Vengeful spirits? Let's get out of the dungeon first!

Chapter 33 Hongmei Fast Food

Hongmei Fast Food on the street corner officially opened the day before the winter solstice, and on the same day, it launched a buy-two-get-one-free promotion for vegetarian fillings at five yuan a plate.

This caused quite a stir on the entire street.

In the realm of filled noodles, it directly competes with Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop across the street.

On the opening day, the tin cans in front of the steamed bun shop were filled with cigarette butts.

"Old Zhang, what do you think the other side is like? Now the price of pure heroin has risen to 85, and even the lower-quality stuff costs 50."

"You can't have two philanthropists on the same street!"

"Don't worry, this price war won't last long."

In my previous life, this Hongmei Fast Food restaurant actually opened in the location of the steamed bun shop in the year 2000.

That year, grain prices weren't so high, and the opening promotion was buy one get one free for three yuan a plate, which worried Zhang Yuanchao so much that he couldn't sleep well for two or three nights.

"It won't last. You're not directly competing with him. I feel that if things continue like this, it won't just be a matter of whether we have money to go home for the New Year this year!"

Whether you have money or not, you have to go home for the Chinese New Year.

The steamer at the entrance of the steamed bun shop was always on fire. In this weather, if they were selling cold steamed buns, Zhang Yuanchao would advise Zhu Gan to just close the shop and go to sleep.

A long queue had already formed across the street, consisting not only of family members accompanying patients from the hospital, but also sales staff from the nearby shopping mall.

That's five yuan a plate, buy two get one free, so you can eat your fill for just over three yuan per person in winter.

A very capable-looking female boss stood at the door, serving each customer in line a cup of dumpling soup.

She wore light, calm makeup, with only her red lips standing out. She would offer an extra cup to elderly people with canes, but her slightly flared nostrils seemed out of place with her stiff chest.

"Gentlemen, would you like to try a plate of pickled cabbage?"

After escorting the last customer inside, the female proprietress also saw Zhang Yuanchao and Zhu Gan squatting across the street.

"The neighbors didn't really say anything, after all, tomorrow is the winter solstice."

"No need, my family is making dumplings later too!"

As he spoke, Zhu Gan pulled a clove of garlic out of his pocket, and in a few quick movements, the ground was covered with garlic peels.

Zhang Yuanchao was caught in the middle and couldn't say anything. He actually really wanted to try the dumplings at Hongmei Fast Food and see how they tasted different from the ones in his previous life.

"Brother Zhang, shall I pack you a plate? You can take it home for your kids!"

"Uh, never mind, your sister-in-law bought ground meat."

A piece of garlic peel was blown onto Zhang Yuanchao's face by a gentle breeze, and he had no choice but to politely decline.

Seeing that neither of them gave her any face, Xu Hongmei's smile froze for a moment. After saying goodbye, she continued with her work.

To accommodate his neighbor's new business, Zhang Yuanchao's noodle shop only had Fan Qiusheng there.

No, this kid is getting married soon, so he can't be considered a child anymore.

"Old Zhang, do you know a place that sells cheap noodles and meat?"

"I don't know it. You said you can't eat that stuff. If they find out, you won't be able to stay in Jinchuan."

"If we don't stop the flow of funds, I'm going to be unable to make a living!"

The first snow of 03 didn't arrive any later than usual.

Of the three restaurants near the Second Hospital, only one was open, because the other two had people attending a wedding.

Zhu Gan and Zhang Yuanchao sat at the first table below the stage, while on the stage, their parents were receiving toasts from the newlyweds.

"Wow, time flies. I remember Qiu Sheng was just a little kid crying back then."

Zhu Gan stuffed the Double Happiness cigarettes on the table into his pocket, regardless of whether anyone else wanted them.

Sitting to the side, Zhang Yuanchao looked at the two people on the stage, his feelings were far less complicated than in his previous life.

Anyway, Qiu Sheng got married and worked at a noodle shop, but his wife was dragged to a factory by Fu Hongxia.

His wife was holding the child beside him, her shoulders still wet with snow.

Since the textile factory reopened last year, she, the old accountant, has returned to her original post and rushed over as soon as she finished checking the accounts.

"Zhang Cheng, don't force me to beat you up in front of so many people!"

Zhang Cheng, who had just reached out to grab a piece of sweet and sour pork, was scolded and sent back to his seat. This time, his father wasn't too angry.

"Old Zhu, you can't be angry with me for losing a waiter, can you?"

"I should thank you! Given the current situation, having one less mouth to feed means I can save more money."

After Hongmei Fast Food opened for a week, Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop's customer traffic was halved, and Zhu Gan was already thinking of returning to his old job of digging for ginseng in the mountains.

But he bought the house through auction, and he can't just leave without finding a buyer.

The wedding process in the millennium was quick. The master of ceremonies opened the ceremony, the parents gave speeches, and after three bows, chopsticks were handed out.

Of course, the toasting should start at Zhang Yuanchao's table.

"Master, we had already arranged for you and Auntie to go up together, and the seats were all prepared!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Your parents are here. What would it look like if the two of us went up there?"

Fearing that the young man might linger after a couple of sips of wine, Zhang Yuanchao quickly finished his wine cup and pushed him to offer toasts to others.

Zhang Cheng, that kid, didn't stand on ceremony at all, and brought the whole pork knuckle right in front of him.

Just as Fu Hongxia was about to slap him, she found her wrist being grabbed.

"Alright, let him eat. I don't usually take him out to eat much."

"Our family owns a restaurant. If people see us, they'll think we can't afford to raise our children!"

"So what? Let them talk!"

At the wedding banquet, the two old friends tacitly drank beverages, and did not drink more than the wine cup handed to them by Fan Qiusheng.

Zhang Yuanchao gave Fan Qiusheng a few days off starting today, and the noodle shop needs him to stay on alone.

After all, my parents have come from afar, so it wouldn't be right not to take them sightseeing.

Zhu Gan, on the other hand, was much more agitated. On the day of the Winter Solstice, his family made two plates of dumplings using leftover filling from steamed buns.

After downing two bottles of baijiu, he almost threw away the steamer basket, and Zhang Yuanchao had to take care of it himself.

"Old Zhu, I noticed those flour sacks in the backyard all have dates from two years ago written on them. Do they have anything to do with you?"

At this point, Zhu Gan, who was walking towards the restaurant, was also taken aback.

"Two years ago? That stuff was still edible?"

Zhu Gan's face remained expressionless, but the cold wind made him involuntarily close his eyes.

"You'd better not use it, that stuff can easily make you sick."

"Don't worry, if I wanted to make money through unethical means, I would have been rich long ago, I wouldn't have waited until now."

"You'd better be."

In the cold wind, the two people walking towards us must have just come out of Hongmei Fast Food, rubbing their bellies and burping.

As Zhang Yuanchao approached the two, he also heard their conversation.

"These dumplings are really good! They're cheap, have big fillings, and are quite flavorful. Plus, the dumpling wrappers are fluffy and soft, unlike the ones at home which are sticky."

"But I can't keep eating it all the time, it's so oily and greasy, I almost couldn't stand it after two days!"

Oily, not sticky, causes diarrhea?

Zhang Yuanchao couldn't recall the details of his previous life, but Zhu Gan had already gone further and further away, and he had to catch up quickly.

A thin layer of snow had accumulated at the entrance of the noodle shop. Zhang Yuanchao pulled back the roller shutter and looked at the furnishings inside, feeling somewhat dazed.

At this time in his previous life, he used old furniture discarded by the factory to entertain guests, but now it has all been replaced with small sofas.

Over the years, he has stopped looking at that system, but various rewards are still being distributed to Zhang Yuanchao.

Furniture is now being replaced so frequently that it's replaced every month, and even secondhand pieces still fetch a good price on the market.

Zhang Yuanchao pulled a broom from a beer crate and took off his newly bought white down jacket, revealing a light gray sweater.

As soon as I finished sweeping the first step, a pair of hands behind me grabbed the end of the broom.

"Dad, let me do it."

"Alright."

The light snow had stained Zhang Yuanchao's sweater somewhat white, and a shiver made him put his down jacket back on.