Li Yichen walked happily into the shop carrying the things he bought from the market. Earlier on his way back, he met and greeted some people. He saw the students hurrying to school and he also saw some workers. He had arrived later than Shen Anran and they both also weren't aware that they were opposite door neighbors. Even after bumping into each other several times at the market, neither of them connected the dots.
Li Yichen looked at the stall before entering his and greeted his aunt and cousin, "mother, Mingyu."
Wang Shulan smiled at him while Chen Mingyu hurriedly came over to help him carry some things.
"You came back late today," Wang Shulan muttered while arranging some bowls. They had moved to the kitchen entrance.
"Mm, there were many people at the market," Li Yichen replied casually.
Wang Shulan had already made the steamed buns. They were sixty pieces inside the steamer. She had also steamed the tea eggs on medium heat following Li Yichen's instruction.
After inspecting everything, he rolled up his sleeves, wore an apron and then washed his hands. He took the meat, and gave it a thorough wash, enough to remove blood. Then he carefully removed some dirt using salt. Afterwards, he cut the meat into tiny pieces and placed the meat in the blender and began mincing it little by little. Soon enough, the sound of oil frying soon filled the air. Li Yichen poured the minced meat into the pan and stir-fried it while adding the needed ingredients one after another whenever it was time to add them. Soon a delicious aroma spread through the air and into the streets like Shen Anran's.
Wang Shulan swallowed her saliva while Chen Mingyu began arranging the work top with the food,small bowls, plates, chopsticks and cups. They had made milk tea on the menu.
Soon enough after arranging everything neatly, the glass door was slid open revealing two customers who came in. They located a seat and sat down.
Li Yichen wrote the menu on the chalk board that was always located by the food dishing area.Tea eggs = 50 cents, steamed buns = 45 cents, meat filling= 35 cents, water = free, milk tea = 15 cents.
After going through the menu, the couple ordered for four steamed buns with meat fillings, two cups of milk tea and a tea egg. Soon enough, Li Yichen brought it to them and went back. The aroma immediately spread across the table and the couple began eating happily while praising the taste quietly between themselves. Not long after, more customers entered one after another.
While serving, Chen Mingyu noticed that some of the customers had come out from the opposite stall and he couldn't bear his displeasure. He had heard a time ago that the lady in the opposite stall made the same dishes as theirs and her price were also cheaper. He had just taken it as coincidence until he heard the news again after serving the last customer. She had muttered under her breath that their prices were a bit high. How would same dishes cost more? The customer was probably unaware that even though they made same dishes, the procedure, amount of ingredients used, weren't the same. Chen Mingyu pushed away his displeasure and continued serving until there was no customer on the line. Afterwards, he counted the remaining buns, tea eggs and reported to Li Yichen. Out of 60 steamed buns, they sold only 40. Out of 60 tea eggs, they sold only 20. The fillings were finished. Li Yichen nodded and went ahead to prepare 20 more steamed buns for afternoon customers. He also asked his aunt to boil water for more milk tea. Chen Mingyu quickly cleaned the empty tables, then took the dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing and came back to sweep the floors. Only after finishing everything did he sit down to have breakfast. Soon enough more customers came in and he began serving again.
When the clock struck 11, students of Yuxi High began flooding the streets noisily. Some patronized roadside vendors while some went to eat at familiar food joints. Soon enough, both shops were filled and because they were students, the both stores reduced their prices by 10 cents each except drinks. The environment became noisy, filled with the call of their order.
The atmosphere was filled with the discussions each trying to drown the other out. The foods that were prepared were wolfed down hungrily and soon everything on the menu that they had prepared, finished. The once noisy atmosphere queitened down as the customers all left. Wang Shulan then began counting the money while Li Yichen went to kitchen and got busy again making more for afternoon bank workers.
Chen Mingyu again began sweeping the floor, cleaned the tables and took the dirty dishes to the kitchen and washed them. As he finished, he sat down at a corner and began reading and studying a book his elder cousin had given him to study in order to advance to Haicheng University.
Li Yichen sat down to rest after prepping his ingredients. He closed his eyes and his mind wandered to the clean face, sexy figure, pretty face, long lashes and perfectly shaped eye brows. That delicate figure kept appearing in his mind and he unconsciously smiled. Her annoyed expressions also popped up in his mind. Even the way she glared at him entered his mind clearly.Li Yichen unconsciously smiled. Then he remembered her angry expression from the market earlier and his smile widened further.
He even chuckled lightly to himself. His Adam's apple moving slowly as he swallowed. At first, he only found her amusing and fun to provoke. Then he found himself suddenly longing to see her and provoke her. This was the first girl since transmigrating that made his heart beat up with reckless abandon. He felt like he was missing a part of him and he decided to continue annoying her, the more annoyed she looks, the more bliss it brought to his heart.