bookmarkrole Chapter 43 Daily Renewal, Every Path Refined
Chapter 43 Daily Renewal, Every Path Refined
At 6:30 a.m., the hustle and bustle of the suburban farmers' market was at its peak, but Chen Feng had already deftly and steadily placed the last two boxes of fresh vegetables and carefully selected seasonings into the trunk of the black sedan.
Looking at the pile of "spoils" in front of him, he was in a great mood.
He turned around and saw Xingruo standing by the car door, guarding it like a little sentry.
Her face, which had been slightly pale that morning, was now rosy with a hint of pride and excitement from participating in the "major purchasing event," making her look much more energetic than when she set off that morning.
"Get in the car, Xingruo, let's go back to the shop." Chen Feng patted the dust off his hands, his tone becoming more relaxed.
On the way back, Xingruo was fully awake by then, and since she was eager to get back to her restaurant, she wasn't driving slowly. Morning light streamed through the car window onto the passenger seat. She opened her eyes wide, watching the roadside trees rush past and the city gradually awaken outside, silently reviewing the "meat identification secrets" her master had just taught her.
"The master said the meat should be springy and bright in color..." she muttered in a whisper, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on her knees.
Chen Feng glanced in the rearview mirror, said nothing, but quietly turned down the music volume to maintain a peaceful atmosphere inside the car. At this moment, it was already past 6:45.
However, the atmosphere outside the "Human Fireworks" shop was not as peaceful as inside Chen Feng's car.
In the early morning of the old street, the stone-paved road was already a little damp. The streetlights had just been turned off, and in the hazy dawn, there were already about a dozen people guarding the tightly closed wooden door.
Zhao Dafa—the same uncle who shouted "Who cares if he's a shill or not" in the store yesterday, and was ultimately won over by the little rabbit buns—was pacing back and forth anxiously in front of the door.
He got up very early today, without even taking a sip of the porridge his wife had prepared, just so he could taste that juicy flavor he had been longing for before the morning rush hour.
"Tsk, what time is it? Why is there still no movement?"
Zhao Dafa raised his wrist and looked at the somewhat old mechanical watch; the hands pointed to 6:45.
His slightly round face was filled with struggle, and his steps became faster and faster.
He had been standing there for almost twenty minutes. Based on his past experience, the steamed bun shops on the old street should be bustling with activity and steaming hot buns by five o'clock. But the "human touch" before him was tightly closed, exuding a cold silence. There was no steam, and he couldn't even hear a voice.
Makes no sense.
"Uncle, did you eat steamed buns yesterday too? Are you here to wait for steamed buns today as well?"
A young man carrying a briefcase and constantly looking down at his phone couldn't help but speak up, "Is this place closed today? I need to catch the subway, if I don't get any business in five more minutes I'll have to leave."
Zhao Dafa stopped and snorted with some dissatisfaction: "Not open for business? Business was so booming yesterday, the boss must have made so much money he wants to become an immortal! He's probably too tired yesterday and overslept."
Young man, good things are worth waiting for. If you don't even have this much patience, how will you ever taste something truly exceptional?
Despite saying that, Zhao Dafa's stomach betrayed him and rumbled loudly at that moment. The sound echoed in the empty alley, attracting the attention of several other people who were also waiting nearby.
Zhao Dafa blushed, rubbed his stomach somewhat awkwardly, but his mind was in turmoil.
Shall we go? Let's just grab a steamed bun from that shop on the corner; I'm starving.
No way! How can those steamed buns compare to these steamed buns? If I leave now, and the boss opens the door later, wouldn't all those twenty minutes I stood there have been for nothing?
And so, Zhao Dafa swung back and forth like a pendulum, caught between leaving and staying. Just now, two young men who were in a hurry to get to work had indeed left, and with each one gone, Zhao Dafa felt that one less competitor had left, but at the same time, he felt a little less confident.
"Is it really closed today?"
Just as Zhao Dafa was hesitating, a youthful and beautiful figure appeared at the entrance of the alley.
Lin Xiaoyu was fully prepared today. She wore a loose, light yellow sweatshirt, carried a small art bag, and her originally messy hair was carefully tied into two small braids hanging over her shoulders, making her look full of energy.
She struggled to get out of bed at 5:50 this morning. For a "professional lazy person," getting up at this time is practically "torture," but when she thought of that tender, fragrant little rabbit bun, Lin Xiaoyu felt that enduring this little hardship was completely worth it.
"Wow, so many people?"
When she was still about twenty meters away from the store entrance, Lin Xiaoyu could see the situation clearly. She originally thought she could be the "first person to open the door", but she found that a group of uncles and aunts and a few young people like her were already gathered at the door.
Lin Xiaoyu stuck out her tongue, quickened her pace, and squeezed to the edge of the crowd. She glanced at the tightly closed door, listened to the surrounding chatter, and her pretty little eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Why isn't it open yet?" Lin Xiaoyu muttered.
She didn't think Chen Feng was the kind of person who would slack off for no reason. She had seen the grand opening yesterday in the group chat; his meticulous attention to ingredients and his attitude towards diners were clearly what a passionate boss in the "rising stage of his career" should be like.
Could it be that Mengmeng is sick? Or has something happened to her? Thinking of this, Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel a little worried, but she decided to wait and see. Maybe she just had something to do and went out.
After all, Lin Xiaoyu wasn't in a hurry to go to the studio. She was going to work as usual today, arriving at her workstation around nine o'clock. She looked around and found an empty seat on the bluestone bench next to the shop entrance, so she obediently sat down.
She took out her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the still "sleeping" door of the Renjianyanhuo shop. In the photo, the rustic wooden door was tightly closed, the red carpet in front of it was still damp with dew, and several blurry figures conveyed a sense of longing and anticipation.
She casually clicked on the WeChat group called "Protecting the Best Little Bunny".
Lin Xiaoyu had just posted the photo in the group chat with the caption: "The early bird catches the worm, the chef hasn't opened the door yet, hoping for a chance encounter! [Image]"
The previously quiet group chat was suddenly thrown into a depth charge.
【The Rice Bucket on the Strings】: "Holy crap! Teacher Xiaoyu, you're here so early? I'm still dreaming in my dorm bed. The boss hasn't opened the door yet? That doesn't make sense, the boss doesn't seem like the type to slack off!"
[The All-Night Cultivator]: "Oh my god, did the boss make enough money and just 'run away with the bucket' today? No way! I haven't even had my hands on the legendary osmanthus cake yet!"
[The Fat Guy Who Wants to Eat Steamed Buns]: "Don't talk nonsense upstairs. Judging from the boss's face, he looks very upright. He's probably out buying supplies, right? Yesterday, Lin Dada mentioned in his post that the boss has abnormally high standards for ingredients. He probably went to the farm in the early morning to catch rabbits... no, I mean, to buy pigs."
[Foodie #1]: "I envy the people there. It's good the owner isn't open yet, wait for me! I'm taking a taxi to the old street now, driver, please drive fast!"
Lin Xiaoyu looked at the rapidly refreshing messages on her phone screen and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She moved her fingers and replied with another message:
"There was an uncle waiting at the door who was almost crying; his stomach was growling louder than thunder. I felt that if the master didn't open the door soon, this uncle was going to perform his 'Iron Head Kung Fu' and break in."
After sending the message, Lin Xiaoyu put away her phone and looked up at the sky.
The sunlight was beginning to brighten, casting its rays through the narrow skyline of the old street onto the shop signs. A sense of anxiety about waiting permeated the crowd, yet no one left because of their intense anticipation.
Zhao Dafa checked his watch again. It was exactly seven o'clock.
His stomach started to protest again. He watched as someone carrying a plastic bag of soy milk walked by, and the aroma of meat buns wafted over, making him waver.
"What on earth is the boss up to..." Zhao Dafa muttered, his hand already reaching for the change in his pocket.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave to grab a quick bite at one of the stalls in front of him, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Lin Xiaoyu out of the corner of his eye.
The little girl sat on the stone bench, swinging her legs slowly and deliberately. Her face showed no anxiety, but rather a mysterious certainty.
She looked as if she knew her boss would definitely come back, and that he would bring back something extraordinary.
Zhao Dafa felt another sudden jolt in his heart.
If even young people like this can sit still, wouldn't it seem like I'm an old hand if I left?
He took a deep breath and pulled back the foot that had already stepped out.
"Five minutes left," Zhao Dafa told himself, but his tone was noticeably weaker. "Just five minutes left. If no one's here by then, I'll... I'll just go eat at that place up ahead!"
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoyu, out of the corner of her eye, observed the ever-changing expressions on Zhao Dafa's face. She found the scene extremely interesting and even considered taking out her sketchbook from her drawing bag to sketch this "restless gourmand."
On this old street brimming with life, in front of this wooden door waiting to be opened, time seems to stretch out.
Not far away, Zhang Qiang was leisurely strolling down the alley, swinging his car keys.
He was thinking to himself that Fengzi had said yesterday that he would change things up today and not bother making those laborious and time-consuming little rabbit buns, so naturally he wouldn't have to work as hard as he did at four in the morning. But when he turned the corner and saw the dark mass of people in front of "Human Fireworks" from afar, he still stumbled unexpectedly.
"Wow, is this some kind of market day so early in the morning?" Zhang Qiang thought to himself, both amazed by the lingering effect of Fengzi's marketing yesterday and pleased that the business had finally taken root.
Before he could even stand up straight, Zhao Dafa's bloodshot eyes glared at him. Then, a dozen or so diners swarmed around him, their spittle nearly drowning him.
"Hey young man, you've finally arrived! Open the door quickly, my stomach's been rumbling for half an hour!"
"Yeah, I was drooling all night when I got home yesterday, so I need to get some bunny-shaped steamed buns right away!"
Looking at the group of "hungry wolves" with their eyes gleaming green, especially seeing Zhao Dafa's longing gaze, Zhang Qiang felt a chill run down his spine.
He then suddenly realized that Fengzi's "hunger marketing" tactic yesterday had whetted their appetites, but now the fire was burning too hard and was about to burn him, the "temporary worker."
"Everyone, everyone! Let me say something first!" Zhang Qiang forced himself to raise his hands and press them down, his voice revealing a hint of guilt.
A moment of silence fell over everyone, all staring intently at him. Zhang Qiang cleared his throat, steeled his resolve, and said the truth: "Well... to be honest, our shop owner strives for 'daily innovation and refinement in every aspect.' Yesterday's rabbit-shaped steamed buns were just for good luck on the opening day, but today... we're not making them."
This short sentence was like a drop of cold water into a hot oil pan; the crowd instantly erupted in uproar.
"Not making steamed buns anymore? I came all this way this early in the morning, and you're telling me there are no steamed buns?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Dafa seemed to have lost his soul. His old face, which had been full of anticipation, instantly fell into a state more unpleasant than a bitter gourd. This guy, who loved steamed buns to death, thought he had found his life's purpose, but who would have thought that his purpose would "run out of food" after just one day.
"Why? It's so delicious, why can't we sell it anyway? Why can't Little Rabbit Buns be a permanent fixture?" Lin Xiaoyu also stood up from the stone bench, looking at Zhang Qiang with a bewildered expression.
Zhang Qiang scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. "This...this is the boss's rule. He said that to ensure quality and to surprise everyone, the menu is random every day. To be honest, the boss is still at the market and hasn't come back yet. Even I, his childhood friend, don't know what we're having today."
These words quickly sowed the seeds of disappointment in the old street. Zhao Dafa stood there, stunned. He looked at the tightly closed wooden door, then at his own uncooperative stomach. He was filled with indescribable frustration—he had finally found a heavenly dish, but why was the owner such an unpredictable and eccentric person?
Standing in the center of the crowd, facing those mournful eyes, Zhang Qiang was at his wits' end, unsure how to continue comforting them. The scene reached an extremely awkward stalemate.