Chapter 24: From “Boss” to “Sister”

Chapter 24: From "Boss" to "Sister"

"Yes, Grandma. The owner of that little stall is a young woman, and her stall is very clean, so it must be hygienic. She also has a really expensive rice ball, a secret recipe exclusive to her, which costs 100 yuan," he said with a chuckle. Afraid his grandmother might think all street stalls were unhygienic, Chen Jinbin quickly pointed out the good aspects of this one.

"100 yuan is so expensive! How much was the one we ate today?" Grandma Chen exclaimed, thinking of the piece she had just eaten—surely it wasn't that expensive, right?

At this moment, Grandma Chen had no idea that she would later become a devoted fan of the "secret recipe" rice ball.

She gave her grandson a deep look, her expression saying he was a gullible fool.

Chen Jinbin hurriedly gestured, "10 yuan, 10 yuan. I wouldn't buy the 100-yuan one; I'm not stupid. Besides, it's not like my money's burning a hole in my pocket. Wouldn't buying a few more workbooks be better?"

Grandma Chen nodded approvingly at her clever grandson. "10 yuan is okay. By the way, do you have enough money for exercise books? If not, Grandma will give you some."

"Buy a few more and get good grades in the final exams." Grandma Chen slipped another 100 yuan into Chen Jinbin's hand.

Chen Jinbin happily accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Grandma."

As for whether he would actually buy exercise books, Chen Jinbin pretended not to hear.

The next day.

During the second-period break, in 8th Grade, Class 3.

Students gathered in small groups, discussing schoolwork or interesting things happening around them.

Li Shanshan shared about Xuehe Rice Ball with her seatmate and the kid behind her. "Did you know there's a new stall at the school gate? Their rice balls are so delicious—the best I've ever had! And their Qiong Peach Juice is incredible too!"

Min Junru looked skeptical. "Are those rice balls better than the ones I shared with you last time?" She was from the city, came from a wealthy family, and received a generous allowance. She often went back to the city on weekends and occasionally brought back tasty treats to share with her close friends and classmates.

She had been sent to live with her grandmother and study here because during her first year of junior high, she had gotten into a conflict with a classmate and accidentally broke their bone, which caused a lot of trouble. Her mother had sent her to study at her grandmother's to let things cool down.

Li Shanshan thought for a few seconds and said firmly, "They're even better than the ones you shared last time!"

"I don't believe it!" Min Junru thought Li Shanshan was talking nonsense. The rice balls she had brought back last time were from "Yixin Rice Ball," a famous national chain. How could a big-brand rice ball lose to a small stall at the school gate?

Li Shanshan's seatmate, Liu Xiaofu, said, "Junru, if you don't believe it, you can buy one after school and try it yourself. Then you'll see for yourself."

Li Shanshan added, "Yeah, seeing is believing. Why don't we go to the school gate after school and buy one? Really, I'm not lying."

"Alright then." Min Junru nodded proudly. She wanted to see if Xuehe Rice Ball's taste was really that good.

Other sharers included Wang Huajing from 9th grade, Class 10, Deng Yongqing from 7th grade, Class 7, and many more.

At 11 a.m., less than three minutes after the school bell rang, a crowd of students streamed out to the school gate, either riding bicycles or walking.

Some students headed straight for Xuehe Rice Ball, including Li Shanshan and her friends.

Liu Xiaofu said, "Boss, I'd like an egg and ham seaweed rice ball and a cup of spring water."

Li Shanshan said, "Sister, I'd like a pork chop seaweed rice ball and a cup of spring water." She'd had the ham and egg seaweed rice ball yesterday, so today she wanted to try a different flavor. As for the Qiong Peach Juice, she had already drunk it yesterday. With a limited allowance, she had to budget carefully, so she decided to have it again tomorrow.

Jiang Yingxue recognized Li Shanshan as the first student to buy her rice balls and gave them a gentle smile. "Sure."

Min Junru's eyes went wide at the price list on the small blackboard, thinking to herself that a small stall in this town was charging such high prices. The shrimp rice ball, in particular, was much more expensive than those from Yixin Rice Ball.

Did its taste justify the price? Today, she was going to try the expensive 100-yuan rice ball and the 50-yuan freshly squeezed juice.

"Boss, I'd like a shrimp seaweed rice ball and a cup of freshly squeezed Qiong Peach Juice."

After saying this, she deliberately glanced at Jiang Yingxue, her eyes carrying a hint of challenge. If the taste didn't meet her expectations, the owner would have to face her scathing criticism right then and there.

"Classmate, are you sure you want the shrimp seaweed rice ball and the freshly squeezed Qiong Peach Juice?" Jiang Yingxue was slightly surprised, as the person ordering was a junior high student. After all, the secret recipe was really meant for middle-aged and elderly people, as well as young adults with their own money. So, she confirmed the order once more.

Min Junru nodded proudly. She wanted to buy the most expensive items.

"That'll be 150 yuan. Will you be paying in cash or electronically?"

"Electronic payment."

"Alipay received 150 yuan," a mechanical yet sweet female voice announced from the phone.

The customer in front of her seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the price of the shrimp seaweed rice ball, but she paid promptly. Jiang Yingxue ignored the customer's dissatisfied and proud expression. As long as no one insulted her or trashed her stall, she wouldn't pay it any mind.

As for the issue of high prices, only those who had tried the food would know if it was worth it. Only those who had truly tasted it were qualified to judge its flavor. If you hadn't tried it, how could you know whether it tasted good or was worth the price?

Li Shanshan pointed behind the stall and said, "Sister, I noticed there's a small empty space behind your stall, right under the shade of the tree. You could put two tables there so customers could sit and eat."

Jiang Yingxue looked in the direction she was pointing. Indeed, there was enough space under the tree for two tables. She smiled gently at Li Shanshan and said, "Thank you for the suggestion, little sister. I'll arrange it for you tomorrow."

Li Shanshan beamed, her eyes curving into crescents. "Great!"

Soon, Jiang Yingxue had packed all their ordered food and handed it to them. She then attended to the other students who had come to check out the stall based on their classmates' recommendations. Meanwhile, Li Shanshan and her friends walked over to the shade of the tree to eat their rice balls.

Li Shanshan took a bite of the pork chop rice ball. The faint yet refreshing fragrance of the spiritual plants made her squint her eyes in happiness. After taking a few more bites, she sipped the spring water. It was really good, though it would have been even better if the spring water were Qiong Peach Juice.

She focused on eating her rice ball without speaking, and the other two did the same. This was especially true for Min Junru, who felt partly embarrassed by her earlier assumptions but also incredibly happy.

How could there be such delicious rice balls in the world? And this Qiong Peach Juice was absolutely divine!

Min Junru jogged over to Jiang Yingxue, her address for Jiang Yingxue changing from "Boss" to "Sister." She said excitedly, "Sister, I'd like two more shrimp seaweed rice balls and three cups of freshly squeezed Qiong Peach Juice." Except for one cup of Qiong Peach Juice for herself, the rest of the order was for her grandparents.

"Sure, please wait a moment." After packing the pork chop seaweed rice ball for the customer in front of her, Jiang Yingxue started preparing and packing Min Junru's order. She could tell that this student had already been won over by the taste of the spirit food.