Chapter 18
On the second day of setting up the stall, Su Yuanzheng first pulled two buckets of porridge and his daughter to the entrance of the sugar factory, set up the table, and then went back to get other things.
Su Miao stayed here to watch the porridge and sweep the floor. A lot of fruits fell from the banyan tree in the evening. She swept up the fruits and leaves and gathered them on the side of the road. The sanitation workers would clear them away when they swept the streets in the afternoon.
Business came in particularly quickly today. Workers came out as soon as they got off work and headed straight for the self-service porridge stall in groups.
The workers all liked to chat with the pretty Su Miao. A young girl wearing a small watch said, "Little sister, I came late yesterday and had to wait a long time before I could eat. Today, I ran out as soon as the bell rang, and brought a few workers with me."
"Thank you for your patronage, sister. I will definitely scoop a full bowl of pork offal~" Su Miao said sweetly.
"Your portions are really good. That little bowl is so much bigger than mine. I can't even finish it."
"Sister, you have to eat a full lunch, otherwise your stomach will growl in the afternoon."
The seats filled up very quickly, so much so that the first few guys who came yesterday had to queue up when they arrived.
Brother Moss was the one who was most reluctant to queue. He scratched his head and went around to discuss with Su Miao.
"Little sister, how long will the queue take with so many people? How about this? I'll go back and get my own cutlery to make porridge and eat it. I'll just take the same amount of food as yesterday, absolutely no more. Is that okay?"
Su Miao nodded readily: "Sure! You can eat here or take it away."
"Okay!"
Moss and his coworkers quickly ran back to get lunch boxes. Most workers used small rectangular aluminum boxes for their meals.
But young men have big appetites, so they all use cylindrical rice buckets with lids and a layer of space between them to hold vegetables.
Su Yuan was helping a customer with porridge and said to him, "Look, little brother, this iron spoon of mine is just the right amount for a small bowl, and two spoonfuls make a large bowl. I'll fill it up for you according to this amount."
When they saw him fill a bowl of porridge and it was exactly as he wanted, they all nodded.
"Brother, we eat a lot, so we need big bowls!"
Watching them happily carrying the porridge back, many who were waiting for a table also went back to get their own tableware. It was comfortable to take the porridge home and eat, and there were fans in the cafeteria to enjoy the breeze.
Some who were too lazy to run back simply said, "Comrade, I see there are still many benches here. Please help me fill the porridge. I can pick up some vegetables and eat them squatting under the tree."
As a result, the porridge sales on the second day were even faster than on the first day. Two buckets of porridge were sold out in an hour and a half, and only a few side dishes were left.
They were busy outside and didn't realize that in the cafeteria, the pork offal they brought back was causing a scramble.
It was dinner time. Moss and his friends were in the cafeteria, enjoying the breeze from the fans, listening to Leslie Cheung's "Unruly Wind" on the radio, and slurping their porridge.
Perhaps their expressions were too cheerful, which attracted the attention of the workers around them.
A chubby boy who was familiar with Moss came over and asked, "Xiao Zhang, what are you guys eating that makes you feel so delicious?"
Moss picked up a piece of pork liver and put it in his mouth, smacking his lips and saying, "Have some porridge, have some porridge!"
Little Fatty wondered, how could porridge be so enjoyable? And what was that alluring aroma?
I had just smelled the aroma while sitting at the next table. I was so greedy that I took a piece of stewed meat from my lunch box and gave it to Moss. I chuckled and said, "Is this pork offal fried at home? Let me try it!"
Then he picked up a piece of pig intestine with lightning speed, put it in his mouth and chewed it until his eyes narrowed, revealing an intoxicated expression.
Under normal circumstances, it is normal for everyone to exchange dishes with each other, and exchanging stewed meat for pork offal, which is a profit no matter how you look at it, but Brother Moss feels like he is losing out!
There was only one spoonful of the pig's offal and blood! He still couldn't get enough! Who wants to eat greasy fat meat?
Looking at the other workers who were eagerly watching, he quickly covered the food: "Hey! There's not much left!"
"Oh! Why are you so stingy? Let me have a piece too!"
"That's right! That's right! Good brothers should share happiness!"
The group of people who had a good relationship with him in the same team rushed over. You picked up a piece of pig blood, I picked up a piece of pig liver, he picked up a piece of pig heart, and some even stole some side dishes.
In just a dozen seconds, like a swarm of locusts, they swept away all the dishes brought back by the porridge-drinking trio.
Moss looked at the canteen food in his bowl with tears in his eyes, saying, "Don't be like this! If you want to eat, go buy it yourself! I haven't had enough!"
The fat guy took a mouthful of rice, gulping down the food. He turned around and said, "You didn't make this at home? Where did you buy it? There are still the same dishes in the window today. I haven't seen this!"
The sugar factory was profitable, and the food was the best among all the canteens in the other units. It was rich in oil and fat, but the big pot meals emphasized cleanliness and speed, with little seasoning and the dishes rarely changing. The workers had long been tired of it.
Brother Moss poured the few remaining side dishes into the porridge and started eating while holding the rice bucket.
"It's that self-service porridge place I mentioned yesterday. You asked me to go with you but you refused, saying that eating meat is worse than drinking porridge. Now you're trying to grab it. There were so many people lining up there that I had to get my own cutlery and eat it myself."
The workers who had just grabbed the pig offal were talking about it.
"I didn't expect pork offal could be stir-fried so deliciously! My wife bought some once and even a dog wouldn't eat it!"
"This large intestine is actually chewable and doesn't smell like shit!"
"Hey! Stop talking, I'm still eating!"
"Yes, yes! Every household has these pickled bamboo shoots, but they don't taste like this when they're fried!"
…
A group of people were clamoring. These dishes looked like ingredients that could be used at home. How could they be made so delicious? No wonder they could set up a stall.
Not to mention that Su Miao learned how to stir-fry pork offal from the chef in his previous life, just looking at the various side dishes, there is a difference between whether they are pickled well or not.
Moreover, most families don’t waste oil and salt on these pickled vegetables. They just add a little oil and stir-fry them. Basically, they just need to be salty and sour enough to go well with rice.
But Su Miao asked his father to put more effort into the seasoning, adding enough oil, ginger, garlic, chili, soy sauce and other seasonings, and the taste was different.
The fat boy was so greedy that he couldn't wait any longer. He quickly emptied the food in his lunch box, stood up and walked out, muttering, "I want to go drink the self-service porridge too."
A coworker called out to him from behind, "Are you still eating? Didn't you finish a bowl of rice?"
But he was only focused on the self-service porridge and could not hear anything else. He ran faster than when he was chased by a dog as a child.
However, Brother Moss came out late today, and he was delayed for a long time when he packed up and went back to the cafeteria. When Brother Fatty came out, Su Yuan had just given the last bowl of porridge to someone else.
"Brother! Wait! There's still pork offal, no! Is there still porridge?"
Su Yuanzheng showed him the empty porridge bucket and said apologetically, "Sorry, we just sold out."
The corners of the fat boy's mouth drooped visibly, and he walked back dejectedly: "What should I do? I didn't buy such delicious food. I won't be able to sleep tonight. How about I sneak out early tomorrow?"
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