Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 338 - 339: A Milestone Victory and a Father’s Approval

Chapter 338: Chapter 339: A Milestone Victory and a Father’s Approval

Soon, a small wooden fish began making its rounds through all the tents.

It was said that knocking on it 100 times could bring good luck to Sweet Mei. Could we not help out with this small task they’ve been busy with?

Everyone who knocked on the wooden fish felt their mood lift after a few knocks. But when more people joined in, it seemed like no one could reach 100 knocks. The highest record so far was just 59 knocks before giving up.

Oh really?

Could such a small wooden fish be a challenge for us Hakka people?

Most Hakka people live in relatively barren areas, which is related to their early migration habits, but this has also fostered their spirit of mutual help and never giving up.

A small goal of knocking on a wooden fish 100 times, is it really impossible to accomplish?

What an international joke!

The determined grandpas and grandmas began taking on the challenge of the small wooden fish.

Moreover, each of them earnestly summarized the pattern, eventually discovering that they could knock more times after finishing their tasks.

This discovery delighted them. Those who often helped with tasks now started competing with the soldiers and firefighters for work, leaving the latter amused and bemused.

No matter how much they were persuaded, they wouldn’t listen. They righteously argued that it’s about building our own refuge, and how could we not give our all?

Leaders inspecting the situation were delighted with the locals’ spirit, convinced that post-disaster reconstruction could proceed in an orderly fashion.

In their view, rescue work is not the most troublesome; post-disaster reconstruction is. Due to priorities, reconstruction might lag behind when there’s still rescue work ongoing elsewhere. This could create psychological gaps among locals, feeling neglected, which would be detrimental to future work.

Boss Chu remarked with satisfaction, "I’ve inspected many shelters, and only the atmosphere here is the best. The spirit of the locals is excellent, and it is worth learning from for other shelters."

Secretary Zhang gave a wry smile and said, "Boss, this cannot be easily learned. I’ve looked into the situation here before; there’s actually no difference between here and other shelters. If anything, due to geographic reasons, the conditions here are the worst. What’s happening now is purely because of one person."

Boss Chu nodded, "You’re talking about Mr. Wang, Wang Fan?"

Secretary Zhang replied, "Exactly, him. Mr. Wang’s dishes are incredibly delicious. His cooking skills have been praised by Master Luo, one of the top ten Cantonese Cuisine chefs. And the meals here are not only tasty but also plentiful and fast, so the locals naturally feel better."

Boss Chu smiled and nodded, "The saying that ’food is the primary need of the people’ is really demonstrated here. But Mr. Wang still refuses to meet and chat?"

Secretary Zhang shook his head, "Yes, he says he doesn’t have the time. It’s clear he’s someone who focuses solely on his tasks."

Boss Chu didn’t say anything more, but merely took a deep look at Wang Fan from a distance and said, "Let’s go, let’s check out the next place."

...

Lying in bed, Shen Teng was laughing uncontrollably while holding his phone.

The food these past couple of days, the current environment here, the materials being transported, and some candid shots of Wang Fan left him unbeatable in online debates against the critics.

Even though his body was aching, he still felt full of fighting spirit.

As he continued to scroll through the comments, he suddenly noticed a message that made him angry.

"Well done, son."

It had to be a troll, resorting to shameless tactics after losing a proper debate!

Just as he was about to retort, the avatar seemed familiar.

Could it be?

A pang hit Shen Teng, and he quickly clicked the avatar to check. Sure enough, it was his own dad’s photo.

Damn!

Shen Teng’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe it was really his dad, even less so that his dad posted that message.

His mouth slightly agape, he suddenly felt incredibly thirsty. He wanted to respond but didn’t know how, his fingers hovering above the phone for a long time without typing anything.

His body lightly trembled, time seemingly frozen, as he lay on the bed, wide-eyed, fixed on those six short words, trying to digest this unexpected recognition.

At some point, he had dialed a phone number, one he usually only called when he needed money.

Once the call connected, neither side spoke, only the sound of even breathing letting the other know someone was there.

Shen Teng didn’t know what to say; the sudden praise and affirmation left him somewhat lost and at a loss.

Finally, it was Shen’s father who broke the silence: "I have donated another 10 million in materials, they should arrive tomorrow—make sure to sign for them."

After a moment of silence, Shen Teng forced a word out of his throat: "Okay..."

Silence ensued again.

Shen’s father suddenly stammered a bit: "Son... well done."

And then, the call was abruptly hung up. Upon hearing those words, Shen Teng couldn’t help but imagine a rather awkward version of his dad; a man who seemed to never learn to compliment someone. Saying a good word would make him feel uneasily awkward like he wanted to hide in a seaside villa.

Shen Teng buried his face in the pillow, suddenly feeling that his choice this time seemed incredibly significant.

Not just for him, but many volunteers who came here were smiling as sweetly as if they’d tasted honey after letting their families know they were safe.

This kind of encouragement and recognition from family is something no one else can provide.

Perhaps it was a testament to the solidarity here, or maybe it was the heavens unable to defeat these united people. A week after Wang Fan arrived in Meizhou, the gloomy clouds that loomed overhead finally dispersed, and piercing sunlight finally shone upon the brown earth.

The floodwaters receded, but the houses and streets were left with layers of yellow mud about four or five decimeters thick; let alone furniture, even the walls were in a complete mess.

But the hardest moments were finally over. The firefighters and the soldiers who came to help could finally breathe a sigh of relief and get a good sleep.

However, these troops, tired from more than a week of working hard, were not sleeping. Instead, they found slightly dry places to rest.

Not because they weren’t tired, but because they were particularly looking forward to the dinner-cum-midnight snack prepared by Brother Wang for them.

Though Wang Fan did not participate in the rescues across different locations, tales of him were well-known among various teams.

Especially Chen Baoguo and his group, when they met other teams, would boast about how good their meals were whenever they had downtime, leaving the others envious and eager to taste the meals served to the big team.

Seeing the flood disaster retreat and with a stage victory achieved, the higher-ups, after consulting Wang Fan’s opinion, really brought these troops to this shelter.