Ti swiftly passed by.
It was early Saturday morning.
Next door, my renovation was still being carried out intensely and diligently.
According to the original plan, the wall would probably be knocked through tomorrow, connecting two shops into one.
At that ti, it might be necessary to take a day off.
However, today the store will still operate as usual.
Soon enough.
Huang Tao skillfully fried up a batch of pan-fried buns with various flavors.
The eight-treasure congee and the preserved egg and lean at congee in the pot were also almost ready.
Ready to drink!
"It slls so good!"
"It really does sll delicious!"
The aroma of the congee made all the staff’s mouths water.
Huang Tao smiled and called out, "Everyone, have so breakfast first, once we get busy, you might not be able to tend to your hungry stomachs."
"Okay, thank you, Boss..."
Ding Suqin and several employees smilingly thanked him and each scooped a bowl of the new eight-treasure congee to try.
They took a spoonful, blew on it a few tis, and each tasted it.
With just one sip, their eyes instantly widened!
Lin Qiuyu was slightly surprised, "Huh... this eight-treasure congee is really good!"
Li Chengzhan nodded in agreent, "It’s really good, rich and fragrant, soft and sweet, delicious!"
"Boss, your eight-treasure congee is so fragrant that it seriously reduces the number of pan-fried buns I can eat!"
Lin Zifeng took a bite of the pan-fried bun and a sip of eight-treasure congee, balancing both.
Although he felt that while the eight-treasure congee was tasty, it certainly filled him up quickly.
He wished he had two stomachs.
Xu Hao chuckled, expressing his enjoynt, "This is my first ti drinking such delicious eight-treasure congee! I used to not care much for it, always finding it too cloying, but the boss’s version completely overturned my perception. It’s soft, delicate, subtly sweet, and not greasy. It’s refreshing, the taste I like."
"The finished eight-treasure congee is vibrant, soft and sweet, fragrant and enticing, smooth yet not greasy — the timing is perfect."
Jiang Chao looked admiringly, "Different ingredients require varying treatnt; for starchy elents needing cooking, the fire should be high first, then controlled to 55 degrees to gradually gelatinize. Peanuts and dates need less soaking ti and should go in last. If boiled on high heat, the peanuts beco soft and the dates split, but if cooked perfectly at 55 degrees, the taste of dates is preserved, keeping their original texture and sweetness, and the peanuts remain crunchy. This kind of eight-treasure congee has a rich flavor..."
Ding Suqin seed in awe, still absorbing the talk.
She took another sip of eight-treasure congee to digest this knowledge.
Yes, it’s delicious!
Huang Tao then smilingly served Xuanxuan a few pan-fried buns and so of the new eight-treasure congee.
He blew on the eight-treasure congee several tis.
Only when it was warm, did he push it towards Xuanxuan, "Here, try your dad’s new batch of eight-treasure congee."
"Wow, this eight-treasure congee is so sweet!"
Xuanxuan’s eyes sparkled as she took a sip and praised with a thumbs-up: "It’s delicious! Daddy, your eight-treasure congee tastes so good!"
When it cos to the food in her own family’s store.
Xuanxuan is never tired of eating it.
Ever since she tasted the delicacies from her dad’s store, the previously nice als at the kindergarten cafeteria beca re compromises, and even hard to swallow.
Now, as she took big sips of the eight-treasure congee, she seed as though she hadn’t eaten in ages.
"Slow down, don’t rush, be careful not to choke."
Seeing this, Huang Tao couldn’t help but remind her.
Only then did Xuanxuan control herself to sip the congee more slowly.
She took a few more sips of eight-treasure congee, delighted by the warmth and sweetness.
And feeling very happy!
Seeing her dad looking at her with smiles in his eyes, Xuanxuan was moved.
She scooped a spoonful of eight-treasure congee and offered it to him, saying, "Daddy, you must try this eight-treasure congee, it’s really good! Just as tasty as the preserved egg and lean at congee!"
"You!"
Huang Tao felt a warmth in his heart.
He took a sip.
The drowsiness from not having enough sleep in the morning instantly faded sowhat, and the soft, sweet eight-treasure congee captured his taste buds as it went down.
Chewing was effortless.
He nodded and said, "It is indeed tasty. Drink more if you like it! Daddy can get you another bowl later."
"Okay!"
Xuanxuan nodded, her eyebrows and eyes arching happily.
By this ti, several custors had already started queuing up at the entrance.
"Why isn’t it open yet? Isn’t it ti?!"
"I’m starving, I got so hungry I woke up and couldn’t sleep at 5 a.m., so I just got up and ca to line up here!"
"Sa here! I was dreaming of eating all kinds of foods made by Boss Huang, but woke up before I could try them. Seeing it was only after 5, I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to co along."
"Why don’t we play a few rounds while we wait?"
A few elderlies, bored, set up a folding table at Huang Tao’s store entrance as usual.
Started playing mahjong.
So office workers didn’t stay ho sleeping in just because it was a day off.
Like usual, they arrived early.
Wearing headphones, listening to music, they quietly waited on the side.
The students and professors from Lijiang University also ca to queue up.
Many even drove here.
AM.
The sll of Eight Treasure Congee and Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee was already very rich.
Huang Tao and the staff, who were already satisfied, had cooked two pots of pan-fried buns.
Everything was ready.
Open for business!
As soon as the store doors opened...
The custors at the front couldn’t wait to rush in in an orderly manner.
Several elderly folks walked in, surprised to see Xuanxuan drinking Eight Treasure Congee, and asked, "Boss Huang, you have new congee?"
Huang Tao smiled and replied, "Yes, would you like to try?"
Li hesitated for a mont, and finally shook his head: "This Eight Treasure Congee is sweet. I’ve never liked sweet things since I was a kid, so I’ll pass."
However, Granny Li didn’t have such reservations. Seeing the well-cooked Eight Treasure Congee in Xuanxuan’s bowl, she ordered a bowl from the self-service machine to try it.
She also ordered a bowl of Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee for Li, along with six pan-fried buns each with pork and mushroom filling and three fresh vegetarian fillings.
After Ding Suqin placed the pan-fried buns with two types of fillings and both types of congee, Granny Li couldn’t wait and brought them to the table herself.
The old couple sat down with their respective congee bowls and began to eat.
"This Eight Treasure Congee hasn’t been overcooked, the texture should be nice."
Granny Li took a sip, and her previously cloudy eyes suddenly brightened: "Not bad! This Eight Treasure Congee is delicious, slightly sweet without being greasy, very refreshing."
Li naturally didn’t doubt Boss Huang’s skills.
So, he didn’t doubt his wife’s words either.
To be honest, he was a bit tempted.
Especially with the neighbors around also drinking Eight Treasure Congee, while praising it as "delicious" and saying it rivals the Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee, each having its own rits.
This made him crave it even more!
He smacked his lips and, smiling, looked at the Eight Treasure Congee in his wife’s bowl, saying, "Why don’t you let have a taste?"
"If you want so, help yourself, it’s not like I’m stopping you." Granny Li laughed, moving the bowl closer to him.
Li scooped up a spoonful, took a sip, and his eyes lit up: "Delicious, this Eight Treasure Congee is really good! It’s aromatic and sweet but not cloying, leaving a nice aftertaste. Boss Huang’s skills are indeed impressive."
After one sip, he couldn’t resist taking a few more.
Who would think he didn’t like Eight Treasure Congee since he was a kid!
When he wanted to continue drinking more, he suddenly felt a chill all over.
Looking up...
His wife was staring at him, her eyes seemingly cold and nacing.
The look of wanting to cut soone couldn’t be hidden!
He shrank back, smiled, and said, "You eat, you eat..."
Then he quietly retracted his spoon.
He should have ordered a bowl of Eight Treasure Congee from the start.
But now, it’s probably impossible to requeue.
Because more and more people were lining up.
Even if he queued, it might be tough.
It was unlikely he’d get one!
He could only co back tomorrow morning to buy it.
He regretted it deeply now.
And as for the custors who entered the store, upon learning there was the new Eight Treasure Congee, they all wanted to try it!
So they all opted for the Eight Treasure Congee first.
As a result, the Eight Treasure Congee sold out first.
The custors who later heard about the new congee, couldn’t buy it and had to settle for the Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee.
Having sothing is better than nothing, right!
The queue of custors inside the store grew longer and longer.
Quite a few custors, seeing there were no seats, even stood or squatted at the entrance with their bowls and pan-fried buns to eat.
Jiang Guowei, as usual, brought out his shop’s folding stools and plastic chairs to place outside Huang Tao’s shop, for the convenience of these custors to sit and eat.
Very soon.
Even outside, the stools were filled with dining custors.
So neighbors, finding no seats, brought their own folding chairs and sat outside in a row.
Nearly reaching the curb.
It beca a unique scenery line.
At this mont, two police motorcycles parked on the roadside, and two uniford officers got off the bikes.
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