togophonebook Chapter 155 Hurry up and rush in!!!
Chapter 155 Hurry up and rush in!!!
On the old street's bluestone pavement, a cool breeze blew by, but it couldn't extinguish the almost boiling fervor in the long alley.
"One, two, three... Holy crap, stop pushing! That's over a hundred already!!"
Lin Xiaoyu had just finished the last bite of her food when she looked up and almost stood at attention.
Outside the narrow wooden door of "Human Fireworks," which had been deserted just moments before, a brand-new, long line had somehow formed, stretching for dozens of meters.
The scene was like a calm river suddenly having its sluice gates opened, the surging crowd instantly filling the narrow alleyway so tightly that not even a needle could fit through.
At first glance, the number of people was a dense, dark mass, at least 120. Moreover, there were many individual customers at the alley entrance who had just returned their cards from the Su Ang store next door, rubbing their stomachs and looking eager as they frantically flocked towards this place.
"Hey! Don't push! You're stepping on my heel! Don't you know about first come, first served?! Have some manners at all?!"
An old resident at the front of the line turned around in dissatisfaction and shouted at the top of his lungs.
The situation became tense for a moment, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder about to ignite.
Especially those individual diners who were in the last eighty, ninety, or even over a hundred positions in line, when they saw the endless rows of heads in front of them and smelled the irresistible aroma of red pepper loach in the restaurant, they became as anxious as ants on a hot pan, with sweat dripping from their foreheads faster than the rain at dawn.
As people came and went, and the aroma in the shop grew stronger, the impatient customers in the back row finally couldn't resist any longer and started to make their own plans.
"Hey buddy in front, can I make a deal? I'll give you an extra fifty bucks, can you give me your seat? My stomach's really getting horribly upset from this eel!!"
"Fifty dollars? Who do you think you are? Bro, I'll pay a hundred! Let me cut in line! I came all the way from the north of the city this morning just for this!!"
The eyes of the young people in the back row flickered.
As they shouted, they made a move to rudely push their way past the few seemingly honest neighbors in the middle of the line.
In an instant, the sounds of pushing and shoving and arguing filled the damp alley.
"I advise you newcomers to put away your crooked thoughts."
Just when the situation was about to get out of control, the seasoned foodie, who was in the thirties and still clutching a refund slip tightly in his hand, suddenly crossed his arms and glanced coldly at the person behind him.
Do you think this is some other fast food restaurant?
Let me tell you, Chen Feng, the owner of Renjian Yanhuo, is known as a man of principle on this old street!
Do you see that wooden sign on the door?
We only make a limited quantity each day, and once it's sold out, it's gone. No matter who comes, it won't make a difference!
There was this big boss in the south of the city who drove a luxury car and tried to pay his way into the queue at his shop. What happened?
The man gave a cold laugh, his tone carrying a strong warning:
"Brother Chen didn't even let him touch the chopsticks. He threw him and all the money out on the spot and said directly—anyone who breaks the rules and cuts in line will never be allowed to set foot in the human world again in this life or the next!"
"If you break Brother Chen's rules today and cause trouble for everyone, believe me, the old neighbors will kick you out right now!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the young people who had been sticking out their butts and trying to push forward suddenly froze.
The group of people glanced nervously through the wooden door, then at the dozens of old neighbors staring at them with somewhat unfriendly expressions. In a moment of embarrassment, they withdrew their outstretched feet.
Although the attempt to cut in line was nipped in the bud, the deep disappointment and anxiety on the faces of the dozens of people in the back row were impossible to hide.
"It's over... They only sell a hundred servings a day, and we're number 120 and below. Today, we're not even going to get a piece of the pie..." A young man carrying a commuter bag sighed in despair, staring blankly at the people inside who were happily eating.
"You're absolutely right! I just canceled my membership at the place next door, and now I can't even get a sip of soup here. I'm so hungry!!"
Despair, frustration, and the overwhelming hunger that came with temptation filled the back row with an extremely oppressive sense of sorrow.
However, at this delicate juncture where hundreds of people were caught in a dilemma and were so anxious they were stamping their feet in frustration.
From some dark corner of the old street, a patched-up young apprentice, seemingly from some unknown shop, screeched to a halt on his bicycle. He whispered something mysteriously to the sweating, anxious customers behind him:
"Hey buddy, don't just sit here waiting!"
I just came from up ahead, and I'll give you a heads-up—don't worry if you can't get the loach stewed by Boss Chen himself, do you know that 'Old Liu's Noodle Shop' up ahead?
A few individual customers in the back row were taken aback, shaking their heads in confusion: "Old Liu's Noodle Shop? What's wrong with that shop? Why would we go there?"
"Hey! You're so ignorant!!"
The apprentice winked and lowered his hoarse voice, his tone filled with barely suppressed excitement:
"That 'Second Canteen,' a heartwarming and authentic restaurant that suddenly went viral online yesterday, is their place!!"
Old Liu's signature braised pork uses a secret, locally-style recipe personally prepared and improved by Boss Chen Feng!
The taste, while not quite as good as when Brother Chen cooks it himself, definitely has eight or nine tenths of the flavor of home cooking!
Old Liu's place is usually not frequented by many people, but right now the braised pork in the pot is just cooked through, sizzling with the aroma of garlic and chili oil. If you go too late, you might not even get a sip of the broth!
What?! Boss Chen Feng's improved secret recipe?! The Second Canteen?!
These words exploded like a thunderclap in the minds of the diners in the last row, number thirty or forty, who were already destined not to get any loach!
They've been tempted for so long, and right now, any food even remotely related to the name "Chen Feng" is like a heavenly elixir to them!
"Holy crap!! Old Liu's Noodle Shop, right?! I know the way!! I just saw it, there shouldn't be many people there now, let's hurry!!!"
"What the hell are you waiting for, you mudfish?! Brothers, turn around and charge to the second canteen!! Let's grab the meat!!"
Without any hesitation.
The thirty-odd diners who had been sighing in despair at the back of the restaurant suddenly turned around like madmen, their big leather shoes stomping through the glitter and mud, and howling as they ran wildly toward Old Liu's Noodle Shop at the east end of the long street!