Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 74

Oh well, Guo Gaoang thought to himself, unsure if the old lady had been subtly mocking him. Either way, her level of conviction reminded him exactly of his stubborn grandfather.

With a stiff smile, Guo bid farewell to the old lady and pushed his way into the crowd.

“Hey bro, what’s everyone shouting about? Why hasn’t anyone left after picking up their skewers?” Guo asked a young guy standing at the edge of the group.

“We’re writing a collective petition—begging the Boss to sell her milk ice tomorrow!” the young man replied enthusiastically.

“Huh? What? Why are you asking her to sell milk ice? The skewers are incredible—if you’re not eating them, I still want to!” Guo exclaimed, panic creeping into his voice. He had been planning to stock up on skewers tomorrow!

“Did you even try the Boss’s milk ice?” the young man shot back, unimpressed.

“You mean the stuff in your hand?” Guo leaned closer, eyeing the fresh green, slushy-looking dessert in the guy’s cup. He noticed bits of mung beans and osmanthus scattered on top.

“Yep. The Boss gave us one cup each as a freebie with our skewer orders today,” the guy explained, quickly stepping aside to shield his milk ice from Guo’s gaze as if guarding a treasure.

“…Is it good?” Guo asked, ignoring the guy’s protective gesture.

The young man nodded rapidly.

Hearing that, Guo suddenly remembered the vibrant bowl of *qingbuliang*¹ from Zhao Xiaojing’s social media. How could he have forgotten? Zhao was also incredible at making sweet soups! He’d only ever seen pictures, but still.

Gulp…

As Guo’s craving grew, the rest of the crowd began chanting slogans in unison. Fired up, Guo quickly joined in, shouting along.

“Sell milk ice! Sell milk ice! Sell milk ice!”

The customers surrounded the stall, their voices growing louder and more rhythmic. Some began clenching their fists and raising them in time with the chant, creating a scene that resembled a full-blown uprising.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Zhao Xiaojing felt as if she had just experienced complete social death.

What was happening? How did things escalate like this? She had just been struggling to explain herself to everyone, and now they were chanting!

Even passing pedestrians were stopping to record videos and join the commotion.

“Alright, everyone, stop! Listen to me!” Zhao Xiaojing shouted, trying to regain control. But the customers, clearly enjoying themselves, seemed addicted to the group energy. They continued chanting and raising their fists with big smiles, unwilling to stop.

Soon, some passersby, clueless about the actual situation, began joining in the chant as well…

From a distance, Li Donglai watched the crowd surrounding the stall. He could see them raising their fists in what looked like synchronized movements, but he couldn’t make out what they were shouting. The sight made him feel like an ant on a hot pan.

Finally, unable to hold back, he ran over.

“What are you doing?! Weren’t you supposed to figure out what’s going on? How did you end up chanting along? What are you even shouting about?” Li Donglai tugged on Guo Gaoang’s arm, pulling him out of the chanting crowd.

Guo turned around, and the excited grin on his face instantly vanished.

“Ah, I forgot what I was supposed to do… I just…” Guo stammered, embarrassed, before quickly pulling Li Donglai aside to explain what had happened.

When Li Donglai heard the full story, his expression darkened.

“You didn’t even resolve the issue from this afternoon, and now you’re here joining in the chaos? What is this, a mutiny? And after all the nonsense you caused earlier, you still have the nerve to chant along? What if the Boss finds out and decides to stop selling altogether? You’re acting like this is all fun and games!” Li Donglai snapped, exasperated.

Unlike Guo, Li wasn’t swayed by the allure of the milk ice. All he could feel after hearing the story was a deep sense of frustration.

Guo, fully chastised, snapped back to reality. “So… what do we do now?”

“Get them to stop. There’s a crowd of outsiders gathering!” Li Donglai replied.

Ordinarily, Li Donglai loved lively scenes like this. On a normal day, he’d probably join Guo in hyping up the crowd, enjoying the attention from passersby. But at heart, he was a responsible and thoughtful person. Knowing that his initial insistence on buying skewers had indirectly led to this chaotic situation, he was terrified of causing unnecessary pressure or trouble for Zhao Xiaojing.

Without waiting for Guo’s response, Li Donglai pushed his way into the crowd.

“Stop shouting.”

“Knock it off.”

“Alright, everyone, hold it for a second.”

As he made his way toward the front, Li Donglai patted people on the shoulder, urging them to calm down and stop chanting.

“Oh, Li’s here!”

“Group leader!”

“Hi, Group Leader!”

Most of the regulars recognized him. Seeing his serious expression, they gradually quieted down, even tapping their neighbors to signal them to stop.

As the chanting died down, Zhao Xiaojing let out a long sigh of relief, finally lowering her hands from her flushed face. The crowd burst into giggles at her reaction.

Li Donglai stepped up to the stall.

“Alright, everyone, hold on a sec.”

“I created this group, so I feel it’s my responsibility to address both the Boss and all of you. Please hear me out.”

“I know everyone loves the food the Boss makes. Today’s little scene was partly because you genuinely want to buy the milk ice and partly because you thought it was fun. You think the more embarrassed the Boss gets, the funnier it is. For extroverts, this might not be a big deal. But we all know the Boss is socially anxious. Do you think she feels the same joy you do when things get rowdy like this?”

“If you want to buy the Boss’s food, there’s a proper way to do it. But causing a ruckus like this crosses the line. If the Boss decides to stop selling one day, she can always set up shop somewhere else. But where will we go to find her food again?”

Li’s words, spoken with deliberate weight, brought the overheated crowd back to their senses. They remembered the argument in the group chat earlier that day, during which Li had explained why Zhao Xiaojing had been hesitant about selling skewers in the first place.

Back then, Li had repeatedly emphasized that this whole setup wasn’t the Boss’s initial idea. He had also warned that too much drama might make her stop selling altogether.

The crowd quickly sobered up.

“Sorry, Boss.”

“Please don’t take it to heart, Boss. And please, don’t stop selling skewers.”

“Boss…”

“Alright, alright, everyone’s just playing around. The Boss knows that. She’s never blamed you. Just don’t do it again. Go on, everyone, head home,” Li Donglai said, waving his hand and softening his tone.

Seeing this, the crowd obediently gathered their skewers and dispersed.

Zhao Xiaojing gave Li a thumbs-up in admiration.

What incredible leadership! If only she had that kind of command.

Guo, who had been standing off to the side, finally mustered the courage to approach. He and Li exchanged a glance, both looking awkward as they turned to Zhao Xiaojing.

“Um…”

“Zhao Xiaojing, did you see the messages I sent you?” Guo scratched his head, hesitating before speaking up.

“I saw them…”

“So, do you know what happened this afternoon?” Li Donglai asked cautiously.

“I do. I went through the group messages,” Zhao Xiaojing replied.

Her calm response left the two men momentarily speechless, unsure of how to continue.

“Li, Guo, I’m not as fragile as you think. Running a business inevitably means facing criticism. You don’t need to carry this burden on your shoulders,” Zhao Xiaojing reassured them, breaking the awkward silence.