Boss Shen was stuck outside the food street!

Jiang Wenyan walked briskly ahead for a while, and the sight before him immediately gave him a headache.

The road ahead was completely jammed with private cars and electric scooters, without the slightest gap to get through. He wanted to go farther ahead to take a look, but he could not even squeeze through, so he had to ask the nearby drivers one by one before he figured out what had happened.

For some reason, the food street had seen a huge surge in visitors today. To save themselves trouble, many people had parked illegally wherever they pleased, blocking the road and causing a traffic jam throughout the entire block.

Traffic police were already directing traffic and dealing with illegally parked vehicles. Traffic restrictions had long since been imposed on the main road, and almost all the vehicles that could take a detour had done so. Only those like them remained stuck there, unable to move forward or back.

He soon returned to the little air-conditioned three-wheeler and bent down toward the window, a hint of urgency in his voice. "Boss Shen, there's a traffic jam up ahead, and the road's closed. The traffic police are clearing it, but it'll probably be a while before we can get through. Don't worry."

A cool breeze circulated inside the vehicle, shutting out the sweltering heat outside. Shen Chuan lounged lazily against his seat. At those words, he lifted his eyes slightly and said calmly, "You're the one who's worried."

With his thoughts exposed in a single sentence, Jiang Wenyan scratched his head sheepishly and gave a couple of dry chuckles. "Mostly because I've been keeping my stomach empty specifically for your scallion pancakes. Looks like that's fallen through now."

He was about to say a few more words to lighten the mood when his phone suddenly vibrated. His roommates had sent several messages in quick succession, all asking why he was not there yet. It was almost six!

Jiang Wenyan helplessly snapped a photo of the traffic jam and sent it to the dorm group chat with a complaint: "I want to hurry too, but the road's completely blocked. It's not like I can fly over."

When Zhang Jiale and the other two in the group saw the photo, their faces instantly fell, all their eager anticipation dashed.

"We're doomed. Boss Shen's stuck outside the food street and can't get in. We'll have to keep waiting."

The customers lining up nearby heard this, and word spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. An anxious atmosphere instantly swept through the entire long line.

Some regulars who had arrived late looked at all the people ahead of them, and with this terrible news on top of it, their vision practically went black. They felt their chances of getting a scallion pancake today were slim.

Then, noticing the new customers growing anxious and impatient at the news that Boss Shen could not get in, one of them said thoughtfully:

"Why did everyone come today? The boss already said not to bring too many people. He doesn't work overtime. With all of you crowding into the line like this, who knows if you'll even get any?"

"I'd say it's doubtful!"

Someone spread their hands. "I saw it while scrolling through videos. The video creator made it look so delicious-who wouldn't crave it after watching? I just wanted to stop by and buy one. I really didn't expect this many people."

"I snatched half a scallion pancake from my coworker yesterday. You tell me whether I'd come today."

"A food blogger recommended it, so I came to check it out!"

The university students' answers were more interesting.

"Boss Shen's scallion pancakes are really popular among us students. Everyone who's tried them says they're unbelievably good, and anyone who hasn't will regret it for the rest of their life. How could we not come try them?"

"Exactly. We're already here. We can't leave empty-handed."

Seeing that these new customers would not fall for it or free up some space for him, the regular who had first spoken up to persuade everyone to leave sighed helplessly.

How did Boss Shen get famous so quickly? With this many people, when would it ever be my turn?

Just as complaints began to rise among the waiting crowd, several car owners all received a broadcast notice from the traffic police, urging owners of illegally parked vehicles blocking the road to move their cars as soon as possible and clear the main road.

Most of these vehicles belonged to customers drawn by the food's reputation. For convenience, they had parked wherever they pleased in no-parking areas such as junctions and pedestrian crossings, completely blocking the key routes into and out of the food street. Many illegally parked cars were ticketed on the spot, without exception.

One car owner hurried back after moving his car, his face full of realization and chagrin, and complained loudly, "Turns out I'm partly to blame for the traffic jam! There are so many cars parked all over both sides of the street that Boss Shen's stuck outside and can't get in!"

Those words struck like thunder, instantly jolting everyone in line awake.

Many customers who had driven there immediately panicked and spoke up. "My car's parked at the junction too. It's probably blocking the road. I'll move it right now!"

"I'll go too! Let's move our cars to the underground parking garage at the mall next door and clear the main road!"

After saying this, several customers preparing to move their cars quickly turned to ask the people behind them in line, "We're going to move our cars. Don't take our spots. We'll be right back!"

Only after everyone agreed did they hurry off toward where they had parked.

Moving their cars was one thing, but if they lost the spots near the front they had worked so hard to secure, they would truly cry.

The customers who had not driven were all very understanding. They nodded in agreement and offered to hold their places in line.

"Go on, hurry! We're all doing this for a bite of piping-hot scallion pancake. We'll watch your spots!"

No one wanted to stand roasting in the sun for nothing and leave empty-handed. Rather than stand there waiting anxiously, they might as well help clear the road so Shen Chuan could get in and set up his stall sooner.

For a moment, the previously anxious, loosely gathered line found something new to look forward to.

Watching the scene before them, Zhang Jiale and the others' gazes shifted slightly. Then they raised their hands to call to the students nearby. "There are still lots of shared bikes and electric scooters parked all over the road, blocking the junction. Since the private cars are being moved, let's lend a hand and straighten things up too. The sooner the road's clear, the sooner we can all eat!"

The students, who had been bored, roasting in the sun, and full of anxiety, instantly perked up and voiced their agreement.

Rather than wait idly beneath the blazing sun, they might as well put in some effort to secure their chance to satisfy their appetites. They stepped out of the line in groups and headed toward the entrance to the food street.

The junction was a chaotic mess. Private cars blocked the road, electric scooters were parked crosswise, and shared bikes lay in haphazard heaps, completely sealing off the way in and out. Several traffic officers hurried about directing traffic beneath the blazing sun, their heads covered in sweat. Unable to be everywhere at once, they looked helplessly at the congested vehicles and pedestrians.

Then a group of volunteers suddenly rushed out of the food street, and a surprised traffic officer walked over to help.

With the officer directing them, the university students worked quickly and deftly. Before long, the scattered shared bikes and stranded electric scooters along the roadside had all been neatly arranged together.

As Zhang Jiale moved bikes, he stood on tiptoe to look around. Unable to spot Boss Shen, he called for everyone to look together. "While you're tidying up, keep an eye out for where Boss Shen's stuck. Let's get him inside first!"

"Right, right! Clear the way into the food street first. I'll push those electric scooters taking up space up there."

"Has anyone spotted Boss Shen's cart?"

"..."

As they helped, everyone kept looking around for Shen Chuan's cart, hoping to take the opportunity to get Boss Shen's cart into the food street first.

The early arrivals had started lining up at three or four. After waiting until now, they would have given up long ago if the promise of a bite of scallion pancake had not kept them hanging on.

"I've spotted quite a few other carts, but not Boss Shen's."

Seeing that the road was almost clear, yet still unable to spot the familiar cart, everyone began to grow anxious.

"Don't tell me Boss Shen saw the traffic jam and left early?"