CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: STEAMED BUNS TEN YUAN FOR FIVE

In that moment, Wang Fan even had the feeling of a flood breaking through a dam.

It’s not a soup-filled bun, yet it achieved the effect of one.

As the oil oozed out, the aroma of saucy meat inside the steamed bun was immediately released.

He pinched the soft bun skin and lightly dipped it in the chili sauce.

The oil at the bun’s opening firmly adhered to the chili flakes, and then it all went into Wang Fan’s mouth.

Delicious! Really delicious!

The wheat fragrance and the rich meat aroma exploded in his mouth instantly, making Wang Fan feel like his tongue wasn’t enough.

The bun skin itself wasn’t thick, and with a gentle bite, the fluffy skin was torn open, and the fragrance of meat spread everywhere between his lips and teeth.

The rich soy sauce aroma didn’t overshadow the meat flavor; instead, they complemented each other, with the stuffing being so tender it easily crumbled under the tongue without any hint of dryness.

During the process of breaking it down, he surprisingly discovered tiny meat chunks, which made each bite more flavorful and the delight multiplied.

The highlight had to be the chili dip.

The fragrance of the chili countered a slight greasiness, and the mildly spicy taste created even more chemical reactions with the delicious bun.

Truly, one bite is intoxicating.

Wang Fan mumbled, "If this steamed bun could get me this high, wouldn’t the customers go crazy buying it?"

Wang Fan imagined countless customers with fierce expressions on their faces, throwing money at him and shouting, spitting everywhere, "Buns! Give me buns! Quick, give me those white, tender, aromatic buns!"

Ahem ahem...

He coughed lightly and shook his head to dismiss the unrealistic fantasies from his mind, then focused back on dealing with the buns.

Soon, all 12 steamed buns gathered in his stomach.

Lying in bed, Wang Fan started looking forward to his stall’s debut tomorrow.

...

...

Tiantongyuan is not a tourist spot, but a community.

In the Tongyuan District of Beijing, a sprawling community, Shiba Pan is a small street outside of it.

If this community claimed to be the largest in all of Huaxia, it would be lying because it’s actually the largest in the world.

At least a fifth of Beijing’s workers rent houses here. Just this community alone has three subway stations, highlighting its vastness.

Shiba Pan is over 60 kilometers from where Wang Fan rented, and fortunately, his food truck upgraded to a Seven-Star Hong Guang, or else it would take forever just to commute with the open-top self-driving car.

Wang Fan didn’t have to bring much; just a simple counter, a food preservation box, the Treasure Chest, and a small wooden fish.

After all, the steamed buns in the food preservation box were in the same state as when they were freshly packed, so he didn’t have to pretend to steam them again.

Gas is really expensive!

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Wang Fan sighed with relief, finally not having to face the cold wind directly.

Now with the air conditioner on and music playing, it couldn’t be more comfortable.

It’s just past 5 o’clock, and there were few vehicles on the street. It took a little over forty minutes for Wang Fan to arrive at Shiba Pan.

Luckily, the Seven-Star Hong Guang had a navigation system. Otherwise, Wang Fan would definitely get lost.

At this moment, Shiba Pan street already had many vendors setting up their stalls, selling fried skewers, pancakes, fresh quail eggs, egg burgers, and a variety of other foods, with numerous stalls occupying almost half the street.

Everyone was silently gathering their strength, just waiting for the rush hour to unleash their voices.

Wang Fan parked his car and set up his stall next to it, keeping some distance from others, saving him the need for interactions.

It was not yet six o’clock, and the sky was just getting light. At the entrance of the community, a few figures were walking out, turning back with each step.

After all, today was the dreaded Monday, leaving their warm beds for work, who wouldn’t feel reluctant?

These few figures were like a signal, prompting all vendors to blow the horn of attack.

"Pancakes, authentic Lu Dong crispy pancakes!"

"Boba Ji, Boba Boba Ji, one yuan per skewer Boba Ji!"

"Boiled corn, fragrant, glutinous, and sweet!"

"Soy milk, fried dough sticks, and fried cakes, free if it doesn’t taste good!"

And by then, quite a few people had started coming out of the community, walking in this direction.

Wang Fan also wanted to shout a couple of times to join the fun, but he was a bit shy to speak up.

But attracting customers doesn’t have to rely on shouting; clever plans arise naturally.

Wang Fan took out two white porcelain plates, used the tongs to pick up a plate of saucy meat buns and a plate of pickled vegetable buns from the food preservation box, and placed them directly on his makeshift counter.

Whether it was the oil-stained saucy meat buns or the snow-white smooth pickled vegetable buns, they all looked very appetizing.

With so many stalls here and so many mixed aromas, attracting customers with just the bun fragrance was a pipe dream, so Wang Fan decided to be the first to sample them as a greeting.

Besides, he hadn’t eaten anything this morning, and his stomach was growling.

...

Wang Hao, half-closed eyes, walked out like a zombie.

Two days of rest was far from enough to replenish his drained body.

He didn’t have any particular breakfast preferences and purely based his choice on mood.

With half-closed eyes to avoid bumping into others, he relied on his sense of smell to determine what to eat.

As he shuffled along, he suddenly stopped.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone unusual.

It seemed like another breakfast vendor, but unlike others who were shouting loudly, this person was wholeheartedly consuming food.

Opening his eyes for a closer look, he saw the person holding a bun in each hand, toying with them.

When he clasped his hands and then opened them, the squished steamed buns would immediately become round again, as if he wasn’t pinching buns but rather white balloons.

Then he watched as the vendor opened wide, quickly shoved the bun into his mouth, chewed a few times, swallowed, and then grabbed two more buns to play with.

Wang Hao found it quite amusing.

Plus, the vendor looked rather young; Wang Hao didn’t mind supporting a young entrepreneur.

"Boss, how much for the steamed buns?"

Immersed in devouring the steamed buns, Wang Fan looked up to see a peer standing in front of him.

Pleased, he quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "Steamed buns are 10 yuan for 5. We have saucy meat and pickled veggie pork flavors, all freshly out of the pot, guaranteed delicious."

Wang Fan’s pricing wasn’t high, considering that even a small steamed bun costs between 0.3 to 0.5 yuan.

Wang Hao looked down at the buns on the counter, one plate steaming hot white buns, and the other with many oily edges, just glancing at them promised a juicy bite.

Just the appearance of these two plates of buns gave Wang Hao a feeling of love at first sight.

"Give me 5 saucy meat ones."