mesbooks Chapter 24 Watermelon Soaked in Fried Cake
Chapter 24 Watermelon Soaked in Fried Cake
As the mealtime drew to a close, Wang Facai was happily collecting money at the front desk, humming a little tune, completely at ease.
Hearing someone outside shouting about what happened to the Wang family, his anger flared up again.
Who else in the village could be shouting like that besides the Lu family?
Could it be that seeing us start selling fried dough sticks has made them so anxious that they're going to cause trouble?
Wang Facai thought to himself, "I'm not afraid. We're all in business. Go ahead and smash my shop if you dare."
He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and then slowly strolled to the door.
Only then did I realize it was someone in uniform calling out. Thinking "Oh no," I immediately put on a smiling face and went forward to ask:
"Boss, did you call me?"
"Are you from Wang's Restaurant?"
Wang Facai pointed north: "All four of our restaurants are Wang Family Restaurants. Which one are you referring to?"
"Then call all the managers of Wang's Restaurant over here."
Before long, the Wang brothers, their hearts filled with trepidation, gathered at the door of Wang Facai's house.
A road administration worker asked, "Whose company owns those 'GG' signs on the national highway?"
The brothers looked at each other, none of them willing to be the first to admit it.
Wang Facai gritted his teeth and said directly, "Boss, we released them together."
"Okay, then I'm officially informing you that setting up GG signs without authorization along the national highway is illegal! All your GG signs are hereby confiscated, and each of you will be fined 500 yuan!"
As soon as the staff member finished speaking, the Wang brothers immediately flew into a rage. Wang Faxi pointed at Lu Yuandao, who was leaning against the door watching the commotion from a distance:
"Boss, they released it at his house too, why aren't they fined?"
The staff member glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about? Go look around and see if there are any house signs on the street!"
"But they clearly set it up first..." Wang Faqiang argued, feeling wronged.
Wang Facai waved his hand to stop his brothers' complaints, and said sincerely, "We accept the punishment!"
After collecting the fine, the road administration worker stared at the earthen stove in front of the Wang family's house and said, "Let me give you a heads-up: be more disciplined in doing business."
Clearly, Wang Facai hadn't paid attention to that remark. As soon as the jeep left, he rushed to Lu Yuan's door and roared:
"Lu Yuan, how despicable!"
Lu Yuan chuckled and said, "What are you saying, Boss Wang? I don't understand."
"You definitely ordered it!" Wang Faqiang shouted, pointing at Lu Yuan. "You take away the license plate and call the road administration, right?"
Lu Jie was plating the hand-pulled mutton as an extra meal when he heard the commotion outside and couldn't wait any longer.
Finally, after the dishes were served, he rushed out and found the Wang family members pointing fingers and making a scene. His fiery temper flared, and he was about to fight them.
As soon as he took a step, a dark figure rushed past him.
It was Wei Yinghong!
She swung a rolling pin at Wang Faqiang's finger, startling him so much that he immediately pulled his hand back.
"Try pointing at another one with your dog paw!"
"You dare point fingers at my son? Are you tired of living?"
Wei Yinghong had a notorious reputation, and the Wang brothers were so intimidated by her shout that they both took a step back. Wang Facai, hiding behind her, retorted:
"You crazy woman, you're being unreasonable!"
"You shameless bastard, you dare to reason with me? We sell fried dough sticks, so you just follow suit, huh?"
Wei Yinghong's eyes were bloodshot as she rolled up her sleeves and swung the rolling pin forward, saying:
"We even have sons in our family, why can't you have any? Have you done too many wicked things?"
"I'm not going to argue with her anymore!" Wang Facai was hit where it hurt, so he gritted his teeth and pulled his brothers away.
In the backyard of the Wang family, the brothers, somewhat embarrassed by the scolding, sat together, heads drooping.
"Look at the state you're in!" Wang Facai lit a cigarette and said.
"So what if they take back the GG brand? If we can't display it, neither can the Lu family, right?"
Wang Faxi suddenly realized: "That's right! As long as no one can display the 'GG' sign, he won't stand out and won't steal our business!"
"That's exactly right, so why are you panicking?" Wang Facai said impatiently, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Wang Faqiang also realized: "So they're out of options? They seem to have targeted us, but actually they were forced into this situation by us?"
"Not too stupid!" Wang Facai chuckled, then leaned closer to the other three and began plotting something.
When the brothers returned, they were noticeably more energetic; anyone who didn't know better would have thought they had received a bonus from the road administration.
After finishing their work around lunchtime, Lu Jie took Lu Xue to play jump rope at the door.
Just then, he saw the Wang brothers coming out of Wang Facai's house looking very energetic, and immediately leaned over the window of the fried dough workshop to ask:
"Third Aunt, do you think the Wang family is crazy? They're still smiling after you scolded them."
Wei Yinghong was cleaning up the oil pan when she gave a soft hum and said:
"Xiao Jie, this is what they call a scoundrel. If you talk to him nicely, he'll bare his teeth at you. If you don't treat him like a human being, he'll wag his tail and wag it around."
"Why does this sound so familiar?" Lu Jie scratched his head.
"How could I not be familiar with it?" Wei Yinghong glanced at him. "Isn't that how your mother scolds you?"
"..." Lu Jie was silent for a moment, then asked Lu Yuan, who was helping Wei Yinghong tidy up:
"Chef, all that effort we put into setting up the fried dough stick workshop yesterday didn't work today! Those guys who got out of the jeep didn't confiscate their stoves!"
Lu Yuan flicked the water droplets off his hands and then suddenly slapped them onto Lu Jie's face. Lu Jie couldn't dodge in time and ended up looking like a wet duck.
"Chef, you're trying to ambush me? This apprentice has some skills!" Lu Jie wiped his face and was about to block Lu Yuan at the door.
Lu Yuan chuckled and then slapped him in the face: "Our sect doesn't accept idiots. You're expelled!"
"Chef, you can insult my character, but you can't insult my intelligence!" Lu Jie said defiantly.
Lu Yuan: "I'm asking you, what organization did they come from today?"
Lu Jie: "Road administration, doesn't it say that on the jeep?"
"Can the road administration have any say in restaurants? Shouldn't the industry and commerce bureau and the health bureau be in charge?" Lu Yuan said irritably.
Lu Jie suddenly realized: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go sue!"
Lu Yuan slapped him hard in the face again, saying, "By the time you get around to doing your job, it'll be too late. Your brother's already gone!"
"Hehe!" Lu Jie chuckled, praising, "We should have dealt with the Wang family a long time ago! Who told them to occupy our Lu family's house!"
"Let me correct you, that's a village collective house, we can't say it's the Lu family's house outside," Lu Yuan said as he finished tidying up and wiped his hands.
Lu Jie glared in the direction of the Wang family and said:
"The village collective belongs to the Lu family; it's been with the Lu family for generations! The Wang family is acting shamelessly!"
Wei Yinghong finished tidying up, picked up the half-eaten fried dough stick, and stuffed it into Lu Jie's mouth:
"Alright, go chop your potatoes. The old man takes care of village affairs; why are you meddling in them?"
"Uluru~~"
Not long after, Lu Hua rode his motorcycle back to the restaurant, with a bulging burlap sack tied to the back seat.
"Chef, come and get the watermelon!" Lu Hua called out towards the window of the fried dough workshop.
Recently, apart from the serious elders, the Lu family members all like to jokingly call Lu Yuan "Chef".
When Lu Yuan heard that the watermelons had been bought, he immediately ran out to help Lu Hua unload them.
The large temperature difference between day and night in northern China results in watermelons that are large and sweet.
Later, a type of selenium-rich watermelon was developed specifically for growing in sandy soil. It has few seeds, red flesh, and a sweet, crisp texture when you bite into it, making it a top-quality watermelon.
Lu Yuan and Lu Hua each carried one end of the watermelon into the store.
Lu Xue had already been sitting on the table with a fried dough stick in her hand, waiting eagerly, her mouth watering as she looked at the watermelon.
"Little glutton!" Lu Yuan affectionately patted Lu Xue's head.
He tapped each watermelon, picked out a ripe one, took it to the kitchen, cut it in half, and then used a spoon to scoop out small pieces.
After preparing the "watermelon bowl," Lu Yuan placed it in front of Lu Xue and then handed her the spoon.
"Chef Xiaoxue, start making your watermelon-stuffed pancakes!"