Ye Jiujiu glanced at the group of people drooling with envy. Feeling that it still wasn't enough, she lifted her fan and lightly fanned herself, deliberately letting the aroma spread even farther.
The fragrance drifted through the entire alley. Several shop owners poked their heads out, sniffing curiously.
"What is that girl from the Ye family cooking? It smells amazing!"
"It smells so good." Little chubby Lele skipped over, followed by the two adorable girls—Jiaojiao and Haohao. "Pretty sister, is this the same one that climbed on my head at noon?"
Ye Jiujiu hummed, "Probably."
"Then I'm going to eat extra skewers to avenge myself." Lele glared fiercely at the fragrant grilled octopus legs. "I'll make you climb on my head again!"
"Lele, it did climb onto your head!" Jiaojiao whispered, horrified. "That's so scary!"
"It's not scary at all." Lele puffed out her chest, suddenly brave. "I beat it until its butt was bruised and swollen."
Jiaojiao looked at her with shining admiration. "Lele, you're amazing."
Lele raised her voice proudly, completely forgetting how she had cried that morning out of fear. "Jiaojiao, don't worry. I'll protect you!"
"Okay," Jiaojiao nodded sweetly.
Haohao, who had been quietly listening, shuffled closer. "Jiaojiao, I'll protect you too."
Ye Jiujiu couldn't help smiling. These three little ones got along surprisingly well. She picked up three skewers—no chili—and handed them over.
"Here, try these."
"Thank you, sister!" Lele took a huge bite, then declared fiercely, "I'll bite you to death!"
"…," Lele's mother turned away, unable to watch her daughter's dramatic act.
"Boss, why did you suddenly decide to make grilled squid?" she asked.
Ye Jiujiu smiled and handed her a skewer. "I just wanted everyone to smell how delicious my seafood is."
Lele's mother was sharp. She instantly understood. She glanced at the passersby across the alley recording with their phones, as well as the shopkeepers pretending not to stare. She smiled and took a bite.
"It's spicy, crispy, fragrant… so delicious."
Grandma Liu chimed in after tasting hers, "Jiujiu, I think this tastes even better than the takoyaki at noon. The spice is just right—very satisfying."
"If you like spicy, you can add more." Ye Jiujiu handed her the chili powder and continued grilling. "Eat as much as you want, everyone. Don't be shy."
"Boss! Why didn't you call me when you started grilling squid? If Sister Zhou hadn't told me, I would've missed it!" Gao Yuan rushed over with two friends. They were originally heading out for skewers, but once they heard the boss was making grilled squid, they dropped everything and ran.
Ye Jiujiu paused. She only had Lele's mother's contact—left earlier when she called parents to pick up their kids.
"When did you even get my contact?"
"Noon," Gao Yuan grinned. They had decided to exchange contacts to inform each other about good food—never expecting it to be useful so soon. "Good thing we added it!"
He expertly grabbed a few skewers. "Boss, why grill squid all of a sudden?"
Li Lin nudged him and pointed at someone in the distance filming. "Boss… is it because of that online video?"
Gao Yuan had seen the local news too. "Boss, don't pay attention to them. Your health is the most important!"
His friend agreed, "Exactly. Don't bother with them."
"The prices are clearly displayed. If they don't like it, they can leave. How can they ask for a refund after finishing the food?"
"Trying to eat for free, is that it? Then when they can't, they go online to cause trouble. Keyboard warriors are useless—only know how to talk nonsense. They always assume the weaker one is right without knowing anything."
"Those people saying the prices are too high haven't even eaten here! What right do they have to talk? They dare criticize the price of a roadside stall?"
Gao Yuan fumed. "There are places that charge hundreds for a single vegetarian dish. Why don't they complain about those?"
"Speaking of vegetarian dishes," he continued, "the seaweed strips here taste so different from the usual. They're delicious and even helped with my acne. How is 88 yuan expensive? It's vegetarian—why discriminate against seaweed? What did seaweed do wrong?"
His friend quickly tugged him. "Stop before people misunderstand. Your family is well-off, but not everyone has money to spare."
"I'm only talking about those people cursing the boss online," Gao Yuan huffed. "They're malicious for no reason!"
Lele's mother nodded. "Boss, don't worry. Everyone who has eaten here knows how good it is. They'll keep coming back."
Ye Jiujiu smiled gently. "Just eat whatever you like."
"It's too delicious grilled like this," Gao Yuan said, grabbing more skewers. He marched to the wall where several people were filming, stood right next to them, and took huge, exaggerated bites. "So delicious."
The aroma made everyone nearby swallow hard. Why did it smell so heavenly? They wanted to eat so badly.
Lele and the kids followed Gao Yuan's lead, nibbling happily and chanting, "So delicious!"
"I'm going to eat another one after this!" Lele declared.