"Boss, give me a portion of rice noodle rolls."
Zhang Wei didn't really feel that hungry.
That was until he caught a whiff of the aroma of rice noodle rolls.
He really wanted to tell the boss, "Do you know what I've been through these last ten minutes? Huh?!"
The aroma was engulfing him, flooding into his nose as if it were free!
His stomach growled loudly, "grumble grumble."
A young man of 22, that's the age for a hearty appetite, you know how hard it was for me to wait?!
Wang Fan didn't keep Zhang Wei waiting long. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, a portion of prepared rice noodle rolls was placed in front of him.
At that moment, the most heartbroken person was the pancake vendor not far from Wang Fan.
This young man getting rice noodle rolls was a regular customer of his. Did he just get lured away so easily?
Is my crispy pancake not crispy anymore or my spicy strips not appealing?
But those rice noodle rolls do look quite appealing, don't they?
The pancake vendor claimed he was purely curious, definitely not tempted to eat them; pancakes are the best!
Yet, seeing the old customer eating with a blissful look, the pancake vendor couldn't help but start salivating.
Zhang Wei no longer had any questions for Wang Fan. The only thing he could say now was how delicious it truly was!
The creamy white skin didn't stick to his mouth; a gentle bite revealed the fragrant filling.
Normally, Zhang Wei doesn't eat much pork, having been put off by it as a child, but the pork in this filling held none of that familiar off-putting taste.
The meat was finely sliced, not only tender to chew but devoid of any gamey taste.
If he could describe it in one word, it would be—lingering fragrance!
The flavor made his tongue tremble, made every cell crazily devour the delicacy.
Zhang Wei's pupils tightened suddenly, and the veins on his hand bulged!
Secret rice-eating technique—Storm Inhale!
You could only see Zhang Wei's chopsticks creating blurred shadows, quickly sending pieces of rice noodle rolls into his mouth. In no time, his cheeks puffed up high like a giant hamster.
Soon, one portion of rice noodle rolls was completely devoured by him.
He licked his lips, using the tip of his tongue to wipe away the last drop of sauce at the corner of his mouth. Zhang Wei glanced at the still not too long queue and decisively joined the line again.
Just ten bucks, who can't afford a second helping? Might as well have this for lunch too!
...
Wang Gaofeng, carrying two bags in hand, returned to the company in high spirits.
Upon entering, he saw a middle-aged man in his 40s with a head full of hair staring at him.
This man was none other than his direct supervisor, the company's Technical Director, Liu Bicheng.
Liu Bicheng adjusted his glasses, said angrily, "Old Wang, why are you so late today? We're at a critical time, the sooner the program goes live, the sooner we can get the bonus and take our year-end vacation, right?"
Wang Gaofeng gazed enviously at Director Liu's luscious hair, always believing that even when Director Liu gets cremated, his hair would be the last to burn.
Wang Gaofeng explained with a smile, "Brother Liu, I didn't leave yesterday; I was lured away by these rice noodle rolls this morning. I even got you a serving to try?"
Liu Bicheng became curious.
He knew Old Wang's stomach wasn't good; in fact, among those who work overtime like them, few are without stomach issues.
Usually, they don't touch takeout, yet today Old Wang eagerly went out to buy what, rice noodle rolls?
He didn't really want to treat his subordinates harshly, but Old Wang was of the age where management had suggested firing him more than once.
He managed to keep him safe once or twice but couldn't guarantee three or four times.
He knew if Old Wang got fired at 35, it would mean unemployment.
Almost no company would want a 35-year-old programmer.
By then, the pressure of mortgage, car loans, and living expenses could overwhelm Old Wang in an instant.
He knew Old Wang knew this too; he hadn't seen Old Wang so happy for a long time.
"You... well, okay, let's go to the meeting room and eat while we discuss the plan."
Looking at the rice noodle rolls in front of him, Liu Bicheng didn't expect a breakfast snack to look so appealing and smell so fragrant.
He took a small sip of the sauce; the saltiness was just right, neither stimulating nor bland, and the taste was quite delicious.
Picking up a piece of rice noodle, the complete rice wrapper remained unbroken, looking as if it had just come out of the pot.
One bite, and the rich aroma of rice and meat shot straight to his brain, making Liu Bicheng shiver with delight.
For days, Liu Bicheng hadn't had an appetite; the delayed project launch weighed heavily on him, as the technical lead.
But the moment he ate the rice noodle rolls, it felt like the gates of his appetite suddenly opened, waves of hunger hit him continuously.
His chopsticks moved non-stop, and the bowl of rice noodle rolls was disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Slurp slurp... ahh."
After downing the soup, Liu Bicheng let out a fully satisfied burp, placing the empty food container down and saw Old Wang staring intently at him with a piece of rice noodle caught in his chopsticks.
Startled, Liu Bicheng thought.
Oh no, did I just ruin my ten-year-old refined image?
He was about to speak when Old Wang suddenly jumped up, yelling and running out without looking back.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I figured it out, I know how to sort out that mountain of crappy codes, hahaha..."
"What?!"
Liu Bicheng was initially stunned upon hearing this, then in disbelief watched Old Wang's figure dash out.
Had Old Wang just solved the conundrum of that code mess over breakfast?!
Does this food have such effects?
He looked at the container of rice noodle rolls again, suddenly bursting into laughter.
The food probably doesn't have such magic, but after eating it, you do feel a sense of fulfillment.
The tense nerves relaxed in an instant; maybe that's why Old Wang thought of the solution?
About to go check on Old Wang, Liu Bicheng noticed his untouched bowl of rice noodle rolls.
Hmm, waste not, want not; I'll finish this before going.
The solution to that pile of troublesome code can wait; it's no match for this deliciousness, right?
...
Gone, truly gone, all 200 servings of rice noodle rolls were sold out.
Wang Fan helplessly explained to the people queuing in front, "Miss, there's really none left. Not a drop."
It's genuinely all gone, even the last bit of soup was bought by the previous customer, who insisted on paying $10 and ran off.
Zhou Ruoqing pitifully said, "Come on, boss, think of something. I've been in line for half an hour. You can't let me go hungry all morning, right?"
Zhou Ruoqing was petite, with fair skin and very bright, big eyes. Her pitiful expression was truly touching.
Wang Fan shrugged helplessly and sighed, "It's really gone, miss. How about coming early tomorrow? I'll be setting up here again."
"No way! We've been in line for ages; you can't just tell us to leave!"
"Yeah, yeah! Do you know how long I've been tortured by that aroma? Over a thousand seconds! And now you're telling me you've sold out and I can't eat any?! Do you have a heart of stone, boss?!"
"Boss, you go make more right now, and we'll wait here! I'll plead with my boss for some leave! Hey, is this Mr. Wu? I need to take a morning off—I got hit by a car; I'll be in this afternoon..."
The guy calling in sick watched as Wang Fan hopped on his bike and pedaled away, yelling before he could hang up, "Boss, don't run! Bring back my rice noodle rolls!"
Wang Fan sped up, riding his bike like an arrow, shouting as he went, "Folks, you can disperse for now. I'll be back around 5 a.m. tomorrow, see you then! Maybe I'll also show up this afternoon, so we might see each other then!"