You Must Be Desperate to Scam Us Out of Our Money!

Shen Chuan was just about to check how many Show-off Points he had when he heard the call. He stood up and lit the burner under the oil pan.

Jiang Wenyan had watched the entire process of selling the chive pockets. Seeing Shen Chuan get up, he teased, "Need a hand? I've got nothing to do."

"Open the container with the filling for me." Shen Chuan had already picked up a wrapper and spoke offhandedly.

Jiang Wenyan: ... He had only been making a polite offer as a joke.

Shen Chuan continued wrapping the chive pocket with fluid movements, then slid it into the oil along the edge of the pan while the oil was at just the right temperature.

Dense bubbles instantly sprang up all around the chive pocket, and it visibly turned a mottled golden brown. Once it was fried, he set it on the wire rack to drain.

Jiang Wenyan, meanwhile, had already eagerly picked up the greaseproof paper bag beside him.

Once the chive pocket changed hands, he paid. Instead of digging in, he took out his phone and started a video call in his roommates' group chat.

The group video call soon connected. Holding up the chive pocket, Jiang Wenyan said with a grin, "Look, my sons! Your dad's made something of himself. I can actually afford a ten-yuan chive pocket."

"What the hell? That chive pocket cost ten yuan? Did someone extort you?" As the call connected, Fatty suspected he had been ripped off.

"What kind of pathetic extortionist only asks for ten yuan?"

"Didn't you just send a video of the stall next door chopping chives? You bought it from that stall, didn't you? Look at you, making something of yourself as a sucker."

"You passed up a three-yuan chive pocket for a ten-yuan one? Wen, I suspect the heat's fried your brain. Forget running your stall today. Come back to the dorm and rest. Remember to bring your dads something to eat."

The guys in their dorm often went to the food street for snacks, and they had tried the three-yuan chive pockets from the stall at the end of the street. They tasted pretty good.

Now they all mocked the ten-yuan chive pocket Jiang Wenyan had mentioned. Just because something was expensive, he thought it must be special and insisted on giving it a taste, making himself a sucker.

The two stalls were right beside each other, and the video call was loud, so it was practically the same as saying it to Shen Chuan's face. Shen Chuan turned his head and glanced over indifferently, paying it no mind. The only thing he cared about was Show-off Points!

Jiang Wenyan did not notice anything amiss either. Listening to his roommates, he said earnestly:

"A customer bought a chive pocket just now and said it was delicious. He bought three in one go and wolfed them down so fast that watching him made me crave one. I figured I couldn't be the only one drooling. Everyone has to drool with me. Watch your dad put on a live eating show. I guarantee you'll be hunting for instant noodles afterward."

He set his phone on the stand on the worktable, brimming with the desire to perform.

Picking up the chive pocket, he opened wide and bit hard into its plumpest part, the spot he had been eyeing for so long.

He had planned to eat while telling everyone in an exaggerated voice how delicious the chive pocket was. But once he bit into it, Jiang Wenyan froze.

"This flavor..."

A large mouthful of filling and crust broke off into his mouth, and the fresh, savory juices flowed through the opening he had bitten.

An incredibly savory flavor shot straight onto his tongue.

The tender chives brought a fresh sweetness without any pungency, while the silky eggs brimmed with a rich aroma.

He could clearly tell that these were the ingredients' own aromas, unlike chive pockets flavored with pepper and other seasonings.

With it in his mouth, only one thought filled his head. It's so delicious. How can it be this savory?

At that moment, Jiang Wenyan finally understood how that man earlier had felt.

That one mouthful of juices alone was worth ten yuan.

Stunned by the delicious flavor, he sat motionless. His roommates watched him suddenly freeze, and even after calling out several times, they got no response. They were utterly baffled.

"Shit, did Wen really get heatstroke and pass out with his eyes open?"

"Doesn't look like it. I bet he took one bite, realized it was no different from the three-yuan ones, and is trying to figure out how to fool us so we won't laugh at him for being a sucker."

"Considering how hot it is, I'll be generous and only laugh at him for one day."

Jiang Wenyan had no time to watch the video call now. Holding the chive pocket, he started taking huge bites. He had been hungry to begin with, and college students did have something of a knack for being good at nothing except eating.

The little chive pocket looked especially tiny at his mouth. After his first bite, his second took it straight down to half.

His cheeks bulged with food. The chive pocket was still warm, and he huffed out hot air as he devoured it, his face scrunching up, yet he still could not stop.

After he finished the second mouthful, the chive pocket was no longer hot. He opened wide and took another enormous bite.

The only sound left on the video call was his noisy chewing, with an occasional faint crunch when he bit into a particularly crisp bit of crust.

He finished that whole big chive pocket in five bites. As the last mouthful went down, Jiang Wenyan could not help smiling.

What could ease your worries? Nothing but good food.

It was the height of summer, the weather was so hot, and he still had to come out and run a stall. The heat made people irritable and bad-tempered, and it always felt as though he could already see the end of this life of drudgery.

Now that he had eaten a delicious chive pocket, he was no longer irritable. His mood was wonderful, and he felt good all over.

He could not help shouting, "That was so fucking delicious! So satisfying!"

At first, watching him wolf down his food really had given his roommates the feeling of watching an eating stream. And honestly, it had made them a little hungry.

But when they heard him say that, their expressions immediately changed.

"It's just a chive pocket. You're acting like it gave you that much of a thrill."

"I think he's putting on a show for us. He had a brain fart and bought a ten-yuan chive pocket, so now he's deliberately doing this whole performance to make it look like the chive pocket's delicious rather than admit he had a brain fart."

"Your acting's way too fake. Your punishment is to eat another one."

"Forget that. They're ten yuan each. Making him eat another would be such a waste. His punishment should be buying some for us. I'm just that kindhearted."

Jiang Wenyan rolled his eyes. "Dream on. They're ten yuan each. Come buy your own!"

Savoring the memory of how the chive pocket had tasted, he said, still wanting more, "You have no idea how delicious this chive pocket is. The chives are especially fresh and sweet. Eating them feels like going for a spring stroll through the fields and catching the scent of spring.

"And those eggs! Who hasn't had scrambled eggs? But paired with the chives and wrapped in dough, they taste just right, and they're especially tender. Once the chive juices soak into the eggs, they're full of that fresh sweetness, plus the aroma of the eggs themselves. Oh man, once you take a bite, you just can't stop."

His roommates did not believe a word of it. Instead, they all teased him, "You must be desperate to scam us out of our money!"