Chapter 59: Having a Hot Meal

Finally, the "Community Canteen" welcomed its very first day of business.

Many of the customers looked familiar.

A few of them even looked as though they had been starving for two days straight.

"Boss, I'll take my usual fresh meat buns, and some porridge, give me a bowl."

"Congratulations on the grand opening, Boss Chen! Finally, we can sit down and eat right here."

"Ten buns, to go. I'm starving."

"Fresh out of the steamer, just a moment!" Chen Zhou's reply was concise and strong. As a bun master, he focused most of his attention on the steamer inside the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the junior martial sister fluttered like a fish among the crowded tables and chairs.

She had an eye for tasks that needed doing, coupled with... well, and nimble hands.

Having operated only a few times, she had already figured out the workflow. Now, she could steadily carry steamed buns in one hand while clearing away the mess left on a table with the other.

If not for someone helping to clear the tables, Chen Zhou would have had a really hard time handling such a massive crowd on opening day.

Before long, a warm and familiar voice echoed through the shop: "Master Chen, business is looking good!"

Chen Zhou looked up, and sure enough, it was Wang Meng.

He greeted him warmly, "Since you're here today, you have to try the braised meat buns. They're a new item."

"Alright!"

Wang Meng trusted Master Chen's culinary skills, and he trusted his judgment of him as well.

"Four should be about right for you. Over there, we also have luffa soup and millet porridge."

"Alright!"

Wang Meng placed his briefcase on a chair, claimed a spot just vacated by another customer, and took the buns directly from Chen Zhou's hands.

The braised meat buns were different from the fresh meat buns, which used minced green onion and ginger water beaten into the meat filling; these had stewed meat broth directly incorporated into the filling.

As a result, a faint caramel-brown color had already seeped through the surface.

The bun skin wasn't as immaculate and snowy white as before, dotted instead with patches of varying sizes.

Even so, it looked quite appetizing.

When bitten open, the broth inside was piping hot and intensely fragrant.

It was that pure, rich indulgence of meat.

"Hoo, hoo," Wang Meng blew on it a couple of times before inspecting the interior of the bun.

The color was noticeably darker than that of the fresh meat buns, and the filling hadn't formed into a solid ball; instead, it was crumbly and filled the bun to the brim.

A few glistening droplets of fat shone brightly within the broth.

Wang Meng cherished the meaty broth inside the bun. He used one pair of chopsticks to steady the bun's orientation and cupped a spoon underneath with the other hand. Only then did he begin to eat with peace of mind.

The most prominent sensation upon chewing was the finely shredded lean meat. It had truly absorbed the flavors down to every single fiber, tender and melt-in-your-mouth without being stringy.

Tiny bits of pork fat were visible, but they weren't greasy at all.

Simmered first and then steamed, they practically melted into the bun.

Wang Meng chewed in large, satisfying bites. By now, the scalding hot meat broth mingled with the rendered fat, and the rich aroma of meat and wheat hit his taste buds directly.

"You really know your stuff, Master Chen."

Wang Meng praised Master Chen's craftsmanship, but he had been a bit too eager while eating.

He accidentally lost his grip with the chopsticks.

Fortunately, it dropped right onto the plate; otherwise, if he had to pick it up from the table, he would have had to look around to see if anyone was watching.

After finishing a braised meat bun in just a few bites, Captain Wang went to ladle himself a bowl of luffa and egg drop soup.

He didn't want to trouble the server; the young girl looked extremely busy.

Besides, he had helped the boss decide where to place the soup cauldron and the porridge bucket in the first place.

From the luffa and egg drop soup, one could tell how honest Master Chen was in his business.

Unlike when eating at the work unit cafeteria, where one had to stir vigorously deep into the bucket just to scoop up any solid ingredients, here, a casual dip yielded half a bowl brimming with visible eggs and luffa.

As for the taste, there were no overly complex seasonings.

It was just a refreshing, crisp sensation—the luffa smooth and tender, the egg ribbons delicate and wispy.

Because the ingredients were so generous, taking a sip from the bowl naturally produced a slurping sound.

That was the sound of the egg ribbons and luffa gliding smoothly across the lips and colliding with the air.

Wang Meng thought to himself:

Having a meal here in the morning is truly wonderful. Warming things up in the microwave is convenient, but eating something piping hot right here in the shop really opens up the world.

"Payment sent over!"

Wang Meng called out.

"Got it, take care!"

Business was too brisk; Zhao Yilin couldn't find a chance to complain to Chen Zhou, so she could only mutter to herself inwardly:

*Does this guy seem more familiar with the shop's layout than I am?*

*How old is he, and he still drops food on the table? Hahaha.*

As the junior martial sister thought about it, she chuckled out loud.

Chen Zhou couldn't help but ask out of curiosity,

"What are you giggling about like a goof?"

"Boss, I saw something interesting."

Fine, as long as she was happy while working, that was all that mattered... Chen Zhou felt slightly puzzled for a moment, but left it at that and went back to wrapping his steamed buns.

Roughly around 8:30 or 9:00, the number of customers dropped significantly, and there was practically no need to queue anymore.

With fewer people around, everyone could easily find a place to sit.

According to the schedules of most office workers, buying breakfast at this hour would mean missing the morning punch-in.

However, this was also Chen Zhou's first time realizing firsthand just how many people in the world didn't need to punch a clock—a grandfather and grandson eating buns, independent merchant shop owners, and the young girl from the rental and sales center next door.

"Brother Chen, you opened for business so soon."

"I had to adjust the feng shui, didn't I?" Chen Zhou replied with a smile, "Just started work today, eh?"

Zhang Jing nodded.

The feng shui issues of this ground-floor commercial space seemed to have naturally resolved themselves.

It was already past nine o'clock. Back at the old Auntie's Breakfast Shop, the couple would have already been packing up by now, and if she went over then, she would only get whatever leftovers were left.

"I'm the only one at the rental center, and I don't need to clock in."

Of course, because of this, she also got off work early, which was why she had never managed to taste the roadside buns before.

This time, she finally made it.

Zhang Jing asked, "Any recommendations, Boss? I don't eat a huge amount."

"No worries, I don't have too many varieties right now." Chen Zhou pointed to the small signboard inside the shop for her.

"The fresh meat buns have always been our staple, and the braised meat buns we just launched today are also very popular, though there aren't many left. If you prefer vegetarian, we have eggplant and green pepper filling. For something liquid, we have a bowl of millet porridge or luffa soup.

One bun, or two?"

"Two is a bit too much." Zhang Jing waved her hand. "Let's start with one fresh meat bun to try, and a bowl of porridge to go."

"Alright, just a moment."

Taking advantage of the time the clerk took to pack the food, Zhang Jing glanced around the small shop.

The decoration hadn't changed much, but it somehow felt much more vibrant, and the scent of steaming buns inside smelled fantastic.

As she turned her head, she spotted something new:

"Oh, you have little cucumbers too? How are these sold?"

Chen Zhou replied, "Help yourself, they're on the house. Our only rule is please don't waste any, haha."

"Got it."

Chen Zhou picked up a fresh meat bun from the steamer basket and placed it into the bag that the junior martial sister was holding open.

After handing the packaged buns and porridge to Zhang Jing, Zhao Yilin said with a cheeky smile, "Come back again if you're still hungry."

Anyway, Zhao Yilin herself definitely wouldn't be full from just one bun.