What? No more?
He paraded around holding a chive pocket, finishing it before he even reached the end of the line and leaving the diners behind him practically aching with longing.
But instead of getting their chive pockets, they got terrible news.
There were too many people, and most were buying two or three each, with very few buying just one. Even though Shen Chuan had prepared plenty of chives and eggs that morning, he no longer had enough to meet demand.
On his second day running the stall, he had prepared in advance, but he still hadn't prepared enough!
After the last batch of chive pockets came out of the pan, he told the diners still waiting behind the others, "I'm out of ingredients. That's it for today. Everyone, stop lining up."
"What? No more?"
A sharp-eared diner immediately abandoned the line and hurried up to Shen Chuan's stall with an expression as though the sky had fallen. He looked at the few freshly cooked chive pockets, then at the diners ahead of him, his eyes full of unwillingness to give up.
"Who'll spare me a chive pocket? I'll pay twenty!"
After waiting this long in such scorching heat, he was being told he wouldn't get to eat any?
No way. He was going to get a taste of those chive pockets today, no matter what!
Those few clearly weren't nearly enough to go around. Even when the man offered twenty, nobody responded.
Hadn't they all stood in line forever just for a taste of these chive pockets?
The diners who heard they had sold out all crowded around, truly unwilling to give up. One gritted his teeth and told Shen Chuan, "Boss, how about this? Go buy some more chives and eggs, and we'll wait here. It's still early anyway. We're in no hurry."
Shen Chuan refused outright. "No. Ingredients bought on the spot wouldn't meet my standards. I couldn't use them."
The diners couldn't understand. "Why couldn't you?"
"As a God of Cooking, isn't it perfectly normal to have certain standards for ingredients?"
Shen Chuan spoke as though it were only natural.
[Ding! Show-off Points +50!]
"Boss, what ingredients do you use in your chive pockets, then?"
Shen Chuan said, "Pesticide-free, farm-grown chives freshly picked in the morning, eggs laid by native chickens raised in the countryside, and freshly milled flour from this year's wheat!"
At this, one diner suddenly pointed excitedly at himself. "Boss, I've got the ingredients! I've got both those things you mentioned at home-chives from our private plot and eggs from free-range chickens. I've got them all. I can go get them ready for you right now."
Shen Chuan turned the little fan to face himself and began washing his hands.
"Making too many would affect the quality of the chive pockets. As a God of Cooking, I must ensure that every snack I sell has the most perfect taste and texture. Besides..."
He looked up at the sky. "It's too late. I need to go home and rest."
[Ding! Show-off Points +100!]
!!! Star that show-off line. Use it more often! Seeing those triple-digit Show-off Points, Shen Chuan practically wanted to cry.
He had truly sacrificed so much to show off. Even his skin had grown considerably thicker. In the past, he could never have brought himself to say something like that.
Every time he showed off, it was an exercise for his sense of shame!
Hearing this, the diners followed his gaze and looked up at the sky too.
"Huh?"
The days were long in the middle of summer. It was only eight, and the sky wasn't even completely dark yet. He called this too late?
Jiangwan Food District was a night market, after all. Right now was the perfect time to do business, with so many people around. Stalls here generally stayed open until at least midnight, and those wanting to earn a little more commonly stayed until two or three.
Yet this chive pocket vendor was complaining that it was too late before the sky had even gone dark.
The diners were all dumbfounded.
It's not even dark! Why are you clocking out? If I had his skills, I'd definitely keep the stall open until dawn. He's turning down money!!!
One diner instinctively wanted to complain, but remembering what Boss Shen was like, he feared Shen Chuan might refuse to sell him chive pockets if he did. So he silently shut his mouth, his face turning red from holding it in.
Everyone only dared grumble inwardly. With no other option, they began thinking about tomorrow. "Boss, remember to prepare more ingredients tomorrow, then. Your stall does such good business, with so many customers. That little bit of chives and eggs isn't nearly enough."
A diner eating a chive pocket chimed in:
"Yes, exactly, prepare more! I live pretty far from here. I only happened upon your stall today because I came over on business and stopped to buy something to eat. If I want to come buy more tomorrow, it'll have to be pretty late. Boss, if you don't prepare more, I won't get to eat these delicious chive pockets tomorrow."
"Boss, just make a few more. We've been waiting in line forever. We really want a bite of your chive pockets."
"Yeah! All this time, I've just been watching other people eat, listening to them rave about them, and smelling their chive pockets. I'm craving them! I'm suffering inside! Someone save my life with a chive pocket! The person at the back of the line has a life too!"
"Please, boss, don't make me get on my knees and beg."
"It's really not that late, boss. Don't you want to make money?" The diner next in line suffered the most. One moment, he'd seen hope-it was his turn. The next, the very last chive pocket had sold, and the boss was closing up.
He decided to use money to awaken the boss's inner workhorse.
Unfortunately, he failed.
Shen Chuan refused mercilessly. "Have you ever seen a God of Cooking work overtime?"
With that, he turned to Jiang Wenyan. "Come pack up the stall and take me home. Two hundred yuan."
[Ding! Show-off Points +35!] [Ding!...]
The diners were practically defeated by Shen Chuan's whole set of God of Cooking rules. He had completely claimed the high ground!
He's inhuman!
He's only bringing out those amazing skills to show off, letting us look but not eat. Is that something a human would do?
"Sure thing, Boss Shen! Coming right over."
To Jiang Wenyan, those were simply the most beautiful words he had heard all day, like music from heaven.
He shot over to the stall and began packing it up.
Shen Chuan plopped down in the folding chair. He was exhausted, truly exhausted, and wanted so badly to do a Ge You slouch. But he had a persona to maintain and couldn't let it crumble, so he could only sit there resting with his back ramrod straight.
Seeing that the boss had already told someone to pack up, the diners who hadn't managed to buy chive pockets knew they really wouldn't get any today. They shook their heads helplessly, and some left with a sigh.
Some planned to look elsewhere and buy a substitute to try. In any case, they had to eat a chive pocket today, or they wouldn't be satisfied.
"Seriously, this boss is way too willful. Who sets up a stall at a night market and packs up before it's even dark?"
Hearing the diner's complaints, the owner of a neighboring stall couldn't help joining in. "Exactly! Dressed like that, I wondered what he was here for. Turns out he was here to run a stall!"
"The boss is such a show-off!"
"Sure enough, as long as you're not embarrassed, everyone else will be. My secondhand embarrassment is acting up again!"
"Speaking of which, how do they taste? That stall doesn't look like it's here to do business seriously!"
Hearing the neighboring vendor's words, the grumbling diner suddenly snapped out of it as though waking from a dream. What was he doing?
Boss Shen was so willful about running his stall, and he hadn't even left yet. What if he heard him complaining behind his back and refused to sell him chive pockets?
Boss Shen was absolutely capable of doing that!
The diner immediately stopped responding to the neighboring vendor. He cautiously glanced at Shen Chuan, who was still resting, and quickly left.
The neighboring vendor had just been getting into the conversation when the man suddenly ran off. He blinked in confusion.
Why had he stopped chatting?