"Boss, you've got no martial virtue. Why didn't you say your fried rice noodles were this good sooner? That mung bean paste is way too filling!"
"Mm... it's fine, bro. If you can't finish yours, I'll help you eat it. One portion isn't enough for me."
"What the hell are you dreaming about? Even if this fried rice noodles burst my stomach, I'm stuffing it all in!"
"My mouth wants fried rice noodles, so my stomach will just have to suffer. Stuffed is stuffed. I shouldn't have eaten those skewers earlier!"
"It's my first time having fried rice noodles this delicious. One bite of noodles, one sip of mung bean paste... Can I just live in your food cart, Boss?"
"Boss, two more portions of fried rice noodles! I've paid already—I'm going to buy some digestive tablets!"
Most customers had eaten and drunk their fill in the busy part of the Pedestrian Street before wandering over here.
Who would have thought there was such a hidden gem of a stall in this little corner?
They had miscalculated.
The customers waiting in line had spilled all the way to a fruit stand thirty meters away.
The fruit vendor wasn't annoyed in the slightest. Instead, he was delighted.
As they waited, the customers bought pineapples and watermelons to munch on.
"Hey, eat less fruit, or you won't have room for fried rice noodles later!"
The fruit vendor was utterly stunned. "Good lord, where did this fried rice noodle stall come from? How is its business this good?!"
"Uncle, you didn't know?"
"I didn't. I've sold fruit here for three years, and this is the first time I've seen a stall this popular. Something like this should only happen in the busy district inside."
A bespectacled young man stood at the very end of the line, still chewing rice noodles, oil glistening around his lips.
Everyone who had been chatting turned to look at him.
The fruit vendor asked in confusion, "You've already eaten it. Why are you lining up again?"
"It's my first time eating fried rice noodles this delicious. How could one portion possibly be enough?"
"Is it really that good?"
"Uncle, let me put it this way—it's so good, you wouldn't even recognize your wife!"
"Don't talk nonsense. My tigress at home—I wouldn't want to recognize her even if she were delicious."
"Hahaha..."
In front of the stall.
Lu Qin constantly scooped the fried rice noodles from the wok and packed them into boxes. When he looked up, the long line of customers all wore anxious expressions, swallowing repeatedly.
He took a sip of water and continued frying noodles.
The customers who had been waiting for a long time watched others carry away box after box of fried rice noodles and wolf them down nearby. Their mouths had practically run dry from drooling.
When they saw Lu Qin drinking water, some couldn't help shouting at the top of their lungs, "Boss, fry faster! Even the production team's donkeys don't get this many breaks!"
"Damn! You people really don't treat the boss like a human being. Can't you see the iron wok is about to throw sparks from all that scraping?"
"Boss, are your hands sore? Do you want to take a break?"
"You can fry slower, but don't affect the flavor!"
"Everyone's toppings are the same, so one batch can make five portions!"
"You, the one who wants five extra eggs—what's wrong with you? Have you never eaten eggs before?!"
"Bro, are you sure you want twenty portions of fried rice noodles? Be kind, or the customers behind you might beat you up!"
Because Lu Qin's heavenly fried rice noodles were simply too delicious, he only had to focus on cooking now. The customers voluntarily handled the packing and payment themselves.
In just one hour, Lu Qin's fried rice noodle stall had sold more than a hundred portions of fried rice noodles and over two hundred cups of Iced Mung Bean Paste.
Customers came to line up in an endless stream.
The two aunties next door were completely dumbfounded.
They truly hadn't seen it coming.
This handsome young man was incredible. They never expected his fried rice noodles and mung bean paste to taste so unbelievably good.
"Goodness, he's only been set up for a little while, and he's already sold so many portions of fried rice noodles and mung bean paste. He must be making a fortune!"
"I'm so jealous! There must be some secret recipe in those fried rice noodles. They're so delicious!"
At three thirty in the afternoon.
At the fork in the road on the south side of the food street, in a corner nobody had ever lingered in before, a long queue had formed.
The line stretched for more than fifty meters.
Half the customers stood under the blazing sun just to keep their place in line.
Even the famous internet celebrity braised meat wrap shop had less traffic than the fried rice noodle stall.
"Ergouzi, quit eating that damn stinky tofu. There's a fried rice noodle stall over there. I heard it tastes amazing, and the line is huge!"
"No, I love fried rice noodles... Hey... don't pull me..."
"Tiedan, where are you going? You're not eating these insanely spicy grilled wings anymore? We're almost at the front of the line!"
"Fried rice noodles? Are you kidding? I came all the way to Jiangcheng to eat fried rice noodles? Do you know Chang City is famous for rice noodles? I'm sick of eating them already..."
Fried rice noodles did not hold much appeal for most foodies. Five out of ten people would be unwilling to eat them.
But once the springy, delicious fried rice noodles entered their mouths, none could escape the law of it smells so good.
"Holy crap! These fried rice noodles are so good I could cry!"
"They remind me of my mother's cooking!"
"This trip to Jiangcheng wasn't for nothing. These fried rice noodles are incredible!"
"Chang City's fried rice noodles are nothing compared to this place!"
Near Lu Qin's stall, a large crowd stood around devouring noodles, unable to stop.
The trash can beside them was full of fried rice noodle boxes, and the insides were cleaner than if dogs had licked them.
Lu Qin raised his head and said apologetically, "The last eight customers in line, we're out of fried rice noodles. Please come again next time."
"What? I just got here, and there's none left?"
"Boss, who are you supposed to feed with this little amount of noodles?!"
"This is miserable! If only I'd come earlier. I shouldn't have gotten greedy for that beef flatbread—it tasted pretty average anyway!"
"Bro, sell me your fried rice noodles. I'll pay double!"
"What are you thinking? I wouldn't sell them even for triple!"
"What about five times?"
"Five times... fine. I'm only selling because you look like Wu Yanzu. Otherwise, I wouldn't even consider it..."
A fat man walked away whistling, six boxed portions of fried rice noodles in his hands.
The customers who failed to buy any noodles looked at him as if he were their sworn enemy, their eyes red with rage.
"That bastard bought so many portions all by himself. Has he never eaten fried rice noodles in his life?!"
"Hope he eats himself to death!"
"Boss, you need to limit purchases next time. Some people buy so many portions that the rest of us don't get any!"
Customers were gods, so Lu Qin nodded and replied, "I'll consider your suggestion."
Lu Qin soaked a rag in water, wrung it dry, and wiped the grease stains from the countertop.
It was now 4:25. He had to pick up the little one from school.
Lu Qin began packing up his stall.
Seeing Lu Qin close up, the few customers who hadn't gotten any fried rice noodles finally left with disappointed faces.
At 4:35, Lu Qin arrived at Starlight Kindergarten, five minutes late.
The little one should still be in the classroom. Otherwise, Lu Qin would have spotted her right away.
Parents picking up and dropping off their children streamed endlessly past the school gate.
Lu Qin's three-wheeler food cart was rather conspicuous, and some parents who knew him greeted him with smiles.
"Yao Yao's Dad, why did you start running a stall? It must be hard work, right?"
"You sell fried rice noodles? Looks like Yao Yao's Dad is quite skilled!"
"I'll definitely come support you when I have time!"
Lu Qin's sunny, clean-cut, handsome image seemed utterly out of place beside his street stall cart.
These days, running a stall did not necessarily mean earning less, and working at a company in a suit and tie did not necessarily mean earning more.
Before you continue