Seventies Sweetheart: From Breakup to Billionaire-Chapter 196: The Boss Doesn’t Seem Like a Good Person
Lin Xiang almost burst into laughter upon hearing this.
She knew that barbecue was a novelty, and although the price of one penny per skewer sounded cheap at first, it wasn’t cost-effective when you did the math. In this situation, not many people would be willing to try it initially, and she had considered hiring some people to pretend to be customers.
But before she had the chance to find anyone, there were already genuine customers acting as promoters.
The customer’s enthusiastic enjoyment while eating skewers earlier had attracted quite a few people, and the enticing aroma of freshly grilled barbecue lured in several hungry customers to pool their money together and buy ten skewers.
Lin Xiang didn’t mind that they bought just a few, and cheerfully began grilling.
"I must say, this taste is really nice. It’s the first time I’ve eaten something this delicious."
"People in Beijing eat so well!"
"This stuff is unexpectedly addictive. I want some more. Does anyone want to pool with me?"
The business started to pick up.
In a short while, a crowd gathered around the stall.
However, they were all there to buy skewers; no one was buying grilled fish or spicy shrimp.
Grilled fish was priced at two cents per jin, and even the smallest fish weighed seven or eight liang.
Spending a penny or two on a previously unheard-of food seemed too extravagant for the frugal people of Hua Country.
But just with the skewers, Lin Xiang was already too busy to stop.
Finally, after serving the last customer, Lin Xiang was about to sit down for a sip of water and rest her sore wrists when she suddenly heard someone calling her name.
"Comrade Lin Xiang?"
Lin Xiang, who was drinking water, looked up in surprise and saw Shi Lemeng, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time.
A few days ago when Lin Yun returned, she had secretly wondered if the progress between the male and female leads hadn’t updated in ages.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Shi Lemeng here at night.
Lin Xiang wasn’t embarrassed by being spotted by an acquaintance and greeted Shi Lemeng openly, "Have you had dinner? Shall I grill some barbecue for you?"
Shi Lemeng looked at Lin Xiang with a complicated expression and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Have you... finished the college entrance exams?"
"Yes, I’m waiting for the results now. I have nothing to do at home, so I thought I’d earn some money for tuition by setting up a stall."
"And your brother..." Shi Lemeng paused, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into your family affairs. I’ve just heard nothing about him for a long time and was curious."
"You didn’t know? He didn’t tell you?" Lin Xiang instinctively replied.
What’s the male lead’s deal?
Something as important as enlisting in the army, and he didn’t even notify the female lead?
At this rate, when will they be together?
If they’re not together, how can she return to her world?
Though the courtyard houses were indeed appealing, Lin Xiang missed her smartphone terribly.
Shi Lemeng looked puzzled and said, "Was he supposed to tell me?"
They weren’t even that close.
Lin Xiang could only tell the truth, "My brother enlisted in the army, and he’s been gone for about half a year. Military training is intense, so he hasn’t been back for a long time."
"So he enlisted," Shi Lemeng suddenly understood and looked relieved.
She thought Lin Yun had started dating someone.
Just these brief words lightened Shi Lemeng’s mood considerably. She then looked at Lin Xiang’s stall and straightforwardly asked, "What’s the best thing here? Give me some?"
"I’ll grill a fish for you," Lin Xiang said. "Although carp absorbs the flavor best, it has a lot of bones, and it’s inconvenient to pick bones in the dark at night. I’ll grill a turbot instead; its meat is tender and has fewer bones."
"Okay." Shi Lemeng had come with her neighbor. After chatting with Lin Xiang, they found a place to sit down.
Watching Lin Xiang bustling about, the neighbor whispered to Shi Lemeng, "This boss doesn’t seem trustworthy. My brother told me her grilled fish is ridiculously expensive, and no one buys it. She takes advantage of her acquaintance with you to make you buy the most expensive grilled fish; it’s too dishonest!"
Moreover, though carp has many bones, it’s lighter than turbot, which weighs at least a jin or two.
Shi Lemeng didn’t care and smiled, "If it tastes good, a little expense is no problem. Besides, she’s my friend’s sister. Her father passed away early, and she and her mother live together, making ends meet. She just finished her college entrance exams and is setting up a stall to earn tuition money."
"I can’t help much, but spending a little money to support her business is no big deal."
The neighbor scoffed, "There are many families having a hard time in this world. Do you plan to help everyone? Anyway, I’m telling you upfront, you’ll have to pay for the grilled fish yourself. Unlike you, I still have to submit my salary for household expenses, so I don’t have much pocket money."
"Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to pay."
Before long, the grilled fish was ready.
Lin Xiang placed the grilled fish on a slightly larger plate, sprinkled it with seasoning, and brought it, along with the freshly grilled skewers, to Shi Lemeng.
Initially, Shi Lemeng intended to help with Lin Xiang’s business, but after taking a bite of the grilled fish, she couldn’t even spare a word and, along with her neighbor, ended up racing to eat the grilled fish, taking turns with each mouthful.
She assumed the fish would have a fishy odor, but it turned out to be indescribably delicious.
"You keep eating; some more customers have arrived, so I’ll attend to them. If you need more, just let me know."
"Mm-hmm." Shi Lemeng nodded, unable to speak with her mouth full.
Once there’s the first grilled fish, naturally, there’s the second and third...
Although two to three cents per grilled fish wasn’t cheap, Lin Xiang had set up in the triangle area of the Welfare District, where there were several factory family housing nearby, and some people were willing to spend this money for a treat.
So, Lin Xiang got extremely busy again.
Shi Lemeng felt satisfied and, along with her neighbor, sat holding their stomachs.
"We just ate so much. Do you think it won’t digest? We should walk home later."
"I didn’t expect barbecue to taste this good; I’m not satisfied yet. I must bring my colleagues along tomorrow."
The neighbor no longer accused Lin Xiang of being scheming after tasting the high-priced grilled fish, because it was that delicious.
After resting for a bit, Shi Lemeng offered to pay the bill.
"Lin Xiang, can you tally up how much we owe for our table?"
In the hot summer, Lin Xiang wore a gauze mask and, hearing Shi Lemeng’s words, continued grilling skewers without stopping, "I told you, it’s on me. Why talk about money?"
"That won’t do; each grilled fish wasn’t cheap."
