Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 303 - 304: Peerless Soup, A Call from Grandma

Chapter 303: Chapter 304: Peerless Soup, A Call from Grandma

One plump, white chicken after another was placed directly into the pot of rich broth to simmer.

After 20 minutes on medium heat, the freshly washed, vibrant green bok choy was added to the broth pot as well.

Bok choy, sweet and slightly cold in nature, has the benefits of clearing heat and detoxifying, and promoting bowel movement. It not only provides nutrition but also balances meat and vegetables. The verdant color it retains after simmering adds to the vibrant look of the shrimp wonton chicken pot.

Just as Wang Fan was busy, the staff at the neighboring window couldn’t stand it any longer.

"Delicious!"

The giant word for "delicious" hung in everyone’s mind.

The broth was already flavorful enough when cooked, but when combined with so many freshly slaughtered chickens, the rich, substantial aroma of deliciousness was truly overwhelming.

At this moment, Li Qiang just wanted to grab Wang Fan by the collar and loudly question him: "Do you know how I’ve made it through the last hour?! Huh?! Do you know?! You don’t know! I’ve used all my strength just to keep tears from flowing down my cheeks!"

Who cooks chicken soup that delicious?!

He wanted to go out for a smoke to calm himself, but the entire canteen was enveloped in that fragrant aroma, making it impossible to move.

Shen Yan said with a wry smile, "Why don’t we buy another portion to try?"

Her family was also in the restaurant business, specializing in heavily flavored Sichuan and Hunan cuisine. Yet, here they were, lured by someone else’s chicken soup—how embarrassing!

But what could they do when tempted by such aroma? Resistance was futile!

Li Qiang looked up at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, sadly saying, "Why is there such a gap in the same restaurant business?"

Other shop owners at different windows wondered the same thing. Even when they all lined up at Wang Fan’s window, they couldn’t solve the puzzle.

The students from Kainan University were just as puzzled.

What’s going on?

I just ran over right after class ended, so why is there already a line of a hundred people at the entrance of the second canteen?

And these people obviously aren’t students. Even the oldest PhD student among them would be considered young.

Oh no, someone must have leaked the news about the top-tier delicacies in the second canteen!

Everyone was smart enough to figure it out instantly, but there was nothing they could do. School rules allowed outsiders to enter, and the canteen could directly process payments via QR code. Beyond obediently standing at the back of the line, there was truly nothing else they could do.

Zhuo Qianqian couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. It was obvious, even without thinking, that Shen Teng, that eager beaver, had leaked the news.

Jiang Chenchen and Li Jing were surprised at Wang Fan’s allure.

"My goodness, is this what they call fame? There are already over a hundred people here, right?"

"After making a name for himself, wouldn’t this business quickly grow to be big and strong?"

"Qianqian might become a wealthy lady soon, huh?"

Zhuo Qianqian said with a bit of pride, "This is just a small scene. The earlier crowds were much crazier. To eat a bite of grilled skewers, they could climb Mount Tai for more than two hours. If he only wanted to make money, just selling one skewer would suffice. Why bother with all this trouble? He just enjoys wandering around, learning how to make local delicacies and flavors."

Jiang Chenchen sighed, "This must be what they call a genius, right? A genius has different ideas, indeed."

This exclamation received unanimous agreement from Li Jing and the others, although they didn’t realize in the eyes of ordinary folks, they were considered geniuses too.

...

At 11:30, when the canteen doors opened, Wang Fan began cooking wontons.

The shop owners received no special treatment and queued obediently.

The goldfish-like wontons boiled in the broth pot for five minutes, becoming translucent, with the pink shrimp meat clearly visible through the semi-transparent wrapper.

A large ladle of wontons, several pieces of bok choy, a portion of deboned chicken was added to the clay pot, a big spoonful of scalding, milky broth was poured in, and a bowl of soy sauce dip was served on the side, creating the 28 yuan shrimp wonton chicken pot.

And the broth ingredients cost two yuan per portion.

As soon as Luo Xu entered the canteen, he caught a whiff of the aroma.

In that moment, he felt as if his brain was crushed by a truck.

In his blurry memory, an old man with white hair and wrinkled face was smiling at him.

"Handsome boy, come have some soup."

Luo Xu’s eyes immediately welled up as though the warm hands of his grandma were still on his head, the fresh chicken soup still lingering in his mouth and nose.

"Daddy, why are you crying? Daddy, don’t cry."

Little Cotton Jacket used her tiny hands to wipe his eyes, but Luo Xu’s tears wouldn’t stop.

He smiled and said, "It’s nothing, Daddy just remembered some beautiful memories."

Little Cotton Jacket nodded knowingly, "It smells really good here. Is this what Daddy ate when he was little?"

Luo Xu nodded affirmatively, "That’s right, this is the taste from when I was little, made by my grandma."

Jiang Rui smiled and said, "I suddenly really want to visit Guangfu. Can you take us there during the Dragon Boat Festival?"

It wasn’t just him.

Today, most people here were Guangfu folks who had been away for a long time; the canteen’s aroma instantly unlocked their memories.

It seemed as though, in a moment, everyone was transported back to their familiar yet unfamiliar hometown. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Zhou Ruoqing’s big eyes were already brimming with tears, without reason, she just couldn’t hold back.

She thought of her dad’s chicken soup.

Although it was far from being as fragrant as the one she smelled now, that warm taste was exactly the same.

Wang Fan looked at the sobbing Zhou Ruoqing and was startled: "What’s up with you? Did Shen Teng bully you?"

Shen Teng got anxious instantly: "You can mess around with food but don’t talk nonsense. There’s nothing improper between us."

Zhou Ruoqing shook her head, chokingly said: "No, just the smell of your soup reminded me of the chicken soup my dad used to make, made me a bit homesick, that’s all."

Wang Fan, finding it amusing, handed a serving of shrimp wonton chicken pot to Zhou Ruoqing: "Hurry up and wipe your tears. This one’s on me."

Zhou Ruoqing sat down with her plate, staring blankly at the wontons in the clay pot.

Luo Xu and his family had also gotten their meal.

The shrimp wonton chicken pot lay in front, with warm, inviting aroma emanating. Luo Xu picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the milky broth into his mouth, and the delicious chicken soup hit his taste buds with its sheer richness, constantly stimulating his palate.

Then, he felt warmth flowing down his throat, spreading through his body, like his grandma’s loving gaze, making him feel warm all over.

Having been away from home for many years, he hadn’t experienced such warmth for a long time.