"Of course I remember."
Xu Yanxia replied with a polite smile. "We met last Friday, right?"
"Exactly,"
The boy looked at her and smiled. "My name is Chu Hao. Did Lu Jingyao mention me to you later?"
Chu Hao...
Xu Yanxia's heart skipped a beat.
This seemed to be the guy that the third young master of the Lu family had mentioned. He had had many girlfriends, asked about whether she had a boyfriend, and wanted to add her on WeChat.
"He did,"
Xu Yanxia pretended to be innocent. "He said you still wanted to bring ingredients to the Lu family last weekend... Are you free to come and patronize our place today?"
Chu Hao nodded. "I just passed by. It seemed quite lively here, so I came to have a try. Are you off work today?"
"Yes,"
Xu Yanxia nodded and then pointed to a big table beside. "This side is more spacious. Is it okay to sit here?"
"Sure."
Chu Hao led his companions to sit down. A girl in a short skirt asked reluctantly, "Chu Hao, is this the delicious food you were talking about?"
A boy looked around and also asked, "Is there any good food at this roadside stall? Why haven't I heard of it?"
Chu Hao glared at them. "I guarantee it! I personally tasted this young lady's cooking skills that day. Later, I'm sure you'll be so satisfied that you'll call me 'dad'!"
Pfft...
Luo Jiajia almost burst out laughing. She exchanged a glance with Xu Yanxia and then stepped forward to ask, "What would you like to order? Our specialty here is teppanyaki. The beef fillets, conch, octopus, pork belly, and chicken drumsticks are all quite popular."
"Just bring a little of each. You can decide what to serve."
"Alright!"
Luo Jiajia quickly wrote down the order. "Then please sit down first. The food will be served soon."
Xu Zhanpeng reheated the stove and quickly prepared the ingredients.
Luo Jiajia came over and whispered to Xu Yanxia, "Who is that boy?"
"He's a friend of the third young master of the Lu family. I met him at the Lu family last Friday."
After Xu Yanxia finished speaking, she opened the freezer. "They're all acquaintances. Let's give them some of our drinks."
"No problem."
Luo Jiajia helped her carry several bottles of plum juice to Chu Hao's table. Seeing that several more tables of customers had arrived, she quickly went to greet them.
The sound of stir - frying over high heat started again, and the place became lively once more. Xu Yanxia also tied on an apron and was about to start cooking with her brother.
Unexpectedly, several people in uniforms walked up to the stall and asked, "Who is in charge here?"
She stepped forward and asked, "May I ask what's the matter?"
The other party showed her their IDs. "We're from the urban management. Some nearby residents have complained that your stall produces too much fumes."
What? Complaining about excessive fumes?
"It should be a misunderstanding. The entire market uses integrated fume purification equipment. We've never directly discharged fumes. You can come and have a look if you don't believe it."
Xu Yanxia led them to the simple kitchen. Inside, Xu Zhanpeng was stir - frying over high heat, but only a small amount of smell wafted out.
This amount of fumes was definitely up to the standard. The urban management officers didn't say anything more, but then they said, "There are also complaints that you cause noise pollution at night. What time do you usually close your business?"
"This is all a rumor!"
Before Xu Yanxia could say anything, Wang Gang couldn't help but step forward and say, "Our night market is approved by the government. It's not that we set up the stall randomly. Besides, there are only office buildings and commercial areas around here. There are also several KTVs and bars over there. They operate all night long, while we close the stall before twelve o'clock. Why don't you go and check them?"
Because of his anger, Wang Gang's voice was a bit loud. Xu Yanxia quickly pulled him back and said to the urban management officers, "The market regulations state that we should close before one o'clock. We usually end our business at around eleven o'clock every day. Our customers come here just to have a meal. They don't drink and shout. You can hear it for yourself now. There's absolutely no problem of noise pollution."
"Exactly!"
A customer beside couldn't help but interrupt. "We don't even have any white liquor to drink here. Look at how these dishes go well with liquor. Beer is just not satisfying enough. You should tell them to sell some white liquor!"
"..."
How could this be managed?
The urban management officers could only say to Xu Yanxia, "Maybe it's a misunderstanding. However, you should still pay attention to avoiding such problems in the future. Try to end your business earlier every day and keep the place clean."
"Sure, you can rest assured."
After seeing off the urban management officers, Xu Yanxia just happened to have a plate of spicy pig offal ready for Chu Hao's table. She carried it over.
"Let me treat you to a plate of spicy pig offal. I wonder if the food today suits your taste?"
"Delicious!"
The boys and girls who had shown disdain just now were now enjoying their meal. They all gave Xu Yanxia a thumbs - up. "This teppanyaki octopus is the best I've had in the past two years!"
"The teppanyaki beef is even better! It's simply amazing!"
"I proclaim your stall the No. 1 food stall in Rong City! The taste is so great!"
Chu Hao asked her, "Miss, is it possible that your good business has offended someone?"
"Maybe,"
Xu Yanxia smiled and casually asked, "Have you ever eaten at Jiushan? How's the food there?"
"Yes, I have!"
A handsome guy with dyed grey hair told her, "When I was in junior high school, they just opened. I often went there to eat. The food was quite good at first, but it has been getting worse in recent years."
"They changed the chef!"
A girl with a bob haircut said, "It seems to have happened at the end of the year before last. Once the original head chef left, their food just wasn't good anymore. I accompanied my mom to entertain guests there the other day. Their dishes just look good, but the taste is really bad."
Chu Hao asked her again, "Is it them causing trouble for you? The boss there seems to be surnamed Huang. Do you want me to find someone to mediate?"
"No need,"
Xu Yanxia said with a smile. "I'm just asking casually. They're a big restaurant. How can our small stall compare with them? Enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything."
Then she went back to help with the cooking.
After a while, Chu Hao came over with his phone to pay.
"It's 368 yuan in total,"
Luo Jiajia took out the payment code. "Do you want to pay by Alipay or WeChat?"
"Either is fine."
Chu Hao scanned the code and tapped on his phone a few times. The small speaker sounded, "The customer has paid 500 yuan."
Luo Jiajia was surprised. "You paid too much."
"Didn't the young lady just treat us to a dish? It's only polite to return the favor."
Chu Hao smiled and then asked Xu Yanxia, "Last time I asked Jingyao for your WeChat, but he didn't give it to me. He's so stingy."
"Ah, really? "
Xu Yanxia pretended to be innocent again. "He's been at school these days. Maybe he was too busy and forgot."
Chu Hao took out his phone again. "Then let's add each other on WeChat directly. I'll look for you next time I come."
"… Okay."
Xu Yanxia couldn't decline, so she took out her phone and scanned the code with him.
"Are you done? Let's go to the next place!"
Someone behind was urging. Chu Hao waved to Xu Yanxia. "Let's chat on WeChat."
"Okay, goodbye."
Xu Yanxia also forced a smile.
After they walked away, Luo Jiajia came over and asked her again, "Does that boy have a crush on you? He even asked for your WeChat."
Xu Yanxia rolled her eyes. "… You're overthinking. He's at most twenty, just a kid."
Luo Jiajia looked at her speechlessly. "… You just graduated too. Why are you acting so old - fashioned!"
Xu Yanxia said, "… I'm twenty - three!"
