Chapter 20 The Taste of the Mung Bean Drink Is Absolutely Amazing, Super Delicious! All the Fried Noodles You’ve Had Before Are Trash, I Dare You to Challenge This!
Impatient customers started helping to set up the stall so that Lu Qin could start stir-frying the noodles faster.
Lu Qin turned on the stove and began heating the pan. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Finally, he’s starting to cook! The cravings in my stomach are about to devour me!”
“Let me lay down the rules, so everyone can get their noodles quicker, all orders come with egg, ham, and lean meat. That way the boss can fry five servings at once! Trust me, the more ingredients, the better it tastes!”
“What’s your last name, boss?”
“Young Lu’s noodles are shinier and clearer than anyone else’s. No wonder they taste so good!”
“Lu, just keep cooking, don’t stop! We’ll handle the packaging ourselves!”
“Finally, I’m going to get Lu’s stir-fried noodles. I’ve been craving them for so long!”
The oden vendor noticed that no one wanted oden anymore. They were all here for the stir-fried noodles.
He felt a chill in his heart.
“Forget it, I’ll get in line too. I didn’t have dinner anyway.”
The customer behind him joked.
“Uncle, what about your own stall?”
“I’m hungry, gotta eat some noodles first!”
“Haha, Uncle is a man of his word. Go ahead, cut in front of me.”
“If you want drinks, scan the code and grab one yourself. Iced tea, cola, Sprite are 3 bucks each. Mineral water is 2, Red Bull is 5.”
“Alright, I’ll need a drink with these noodles. Let me grab a bottle of ‘happiness juice’ (cola).”
Just then, a little voice piped up from the front of the stall.
“My daddy made some fresh mung bean drink today. It’s chilled, you should give it a try. It’s sweet and super tasty!”
Lu Xiyao shook her cup of mung bean drink, which was down to the last third.
The little one was already full from dinner, so she could only drink this much, otherwise the cup would have been empty.
A female college student at the front of the line couldn’t resist pinching Lu Xiyao’s soft, smooth cheeks.
“Aww! Little cutie, is your daddy’s mung bean drink any good?”
“Yup, it’s delicious! If you don’t try it, it’s your loss, big sis!”
With how cute Lu Xiyao was, even if the drink wasn’t good, she would have to buy one.
“How much for a cup?”
While tossing some chili peppers into the pan and stirring the noodles, Lu Qin said to his daughter, “Yao Yao, take out the whiteboard where daddy wrote the prices.”
Lu Xiyao hung up the small whiteboard, then turned her little head and said, “Big sis, it’s 3.5 yuan per cup.”
The college student scanned the code, paid, and bought a cup of mung bean drink.
Everyone else watched her, their eyes full of anticipation.
The noodles were so delicious, surely the mung bean drink would be great too.
The college student’s face immediately lit up with joy, exclaiming.
“This mung bean drink is amazing!”
Her face full of delight, the drink was smooth and creamy, giving her a refreshing feeling, like a gentle spring breeze.
“I’m convinced now. Lu’s mung bean drink is definitely good. I want one too!”
“I’ll take one! Just scanned the code!”
“I’m thirsty, I’ll have two!”
With so many orders coming in all at once, Lu Xiyao busily handed out the mung bean drinks, almost tumbling into the cooler box.
But her little hands couldn’t keep up with the demand.
“Hey kiddo, let the big brothers and sisters get their own drinks. You go sit on the little stool.”
“Alright~! But big bros and sis, don’t forget to scan the code, okay?”
“We got it, we won’t forget, you little clever one!”
A long line formed, each person holding a cup of chilled mung bean drink.
Some couldn’t wait and started sipping through their straws right away.
After tasting the drink, all the customers gave it rave reviews.
“The texture of this mung bean drink is incredible, super delicious!”
“Sweet but not overwhelming, with an ice-cold, refreshing taste—I’m in love with it!”
“My gosh, Lu, your mung bean drink is incredible! Way better than milk tea!”
“Two sips and the whole cup’s gone! I need two more to be satisfied!”
It was now 8 PM, the time when the night market had the most foot traffic. Word spread quickly. Lu Qin’s stir-fry stall had completely blown up. Over 50 people were lined up, forming a long, crooked queue that filled up the alley.
Some of the customers, bored from waiting, took out their phones to record videos for their social media and Douyin (TikTok).
[This stir-fry spot in the alley of Changlin Road’s University Town is amazing, super tasty. Come try it out, you’ll regret it if you don’t!] (with location tag)
[Stir-fry that’s an absolute YYDS (best of all time), so good it’ll make you shake. If you come before 9, you might still have a chance to get some. Hurry, hurry!] [Stir-fry plus mung bean drink, so good you won’t want to go home tonight!] [Stir-fry.jpg, Mung bean drink.jpg] (No address, just to make the line longer.)
[All the stir-fry you’ve had before is trash, challenge this if you don’t believe me!] (tagged @Changlin Road University Town)
At the entrance of the alley, Master Liu and Boss Guo stood side by side, staring at the packed crowd deeper in the alley. They had never seen anything before, and never imagined a stir-fry stall could be this popular.
“Old Liu, have you tried their stir-fry?”
“Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to know what it tastes like?”
“Oh, come on, admit that their stir-fry is better than yours. Is it that hard?”
“It can’t taste that different. They’re just after something new.”
Seeing that Master Liu was still being stubborn, Boss Guo lost interest in arguing.
“Alright, you keep watching. I’m going to buy a portion and try it out.”
“Get me one too,” Master Liu finally gave in after a long internal struggle.
He knew he had to taste it to understand his competition.
“Pay up,” Boss Guo replied and extended his hand.
“A portion of stir-fry only costs a few bucks, I’ll pay you later.”
“Don’t back out on this.”
“You’re so naggy. Just go get in line.”
Boss Guo had only taken a few steps when he noticed waves of customers walking out from the other side. Some were carrying stir-fry, some had empty hands, and some had oil stains around their mouths.
Both Boss Guo and Master Liu were taken aback. What was going on? Were they already sold out?
Just as Boss Guo was about to ask someone, he overheard the empty-handed customers grumbling.
“Unbelievable! It’s not even 9 PM, and the stir-fry’s already sold out, even the mung bean drink gone!”
“There were just too many people! I waited forever and still didn’t get any. I’m so mad!”
“Missed out yesterday, missed out again today. Tomorrow I’m skipping class and coming early. No way I’m missing it three days in a row!”
“Smelled that delicious aroma for half an hour, and didn’t get a single bite. So frustrating!”
“Damn! Sold out already?” Master Liu couldn’t believe it. He’d only sold a dozen portions of stir-fry from his own stall. Ever since Lu Qin set up shop, his business had been dead.
Boss Guo spotted a chubby guy carrying six portions of stir-fry.
“Hey man, you bought so much stir-fry, can you spare me a portion?”
“Sure,” the chubby guy agreed so easily that it made Boss Guo’s face light up.
“What? 100 yuan?” Boss Guo thought he had misheard.
The chubby guy nodded casually.
“Yep, 100 yuan. Not a penny less.”
“Are you robbing me?”
“Take it or leave it. I’ll eat them all myself.”
In the end, Boss Guo didn’t buy it. Paying 100 yuan for a portion of stir-fry? That’s crazy! He couldn’t believe there were scalpers for stir-fry now.
Master Liu stood silently, watching the crowd disperse, feeling utterly frustrated.
It was clear he couldn’t continue selling alongside Lu Qin’s stir-fry stall anymore. There would be no business for him. He would have to find a new spot.