Chapter 17 Boss, You’re Not Playing Fair! Why Didn’t You Tell Us the Stir-Fried Noodles Were This Good Earlier?
“Boss, you’re not playing fair! The stir-fried noodles are so good, you should’ve said something! The mung bean soup made me too full!”
“It’s alright, buddy. If you can’t finish, I’ll help you eat it. One serving isn’t enough for me.”
“In your dreams! Even if my stomach bursts, I’m stuffing these noodles in!”
“My mouth craves the stir-fried noodles, so I’m sorry, stomach, we’re going all in. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have eaten the skewers earlier!”
“This is the first time I’ve had such delicious stir-fried noodles. One bite of noodles, one sip of mung bean soup. Can I live in the boss’s food truck?”
“Boss, give me two more servings of stir-fried noodles. I’ve already paid via scan. I’m off to buy some digestive pills!”
Most customers had already eaten and drunk their fill in the bustling part of the pedestrian street before wandering over here.
Who would’ve thought there’d be such a gem of a food stand tucked away in this corner?
The line of customers stretched all the way to a fruit stand 30 meters away.
The fruit stand uncle didn’t mind at all—he was thrilled.
While waiting, customers were buying pineapples or watermelons to snack on.
“Hey, don’t eat too much fruit or you won’t have room for the noodles later!”
The fruit seller was quite surprised.
“Whoa, where’d this noodle stand come from, and why is its business booming?”
“Uncle, you didn’t know?”
“Nope, I’ve been selling fruit here for three years, and I’ve never seen a stall this busy. Usually, this kind of crowd is only found in the heart of the district.”
A young man with glasses joined the back of the line, still chewing rice noodles, with oil smeared on the corner of his mouth.
The people chatting turned to look at him.
The fruit seller asked curiously, “You already ate, so why are you lining up again?”
“It’s the first time I’ve had such delicious stir-fried noodles. One serving isn’t enough!”
“Is it really that good?”
“Uncle, let me put it this way—it’s so good you won’t even recognize your wife!”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Even if it’s bad, I don’t want to recognize my old lady.”
At the stall, Lu Qin was constantly serving up portions of stir-fried noodles from the wok. He glanced up to see a long line of customers, all eagerly waiting and swallowing in anticipation.
He took a sip of water and continued cooking. The customers in the back, who had been waiting for a while, were salivating as they watched others devouring their boxes of noodles nearby.
Seeing Lu Qin pause to drink water, some couldn’t resist shouting, “Boss, hurry up! Even the workhorses on the farm don’t take breaks !”
“Come on! You’re not even treating the boss like a human. Didn’t you see the sparks flying off the wok?”
“Boss, are your hands sore? Need a break?”
“Take your time, just don’t mess up the flavor!”
“If everyone wants the same toppings, you can make five portions in one batch!”
“Hey, the guy who wanted five eggs, what’s wrong with you? Have you never eaten eggs before?”
“Bro, are you sure you want 20 servings of noodles? Be careful, or the people behind you will beat you up!”
Because Lu Qin’s stir-fried noodles were just too good, he was focused solely on cooking now. The customers had taken over packing and paying by themselves.
In just one hour, Lu Qin’s stall had sold over 100 servings of noodles and more than 200 cups of iced mung bean soup. The line of customers seemed endless. The two aunts at the neighboring stalls were stunned. They hadn’t seen this coming.
This young man was too impressive! Who would’ve thought his stir-fried noodles and mung bean soup would taste so divine?
“Oh my gosh, he hasn’t even been set up for long, and he’s already sold so many noodles and drinks! He’s making a killing!”
“I’m so jealous! His stir-fried noodles must have some secret recipe to be this delicious!”
At 3:30 p.m., at the fork on the south side of the food street, a corner that no one ever lingered in was now packed with a long line of customers. The line stretched over 50 meters. Half of the customers were standing under the hot sun, willing to wait. Even the famous social media-favorite braised pork roll shop wasn’t as popular as this stir-fried noodle stand.
“Ergou, stop eating that stinky tofu! There’s a stir-fried noodle stall over there. I heard it’s amazing, and the line is crazy long!”
“But I love stir-fried noodles… Hey! Stop pulling me…”
“Tiedan, where are you going? Aren’t you going to try these super spicy grilled wings? We’re almost at the front of the line!”
“Stir-fried noodles? Are you serious? I came all the way to Jiangcheng to eat stir-fried noodles? You do realize my hometown, Changshi, is famous for noodles, right? I’m sick of them…”
Stir-fried noodles didn’t appeal to most foodies. Out of ten people, five wouldn’t want to eat noodles. But once they took a bite of those tender and flavorful noodles, none of them could escape the ‘it’s delicious’ rule.
“Damn! These noodles are so good I could cry!”
“It reminds me of my mom’s cooking!”
“This trip to Jiangcheng was worth it. These noodles are unbeatable!”
“Compared to this, the stir-fried noodles in Changshi are nothing!”
Near Lu Qin’s stall, a large group of people were standing around, devouring their noodles. They couldn’t stop. The trash cans nearby were filled with empty noodle boxes, cleaned out as if licked by a dog.
Lu Qin looked up, apologetically saying, “To the last eight customers in line, the noodles are sold out. Please come back next time.”
“What? I just got here and it’s gone?”
“Boss, how can so little be enough for anyone?”
“This is frustrating! I should’ve come earlier instead of wasting time on that beef pastry. It wasn’t even that good!”
“Hey man, sell me your noodles. I’ll pay double!”
“What are you thinking? I wouldn’t sell them for triple!”
“How about five times?”
“Five times… alright, but only because you kind of look like Wu Yanzu. Otherwise, no deal…”
A chubby guy walked away, whistling with six takeout boxes of noodles. The customers who didn’t get any looked at him like he was their sworn enemy, their eyes burning with envy.
“That guy… Did he buy that many because he’s never had noodles in his life?”
“Hope he doesn’t eat himself sick!”
“Boss, next time you should limit the number of servings. Some people buy so many that the rest of us can’t get any!”
“Customer is king,” Lu Qin nodded and replied. “I’ll consider your suggestion.”
Lu Qin soaked a cloth in water, wrung it out, and wiped the oil off the counter.
It was now 4:25, and he had to go pick up his little one from school.
Lu Qin began packing up the stall.
Seeing him clean up, the few customers who hadn’t gotten any noodles left with disappointed looks.
At 4:35, Lu Qin arrived at Xingguang Kindergarten, five minutes late. The little one was probably still in the classroom, otherwise, Lu Qin would’ve spotted her by now. The gate was crowded with parents picking up their kids.
Lu Qin’s tricycle food cart stood out, and some parents who recognized him greeted him with a smile.
“Yao Yao’s dad, when did you start running a food stall? That must be tough!”
“Are you selling stir-fried noodles? Looks like Yao Yao’s dad is quite the chef!”
“I’ll definitely drop by to support you when I get a chance!”
Lu Qin’s sunny and handsome appearance was somewhat at odds with the food cart. But nowadays, running a stall didn’t necessarily mean making less money, and wearing a suit and working in an office didn’t necessarily mean making more.
These parents didn’t look down on Lu Qin, they greeted him just the same as always. Lu Qin politely responded, knowing it was important to maintain good relationships with other parents.
At that moment, a cute little girl was walking out, surrounded by a group of other children. The kids, with their sweet voices, kept reminding her:
“Lu Xiyao, don’t forget to bring us noodles tomorrow!”
“Yao Yao, I’ll bring you a lollipop tomorrow!”
“Yao Yao, I’ll have my mom buy my favorite little cake for you tomorrow.”
The scene caught the attention of the other parents, who began to murmur among themselves.
“Wow, whose child is that, so popular!”
“What’s going on? Why are so many kids gathered around her?”
“Such a pretty little girl, whose family is she from? She’s so lovable!”
“Why is my Lulu giving her favorite teddy bear to her?”
Lu Xiyao was holding lots of gifts in her small hands—candies, milk, fruit, colored pens, toys…
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring extra noodles tomorrow,” she reassured them.
“Yay! Yao Yao, you’re the best!”
“Lu Xiyao, can you bring an extra cup of mung bean soup too?”
“Yao Yao, where does your dad set up his stall? I’ll ask my grandpa to take me there to buy some!”