Chapter 122
On the first day of business for “Boss Su,” there weren’t many types of delicacies available. The main items were dumplings, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), boiled noodles, and zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). However, just these two items alone moved all the international students to tears of gratitude.
Lily handed out a stack of printed advertising menus to the students lining up, encouraging them to consider their options in advance.
As a few students at the back of the line looked over the menu, they discussed:
Student A: “There are so many fillings for the dumplings! Pork and cabbage, mixed seafood, celery and chicken… all classics!”
Student B: “It also says ‘with soup’ and ‘without soup’ on it. What does that mean? Dumplings with soup?”
Student C: “Are you from the north? Don’t you just dip the dumplings in vinegar?”
Student B: “Yeah, that’s right. Don’t you do that?”
Student C: “People from the south eat soup dumplings, like wontons. The soup usually contains ingredients like seaweed, eggs, and dried shrimp.”
Student A: “Wow, Boss Su really put a lot of thought into this!”
The group caught Lily after she finished handing out the menus and asked, “Hey, beautiful, who’s your boss?”
Lily blinked and pointed to the guy wearing the tiger-head hat, saying, “There, that guy who looks like a young master.”
Student A: “Wow!! It’s really him!!”
Student B: “He looks so refined!”
Lily smiled, “He’s also quite silly, feel free to tease him~!”
The girls covered their faces and screamed…
Not far away, Su Bin’s temples throbbed—Lily, why would you betray me like this!
Finally reaching them, Student A stared at Su Bin and asked, “Boss, what’s in the soup for your dumplings? I noticed it’s a bit more expensive than the ones without soup!”
Su Bin confidently replied, “Because the soup is made from simmering pork bones, and it contains shredded omelette, shredded chicken, seaweed, dried shrimp, and cabbage… And it’s only five cents more, very cheap.”
Indeed, a serving of ten dumplings only cost three yuan, with soup it was only three yuan and five cents. Compared to a sandwich at Subway, which costs three to four yuan, their dumplings were simply a steal!
A girl from the northeast couldn’t resist, “That sounds amazing, I’ll have a serving with soup!” She then looked at Su Bin with starry eyes, “Boss, can I shake your hand?”
Su Bin shyly smiled and shook her hand.
The girl from the northeast excitedly exclaimed, “Ahh~~! I’ll have another roujiamo!”
Lily, slyly, reminded her from the side, “Be careful, your master might see and cut off your hands when you go back.”
Su Bin: “…QAQ you mischievous woman! Don’t say nonsense!”
Several students quickly got their dumplings and added condiments at the nearby counter, including rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sweet and sour sauce, and Lao Gan Ma chili sauce… everything you could think of!
A guy who had just bought dumplings glanced at the northeast girl’s roujiamo and asked, “Why are there green peppers in it? Is it good?”
Tears streamed down the northeast girl’s face, “Not just green peppers, there are also braised eggs. The flavor is exceptionally authentic, and the meat is so rich, probably stewed pork belly… it’s incredibly delicious!”
A nearby Xinjiang student who bought a roujiamo took a bite, tears welling up, “Damn, there’s also the taste of cumin, are they trying to make me cry!?”
The guy, eating dumplings while in line, then went back to queue for another roujiamo. The northeast girl called after him, “Hey handsome, the boss is also adorable, he gives out free handshakes~~!”
“Pff…” The guy spat out half a dumpling, turned around fiercely to glare at the northeast girl…
The northeast girl innocently shrugged: “Blame me, okay~”
The guy stood behind another burly man, who turned around and asked, “Didn’t you already buy some? Why are you still in line? Is it that good?”
“I’m queuing for another roujiamo,” the guy said, then picked up a dumpling dipped in sweet and sour sauce, “chomp” into his mouth, chewed, and exclaimed, “The taste is really good…”
The burly man’s mouth watered, staring eagerly at him. The guy paused, “Do you want some?”
Tears welled up in the burly man’s eyes—you finally understood my expression! “Give me a taste, since the line is so long, who knows when I’ll get mine. I’ll return the favor when I get mine, anyway, I’m in front of you.”
The guy pursed his lips, reluctantly handing over the last dumpling to the burly man…
The burly man finished it in one bite, his eyes lit up, and even more eagerly stared ahead, wishing he could make everyone in front of him disappear instantly, so he could get his turn sooner.
As the two waited in line, suddenly someone nearby shouted, “Damn it! I found a dime in my food!”
Everyone: “…”
That person ran over angrily, “Boss! How did you wrap your dumplings? There’s a coin inside again!”
Su Bin smiled and handed him a red envelope and a complimentary zongzi roll, “Congratulations on eating the New Year lucky dumpling! This is your prize!”
“Damn it…” The person’s face turned red, excitedly giving Su Bin a huge hug.
When the lucky guy returned, a group of people surrounded him and asked—
“Are there more lucky dumplings?” “How much money is in the red envelope?” “What does the coin look like?” “Did you lose a tooth?” “Why didn’t I see anyone buying zongzi rolls, are they only complimentary?”
The person opened the red envelope, inside was a £10 note, equivalent to about 120 RMB: “Haha, Boss Su is really kind!”
The zongzi roll was also priced at three yuan. It looked somewhat similar to Japanese seaweed rolls, with four fillings: bacon, shredded chicken, pork floss, and crab roe. Inside, there was also pork floss and salted egg yolk filling, but it was twice as thick as the chicken rolls sold elsewhere, seeming like one could feel full with just one.
“I asked, and the boss said there aren’t many zongzi rolls made. Today, they’re only complimentary. They’ll start selling them tomorrow!”
“What about the boiled noodles? I really want to eat them, they’re also made with pork bone broth, right?”
“Yes, I just asked. They have boiled noodles and instant noodles. They’ll start selling them this afternoon. You can add various toppings according to your preference…”
“Ah, it feels like I’m back in my university in China, so happy!”
“My life as an international student finally has some hope!”
…
As more and more customers came, and ingredients became scarcer, they might not even last until the evening. Manager Wang pulled Su Bin aside, “Boss, business is booming. Let’s quickly go to the Chinese supermarket and buy some frozen dumplings to make up for the shortage.”
Su Bin shook his head, “Uncle Wang, our fillings have a unique recipe. The frozen dumplings in supermarkets taste much worse, reputation is important,” he insisted, “We’ve always said it’s limited. Once we’re sold out, we close. No increase in quantity, no overtime… Over the next few days, we’ll gradually increase based on sales figures, no rush.”
Manager Wang: “…”
Su Bin walked out and saw the “Old Hand” conversing with a foreigner. The foreigner had never seen “dumplings” before and asked the “Old Hand” what they were. A kind-hearted international student nearby explained, “These are dumplings!”
The “Old Hand” immediately interrupted, with a profound look, “This isn’t dumpling, this is shuijiao! Also called ‘pork and cabbage buns’!”
International Student: “…”
The foreigner, with a puzzled look, echoed, “Shuijiao?”
The “Old Hand” clapped his hands, pointing at him with his index finger, “Yeah! Your pronunciation is great! Say it again—shuijiao!”
“Shuijiao” The foreigner finished, bursting into laughter, “Please give me an order of ‘shui, jiao’!”
The “Old Hand”: “Yo! ┗|｀O′|┛”
The international student was amused, and so was Su Bin… Having the “Old Hand” as a salesperson was indeed an excellent choice!
The “Old Hand” made a serving of dumplings for the foreigner, then turned to brainwash the international student, “Young man, dumplings and shuijiao are different. Dumplings are foreign dumplings, very big and not tasty at all, I’ve had them…”
International Student: “Oh… I’ll have a roujiamo.”
Behind him was another foreigner, who asked what he was eating. The international student looked at him, speaking firmly, “This is rou, jia, mo!”
The foreigner: “…”
Su Bin couldn’t help but chuckle, patting the “Old Hand” on the arm, “Philosopher, still enjoying the job?”
The “Old Hand”: “I love it! Much better than washing dishes!”
Su Bin: “Thanks for your hard work.”
“Not hard at all, selling things from my own country gives me a sense of accomplishment. I feel at ease, and it’s not under the table work…” The “Old Hand” glanced at him gratefully, “Boss Su, I’ll stick with you from now on!”
This was the first time Su Bin learned the “Old Hand’s” name—Qin Chao.
Less than half a day after opening, “Boss Su’s” five-star reputation had spread throughout M University. Not only that, many international students had filmed videos and uploaded them to Facebook and Chinese social media platforms, garnering countless shares.
—”A Chinese-style dim sum opened on campus, unexpectedly selling roujiamo and zongzi rolls. The boss said there will be egg pancakes and jianbing later! [Tears of joy] Can you believe it?”
—”Are you sure this is at M University? I want to transfer to M University!”
—”Just graduated from M University! I’ve received 10,000 points of damage!”
—”Saw Boss Su in person, sunny and handsome, with a good temper! [Picture]”
—”Boss Su, please open a chain store, liberate City L, right next to M City!”
…
Su Bin was unaware of all this. At noon, he entrusted the shop to Qin Chao and took a serving of dumplings to the medical building to have lunch with Allen.
This time, the rigid woman at the front desk didn’t ask anything, directly opening the sensor door for him. It seems Allen had already informed her in advance.
Su Bin went up the stairs, directly to the tower… Seeing Allen in a white coat again made his heart flutter.
“Your shop is really bustling,” Allen said as he made milk tea for Su Bin, “Some people in the lab saw it on Facebook and talked about it. They’re rushing over to eat.”
“Ah? They’re all on Facebook now!” Su Bin was shocked.
“Pay attention to your privacy, and show up less in the future,” Allen commanded.
“I understand…” Su Bin rubbed his nose, placing the packed dumplings on the coffee table, “Today’s stock is almost gone. It’ll probably sell out soon. Are those people your colleagues? If you had told me earlier, I would have packed a few more for them.”
Allen turned around and handed the milk tea to Su Bin, displeased, “I didn’t tell them.”
Su Bin was taken aback, understanding Allen’s meaning, he smiled, “Okay, Boss Su will only deliver to you in the future…”
