The number of boxed meals prepared for the second day was still sixty, but this time they were distributed as follows: twenty to the Zijing Garden construction site and forty to the Haishi Library construction site.
This time, I ran into an acquaintance, the same kind-hearted man I met when I was inspecting the construction site before, the one who was squatting at the door eating a chicken leg lunchbox.
Xu An recognized him, and the honest-looking man clearly remembered Xu An as well, walking straight toward him.
"I knew you weren't asking so many questions because you wanted to work on a construction site. What kind of worker doesn't ask about wages but keeps talking about food?" the man joked, glancing at the boxed lunches on Xu An's stall.
"Hehe." Xu An chuckled foolishly and got away with it. He opened a boxed lunch and asked, "Eight yuan a serving, three dishes and a soup, want one? This is much more cost-effective than the chicken leg rice you ate before."
"Okay, one order, let me see how good your cooking is."
When the man saw that he had bought a boxed lunch, several of his coworkers stepped forward, picked up a boxed lunch, and paid for it.
Four portions were sold as soon as the stall opened – what a great start! That's a really good omen.
A tall young man emerged from a somewhat dilapidated house diagonally opposite the construction site. He wore a plain white T-shirt and light blue jeans, and had short, neat hair; he looked like an office worker.
The young man's name is Ding Nan. He is a college graduate this year. After graduation, he found an administrative job in Haishi and became a nine-to-five office worker.
He quickly adapted to the work rhythm, but there was something he couldn't adapt to, and that was eating.
When he was in school, he usually ate in the school cafeteria, where he could fill his stomach for three or four yuan. Such low prices made him think that the highest price outside was no more than six or eight yuan.
But after he officially started working, Ding Nan discovered that the prices of food outside were not just six or eight yuan, but basically ten yuan and twelve yuan if you wanted to eat something better.
It's expensive, which is bad enough, since people can't live without food, but it's also terrible!
For example, today, he received praise from his boss for his work, and he felt very happy. He wanted to treat himself to a good meal to reward himself for his hard work.
After some searching, I chose a shop with a very Western-style decor, a clean and tidy storefront, and a refined owner who looked like a chef. I went in, sat down, and ordered a deluxe pork chop rice bowl for twelve yuan.
The deluxe pork chop rice served did not disappoint Ding Nan's expectations.
Golden-fried pork chops are cut into even pieces and placed on top of glistening, plump rice. The rich black pepper sauce gives the pork chops a whole new soul. The soft-boiled egg is cooked to perfection, wobbling 'DuangDuang' when touched with a fork. Two vibrant green bok choy stalks add a bright touch to the dish.
Everything was so perfect.
Ding Nan happily forked a piece of pork chop and put it in his mouth, his eyes narrowing into crescent shapes as he was about to enjoy the delicious food.
'Gah...squeak...ee-ya...ha!'
The veins on his hands were bulging, and his teeth were almost loose, but the pork chop between his teeth didn't budge.
'Pah!'
After another failed attempt, Ding Nan finally gave up on the pork chop and turned his attention to the soft-boiled egg next to the chicken chop.
With a single swipe of the fork, the egg 'swoosh' slid away. With another push, the perfectly soft-boiled egg was transformed into a mixture of egg white, yolk, and yolk.
Somewhat speechless, he reached for the heart of the cabbage with his fork, thinking that surely there wouldn't be any problem.
One bite, and it was raw! The heart of the bok choy was raw, completely raw!
Ding Nan reluctantly put down his fork. He finally understood why the store looked so attractive, yet was completely empty inside.
Because the food here is all for show! It's only for looking at, not for eating!
The owner must be rich to open a restaurant, just to pass the time during his long, boring years.
A lavish meal costing twelve yuan ended up consisting of nothing more than a glass of lemonade. This lemonade not only failed to satisfy Ding Nan's hunger, but its slightly sour taste made him even hungrier.
This time, I'm going to eat at the restaurant with the most people!
Stepping out of the store, Ding Nan began a new round of searching.
Just as Ding Nan reached the middle of a group of workers, the red light turned green. The workers all crossed the street, and Ding Nan, like a little chick caught in the flow, was forced to walk across the street as well.
Once they reached the other side of the street, the group of workers scattered, leaving Ding Nan standing there completely bewildered.
Seeing the bewildered Ding Nan, Xu An greeted him warmly, "Handsome, a boxed lunch with three dishes and a soup is eight yuan. Want one?"
Three dishes and a soup for eight yuan?
Ding Nan curiously leaned closer, wanting to see what the three dishes were. When he saw the box of glutinous rice meatballs on top, his gaze was completely fixed on it.
"Eight yuan, only eight yuan, want to give it a try?"
The little devil inside him made him eager to take out eight yuan to buy this boxed meal.
However, the last vestiges of reason in his mind brought him back to his senses at the last moment.
"Boss, you didn't use gutter oil to cook this lunch, did you?"
Xu An was delighted to hear this and took out the receipt he received when he bought oil yesterday and handed it to Ding Nan.
"This is the receipt for the oil I bought yesterday. If you want to see it again, I have kept all the receipts for the ingredients I bought since I started this stall."
Gutter oil has a strong smell and is always used in dishes that are heavily oiled and salty. Do my glutinous rice meatballs look like a dish that could be cooked with gutter oil?
"It's not worth changing the oil for every dish just to save a little bit. I'd rather use that time to make a couple more boxed lunches."
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