It was 11 o'clock, time to get off work.
Thanks to his advantageous location, Qiao Xingguo was still the first to receive a boxed lunch at the construction site. When he turned around to buy another boxed lunch from Xu Heping's food stall, he found that it was empty.
The young man selling boxed lunches mentioned that he had rented a shop across the street and it was officially opening today, but he had been so busy all morning that he forgot about it.
He slapped the back of his head and looked across the street at the former location of Jiajia Fast Food Restaurant, where the sign had been changed to "Xu's Fast Food" in red with gold lettering.
Qiao Xingguo looked at the Xu's Fast Food store with some hesitation. The cost of renting the store must have increased, and he wondered if the price of the boxed meals had also increased.
If the price goes up, I won't buy from them anymore!
With this in mind, Qiao Xingguo walked to the other side of the road.
Aside from the changed signboard, everything else was so familiar. The only slight difference was that there was an extra counter opposite the cashier.
Somewhat curious, I went over and found three dishes on the counter. When I saw the dishes, I couldn't take my eyes off them.
Thick, square pieces of Dongpo pork, with a reddish-brown color and cross-shaped cuts, were neatly stacked in a large iron basin.
The round tofu balls were fried until golden and crispy, piled up so high they were almost overflowing, each one seemingly shouting at him to eat him up;
Pork belly and green beans: the green beans are fried until a transparent white membrane forms on their skin, and the membrane is covered with the oil that seeps out of the pork belly. The pork belly is also fried until golden brown and fragrant. Just looking at it makes you imagine the sizzling sound when you put it in your mouth.
Next to the hot food counter were two tall metal cylinders, one labeled with the word 'rice' and the other with the word 'soup'.
Qiao Xingguo even lifted the lid to see what kind of soup was served today. Oh my, it was wakame and bone soup.
The dishes are still the same as before, but I wonder if the prices have gone up?
My gaze swept across the store and finally landed on a large red paper behind the cashier, which read: "Boxed lunches are eight yuan each, and you can eat as much soup and rice as you like."
The price remained the same, and the soup and rice were even all-you-can-eat. Qiao Xingguo's eyes lit up instantly.
"I need to call my wife to come over with me," Qiao Xingguo said, turning his head and walking out of the shop, heading towards the construction site entrance without looking back.
Grandma Xu watched Qiao Xingguo's every move. She was happy that her first customer had come so soon, but she didn't expect that after looking at the food and the price, he would turn around and leave.
Grandma Xu glanced back at the price tag on the wall. Eight yuan a serving. That's really not expensive. Could it be that the dishes don't suit her taste?
That's impossible! She was sitting at the cashier smelling the aroma of the food and it was making her mouth water. How could it not suit her taste?
Maybe he was just curious. I just saw him carrying a lunchbox, so he might have come to take a look.
Grandma Xu could only console herself with this thought.
Several coworkers who knew Qiao Xingguo saw him returning from across the street and quickly stopped him to ask, "Xingguo, has the lunchbox stall raised its prices? What dishes do they have today?"
Upon hearing this question, Qiao Xingguo immediately became interested and stopped rushing to find his wife.
"The price hasn't changed, still eight yuan. Today's dishes were amazing!" Qiao Xingguo couldn't help but swallow as he thought about the dishes he had just eaten: "Palm-sized Dongpo pork, golden and crispy tofu balls, juicy pork belly with green beans, and wakame and bone soup, tsk tsk, and the soup and rice are all you can eat!"
At this moment, Qiao Xingguo saw his wife in the queue. He ignored the two who had been asking him questions and walked up to his wife, saying, "I'll go get the food from across the street first. You can come over with your boxed lunch later. We'll eat at the restaurant today."
Qiao Xingguo's wife glanced at Xu's Fast Food across the street and asked with some concern, "Have the prices gone up?"
Hearing that the prices hadn't gone up, the dishes hadn't changed, and soup and rice were all-you-can-eat, they hurriedly urged Qiao Xingguo to come over, lest there be no seats when it got crowded.
Qiao Xingguo nodded and left. The two men who had just asked him a question exchanged a glance and followed him to Xu's Fast Food Restaurant.
"Boss, how much is this boxed meal, no, how much are the dishes?" Qiao Xingguo walked straight to the cashier and asked Grandma Xu.
"Eight yuan a serving, pay first and then get your food." Grandma Xu stood up with her cane as the group entered the store.
"One serving, please."
Qiao Xingguo took out ten yuan and handed it to Grandma Xu. Grandma Xu gave him two yuan in change and a brown rectangular tray, indicating that he should go across the street to get his food.
Turning around to look at the hot food counter, I saw a tall girl standing next to it, wearing an apron and a transparent mask to prevent saliva from splashing, holding a large spoon in her hand.
This person is none other than Xu Lili, working for free!
Upon seeing Qiao Xingguo approach, he took two plates from under the hot food counter and placed them on the counter. He then lifted the transparent plastic lids over the dishes and quickly scooped them up with three spoonfuls.
A palm-sized piece of Dongpo pork, six tofu balls, and a full spoonful of pork belly and green beans—the portion size is almost the same as a boxed lunch.
"The soup and rice are over there, and the bowls and chopsticks are next to it. You can take as much as you want, but you have to finish it."
Qiao Xingguo nodded, picked up the plate and walked to the soup bucket and rice bucket next door. He picked up two rooster bowls and filled each one to the brim. Then he carefully walked into the shop and found a spot where the fan could blow on him.
The two workers following Qiao Xingguo followed suit and quickly got their food, found seats, and sat down to eat.
Across the street at the construction site entrance, some people watched as Qiao Xingguo and his group went into the shop and didn't come out, as if they had sat down inside.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com