What, no chive pockets today?!

Auntie Liao looked at the chive-and-egg filling in her bowl, then at the rolled-out wrappers beside it. No matter how she looked at them, they hardly seemed worth ten yuan each.

Yet people scrambled to buy them at that young man's stall for ten yuan apiece, as though money meant nothing. When he didn't set up shop today, his customers had even come to her for a substitute.

Auntie Liao considered joining the line tomorrow when the young man set up his stall, to buy one and try it herself.

Apparently, he made them fresh to order. She could stand in front of his stall and watch for a while. Perhaps she could even pick up a few tricks and improve her own chive pockets.

She didn't expect her business to boom like his. Earning a little more retirement money would be enough.

By the time Shen Chuan got up the next morning, he had already mastered crispy scallion pancakes in the System Space. The hardships involved went without saying. Having another skill would definitely help his grand undertaking of showing off even more.

After quickly getting ready, he took a taxi to pick up the scallions.

The fresh scallions were packed into an insulated cooler, and he rode home with them, sitting comfortably in the air-conditioned taxi the whole way. It was much more comfortable than riding his tricycle out to collect supplies.

Then he rested again. Only at four in the afternoon did he get everything ready for the stall, change into his suit, and head out.

The instant he stepped out of his air-conditioned home, his endurance was truly put to the test.

Wearing a suit was too hot. He would try buying a Zhongshan suit or a traditional Tang outfit later and see whether either worked for showing off.

Besides, his two previous days of running the stall had taught him something: if he didn't actively show off, he earned very few Show-off Points. It seemed he would have to pay more attention to opportunities to show off while running his stall. He couldn't miss a single moment!

He had just reached the residential complex's entrance and hadn't even gotten off the tricycle when Jiang Wenyan popped out. His face was a little red from the sun, but he approached with a beaming smile.

"Boss Shen, you're finally out! I was so worried you'd take today off too."

He pointed at his round face. "Look, you didn't open for one day, and I've already lost weight from hunger. I couldn't eat or sleep properly. I'm so miserable!"

Shen Chuan's lips twitched. Sorry, I really can't tell.

He was already in college and still had baby fat on his face. One look was enough to tell that he usually ate very well.

"Can't say I noticed..."

"So, uh, Boss Shen, do you need an errand service today?"

Jiang Wenyan wasn't remotely embarrassed at being exposed. Instead, he eagerly asked the question.

Even his tone carried an impatience to get started.

Boss Shen setting up his stall meant there would be chive pockets to eat today!

Anyone who wasn't enthusiastic about eating had a problem with their thinking!

"Yes. Same rate."

"Roger!"

In a single second, Jiang Wenyan dropped his clowning, unfolded the folding chair, and set it in place. He gestured invitingly to Shen Chuan. "After you, Boss Shen. Your errand boy is at your service whenever you need him."

That damned sense of ceremony!

Shen Chuan instantly felt the embarrassment of having someone else show off on his behalf.

On the surface, however, he looked quite pleased, calmly nodding and climbing aboard.

Once Shen Chuan was seated, Jiang Wenyan pedaled the tricycle toward the food street. While waiting at a traffic light, he even sent his roommates a message.

"Boss Shen's opening his stall. Let's go eat!"

He was so happy that as he rode into the food street, he started humming a song.

"La la la, I'm a little cycling expert, off I pedal right on time each day. Pancakes to eat, money to earn, life today is wonderful..."

Shen Chuan: ...

He wanted to show off, not make a fool of himself!

That excited expression and heartfelt, joyous smile made passersby turn to look again and again.

"He's just riding a tricycle. Does he have to be that happy?"

"You'd think he was driving a Porsche."

"Wait, I think that's the chive pocket guy's tricycle. Apparently, every time he opens his stall, he hires someone to pedal it and set things up. Two hundred yuan a time! And they get to order first without waiting in line!"

Quite a few people were waiting on the food street for the chive pocket stall to open. Jiang Wenyan's entrance, complete with his own background music, immediately caught everyone's attention.

After a day for the buzz to build, everyone who had casually bought a chive pocket to try the day before yesterday had come early today, provided they had the time.

They all wanted to buy theirs before mealtime, so they wouldn't have to fight their way through the crowd after six.

"What? You get paid and don't have to queue? Why didn't you say so sooner? You should've said something!"

"Forget driving a Porsche. I can't afford one anyway. What do I do? Now I want to ride a tricycle!"

"I'm begging for a chance to pedal Boss Shen's tricycle. I'd trade eating one fewer chive pocket every day for his spot."

Someone immediately asked, "Do you mean that?"

The man nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. Get me the tricycle gig, and I'll buy four chive pockets every day and let you have one of them."

The person beside him promptly rolled his eyes. Letting him buy one wasn't the same as giving him one for free. He scoffed outright and ran after the tricycle.

The faster he ran, the closer he'd be to the front of the line. Only an idiot would stand around wasting time here.

The man finally caught on, suddenly let out a shout, and charged after them too.

As soon as Jiang Wenyan parked the tricycle, he switched straight into stall-setting mode, taking out the jars and bottles of seasonings and arranging them by height, strictly according to Shen Chuan's instructions.

Then he fetched the food storage container. The large container took up one corner of the worktable and was filled with fresh, tender scallions, their leaves emerald green and their bases white. The moment he opened it, the distinctive pungent fragrance of scallions wafted out.

"Huh!"

Jiang Wenyan searched the counter again and found only scallions. There weren't many eggs either, and the chives were missing. He hurriedly straightened up to remind Shen Chuan, "Boss Shen, you forgot the chives. Want me to get them for you?"

Shen Chuan shook his head, washed his hands with clean water, dried them thoroughly, and walked up to the worktable. "No chive pockets today. I'm selling scallion pancakes," he said calmly.

"What, no chive pockets today?!"

The customers who had arrived early to queue were startled by their exchange. They had come here specifically to buy chive pockets, only for the owner to switch to a different snack today.

Someone walked up to the stall and craned their neck to look. Sure enough, there were only tender scallions and no chives. Their face immediately fell.

"Boss, we really want chive pockets. You've only sold them for two days. Why are you changing the menu already?"

"Exactly! I'd only just gotten a taste and was already hooked. I just want a bite of a chive pocket. You didn't open yesterday, and I was craving them so badly I went all over buying chive pockets!"

"Boss, why not sell both? I really want a chive pocket right now!"

Shen Chuan was already getting ready to mix the dough. It needed to rest, so he had to knead it first, then prepare the scallion oil paste. The timing would work out just right.

Hearing all the customers asking for chive pockets, he said calmly, "Due to the ingredients, there are only crispy scallion pancakes today."

Well...

The customers hesitated. They had tried his chive pockets and unanimously agreed they were delicious. They hadn't remotely had their fill!

But they had never tried his scallion pancakes...

Although the owner made delicious chive pockets, who knew whether his scallion pancakes would be any good?

One customer ventured, "Boss, are the scallion pancakes as good as the chive pockets?"

Shen Chuan said, "Are you questioning the God of Cooking's skills?"