CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: EATING CRYSTAL SHRIMP DUMPLINGS (PART 2)

After Officer Zhong parked his car, he started strolling around Shibapan.

This area was originally under their jurisdiction, and he’d occasionally drop by.

Last year, during his internship, these street vendors were subjected to strict crackdowns for a while, but later the policy eased up, so they stopped monitoring them.

He never really bothered much with them before, they were just earning hard-earned money, why take away someone’s livelihood?

So usually, when he saw them around, he’d just advise them to move along quickly and never confiscated anything.

This made him quite popular in the area.

Seeing someone carrying Steamed Buns, Officer Zhong greeted with a smile, "Professor Jiang, what are you doing with those Steamed Buns?"

Professor Jiang looked up to see it was young Zhong and replied with a grin, "I told my old buddies that there’s a Steamed Bun that tastes amazing, unmatched by any big restaurant or specialty store, but they didn’t believe me, so I bought some to let them try. This time I’ll definitely prove them wrong."

Officer Zhong glanced at the bag of Steamed Buns, seeing at least 40 in there: "You bought quite a lot, Professor Jiang. How many people are going to eat that much?"

Professor Jiang laughed heartily, "Only two of us including me, and I’m worried they won’t be enough. Anyway, I’ll catch you later; I don’t want the Steamed Buns to get cold. You should also try some if you have time, they really are amazing."

Officer Zhong’s eyes lit up: "Where did you buy them?"

Professor Jiang turned around and pointed: "Right at the entrance of Shibapan, there’s a long line, you better hurry before the owner packs up."

He waved goodbye and left without turning back.

Officer Zhong muttered to himself: "Is the business really that good? They could sell out in just a short while?"

Being a diligent officer, he knew that if he was supposed to be on patrol, he should patrol first.

"Better take a look around first, then go for the buns."

...

...

Xu Youyou finally got her long-awaited soup dumplings.

Seeing that more than half of the Steamed Buns were already gone from the fresh-keeping box, she patted her chest in relief.

Good thing I came early!

The uncles’ and aunts’ combat power is terrifying!

Absolutely terrifying!

Xu Youyou knew about Wang Fan’s Steamed Buns and was amazed at how the owner managed to keep the temperature just right; any hotter and it would burn your mouth, any cooler and it would affect the taste, but eating them immediately after purchase was the most delicious time.

She took out a Crystal Shrimp Dumpling from the bag and examined it closely.

This Crystal Shrimp Dumpling definitely deserved the name ’crystal’.

The semi-transparent dumpling skin was absolutely crystal clear, glowing enticingly in the sunlight.

Through the dumpling skin, the shrimp meat inside looked tender and pink, with a few green flecks visible, enhancing the dumpling’s allure.

A faint shrimp aroma wafted to her nose, continuously enticing her sense of smell, making her mouth water incessantly.

"Omph..."

These soup dumplings are meant to be eaten in one bite!

Xu Youyou thought so and did exactly that.

Unlike the fluffy skin of the soup dumplings before, the Crystal Shrimp Dumpling’s skin was slightly resilient and very thin.

With just one bite, the familiar broth flooded her mouth.

The broth, infused with shrimp and vegetable essences, was extremely rich, so savory that her whole tongue felt like trembling.

Another bite and her teeth encountered the filling.

The shrimp, pounded, stirred, and then steamed, was more chewy and springy than plain boiled shrimp, and the pork fat added a melt-in-the-mouth contrast to the tight chewiness.

The crunchy water chestnuts and bamboo shoots released a slight sweetness and fresh vegetable aroma while chewing, lifting the texture of the Crystal Shrimp Dumpling several levels higher.

The chunks of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots weren’t too finely chopped, so they produce a "crunch" sound while chewing, tempting anyone who hears it to swallow their saliva.

The customers lining up behind Xu Youyou couldn’t help but visualize plump shrimp jumping through their heads after hearing her eating sounds.

Looking at the long line ahead, someone couldn’t resist raising their voice, "Hey, uncle, aunt, brother, sister in the front, could you not be too greedy when buying the Crystal Shrimp Dumplings? Please go easy on them so we back here can try some too?"

"Please have mercy, folks in the front, can the Crystal Shrimp Dumplingsbe shared for everyone’s enjoyment?"

"Boss! Can’t you impose a limit? How could you let everyone miss out on your handmade Crystal Shrimp Dumplings?!"

"Boss, please set a limit; I’ll pay extra if needed!"

Wang Fan looked helplessly at the man in front of him and said with some difficulty, "There are about 400 Crystal Shrimp Dumplings left now. It wouldn’t be fair for those in the back to miss out entirely, how about setting a slight limit? Maybe only sell up to $30 worth each?"

The man was easygoing and laughed heartily upon Wang Fan’s suggestion, "Alright then, I’ll take 9 Crystal Shrimp Dumplings and 10 Plum Vegetable Pork Buns. But if you set a limit, don’t just limit it today. If I come late next time, I still want to buy the buns."

Wang Fan agreed, "No problem, I’ll limit the sales for the next two days, each filling type will be limited to under $30."

The man took his buns, paid, and walked away.

Yet, the fellow behind him didn’t quite understand the reasoning.

A limitation was fine; he didn’t plan to buy that many anyway. But why only for the next two days?

What about the third day?

"Boss, give me 6 Crystal Shrimp Dumplings and 5 Plum Vegetable Pork Buns. By the way, why only limit the next two days? What about the third day?"

Wang Fan didn’t hide the truth: "Oh, I might not be in this area on the third day. Something’s come up at home, so I may move to another place."

"What!? You mean I might not be able to have these delicious buns after three days?"

Upon hearing this, the fellow got anxious.

"I haven’t even had enough yet, and now you’re telling me you won’t be here anymore? Give me $30 worth of each! And by the way, Boss, where might you be heading next? If it’s not far, I could still come find you."

Wang Fan contemplated inwardly: "Should I avoid mentioning how long I’ll be setting up in the future? It seems quite troublesome to manage..."

"Um... Not sure yet. Let’s see how things go later. Here are your buns."

...

Officer Zhong drove around the community for a while, covering a large area, even spending an hour driving.

Seeing that it was getting late, he returned to the community entrance.

Then he was dumbstruck.

Where’s my bun stall?

Where’s my big bun stall?

Where did all the people buying buns go?

Did I go to the wrong place?

Just then, someone passed by, and Officer Zhong hurriedly stopped him: "Comrade, did you see the bun stall that was here earlier?"

The man glanced in the direction Officer Zhong pointed, smiled, and explained: "Him? He left as soon as he finished early. His buns sell so well, they ran out in just a little over forty minutes."

Damn it...

Officer Zhong was completely at a loss now.