VFGRC Chapter 30

TL: Moonlit

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The three-day New Year holiday flew by in an instant.

Qingqiao Kindergarten and Qingqiao Elementary School have already started their winter vacation. Students from Qingqiao Junior High School and Qingqiao High School are preparing for their end-of-term exams this week, and the atmosphere among the students is becoming increasingly tense. As a result, the number of students coming to Sanjiaokou to buy snacks is decreasing.

Every year during this time, business slows down, and everyone has gotten used to it. When there were more students and business was bustling, they all made a good profit.

These past few days, the stall owners are still setting up their stalls, purely because they have nothing else to do at home and want to earn some pocket money.

However… this winter is colder than previous winters, and their business after New Year’s Day is not as good as in previous years.

Today, the snack stalls at Sanjiaokou are particularly slow, not only because the students are busy with their end-of-term exams and winter vacation, but also because the popular “Qiaozi Snacks Store” at Sanjiaokou, which was still under renovation before New Year’s Day, has officially opened for business.

The “Qiaozi Snacks Store” has caused quite a stir in J City. When people in J City first learned about it, it was because it received an extensive promotion from food bloggers invited by J City’s food exploration program.

Then, someone discovered that a popular internet celebrity in J City highly recommended the crispy chicken fillet from the “Qiaozi Snacks Store” in their live-streaming video, attracting a wave of fans’ attention.

But what really made the “Qiaozi Snacks Store” a sensation in J City was a news report: on a rainy workday in J City, dozens of J City residents queued for two hours just to buy a serving of their snacks!

“Qiaozi Snacks Store” can make dozens of people queue for two hours on a workday with heavy rain, a day when most people would usually prefer to stay indoors. Anyone who saw this news report couldn’t help but be curious about this snack shop.

What kind of snacks could attract so many customers to queue up for them?

With this news report, the business of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” became increasingly prosperous. They opened more branches in J City, and the queueing time only increased instead of decreasing.

In reality, the taste of the snacks made by “Qiaozi Snacks Store” is not much different from regular fast food snacks.

However, the customers who waited in line for two hours naturally added a filter to the snacks they painstakingly purchased.

So, for them, the ordinary-tasting snacks from “Qiaozi Snacks Store” seemed to become less ordinary.

After all, no one would admit that they would spend two hours to buy an average snack—only a fool would do such a thing.

Upon hearing the news that a new branch of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was about to open, the line outside the Sanjiakou branch of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was already stretched out long by one o’clock in the afternoon on the day of its grand opening.

Although it was winter and wearing thick winter coats didn’t make people feel cold, standing outside the branch for over an hour was starting to become unbearable for some older people.

“When will this shop open? I’ve been waiting here for half the day…”

“Based on the opening time of their other branches, we still have to wait for another half an hour,” an experienced customer said. “With such a long line in front, when it’s finally our turn after the shop opens, we’ll have to wait for another hour…”

“What? That adds up to nearly two hours of waiting! Who can afford to wait for that long?”

“If my granddaughter didn’t insist on having it after school, I wouldn’t have come here to wait in line!”

“But it’s just a snack! How good can it taste? I’m looking at this queue, and I think I’ll pass!”

There was some commotion in the line, and although some people said they wouldn’t wait in line, in the end, those people didn’t leave the line.

They had already been waiting for almost an hour, and waiting for an additional hour and a half didn’t seem to make much difference.

Moreover… they thought that with so many people lining up, the taste of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” couldn’t be that bad.

With such thoughts in mind, the line quickly returned to a calm state.

Among the people waiting in line, there were nearby residents who had never tried “Qiaozi Snacks Store” before, white-collar workers nearby who wanted to join the opening frenzy and take photos for their social media, and of course, the food exploration bloggers!

Song Qing, a food exploration blogger, was one of the people in the queue at the Sanjiaokou branch of “Qiaozi Snacks Store.”

Song Qing was a semi-self-employed food exploration blogger. Her team was not large, consisting of herself and two friends responsible for video editing and account management.

Song Qing gained some popularity in J City over the years and accumulated a fan base that many food exploration bloggers envied. This was because Song Qing’s food exploration videos had their own unique style.

Nowadays, many food exploration bloggers’ accounts are “recharged” by restaurants—meaning that the restaurant pays the blogger money and offers them free meals, and in return, the food exploration bloggers use their reach to publish videos praising the restaurant’s “delicious” food.

Unlike many other food exploration bloggers online, Song Qing is different. When she visits a restaurant, she always pays for the food herself and provides the most authentic evaluation to her online audience in her videos.

It is precisely this untainted and genuine evaluation that has allowed Song Qing to carve out a path for herself in the fiercely competitive food industry. Her unique and authentic style has attracted a considerable number of fans.

As for Song Qing’s income on a regular basis, it comes from a combination of advertising fees for product placements in her videos and revenue generated from video views. At the end of the month, she earns a substantial income.

When “Qiaozi Snacks Store” became popular online, Song Qing heard about it. Unfortunately, at that time, the evaluation shops arranged by Song Qing’s team were scheduled until New Year’s Day, so she couldn’t find the time to evaluate “Qiaozi Snacks Store”.

On the first working day after New Year’s Day, the customer flow of many dining and entertainment establishments declined. In addition, the new branch of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” had limited publicity on its opening day, unlike other established branches that already had a steady flow of customers. Therefore, Song Qing chose this time to come and evaluate “Qiaozi Snacks Store”.

Fortunately, her extensive experience in exploring restaurants allowed her to arrive early and join the queue, where there weren’t many people in front. Song Qing and her team estimated that they would be able to buy snacks quickly once “Qiaozi Snacks Store” opened.

“After waiting for another half an hour until the shop opens…” a girl in Song Qing’s team, who was responsible for operations and had her hair tied in a ponytail, said, “Why don’t I go next door and see if there’s a milk tea shop… I’m so thirsty after standing here for so long!”

Song Qing replied, “Sure, can you get one for me too?”

Another guy in Song Qing’s team, who was responsible for post-production, said, “I want one too. Thank you!”

“There’s no milk tea shop nearby.”

Upon hearing their conversation, a person in the front row turned around and said, “The nearest mall is more than ten minutes away on foot. It’ll take even longer if you go there to buy milk tea and come back. It’s better to wait a little longer. There’s a stall over there at Three Corner Street that sells freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, and it tastes good.”

Seeing the puzzled look on Song Qing’s team, the person smiled and said, “I’m a resident in this area. I’ve been living here for over a decade. That area is called Three Corner Street, and in the afternoon around two o’clock, there will be snack stalls gradually setting up here. By four or five o’clock, when students from Qingqiao Junior High School and Qingqiao High School finish school, Three Corner Street becomes even more bustling!”

The person continued, “Don’t underestimate these snack stalls. The food from many of them tastes really good!”

Another person in the queue asked, “If the food from the snack stalls tastes good, then why are you standing in this line?”

The person laughed, “I haven’t tried this newly opened shop before, so I came to line up just to join in the excitement and taste it.”

Having heard from customers who have tried “Qiaozi Snacks Store,” Song Qing and her team were told, “Just wait a little longer, it’s only half an hour. Inside ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store,’ they also sell fruit juice and milk tea. By the time it’s your turn, you can buy two cups.”

Upon hearing this, Song Qing and her team decided not to leave the queue to buy milk tea.

They were thirsty, but not excessively so. They could endure it.

After another half an hour, the “Qiaozi Snacks Store” branch finally opened its doors, and the waiting customers rushed forward like a pack of wolves.

“Boss, give me five portions of crispy chicken fillets, one serving of fried chicken wings, one cup of original milk tea, and one cup of orange juice…”

“I want sweet potato fries with plum seasoning, two skewers of sugar-coated haws, and a fried squid skewer…”

“I’ll have three servings of signature chicken fillets, one chicken combo meal, one serving of mini sausages, and five cups of pearl milk tea…”

The customers in the front row had already decided what they wanted to order, and they spoke quickly.

After they paid, the staff at the cash register gave them a number paper and asked them to wait by the pick-up counter.

Before long, Song Qing and her team also completed their purchases.

Everything went smoothly. Song Qing held her camera, took a close-up shot of the number paper, and then put the equipment away, waiting for their number to be called at the pick-up counter.

However, Song Qing never expected that she would end up waiting for over an hour at the pick-up counter.

—

After spending a day at the park, Yu Bai and Xing Xing returned home and collapsed onto the bed.

Xing Xing had transformed into a little turtle, lying on the bed with its rear end up, and fell asleep right away.

Yu Bai struggled to stay awake. He picked up the sleeping Xing Xing from the bed, washed and dressed him in clean clothes. After taking a shower himself, he carried Xing Xing and fell asleep.

Luckily, the next day was the last day of the New Year’s holiday. Yu Bai and Xing Xing slept until the afternoon, easing some of their fatigue.

When Xing Xing woke up hungry, Yu Bai had just woken up himself.

Yu Bai and Xing Xing took the whole day to rest, but their arms and legs still felt sore and swollen, as if they had been mercilessly beaten with a hammer from head to toe.

On the third day, when the New Year’s holiday was over, Yu Bai didn’t feel like setting up his stall. He had informed Ji Rongyu the day before and told him not to come today.

However, before 1 p.m., Yu Bai’s phone received a barrage of messages from customers.

Yu Bai’s stall had irregular opening hours, and if something came up, he might not open for business on a regular day.

To avoid regular customers waiting for a long time at Three Corner Street, Yu Bai added many of them as contacts. Whenever he opened his stall, he would post a message in his social circle to inform his regular customers.

[“Boss Yu, what time are you opening today?”]

[“Boss Yu, it’s already 1 p.m., why haven’t you set up your stall yet?”]

[“Boss Yu, are you not coming to set up your stall today? I took half a day off just to eat your grilled teppanyaki!”]

[“Boss Yu, are you selling cold noodles today?”]

[“Boss Yu, it feels like an eternity since we last met. Give me some teppanyaki to eat, okay? QAQ”]

[“Boss, are you there? Hurry up and come out to set up your stall and make money!”]

Throughout the three-day New Year’s holiday, Yu Bai hadn’t set up his stall, and many hungry regular customers were eagerly waiting for him to open and have a taste of his teppanyaki.

If they had known Yu Bai’s home address, they would have dragged him out from his sofa, where he was lying like a salted fish.

Yu Bai: …

Coincidentally, Xing Xing woke up from his nap.

Feeling the full resentment from the regular customers through the invisible Wi-Fi, Yu Bai reluctantly carried his awakened child, pushed the snack cart, and went to set up his stall at Three Corner Street.

Today, he arrived late.

Yu Bai planned to set up his stall at Three Corner Street for just over an hour to accommodate the regular customers. Once the crowd dispersed, he would push the snack cart and leave!

Xing Xing would only sit outside for a little over an hour, so it wouldn’t get too cold.

With a drowsy expression, Xing Xing, blew by the cool breeze outside, gradually woke up.

Xing Xing rubbed his sleepy eyes, opened his rosy little mouth, and let out a small yawn.

Xing Xing blinked his watery eyes and looked ahead…

Wow! So many people!

Xing Xing’s little mouth formed a big “O” shape.

Three Corner Street was particularly lively today.

Even before Yu Bai reached his stall, he noticed a long queue forming outside a small shop beside Three Corner Street—it stretched almost to the other side of the street.

“Wow, so many people. What are they all buying?”

“It seems like the snack shop that underwent a long renovation has opened?”

“A snack shop? Can it really attract such a long queue? I find that hard to believe.” The person who said this was Lan Jie, one of Yu Bai’s loyal customers.

Lan Jie was a full-time housewife, and her son and daughter attended Qingqiao Kindergarten and Qingqiao Elementary School, respectively.

Therefore, Lan Jie, who was drawn to Yu Bai’s teppanyaki, had become a die-hard fan of his stall. Even though Qingqiao Kindergarten and Qingqiao Elementary School students were already on winter break, as a full-time housewife, Lan Jie had more free time and didn’t have to work.

Today, after having lunch with her son and daughter in a nearby mall, Lan Jie took a walk and returned to Three Corner Street.

Yu Bai would usually arrive at Three Corner Street a little after 1 p.m. to set up his stall.

So, Lan Jie specifically waited in front of the spot where Yu Bai often set up his stall, aiming to be his first customer.

After waiting for a while, thinking that Yu Bai wouldn’t come today, Lan Jie was about to leave when she saw Yu Bai coming out to set up his stall.

An immediate smile appeared on Lan Jie’s face. “Boss Yu, you’ve finally come. I’ve been waiting for you for so long!”

Lan Jie stood in the first spot, and quickly, four or five customers lined up behind her—these were all regular customers who arrived early to wait for Yu Bai to start his business.

“I was tired after New Year’s Day, and I didn’t plan on coming today, but I changed my mind.” Yu Bai smiled and asked, “Lan Jie, what would you like to eat?”

“For me… let’s stick with the same three items as usual.”

“Okay.”

While preparing the hotplate, Yu Bai was asked by Lan Jie, “What about the grilled cold noodles… are they available today?”

On the day when Yu Bai sold grilled cold noodles, Lan Jie was near the end of the line. By the time it was her turn to buy teppanyaki, all the grilled cold noodles were already sold out.

As Lan Jie heard others who had tried the grilled cold noodles describe how delicious they were, her mouth started watering.

Since then, every time Lan Jie came to buy teppanyaki from Yu Bai’s stall, she would ask, “Are the grilled cold noodles available?”

The sale of grilled cold noodles was just a coincidence, but Yu Bai couldn’t resist the inquiries from customers who hadn’t tried them. So, during the New Year’s break, he prepared some noodle dough for the grilled cold noodles.

Yu Bai said, “The grilled cold noodles are available starting today… but my stall primarily sells teppanyaki, so the quantity of grilled cold noodles available each day is limited. Each person can buy a maximum of two servings until they are sold out.”

Finally, the grilled cold noodles she had been yearning for several days!

Lan Jie’s eyes instantly lit up, and she excitedly said, “Great, give me two servings of grilled cold noodles!”

Yu Bai responded, “The hotplate isn’t fully heated yet, so please wait a bit longer.”

Waving her hand, Lan Jie said, “No rush, take your time.”

As Yu Bai noticed when the hotplate was ready, he realized that apart from a few customers waiting in line at his teppanyaki stall, the other stalls were not doing well.

Even the previously popular sugar-coated hawthorn stall saw a significant decline in business today.

Yu Bai thought the other stalls weren’t doing well because Qingqiao Junior High School and Qingqiao High School hadn’t finished classes yet, so he didn’t pay much attention.

But after Yu Bai heated the hotplate, Qingqiao Junior High School and Qingqiao High School let out earlier than usual.

Yu Bai looked up.

He saw that the students who had just finished school had split into several groups. One group rushed toward Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall, another group headed home, and the last group…

They were actually heading to the newly opened popular snack shop at Three Corner Street.

The addition of the students instantly extended the queue for the popular snack shop.

Normally, except for Yu Bai’s teppanyaki and Yu Dong’s sugar-coated hawthorn stall, the other stalls experienced healthy competition that didn’t significantly affect the business of the other snack vendors.

However, the snacks sold at “Qiaozi Snacks Store” overlapped with almost half of the snacks sold at Three Corner Street.

It was like a ferocious wolf that drew away the majority of the customers from the other snack stalls at Three Corner Street, leaving them without a trace of soup.

Why is that?

This is related to the operating model of “Qiaozi Snacks Store.”

“Qiaozi Snacks Store” has two counters, one for payment and one for collection. The payment counter is relatively fast, but the collection counter is visibly slow.

This is because “Qiaozi Snacks Store” claims to make snacks on the spot, and the preparation time for each snack ranges from five to twenty minutes. Each batch usually serves five people—the maximum number of customers that can be served, and sometimes it’s even sold out after just one customer.

Someone calculated that after a customer pays at “Qiaozi Snacks Store,” they have to wait for at least twenty minutes before they can collect their snacks.

The waiting time for collecting the food is even longer than the time spent in line.

Unaware customers who buy snacks at “Qiaozi Snacks Store” find themselves like sheep trapped by an iron chain, unable to leave until they collect their orders.

Therefore, customers who have paid at “Qiaozi Snacks Store” generally do not spend money at other stalls in Three Corner Street.

This is one of the tactics used by “Qiaozi Snacks Store” to prevent other snack vendors from benefiting.

Among the customers who have been to “Qiaozi Snacks Store,” a small portion of them have seen through this tactic and will not return. Another large portion buys the snacks, posts them on their social media, and receives a lot of likes from their friends, so they will line up again next time to buy snacks and post on social media. The remaining people may feel that “Qiaozi Snacks Store” is worth it and will continue to buy snacks there.

As for the students at Three Corner Street, they usually like to show off their eating, drinking, and entertainment on social media. The surrounding residential area is a typical residential area where grandparents and parents live, and there aren’t many people who can see through the business tactics…

Therefore, Three Corner Street, which seems ordinary, is actually a carefully selected branch location for “Qiaozi Snacks Store”.

—

Song Qing waited at the entrance of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” for an hour, and she had asked several times but only received the smiling reply from the staff.

“I’m sorry, but all the snacks in our shop are made on the spot. Since the snacks you ordered take a long time to prepare, we ask for your patience. If you don’t want to wait, you can line up here again for a refund…”

Song Qing felt like she was punching cotton—she felt both frustrated and helpless.

Should she line up again for a refund? With so many people in the queue, it would take her ages to get a refund!

Should she continue waiting for the snacks? Her legs were starting to feel numb!

Song Qing considered the idea of just leaving.

Well, she could consider the money she spent on snacks as wasted! She didn’t want it anymore!

“We have waited for so long. If we leave now, wouldn’t it be a waste of our previous efforts?” said a male companion responsible for post-production. “The staff said it would only take another twenty minutes. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

The girl responsible for operations added, “I think we can wait a bit longer. ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store’ is the hottest food spot in J City right now. If we don’t create content here, wouldn’t it be a waste of the traffic?”

Song Qing hesitated for a moment. “I…”

As soon as Song Qing opened her mouth to say a word, she caught a whiff of a fragrant teppanyaki sauce.

This fragrance seemed familiar to Song Qing, but it was slightly different from what she remembered.

Not only Song Qing, but also the other customers waiting in line at “Qiaozi Snacks Store” smelled it.

The strong aroma swept through the entire Three Corner Street area like a wild beast. Some customers who had just bought crispy chicken strips from “Qiaozi Snacks Store” suddenly found that the tantalizing aroma of the teppanyaki sauce in the air made their crispy chicken strips taste bland.

“What is this smell? It’s so fragrant!”

“It seems to be coming from that snack stall over there…”

“A snack stall? Can a snack stall produce such a fragrance? You’re kidding me!”

 

Author’s Note:

Gong: Rest card T^T