novelraw Chapter 291 - 273: Is There Really Any Need to Fight Over It?
Chapter 291 - 273: Is There Really Any Need to Fight Over It?
Don’t judge Xiaopang just because he’s chubby.
He’s actually quite agile for a chubby guy.
Soon enough, he dashed back to his family’s "Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals" restaurant.
Even before reaching the door...
He was panting heavily, shouting into the shop: "Mom... Mom..."
"You little rascal, you still remember to come home, huh? I asked you to help with some work, and what do you do? You run off for half a day without a trace. Were you off fooling around again?" As soon as Xiaopang’s mom saw him return, she immediately switched to "nagging mom mode."
Xiaopang was completely numbed!
He had to activate his "in one ear, out the other" protection mode, and simultaneously reached up to rub his ears, flicking away his mom’s nagging.
So his ears wouldn’t develop calluses from hearing it.
"Hey, you rotten kid, I’m talking to you, did you hear me? Where did you run off to for half the day? Don’t you know it’s the busiest time at the shop right now?" Xiaopang’s mom was even more annoyed seeing Xiaopang so absent-minded.
Hey!
Mom, your skills at "Zhu Bajie wielding his club to turn the tables" are becoming more and more proficient...
But he dared not say this out loud, or he’d be greeted with more than just his mom’s nagging, but her "bamboo shoot stir-fry" as well.
He quickly put on a smiling face and reminded her: "Mom, didn’t you send me to gather information?"
"Oh, right..." Only then did Xiaopang’s mom belatedly remember, and she asked, "Did you find out anything?"
Xiaopang immediately replied, "I made a round and found that none of the restaurants nearby are hiring new chefs. As for those tourists who just smelled the aroma from outside the shop and moved on, I noticed it was because they caught the scent of shallot oil fish on the beach, thinking it was from the local restaurants, came to check, realized it wasn’t the aroma they were seeking, and left..."
"So that’s how it is..." Xiaopang’s mom nodded in understanding, but her curiosity wasn’t completely satisfied, so she continued to ask, "Xiaopang, do you know who made that shallot oil fish?"
Before Xiaopang could reply!
She belatedly caught a whiff of a distinct aroma from inside the shop.
This aroma...
Is incredibly alluring!
It stirred up cravings deep within!
"Hey? What’s that amazing smell?"
Xiaopang’s mom curiously glanced around, trying to trace the source of the aroma.
Finally.
Her gaze landed on Xiaopang’s hand.
In Xiaopang’s grip was a skewer of grilled squid, and the enticing aroma was coming from it.
Unable to resist her curiosity, she asked: "Son, where did you get that squid skewer?"
Xiaopang chuckled and replied, "Mom, let me tell you, this grilled squid was made by the same chef who made the shallot oil fish..."
"You sure?" Xiaopang’s mom looked incredulous.
No wonder she doubted it—in her mind, chefs usually have their specialties, and the techniques and styles of grilling and making shallot oil fish are entirely different; she couldn’t imagine someone excelling at both.
Not to mention making them both smell that good!
Xiaopang thought for a moment and said, "I guess so! That’s what the tourists were saying, and while we searched on the beach for a long time, we couldn’t find the shallot oil fish chef, but we did catch a trace of the shallot oil fish and steamed seafood aroma near the grilled squid stall, so everyone believes it’s the same chef..."
Could it be true?
Xiaopang’s mom was half-convinced, but seeing Xiaopang’s earnest expression, she didn’t want to question him further, so she reluctantly accepted the explanation.
Her gaze fell back on the grilled squid in Xiaopang’s hand, oh how she wanted to eat it...
"Son, is this grilled squid also given by that chef?"
Xiaopang nodded: "Yeah! Everyone got one, and I got a skewer too."
This particular grilled squid skewer was carried back by Xiaopang, resisting great temptation.
On the way back, he had been tempted several times to sneak a bite, but wanting to share this delicacy with his mom, he managed to resist.
Now, he finally handed the aromatic grilled squid skewer over to his mom: "Everyone said this grilled squid is especially delicious, so I thought I’d bring it back to share with you. Mom, you try it; see if it’s really that good?"
Oh!
Having something tasty and still thinking of her, specially bringing it back to share.
This leather jacket wasn’t raised for nothing...
How sweet and warm-hearted!
Xiaopang’s mom’s smile nearly reached her ears, and she lowered her head to bite the grilled squid...
A hint of amazement flashed in her eyes.
The grilled squid was crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside, flavorful and indeed very delicious.
This was undoubtedly the best grilled squid she’d ever tasted.
"Damn! This grilled squid is damn delicious; no wonder those tourists were tempted just by the aroma!"
Her words startled Xiaopang.
Oh!
Mom, are you trying to scare me to death so you can inherit my work?
He shook his head speechlessly; mom’s got everything going for her, except for her loud, cheeky nature that never changes...
Xiaopang took a bite of the grilled squid, the intense flavor hitting him hard, making him lose control for a moment.
He instantly mirrored his mom, suddenly blurting: "Mom, you’re absolutely right; this grilled squid is damn delicious!"
Xiaopang’s mom was startled by his reaction, glaring at him: "Son, don’t use foul language!"
Xiaopang: "(ノ￣ー￣)ノノ(º_ºノ)"
Mom, you allow the governor to set fires but ban villagers from lighting lamps...
You said the foul language first...
"Son, give mom some more..."
Xiaopang’s mom, still unsatisfied, kept her eyes fixed on the delicacy in Xiaopang’s hand.
Having tasted the grilled squid’s deliciousness, Xiaopang instantly became reluctant, hesitating as he replied: "Mom! This squid is only so big; I’m not even full yet..."
Hey!
You rotten kid, you said you’d specially bring it back to share with me, didn’t you?
So the plan is just to share one bite?
In that instant, Xiaopang’s mom suddenly felt that her earlier wave of emotion was misplaced...
She looked at Xiaopang with a smile and tempted him, "Son, if you give mom one more bite of the iron plate squid, you don’t have to help out at the shop tomorrow. You can go play with your friends!"
As soon as Xiaopang heard this, his eyes lit up, but he still hesitated, "But..."
"You don’t have to help out during the National Day holiday either..." Seeing that her son was unmoved, Xiaopang’s mom had to up the ante.
Xiaopang was still reluctant, "But I..."
"I’ll allow you to play games for an hour tonight, what do you think?" Xiaopang’s mom had no choice but to play her final trump card.
But even so...
Xiaopang was somewhat tempted, but still a bit unwilling, "But..."
After all, once this iron plate squid was gone, it would be hard to come by again...
And games, he could still play in the future!
Even if mom didn’t allow him to play, he could always sneak in some playtime...
Xiaopang’s mom helplessly maximized the temptation, "During the National Day holiday, mom will allow you to play games for an hour every day, and you don’t even have to help at the shop..."
Just at this moment.
Xiaopang’s dad had just finished serving the last table and stepped out of the kitchen for some air.
He immediately noticed his wife smiling and tempting their son, who was showing a rare sign of indecision...
This unusual scene made him momentarily doubt whether he had entered the room incorrectly, as he witnessed such an unbelievable sight.
Well.
Did he miss something big?
He couldn’t resist going up to inquire about what was going on between the mother and son.
After finding out the reason, he was stunned!
He couldn’t have imagined that his wife would continuously tempt their son just for another bite of that delicious iron plate squid.
And the son, surprisingly, resisted wave after wave of his mother’s temptations just because he couldn’t bear to part with the few remaining bites of iron plate squid in his hand.
Even more shocking...
Both the wife and son were praising how tasty the iron plate squid was...
In all his years as the chef of a food stall, he had never heard such high praise from the two of them!
After just one bite of the iron plate squid, their reaction was so intense, and so unusual...
It really put him in a tight spot as the chef.
Xiaopang’s dad, not wanting to believe it, directly snatched the iron plate squid from Xiaopang’s hand, leaving Xiaopang dumbfounded.
He took a bite...
First, greeted by the crispy, aromatic taste of the squid, then as he thoroughly chewed, the tenderness and juicy flavor of the squid gradually emerged. The seasoning had completely soaked into every fiber of the squid, perfectly complementing the original delicious taste, achieving a harmonious symphony of flavors...
Whoa!
It really is delicious!
His eyes lit up, completely astonished by the iron plate squid.
"Wife, son, you’re both right, this iron plate squid is freaking delicious!"
Saying this, he took another bite, enjoying the delightful taste.
Xiaopang grew anxious, "Dad, this iron plate squid took me a lot of effort to get, don’t eat it all, at least leave me some..."
Xiaopang’s mom quickly echoed, "Honey, please leave some for me too..."
In that moment, the small skewer of iron plate squid seemed to become a treasure among the three of them, each emotionally vying to taste it.
This left the customers in the shop bewildered!
Each one showing an expression as if witnessing a spectacle for free.
Oh, come on!
Is it really necessary?
Is it really necessary to fight over it like this?
It’s just a skewer of iron plate squid, right?
Do you need to scramble for it like that?
They suspected for a moment that the owner’s family was intentionally putting on a show, perhaps to entice them into ordering more dishes, or to promote their new iron plate squid?
But then again.
The aroma of that iron plate squid really is great...
With just a gentle whiff, it made people’s mouths water, and they couldn’t help but crave it.
"This iron plate squid smells so good... I wonder how it tastes?"
"Why don’t we order a portion of the iron plate squid and try it? It might actually taste amazing, given how good it smells, the taste must not be bad."
Enticed customers waved at the owner, ordering more and more:
"Boss, bring us ten skewers of iron plate squid..."
"Boss, we want eight skewers of iron plate squid too..."
"..."
The continuous orders left the owner couple bewildered...
What’s going on?
Why is everyone suddenly ordering iron plate squid?
But the problem is...
They don’t have iron plate squid in their menu, only braised squid, steamed squid, and spicy squid...
The next moment...
An idea popped into their minds...