Chapter 62: Blade!

In the morning, a Wuling van drove up to the breakfast shop in Sunshine City residential area.

With barely anyone on the road, Old Zhang audibly steered his vehicle right into the middle of the street and turned on his hazard lights facing the shop.

It was security guard Xiao Liu’s shift today. He was waiting for his relief to arrive so he could go to the neighboring shop to buy some breakfast.

Seeing the van parked right in front of the complex, the young man stood up from the security booth, intending to have a word with the driver.

However, after catching a glimpse of the person inside the vehicle, he honestly sat back down.

"He'll probably drive away in a moment, and he's not really in the way right now anyway."

At this moment, the owner of the shop, unable to stand the flashing lights any longer, also emerged from inside.

Chen Zhou said to Zhang Jinsheng through the car window, "Alright, alright, any more flashing and you'll blind me."

Old Zhang cracked a grin, "I couldn't exactly honk the horn, could I?"

......He was afraid of getting beaten up, too.

Zhang Jinsheng stepped out, pulled open the car door, and displayed two large bags of pork bearing the character "Chen".

Operating on the principle of responsibility, Chen Zhou still inspected the goods.

"The meat looks good today, very fresh."

Old Zhang complained, "See? Flashing my lights at you twice actually sharpened your eyesight."

"Good enough to use."

Chen Zhou's method of "first look, second touch, third press, fourth smell" was actually the meat-inspection technique passed down in Old Zhang's family.

Since they shared the same master, there was no way to beat this trick.

The two men picked up the meat and walked toward the shop. Chen Zhou invited him:

"Staying for a steamed bun before you go?"

"Still haven't finished my deliveries," Old Zhang glanced outside, confirmed his van wasn't blocking anyone, and then told Chen Zhou, "Wait until I get back."

"I'll wait for you. Drive slowly."

"I'm an old hand at this." Old Zhang waved a hand, "You get back to work."

Chen Zhou began his preparation work.

Chopping dozens of pounds of meat filling by hand was simply out of the question.

Chen Zhou had already used a meat grinder from home previously, and now that he had opened the shop, he upgraded to a large, professional version.

He thoroughly washed it before and after use to ensure safety and hygiene.

He had to admit, the Junior Sister was quite meticulous when it came to chores, and the post-use cleaning was done very thoroughly.

He should give her some praise later.

Just as Chen Zhou was thinking this, Zhao Yilin also arrived at the shop.

"Morning, Senior Brother."

"Morning!" Chen Zhou greeted her, "You came just in time. Rinse the millet, just once like before!"

The Junior Sister nodded, "I know. You mentioned it yesterday, and I still remember you saying that I shouldn't wear my hair loose in the shop, and that I should try not to eat garlic in the morning..."

The Junior Sister had a pretty good memory, though her speech tended to be a bit trivial and detailed.

Chen Zhou was already used to it.

Watching the boss effortlessly mix the filling, knead the dough, and wrap the steamed buns all in one smooth motion,

Zhao Yilin was deeply impressed. She said to Chen Zhou:

"Senior Brother, you really move fast. You're like a veteran master with thirty years of experience, but you're only thirty yourself this year."

Chen Zhou recalled his days working back at the corporate office.

"This stuff just takes practice. You didn't see it, but back when I was at the company, I used to practice molding plasticine right at my desk."

That was the truth; the vast majority of Chen Zhou's bun-making skills were self-practiced.

The Junior Sister whispered secretly:

"I heard about that, but nobody dared to ask at the time. Everyone thought you'd suffered some kind of trauma."

Past memories were presented to Chen Zhou in a different way.

"Let's get to work."

Not yet seven o'clock, customers had already started entering. They ordered a bowl of freshly brewed porridge and sat at their tables, waiting for the steamed buns to come out of the steamer.

The little shop thus began a new day of business.

...

Before long, the intelligence refreshed.

During a break between batches of steaming buns, Chen Zhou paused for a moment to check the latest intelligence.

Since he still had to deal with customers, it felt somewhat reminiscent of his school days—the teacher was lecturing up on the podium, while he was secretly reading a novel underneath his desk.

【Marketplace Secret (Rare)】:
Top-tier cutlery! A certain kitchen knife was sold overseas, only to make its rounds and eventually appear in the Ancient Culture Street. This kitchen knife was handmade thirty years ago through sixty distinct manufacturing processes, a craft that has already been listed as intangible cultural heritage and is on the verge of extinction. Go purchase it before ten o'clock this Saturday, and you can secure it at a price lower than its actual value. With careful maintenance, this kitchen knife still has fifty years of service life left.

Chen Zhou knew it:
The reason he couldn't chop dozens of pounds of meat filling effortlessly was definitely because he lacked a handy weapon!

Just like a soldier going to the battlefield, how could a chef succeed without a good knife?

However, with a knife that could last eighty years, it was no wonder the old craftsmanship was dying out. If the tools never broke, how could anyone keep selling new ones?

Exported overseas and then reimported back to the domestic market, this knife certainly had a rich history.

Location.... still the Ancient Culture Street.

When Chen Zhou went last time, he was all by himself. That area had been nicely renovated and turned into a tourist attraction. On Saturday, he could just as well take the kids out for a stroll and go window shopping.

To-do list + 1.

Next up—

【Ingredient Bulletin】: Tea Shop Melons will be hitting the market in the next few days, but the local Tea Shop Town hasn't actually produced these melons for many years. Please exercise caution and discern carefully.

Tea Shop Town, a place name.
Tea Shop Melons, a variety of watermelon.

Because they were juicy, sweet, and delicious, they used to be famous watermelons far and near.

Chen Zhou had actually eaten them when he was a child.

However, today's Tea Shop Melons were probably much like crabs taking a quick dip in Yangcheng Lake water to magically transform into Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs—it was the exact same principle.

Still, if the price was right, there was no harm in trying them.

Even though the origin had changed, the variety remained the same.

Consider it a nostalgic trip to the past.

The third piece of intelligence—

【Diner's Dynamics】: The diner currently standing before you is actually hesitating whether or not to try the cooked-meat steamed bun. After tasting it, he will leave a positive review.

This was the first time Chen Zhou had received intelligence with such a short validity window.

He temporarily paused his review of the intelligence.

He asked the customer in front of him:
"What would you like to have?"

The older man hesitated and replied, "I'm wondering whether to get the fresh-meat bun or try this new variety? Oh dear, I'm so torn."

This customer probably suffered from severe indecision.

The customers behind him saw how much trouble he was having and simply bypassed him to form a separate queue.

Chen Zhou smiled and suggested to him:
"How about you try one of each?"

"Let's do that then," the older man scratched his head, "Why didn't I think of that?"

....You were probably blocked from seeing the light by the steam right in front of your eyes.

"One fresh-meat bun, one cooked-meat bun, for this gentleman to take away."

"Coming right up!"

Having served this customer, Chen Zhou zoned out once more.

There was still one piece of intelligence left—

【Market News】: The food delivery platform war is nearing a fever pitch. Currently, two platforms have taken notice of your small shop. It is expected that within the next four days, operations personnel will visit to negotiate.

Chen Zhou looked at the situation inside his shop; all the seats were packed to the brim.

As soon as one customer left, another sat down.

Meanwhile, the queue of people waiting for takeout had nearly extended out to the front door of the shop.

This delivery business, he probably really couldn't take on.