Chapter 143 We Are Professionals—We Can Even Make Flour Taste Like Milk Powder!
At 6:23 PM, the bustling night market was as lively as ever, filled with neon lights and vibrant energy. Beside him, the little boss lady was so busy running the stall that she hadn’t even complained, “Daddy, I’m hungry.”
Lu Qin grabbed two portions of rice noodles, tossed them into the wok, cracked in two fresh eggs, and added diced ham and lean pork, stir-frying everything over high heat.
Once cooked, he plated the food and called out, “Little Boss Lady, dinner time!”
But the little one didn’t hear him. She was still busy selling tea to a young woman.
“Sister, this milk tea is really healthy! Drinking it is good for you! My daddy carefully selected the best osmanthus oolong tea leaves from the tea market just for this. Are you sure you don’t want a cup?”
The young woman gently pinched Lu Xi Yao’s soft cheek. She already had two cups of premium tea from a popular chain.
“Ba Wang Tea Ji,” in her hand.
She really didn’t plan on buying more, especially since she had already bought three cups of iced mung bean smoothie earlier. But this little girl was just too cute!
“How is there such an adorable child on this planet?”
“Alright, fine, I’ll take a cup! But only because of you, Little Boss Lady~!”
“Thank you, sister! Once you try my milk tea, you won’t drink any other brand, trust me!”
The young woman scanned the QR code and paid, then took the cup of milk tea. Just then, her best friend arrived, carrying two servings of spicy hot pot.
“Babe, why are you still here? What’s taking you so long…?”
She looked at the adorable little girl and froze.
“Whoa! This little cutie is so beautiful!”
Then her gaze shifted to Lu Qin.
“Wow! The stall owner is super handsome!”
She turned to her friend.
“Gorgeous friend, is this little cutie yours?”
“Duh! Obviously! Can’t you see the resemblance? I even bought milk tea from them!”
“Wait… Didn’t you already buy from ‘Ba Wang Tea Ji’? Why are you buying more?”
“The Little Boss Lady used her ultimate cuteness technique. I was powerless against it.”
“Oh come on! You’re drinking so much milk tea, you’re gonna get diabetes!”
“It’s osmanthus oolong flavor. I’ll just take a sip and toss it if it’s not good. It’s a street vendor’s drink, after all… But there’s a huge line, so it must be decent.”
She took a sip— and her eyes instantly lit up.
“Mmm! This is delicious! The osmanthus fragrance is so rich! The milk flavor is strong, but it doesn’t overpower the tea’s aroma—it’s perfectly balanced!”
“Really? Let me try… Whoa! It’s actually better than ‘Ba Wang Tea Ji’!”
The two girls started sharing sips, and before they knew it, they had finished the entire cup on the spot.
“Let’s go buy another one!”
Meanwhile, Little Boss Lady finally felt her hunger kicking in. She turned her head just in time to see Lu Qin placing two plates of stir-fried rice noodles on the table.
“Daddy, your timing is perfect! The Little Boss Lady needs to refuel!”
She grabbed a small folding stool, set it up, and sat down with Lu Qin to eat dinner together.
“Daddy, how about a cup of iced mung bean smoothie?”
She opened the insulated box, took out two cups, and inserted a straw in her father’s cup first before inserting her own. Three bites of rice noodles, one sip of smoothie— pure bliss.
Under the watchful eyes of their customers, this stunning father-daughter duo was basically live-streaming their dinner. But no one was impatient.
They knew how hard Lu Qin and his daughter worked, so they willingly waited for them to eat in peace. Besides, watching them eat was surprisingly entertaining!
“Take your time, Boss Lu! We’re in no rush tonight.”
“Babe, look at that little girl. She even put the straw in for her dad! You’ve never even opened a bottle for me!”
“I can crack open your skull if you’d like.”
“Ugh! How did I ever fall for you, you insensitive jerk?!”
“I swear, the Little Boss Lady should be a food vlogger. Even watching her eat stir-fried noodles is adorable!”
“Ugh, the more I watch, the hungrier I get!”
Lu Qin mentally noted that while his daughter loved stir-fried noodles, she had already eaten them for lunch and dinner. Next time, he’d bring rice to change things up. After they finished eating, Lu Qin wiped the grease off his daughter’s mouth, and they continued selling food.
By 9:00 PM, most of the food had sold out. There were still 21 customers in line, the fewest they had ever had. Among them, seven or eight were repeat customers, back for second servings. For once, there were fewer complaints.
“Boss Lu, you really stocked up well today! Usually, you sell out by 8 PM.”
“Great job, Boss Lu! Keep up the good work!”
“Little Boss Lady, we’re heading out! See you tomorrow!”
“Goodbye, Big Brother~!”
The Little Boss Lady was exceptionally polite.
Lu Qin had always taught her—’Manners never hurt anyone’. She remembered it well.
Some customers offered to help clean up, but Lu Qin declined.
“No need, really. There’s nothing left to clean.”
Since everything was sold out, there really wasn’t much to do. One customer wanted to help pack up the tables, but Lu Qin had already handled it. They simply waved and left.
“Little Boss Lady, time to go home!”
Before they could get on the food cart, several customers ran over.
“Boss Lu, wait! Here, take some fresh pineapple—we just cut it!”
“This is old-style yogurt—take two bottles!”
“Hawthorn snacks, for the Little Boss Lady!”
“You guys are too generous. You really don’t have to.”
These were customers who had finished eating and gone shopping at the night market. Seeing that Lu Qin was still here, they brought back snacks for him and his daughter.
“You have to take them! It’s your fault for making such delicious food!”
“Take the yogurt—no saying thanks!”
“Boss Lu, is it true that many hotel owners have invited you to be their head chef?”
“I just enjoy running my stall.”
After all, he had a system that rewarded him with points, and his earnings were excellent.
“I love being the Little Boss Lady!”
Hearing this, the customers felt relieved. High-end restaurants were too expensive, and if Boss Lu worked there, his amazing food would be even pricier.
Finally, the customers left, and the father-daughter duo was loaded with fruits and snacks. The tipping function had been disabled, but now customers had activated the gift-giving feature instead.
As their three-wheeled food cart disappeared into the bustling night market, a middle-aged man carrying several takeout boxes reached the end of the street.
This was Old Liu, the owner of a struggling fried noodle stall. His business had lost all its customers to Lu Qin.
“If people want fried noodles, they go to Lu Ji. If they can’t get it today, they’ll come back early tomorrow. They won’t even consider other vendors.”
Inside a newly rented shop, two young men were waiting. Old Liu set the food down.
“Taste it again. Can you replicate it?”
One of them took a bite and sighed.
“Damn, this is insanely good. Hard to believe there’s no artificial flavoring. That Lu guy is a real pro.”
“Stop praising him! Just tell me—can you copy it? I only need 80% of the taste!”
The tall young man finished his plate, burped in satisfaction, and grinned.
“85%! Don’t worry, Old Liu—we’re professionals. We can even make flour taste like milk powder!”
“Good. Get it ready tonight. We open tomorrow!”