Chapter 35 - Discovered Lu Qin’s Stall, Hurry Over!
Chapter 35 Discovered Lu Qin’s Stall, Hurry Over!
Chilled mung bean smoothies?
The man’s eyes lit up.
“Honey, how about a chilled mung bean smoothie?”
“I don’t really like mung bean smoothies… Can’t you just get me some bubble tea?” The woman pouted.
The man really didn’t want to go. The bubble tea shop was just too far.
“The stall owner said his mung bean smoothie is better than bubble tea. Let’s just give it a try.”
“A mung bean smoothie better than bubble tea? You actually believe that? It’s just a sales pitch.”
Lu Qin, still smiling, chimed in, “I’m not lying. My mung bean smoothies really are better than bubble tea. That’s what everyone says.”
To be fair, other customers had said that before, so Lu Qin wasn’t making it up.
Hearing Lu Qin’s confident tone, the man grew curious and decided to buy a cup to try.
He joked, “Boss, you say it’s better than bubble tea. If it’s not, can we skip paying?”
“Sure, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to pay.”
Hearing that, the woman, now intrigued, came closer.
“Boss, you sure talk big!” She teased.
At that moment, she got a good look at Lu Qin’s face and thought he was quite handsome. But still, just because he was handsome didn’t mean he could make outrageous claims.
Could mung bean smoothies really be better than bubble tea? The couple focused their attention on the cup of mung bean smoothie in their hands. The man inserted the straw and took a sip first. He had mung bean smoothies plenty of times before, so how could this possibly compare to bubble tea?
He figured he might really end up not paying. But then the smooth, rich texture hit his taste buds, and he was instantly captivated.
“Wow, honey, you have to try this! It’s amazing.”
Curious, the woman took a sip, and the refreshing, soft mung bean flavor slid down her throat, melting in her stomach. Her eyes lit up.
“Boss, your mung bean smoothie is totally different from others! It’s so good, better than bubble tea!”
She quickly took two big sips, and before they knew it, the cup was two-thirds empty. The man immediately ordered two more cups.
Lu Qin took the opportunity to upsell.
“How about trying some ice cakes? The perfect combo with mung bean smoothies, especially in the summer.”
“Ice cakes? What are those?” The woman asked.
Lu Qin explained, “They’re a traditional Chinese dessert made from glutinous rice and japonica rice flour. The outside has an icy skin with a hint of jasmine and marigold, giving it a floral fragrance. It’s really delicious.”
Since they were already impressed with the mung bean smoothies, the couple didn’t hesitate and bought two boxes of ice cake.
“Boss, the ice cakes are limited too?” The man asked.
Lu Qin smiled.
“Some customers are pretty intense and might buy ten boxes at a time. I have to limit it so others can get a chance to try it too.”
The man thought Lu Qin was joking. “Buying ten boxes? That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it, Boss?”
Lu Qin didn’t explain further, simply handing over the two boxes of ice cakes. The man scanned the QR code and paid. WeChat notified Lu Qin that 57 yuan had been received.
The man was a little surprised. At 25 yuan per box, it was pricier than the usual street snacks like rice cakes or mung bean cakes, which typically go for 10 or 8 yuan a box. But he didn’t say anything—young people these days were willing to spend more. After all, they wouldn’t hesitate to buy a bubble tea for over 20 yuan.
The woman opened one of the ice cake boxes and was immediately drawn to the intricate, beautiful presentation.
“This ice cake is so pretty.”
“Honey, I want to take a picture! Hold it for me.”
She snapped a few photos, framing the cakes against the green grass and lake in the background, creating some aesthetically pleasing food shots.
After admiring her photos, she immediately posted them to her social media feed.
“Honey, can we eat now?” The man asked, swallowing hungrily. The ice cakes looked incredibly delicious, and he was getting impatient.
“Go ahead.”
The couple bit into the ice cakes, and as expected, they were blown away.
“This ice cake… it’s unbelievable!”
“Holy crap! This is freaking amazing!”
Their exaggerated reactions and expressions quickly caught the attention of the people around them.
A few curious onlookers gathered nearby.
“Hey, what are you two eating? Is it really that good?”
“Mmm… It’s so good! You’ve got to try this ice cake. The taste is out of this world!”
The couple continued eating, unable to stop. The surrounding crowd, seeing how much they were enjoying it, couldn’t help but feel intrigued as well.
“Boss, how much for your ice cakes?”
Lu Qin pointed to the price written on his whiteboard and said, “25 yuan per box, and there’s a two-box limit per customer.”
“25 yuan for a small box? That’s a bit pricey!”
“Give me one anyway. If it tastes as good as they say, it’s worth it.”
“I love sweets! Boss, give me two boxes of ice cake and two more cups of mung bean smoothie.”
“Girl, didn’t we agree to go on a diet together? We haven’t even started climbing Huaguo Mountain, and you’re already buying snacks?”
“You need to eat to have the energy to climb!”
“…”
After a wave of customers tasted the mung bean smoothie and ice cake, they couldn’t stop raving.
“This ice cake is amazing!”
“The mung bean smoothie is perfection!”
“The combination of both is absolutely unbeatable!”
Some of the customers who were planning to stroll around the park or take a leisurely walk were now rooted in place, standing in front of Lu Qin’s food stall, unable to move.
Once the first customer showed up at Lu Qin’s stall, more kept coming, and soon enough, a long line formed. The two women selling water next to him were stunned. The tables had turned way too quickly!
Many people even began ordering the fried noodles. Lu Qin dropped the rice noodles into the pan, and soon the rich, delicious aroma spread through the air.
Two friends who had specifically come to the park to exercise, dressed in their workout clothes and carrying their low-fat meals, found themselves in an unexpected dilemma. On their very first day of working out, they had run into Lu Qin’s snack stall. The temptation was too much to resist.
“This fried noodle smells amazing! Should we get a plate?”
“Fried noodles? We just ate lunch not too long ago, and now you’re getting another meal? Aren’t we supposed to be on a diet?”
“Climbing the mountain will burn it off later.”
“Okay… fine. It really does smell good.”
Their diet plan collapsed before it even started.
Meanwhile, the couple who had initially visited the stall had just posted pictures to their social media. It didn’t take long for people to start liking and commenting.
“Those desserts look nice, where did you get them?”
“What is that? It looks so fancy! Is it tasty?”
“Whoa! Is that ice cake?”
“Is that from Lu Qin’s food stall?”
“Where is this? He’s not at People’s Square today? Where did he go? Tell me the location!”
The woman replied, confused, in the comments.
[You’ve tried his stuff before? It’s at Huaguo Mountain Park.] [Eat there all the time! I can’t go a day without it! Huaguo Mountain Park, huh? I’m heading there right now!]Back at People’s Square, a large crowd was still waiting for Lu Qin’s food stall to show up. They had been waiting all morning, but Lu Qin never came.
Until someone shouted.
“Lu Qin’s stall is at Huaguo Mountain Park today!”
Everyone was stunned, and complaints began pouring in.
“Ugh! Why did he move over there?”
“He could’ve at least said something earlier! I’ve skipped breakfast and lunch, waiting for his fried noodles!”
“Huaguo Mountain Park is so far from here. Am I supposed to starve to death on the way?”
“Let’s go! We’re heading to Huaguo Mountain!”
Despite their grumbling, the loyal customers were already on the move, switching locations in a heartbeat.