1novels Chapter 232 Taking Advantage
Chapter 232 Taking Advantage
"Watermelon rind?!"
"What? It's watermelon rind! No wonder it tasted so familiar."
"You can even pickle watermelon rinds?"
"Pickled vegetables are nothing! Where I'm from, some people even use watermelon rinds to make dumplings."
The students were all somewhat shocked.
The girl with the ponytail quickly picked up another one and put it in her mouth, finding it increasingly unbelievable as she chewed.
"I have to say, after I found out it was watermelon rind, I tasted it carefully and it really did have a watermelon flavor. It was delicious, and the seasoning was also delicious. It was especially refreshing to eat with steamed buns."
The students behind were also curious about the pickled vegetables made from watermelon rinds.
You take a little and try it, and I'll take a little and try it too.
Within minutes, the jar of watermelon rinds was empty, and Chen Yuan quickly asked someone to refill it.
Watermelon rind is very popular, and chili oil is just as popular.
A male student from the physical education department was already drooling with anticipation. He broke open half of a freshly steamed meat sandwich, scooped up a large spoonful of chili oil, and thickly coated it inside and out.
He took a bite and gasped.
"Awesome! I've finally tasted real spicy chili oil, it's so fragrant!"
As he spoke, he didn't forget to remind his friend next to him.
"Don't scoop out too much, this chili oil is really spicy. I can handle it, but you guys will have a hard time."
Upon hearing this, his friend scooped up a tiny bit and dripped it into the wonton soup.
"I know, I know. Even you say it's spicy, so this chili oil must be quite spicy. Just a little bit is enough for me."
The boy was already sizzling from the spiciness.
He didn't care about the heat or the spiciness; he chewed and swallowed, and in a few big bites, half of the meat bun was gone.
"It smells amazing! It's so damn delicious! I haven't had such good chili peppers since I came here to study. This is real spicy, not the kind of industrially produced spicy chili peppers you get outside."
"And I could really taste the beef inside, along with the aroma of nuts. It was so satisfying, the spiciness made me sweat all over!"
It seems to be to prove how much they like this chili oil.
The boy pushed his way to the front and spoke to Chen Yuan.
"Boss, can you sell this chili oil separately? I'd like to buy some to take home and enjoy slowly."
Chen Yuan quickly packed and handed out the meals while waving and smiling.
"Not yet, I can't make that many right now. Bottled versions will definitely be available later, and I'll let you know when that happens."
"Oh dear, I'm a little embarrassed. I eat a lot. I've added too much, I feel a bit bad about it."
"What are you afraid of? I already said it's free, add as much as you want. Summer is here, and people tend to lose their appetite. Eating something spicy can stimulate your appetite, make you sweat, and is good for your health."
"Boss, that's very frank! Then I won't hold back; I'm going to eat my fill today."
The boy gave Chen Yuan a thumbs up and then ran to add chili oil to his flatbread.
The queue in front of the food truck was very neat.
The students used paper cups to pickle vegetables, taking only what they wanted to eat, and then casually threw the food into the nearby trash can after they finished.
Some more considerate people will wipe the water stains, oil stains, etc. on the table clean so that the next person can eat directly from it.
Several girls also volunteered to help straighten the sign that had been blown askew by the wind.
Seeing this, Chen Yuan gave a heartfelt thumbs up and exclaimed with genuine admiration.
"These college students are truly of high caliber!"
Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.
However, two figures disrupted the harmony.
They were an elderly couple in their sixties. The old man was wearing a faded short-sleeved T-shirt, and the old woman was carrying an old cloth bag.
After buying four steamed buns, the two went to the pickled vegetables section.
Without even glancing at the small paper cups prepared beside them, the old lady simply pulled a crumpled, transparent plastic bag from her bag and spread it out on the table.
She wielded the chopsticks skillfully, like using a small shovel, constantly piling on every kind of pickled vegetable.
The old man seemed to really enjoy eating cucumbers; he kept aiming his chopsticks at them.
The chopsticks in their hands rose and fell, and the half-empty jar of pickled vegetables and meat visibly shrank.
Moreover, they didn't pay attention to table hygiene; the juice from the pickled vegetables dripped down the edge of the plastic bag, soaking a large area of the table.
The students queuing up behind them for steamed buns frowned.
No one spoke, but the atmosphere was noticeably tense, and some students turned their gazes toward Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan immediately understood. He wiped his hands, stuck his head out of the food cart, and spoke kindly to the two elderly people.
"Uncle and Auntie, these side dishes are specially prepared to whet your appetites for breakfast. If you like them, you can use the small paper cups next to you to take some. If you're not full, you can always ask for more. If you take so much, the students in line behind you won't get any."
"And it's already written on this sign that you can't take it away or waste it, otherwise you'll be fined."
Chen Yuan didn't think his words were too harsh.
To everyone's surprise, the old lady became unhappy. She slammed her chopsticks down, raised her eyelids, and instantly raised her voice, speaking with remarkable self-righteousness.
"If it's free, just take it! We're not eating for free! We ordered so many buns, and you've made a lot of money, so why can't we have this one bite of pickled vegetables?!"
"You're the boss, how can you be so stingy? You can't even spare a single pickled vegetable. If you keep going like this, your shop will go bankrupt sooner or later!"
The old man didn't stop either; without even looking up, he continued to put cucumbers into his pocket.
"Exactly! It says it's free, but now they're blocking it. If you can't afford to play, then don't do it!"
"We came all this way to queue up, and you won't even let us have a little bit of pickled vegetables? What's it to you? We paid for breakfast, and you won't even let us have this little extra treat? What, do you think you're rich just because you have a little bit of pickled vegetables?"
These words were rather harsh, and a murmur immediately broke out in the group.
"How shameless! They only bought a few buns, and they filled them with about half a can of vegetables. Where's their sense of shame?"
"Isn't this just taking advantage of one's age? Just because someone is old doesn't mean they can embarrass themselves. The owner has already written that takeout is not available."
Chen Yuan was not angered by the barrage of accusations.
He then stopped her, saying, "Auntie, 'free' means you can eat as much as you want here, not that you can take whatever you want. It's already written on my sign that you can't take anything away."
Considering the large number of people in line, if Chen Yuan opened the door, he wouldn't be able to manage the people behind him, so his tone became a bit more serious.
"I set the rules early this morning. If I break them here, others will follow suit, and I won't be able to open my stall tomorrow."
"If you want this much, that's fine too. We'll calculate it according to the market price. These cucumbers are usually eight yuan a pound, cowpeas are about the same, and watermelon rinds are cheaper, I'll give you five yuan."
"Since you two are elderly, how about I give you an additional 8% discount?"
Unexpectedly, these words were like water droplets falling into a hot oil pan, sizzling and popping.