Don't rush, let the pancake fly a little longer

As people started eating, the waiting customers couldn't help growing impatient. Especially as the pancakes cooked and their aroma grew richer, their cravings stirred too.

Everyone wanted to buy more. Only Old Master Zhao stood under his umbrella with his head held high, looking at the others with disdain.

"You only bought more because you saw the first customer enjoying it. Not me. I was planning to buy three from the start. I have complete faith in Boss Shen's cooking. He's the God of Cooking."

Shen Chuan was looking up to catch a pancake when he heard that and immediately glanced toward the old man.

He looked familiar. A regular, and the kind who brought him more business, too.

This old man really knows how to show off. He's even better at it than me.

Sure enough, an old master is still an old master. Impressive!

These scallion pancakes seemed more complicated to make than chive pockets, but Shen Chuan had practiced this in the System Space. After tossing one pancake up, he could tend to the ones in the pan. Once those were done, he reached out, caught the other pancake, and put it into the pan.

The whole process flowed smoothly without a single wasted moment, and soon it was Old Master Zhao and his group of old men's turn.

The old men held their pancakes and squatted in the shade beneath a large tree, beginning to taste these scallion pancakes that had to fly for a while before they could be eaten.

With one bite-just that one bite-the old men fell in love with the scallion pancakes.

The texture was wonderful, one crisp layer followed by a soft one, progressing layer by layer. It was the ultimate textural pleasure.

When they bit down, the first layer was flaky and crisp, the kind that shattered with a little pressure.

The second layer was flaky and fragrant but softer, with slightly less crunch and a more pronounced richness and aroma from the oil.

The third layer was half flaky, half soft, rich and delicious, with a feeling almost like it would melt with a press of the tongue.

By the fourth layer, there was a soft texture and a fresh fragrance. This layer had never touched the oil in the pan. Enclosed in the middle, the scallions had been cooked by the trapped heat, all their fragrance wrapped inside. When they reached it, that fresh sweetness was simply a revelation.

"So delicious! Good heavens, this is a scallion pancake? I can hardly believe it."

"My goodness, this pancake has completely overturned everything I knew about scallion pancakes. Something so simple can taste this good!"

"All these layers of texture, and every layer feels different. There's just nothing to fault in his cooking."

The old men had originally come for chive pockets and only meant to give the scallion pancakes a try. Now that they had tasted them, they switched allegiances in a second. Their favorite went from chive pockets to scallion pancakes, and they all began wolfing them down.

Old Master Zhao ate half a pancake in one go, his mouth filled with scallion fragrance and utterly satisfied. Turning around, he saw Old Wang tucked away at the very edge of the crowd, saying nothing and just eating with his head down. He grinned and went over.

"Say, Old Wang, didn't you say the sun was too strong and you didn't want to wait? Why are you still here?"

Old Wang had been about to leave earlier and had even taken a step away, but the flying pancakes had made him stay. Now, eating the deliciously fragrant scallion pancake, he wished he could kowtow to himself a couple of times.

Thank goodness he had been stubborn and loved a spectacle all his life. Seeing the pancakes flying back and forth overhead, he had wanted to watch a little longer. The longer he watched, the less he wanted to leave. When everyone bought pancakes, he had bought two himself.

Savoring the distinct layers of the scallion pancake and their gradually changing fragrance and crispness, he tore off another large piece and chewed vigorously. The more he chewed, the more fragrant it became, and the harder it was to stop.

Hearing Old Master Zhao's teasing, he said with complete conviction, "Who said the sun was too strong and wanted to leave? Who? Drag him out here, and I'll give him a good talking-to. Can't even stand a little sunshine, yet he wants good food?"

After that, he even heaped flattery on Old Master Zhao.

"Old Zhao, you're the one we have to count on. None of us can match you when it comes to food. You always find the most extraordinary delicacies in the most ordinary places. I, Old Wang, admire you."

The flattery left Old Master Zhao feeling good all over, and he chuckled.

As a show-off, Old Master Zhao felt that still wasn't enough. He was the first person to discover this stall, someone who had tasted its delicious food on its very first day of business. He was the one with the discerning eye, and he simply had to show off.

Old Master Zhao walked over to the queue and waved at the customers staring at the scallion pancake in his hand. Eating as he went, he deliberately waved it in front of everyone, walking from the front of the queue to the back. His intent to show off couldn't have been more obvious.

"See that? Look how many layers this scallion pancake has. A different flavor in every layer. Never had one, have you? I told you this boss's food was delicious, but you still hesitated. Even an old man like me has more nerve than you. I bought two in one go. Oh, it's so delicious!"

As he walked, the aroma of the scallion pancake in his hand wafted into the queue. The customers had been wilting in the sun, but now the scent suddenly perked them up again.

Seeing them craving his scallion pancake, Old Master Zhao had achieved his goal of showing off. He asked, "Craving it now, aren't you? Want some?"

The customers nodded hard. They really were craving it.

Old Master Zhao found the perfect spot and took a big bite right in front of everyone. "Craving it won't help. This is mine. That's what you get for not being as diligent as this old man. I even got in line before you."

The customers: ...

Their fists clenched so hard. They really wanted to punch something a couple of times.

Such a long queue in front of a tiny stall naturally drew the attention of passersby.

Usually, people stopped out of curiosity about what the stall was selling. Those who wanted some would stay, while those who weren't interested would leave.

But today was different. Besides the long queue, Shen Chuan was tossing pancakes into the air.

When passersby saw the pancakes flying back and forth overhead, they stopped to watch. Some caught their savory aroma, found it especially tempting, and joined the queue to buy some.

Others thought Shen Chuan looked so cool tossing the pancakes that they hurriedly took out their phones to record videos.

Shen Chuan was holding a pancake when he suddenly noticed lots of people pointing their phones at him. He immediately realized this was a perfect chance to collect Show-off Points. How could he not show off a little?

He picked up a piece of pancake dough and casually tossed it with a lift of his hand.

The force sent the pancake into the air. Before, he had thrown them straight up and down, but this time he deliberately changed the angle, tilting it slightly.

Once the pancake was in midair, he calmly picked up his spatula and flipped a pancake in the pan, then took a tissue to wipe his hands.

Everyone watched the pancake grow thinner and thinner in the air. As it fell, it looked as though it was heading into the crowd.

"Oh my goodness, boss, I think you threw that a little crooked. It's about to land on my head!"

"Boss, catch it! It's really going to land on my head!"

"Ah, boss, why are you still wiping your hands? You won't make it in time!"

The customers were frantic, afraid the pancake would fall to the ground, and kept calling out reminders to Shen Chuan.

Shen Chuan curled his lips and leisurely wiped the oil he had accidentally gotten on his fingers with the tissue.

"Don't rush, let the pancake fly a little longer."

[Ding, Show-off Points +100!]

Having said that, he calmly reached out. The pancake drifted down as though Shen Chuan's hand had a navigation system, pinpointing its destination. It passed over a customer's head and through the hands of customers kindly trying to help, landing perfectly in his palm.

With a deft turn of his wrist, he lightly tossed it into the pan. The thin pancake spread out flat inside, perfectly even, without a single wrinkle.