VFGRC Chapter 32

TL: Moonlit

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As Song Qing and the operation girl said, the taste of this teppanyaki was exceptionally good.

If he wasn’t still concerned about the bag full of “Qiaozi Snack Store” snacks he was holding, the guy in charge of the post-production would have also wanted to join the queue to buy some teppanyaki!

Song Qing and her two companions called a quick car back to the studio.

The quick car driver was a resident near Sanjiaokou, and he didn’t find it strange to see Song Qing and the others carrying bags of “Qiaozi Snack Store” snacks.

He asked, “Did you also come here specifically to queue for ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’?”

The operation girl replied, “Yes.”

“I just dropped off two groups of customers before, and they all came here specifically to buy snacks from this shop,” the quick car driver curiously asked, “Are the snacks from this shop delicious?”

“We haven’t tried them yet, planning to take them back to taste…”

“Oh, I see,” the quick car driver said, “If they are delicious, I’ll queue up later to buy some for my daughter…”

The guy in charge of the post-production chuckled, “Uncle, by the time you go back to queue, ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ snacks would probably be sold out.”

“Really?” the quick car driver exclaimed.

“‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ branches sell out all their snacks by 6 pm… and you would have to wait in line for at least one or two hours at this shop. If you send us back first, you definitely won’t make it in time.”

“Oh my, this shop is so popular?” the quick car driver mumbled, “I won’t queue then, I’ll take the opportunity to pick up four or five more groups of customers!”

The quick car driver whispered again, “It’s better to enjoy two boxes of teppanyaki instead…”

“Uncle, have you also tried the teppanyaki at Sanjiaokou?” the operation girl asked.

At the mention of this, the quick car driver grinned, “Anyone living in Sanjiaokou knows about this teppanyaki! Fast service and delicious taste… and of course, the owner’s son is the cutest! He’s like a little lucky cat. As long as he holds some food and sits on a stool, many female customers who have never tried the teppanyaki before line up just for him! I’ll tell you the truth, the first time I met such an adorable and well-behaved kid, I got excited and bought three portions of teppanyaki…”

The quick car driver continued talking, from the teppanyaki at Sanjiaokou to other snack stalls in the area. He talked about the recently revived sugar-coated hawthorn stall, the evergreen tree chicken tender stall, and finally circled back to “Qiaozi Snack Store.”

The quick car driver sighed, “I have several neighbors who sell snacks in Sanjiaokou. They told me earlier that after ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ opened this afternoon, their business plummeted… Some of them were even thinking of giving up and going back to their hometown.”

The quick car driver continued, “I’m a simple man, and at first, I thought that ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ opening near my place would bring some life to the snack street in Sanjiaokou, known only to nearby residents… Now it seems like it was just wishful thinking.”

The quick car driver’s tone carried a sense of regret and helplessness.

Everyone hopes that the place they once lived or currently live in will get better and better.

But the appearance of “Qiaozi Snack Store” disrupted the competition balance that Sanjiaokou had maintained. Instead of boosting the business of other snack stalls in Sanjiaokou, it indirectly drew away customers from them, causing their business to decline rapidly.

The quick car driver’s gaze revealed a hint of worry.

Other snack stalls in Sanjiaokou made money when students were still in school before the New Year. As the Lunar New Year approached, it was time for the snack stall owners to close down and take a break. Therefore, “Qiaozi Snack Store” currently posed little threat to other snack stalls.

But this was only temporary.

After the New Year, when students returned to school and office workers went back to work, and the snack stall owners returned to Sanjiaokou…

Besides the teppanyaki stall owner, who had an exceptional skill, which other snack stalls could compete head-to-head with “Qiaozi Snack Store”?

The snack street in Sanjiaokou was bound to decline eventually!

The car stopped at the entrance of Song Qing’s studio, and Song Qing and her two companions returned with the “Qiaozi Snack Store” snacks.

They had been outside for a while, and the “Qiaozi Snack Store” snacks were slightly cold, but it didn’t affect the taste much.

The guy in charge of the post-production and the operation girl set up the photography equipment, pointing the lens at Song Qing.

“3, 2, 1. Recording starts.”

Song Qing smiled slightly at the camera, “Hello, everyone. I’m Qingqing. Today, I specially went to J City’s ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ new branch to buy snacks. Let me taste them for you and see how they are…”

“Firstly, their signature dish – Crispy Chicken Tenders…”

Song Qing picked up a piece of chicken tender and put it in her mouth.

In the next moment, her brows furrowed, and her expression suddenly changed.

—

The opening of “Qiaozi Snack Shop” had some impact on other snack stalls in the area.

Currently, in Sanjiaokou, the only stall that could compete head-to-head with “Qiaozi Snack Store” was Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall.

“Qiaozi Snack Store” and Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall were located on opposite sides of the same street, directly facing each other, and not too far apart.

Those J City residents who heard about “Qiaozi Snack Store” opening a new branch and drove a long way to queue in Sanjiaokou had to endure the tantalizing aroma of the teppanyaki.

Why is it considered torment? Because the customers can’t bear to give up their place in the middle of the queue at “Qiaozi Snack Store” to buy the teppanyaki, but they also can’t resist the overwhelming aroma of the grill while drooling.

This is indeed torment!

Moreover… among all the snack stalls in Sanjiaokou, the queue at the teppanyaki stall is the longest—though there’s a bit of a gap compared to the queue at “Qiaozi Snack Store,” they can’t compete with the grill’s fast service!

After one or two hours, many customers who were waiting in line at “Qiaozi Snack Store” and hadn’t tried the teppanyaki were starting to get restless.

Alright, they could wait until they finished buying snacks at “Qiaozi Snack Store” before lining up for the grill. There should still be enough time, right?

After all, the teppanyaki stall had only been open for less than two hours…

Who would have thought that when it was their turn to buy grill snacks after completing their purchase at the cash register of “Qiaozi Snack Store,” the teppanyaki owner would smile gently and say, “I’m sorry, we’ve sold out of all the ingredients today. Please come back another time…”

What?! Sold out already?!

“So fast? You just started the business not long ago!”

“Really? We can’t buy anymore?”

Yu Bai explained with a smile, “I opened the grill stall on short notice today, so I didn’t prepare as many ingredients as usual…”

Yu Bai had only been operating the iron plate grill stall for less than a month, and the number of regular customers who frequented his stall was limited. As a result, he didn’t prepare a large quantity of ingredients today— he prepared the amount of grill based on the usual orders of the regular customers.

However, Yu Bai never expected that the regular customers, who hadn’t been able to eat the grill for three days, had accumulated quite a bit of “resentment.”

Upon learning that Yu Bai was operating the stall today, they rushed to the stall from home on short notice, left their workplaces midway to buy the grill, and even brought their children along to join the queue, just like Lan Jie…

Usually, they only bought two portions of the grill, but today, fueled by their pent-up “resentment,” many of them bought three portions or more.

Yu Bai watched in amazement as they kept filling their baskets with selected teppanyaki skewers.

“Alright, alright.” Yu Bai tried to dissuade some regular customers, “You’ve picked so many, you definitely won’t be able to finish them all!”

However, the regular customers’ responses were unified.

“I’ve waited three days to have a taste of your grill. You can’t stop me from enjoying it to the fullest! Don’t worry, I’ll take whatever I can’t finish back home and reheat it for a late-night snack…”

In the face of delicious food, health, weight loss, and beauty became insignificant to people.

Moreover, they only indulged in such a “big” meal occasionally, and the impact on their health was negligible.

The regular customers who loved fitness thought to themselves.

Let’s just consider this meal a cheat meal!

With each person buying three or four portions, or even four or five portions, the ingredients at Yu Bai’s stall were quickly wiped out.

Not to mention those customers who were queuing at “Qiaozi Snack Store,” even some of Yu Bai’s regular customers who arrived late couldn’t get their hands on the teppanyaki.

If it weren’t for Yu Bai already packing up his stall, based on the manner of those regular customers who couldn’t buy the teppanyaki, they could have gone to the market on the other side of the street, bought vegetables, and brought them back to Yu Bai’s stall for him to cook the teppanyaki for them.

“I’m here setting up the stall every working day.” Yu Bai said helplessly, “Next time, come earlier.”

Yu Bai waved to the regular customers and pushed his snack cart away, taking his child with him.

As for those customers who hadn’t tried the teppanyaki before and were queuing outside “Qiaozi Snack Store,” during the wait for their orders, they couldn’t resist their curiosity and asked the disgruntled regular customers about the grill.

“Is this teppanyaki stall tasty?”

The customer who bought the last portion of the grill replied, “Of course, it’s delicious! Why else would so many of us be queuing up?”

“How delicious is it? I just smelled the fragrance, and it seemed quite enticing…”

Customer: “You’re right. The source of the fragrance is the essence of the entire teppanyaki… it’s the aroma of the special sauce that the stall owner secretively prepares. You might think the honey sauce smells good, but it tastes even better! It’s so delicious that you can even swallow it directly with your tongue dipped in the sauce!”

“Is it that magical?” A customer who hadn’t tried the teppanyaki couldn’t help but laugh, “It sounds like the owner added some ‘special spices’ to the honey sauce…”

“The owner runs a legitimate business, and he didn’t add anything inappropriate.” The regular customer furrowed his brow and said seriously, “We want to eat the teppanyaki again after eating it once because it’s affordable, the ingredients are clean, and the taste is no worse than in high-end restaurants outside. Who wouldn’t be happy to spend a little money to eat such delicious food?”

The regular customer continued, “Because the owner is clean and doesn’t put anything that shouldn’t be in the food, even if we don’t eat the teppanyaki for a few days, we won’t feel uncomfortable as if we were addicted. However…”

“However, what?”

The regular customer sighed softly, “However, every time I’m starving in the afternoon and come to Sanjiaokou, as soon as I catch a whiff of the fragrant grill, my legs seem to move on their own and join the queue for the teppanyaki… Even if a marathon runner comes here, once they smell that fragrance, they’ll be conquered!”

The customers from “Qiaozi Snack Store” nodded in agreement.

They came to Sanjiaokou because they all liked to eat snacks.

If you let a hungry person who loves snacks smell that fragrant aroma from the teppanyaki, no one can resist the temptation of it!

After the regular customer finished speaking, he glanced at the “Qiaozi Snack Store” snacks that the customers were holding in their hands.

After chatting for a while, the relationship between the two parties had become closer.

Customer: “This is a newly opened internet-famous shop. People online say that the snacks here are good, and many internet celebrities and celebrities are promoting it. Do you want to try it?”

The regular customer showed a hesitant expression.

Customer: “I just tried a piece of the signature freshly fried crispy chicken strips inside the shop, and it’s incredibly juicy…”

“Alright, let me try it too.” The regular customer said, “I’ll give you a piece of the teppanyaki as well. You can pick one.”

This regular customer was lucky; he bought the last portion of the teppanyaki – the paper box had very few meat items; almost all were vegetables.

The customer didn’t want to pick the scarce meat, so he randomly chose a half piece of teppanyaki shiitake mushrooms.

The regular customer picked up a piece of crispy chicken strip and put it in his mouth.

The freshly fried crispy chicken strip was warm, with a thin layer of cumin and pepper powder sprinkled on top, giving it a slightly spicy kick when eaten.

The crispy chicken strip with skin had some juice, but the fatty part of the meat after being fried made it a bit greasy.

The regular customer was slightly impressed when he took a bite of the crispy chicken strip, but when he finished the entire piece, the greasiness in his mouth became hard to ignore.

This was a crispy chicken strip that could only be eaten in one bite – eating too much of it would definitely be overwhelming!

For deep-fried food to increase greasiness to achieve a novel juicy texture was undoubtedly putting the cart before the horse.

After eating one piece, the regular customer’s face immediately revealed a look of disdain.

With this level of food, how could it be a famous Internet shop? The owner of the teppanyaki stall could become a legend!

Soon, the regular customer felt conflicted.

One aspect was that his treasure, the teppanyaki stall, was so delicious, yet why wasn’t it popular?

The other aspect was that he hoped his treasure, the teppanyaki stall, wouldn’t become popular! If even this poorly-tasting internet-famous shop could make people wait for two hours, then how long would he have to wait if his teppanyaki stall became popular?

The customers from “Qiaozi Snack Store” put the teppanyaki shiitake mushrooms into their mouths.

The oil needed for the teppanyaki was not as much as for frying, so the texture of the teppanyaki shiitake mushrooms was far less greasy than the crispy chicken strips from “Qiaozi Snack Store.”

However, when both meat and vegetables were grilled together, the aroma of the meat would always impart a little greasiness to all the ingredients. Therefore, Yu Bai put effort into the sauce, adding lemon juice to reduce the greasy feeling.

In this world, there are various types of sour ingredients.

Vinegar, lemon, plum…

Yu Bai chose lemon juice because it was rich in water, had a natural fruity fragrance, and compared to the pure acidity of vinegar, lemon’s sourness was more diverse and refreshing. It was suitable to be used as an ingredient when roasting or frying food.

The faint lemon aroma removed the greasy feeling of the shiitake mushrooms, and the tender mushroom meat absorbed the fragrance of the sauce.

When the customers took a bite, the small amount of juice in the mushroom meat, along with the substantial texture of the mushrooms, gave the illusion of full juiciness.

Delicious, tender, and lingering aftertaste.

The crispy chicken strips they had earlier from “Qiaozi Snack Store” were nothing but dry and greasy, without any flavor!

The regular customer raised an eyebrow, “Delicious, isn’t it?”

The customer nodded repeatedly but didn’t say anything. His taste buds were still savoring the flavor of the teppanyaki shiitake mushrooms.

Just as the regular customer was about to leave, the customer grabbed him.

Customer: “Let me exchange this bag of snacks with you. I’ve only taken a bite of the crispy chicken strips in this bag; I haven’t touched anything else…”

This bag of snacks cost the customer nearly a hundred yuan.

But in the customer’s eyes, even this nearly hundred-yuan worth of snacks couldn’t compare to the box of teppanyaki in the regular customer’s hands, which cost less than ten yuan.

The regular customer was surprised, “You want to exchange such a big bag of snacks with me?”

Customer: “Yes.” His eyes shone as he looked at the teppanyaki in the regular customer’s hand.

The teppanyaki shiitake mushrooms, which are vegetarian dishes, are so delicious. The few meat skewers in the paper box must be even more delicious!

The corner of the regular customer’s mouth twitched, and he said firmly, “I won’t exchange!”

He wasn’t foolish!

How could those greasy and oily snacks compare with the delicious teppanyaki in his hands?

That would be too belittling to the owner of the teppanyaki stall!

—

As Yu Bai pushed the snack cart and left with Xing Xing, the other snack stalls at Sanjiaokou also started packing up and leaving.

Before leaving, Yu Bai asked Yu Dong, “Old Yu, aren’t you going back?”

Regardless of whether the business was good or bad, Yu Dong usually left around the same time as Yu Bai.

Yu Dong replied, “I’m not going back; I’ll stay a little longer at my stall.”

His business had finally picked up, and it had only been a few days since “Qiaozi Snack Store” opened.

The weather was getting colder.

Yu Dong adjusted his thick cotton jacket.

He wanted to wait a bit longer until “Qiaozi Snack Store” sold out and closed. Maybe his candied hawthorn stall’s business could improve.

Yu Dong still remembered the joy on his wife’s and children’s faces when he returned home pushing the empty candied hawthorn cart a few days ago.

Having experienced a life filled with hope, how could he willingly return to the dark days of the past?

There were quite a few people with the same idea as Yu Dong.

One of them was the auntie who sold fried chicken strips.

In the past, she used to be one of the earliest to pack up, followed by Yu Bai, and then Yu Dong…

However, since “Qiaozi Snack Store” appeared, her fried chicken strips became completely “unsaleable.”

The lack of interest in her stall forced her to raise her voice and shout loudly like she did when she first came to Sanjiaokou more than a decade ago.

“Selling fried chicken strips! Crispy and fragrant fried chicken strips—”

“Warm and fresh fried chicken strips—”

“Salt and pepper flavor, cumin flavor, candied plum flavor… all kinds of fried chicken strips available—”

However, her efforts yielded minimal results.

After shouting for an entire afternoon, she sold less than five portions of fried chicken strips.

Gradually, her voice became hoarse.

As students finished school, pedestrians passed by, and everyone rushed in the direction of “Qiaozi Snack Store.”

Outside “Qiaozi Snack Store,” the line of people waiting grew longer and longer, and the auntie’s face became increasingly disheartened.

Among the street food vendors in Sanjiaokou, those with limited culinary skills generally have a similar range of flavors for their snacks, with little difference between the upper and lower limits.

However, the stall selling teppanyaki was a complete anomaly as the owner could rely solely on their cooking skills to make a living.

If “Qiaozi Snack Store” continued to operate here for just one more day, her fried chicken strips would be “unsaleable” for one more day.

She had learned early on that “Qiaozi Snack Store” had the backing of a powerful boss, so even if the taste was just average, it would still attract many customers.

The Lunar New Year was only a few weeks away.

After the New Year, if “Qiaozi Snack Store” was still open, her fried chicken strip stall would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow…

“Selling fried chicken strips! Crispy and fragrant fried chicken strips—”

The auntie shouted again, her voice hoarse, but this time there was a hint of bitterness in her cry, reflecting her uncertain future.

“Qiaozi Snack Store” had been trending in J City for a month, and its momentum was visibly growing at a rapid rate.

After the New Year, “Qiaozi Snack Store” was likely to see a new peak in business and wouldn’t easily close down.

Where would she go from here?

Over a decade ago, the auntie’s husband passed away due to illness, and as a housewife, she had to come to Sanjiaokou to sell fried chicken strips and raise her two sons.

Nowadays, her eldest son had just graduated, and his salary was meager, while her youngest son was in a critical year of high school.

The auntie, who sold fried chicken strips, would never allow her two sons to worry about their family’s future.

Could it be that she had to find another place to set up her stall?

The City Planning Bureau of J City had designated five or six areas in the Qingqiao District where vendors could operate.

Sanjiaokou was the closest to her home and the easiest place to do business. Selling her fried chicken strips elsewhere might not guarantee better results.

“Warm and fresh fried chicken strips—cough, cough, cough.”

The auntie turned her head to avoid the other snack stall and coughed behind her, where no one was present.

Her throat became dry and hoarse, making it almost impossible for her to speak.

Oh well, instead of waiting endlessly for customers here, it would be better for her to go home early and think of ways to revive her business.

The auntie selling fried chicken strips turned back, about to pack up her things and leave, when a soft and sweet voice sounded.

“Can I have a portion of fried chicken strips, please?”

The voice was like the gentle flow of spring water.

A customer had come!

The auntie selling fried chicken strips immediately replied, “Sure! Do you want a large or small portion? We have flavors like pepper and salt, sweet plum, and cumin. Which one would you like?”

As she spoke, the auntie lifted her head and looked toward the front of her snack stall.

But there was no one there.

The auntie was stunned.

Could she have imagined the voice just now? Was there really no one coming to buy fried chicken strips?

“I want a small portion! I can’t finish the large one, it would be wasteful… and wasting food is not good!”

The soft and sweet voice rang out again, and the auntie leaned forward, following the sound with her gaze.

Until her sight passed over her snack cart, she finally managed to spot a furry little head.

It was a little child, far from reaching the height of her snack cart, standing on its hind legs.

The child’s small hands were resting on the cloth sign hanging in front of her snack cart, which listed the three different flavors of fried chicken strips: pepper and salt, sweet plum, and cumin.

The child’s head turned left and right, looking extremely indecisive.

With a bit of decision-making difficulty, he muttered to himself, “Pepper and salt… sweet plum… cumin… I’ve only tried pepper and salt, haven’t tried sweet plum and cumin… Oh, which one is tastier? It’s so hard to choose…”

Seemingly aware of the auntie’s gaze, the little child raised its head.

The child had a fair and adorable face, as if it were a beautiful New Year’s painting. His round, watery eyes looked up at her.

“Grandma selling fried chicken strips, which flavor is tastier? Slurp.”

 

Author’s Note:

Xing Xing: Slurp.

Xing Xing【】: I’m not drooling! I’m just innocently salivating!

Author【】: Ah, right, right, right.