"Boss Huang, is this the place?"
"Yes, please park the tricycle at the store entrance."
Huang Tao just arrived at the store entrance and hadn't had time to unload!
His neighbors Jiang Guowei and Xu Donglin, among others, eagerly gathered around him.
They surrounded Huang Tao.
Xu Donglin, who always stresses about his hairstyle, didn't even care that it was messy.
"Boss Huang, you're finally back..."
"We've been waiting so long for you, Boss Huang, like waiting for stars and the moon..."
Huang Tao: "..."
It was only 20 minutes, why does it feel like it's been a century!
Oh~
These guys!
They must be craving his pan-fried dumplings!
Realizing this, Huang Tao couldn't help but laugh: "You guys want to buy some pan-fried dumplings, right? Wait while I move the ingredients..."
He was about to say, "Wait while I move the ingredients to the kitchen, then I'll make some for you," when Jiang Guowei and the others offered their help.
"Boss Huang, leave the heavy lifting to me."
"I can handle the vegetable washing work."
"I...I'm good at mixing fillings."
Huang Tao's lips couldn't help but curl up, he kind of wanted to laugh.
No business owner has customers who are so eager to help like this!
He didn't say anything and just helped Chen Weihao move the ingredients.
"Let me, let me..."
Jiang Guowei and the others rushed to help carry the items.
Old Qin and Lao Liu, who had been waiting nearby, as well as neighborhood residents they had persuaded to come, were shocked witnessing this scene.
All this for a pan-fried dumpling!
Do they really need to be so competitive...
If they didn't know Jiang Guowei, they'd think these people were all hired by Huang Tao as over-the-top actors.
The neighbors who hadn't tasted it couldn't understand Xu Donglin and the rest's actions.
Old Qin shook his fan and chuckled.
It's been a while since he'd seen such adorable customers.
Old Liu, who had tasted the delicious dumplings, was puzzled.
As a proper customer, what should he be saying now?
Should I insist on joining your group activity?
Put down those tasks, let me do it?
As he was pondering, Jiang Guowei spotted the beef and rice Huang Tao bought, and his eyes lit up like lightbulbs: "Boss Huang, are you making beef dumplings and porridge?"
"Yes, beef dumplings and pork mushroom dumplings will be ready soon, but the century egg and lean meat porridge will take until at least noon."
Wow~
Two new flavors of pan-fried dumplings along with new century egg and lean meat porridge!
Boss Huang, you're amazing~
Jiang Guowei and the others were nearly moved to tears of joy.
Both Old Qin and Old Liu felt they were "fortunate to be here just in time," what a treat.
They eagerly asked, "How much is it?"
Huang Tao thought for a moment: "The beef dumplings are 4 yuan each, pork mushroom dumplings 3 yuan, and the century egg lean meat porridge is 8 yuan a bowl. You guys should come and try it."
"We definitely will~"
Just thinking about the food, Jiang Guowei and his friends felt invigorated as if they'd been injected with energy.
In no time, they had moved everything into the kitchen.
Task successfully completed, Chen Weihao laughed and said, "Boss Huang, I'm heading off now. If you need anything, just message me on WeChat."
"Sure thing, why not stay for some dumplings before you go!"
"No, my uncle can't manage things alone, I have to get back to help, next time, I'll come and try your cooking again."
"Okay! Take care then!"
"Yeah, I'm off..."
Chen Weihao rode off on his tricycle and left.
Huang Tao went to the kitchen to sort the ingredients, only to see Jiang Guowei and the others already washing them.
Oh~
They actually started washing...
Truly the best neighbors and customers in Huaxia!
"Jiang, everyone, thank you. The dumplings later are on the house, eat as much as you want."
"No need for free, just give us a discount," Jiang Guowei said with a smile.
Xu Donglin and the others nodded in agreement.
"Alright, please wait a moment. I'll turn on both gas burners; it will speed up the steaming process."
Huang Tao didn't hesitate to get busy.
With his head down, he focused intently on making the pan-fried buns.
The flour, sprinkled like snow, was quickly kneaded into a smooth, white dough under his skilled hands.
A few gentle pats.
The dough, supple and pristine, gave a soft "pa pa pa" sound.
He set the dough aside for fermentation.
The mixture of pork hind leg and beef was perfectly balanced at a 3:7 ratio.
The stuffing was seasoned with soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, and Sichuan pepper powder, then mixed clockwise. It included gelatin, chopped green onions, and ginger, along with two spoonfuls of clear water.
The dough was deflated, evenly kneaded, rolled into a long strip, and cut into small, uniformly sized portions.
Using a rolling pin, the dough was rolled out thin, filled with meat, pleated along the edges, and twisted at the top to resemble a flower.
Witnessing Huang Tao's smooth and skillful package of actions.
Jiang Guowei and the others watched intently.
The elderly men and women couldn't help but gather around the kitchen, observing Huang Tao's technique for making the pan-fried buns.
They were all experienced cooks, and some were experts at making similar buns, yet they felt that decades of their skills were nothing compared to Huang Tao's.
"Wow... Boss, you're amazing..."
"Such technique, so fluent without any unnecessary motion, truly phenomenal."
"Indeed, he packages them so fast and well! I've been making these for decades, but they're not as good as the boss's! All those years seem wasted."
"Isn't that the truth! I feel like I've been making them in vain all these years."
"Tsk tsk tsk, young people these days, getting more formidable with age, not to be underestimated~"
The elderly were thoroughly impressed by Huang Tao's expert technique.
One by one, the plump, well-filled pan-fried buns were placed into the skillet by Huang Tao.
Moments later.
With a "whoosh" sound.
A surge of white steam, laden with rich aroma, billowed intensely from the skillet as Huang Tao uncovered the lid.
The neatly arranged buns were surrounded by fine golden bubbles at their bases, forming several concentric circles in the pan.
Once the steam evaporated.
The bottoms of the buns turned a crispy golden brown; hard and crunchy, even the fine bubbles turned into a thin layer with a slight crispiness.
With ease, he grabbed a handful of black sesame seeds and chopped green onions, scattering them stylishly ...
The black sesame seeds and green onions adhered snugly to the tops of the buns.
Such appealing color and aroma!
"Mmm ... smells so good ..."
Everyone couldn't help but inhale the fragrance.
"Alright, line up, let's go one by one ..."
The elderly men and women queued up orderly.
Jiang Guowei helped with packaging.
This saved Huang Tao a lot of effort, so he only needed to focus on making and frying the buns.
The elderly left with their purchases, eating as they walked.
As they bit into the buns, they all uttered satisfied exclamations.
"Mmm mmm mmm ... it's so delicious, beyond words!"
"Thin skin, fresh meat, lots of juice, this is what top-quality buns should be ..."
"Indeed! Savory and juicy, crispy exterior with a tender inside, the taste lingers forever, unforgettable ..."
"I've never experienced buns with such rich flavors ... soft, tender, bouncy, crispy, juicy, each bite offers multiple textures!"
"You must try these beef-filled buns ..."
With more people eating, more requests came.
"Boss, do you have something to drink? Even soft drinks will do."
Huang Tao apologized: "Sorry, we opened in a rush today and didn't prepare anything, but there is hot water available for free, feel free to help yourself."
Upon hearing this, Xu Donglin enthusiastically offered, "Boss Huang, my company supplies beverages to businesses. How about I set up a fridge with drinks and refreshments at your shop, how does that sound?"
Just like dozing off and someone gives you a pillow!
Huang Tao, who originally had this intention but lacked such contacts, immediately nodded, "Sure, that would be great, thank you."
"No trouble, just a small task."
After smoothing back his slicked hair, Xu Donglin made a call: "Yang, deliver a fridge to the 'So Delicious' shop on West City Old Street now, remember to bring lots of stock and make sure the fridge is a deluxe model, got it? I'll send the location shortly."
After sending the location.
"Boss Huang, it'll be delivered soon!"
"Thanks ..."
Huang Tao cast a grateful glance at him.
All morning, there was a constant flow of customers in and out of the shop.
It wasn't until around nine o'clock that the store began to quiet down.