Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 342 - 343: Deep Bonds Between the Military and the People
Jiang Ping and Squad Leader Sun, along with the others, mimicked the process, swiftly slicing through the pork belly with their spoons. The slight yet clear sound of cutting into the pork belly was simply captivating.
After mixing everything together, they imitated Fang Bin by scooping a spoonful of the dish and stuffing it into their mouths. The soft and sticky pork belly, gelatinous skin, juicy and refreshing chili meat, slightly bouncy eggs, paired with the perfectly cooked fragrant white rice—well, it couldn’t be called white rice anymore, as it had been completely soaked in the meat juices, turning a sauce-red color, making it even more enticing.
"Oh my goodness, who can understand the worth of this mouthful, family?!"
Jiang Ping and Squad Leader Sun felt as if they had opened the door to a new world at that moment—a magical taste they had never experienced before.
It was an unbeatable combo punch, created from the perfect combination of gourmet foods, directly subduing their taste buds and making them sing with conquest.
"Wow, are the dishes in Lu Dong really this delicious?!"
"I feel like I’m already intoxicated by the aroma. I could eat three bowls of rice with just this piece of meat!"
"Good heavens, the most powerful martial art is indeed always a combo punch. This set has left me bewildered."
"No wonder the firefighting guys often talk about coming back to eat. If I knew such gourmet food was waiting for me, I’d crawl back if I had to."
"Hey, don’t you know? I heard from a few brothers that they encountered a dangerous situation, and it was the burst of energy from one comrade, inspired by Wang Brother’s gourmet food, that miraculously got them out, haha!"
With delicious food in their mouths, the heavy burden was also lifted. These people began to regain their usual vitality, except...
...
Wang Fan, Zhuo Qianqian, and Cheng Dong found themselves quietly washing dishes, with a heavy heart.
It wasn’t that the soldiers were lazy, but they were exhausted. As the meal came to an end, the tension in their hearts relaxed, and one by one, they collapsed on their mats, including Chen Baoguo and Commander Wu.
Fang Bin, who had been given an extra egg by Wang Fan, fell asleep with half an egg still in his mouth.
Flood relief was truly a test of human limits.
"Fortunately, the flood is over."
Wang Fan couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Cheng Dong smiled and whispered, "These PAP and local soldiers should return to their units and garrisons tomorrow. After we in the fire brigade help clear the silt and disinfect, we’ll return too."
With the mission nearing completion, he also let out a sigh of relief.
Although logistics work wasn’t dangerous, it was quite exhausting. This time, Wang Fan was a major asset. Without him, Cheng Dong doubted he could fare better than those collapsed on the ground.
"Wang Brother, what plans do you have next?"
Wang Fan was taken aback; he hadn’t considered this in the past couple of days. With no task completion notification from the system, he wasn’t sure if he could leave.
The main thing was that he didn’t feel settled about leaving until he saw the villagers return to their homes.
"I’ll wait until you finish the disinfection and then decide. It’s important to see things through."
Cheng Dong was delighted upon hearing this: "That’s great. With you around, we’ve saved a lot of effort and manpower, not to mention the food tastes good."
Wang Fan chuckled, "Brother Cheng, if you keep praising me like this, I’ll pass out right here."
This time, the soldiers weren’t called out in the middle of the night. They only got up after the sun rose, retrieved clean and tidy uniforms from their marching bags, changed, and quietly boarded the vehicles to return to the barracks.
There were no parting gifts, so Wang Fan made them a pot of seaweed egg drop soup and boiled eggs as a token of appreciation.
After waving goodbye, Squad Leader Sun Wenwu said to Fang Bin who had just gotten on the car: "Fang Bin, you sit on the outermost row."
Fang Bin, who was squeezing inside, was puzzled upon hearing this: "Squad leader, isn’t my seat inside?"
Sun Wenwu lightly coughed, "Given our departure time, the villagers will surely notice us. Your striking and handsome appearance is something they should see more of."
Speak more if you can talk like this!
Upon hearing this, Fang Bin felt as refreshing as drinking a chilled Sprite. Look, look—no wonder he’s the squad leader; he talks with skill.
"Hmm... is this appropriate? Wouldn’t it take the veteran brother’s spot?"
He said, looking at the veteran who previously sat outside.
The veteran waved his hand repeatedly, "No worries, come over here. I don’t look as heroic as you."
Fang Bin was a bit embarrassed by the praise, "Veteran brother, you are also very robust."
While speaking, the two switched places. Sun Wenwu then said, "Alright, we’re about to depart. Remember to maintain discipline, no whispering, no looking around. Keep your image in mind, and stick to principles. We absolutely cannot accept anything from the villagers, understood?"
"Understood!"
With the soldiers’ unified response, the vehicle slowly started moving.
The convoy, carrying hundreds of people, although not grandiose, wasn’t far off. Passing through the city, it indeed caught the attention of many villagers.
To these soldiers, the villagers were both delighted and heartbroken.
After so many days without rest, helping them with flood relief, they weren’t blind. Seeing them leave now, everyone started bringing out their best to give away.
Sending food, water, eggs—enthusiastic villagers ran alongside the military vehicles, throwing things inside persistently.
Fang Bin and the others memorized the squad leader’s orders, quickly handing back everything thrown to them by the villagers. The whole pulling and shoving scene was quite spectacular.
This scene left some newcomers to Huaxia, foreigners, utterly stunned. They could understand someone throwing TNT into a troop transport, but throwing food persistently and refusing to take no for an answer was something they had never seen in their lives.
Fang Bin was a bit dazed now, a few apples coincidentally hitting his head could daze anyone.
He now deeply suspected the squad leader and veteran coordinated this switch to put him on the outside on purpose.
This wasn’t about showcasing the military’s style; it was using him as a human shield because of his tall stature!
"Granny, we really can’t take that—we have regulations!"
"The apples are a no-go, mineral water isn’t allowed either."
"Honestly, please go back and don’t chase us—it’s not worth getting exhausted."
"What? Pork? Pork is also..."
The rest of Fang Bin’s words were left unsaid.
At that moment, he seemed to see a cloud block the sun.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a cloud but a half slab of enormous pork.
"Thud..."
The half slab of pork, tossed up forcefully by two strong men, was massive, surely starting at 100 pounds.
"Someone’s plotting against me..."
This was Fang Bin’s last thought before he blacked out.
