BXBX NOVEL Chapter 52
It was already 3:10 p.m. She had gone to line up nearly half an hour early that morning, and still almost didn’t get what she wanted. The music festival was packed, and Lu’s stall was bound to have a long line. Not getting the food meant losing three days’ pay? That would just be adding insult to injury! Shen is such a slave driver!
…
At Tianhong Plaza, a massive stage was set up in the center. Colorful lights, booming speakers, and an energetic crowd created an electric atmosphere. It was a huge scene.
Vendors love occasions like this—business was guaranteed to be good.
Lu Qin arrived on his three-wheeled food cart, heading to the designated spot on his street vendor map, Tianyuan West Road. The street was already lined with stalls selling lemon tea, spicy potatoes, oden, 1-yuan skewers, and spicy chicken.
Whether it was luck or the help of the street vendor map app, there was one spot left, just the right size for Lu Qin’s cart. He parked his cart perfectly in the gap.
He set up his stall. The stall owner next to him, who was selling fried skewers, couldn’t help but glance at him a few times. Lu Qin was selling stir-fried noodles, which made the skewer vendor shake his head.
Who’s going to buy a main dish at this time of day? It’s snacks and drinks that are selling fast! This young man clearly doesn’t know how to do business. Making money from street vending isn’t easy.
But since they were in competition, the skewer vendor wasn’t going to give Lu Qin any advice. Tianhong Plaza wasn’t just filled with snack stalls, there were also fruit stands, dessert shops, a mobile ice cream truck, and more. The merchants weren’t going to miss out on the business opportunities brought by the music festival.
There were still thirty minutes until the festival started. Before watching the show, people were free to enjoy a little ‘food festival’ of their own.
“Boss, give me some fried skewers—enoki mushrooms, potatoes, lamb skewers, and sausages—mildly spicy.”
“Two cups of hand-pressed lemon tea, please.”
“Boss, I’ll have a portion of stinky tofu.”
…
For now, Lu Qin’s stir-fried noodle stall wasn’t drawing much attention. Stir-fried noodles didn’t have the same appeal as grilled sausages, stinky tofu, or spicy chicken. Only a few young women passing by glanced at him, their eyes lighting up at the sight of his handsome face. But when they saw he was selling stir-fried noodles and pork belly, they quickly lost interest.
In this heat, who would eat that kind of food!
Lu Qin wasn’t worried, though. He waited patiently. Just then, his phone rang. It was a video call from Lu Xiyao. He answered the call.
“Daddy~!”
The sweet, soft voice of his little girl filled his ears, and a smile appeared on Lu Qin’s face.
In the video, the table in front of the little girl was piled high with a mountain of snacks. She was holding a chocolate Pocky stick in her mouth and proudly showing off her treats, asking Lu Qin which one he wanted to eat.
Lu Qin chuckled helplessly. This snack haul was surely a reward for him making pork belly for lunch earlier. Right now, his little girl was probably the most popular kid at kindergarten.
“Don’t eat too many snacks. A lot of them have additives, which aren’t good for kids’ health,” he said and reminded her with a smile.
“Okay, Daddy! I’ll stop after finishing this chocolate Pocky!”
Lu Xiyao always listened to Lu Qin. When she said she’d stop, she really would.
“Daddy, where’s your food stall today? Is it really hot outside? If you’re feeling unwell, don’t push yourself this afternoon! Come home and rest! When your little cutie gets out of kindergarten, we can go do the night market together!”
Lu Xiyao was worried about her dad, concerned he might overwork himself.
“The sun’s a bit strong, but I’m inside the food cart selling food, so it’s not too bad. Don’t worry, Yaoyao,” Lu Qin said and reassured her. “Daddy’s at Tianhong Plaza. There’s a music festival here. Look!”
He flipped the phone camera and showed her a huge poster of the music festival. The poster featured several young and trendy singers.
“Wow! It’s Sister Li Xue! I’m a fan of hers! Daddy, can you get her autograph for me?”
Lu Xiyao suddenly screamed with excitement, her eyes lighting up. Lu Qin was a bit surprised. Li Xue? His little girl was chasing celebrities? He had no idea.
“Yaoyao, you’re a fan of Li Xue?”
“Yeah! Zhong Shuyi also loves her!”
“Uh… who’s Li Xue?” Lu Qin asked.
Xiyao rolled her eyes cutely.
“Daddy, you’re so out of touch! Li Xue is a super popular singer! Can you help me get her autograph?”
“I’ll try my best,” Lu Qin said.
But the little girl sighed, “Daddy, never mind. Just take a video of her from afar. She’s a big star, it’s hard to get her autograph!”
…
After chatting for about five minutes, Zhong Shuyi came over to invite Xiyao to play on the slide. Seeing Lu Qin on the video call, Shuyi quickly waved, her eyes full of admiration. It was clear that the dishes Lu Qin had made for lunch had won over all the kids at the kindergarten.
Right after Lu Qin hung up the phone, a large crowd suddenly appeared at his stall. All the nearby vendors were stunned. How could there be so many people? Forty or fifty people, all in a group, and each of them looked anxious. When they spotted Lu Qin’s food stall, they started shouting excitedly.
“Boss Lu, we finally found your stall!”
“You made us search high and low!”
“Next time, can you share your exact coordinates? Tianhong Plaza is huge, we almost starved while looking for you!”
“Pork belly! Pork belly! Pork belly!”
“There’s something new today, chicken tofu!”
“Chicken tofu? You mean ‘ji dou hua,’ a Sichuan specialty!”
“Whatever it is, I have to try it. I can’t wait to taste the chicken tofu!”
“It’s too hot! Let’s get three cups of mung bean slush to cool down first!”
“Boss Lu, did you bring enough ingredients today? I just got paid, and I’m ready to order a ton!”
“Haha! I’m the first one here, jackpot!”
“As soon as I see Boss Lu, I start drooling!”
“Yesterday’s pork belly was amazing! I even licked the box clean!”
…
The crowd quickly formed an orderly line, but it was so massive that it looked like an organized group. The line stretched across the whole street.
The other vendors and passersby were dumbfounded. It was just a stir-fried noodle stall—how good could it be? Was it really worth such a long line? This was insane!
A curious passerby asked one of the guys in line, “Hey, is this food really that good? Is that why there are so many people waiting?”
The guy was caught off guard, then shook his head vigorously.
“Not at all! You should go try the other stalls!”
“???”
The passerby was confused.
What? If it’s not good, why are you so excited to line up?
Up front, Lu Qin had already started cooking, the oil sizzling as he stir-fried garlic and chili peppers, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma. The crowd was dense, and the fragrance wafted through the area, overpowering the nearby fried skewers and stinky tofu stands.
The passerby finally understood and pointed at the guy, accusing, “Young man, you’re being sneaky! With a smell this good and so many people lining up, it’s definitely delicious! What do you mean it’s not good?”
The guy sighed, “I just want fewer people in line. Less pressure, you know?”
The skewer vendor next to them was so shocked that the chicken wing he was holding slipped back into the oil.
What’s going on? Even customers are feeling the pressure now?