With the arrival of the after-work rush hour,
the crowd in the shop had reached its peak.
Huang Tao kept his hands busy.
Pan-fried buns were cooked one batch after another.
With the return of the office workers,
soon enough,
his shop had gained the favor of 300 returning customers.
In his mind, the system notification sounded.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest: Gaining the favor of 300 returning customers.]
[Reward: Random culinary skill: Mouth-watering Brine Mix Recipe Skill.]
Mouth-watering Brine Mix Recipe Skill?
He was quite interested, as the system wouldn't casually add "mouth-watering" as an adjective before a recipe for nothing.
In an instant, the precise proportions of each ingredient were thoroughly imprinted in Huang Tao's mind.
But his hands didn't stop as he continued packing food for customers.
It was not yet 5:30.
Huang Tao looked at the customers lined up behind, full of apologies: "Sorry, everyone, but everything for tonight is sold out."
Hearing this, the customers in line all showed disappointed expressions.
"Why is it out again? I couldn't get any at noon, and now I can't get any at night either. What bad luck~"
"Ah! I ended up arriving late anyway..."
"Ah! I rushed over right after work and waited in line for so long, but still didn't get anything. Boss, you know, my heart is just heavy with disappointment..."
"Boss, hurry up and make more, my heart can't take it..."
"I say, boss, why don't you hire some help? The amount of pan-fried buns and lean meat porridge you're making obviously isn't enough to sell!"
"Exactly, exactly, coming happily to queue, only to be told it's sold out, anyone would feel bad! Boss, can't you hire some people to help make more?"
Huang Tao understood the customers' feelings.
But the amount of pan-fried buns he made had reached its limit.
Besides, he planned to use this shop as a signature, building up its reputation.
Lowering the quality would only tarnish his reputation.
So he didn't plan to hire anyone to make the pan-fried buns.
If he ever hired someone, it would be an assistant chef.
Huang Tao patiently explained to those customers with a smile: "Of course I will hire someone, but for these pan-fried buns, if someone else makes them, the taste would be very different. So for now, it's just this amount. But I'll try to make more of the lean meat porridge."
"Everyone, please come early tomorrow! We'll open at 7."
Hearing this, the customers expressed understanding and gained more respect for Huang Tao.
"Ah! Not greedy for money, only wanting to perfect the taste. Nice, nice. This boss is worth befriending."
"No wonder your pan-fried buns and lean meat porridge are so delicious. With this kind of care for the customers, I'll come earlier tomorrow."
"Nowadays, bosses so focused on taste are indeed rare."
The customers spoke while leaving the shop.
Just as these customers left, Jiang Guowei hurried into the shop.
He had noticed lots of customers suddenly leaving Huang Tao's shop, muttering about "only being able to come back earlier tomorrow."
His heart skipped a beat, abandoning his goods to rush over and see what had happened.
Seeing the empty shop, he felt a sense of impending doom.
Sure enough!
Everything was sold out!
His heart ached to the point of being unable to breathe.
He then remembered that he had already reserved with Huang Tao, maybe Huang Tao had set some aside for him?
But in the dining business, forgetting a customer's reservation is common.
This situation, he often encountered.
Anyway!
Might as well try his luck!
Clutching onto a last shred of hope, he asked, "Boss Huang, are the pan-fried buns and lean meat porridge all sold out?!"
Huang Tao smiled: "I've reserved the portion you wanted."
With that, he went to the kitchen to bring out the portion prepared for Jiang Guowei.
"Brother, that's thoughtful, thank you."
Jiang Guowei nearly cried with joy, patting Huang Tao on the shoulder, feeling very grateful: "If you ever need anything, just say the word, I'll surely help with all my might."
Huang Tao laughed helplessly: "You! No need to be so polite, this was something we agreed upon beforehand. Since I promised you, of course, I should save it for you."
"Still, thank you for remembering."
Jiang Guowei thanked him a few times, then scanned to pay.
"Boss Huang, you're busy, so I'll go first. Xuanxuan, come visit your uncle's shop someday, Uncle will treat you to snacks..."
He waved to Xuanxuan with a smile and then happily left with the food bag containing the pan-fried buns and lean meat porridge.
"Mm-hmm~ Bye-bye, Uncle..."
Huang Tao walked up to his darling daughter: "Xuanxuan, are you full? Daddy saved three pan-fried buns and half a bowl of lean meat porridge for you as well."
Stuffed, Xuanxuan touched her round little belly and leaned back in her chair in an unladylike manner, licking the corner of her lips: "Daddy, my tummy says it's full, but my brain disagrees, it says it still wants to eat, what should I do?"
Huang Tao: ^_^|||
"Daddy, maybe I should go to the bathroom and then come back to eat more, is that okay?" Xuanxuan blinked her big watery eyes, thinking her idea was pretty clever.
Huang Tao: (°ー°〃)
"Xuanxuan, let's let your tummy rest for a while. You can eat when you're hungry again, or else your belly might hurt."
What Daddy said makes sense, gotta listen!
Though Xuanxuan was a bit reluctant, she obediently nodded: "Then... alright!"
Huang Tao gently tapped her small forehead: "Good girl!"
"Daddy, you should sit and rest for a bit too." Thinking that her dad had been busy all day, she felt a bit sorry for him.
"Alright!"
Huang Tao sat down beside her, took out his phone, and started calculating the income of the day.
Xuanxuan blinked her big eyes with curiosity and asked: "Daddy, what are you doing?"
"Daddy's doing the accounting, seeing how much we earned today."
Xuanxuan knelt on the chair with her long little legs, resting her hands on the table, sticking her head out, and asked caringly: "Did we earn a lot?"
"The net profit is around 5000 yuan."
Xuanxuan didn't quite understand but blinked her big eyes, a little confused.
"Daddy, what does net profit mean?"
Huang Tao tried to explain as simply as possible: "Net profit is all the money we make from selling the pan-fried buns and lean meat porridge in the shop, minus the cost of buying ingredients at the market, and other expenses like utilities and rent. It's the pure profit we earned."
"Oh... wow... that's a lot..."
As she began to understand, her pretty big eyes lit up like a bulb, filled with admiration: "Daddy, you're amazing..."
Her praise gave Huang Tao a great sense of accomplishment.
"When Daddy earns a lot of money in the future, we can move to a bigger house, buy a car, and get Xuanxuan lots of pretty clothes and dolls! How about that?"
Xuanxuan thought for a moment: "Daddy, I don't want a big house or a car, or new clothes or toys. I just want Daddy not to work too hard."
Indeed, she's like Daddy's little padded jacket~
She already knew to care for Daddy!
Huang Tao hugged the little one, patting her small head: "Daddy promises Xuanxuan, I won't overwork myself."
"Then... pinky promise!"
After saying this, she proactively reached out her little hand.
Seeing her expectant eyes, Huang Tao also extended his hand to pinky promise with her.
Xuanxuan deliberately used her thumb to seal the "deal," and said in a sweet voice: "Sealed with a stamp, a hundred years without change."
Huang Tao smiled.
Thinking now that he had the mouth-watering brine recipe, he should try making something new next.
Don't ask what this new product is.
If you ask, it's braised pig trotters.
However, new brine is far less rich and flavorful than aged broth, and new brine is generally better used the next day for improved taste.
He planned to start the brine tonight.
Yet worried he'd go out late and the grocery and herbal shops would be closed.
He decided to head out now to buy the ingredients needed for the brine recipe.
"Xuanxuan, how about Daddy makes you braised pig trotters to eat tomorrow?"
Upon hearing about food, she nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken: "Yes, yes!"
"Then how about accompanying Daddy to buy the ingredients now?"
"Sure, sure!"
"Alright, let's go..."