Someone is causing trouble
"I want two servings!"
Niu Zhigang, the representative sent by the police station to buy food today, walked to the back gate of the county's No. 1 Middle School and saw a large group of people gathered together. He quickly walked over to see what was going on.
Standing on the outside, you can smell the rich aroma of meat and sauce. That's it!
Looking at the crowd in front of him, he was a little worried. Would he have made a wasted trip today?
However, his worries were unnecessary, because some people were not there to buy boxed lunches, but to join in the fun, or even to cause trouble.
"It seems like anyone can start a business these days, and I wonder if the food they cook is even clean."
A regular customer who had eaten there several times helped explain, "I've bought food from her before, and it's quite clean."
The man then said, "Who knows? You didn't see it. What if they used rat meat? You wouldn't be able to tell if it was cooked properly."
Everyone felt nauseous upon hearing this.
Liu Xiangmei had already realized that this person wasn't there to buy food, but to cause trouble.
She pointed at the man and said, "Who are you? What makes you think I used rat meat? What makes you think my food is unclean? Which eye of yours saw that?"
Sister Xu put down her lunchbox and told Liu Xiangmei, "This is the owner of the Sichuan restaurant over there. She probably hates you for taking away her business."
Although these words were spoken to Liu Xiangmei, everyone heard them. They're colleagues, no wonder they start smearing others as soon as they arrive!
The Sichuan restaurant owner didn't deny it, saying, "So what if my family runs a Sichuan restaurant! I just can't stand these small vendors who dare to sell things they somehow concoct at home without a business license. Their food is definitely not up to standard. Be careful when you eat here, or you might get sick and then be unable to find anyone to compensate you."
These words really hit home. Many people are already wary of food sold by street vendors, and after being provoked like this, they're even more convinced that the food is probably problematic.
These words not only angered Liu Xiangmei, but also infuriated Wang Yao. However, they were not facing the Wang family members, and they couldn't just chase after them with knives at the drop of a hat.
Wang Yao stepped forward, opened a boxed lunch, and started eating it in big mouthfuls. Everyone watched as she ate one bite of rice and one bite of vegetables, quickly shoveling half of the lunch into her mouth until her cheeks were bulging, and she was still chewing.
Despite her current slim figure, Wang Yao is not picky about food at all and eats with gusto, making her look quite appetizing.
"Burp~" After finishing most of the boxed lunch, Wang Yao was full.
Holding up the boxed lunch in her hand, she said to everyone, "As you can see, we make this ourselves and dare to eat it ourselves. The ingredients are absolutely safe. If you get up early every day, you'll see my mom riding her tricycle to the countryside to buy vegetables. They're all the freshest vegetables, and they're served within six hours of being harvested. You can ask around at the market; all the meat in my house is bought fresh daily. There's absolutely no way there could be rat meat."
She pointed to Liu Xiangmei's head and said, "When my mother cooks, she always wraps her hair in a plastic bag and wears a hat to prevent any hair from falling into the pot. We can't say it's 100% effective, but that's our attitude. In the food business, cleanliness and hygiene are the most basic requirements, and we do our best to achieve them."
Someone in the crowd said, "No wonder! I was wondering why her mother always wore a hat when she sold food in the middle of summer. I thought she was from an ethnic minority!"
"I thought so too, but I never expected that they were just trying to keep it clean."
"That's because they have high standards for themselves. If they didn't, how could they cook such delicious food?"
Finally, Wang Yao said to the Sichuan restaurant owner, "We're not running a shop right now because we don't have the resources, but you can't say our food is bad. So what if you run a restaurant? Do you think you're superior? But I think the real skill in the food business is making food that satisfies your customers. Don't you all agree?"
Sister Xu chimed in, "That's right. Whether you're doing big business or small business, conscience and reputation are the most important things. Ma Zhen, stop causing trouble. Go back and study your own cooking properly. See how to improve the taste. That's the right thing to do."
One of the customers who had been waiting for a long time chimed in: "Yeah, what are you doing causing trouble? It's lunchtime, and instead of taking care of your own business, you're coming to someone else's place to cause trouble. Is that appropriate?"
"I think her family is out of business, so she's here to sabotage other people's businesses!"
"Huh? It's lunchtime now, surely there must be some business coming in?"
"Who knows? Aren't most of the restaurants around here catering to students? It's normal for them to have no business now that it's summer vacation."
"No wonder they're jealous of this owner. This business is really good; I couldn't buy anything when I came yesterday."
"Hey, me too. I was thinking of coming early today, but who knew I'd run into this troublemaker. If you're looking down on people who are just street vendors, then get out of here. Don't try to take their business from me."
"Who's complaining? Hey, hey, don't push, I was here first..."
Seeing everyone suddenly pulling out money and pushing forward, Wang Yao quickly tried to maintain order, saying, "Don't push, don't push, everyone gets a share, one person at a time."
Then he turned to Ma Zhen, the owner of the Sichuan restaurant next to him, and said, "I'm busy here. If you're not buying food, please make way for others."
"Yeah, can the troublemakers get lost? Don't stand there blocking the way... no, wait, a good dog doesn't block the way!"
Ma Zhen was so angry she was panting heavily. "Who said I'm not buying any? Give me one."
Liu Xiangmei was reluctant to sell it to her, lest she cause any more trouble.
But Wang Yao instructed Liu Xiangmei to collect money; it would be foolish not to make money if it's available.
Before handing the boxed lunch to Ma Zhen, she smiled and said, "Let me make this clear first, I just ate the boxed lunch and I'm fine. Everyone can see that the food was all cooked in one pot. If you take it home and get sick from eating it, and then come looking for trouble, I'll have to call the police to settle this."
Ms. Zhang, who runs the convenience store next door, voiced her support for Wang Yao: "My son is at the police station. If she causes trouble again, I'll call someone for you."
Ma Zhen's face turned pale and then red. She snatched the lunchbox and started walking back. All the way, her mouth was constantly babbling filth.
Thinking about how those people had mocked her family for not having business, she became even angrier. She thought to herself, "How can my family not have business? My family's business is thriving!"
Then he thought that he was just passing by and suddenly decided to throw mud at someone. Not only did he fail, but he was also ridiculed in return. That was bad enough, but he also contributed to someone else's performance.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I felt like I had shot myself in the foot today. I was about to throw away the lunchbox I was carrying when I thought about it and decided to go back and try it to see what kind of tricks they had made from this lunchbox.
"Where have you been? A customer wanted a drink, but no one answered after calling for ages," complained Yu Daqiang, the owner and head chef of the Sichuan restaurant.
Ma Zhen placed the boxed lunch on the table. "Try it."
Yu Daqiang was even more dissatisfied, "We sell this ourselves, why are you spending money to buy from other people? Business has been bad these past few days, why don't you know how to save some money?"
Ma Zhen didn't want to listen to her rambling on and on, so she told her what had just happened.
Yu Daqiang was surprised; he hadn't expected Ma Zhen to do this.
Everyone knows that a boxed lunch vendor suddenly appeared on Dingyuan Road these past few days, but no one really paid much attention to it.
After all, every year after the start of the school year, there are many such vendors at the back and front gates of the county's No. 1 Middle School, so everyone is used to it.
Besides, it's summer vacation now, so even if we sell, we won't sell much, since everyone's business is bad.
But when he heard his wife say that, he became serious. "Really? So many people are crowding around to buy it, and some people can't even get one? That can't be!"
Ma Zhen said irritably, "Why would I lie to you? I heard from someone today that it's raining, so the mother and daughter are selling at the door. If it weren't raining, the woman would go to the construction site to sell, and they would sell even more."
Yu Daqiang opened the boxed lunch in front of him. Although the food had been sitting in the box for a while, there was still an enticing aroma wafting out.
Ma Zhen had already seen others eat at the scene, and watched Wang Yao devour most of the meal in no time, so she was already tempted by the boxed lunch.
She took two pairs of chopsticks, handed them to Yu Daqiang, and urged, "Try them quickly."
Yu Daqiang first ate the twice-cooked pork. Having worked in the kitchen for many years, he knew from the first bite that the dish was authentically cooked. Although it didn't have a very obvious "lamp-shaped" appearance, the taste was quite good.
Ma Zhen tasted Mapo Tofu. Although she rarely goes into the kitchen, as someone who has eaten Sichuan cuisine for so many years, Ma Zhen can still tell that this Mapo Tofu is made with excellent skill.
The flavors of fermented bean paste and chili oil intertwine and blend into the tofu. The minced meat has no fishy taste at all, but is adorned with a subtle numbing and spicy flavor. It is fresh, fragrant, tender and numbing, making Ma Zhen want to have a bowl of rice right away.
Upon opening the rice container, Ma Zhen could immediately tell that the rice used was not the old or broken rice often found in small restaurants. Although the quality wasn't the best, it was certainly not bad either.
Yu Daqiang took a few bites and put down his chopsticks. "No wonder those people are fighting over it. It's really not bad, not much worse than my master's!"
Ma Zhen, with a mouthful of rice in her mouth, was shocked to hear this. "Really?"
Although she could taste the goodness, she didn't understand the real secrets behind it.
Yu Daqiang nodded, “When I was learning to cook, twice-cooked pork was my master’s specialty. There’s a reason why this dish is called the ‘King of Sichuan Cuisine’. There are specific techniques from cutting to stir-frying. Although their knife skills are average, the heat is just right and the ingredients are added appropriately. It’s no less than my master’s skill.”
Although the food in front of her was indeed tempting, Ma Zhen couldn't eat anymore. She put down her chopsticks and asked worriedly, "Then, what about our business..."
Yu Daqiang picked up his cup, which he had used for many years and was covered in tea stains, blew on the tea leaves floating inside, and then took a sip.
Seeing his wife's anxious expression, he laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? Let alone other people, there are several hundred students in the county's No. 1 Middle School alone, not to mention the junior high schools and primary schools in the county town. We can't earn all the money. There are so many restaurants in front of and behind the No. 1 Middle School. One more or one less won't make a difference. Besides, they are just a small stall."
That sounds true, but in business, who wants competitors, especially such strong ones?
Fortunately, they don't have the capital to open a store, and they mainly sell their wares on construction sites, so the impact on their own store shouldn't be too great.
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