Chen An wasn’t wrong. Xu Tuqiang and the others should indeed have arrived; in fact, they had, but just didn’t dare to come in.
The patrons of Yunzhong Restaurant, or more accurately, the elderly folks living nearby, strictly adhere to their mutually agreed-upon rules.
For instance, they cannot directly bother Master Qin, nor can they offer expensive gifts to bribe Master Qin, or repeat the kind of bad incident like last time when Xu Tuqiang tried borrowing Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns.
They also can’t enter the Yunzhong Restaurant before 6 a.m.
Master Qin is such a kind person. If this group of people, who already have trouble sleeping, start pushing breakfast time earlier, from 6:00 to 5:30, from 5:30 to 5:00, then when will Master Qin rest?
Don’t say nonsense like "I’ll just sit in there without eating"; once you go in, you’re putting pressure on Master Qin, aren’t you?
Thus, everyone agreed that they can only enter the restaurant after 6 a.m.
Even if they arrive at the entrance of Yunzhong Restaurant by 5:57, they must linger outside for another three minutes before going in.
At exactly 6 o’clock, the elderly folks, who had been anticipating since yesterday afternoon and ate little for dinner out of eager expectation, entered the restaurant one by one.
Along with them came a few office workers from nearby.
Among them was Xiao Zhang.
Xiao Zhang never dined inside in the morning before. When Qin Huai was around, he used to buy buns and leave, but later he found that he could join group orders for delivery and would wait at his workspace every day.
For struggling office workers, morning sleep is the most precious thing in the world; they would sleep every extra minute they can. Unless it’s Jade Dew or Eight Treasures Jade Food, nothing else could make them wake up hours early for breakfast.
Xiao Zhang managed to do it.
He remembered Master Qin telling him yesterday that they had a new item today, which tastes better when served in-house.
Xiao Zhang was well-prepared!
He had prepared ample funds!
He planned to eat at least three Five Fillings Buns this morning!
As Xiao Zhang lined up along with the elderly folks, he couldn’t help but crane his neck toward the window, wanting to see what the new item was.
Actually, the new dish was already on the menu: Four Happiness glutinous rice.
Xiao Zhang overheard the elderly man in front discussing it.
"Four Happiness dumplings for 68, Xiao Qin is really selling these cheap. I remember Huang Ji’s premium three filling buns sell for 56, and guo’er for 98 each, and this Four Happiness dumpling is a big bowl, only sold for 68."
"That’s not how you calculate it. I think the premium three filling buns taste a bit better. I wonder if they’ll sell premium three filling buns today; it would be even better if they sold guo’er."
"Shh, keep it down. What if Master Qin hears us?"
"My bad, my bad. Are you going to eat the Four Happiness dumpling?"
"Of course, I’ll eat it; even if I can’t finish it, I’ll take it home! Have you finished writing your dining review? I wrote 12 pieces!"
"But mine are longer!"
As he watched the two old men almost get into an argument over comparing their dining reviews, Xiao Zhang felt a bit baffled by the world.
You need to write a dining review for eating the Four Happiness dumpling?
The requirements for eating snacks are so high these days.
No problem, he writes work reports every week; he’s good at this.
The elderly folks ordered quickly, and the servers served quickly too — everything was prepared in advance.
Soon it was Xiao Zhang’s turn.
"Excuse me... what do you have?" Xiao Zhang was dining in at Yunzhong Restaurant this early for the first time and was inexperienced. Even though he had seen everyone in front of him carrying buns and Four Happiness dumplings, he couldn’t help but ask.
"We have Master Qin’s Four Happiness dumplings and premium three filling buns. Because they are premium, the buns are a bit more expensive than before, 36 per bun, and Four Happiness dumplings are 68 per bowl."
"We also have mung bean soup, soy milk, tea eggs, youtiao, shumai, and the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea will be available in about 20 minutes."
If it were any other day, Xiao Zhang might hesitate at the price, but today he was fully prepared.
He hadn’t had Master Qin’s snacks for months, sometimes cursing the old himself in his midnight dreams for being stingy and not eating more Five Fillings Buns.
"One serving of Four Happiness dumplings, two Three Meat Buns, one tea egg, please." Xiao Zhang paid.
The server served swiftly, and Xiao Zhang took his tray to an empty window seat.
He started with the Four Happiness dumplings, the new dish that Master Qin specifically mentioned to him the day before.
In his excitement, Xiao Zhang did not even recognize the Four Happiness dumplings as large glutinous rice balls.
He thought they were some kind of strangely shaped cooked snack.
Xiao Zhang scooped up a mixed fruit filling glutinous rice ball and took a bite.
The dumpling, symbolizing good wishes for the future, had extremely rich ingredients but a simple taste, with a primary flavor of walnut and almond, enveloped in the sweet taste of winter melon candy spreading in Xiao Zhang’s mouth.
Xiao Zhang had never eaten winter melon candy.
Nor had he ever eaten any mixed fruit filling snack, not even a five-nut mooncake.
But he knew this sweet glutinous rice skin ball was delicious.
Good texture, good taste, everything was good.
The Hundred Fruit Dumplings, for Xiao Zhang, was a new, delicious, unique, and wonderful snack.
If this snack would make him sacrifice sleep and wake up early, Xiao Zhang thought he could manage.
At worst, he’d skip playing on his phone after getting home from work at night, sleep early, and play on his phone after breakfast.
It’s so good that even if there were only 5 minutes left to get off work and the boss suddenly called for a meeting, he’d feel no urge to clobber the boss after eating this!