Chapter 8: Amazing price

The surprisingly high price and slightly yellowish crust hinted at the unusual nature of the rice cake.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch..."

She tentatively pressed the spoon lightly against the rice cake, rubbing it back and forth; the sound was louder than she had expected.

Her mind quickly flashed back to the scene of her family eating roasted rice cakes together, a scene of joyful harmony. For some reason, she suddenly felt a pang of homesickness.

"Clang!"

The sound of the spoon hitting the bowl pulled Lian Yiyun from her melancholy.

She looked up towards the source of the sound and saw Qu Yangrong speaking.

"Xiaoxiao, the rice cakes you got from the village are truly extraordinary. They actually remind me of the rice cakes ground in the courtyard when I was a child.

Only the pure aroma of rice; the rice variety must be an old one from back then. The texture is sweet, soft, and glutinous, with a rich fragrance."

As she spoke, a glint of light flashed in Qu Yangrong's eyes.

She hadn't tasted anything like this in many years, a flavor that brought solace to the soul. She never imagined she would find it in Qu Xiaoxiao's hands today.

At this moment, her lips and teeth were filled not only with the sweet taste of red beans, rice cakes, and osmanthus, but also with the sweetness of memories.

Qu Xiaoxiao's smile grew brighter and brighter as Qu Yangrong spoke; she could only say that meeting such a customer was her good fortune.

She couldn't help but nod repeatedly in affirmation, "Aunt Qu, you're right. The auntie from that family said it was made from rice grown in her own field, and it looks different from what's sold in the market."

The two women's conversation left Lian Yiyun, who was standing nearby, stunned, her eyes fixed on the rice cakes.

She pursed her lips and cleaned her mouth. She quickly picked up a rice cake and took a big bite.

"Crunch—"

The outer shell of the rice cake shattered, the sound instantly traveling from her teeth to her brain.

Although she hadn't truly tasted it yet, that one sound alone enhanced the rice cake's appeal in Lian Yiyun's mind.

Just as she was about to put the spoon and the remaining rice cake back, a strip suddenly appeared between her lips and the spoon.

"Hmm~"

Unexpectedly seeing this, Lian Yiyun exclaimed in surprise.

If she didn't still have rice cake in her mouth, she would definitely have exclaimed, "Stretchy rice cake!"

Her hands moved with care, like a child, trying to stretch the rice cake as long as possible.

Only when the rice cake broke in the middle did she prepare to savor the food with satisfaction.

The first thing her tongue tasted was the osmanthus honey flowing on the surface of the rice cake, its aroma rich and sweet.

Her brain subconsciously released signals of pleasure, and Lian Yiyun's lips slightly curved upwards, her eyebrows curved, and anyone could tell that she was in a good mood.

This must be the charm of sweetness, right?

Next, her tongue touched the red bean soup underneath, a thin layer, its presence quickly disappearing as she chewed the rice cake.

The rice cake was fried until crispy, making a constant crackling sound between her teeth when bitten.

But unlike others, it didn't have a burnt rice flavor; it only added texture and still retained the original flavor of the rice cake.

Just as Qu Yangrong had just said, it was a pure rice fragrance, without any other flavors interfering, bringing a simple and unpretentious enjoyment.

Each chew felt like a cleansing of her soul.

For a fleeting moment, Lian Yiyun really wanted to ask Qu Xiaoxiao where she bought the rice cakes; she wanted to send some to her grandparents back home.

But she was only there to freeload, so she was too embarrassed to ask.

This internal struggle led directly to their departure. They agreed on a time to start the next day, and Lian Yiyun reluctantly said goodbye.

The next day, the two of them set up the community canteen early in the morning, waiting for residents to come.

Qu Xiaoxiao looked at the ten-odd minutes until the announced eight o'clock. Since they started setting up, many people with carts heading to the market had passed by, but not a single one had stopped. She couldn't help but doubt whether they would get any customers today.

If they didn't earn money, how could she maintain her current diet for the next few days?

As for working, she would never work in her life.

Perhaps the worry on her face was too obvious, so Lian Yijun hid her own concern and comforted her, "Don't worry, we agreed to start processing the cards and topping up at eight o'clock this morning. Maybe Grandpa and Grandma haven't gotten up yet, and everyone else is rushing to work or school. We'll just wait.

When I went to post the notice yesterday, quite a few people said they would definitely come to support us.

And Xiaoxiao, your cooking is so good, once they've tasted it, they'll never forget it."

Lian Yijun nodded emphatically, expressing her admiration for Qu Xiaoxiao's cooking.

The red bean rice cake soup yesterday was just too delicious; she couldn't stop thinking about it on the way back to her rented room, and even dreamed about it last night.

When she woke up, she could still taste the lingering flavor.

She was sure she could win over her grandparents' stomachs with such unforgettable cooking.

"Xiaojun!"

Just as she finished speaking, a loud voice came from around the corner.

The familiar voice brought a bright smile to Lian Yijun's face. She immediately turned to Qu Xiaoxiao and said, "Grandma Song and the others are here!" She

then stood up abruptly and excitedly waved to the figures in the distance.

At the same time, she couldn't help but think: What a coincidence! Grandma Song proved her words right after she finished speaking. Now Xiaoxiao should have confidence in the community canteen, right?

Seeing this, Qu Xiaoxiao also stood up, looking at the elderly people slowly approaching.

"Slap!"

She slapped her forehead, turned around, went inside, took out the dining chairs, and arranged them in front of her table.

Seeing this, Lian Yijun quickly followed.

When Grandma Song and her group arrived, everyone had a chair to sit on.

Now there was nothing left to criticize.

Grandma Song laughed so hard her eyes almost disappeared, praising, "I told you, every staff member in the community is wonderful, they arrange everything perfectly."

"Grandma Song, if you keep going, I'll feel embarrassed to stay any longer," Lian Yiyun said, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.

"Hahaha! Okay, okay, I won't say anymore.

Hey? Is this the new young lady in the community? What a pretty girl!"

She even thought to herself: if she didn't have a boyfriend, she could help introduce them.

As she got older, she enjoyed seeing young couples.

However, it was only their first meeting, and saying such things seemed a bit inappropriate. She tried to suppress her impulse and looked at Qu Xiaoxiao with a smile.

Hearing this, Lian Yiyun immediately introduced, "This is our community canteen manager and head chef—Qu Xiaoxiao."

"Grandma Song, you can just call me Xiaoxiao. I hope you'll continue to support my work in the future."

"Xiaoxiao, a nice name. Support is no problem. I'll get a card and top up fifty yuan directly!"

Grandma Song pulled fifty yuan from her pocket with an air of nonchalance and handed it to Lian Yijun.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Lian Yijun took the money and started operating the computer to open a card and top up.

Qu Xiaoxiao, standing to the side, tentatively looked at the others, thinking: I can also get a card here, why is no one asking?

Just as her eyes met Grandma Song's, Grandpa Liu was immediately nudged.

Grandma Song glanced at her clueless husband and urged, "Aren't you here to get a card for meals today too? Hurry up and get one!"

"Oh, oh, oh."

At this moment, Grandpa Liu seemed to suddenly realize something, took out the twenty yuan he had prepared from his pocket, and handed it to Qu Xiaoxiao.

Qu Xiaoxiao didn't care about the amount, took it, and quickly started registering.

She believed that with her cooking skills, this was just the beginning, and there would definitely be more and more in the future.

While the two were busy, the elderly people in front of them had already gone through countless tense exchanges.

First, the square dance friends, whom Grandma Song had invited, stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Who could believe that the head chef of the community canteen was a young girl who looked like she hadn't even grown up yet?

They might have eaten more salt than she had eaten rice, so how could they trust the cooking skills of such a young chef?

If she couldn't even compare to them, what was the point of eating at the canteen?

They looked at each other, their eyes revealing distrust of Qu Xiaoxiao and helplessness towards Grandma Song.

In any case, they were already here.

Leaving abruptly would be impolite to everyone, so casually topping up the minimum amount and leaving was already giving face to both sides.

So, after Grandma Song and Grandpa Liu received their meal cards, Grandma Yang gracefully moved to her seat.

Under the expectation of the other companions, she asked Qu Xiaoxiao, the person in charge of the community canteen, "How much does a meal cost at your canteen?"

Her tone was gentle, and Qu Xiaoxiao didn't notice anything amiss; on the contrary, she thought it was quite reasonable.

Looking up at the others and noticing their curiosity, she quickly explained her plan.

"Hello, the canteen is currently offering set meals for ten yuan, which include one large meat dish, one small meat dish, and one vegetable dish, plus free rice and soup. If you feel it's not enough, or if you'd like other dishes, they're sold separately at five yuan for the large meat dish, three yuan for the small meat dish, and two yuan for the vegetable dish."

This announcement immediately drew a wide look from everyone present.

They were astonished by the incredibly low prices at the community canteen. These days, a bowl of noodles outside costs at least ten yuan.

And here, they could get three dishes and a soup?

At that moment, no one could bring themselves to say anything bad about the community canteen to Qu Xiaoxiao.

To ask for more at such a price would be disrespectful.

However, they also wondered about the quality of the ingredients and the taste of the food. Everyone present had a pension, and even when taking advantage of a good deal, there were expectations.

In the end, Grandma Yang decided to pay the minimum—ten yuan.

What if she spent more and wasted money?

Others followed suit, most offering ten yuan, with only a few, like Grandpa Li, willing to give the community canteen another chance.

Those as supportive as Grandma Song were few and far between.

After Grandma Song and her group finished their work, Qu Xiaoxiao and Lian Yijun sat at the door like statues, waiting for the next group.

But even after a whole day, the number of people applying for meal cards was less than the number of Grandma Song's group who came all at once.

Finally, the two compared the numbers and discovered that in a community with nearly three thousand residents, only about thirty people had applied for cards—a staggering ratio of 100:1.

Lian Yijun counted again and again in disbelief, feeling deeply apologetic.

After all, she was the one who organized the promotion, and the low number of applications and poor promotional effect were undoubtedly the biggest reason.

She stood up, looking at Qu Xiaoxiao with a face full of shame, and said apologetically, "Xiaoxiao, I'm sorry, it's all because I didn't promote it well enough. So few people signed up."

"Good wine needs no bush," Qu Xiaoxiao replied, patting Lian Yijun's shoulder, indicating that she shouldn't take it to heart.

"Besides, without your promotion, who would know my community canteen opened?

Don't be upset, let's call it a day! Have something good to eat, and you're welcome to come and inspect tomorrow." Hearing this, Lian Yijun glanced at Qu Xiaoxiao and saw her still wearing that sweet smile. Her shame slowly subsided. She clenched her fists at her sides, secretly vowing to herself: she must promote the community canteen, no matter what method she uses.