Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 15

Amidst the laughter, some parents caught onto key points: 1) Students were about to be released. 2) Those duck legs were better than… well, never mind, just really good!

Following suit, more parents hurried to place orders.

“Boss, boss, quickly give me two chicken legs, two duck legs, and two chicken frames! Fry them fast!”

“Why the rush? There’s plenty left!” another parent chimed in.

“If you don’t hurry, the kids will be out soon! You’ll feel bad pushing through them to buy!”

“Oh shoot, I forgot! Boss, I need two chicken legs and ten potatoes, quick!”

“Boss, one duck leg and one chicken frame, hurry!”

“Boss, I… make it quick!”

Zhao Xiaojing looked at the parents, bemused, softly explaining, “Well… I can’t rush it; if I fry too fast, it won’t cook through, and raw meat isn’t edible.”

“Just keep frying, we’ll handle the sauce and packing!” declared a tall, spirited guy who jumped in beside Zhao Xiaojing, grabbing a brush to sauce up the freshly fried skewers.

“Uh… I-I can do that…”

Goodness, this was something else—Zhao Xiaojing stammered.

“No worries, focus on frying! These are my skewers anyway; I know what I want in terms of sauce and seasoning.”

Blushing, Zhao Xiaojing tried to say more, but the spirited guy gave her no chance.

“It’s fine. If I mess up the sauce, it’s on me! This one’s spicy, this one’s not, that’s for duck—I watched you long enough to figure it out.”

He sauced the skewers while talking, then packed them in a box and tied it off with a plastic bag.

“Duck legs are ready—grab ’em!”

“Huh? Oh!” Zhao Xiaojing snapped back, grateful for the reminder before they overcooked.

This batch of customers had incredible learning abilities—not only could they sauce and pack, they even timed frying perfectly!

As soon as she pulled the duck legs out, the spirited guy naturally grabbed tongs, placed them in the duck sauce dish, and brushed on honey glaze.

“Who’s next?”

“I am! The ones in the pot are mine.”

After brushing, the guy cheerily handed over the tongs to the next customer.

Truly one dared to call, another dared to accept! Zhao Xiaojing felt helpless yet amused, trying to regain control, but another spirited customer interjected.

“My dream was to sauce skewers in a past life—do you believe me?”

“…”

You could tell me it’s sunny at night and I’d believe you. Zhao Xiaojing inwardly chuckled as she resigned herself to focus on frying.

“Oh, new skewers? How much are these chicken frames?” asked another returning customer.

“Chicken legs 11, duck legs 12, chicken frames 5 each. Everything else is the same!” Before Zhao Xiaojing could speak, a customer answered from the crowd.

“Get the duck legs—they’re sweet and spicy—and hurry before the students get out!”

“Oh, oh, boss, one duck leg and two chicken frames.”

“22 total—pay here.” Another customer took over answering.

“Alrighty.”

…

Once again, Zhao Xiaojing found herself outpaced by these spirited customers, feeling utterly speechless. Were they paying to help? Was she merely an accessory to threading skewers?

“Boss, why are you standing still? Flip those!”

Another ordered while a waiting customer grabbed tongs and opened the glass cabinet, loading newly ordered skewers into the oil.

Zhao Xiaojing was completely bewildered.

Under customer direction, she mechanically flipped skewers as if having an out-of-body experience.

“Hahaha look at what you’re doing to the poor boss!”

“Hahaha mind your distance! You might drive our boss mad with this!”

“I’m filming this! Boss, you’ve made my day!”

Zhao Xiaojing forced a smile, speeding up her frying pace, wishing time would pass quickly so these spirited folks would finish buying and leave.

Instead, more people began filming, excitement growing around them.

“Ring ring ring…” The school bell finally rang, leaving just two or three parents’ orders unfried.

Another group of students sprinted over. This time, without prompting, they lined up where Li Zhi previously designated.

“Sis! Eggplant, squid, chicken gizzards, chicken tenders!”

“Help! Great heavens above, this skewer stall uses bad meat! The boss isn’t human—a black-hearted scoundrel!”

The chubby kid leading the charge barely began ordering when loud wailing erupted behind him.

Everyone at the stall fell silent as the surrounding crowd leaned closer.

Zhao Xiaojing quickly retrieved skewers, turning off the heat to step out from behind the stall.

An elderly woman with graying hair stood there, slapping her thigh and wailing incessantly.

“This boss uses bad meat! My grandson bought these skewers yesterday, ate them last night, and ended up in the hospital by midnight! Wicked! Wicked!”

“That’s not true, Grandma. We’ve been eating here three days—the meat’s fresh!”

“No way! I couldn’t even buy any yesterday—could there really be an issue?”

“Oh my, the child ended up hospitalized? How could the boss be so irresponsible?”

Hearing the old lady’s words sparked heated discussion.

“Ma’am, which hospital is your grandson in? What tests confirmed it was these skewers? What did the doctor say?”

Zhao Xiaojing spoke up, maintaining composure as she questioned calmly.

Someone must be causing trouble. She adhered strictly to system recipes—ingredients were fresh daily, and oil was changed every day. Impossible for someone to fall ill!

“Why do you ask these things?! Planning to cover up evidence and silence us? So cold-blooded for a young person—toying with children’s health for money! How dare I give you the hospital address? How many children do you plan to harm?!”

“My grandson still lies in the hospital because he ate your skewers. Whose child isn’t precious? Would I risk his health to falsely accuse you?!”

“Today you harm my child; tomorrow it’s someone else’s. Setting up here with such meat—have you no conscience? What kind of upbringing did you have?!”

The old lady’s accusations hit home. Public opinion quickly swung in her favor, and parents couldn’t help but feel sympathetic.

“Yikes, terrifying! How’s this different from tainted milk powder? If my daughter got sick, I’d raise hell!”

“So young and pretty—who knew she’d be so heartless!”

“Thank goodness my son wanted some yesterday but saw the crowd and didn’t get any!”

Spectators began eyeing Zhao Xiaojing suspiciously.