Chen Xu was originally busy in the kitchen, but when he heard Yanqing's words, he couldn't help being stunned.
He thought the round-faced man was a bit weird before, when he came to eat noodles for the first time, he didn't act like a normal customer, he turned out to be a colleague, so it's no wonder.
In fact, what is generally referred to as a century-old soup does not mean that a pot of soup has been boiled for a hundred years, and water and new ingredients are added every day.
After a period of time, a new pot should be replaced to discard all the residue at the bottom. The key is to add some old soup to the previous pot. In this way, this pot of soup can also retain the flavor of the old soup.
It is said that in the old days, in similar noodle shops, apprentices could take away a pot of old soup when they left the teacher, and when they opened a shop in the future, they would have a foothold.
Of course, he saw these from online forums, so he didn't know if they were true or not.
The round-faced man obviously took a fancy to his old soup, so he packed dozens of soups in one go, and used these soups as a primer to add to the fresh soup, so as to enhance the taste of his soup base. It is a means of opportunism.
"Chen Xu, what are you still doing?"
Chen Ziqi turned her head and saw Chen Xu standing there indifferently, she was almost jumping in anxiety.
"How do you plan to settle accounts with him?" Chen Xu asked her, "Go to his shop to make trouble? Or ask someone to beat him up?"
"This..." Chen Ziqi froze. It was indeed wrong to do so, but he still said with a look of resentment, "Then expose him on the Internet and let everyone know that he is a thief and a liar. Let his store not be able to continue."
Chen Xu shook his head and said, "This kind of news is nothing hot. If it doesn't become popular, it won't have any impact on his store if it is posted on the Internet. Besides, we have no evidence. Maybe he will bite us back and sue us. We spread rumors."
"This doesn't work, that doesn't work, so let's forget it?" Chen Ziqi looked at him angrily, "Are you not angry at all?"
"Anyway, it doesn't affect us, we can just do our own business." Chen Xu said, paused, and then continued, "Actually, the soup I made is different from other soups. Good. More than five days, it won't be fresh."
Chen Ziqi's eyes lit up when he heard the next sentence, "What do you mean?"
"Just wait and see what happens to him." Chen Xu said.
Once the freshness period is over, the taste of the soup will change, and it will be difficult for their family to continue their business. Even if they boil a new pot of soup temporarily, it will not be as good as the old soup, and many customers will be lost. It's hard to get it back.
Chen Ziqi immediately counted with her fingers, turned to look at Yanqing, and said, "In the past few days, you should go over there more often to observe the situation."
"No problem, anyway, I pass by there every day when I go to and from get off work." Yanqing agreed without hesitation. Yesterday he found that fat man disliked, and he still did this kind of thing, wishing for his bad luck.
...
In the next few days, Chen Xu's life didn't change much. He went for morning exercise in the morning and went to work during the day, but Luo Xiyun still didn't show up. After get off work, after cooking for Chen Ziqi, the two went to open the shop together. After eleven o'clock in the evening, the stall was closed. close the door.
Every day when he ran home, he would pass that alley, and every time he would meet that girl in school uniform, she would always squat under the telephone pole to feed the cat, sometimes with noodle crumbs, sometimes with dried fish.
He was very curious about this girl, why she didn't go home at seven or eight every night, and would rather feed the stray cats here.
However, he never came forward to strike up a conversation. Judging from the only one contact, she was very wary of strangers. He still remembered the way she looked at him at that time, cautiously, with a hint of distrust and guard.
Of course, it was just a trace of curiosity, he knew that the two of them probably would not have any intersection. Even if they meet every day, they don't say hello to each other, and they don't even make eye contact.
Before you know it, it's already the weekend.
In the evening, just after Chen Xu and Chen Ziqi opened the noodle shop, Yanqing came with his girlfriend. As soon as he came up, he couldn't wait to shout, "I have good news for you, that fat man is in trouble."
"Quickly tell me, what's the situation?" Chen Ziqi stepped forward with a pot of hot tea and offered to pour him a glass of water for the first time.
This thoughtful service made Yanqing feel very satisfied, and said with a smile, "Fatty's shop was almost smashed, and many people surrounded the shop. You didn't see that scene. It's really satisfying."
"It deserves it." When Chen Ziqi heard it, she felt very relieved. In the past few days, she had been counting the days on her fingers to see when that fat man would be unlucky.
She asked enthusiastically, "What happened?"
"It was said that there was a customer who ate noodles that smelled bad, and the boss must give an explanation. That fat man was also rude, saying that he was just here to make trouble, and a quarrel broke out on the spot."
"The fat man also kicked the iron plate. The customer is a construction company. He brought his girlfriend to dinner. He was humiliated. How could he bear it? He pulled a dozen people over on the spot and blocked the door. He insisted on begging statement."
Chen Ziqi asked, "What happened next?"
"The fat man is still cowardly. He apologized and lost money. However, I think his troubles are more than that. When I left, I saw the industry and commerce. People from the Health Bureau have gone. Someone should have complained. Really? It’s fun to find out what’s wrong and suspend business for rectification.”
Chen Xu was listening in the kitchen, feeling a little sorry for that fat man.
The soup he boiled, after a few days, will lose its umami taste, and it will have a little taste, but it will not turn rancid. But it's really unlucky to meet a serious customer.
"By the way, I even took a video, look at it." Yanqing took out his phone, opened the video, and handed it to Chen Ziqi, "Look, there are many passers-by watching, anyway, the reputation of this store is completely rotten .”
The three chatted enthusiastically, and a few minutes later, Chen Xu came over with two bowls of noodles.
Yanqing wondered, "Hey, boss, we haven't ordered yet."
"I invite you." Chen Xu smiled, this person is so enthusiastic, he has to show it anyway.
Yanqing looked at the bowl in front of him, it was full of shrimps and sixties, and the portion was astonishing. Surprised, "Hey, it's so rich."
Chen Ziqi said proudly, "Seafood noodles, deluxe version, which most people can't eat. You are in luck."
"Thank you, boss." Yanqing said to Chen Xu, picked up the chopsticks, and said, "Then, we will not be polite."
Then, a few more customers came over. These days, the noodle shop has also gained a little word of mouth. There are repeat customers every day. Seeing the noodles eaten by the two of Yanqing, they asked one after another, "Boss, is there a new flavor?" Noodles. Give me a bowl too."
"Sorry, that's a special edition for friendship, and it's not for sale."
Other customers shouted, "This is not good, you are treating them differently."
"Yes, business must be treated equally."
Chen Ziqi was unhappy, and said, "It's not that they won't be sold, it's too expensive, fifty for a bowl, do you want it?"
"It's so expensive, are you stealing money?"
Chen Ziqi rolled his eyes at the man and said, "This is already the cost price. Do you know how much a catty of prawns cost?"
Someone couldn't help complaining, "Little sister, with your service attitude, it's no wonder the noodle shop's business is so poor."
"You think I have a bad attitude, why are you still here?"
The man was speechless, and everyone else laughed. In fact, many people come here to eat noodles. Apart from the taste, they also like to watch her slander others. Who made her look cute? Even if she likes to hate people, she can't be hated.