civilwarnovels Chapter 19 Utter Madness!
Chapter 19 Utter Madness!
If we rewind to just a few minutes ago and look back at the everyday life of ordinary people...
The air there was actually a bit heavier than outside.
The area outside the shop was very noisy, but Chen Feng was busy in the kitchen, not paying much attention to the discussions outside.
But in the front hall, Zhang Qiang and Mengmeng, the two "protectors," were not so calm.
Zhang Qiang stood in a corner of the counter, holding a rag that had been used countless times.
His gaze would occasionally drift past the transparent glass door to the layers upon layers of people outside.
His heart was pounding in his chest, he was so nervous.
"Godfather, why are they just watching and not coming in to eat?"
Mengmeng put on a custom-made apron with bunny ears, her two chubby little hands tightly gripping the edges of the apron, her big eyes filled with confusion.
In the little guy's world, the steamed buns his dad makes are the most delicious thing in the world.
The fact that they smelled the fragrance but didn't come in is one of the most perplexing mysteries in the world.
Looking at Mengmeng's worried little face, Zhang Qiang felt a pang of sadness.
He forced a smile and lowered his voice to comfort her:
"Don't worry, Mengmeng, everyone is just 'inspecting' us."
Good things always need to be tested.
In fact, Zhang Qiang was more anxious than anyone else.
He's been hanging around this old street for so many years, and among those faces outside, there are several familiar old neighbors.
The uncle carrying the fried dough sticks is Uncle Wang, who lives in the third alley; the stylishly dressed aunt is the daughter-in-law of Wang the tailor at the street corner…
Several times he wanted to push open the door, rush out, and yell at them:
"Uncle Wang, Sister-in-law Wang, come in and have a taste!"
These steamed buns are absolutely the best we've ever had in our old street!
But he held back.
He knew that in the current situation, the more enthusiastically he tried to recruit them, the more it would seem to the suspicious neighbors that he was "acting" and trying to lure them in as "suckers."
This kind of coercive sales pitch will only make people who are already hesitant run away faster.
So he could only wait. Wait for someone to truly break the deadlock.
The moment Lu Yuan pushed open the door and came in, Zhang Qiang and Mengmeng almost simultaneously held their breath.
Zhang Qiang stopped wiping the rag in his hand, and Mengmeng's little body also straightened up.
The two were like prisoners waiting for the judge to write their sentences, placing all their hopes on the young man who was coming to eat the rabbit.
They watched Lu Yuan order, watched Chen Feng hand over the steamed buns, and watched Lu Yuan smell and look at them.
"Godfather, why isn't that brother eating yet?" Mengmeng whispered nervously, her little hands gripping her apron even tighter.
Zhang Qiang didn't say anything, he just stared intently at Lu Yuan.
When he saw Lu Yuan take the first bite and then freeze there, Zhang Qiang's heart sank: Oh no, is it not to his liking?
But then, a thunderous "Holy crap!" echoed throughout the store, and Zhang Qiang felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
He saw Lu Yuan frantically stuffing buns into his mouth, looking as if he wanted to swallow the plate whole, which brought tears to Zhang Qiang's eyes.
"Good, good, good!" Zhang Qiang said "good" three times in his mind, and finally threw the rag in his hand hard onto the counter.
Before he could even catch his breath, the middle-aged man outside, who was yelling "Who cares if he's a shill or not," rushed in.
"Boss! Two servings, please! No, one serving first, then two servings of soy milk!"
The appearance of this uncle made Zhang Qiang and Mengmeng's eyes light up like light bulbs.
The two exchanged a glance, and the excitement of "things are getting better" collided violently in the air.
Mengmeng couldn't help but cheer softly, stomping her little feet excitedly on the ground.
Now let's go back to the "steamed bun fanatic" uncle who just entered the store.
His name is Zhao Dafa, and he is known in this area as having a "stubborn mouth".
In his opinion, things like bunny designs and stylish decor are all just fancy stuff.
A good steamed bun is one with a thin skin, a generous filling, and flavorful broth.
So when the plate of delicate bunny-shaped buns was placed in front of him, he didn't care what the bunny-shaped buns looked like.
In his eyes, these weren't rabbits at all; they were three tempting pieces of Tang Sanzang's flesh!
Zhao Dafa didn't even use chopsticks; he simply picked one up with his big hand, aimed it at the spot where the rabbit's head had been, and opened his mouth wide to take a bite.
"Snap."
Zhao Dafa's eyes suddenly bulged out.
The scalding hot yet incredibly rich broth was like a torrent, instantly shattering all his existing knowledge about steamed buns.
He has eaten steamed buns his whole life, boasting that he has tried all kinds of famous shops and secret recipes.
But no other meat filling has ever blended the savory flavor of meat with the rich aroma of fat so perfectly.
"Mmm...mmm!" Zhao Dafa mumbled incoherently, his facial muscles trembling slightly with extreme excitement.
He immediately switched to "eating in the buns" mode, devouring the three buns in almost three bites each.
In less than a minute, only a few glistening drops of oil remained on the plate.
Just as Zhao Dafa was basking in this unprecedented pleasure and was about to slam his fist on the table and order a few more servings, Lu Yuan's voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"Boss! That's amazing!"
I hadn't fully savored that last serving yet! Give me two more, no, three more! I'm going to eat my fill today!
Lu Yuan tapped the table, his eyes revealing a ruthless determination to get his fill.
Chen Feng, who was catching his breath in the kitchen, walked to the counter.
He looked at Lu Yuan, who was anxiously waiting, then glanced at Zhao Dafa, who was staring at him expectantly, and spoke calmly:
"Sorry, our shop is newly opened, and in order to allow more locals to enjoy our food, we are only offering one serving per person per day."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan, who had been excited, froze.
"Limited edition? One copy?" Lu Yuan could hardly believe his ears.
"Boss, I'll pay! I'm not short of money! These buns are so delicious, one serving isn't enough!"
Chen Feng pointed to the small blackboard at the entrance, which indeed read, "Limited supply during the trial operation period."
He added, "However, the shop's secret-recipe soy milk can be refilled for free."
You can drink more soy milk to help calm your nerves.
Lu Yuan's face fell instantly, as if the movie had suddenly lost power while he was watching the climax.
He looked at the empty plate, then at Chen Feng's unyielding face.
He sighed deeply and sat back down in his seat with a regretful expression.
I started gulping down the soy milk, as if I wanted to vent all my obsession with steamed buns into it.
Zhao Dafa, who was standing to the side, originally wanted to join in and shout, "Give me ten or eight portions!"
Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, the bold words he was about to utter caught in his throat.
He glanced at Chen Feng, then at Lu Yuan, who was silently drinking soy milk, and felt incredibly frustrated.
The feeling of having such an exquisite delicacy right in front of you, only being able to taste it briefly before being ordered to stop, is even more unbearable than not being allowed to eat it at all.
"What a pity..." Zhao Dafa rubbed his hands together, looking at the empty plate with a resentful expression like a young wife who had been abandoned.
However, the actions of these two people in the store—Lu Yuan's frantic buying spree, Chen Feng's cold-faced purchase restrictions, and Zhao Dafa's regretful sighs—had the effect of a magnitude 10 earthquake in the eyes of the onlookers outside.
At that moment, the air outside the store seemed to be ignited.
If Lu Yuan's performance just now could be considered a "plant," then the fact that these two reacted so consistently completely shattered everyone's last line of defense.
Especially the behavior of that seasoned foodie Zhao Dafa. Who in the old neighborhood doesn't know that Zhao Dafa is the most picky eater when it comes to steamed buns?
To make him look like he'd practically kneel down, and to make the boss act so arrogantly and impose purchase limits...
Even if they were hired by someone else, they would accept it today.
At this moment, the thought of being thrifty and managing a household well is nowhere to be found in my mind.
They seem to have forgotten all about overcharging and being ripped off.
"Hey! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Didn't you hear it's a limited edition? If it sells out, you'll have nowhere to cry!"
Someone in the crowd shouted this, and the crowd that had been observing instantly erupted into chaos.
"Hey! Don't push! I was here first!"
"Boss! Save me one! I'm coming in right away!"
"What? Twelve yuan? I'm going to try this steamed bun that even Old Zhao had to admit defeat for today!"
Everyone, regardless of age or gender, seemed to have forgotten how fiercely they had been shouting just now, and now they all rushed into the store.
The sounds of pushing and shoving, along with shouts, instantly blended together.
Zhang Qiang was startled when he saw the diners flooding in like a tide.
Then a bright smile, unlike any he had ever seen before, bloomed on his face. The smile was filled with relief and a sense of pride.
At this moment, the morning in the old street was finally ignited by the "human touch".