Chapter 258: The Customers Are Driven Mad
Chapter 258: Chapter 258: The Customers Are Driven Mad
One sentence from Xia Changzhi was enough to shut them up.
Grinning, Xia Changzhi turned and waved.
"Alright, I’m off! Time to see what’s good to eat, haha."
As everyone watched with envy and jealousy, Xia Changzhi pushed open the glass door with one hand.
Hearing the door, Tongtong came over to greet him. "Grandpa Xia! Is your tummy rumbling?"
The little one still remembered this Grandpa Xia who had helped her before.
"You’re so cute!" Xia Changzhi said with a chuckle. "I am a little hungry, Tongtong. Is your dad busy?"
"Yep, Daddy’s busy. Please have a seat, Grandpa Xia."
"Alright, sounds good."
Xia Changzhi glanced outside at the crowd of seniors craning their necks.
’He was inwardly gloating.’
’Pick on me?’
’What good did that do?’
’You still have to line up behind me and get a whiff of the aroma.’
Jiang Liu came out, saw it was Xia Changzhi, and said with a smile, "Uncle Xia, I’m about to make some egg fried rice. Would you like a plate to try?"
"Egg fried rice?!"
’I haven’t tried his egg fried rice before!’ Overjoyed, Xia Changzhi hurriedly said, "Yes, absolutely! Perfect timing. I can help you critique it."
"How much is it?"
He wanted to pay in advance so he could eat without feeling indebted.
Jiang Liu waved his hand, feigning annoyance. "Don’t even mention it. How much can a bowl of rice be worth? Consider it my treat."
A warm feeling spread through Xia Changzhi’s chest.
’Even a simple dish made by Boss Jiang would have people fighting to buy it for hundreds of yuan.’
’He must be saying this just to be nice, to repay my earlier help.’
Xia Changzhi chuckled. "In that case, I’ll be shameless and take you up on that free meal, Boss Jiang, haha."
"Just a moment. It’ll be ready soon."
Jiang Liu returned to the kitchen and continued making the egg fried rice.
’A plate of egg fried rice won’t sell for much.’
’But having Xia Changzhi owe him a bigger favor was well worth it.’
Soon, a large wok of steaming, fragrant egg fried rice was ready.
The diced ham, once heated, released a rich, smoky aroma.
A final sprinkle of vibrant green scallions served as a garnish.
The wok’s aroma made Xia Changzhi’s mouth water, and he couldn’t stay seated.
He stood up, opened the glass door, and let the fragrance drift outside.
The customers in line smelled the aroma and nearly lost their minds.
That was just cruel!
"Hey, what do you think you’re doing, Old Xia!"
"The man is rotten to the core! It’s not enough that he gets to eat, he has to torment us, too! Couldn’t he just eat it by himself? Why does he have to make us smell it!"
"Go on, laugh! Keep laughing! Why don’t you just laugh yourself to death, you old coot?"
Driven mad by their hunger, the customers glared daggers at Xia Changzhi.
They were already hungry from waiting, but the scent of egg fried rice sent their cravings into overdrive!
"Tch. The rage of the powerless."
Xia Changzhi sat back down in the seat closest to the door.
He was quite fond of this spot.
’It would be even better if I could set up a table just outside the door.’
Tongtong brought over a plate of the golden fried rice, speckled with green.
She set down a spoon beside it.
"Haha, thank you, Tongtong! I’ll bring you a treat next time."
"You’re welcome, Grandpa Xia."
Tongtong replied politely and then ran off.
She wanted to go be with her daddy!
Xia Changzhi picked up the spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.
The grains of rice weren’t sticky, each one perfectly distinct. The moment they hit his tongue, his taste buds groaned in pleasure.
A rich eggy fragrance exploded in his mouth, carried by the deep, smoky flavor of the ham. The subtle saltiness was absolutely perfect!
This egg fried rice was incredible!!
’The seasoning is just so on point.’
And the potatoes were fragrant and tender. Every single bite was the ultimate culinary experience.
Xia Changzhi polished off half the plate in one go.
"Ah, that’s the stuff! So satisfying!"
It was his first time eating egg fried rice this good!
He looked at the remaining half of the plate.
Xia Changzhi slowed down, savoring it bit by bit.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see people outside, constantly standing on their tiptoes to get a look at his plate.
A mischievous idea struck Xia Changzhi. He picked up his plate, pushed open the glass door, and sat right in the doorway to continue eating.
’You want to see? Fine, I’ll give you a good look!’
The customers in line were furious.
"This guy has gone too far."
"Brother Jiang, please open up! I want egg fried rice too! *Sob*, this is torture."
"I’ve been waiting all afternoon, and this old coot is about to make me snap."
"Just you wait! Tomorrow I’m drawing turtles all over his face!" Old Liu gritted his teeth, stamping his feet in frustration.
Seeing the envious, jealous stares of the crowd before him, Xia Changzhi found that his food tasted even more delicious.
A few minutes later, the other half of the plate was gone.
Back inside the restaurant, Xia Changzhi said, still savoring the taste, "Boss Jiang, that egg fried rice is fantastic! I really enjoyed that."
He even took it upon himself to wash the plate for Jiang Liu.
"I’m glad you liked it," Jiang Liu said with a smile.
"Liked it? I loved it! It would be amazing if you had more dishes on your menu. Then I could have something different for every meal, haha."
Xia Changzhi continued,
"Let me tell you, I once paid 188 yuan for Yangzhou Fried Rice when I was out of town, and it was nowhere near as good as yours. And even with that one, I practically fell in love at first bite."
The two of them chatted casually for a bit.
After washing the plate, Xia Changzhi left the little restaurant.
As he left, he didn’t forget to taunt Old Liu and the others waiting in line.
"Well now, if it isn’t War God Xiao Liu! What are you doing in line here? I just finished my meal. Guess I’ll head home for a nice nap, eh?"
"Sister Wu, your legs must be sore, and you must be hungry, right? Boss Jiang’s egg fried rice was just divine. Perfectly seasoned, not too salty, not too bland. It had bits of potato and ham... let me tell you, the aroma of the egg was just gorgeous. Sigh, I could eat it forever!"
"Anyway, I won’t keep you. I’m off to go lie on my couch and drink some juice."
Xia Changzhi held up the two bottles of juice in his hand, his face a mask of insufferable smugness.
"Pah!"
"What’s he so proud of?"
"It’s only because he did Boss Jiang a favor and Boss Jiang feels indebted. Just wait until I get a chance to help Boss Jiang! I’ll definitely knock that old coot down a peg!"
Old Liu and the others gritted their teeth, watching in fury as Xia Changzhi sauntered away with a spring in his step.
「7:00 PM」
The rain had stopped, but the wind carried its cool, autumnal scent.
Jiang Liu announced he was open for business, with thirty servings of egg fried rice available for fifty yuan each.
The customers rushed in like refugees fleeing a famine.
"Haha, I’m first!"
"Boss Jiang, one order of egg fried rice, quick! And a bottle of beer."
"I’ll have the same, egg fried rice and a beer! That aroma from before was killing me!"
"Brother Jiang, hook me up with a plate of tuna sashimi, ten pork and scallion buns, and five fennel buns."
"I’ll have the yak, potato, and mushroom soup. I absolutely love the potatoes in that."
Most of them were regulars.
There were only a few new faces.
Jiang Liu, Tongtong, and Jun Qingmeng divided up the tasks.
Tongtong was in charge of serving the food, while Jun Qingmeng handled cleaning.
Jiang Liu, meanwhile, was at the counter, packing takeout orders and plating dishes.
「At the same time.」
At Xiaotong’s Restaurant, the yellow sign was still dripping with rainwater.
Three young men, fresh from the Happy Internet Cafe, walked into the restaurant.
They were about to order when they spotted a white sticker on the counter.
(Today’s Special: Egg Fried Rice, 25 yuan per serving.)
"Ooh, something new? Nice!"
"I was just craving egg fried rice. Was gonna make some at home, but might as well eat here. Old Zhang, you want some?"
"Yeah, I’ll have one. Hope it doesn’t disappoint."
"Should we just get some buns? I’m still in the mood for buns."