klisemfg Chapter 29 is coming again!?
Chapter 29 is coming again!?
The afternoon sun gradually became scorching, casting a bright, glaring light through the shop door onto the marble floor.
With Lu Ming and his group of young people gone, the bustling "Human Fireworks" finally enjoyed a rare moment of tranquility. Thanks to the high quality of those young people, the tables inside the shop were wiped clean, and empty plates and steamers were neatly stacked on the counter.
Chen Feng leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen and let out a long sigh. He glanced down at his phone; the WeChat payment record clearly showed: 996.
83 copies have already been sold.
This means that, through their extreme efforts, they sold more than 80% of the pre-orders in just one morning and noon.
Because Mengmeng had voluntarily given way, Zhang Qiang was now slumped in the high chair that had originally belonged to Mengmeng. His legs were trembling slightly from standing and walking for so long. He rubbed his aching knees while grinning, looking both disheveled and excited.
"Fengzi... 83 orders! I've never seen a steamed bun shop so popular on its opening day in my life." Zhang Qiang wiped the sweat from his face, his voice hoarse from calling out numbers. "Who exactly is this young man named Lin Muyuan? This wave after wave of people are all here because of his reputation."
Chen Feng shook his head, completely overwhelmed by this "sudden recognition." He looked at Zhang Qiang with some curiosity: "You've been around this old street for so many years, you're practically a local 'big shot,' and even you don't know this Lin Muyuan?"
Zhang Qiang scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, "Fengzi, you're putting me in a difficult position. My phone is usually filled with WeChat and short videos about car repairs and fishing."
I've never paid attention to those pretentious "food review bloggers" who just take a few photos and claim the food is delicious. I think those are for cultured people or rich, idle young people.
In my understanding, aren't the most famous people in this area all gourmets who have appeared on TV shows? This Lin Muyuan... is probably a "web celebrity" who has emerged in the last few years.
Chen Feng found it reasonable. Zhang Qiang was a pragmatic person; his world revolved around wrenches and machine oil, so he naturally had no energy to pay attention to those food accounts that emphasized "quality" and "slacking off."
Mengmeng was sitting obediently on the round stool next to her, holding the guitar pick that Lu Ming had given her. Her little head was nodding, obviously exhausted from the "concert" just now, and she was feeling dazed.
Looking at his daughter's tired yet contented expression, Chen Feng felt a pang of heartache. He had intended for Zhang Qiang to take Mengmeng to the back lounge to sleep while he guarded the remaining seventeen "destinies," but Mengmeng refused, insisting that she "wanted to help Daddy guard these destiny."
However, this ten-minute tranquility was merely a fleeting illusion.
"boom--"
A sudden push of the door shattered the peace inside the store.
Immediately following was a series of chaotic footsteps, filled with anxiety.
Before Chen Feng and Zhang Qiang could react, three or four office workers, sweating profusely and with their ties askew, rushed to the counter.
"Boss! Any more? Any more?" The young man in charge gasped for breath, his eyes glued to the small blackboard behind the counter, the longing in them almost palpable.
"Please tell me there are still some! We sped all the way from the financial center... oh no, we rushed all the way here! Only 100 slots available, are there any left?"
Chen Feng and Zhang Qiang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment.
It was already 1:15. In a place like the old street, after 1:00 it's basically lunch break time. Why, at this crucial moment, did a group of diners who looked quite wealthy suddenly flock in, yet were as anxious as ants on a hot plate?
"Yes, there are... but there are only seventeen left," Zhang Qiang answered instinctively.
"call--"
Those people almost simultaneously let out a long breath, their expressions of rebirth leaving Chen Feng somewhat bewildered.
"Great! Seventeen servings! We want four! Pay up! There are other people behind us, hurry up!"
As these people scanned the QR code to pay, the store seemed to be put into a strange loop, with the bell ringing incessantly.
In less than five minutes, the once quiet little shop was once again filled with this group of anxious people who kept looking at their phones.
"Is this the 'Human Fireworks' restaurant? The one Lin Muyuan recommended?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Look at that rabbit on the wall, it's definitely here! Look at the comments section, there are already dozens of 'gods' in the comments! That last wave of people were all posting pictures, it gave me stomach cramps!"
"Luckily, I ran fast. The company had a meeting at noon, but I made an excuse about having diarrhea and slipped out."
Standing behind the counter, listening to the noisy and fervent discussions, Chen Feng finally realized that Lin Muyuan's tweet had indeed stirred up a wave among a small group of people.
This influence has transcended geographical limitations. Those dozens of uniform comments using the word "god" acted like a viral spell, precisely striking every soul with a passion for food. They regretted not acting immediately upon seeing the tweet; they were anxious, fearing they wouldn't be among the lucky ones before the cruel number of one hundred ticked away.
"Fengzi... is your shop about to explode?" Zhang Qiang said to Chen Feng in a low voice as he deftly handed out number tags to the last few people who came in, his tone carrying an almost dreamlike sense of unreality.
Chen Feng didn't speak, but his eyes gradually became serious. He retied his apron and turned to walk towards the stove.
Although he was physically exhausted, seeing so many diners who had traveled from other cities and hearing their longing for "taste" completely ignited the passion that belonged to a chef in Chen Feng's heart.
"Qiangzi, collect the money for the last seventeen orders. Once you've collected them all, put up the 'Sold Out' sign," Chen Feng instructed in a deep voice.
"Okay!"
At that moment, the atmosphere at the checkout counter was as tense as the last five minutes at a stock exchange.
The woman in the seventeenth position jumped up and down with tears in her eyes the moment she scanned the code and confirmed the payment.
A burly man standing half a step behind her, upon hearing Zhang Qiang's words, "Sorry, the last one is gone," seemed to have his bones removed and slumped against the wall.
"Gone? How could it just disappear?" The burly man stared at the screen full of the word "God" on his phone, his voice tinged with a tearful grievance. "I was just five seconds away! I drove around half the city, the gas money alone could have bought ten baskets of steamed buns, and you're telling me it's gone?"
Zhang Qiang's face was filled with guilt and helplessness. He spread his hands and shouted to the people who were still pouring in from behind:
"Everyone, everyone! We're completely out of food! Our boss cooks all by himself, and the flour and fillings are all freshly prepared this morning. He only prepared 100 servings, and we can't give out any more!"
However, those who didn't manage to buy any were still reluctant to leave.
They stood in the shop, their eyes filled with jealousy and regret.
They watched as the last seventeen lucky winners sat down. When Zhang Qiang carried out the last batch of rabbit-shaped buns, the rich, almost sinful aroma filled the air, and a chorus of swallowing sounds echoed throughout the shop.
The behavior of the last seventeen diners was more exaggerated than any of the previous groups.
Perhaps because of the "life-or-death race" of the purchase, the hard-won sense of accomplishment made the taste of the steamed buns automatically double in their minds.
"Holy crap!"
"God! It really is God! Lin Da Da didn't lie to me. The feeling of this meat juice going down my throat makes me feel like I've never eaten a proper steamed bun in my life!"
"The best decision I ever made was skipping that damn weekly meeting and coming here! This tastes amazing, I'd die happy!"
The waves of praise echoed through the restaurant, each word like a small knife, piercing the hearts of the diners who had waited in vain and could only smell the aroma.
regret.
Extreme regret.
This emotion was vividly displayed on the faces of those at the door. They hated themselves for hesitating for five minutes to check the comments after seeing Lin Muyuan's tweet, and hated themselves for not running faster.