Culinary Expert

Chapter 9: Turn sour and walk right out

Needless to say, once Bai Xiaobai set the pot of tea eggs by the door and placed the “50 yuan each” price tag next to it, it was bound to be another leisurely morning. Before long, it was noon. This was precisely the time when office workers were heading out for lunch. Chaotianmen Street was bustling with people coming and going. Among the crowd searching for food was Wei Hai. Wei Hai walked up to the entrance of Bai Xiaobai’s shop with the Fat Guy and the Skinny Guy. Seeing how unusually deserted the shop was, the Fat Guy asked in disbelief, “Young Master Wei, is this really the place you decided on last night? You didn’t make a mistake, did you?” The Fat Guy had deliberately skipped breakfast for today’s lunch. He’d expected to go to some high-end seafood buffet or something, but he never imagined Wei Hai would pick such a secluded little shop. Standing nearby, the Skinny Guy looked at the deserted little shop and shook his head in agreement. “Young Master Wei, this place looks like it’s about to go out of business. It’s the middle of the day, and there’s not a single customer inside—even the owner is napping with his head on the table. The food must be terrible, which is why no one’s coming here. Why don’t we find another place?” No sooner had the skinny guy finished speaking than... “Hey, handsome, ready to eat? We’ve got everything here—come check it out.” Needless to say, just from the rough voice, it was clear that it was Wang Tuzi from next door, bellowing to lure in customers. “The owner’s pretty enthusiastic. Why don’t we switch to this place?” the fat guy said to Wei Hai. Wei Hai’s expression darkened slightly as he said indifferently, “I’m treating, so we’re staying here.” As soon as Wei Hai finished speaking, without waiting to see if the Fat Guy and Big Bird were willing, he took the lead with his agile stride and walked straight into Bai Xiaobai’s shop. The Fat Guy and Big Bird were just tagging along for a free meal—they had no say in the matter. When Wei Hai spoke, they dared not argue; they had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow him into the shop. The customers he’d almost had in the bag just walked right into Bai Xiaobai’s shop. Enraged, Wang Tuzi from next door picked up a pebble and threw it at Bai Xiaobai’s dog, Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei had been curled up at the shop entrance, sound asleep, but when the stone hit him and caused pain, he yelped several times. Bai Xiaobai was dozing off out of boredom when he heard Xiao Hei’s yelps and stretched. That stretch turned out to be significant—unbeknownst to him, three customers had entered the shop at some point. At first glance, they were a trio—one skinny, one burly, and one fat. Upon closer inspection. Bai Xiaobai recognized the tall, burly one among them. Although he was wearing different clothes and had slightly altered his hairstyle, Bai Xiaobai had a very vivid impression of this man. It was because of him that he’d finally broken through the zero-sales barrier for his “Supreme Tea Eggs.” It was also because of him that the system had deducted five yuan from her account after she poured him a glass of plain water. That’s right—this was the same drunk young man who had vomited outside her shop the night before last. Her first repeat customer had walked in.