At 3:25 p.m., Chen Zheng's stomach rumbled, pulling him out of his focused work mode.
I glanced at the time; there were only five minutes left until afternoon tea.
Turning his head towards the tea room, he could see the administrative staff busy inside. A faint fragrance wafted from the tea room and reached Chen Zheng's nose.
Chen Zheng's nose twitched involuntarily. The salty and savory taste meant that afternoon tea wasn't cake or cookies.
My nose twitched a couple more times. Star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns… and I could even faintly smell a hint of fruity fragrance…
With such complex flavors, what exactly is today's afternoon tea?
I waited expectantly until 3:30, then headed straight for the break room.
The closer I got to the tea room, the stronger the aroma became, and my stomach growled louder, my saliva started flowing faster.
As Chen Zheng stepped into the tea room, he saw a rectangular table piled high with all kinds of braised dishes.
Each transparent disposable lunchbox contained various vegetables, including potatoes, lotus root, quail eggs, and seaweed.
What they have in common is their very rich color; the thick, tea-colored sauce tightly coats the food, making it shimmer in the sunlight.
"Chen Zheng, what are you doing blocking the doorway?"
A voice interrupted Chen Zheng's reverie, and he quickly took two steps, picked up disposable tableware, and began to eat heartily.
One, two, three...
More and more colleagues joined this feast. Unusually, during this afternoon tea time, no one chatted but kept stuffing food into their mouths.
Although braised dishes taste good, eating too much can make you thirsty.
Chen Zheng casually picked up a cup, without checking what drink was in the vending machine, and turned on the switch. The clear, golden liquid gushed into the cup, releasing a unique apple fragrance that neutralized the strong, overpowering aroma of the braised meat.
The cool liquid went down my throat, soothing my restless mouth and esophagus, silencing my clamor.
After downing the entire glass of beverage in one gulp, the dryness in his mouth was completely relieved, and Chen Zheng felt like he could fight another three hundred rounds.
But dreams are one thing, reality is another. With too many monks and too little porridge, this feast of braised food has come to an end.
The group reluctantly put down their chopsticks and began to chat, mostly about braised dishes.
As they chatted, their mouths started watering again, and a few of them couldn't resist asking Wu Yaqi which shop she had ordered her braised food from today.
After answering several people's questions, Wu Yaqi finally couldn't take it anymore and directly sent the website link of Xu's Fast Food Restaurant to the large group, and the world immediately became quiet.
Chen Zheng returned to his seat and opened the website link, only to discover that this Xu's Fast Food Restaurant not only sold braised dishes but also boxed meals.
It's 5 PM, time to leave work.
Lin Xuyang quickly tidied up his desk, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and left the office.
During my lunch break, I went to a shopping mall near my workplace and bought clothes, picture books, and toys for Kang Kang and Lele. I also asked my friend to buy the amusement park tickets, which were just delivered to me.
After dinner, it was almost seven o'clock. Xu An should have finished eating and tidying up by then and be home.
Lin Xuyang said goodbye to his buddies and rode his bicycle to Xujia Village.
Xujia Village.
After finishing dinner and tidying up the house, I noticed that the firewood in the kitchen was almost gone, so I picked up an axe and started chopping wood.
Suddenly, I heard a loud roar from a motorcycle starting up, and the sound got closer and closer until it stopped in front of my house. Then, I was woken up by a knock on the gate.
Xu An put down the axe in his hand, opened the courtyard gate, and saw Lin Xuyang standing outside.
"Brother Lin," Xu An called out, quickly welcoming him in. "Why did you come all of a sudden without even saying hello?"
"It's been so long since I've seen you, I missed you." Lin Xuyang handed the bags to Xu An and casually asked, "How's business at the fast food restaurant lately?"
"It's fine." Xu An took the bags and glanced at them casually, only to find that they were all children's clothes, toys, and books. A big question mark appeared above his head.
Why give yourself so many gifts when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?
"Didn't we talk about my sister's college entrance exam results when we were chatting before?" Lin Xuyang noticed Xu An's confusion and explained, "She filled in Hongxi University in her application, and she received her admission notice yesterday."
After saying that, Lin Xuyang remembered that Xu An was also a high school graduate in this year, and quickly asked, "I remember your grades weren't bad either. You should have received your admission notice by now, right?"
Xu An chuckled but didn't answer. He carried the bag back to his room, went to the kitchen, and brought out two cans of frozen cola, handing one to Lin Xuyang.
Seeing that Xu An did not answer, Lin Xuyang assumed that he had not yet received the admission notice, so he did not ask further and instead started talking about other things.
"Are there any problems with the hygiene and food safety of your store?"
"Brother Lin, you can rest assured about this, there won't be any problems at all." Xu An was very strict about this, and everyone in the store cooperated well, so there had never been any issues with it.
"It's good that there are no problems. Just pay more attention to these aspects recently," Lin Xuyang reminded him somewhat cryptically.
Is a new round of food safety inspections about to begin? Only half a month has passed, could there be another problem somewhere?
Xu An was filled with doubts, but Lin Xuyang's reminder was so roundabout that he could guess that this was something that couldn't be told to outsiders.
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