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119
The first day was a resounding success.
Whether it's the affordable meals or the preparation of ingredients that can be found elsewhere, almost everything is done right in front of the diners, not to mention the chef's superb knife skills and control of the heat.
As the sun set and the food supplies ran out, piles of disposable bowls and chopsticks accumulated in the trash can. Gu Xinglan wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave an apologetic smile to the long line of diners.
"Everyone, there will be a discount if you come tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, the people in line dispersed in twos and threes, leaving the scene empty and a messy place behind.
"Gu Xinglan." A voice sounded from behind him, and he stopped cleaning.
"What's the situation? What did the slaughterhouse say?"
Gu Xinglan turned around.
Their momentum was immense, and they barely stopped from morning till night, making it hard for the other side not to notice.
The visitor's face lit up slightly: "He asked us what kind of meat we wanted to order."
That's it? Gu Xinglan put down the broom: "Is there anything else?"
"We'll have to discuss the specifics in person." Li Jiang picked up the broom again almost immediately after putting it down.
Even the act of sweeping was tinged with a hint of joy.
It's hard not to think that this person has discovered some valuable information.
After all, if he hadn't been tied up at his stall and constrained by time, he would have gone to the slaughterhouse to look for clues long ago.
Nothing is more beneficial than observing for yourself.
"Can you tell me what happened when you went in?" Gu Xinglan grabbed the other person.
But the other person didn't stop, saying, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on that kid surnamed Xu for you."
He did want to find Xu Mufeng, but that wasn't a reason for this person to change the subject.
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, stirring up dust on the sand, giving someone a chance to escape. The other person had already taken a broom and gone elsewhere.
Seeing the trash left by diners all over the ground, and knowing that they still had to set up their stall tomorrow, Gu Xinglan had no choice but to let go of the person and go find other brooms to join the cleaning.
next door.
The ground was also covered with footprints and trash.
The greasy tabletops and menus, along with the gray stove, made everything look utterly abandoned.
Seeing this, Gu Xinglan immediately felt a little guilty.
His actions will definitely harm the store's profits, especially since he set such an overbearing price, which is suspected of malicious competition and disrupting market prices... to be precise, it is an undeniable crime.
So, Gu Xinglan twirled the banknotes in her wallet.
Why not let the boss join them? That way, he'll have an extra helper at the stall, and he can personally go to the slaughterhouse to talk to the people there.
"that……"
The open-air shop had its iron gate closed a quarter of the way; it was covered in rust and appeared to have been converted from a warehouse.
Especially now that the lights are off, it's pitch black inside.
A slight unease rose in my heart.
Forget it.
Gu Xinglan stopped at the store entrance.
It's almost 6:30 now, and the sun in the west is already just a sliver of white; it will be dark soon.
Perhaps we should come back in the morning to talk to the shop owner.
I turned a corner and headed towards the public restroom at the back.
There's a gas station nearby, so it's not surprising that this toilet is here.
Just as I picked up the broom leaning against the wall, a strange noise suddenly came from the door behind me.
The toilet hadn't been repaired for years; not only did it smell bad, but the door was also incredibly heavy.
There was a "bang" sound.
He pinned Gu Xinglan, who was rushing out, against the door.
I've been locked in the toilet...
"Young man, don't blame me for not warning you. This is how I make a living. You come here and ruin my reputation. I'm being lenient by not beating you up!"
The loud voice rang out from outside the door, but now it sounded terrifying.
"Boss! Big Brother!" Hearing the voice that was about to disappear into the distance, Gu Xinglan pounded on the door several times.
The toilet was completely dark, and even the words spoken sounded muffled.
Dust billowed up as he pounded on the door, but he paid no heed. Coughing, he pounded on the door and called out haltingly, "Boss! My stall is open for..." three days.
Gu Xinglan swallowed her words halfway through, her mind racing: "Boss! This is a losing business of mine. My intention was to quickly establish a reputation and make a quick profit. I truly didn't mean to offend you! I didn't mean to offend you either..."
He seemed to hear footsteps returning, and hurriedly said, "I'll take out all my savings to renovate your shop! I'll also learn your craft as an apprentice, what do you think?"
Gu Xinglan shouted while observing her surroundings.
Almost all of them were small ventilation windows, but now no light could get in at all, and he couldn't even see what the inside of the toilet looked like.
I felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if all the air in my lungs was about to run out.
This feeling is more like being poisoned.
Human feces produce toxic gases after fermentation over a period of time.
He might die from fecal poisoning.
...I just can't accept it when I think about it.
The toilets were some distance from where they set up their stall, so it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
The question is whether he can be rescued before his oxygen runs out.
Before he could shout again, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.
Gu Xinglan's eyes lit up. Had his words worked?
He quickly took several steps back.
The heavy iron gate was quickly pulled outwards from the inside, demonstrating the immense strength of the person opening it.
A beam of light shone in, and even the finest dust particles took on visible shapes.
His lungs finally had room to breathe, and he took off running and rushed out.
Just as I stepped out the door, a hand grabbed my chest.
Gu Xinglan instinctively pushed him away, but his outstretched hand hit something hard with a "thud," causing him to stumble in pain.
"Lin Cheng'an?"
The glasses he had knocked away landed squarely on the ground.
The lens that was thrown out was shattered into pieces.
The people who should have been washing dishes inside the shed are now here.
Just then, there was another person outside, sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.
Who else could it be but the shop owner?
"..." Speechless for a moment, Gu Xinglan stood frozen in place, suddenly unsure of who to help.
Finally, he picked up the glasses from the ground.
"Give me the glasses..."
Lin Cheng'an, who was squatting on the ground covering his eyes, had his tall body curled up into a ball. His bangs covered all his expressions, and he looked incredibly vulnerable.
He quickly handed over the glasses.
The person squatting on the ground kept his head down and wouldn't look at him, as if he were some kind of man-eating monster.
"The glasses are here." Gu Xinglan grabbed the other person's hand that was constantly groping outside.
The man's arm was as hard as a rock, completely unlike his frail appearance. When he grabbed it, the other person struggled instead.
He quickly stuffed the glasses into the other person's palm.
"Um, I dropped the lenses..." Seeing the familiar feeling return after the other person put them on, Gu Xinglan added softly, "How about I pay for them, you can go get new lenses made yourself?"
The person on the ground seemed to be still recovering, adjusting the angle of their glasses. Finally, their gaze was obscured by strands of bangs, making it impossible to discern anything.
But her thin, long lips slowly curved into a smile: "Okay."
……
Li Jiang was responsible for keeping the stall clean by himself.
Piles of garbage on the ground, stacks of bowls and chopsticks in the shed, and greasy stoves, iron pots, and spatulas—you name it.
As darkness fell, faces became increasingly difficult to discern.
At this moment, Gu Xinglan, who was arriving late, was seen not far away.
Li Jiang stopped cleaning, his face momentarily losing its composure.
"Brother Gu, where did you two go?"
His words carried a hint of gritted teeth, and Li Jiang gave a forced smile.
His throat suddenly went silent when his gaze fell on the person tied up behind him.
The student surnamed Lin, who was repeating his senior year, was carrying a middle-aged man who was struggling.
The man's face was dark, his expression was ferocious, and his hands and feet kept twisting and turning.
He is the owner of a shop that only sells spicy food.
"Well, do you see if there are any leftover tea bags? We could have a cup of tea for our distinguished guest to savor." Gu Xinglan approached and awkwardly touched his nose.