapter 99 Is this pig feed you're selling? Give me my money back!
Zhang Ming and his colleague Li Hui had just come out of the office building, both looking exhausted and with their stomachs growling with hunger.
"Old Zhang, what do you want to eat tonight?"
My stomach is empty; I just want something strong-flavored to fill me up.
Li Hui asked the question while looking around.
Zhang Ming pointed in the direction of the flower bed in the square: "I heard from a female colleague in our department that there is a mobile stall selling fried rice in this square, and the taste is absolutely amazing."
Especially today, it's said that they're also giving away some exclusive, specially made chilled sweet and sour radish, and the news is going viral in their group chat.
Shall we go and get something?"
Fried rice with chilled crispy radish?
That sounds quite appetizing. Let's go check it out.
Upon hearing this, Li Hui immediately perked up.
Following the flow of people, the two quickly arrived at the outer edge of the square.
Looking around, the long queue by the flower bed not far away was more than ten meters long.
At the very front of the crowd, a tricycle stall selling fried rice could be vaguely seen, and the rich aroma of caramelized rice and eggs wafted over on the wind.
"Holy crap, this is a roadside stall, why are there so many people queuing up?"
Li Hui exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Ming took two steps closer, looked over the crowd, and saw the price list standing in front of him. He gasped in shock.
"A serving of fried rice with crushed gold costs ninety-nine yuan?"
This boss is robbing us!
Zhang Ming frowned. "Spend a hundred yuan to queue for half an hour to eat at a roadside stall?"
Am I starving or have I lost my mind?
"It's really too expensive, and by the time we get to the front of the line, it'll probably be dark."
Li Hui also backed out.
Just as the two were about to turn around and grab a bite at the fast food restaurant next door.
Don't miss it!
Authentic Golden Fried Rice with Broken Gold!
For less than 99! Only 50! Generous portions and delicious taste! Buy now and get a free homemade sweet and sour pickled radish!
Giveaways are open!
A loudspeaker blared from the other side of the square.
Zhang Ming and Li Hui turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound.
It was less than fifty meters away from the stall with the long queue.
A banner hung in front of the stall that read, "Authentic Golden Fried Rice with Broken Gold, 50 NTD per serving, includes sweet and sour chilled radish."
There wasn't a long queue in front of the stall; only a few people were buying things.
A plump boss wearing a white apron was enthusiastically hawking his wares through a loudspeaker.
"Old Zhang, look over there!"
"That's also the Golden Fried Rice with Broken Gold, and it comes with sweet and sour radish!"
And it only costs fifty yuan, half the price of over there!
Zhang Ming took a close look at the banner, then glanced at the stall in the distance selling dishes for ninety-nine yuan a serving, and nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand. I guess the one with the number ninety-nine is the main stall, and they take advantage of their big name to rip off customers."
This is probably a newly opened stall, or someone who saw something popular and copied it, using low-price promotions to grab customers.
"The name and the side dishes are exactly the same, so even if the taste is a little different, it's not so bad that it's inedible."
Let's not go over there and get ripped off, let's just eat here for fifty yuan!
"That makes sense. Fifty dollars is definitely cheaper than a hundred dollars, and you don't have to wait in line!"
The two hit it off immediately and headed towards the stall with the red banner.
"Boss, two servings of fried rice with crushed gold!"
Eat here!
Zhang Ming walked to the stall, scanned the QR code to pay, and said, "The hundred yuan has been transferred."
"Alright! Please come in, handsome gentlemen, make yourselves at home!"
When the fat boss heard the notification sound indicating that the payment had been received, his chubby face scrunched up in a wide grin.
He turned to the person next to him holding the chef's bag and shouted, "Two orders of fried rice, for dine-in!"
"Coming soon!"
The chef didn't even turn on the fire.
He lifted the lid of a thermos next to him, revealing a large pot of yellowish rice that had been stir-fried long ago.
He used a large iron shovel to cut out two portions with two "clangs" and placed them in two bowls.
Next, the chubby boss took two small disposable plastic plates, scooped out two spoonfuls of white radish chunks from a large plastic bucket under the stall, and placed them next to the fried rice.
"The two of you have your authentic fried rice and secret-recipe radish, all ready!"
Enjoy!
The portly owner enthusiastically placed the food on the table in front of the two of them.
Zhang Ming and Li Hui sat down.
"The food is served really fast, they don't even need to stir-fry it."
Li Hui broke open a pair of disposable chopsticks. "I'm starving."
"Let me try this secret sweet and sour radish recipe they've been raving about, and see if it's really that amazing!"
Li Hui stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a piece of radish, and put it directly into his mouth.
He bit down hard.
The crisp "snap" sound I had imagined did not appear.
This radish looked like it had been soaking in water for days; it was mushy and had no chewiness at all.
Immediately afterwards, a sour smell, mixed with the pungent smell of raw radish, rushed into his nasal cavity.
Li Hui's expression changed instantly. He spat the radish in his mouth onto the ground next to him and started coughing.
"Cough cough cough... Holy crap!"
What the hell is this?!
While coughing, Li Hui quickly picked up the bottled water on the table and took two gulps, his brows furrowed into a tight knot.
"What's wrong? Is it that bad?"
Zhang Ming looked at Li Hui's reaction and was somewhat incredulous.
He picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of radish in his mouth.
I chewed it twice.
With a dark expression, Zhang Ming spat out the radish with a tissue and drank several mouthfuls of water to suppress the strange smell.
"When did my female colleagues' tastes become so heavy?"
This can be called a divine side dish?
Zhang Ming looked utterly bewildered.
"Maybe the boss didn't pickle the radish properly; the main thing is to eat fried rice."
"It costs fifty yuan a serving, so the food can't be bad either."
After recovering, Li Hui scooped up a spoonful of fried rice.
Zhang Ming also picked up a spoon.
The two of them simultaneously put a large mouthful of fried rice into their mouths.
The first chew.
Zhang Ming's movements froze completely.
The rice was not "separate grains" at all. Instead, because it had been kept in the thermos for too long, the moisture flowed back and it turned into clumps of sticky rice balls.
Even more fatal is the oil. Too much oil was added, and without being fully heated, it directly coated the sticky rice.
One bite and my mouth felt greasy and disgusting.
This time, Li Hui couldn't even hold back and spat the food out right at his feet.
Zhang Ming also suppressed the urge to vomit, spat the food in his mouth back into the bowl, and slammed the spoon in his hand on the table with a "bang".
The two of them were completely overwhelmed when they saw the "Authentic Golden Fried Rice with Broken Gold" in front of them.
Is this what I bought for fifty yuan?
Even pig feed looks more appetizing than this!
"Is this even fit for human consumption?!"
Li Hui was already short-tempered. After working overtime all day, he was hungry and tired. He wanted to treat himself to a good meal, but instead, he ate a mouthful of fishy and sour food.
He stood up abruptly.
Zhang Ming's face was also extremely grim.
He finally understood why there were long queues of dozens of meters over there for a 99-yuan serving, while here there wasn't a single person even for a 50-yuan serving!
This is not a sharing at all; it's a black-hearted imitator who's using someone else's name to swindle and cheat!
Without wasting any words, Zhang Ming picked up the two bowls of fried rice and two plates of radishes from the table and walked to the stall.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ming slammed the fried rice in his hand heavily onto the cutting board in front of the fat boss.
"Boss, is this what you call authentic Gold Medal Fried Rice?"
"Is this what they call 'Secret Recipe Crispy Radish'?"
Zhang Ming stared at the fat boss, suppressing his anger, and spoke loudly, instantly attracting the attention of passersby.
The chubby boss was watching short videos on his phone when he was startled by the sudden noise.
He looked up at Zhang Ming, whose face was full of anger, and Li Hui, who had followed him, and then at the food on the cutting board. His originally smiling face immediately fell, and a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes.
But he still tried to save face and said somewhat impatiently, "What's wrong with you two?"
Why are you causing trouble here when we were having a perfectly good meal?
What's wrong with my food?
"Looking for trouble? Look at yourself, is your food even edible?"
Li Hui pointed at the fried rice and questioned, "Did you cook this rice today?"
The rice has all stuck together in one clump!
And these eggs, they have a fishy smell!
And you, this wretched radish, are bitter and astringent, not even cool!
"Fifty yuan a serving, and you're trying to fool people with this pig swill?"
Upon hearing the words "pig feed," several people who happened to be passing by and were interested in buying it immediately stopped and looked over with suspicion.
When the fat boss saw that everyone around was watching, he immediately became anxious. "Young man, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!"
My meal has rice, eggs, and oil. You expect it to taste like a Manchu Han Imperial Feast for fifty yuan?
"You can't please everyone. If you don't like the food, just say so. Don't make baseless accusations and ruin my business!"
"I'm making baseless accusations? You advertise 'Gold Medal Fried Rice' and 'Free Iced Radish,' but you're selling completely different things!"
This is fucking deceptive!
Zhang Ming wasn't buying it at all, and instead raised his voice even louder, "Give me my money back!"
Paying fifty yuan for this kind of garbage? That's fraud!
"Refund!"
Li Hui chimed in, "Otherwise, this isn't over yet. I'll call right now and complain that you're operating without a license and your food safety is substandard!"
Upon hearing "complaint" and "refund," the fat boss became completely enraged. He shouted and tried to explain, "Refund what money?"
Once the money goes into my code, it's mine!
You bought it willingly, and after eating it, you want a full refund?
There's no such thing as a free lunch!
"You're the same guys sent by that stall next door to deliberately cause trouble, aren't you!"
The two sides were at loggerheads in front of the stalls, and the heated argument sounded particularly jarring in this already not-so-spacious corner of the square. Even the regular customers queuing at Lin Chen's stall in the distance curiously craned their necks to look in their direction.