"Daddy, Xuanxuan really wants to eat pan-fried buns!"
Xuanxuan, who had been salivating for a while, wandered around behind Huang Tao.
"First, go wash your hands, then we'll start eating..."
Xuanxuan obediently went to wash her hands.
After washing, she even helped Huang Tao bring the clean dishes to the dining table.
Then she sat quietly on the chair, waiting for the meal to start.
Huang Tao served a plate of golden, round pan-fried buns.
They looked like adorable yellow balls.
Atop them were shiny black sesame seeds and fresh green onions, making the buns even more appealing.
"Wow... so pretty..."
Xuanxuan was instantly amazed by the high aesthetic appeal of the buns, exclaiming with her small mouth wide open, enough to fit a duck egg, yet she instinctively covered it with her little hand like a lady.
Huang Tao smiled slightly, picked up a pan-fried bun, blew on it, and placed it in her bowl.
"Go ahead, be careful, it's hot..."
Xuanxuan picked it up and took a bite.
"Zzz..."
The savory juice flowed out from the thin skin, oozing from the corner of her mouth and dripping onto her jacket.
The little one, who usually loved cleanliness, didn't notice at all.
Huang Tao reached out and grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth.
Xuanxuan's bright eyes gleamed as she greedily licked the corner of her mouth with her little tongue.
It's so delicious!
Fragrant, juicy, crispy!
Absolutely tasty!
"So yummy!" She sucked on the juice while giving a thumbs up.
Huang Tao served her a bowl of fish soup: "Here, have some fish soup..."
Fish?
Where's the fish?
Upon hearing this, Xuanxuan remembered the fish she bought in the afternoon.
"Daddy, the fish I bought this afternoon, where is it?"
The carp that was turned into fish soup: (Ĭ^Ĭ)
The most painful thing in the world is being right in front of you, yet you don't recognize me~
Huang Tao: "..."
"The fish is right here..."
Seeing the motionless fish in the soup, Xuanxuan understood.
Her lively big eyes suddenly dimmed.
Huang Tao looked at her with an expression of "the fish is so cute, how can you eat it" and scratched his head helplessly, giving a bitter smile: "Xuanxuan, do you know why the fish is cute?"
"Why?"
"Because it's tasty!"
???
Xuanxuan's expression perfectly embodied the phrase "Do you have a lot of questions, little friend?"
"Is that really it?"
"Yes! Eat it and drink it while it's hot."
Fooled, Xuanxuan hesitantly spooned out a scoop.
When she tasted it, her eyes involuntarily squinted.
Very fresh!
"Daddy, let's buy another fish tomorrow..."
"Alright..."
Huang Tao nodded with a smile, picked up a pan-fried bun, and took a small bite.
A rich juice flooded his mouth.
Fragrant and fresh.
There was also a hint of scallion aroma and sesame flavor.
Besides being fresh, there was a tad of sweetness.
Chewing on it,
The meat was tender, not dry or greasy at all.
Even after finishing, the taste lingered.
"Creak~"
"Creak~"
As they were eating, more people gradually walked into the shop.
"I finally found it... the aroma was coming from this shop..."
"Oh, it smells so good, boss, what do you sell here?"
"Wow... pan-fried buns... it's making me even hungrier... how much for one?"
Huang Tao looked up and said apologetically: "Sorry, our shop officially opens tomorrow morning."
"Ah... no way..."
"Is that true? Can't be..."
"Even though I have a thousand words to say, at this moment, all I can ask is, boss, what time do you open tomorrow morning?"
Huang Tao thought for a moment: "6 o'clock!"
"Well... guess I'll have to come back tomorrow morning..."
One by one, they came with high hopes and left disappointed.
A cold, emotionless voice echoed in Huang Tao's mind.
[The shop managed by the host has attracted five customers even before opening, triggering the main task. Please sell 3,000 pan-fried buns within a week (starting Monday), and completing the task will reward a random culinary skill.]
Whoa!
The task came even before the official opening.
"3,000 buns..."
If each person buys one bun, it would require 3,000 customers.
However, from what he knew, most people usually buy two or three, rarely just one.
Before renting the store, he also researched the purchasing power of the nearby residents and the foot traffic passing by the shop.
Moreover, with customers already inquiring before the official opening, it boosted his confidence immensely.
So there's no big issue, it should be manageable.
The only thing that concerns him is Xuanxuan.
Fortunately, the shop is relatively close to home, about a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute ride on an electric bike, so it should be manageable.
"Xuanxuan..."
"Hmm?"
"Daddy wants to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Tomorrow morning, Daddy has to get up very early to open the shop. You will stay at home alone and sleep well. I'll be back around 7 o'clock to take you to school. If you need anything, just call Daddy, and I'll come back right away."
"Daddy, can you take Xuanxuan with you? I can help you carry things!"
Huang Tao shook his head, "No, you need to get enough sleep as you're growing. Otherwise, you won't grow tall."
"Daddy, that's not true! I also take naps at school and can grow tall!"
Xuanxuan cheerfully ran to his side, grabbed his hand, and acted coquettishly, shaking it, "Daddy, won't you take Xuanxuan with you? Please?"
Huang Tao was helpless when his daughter acted like this.
"Alright, I'll take you, but just for tomorrow, okay?"
"Mm-hmm, you're the best, Daddy..."
Xuanxuan smiled happily and leaned in to give her daddy a sweet kiss.
After tidying up, the father and daughter held hands and went home.
They planned to go to bed early to gather energy for the opening tomorrow.
If all goes well, tomorrow is expected to be a busy day.
...
Meanwhile, Jiang Guowei, who had some free time, was promoting Huang Tao in the family and friends group.
Jiang Guowei: "Big news, big news, big news, 'So Delicious' food shop is opening tomorrow! Delicious pan-fried buns that you deserve to have! Located right next to my shop."
As soon as the message was sent, the previously quiet family and friends groups suddenly became lively.
"Old Jiang, what's going on??? Did you quietly open a new shop? And it's a food shop!"
"Old Jiang, congratulations! I'll definitely come to support you."
"..."
Seeing the groups getting lively, Jiang Guowei explained that the shop belonged to a friend.
He then channeled the enthusiasm he had when writing essays for the college entrance exam to describe how delicious the pan-fried buns were.
The words were so tantalizing that you could almost taste them through the screen.
"The pan-fried buns are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The golden crispy crust paired with the juice and tender meat inside, along with the bright green scallions and black sesame seeds, is just a perfect combination!"
"Take a bite, and you'll instantly feel the juice fill your mouth."
"One chew, the dough is oily but not greasy, the meat filling is tender and delicious, leaving a lasting fragrance after eating it~"
"Trust me, bros; this is definitely the best pan-fried bun I've had in my life."
After seeing this message, some people asked what time they opened so they could go try it.
Whether or not the pan-fried buns were delicious didn't really matter. Since Jiang Guowei was promoting it in the group, they definitely had to go support it.
...
The next day.
"Ding-ding-ding..."
A crisp alarm clock rang, and Huang Tao got up to dress.
Looking at the little one on the bed, like a peaceful Sleeping Beauty, he smiled indulgently.
"Xuanxuan, it's time to get up..."
"Hmm? Daddy? Xuanxuan still wants to sleep..." She frowned slightly, turned over, and continued to sleep.
"If you're too sleepy, just keep sleeping. Daddy can go by himself."
"No, no, no, I want to go with you..."
The little one, squinting her eyes, hurriedly sat up, tousling her slightly messy hair, and fumbled to get dressed.
Huang Tao tied her hair into pigtails, then took her to wash up before heading out the door.
Arriving at the market.
Parking the electric bike.
The father and daughter walked straight to the pork stall.
"Boss, did you save the five pounds of pork leg I asked for yesterday?"
"It's saved, just waiting for you to pick it up."
The pork stall owner remembered Huang Tao and quickly took out the prepared pork leg from the foam box behind him to weigh it: "It's all good meat. It's just over five pounds; I'll count it as five pounds for you."
Huang Tao gave it a quick glance, knowing it was all good meat.
Paid promptly.
"I'll trouble you to save me another five pounds of pork leg for tomorrow. I'll come around this time to pick it up."
"Sure thing, I'll remember. Don't worry about it."
The pork stall owner agreed happily while packing the meat into a bag and chatting casually, "You're buying so much meat; are you running a restaurant at home?"
"Just a small food shop on West City Old Street. The one called 'So Delicious' is mine; we sell pan-fried buns. If you have time, come and try them."
Xuanxuan hurriedly chimed in: "Uncle, my Daddy's pan-fried buns are super delicious. Once you've had one, you'll definitely want another one..."
"Really! Well, I'll definitely come and try some when I have time."
By the time Huang Tao had bought all the ingredients, the news of him selling pan-fried buns on West City Old Street had spread throughout the entire market.
This was all thanks to Xuanxuan's promotion efforts.
Of course, part of the credit also went to the pork stall owner.
Back at the shop.
After settling Xuanxuan in the resting room to sleep a bit more, Huang Tao started getting busy in the kitchen...
As time passed, Huang Tao finished making the pan-fried buns.
5:50 AM.
He opened the shop.
The sky was slightly bright at this time.
There were already quite a few people on the road.
Sanitation workers were dutifully sweeping the streets along the road.
Early students with backpacks were yawning and jogging towards school.
Elders with a habit of morning exercise were jogging.
There weren't many vehicles on the road though.
On both sides of the street, besides breakfast shops, other shops' doors were still closed, even the nearby convenience store wasn't open yet.
He placed an electronic blackboard with the price list at the shop door.
[The shop specializes in pan-fried buns (pork filling), 3 yuan each. Welcome to taste them in-store.]
Then he went back to frying the buns.
Soon, the fragrance filled the air...
And his shop welcomed its first customer...