CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: ONLY KIDS MAKE CHOICES

Just after eleven in the morning, the second cafeteria welcomed batch after batch of students, who conscientiously lined up outside the bun shop, quickly forming a long line.

"You both took part during breakfast sales this morning, so you should have a rough idea of what to do, right?"

Inside the shop, Hu Zhihai called over the newcomers Li Yue and Shen Deqing, and began assigning tasks,

"In half an hour, the shop will start to operate again.

Xiaoshen, you’re a guy, so you’ll have to work a bit harder then. Your main job is to move the buns, steaming in the pot, along with the steamer, to the counter. Be careful not to get burned by the steam.

Xiaoshen just needs to do this one task. As for Xiaoli, you’ll do Xiaoyan’s previous job, portioning the hot and sour soup into bowls. If there’s anything unclear, you can ask Xiaoyan later.

As for Xiaoyan, she’ll be responsible for welcoming customers and handling the cash register. I’ll brief her shortly.

Got it?"

"Got it, Senior Brother Hu."

Li Yue and Shen Deqing nodded quickly.

Just before, some things they couldn’t understand became clear in an instant after tasting the delicious soup dumplings and hot and sour soup.

It turned out that Yan Tongtong, that Senior Brother Hu, and the handsome guy whose name they still didn’t know were all craving this food too!

Indeed, who wouldn’t crave such tasty food?

And when the even more delicious mouth-watering chicken went down their throats, they suddenly felt grateful to Yan Tongtong and the student union senior sister who recommended they come here.

If it weren’t for them, these two students from difficult backgrounds would probably still be struggling to earn some living expenses, wondering how they could afford such tasty food.

At that moment, they secretly made up their minds to work hard, not only for the delicious food now, but for the chance to always have good food in the future.

Without hard work and progress, they couldn’t expect to have a good life or taste such delicious food in their lifetime...

"Alright, you both go ahead and get ready. No need to be nervous, take it slow."

Hu Zhihai smiled at them, then turned around to sit down nearby.

He was originally helping Jiang Yu just temporarily.

In the past few days, the shop only had Jiang Yu alone, who didn’t have time to hire anyone. If he hadn’t stayed, Jiang Yu would practically exhaust himself making and selling buns alone.

Now, the shop has gradually gotten on track, not only gaining Lu Shuwu who can help make soup dumplings but also hiring three work-study students; the numbers were sufficient.

By this time, he could almost retire in accomplishment.

Of course, not right now, he at least had to stay a few more days to help with supervision. Once Li Yue and Shen Deqing got proficient in each task, then he could really leave.

More importantly, the Sichuan-style mouth-watering chicken had just come out, and he hadn’t had enough yet.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help swallowing his saliva again.

Oh my, really fragrant!

...

"Hurry up, hurry up! It’s starting!"

"Hey, there seems to be a new dish today! What’s in that small plate?"

"Having a lucky day! Managed to get way ahead in line, and there’s a new dish — my favorite, mouth-watering chicken!"

"Holy moly! It’s really mouth-watering chicken!"

"..."

Minutes before the shop opened at eleven thirty, a plate of mouth-watering chicken was placed on the counter of ’Jiang Family Soup Dumpling’ shop.

The tender white chicken, the rich red oil sauce, paired with slightly yellow peanut bits and lush green cilantro leaves, just the sight of it made people swallow uncontrollably.

The crowd lining up quickly got excited, with spice lovers stirred and even those who didn’t like spicy food eager.

The previous hot and sour soup was similar; those not keen on spicy were initially hesitant but after trying a spoonful, most ended up saying it was delicious through their tears.

To be honest, this scene was quite amusing.

"Attention students, today our shop has a new dish, Sichuan-style mouth-watering chicken!"

Hu Zhihai, seeing the time was about right, stood up from his chair and loudly addressed the crowd outside,

"Each mouth-watering chicken set costs 12 yuan, limited to 50 portions per meal, first come first serve!

Also, a reminder to everyone, since mouth-watering chicken and hot and sour soup both have spicy flavors, they clash in taste, so it’s best to choose just one of these two dishes.

Alright, let’s start the service!"

"I’ll have a basket of buns, and a portion of mouth-watering chicken!"

"Same here! Although the hot and sour soup is delicious, with the mouth-watering chicken available, who would pick the hot and sour soup?"

"It’s only kids who make choices; adults want both!"

"..."

Though fifty portions of mouth-watering chicken seemed ample, in reality, within minutes, all fifty portions were sold out!

The speed was simply astonishing!

"Oh no, they all sold out already?"

Seeing the last portion of mouth-watering chicken cheerfully carried away by the person in front, one student felt deep despair.

Forget it, tired... let it all end!

In the end, he could only buy a basket of soup dumplings and a bowl of hot and sour soup, and began eating with disappointment.

The excitement and joy he felt while eating soup dumplings and hot and sour soup originally seemed to vanish inexplicably...

Meanwhile, those fortunate enough to buy mouth-watering chicken were all jovial, their excitement unmistakable.

"The soup dumplings and hot and sour soup are made by Senior Brother Jiang, as is the mouth-watering chicken — no need to wonder, it’s definitely tasty!"

A girl’s face flushed as she picked up chopsticks, clamped a piece of chicken, and without hesitation, stuffed it into her mouth.

With a bite, her eyes widened instantly.

The tender smooth chicken and crispy chicken skin blended together at that moment, creating an incredibly delightful texture. A slight chew and the marinated chicken burst forth with a rich spicy aroma, making her taste buds tremble with excitement.

"Mm~ so spicy! So tasty!"

She couldn’t help but softly gasp a few times, but soon, she eagerly picked up another piece of meat, dipped it in the sauce, and once more stuffed it into her mouth!

As she ate, she suddenly grabbed a strip of cucumber from the bowl, exclaiming with surprise:

"Wow! There’s actually cucumber!"

Saying this, she put the cucumber into her mouth, gently biting down until a crispy sound echoed, breaking the cucumber strip,

"Wow, it’s really tender and crisp!"

The girl’s eyes lit up, feeling more flavorful as she chewed.

The cucumber strips soaked in the sauce were equally delicious; unlike chicken, they brought a fresh aroma of cucumber. The cool taste made her feel more refreshed.

Unknowingly, the entire portion of mouth-watering chicken was finished. The girl still felt unsatisfied as she thought the sauce was too good to waste!

Thinking a while, she picked up a soup dumpling, first drank its broth, then dipped it in the plate of sauce thoroughly before popping it into her mouth. With just one chew, she closed her eyes contentedly:

"Mm~ Soup dumplings dipped in mouth-watering chicken sauce are truly a perfect match!"

This scene happened in various places within the cafeteria hall, with constant exclamations of surprise...

Those who didn’t get mouth-watering chicken watched the joyful feasting of others with secret envy, and then turned around, silently vowing:

In the afternoon, they must come earlier to queue, determined not to miss the mouth-watering chicken!