The "Chive Pocket Assassin"

That savory aroma ran wild beneath their noses. The passersby, who had been half doubtful and thought their friends had been ripped off by the "chive pocket assassin," now wavered completely, swallowing unconsciously as anticipation filled them.

From the moment the chive pockets came out of the pan, people started eating, and everyone else caught their scent, the line suddenly grew noisy. With Jiang Wenyan helping serve the customers, Shen Chuan had nothing to worry about and kept making chive pockets with a consistently focused expression, getting the heat, timing, and appearance exactly right.

A fresh batch of chive pockets was ready. Old Master Zhao, who had eaten his words yesterday, went to grab a bag of his own accord, planning to help himself.

Quick as a flash, Jiang Wenyan snatched the bag away and looked at him as though facing a formidable enemy.

"Sir, leave these little chores to me. All you need to do is pay and wait for your food."

This was a job he had fought hard to get-the God of Cooking's number one helper. How could he let anyone else take over his work? If they really did, what if Boss Shen decided he was unnecessary and stopped letting him help?

Old Master Zhao saw nothing wrong with that. This young man had been here when he came to buy chive pockets yesterday, too. He picked up his phone and paid twenty yuan. Soon, each of the old men he had invited had a chive pocket in hand.

The old men liked to gather together when they ate, chatting over their food. Now they crowded beneath the large tree beside the stall and began sampling these ten-yuan chive pockets.

Honestly, if Old Master Zhao had not kept telling them how delicious these chive pockets were, they would never have come here to buy them for ten yuan each. Ask at any roadside stall, and they were all three yuan apiece.

Still doubtful, they brought the chive pockets to their mouths.

As they bit down, the crust collapsed between their teeth with a wonderful crunch. It was not the brittle crack of a potato chip, but the sensation of flaky pastry breaking apart, more substantial and better in texture.

The lightly browned crust carried the toasted fragrance of caramelization, which offset the greasiness from frying perfectly.

Beneath the browned crust was a tender, flaky layer that melted at a nudge of the tongue, turning into a rich, wheat-scented smoothness. Beneath that tenderness lay another thin layer, soft and slightly chewy.

It was hard to imagine that such a thin chive pocket wrapper alone could offer three distinct textures.

With the wrapper so thin, the filling reached their mouths easily. Steaming juices struck their lips and teeth with piping-hot fragrance, making their tongues recoil from the heat, but they were immediately drawn back by those delicious juices and continued savoring them.

The fragrance of the chives did not rush out all at once. What they noticed first was an aroma steeped in lard, mingled with the fragrance of egg and dough, mellow and delicate.

As they chewed, the chives' natural sweet, fresh fragrance slowly unfolded on their tongues. Only after they swallowed a mouthful did the punch of the chives rise from their throats-that pungent fragrance unique to chives.

Holding their chive pockets, every one of the old men widened his eyes in astonishment at the delicious texture.

"I've been eating chive pockets for decades. Most have unleavened wrappers, thick fillings, and so much oil they're greasy. But these are something else! The wrapper's thin without falling apart, flaky without being greasy, the chives are cooked just enough, and the eggs aren't tough or eggy. Every mouthful is fresh and fragrant. The hardest part is the oil! They look glossy, but they're not the least bit cloying. That control of the heat is incredible!"

His companion nodded in agreement. "These are just too good. The longer you chew, the better they taste."

"Exactly. I only wanted to buy one to try, but Old Zhao insisted I buy two. Paying for them hurt for ages, but the moment I tasted one, it stopped hurting. This flavor is worth it."

"Old Zhao, you really are something. You just went out for a stroll through the food street, and out of all those stalls, you actually managed to uncover something delicious."

As the old men ate and praised the food, Old Master Zhao straightened his back, looking pleased and proud.

"I might not be good at much else, but I know food. Whether a roadside stall's food is any good, I can tell just by smelling it."

Old Master Zhao said nothing at all about how doubtful he had been yesterday, or how the taste had proved him wrong.

"Really? You're that good?"

The fat guy and his companions, who were eating chive pockets nearby, heard Old Master Zhao and joined the conversation curiously.

With a group of college students gazing at him with shining eyes, Old Master Zhao suddenly felt as though he was being worshipped. He straightened his back even further and began praising the chive pockets' fragrance.

"When I walked past, I gave one little sniff, and that sweet, fresh scent of chives was wrapped inside the dough, but even that couldn't hold it back. I was captivated right then. A voice told me these were the chives of my dreams. I bought one immediately, and from that moment on, I was in love."

Those amusing words immediately made everyone laugh. Eating in a crowd was livelier, and the food tasted better, too. The college students simply squeezed beneath the tree as well, eating and chatting with the old men.

Once the two groups came together, it was practically like meeting kindred spirits.

One said the egg inside the chive pockets was coated in oil, chive juices, and the seafood flavor of dried shrimp-absolutely heavenly.

Another said you could barely see the dried shrimp, but as you ate, their savory flavor still crept out, filling your mouth with fragrance.

One of the more simple, honest old men kept it much simpler, saying only, "Same here," which set off another round of laughter.

The old men and college students buried themselves in their food, occasionally exchanging their impressions of the chive pockets, looking just like friends across the generations. The sight immediately drew the attention of passersby.

Some passersby stopped at once and walked over curiously to take a look, discovering that everyone had a chive pocket and was devouring it with tremendous relish.

Old men and young fellows alike had turned into dedicated chowhounds, as though the chive pockets in their hands were some rare delicacy.

Someone even ate so fast that juice spilled from his chive pocket onto his hand. After glancing to either side, he actually slipped his finger into his mouth and secretly sucked it clean.

The sight was truly enticing. Never before had a group of people eating chive pockets created the atmosphere of a lavish feast. One passerby stepped forward curiously to strike up a conversation.

"Are these chive pockets good? You're all eating them."

At the sudden question, the old men and college students all whipped their heads around, looking ready to find a new kindred spirit.

"Do you even need to ask? Of course they're good!"

"Absolutely, young man. Look at this filling, then look at this wrapper. At ten yuan each, they're more than worth the money!"

"Let me tell you, I've been eating all my life, and I've never had a chive pocket this good. If you miss out today, you'll regret it for a year."

As they praised the chive pockets, they made sure to show the ones in their hands to the person who had asked.

Seeing everyone sharing so enthusiastically and recommending them so strongly, the enticing golden chive pockets, and the lingering fragrance filling his nose, the passerby immediately stepped forward and called out:

"Boss, one chive pocket!"