Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 51

After finishing her day’s work, Zhao Xiaojing found a quiet spot and transformed her system e-bike back into a stall cart. She retrieved the marinated meat prepared during her lunch break and began frying.

The stall cart was a lifesaver—it came with a stove and gas tank. At home, she had to use an electric stove, which couldn’t heat the oil properly.

Fortunately, the workers had become very enthusiastic about meal times. As soon as the canteen opened, they rushed in, quickly ate, and cleared out within **forty minutes**. By **seven thirty**, Zhao Xiaojing clocked off.

She finished the initial frying by **eight o’clock**. When the elderly couple wanted to eat, she could re-fry the food for them.

She had already prepared the spices at noon, meticulously matching each type of fried food with its own seasoning. Everything was packed into small bottles with labeled stickers.

The fried meat was sorted into containers and packed into the stall cart’s glass case. With the bags full, riding the e-bike wasn’t an option anymore—there wasn’t enough room. She would have to ride the stall cart instead.

On her way, she made a stop at the supermarket to buy some fruit and milk for the elderly.

As she left the supermarket carrying the milk and fruit, she spotted a man in a black shirt excitedly taking pictures of her stall cart.

“Boss! I finally caught you! I’ve been waiting for you forever!” The man, Li Donglai, shouted upon seeing her.

His shout attracted the attention of passing pedestrians, who paused curiously. Was there gossip to be heard?

What kind of drama? Action! Let’s see!

Zhao Xiaojing, startled by his shout, nervously wondered if she had forgotten to pay her utilities, rent, or stall fees.

“W-what’s wrong?” Zhao Xiaojing asked softly.

“Boss! Don’t you remember me?

I’ve been waiting for you in Spring Breeze Elementary’s alley for two weeks!”

Li Donglai’s loud voice echoed as his face shook with frustration.

The onlookers were even more intrigued. Some took out their phones—is this a love triangle? Is this guy heartbroken over a girl?

As people watched, Zhao Xiaojing finally recognized him as one of her regular customers.

Back when she was selling outside the elementary school, there were too many people, and her social anxiety made her focus on frying skewers rather than mingling with customers. Apart from a few particularly memorable ones, she hadn’t remembered most faces.

Now that she looked closely, she recognized him—he had even helped her during the city management incident.

“Where are you setting up your stall now? Quick, make me a few skewers!” Li Donglai’s eyes were glued to the large bag inside her cart.

“I’m not running the stall anymore…” Zhao Xiaojing replied weakly.

“Why not? I don’t believe you! What’s all this then? I can smell it from here!”

“This is for someone else—it’s private.”

“For someone else? And this much? Can’t you sell me a little?” Li Donglai was relentless.

“Sorry, I really can’t sell this. It’s only partially cooked and still needs to be refried…”

“Refrying is fine! Boss, take pity on me! I waited for you in that alley for two weeks, and if it weren’t for some parents telling me you stopped setting up there, I would’ve kept guarding it every night!”

The burly man begged pitifully, drawing sympathetic glances from passersby.

Some onlookers were disappointed—it wasn’t romantic drama after all. But others were intrigued by this strange predicament.

“What’s so good that he’d wait two weeks for it? Must be something amazing,” one passerby asked.

“Fried skewers! They’re incredible—nothing compares! One bite of the boss’s skewers and you’ll never crave anything else!

Boss, please sell me just a little! I’ve finally found you! Look at all the stuff you’ve got.”

Li Donglai turned briefly to explain to the crowd before resuming his pleas to Zhao Xiaojing.

“Sell me some too, boss. Whatever this is, I want to try it!”

“Me too! I want some!”

Seeing Li Donglai’s persistence, other passersby joined in, asking to buy her skewers.

Overwhelmed by the growing crowd, Zhao Xiaojing struggled to respond.

“How about this—today’s batch really isn’t for sale. How about I make a fresh batch tomorrow? It might not be a wide variety though—just duck legs, pork tenderloin, and crispy fried pork like today.”

“You mean you’ll make it just for me?! Deal! Yes! Yes!

In that case, I’ll take 20 duck legs, 50 skewers of pork tenderloin, and 50 skewers of crispy fried pork!”

The massive order left Zhao Xiaojing momentarily speechless.

“Is that okay, boss? I can pay you in advance!” Li Donglai said excitedly.

“Bro, can you really eat that much?” A passerby asked incredulously.

“I have to buy extra because my wife will steal them from me—I’m afraid I won’t get enough.” Li Donglai rubbed his belly, smiling sheepishly.

“It’s possible, but I feel bad because I can only do part of the frying first. You’ll need to refry them at home. Since I don’t have time to set up a proper stall, the flavor won’t be as good if I fully fry them in advance.”

Zhao Xiaojing explained apologetically.

“No problem! I’ll store them and refry them when I want to eat!” Li Donglai waved dismissively, clearly thrilled.

“In that case, I’ll give you a discount—let’s charge by weight instead of per skewer. Does that work?”

“Even better! So, 20 duck legs, and a pound each of tenderloin and crispy pork!”

Hearing they’d have to cook it themselves deterred some onlookers, but others, curious foodies, remained intrigued.

“Boss, don’t you have any other types? I’ll take some too!”

“Me too!”

More people joined in, leaving Zhao Xiaojing dumbfounded.

They hadn’t even tasted it yet, and they were this eager? Word-of-mouth advertising is powerful!

“The thing is… if all of you buy from me, I can’t deliver to each one of you individually. Plus, you’ll need to refry it yourselves…” Zhao Xiaojing tried to politely decline.

“Let’s arrange a time and place then! This spot is spacious enough—come back here tomorrow at the same time. We’ll pay deposits now and pick up tomorrow.”

“Yeah, we can create a group chat! We’ll discuss orders and payments in the group. Boss, post your prices there too.”

The remaining onlookers chimed in with suggestions.

“Come on, scan the code! Everyone join the group.” Li Donglai had already created the group chat and called out to everyone.

People eagerly scanned the code to join.

“Scan it, boss! Why are you hesitating? Join the group—we’ll make you an admin.”

That familiar sense of being overwhelmed returned! Zhao Xiaojing hesitated but eventually pulled out her phone and mechanically scanned the code to join.

“See you tomorrow, boss! We’ll be waiting!” Li Donglai cheerfully waved as Zhao Xiaojing left in a daze.

By the time she arrived at Grandpa Wen’s location, it was already **eight o’clock**.

The place was near Fengping River—a quiet courtyard nestled in a bustling area with all the necessary amenities nearby.

Standing at the entrance, Zhao Xiaojing hesitated, wondering whether to call first when an older woman stepped out from the open gate.