Chapter 90 Fight, fight!
After hearing what he said, more people became interested and they all rushed towards the newly built shed.
Even those who had not planned to buy before couldn't help but go and join in the fun.
For a while, the place was bustling with people and business was booming.
Compared with them, Shi Xiaoai's tea stall business has plummeted.
Although it is not the morning rush hour at this time, the neighbors and people passing by on their way to work should have arrived one after another.
Especially because their nut-filled stone buns were usually delivered at 7:30, this has formed a habit among the people around here, and those who like to eat this would come and line up around this time.
But today, there were only a few people sitting at the tables outside the tea stall, and no one was in the shed.
Among these people, except for one who is an old customer, the rest are neighbors in the alley.
Everyone ate the braised dishes that Shi Xiaoai sent yesterday, and came over specially this morning to support her.
Seeing the stark contrast in business between the two shops, everyone began to worry about Shi Xiaoai.
Some neighbors even deliberately delayed leaving, slowly chewing on a stone bun.
I just hope that the facade here will look a little better.
Cheng Yang and Cheng Lin had been driven away by Shi Xiaoai, and now there were only her and Wang Xiaofeng at the stall.
Although Wang Xiaofeng didn't dare to ask more questions, she would still glance at Shi Xiaoai from time to time, with uncontrollable worry in her eyes.
Shi Xiaoai was as calm as ever, at least her facial expression showed no difference from usual.
Seeing Wang Xiaofeng was slow, she would gently urge her: "Hurry up and don't be distracted. We have to go to school later. If you can't do it, you will have nothing to take with you when you get there."
Wang Xiaofeng looked at the bamboo baskets that were piled up so high that they were about to burst, pursed her lips, and didn't dare to say anything, speeding up her hands.
At 7:30, a man walked in from the tea stall. Before he even reached the door, a familiar voice could be heard.
"Oh, I'm late today. I drank a few too many sips last night and slept through the morning! Do you still have the ones with nut filling? They're not sold out, are they?"
Shi Xiaoai and Wang Xiaofeng both smiled.
Shi Xiaoai stood up, opened the bamboo basket next to her and said, "There are more. Uncle Kong, there's no purchase limit today, you can have as many as you want!"
Kong Yanbin looked at the basket of Maojian stone steamed buns and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
He didn't respond immediately, but raised his chin towards the door and asked, "Where did that person over there come from?"
Shi Xiaoai smiled and shook her head: "I don't know."
Kong Yanbin looked at her, then tutted his words and said, "Little girl, you're not being honest. You're treating me like an outsider. Your last name is Shi, and the guy across from you is also surnamed Shi, and he's calling himself the Old Shi Family. You're saying you don't know who he is?"
Shi Xiaoai smiled softly and didn't respond.
Seeing her like this, Kong Yanbin didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he took out a dollar from his pocket and handed it to her, saying, "Give me two stone buns, two tea eggs, and pour me a cup of tea."
Shi Xiaoai agreed and recommended it to him: "Uncle Kong, we have a new product today, do you want to try it?"
"Are there new products? What are they?" Kong Yanbin immediately became interested.
He doesn't have any other hobbies, he just likes to drink a little wine and eat some delicious food.
After his wife passed away, he lived with his widowed daughter and little granddaughter.
He and his daughter both have salaries, and the family is not short of money and has no burden. He doesn't like cooking, so on weekdays, when his daughter is at work and his granddaughter is at school, they either go to the cafeteria for meals or eat out.
Shi Xiaoai's tea stall is right across from the family compound of their hospital. The food is delicious and inexpensive, so it has become his first choice for breakfast.
When he heard about the new variety, he naturally wanted to try it.
Shi Xiaoai opened another bamboo basket and introduced it, "Yesterday I improved the salt and pepper stone buns by adding oil-fried pastry fillings. They're especially delicious when they're hot. Uncle, can I give you one to try?"
As she spoke, she took out the nut-filled stone bun and put it back in, replacing it with one with pastry filling.
As she opened the bamboo basket, a special aroma produced by frying in oil and then baking rushed into Kong Yanbin's nose.
This aroma is different from the soft sweet aroma of the nut filling, it is very overbearing.
It not only has a rich meaty aroma, but is also numb and spicy. At the same time, it has a very unique herbal fragrance, similar to mint but definitely not mint, with a cool feeling.
Several flavors blend and collide with each other, making it impossible to describe what the taste is.
I just find it particularly attractive.
"Oh my god, what did you put in this? It smells so good! Hey, hey, don't take it back, give me two each, no no, give me five each, I want to take it back for my little granddaughter to eat!"
As Kong Yanbin spoke, he quickly took money out of his pocket.
Seeing him like this, Shi Xiaoai smiled.
She deftly took out the oil paper specially prepared for packaging for guests from under the table, and while wrapping it skillfully, she continued to recommend: "Uncle, I haven't finished yet.
We are also planning to launch a braised pork rice today, but because it is a last-minute decision, I don’t have enough bowls at home, and my child’s father has already gone to buy some, so we can only start selling it after he buys the bowls.
But uncle, you're a regular customer and a valued customer, so I can let you try it in advance. Would you like to exchange your tea eggs for our freshly made braised eggs? The price is the same as the tea eggs, 20 cents each.
While she was speaking, Wang Xiaofeng had already stood up smartly and brought the braised pork pot to the table.
Because it was not used until noon and there was not enough coal in the stove, they did not stew the braised meat on the stove.
But because it was specially heated in the morning, it was still boiling hot at this moment. As soon as the lid was opened, hot steam came out.
At the same time, the tempting aroma of braised meat also emerges.
Wang Xiaofeng stirred the pot with a spoon, scooped out a braised egg that had been soaked in the rich broth and turned it brown, and handed it to Kong Yanbin, asking, "Uncle, do you want to try one?"
"Gudong."
Kong Yanbin didn't speak immediately, but couldn't help swallowing.
The sound was so loud that the three people standing face to face could hear it clearly.
Kong Yanbin turned his head awkwardly and coughed lightly. When he turned back, his eyes were fixed on the pot of braised meat without even moving.
He didn't answer Wang Xiaofeng's question, but asked Shi Xiaoai: "What do you mean by braised pork rice? Is it rice with this dish?"
"Yes, it's rice with braised food, and it also comes with our special refreshing kimchi."
Kong Yanbin nodded, then quickly said, "You're not selling now because you don't have a bowl, right? It's okay, I have a lunch box at home, I'll go get it now! Wait a minute, wait until I get the lunch box and come buy it. Don't sell out before I sell out, you must leave me some!"
As he said this, he threw down five dollars and turned to leave. After a few steps, he ran back quickly and took the packed stone bun.
"No need for so much!" Wang Xiaofeng shouted outside, but Kong Yanbin didn't even turn his head.
Shi Xiaoai put the money into her schoolbag with a smile, and then said, "He's afraid that we won't leave it for him. It's okay, we'll find the change when he comes later."
With the episode of Kong Yanbin, the haze in Wang Xiaofeng's heart seemed to be swept away, and her mood immediately improved.
Not long after Kong Yanbin left, a few of his old customers who used to like to eat nut-filled stone buns came back one after another.
Shi Xiaoai also heard from their words that Shi Daxi's shop was indeed doing a booming business, but the varieties of products they sold were exactly the same as those she had sold before.
There are sweet, salty and original stone steamed buns, as well as steamed buns with vegetables.
Even the dishes of baked buns and vegetable rolls are exactly the same.
For the same products, their business is naturally very good with promotions and discounts.
But they don’t have stone buns with nut filling!
This makes old customers who are used to this flavor still choose to buy from Xiao Ai.
Even if the price is a little bit higher, it’s unique!
For these old customers, Shi Xiaoai naturally once again vigorously promoted her new varieties.
The stone buns with pastry filling are just as popular as those with nut filling.
After all, it tastes really good.
And everyone can see that there is oil residue added to the pancake, and the oil residue is also meat!
The stone steamed buns with meat filling are still sold at 25 cents each, and the size has not been reduced, and the ingredients are quite generous.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a reasonable price.
People who can afford to come to snack shops for breakfast every day usually have money, and when they find something they like, they don’t care about the extra few cents.
In addition, customers have been traumatized by Shi Xiaoai's previous limited supply, and they are afraid that she is doing this now to compete with others and will not sell it this way in a few days.
By then, you won’t be able to eat such delicious and affordable pancakes anymore.
So no one who buys it buys just one. Basically, most people sell it in batches like Kong Yanbin.
I’m afraid that if I hesitate for a moment, I’ll miss out and regret it too late.
The two large baskets of stone buns that had been baked earlier were soon empty.
Wang Xiaofeng stopped helping out and started rolling and baking the dough in front of everyone.
Although everyone had some guesses about the peculiar appearance of the stone bun after buying it, some smart housewives guessed that it was the marks made by pressing with stones.
But after all, I have never seen it in action!
So, several customers who had originally planned to buy the products and take them home to share with their families stayed instead of leaving. They all gathered around Wang Xiaofeng's operating table and watched with great interest.
They watched and talked about it.
People who run businesses like to have a lot of customers because it proves that business is good!
At first, there were a few people surrounding Wang Xiaofeng, and gradually more and more people came.
Some people who were originally joining in the fun on the other side of the street saw that the people here seemed to be looking at something very excitedly and gathered over curiously.
Wang Xiaofeng's operating table seemed to have become an exhibition, surrounded by more and more people.
Whether it is stone steamed buns with nut filling or pastry filling, the biggest feature is their fragrance.
Especially the freshly baked ones, the smell will not only spread ten miles away, but at least make people around it dizzy!
Before anyone knew what was going on, they couldn't help but take out their wallets and started buying things in groups of three or five.
The shopping frenzy is contagious, especially in these days of relative scarcity.
We are accustomed to taking action immediately when we encounter good things, for fear that if we hesitate for a moment, they will be gone.
Soon, Xiao Ai had no time to sell steamed buns with vegetables. She was not even able to collect money and pack the buns.
At this moment, Kong Yanbin ran back with an extra-large aluminum lunch box.
He probably didn't expect that so many people would gather in front of the tea stall in such a short time!
He first... and then stood at the door and yelled loudly at the inside: "Little boy, did you save my braised pork rice for me? I paid in advance, you dare not sell it all to me!"
Braised Rice with Pork and Soy Sauce?
What is that?
The people who were originally queuing up to wait for Wang Xiaofeng to make the stone buns were attracted by Kong Yanbin's voice, and then they all looked at Shi Xiaoai.
Shi Xiaoai could only helplessly explain: "Braised pork rice is also a new product we are launching today. It's just that we didn't prepare enough and didn't have enough bowls at home, so we plan to buy bowls for lunch before starting to sell it."
Before she finished explaining, Kong Yanbin had already squeezed through the crowd and rushed to the table.
He looked around first and found that everyone was waiting for stone steamed buns and no one was thinking of ordering braised eggs. He immediately felt much better.
He placed his lunch box on the table with a proud expression, saying, "Fill it up for me!"
Shi Xiaoai looked at the lunch box and found that it could hold at least one kilogram of rice. She couldn't help but twitch her lips and quoted the price first.
"Uncle Kong, our braised pork rice comes in two types: vegetarian and meaty. The vegetarian version includes kelp, bean curd sheets, dried bean curd sticks, and radish, while the meaty version is made by adding two slices of braised meat to the vegetarian version."
As she spoke, she used a large spoon to scoop out the food from the stewed meat pot and showed it to everyone: "Look at this stewed meat, it's all in large slices, and each slice is half a finger thick.
Whether you're eating meat or vegetables, we also serve special pickled vegetables in addition to the braised dishes, ensuring they are sour, spicy, and refreshing, and not greasy at all."
As she spoke, she opened a covered enamel basin on the side, revealing the homemade pickled chili and radish strips inside.
The aroma of the braised meat had stunned everyone present. It was so fragrant that those who were chattering non-stop just now all subconsciously shut their mouths.
They all sniffed hard, wishing to fill their entire chests with this intoxicating smell.
As a result, he didn't even listen to what Shi Xiaoai was saying.
"The price of this vegetarian braised rice is..."
When Xiao Ai was about to continue, Kong Yanbin was already waving his hands anxiously: "Stop talking, stop talking, just give me some, all meat dishes, and give me two braised eggs! If you don't have enough money, I'll make up for it. Just give me some first!"
After hearing what he said, Shi Xiaoai stopped talking and agreed to take the lunch box and went to the rice pot to start filling it with rice.
The people waiting outside for stone buns saw her movements clearly. They saw her scooping rice into the big lunch box spoon by spoon. She quickly scooped away half of the rice in the big steel pot. Suddenly, some people became anxious!
Someone immediately shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, don't scoop it all out, I want more! You just don't have cutlery, I have some at home, leave it for me and I'll go home and get it now!"
This sound was like turning on some strange switch, and all the customers were instantly excited.
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