"Come, come, let me introduce you all. This is my younger brother, Xu An. He's a fantastic cook. He's here at our construction site today to sell boxed lunches and benefit us."
A boxed lunch costs eight yuan, including three dishes and a soup; fair and honest pricing.
Uncle Dongliang didn't treat himself like an outsider. He walked over and stood next to Xu An, helping to greet him, just like the second boss of the stall.
As for Xu Heping, he took Xu Kang and Xu Le to the side. There were too many people; they had to keep an eye on the children, as there were no sure if any bad people were mixed in among them.
The workers that Uncle Dongliang brought over, after seeing the food, did not hesitate, picked up a box, took out money, and handed it to Xu An.
Perhaps Uncle Dongliang had told them in advance that they would receive eight yuan in bills, so they didn't need to give change.
This group of people didn't leave after buying their food. They gathered in groups of three, found a shady spot under a tree, and squatted down to eat.
After everyone had finished buying their food, Uncle Dongliang picked up a box of rice and handed it to Xu An for eight yuan.
"Uncle, no need, I treated you to this back then."
"Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, and business is business. If you don't charge someone you know, how can you do business?" Without further ado, he stuffed the money into Xu An's hand, took the boxed lunch to the shade of a tree, squatted down with the other workers, and started eating.
Xu An sorted through the remaining boxed meals in the two foam boxes. There were only six boxes left. Uncle Dongliang had sold twenty-four boxed meals in this round.
Xu Le bit her finger and looked sideways at Qiao Xingguo, who was standing by the tricycle and seemed hesitant. Suddenly, she broke free from Xu Heping's hand and ran quickly toward Qiao Xingguo.
"Uncle, are you hungry? Do you want to eat?" Xu Le tugged at Qiao Xingguo's sleeve. "My brother's cooking is super delicious! Look at my tummy, it's so full."
As she spoke, Xu Le tried to lift her clothes to show Qiao Xingguo her round belly, but Xu An, who reacted quickly, stopped her and gave Xu Le a look that said, "I'll settle the score with you later."
Xu Le immediately objected and argued loudly with Xu An, "Brother's cooking is just so delicious!"
The shout was soft and gentle; it sounded more like a coquettish pout than an angry outburst.
The workers, who had just bought lunch boxes and were enjoying their meals, burst out laughing and gave the two men a thumbs up.
"Yes, the boxed lunches are delicious."
Xu Le was extremely pleased with himself for having his words accepted. He put his hands on his hips, tilted his head back, and looked down at Xu An with his nose in his nose.
Not to be outdone, Xu Kang dragged Xu Heping to the construction site entrance and shouted inside, "My brother is selling boxed lunches! Super delicious boxed lunches!"
At his shout, several workers who were walking towards the construction site canteen turned around and looked in this direction. As if their interest had been piqued, they discussed it for a while and then walked over.
Smelling the aroma of food in the air and looking at the little girl's bright, blinking eyes beside him, he thought of his daughter back in his hometown, who was about the same age as Xu Le.
Qiao Xingguo slowly raised his right hand and precisely picked up a boxed lunch.
"Uncle, a boxed lunch costs eight yuan," Xu Le reminded him at the right moment.
Qiao Xingguo took out a ten-yuan note from his pocket and handed it to Xu Le, asking gently, "Uncle is giving you ten yuan. How much change should you give me?"
Xu Le took the money and handed it directly to Xu An, answering very seriously, "Uncle, I haven't started school yet, so I can't count."
This remark amused the people eating around them once again.
The group of people Xu Kang had recruited also walked to the door, looked at the people eating under the tree, and went over to see what kind of dishes were in their boxed lunches.
The person didn't mind and generously spread out the lunchbox so they could see it clearly.
Upon seeing the large meat patties, the bright red minced meat eggplant soaked in broth, and the tempting cabbage and vermicelli glistening with oil in the boxed lunches, the group swallowed hard and rushed to the tricycle to grab a boxed lunch.
Amid Xu Kang's childish calls for help, several groups of workers came and went, selling one or two or three portions each, and the remaining six portions were sold out.
Xu An packed up the tricycle and squatted down under the shade of a tree with Xu Heping, waiting for Uncle Dongliang's feedback.
Qiao Xingguo squatted back under the tree with his lunchbox in his hand. He first opened the lunchbox containing rice, which was plump and fluffy, and had the unique aroma of a wood-fired stove.
I poked the meat patty with my chopsticks, and the meat juice seeped out from the gaps in the patty, giving off a fragrant pork aroma.
Pick up an eggplant, and the thick sauce slowly slides down its surface, almost dripping.
The last dish, cabbage and glass noodles, doesn't need much scrutiny; it's clearly delicious, refreshing, and filling.
For the first time, Qiao Xingguo wondered why his wife was so late getting off work and arriving so slowly. He quickly put all the lids back on, and then, unable to resist looking at them any longer, he decided to eat first.
Uncle Dongliang had worked on construction sites for several years and developed a habit of wolfing down his food. This boxed lunch, including rice, vegetables, and soup, weighed almost three pounds. He finished it in no time, and then gulped down the tomato and egg drop soup in one go, letting out a long, satisfied burp.
This meal was really enjoyable.
The brothers around Uncle Dongliang did the same thing as him, straightening their necks and letting out a comfortable burp.
I don't know how long it's been, but I'm finally having a decent meal. Before, all I ate was just to fill my stomach; it wasn't really food at all.
Although they were migrant workers, they were still very courteous and put their empty lunchboxes into bags and threw them into the trash can.
Someone squatted down next to Xu An, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed two to Xu An and Xu Heping.
"Are you coming again tomorrow? As long as your food is still of the same quality and the same price, I'll buy it if I see you."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com