Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Without Comparison, There’s No Harm...
The people from Xinghui were all a bit baffled by this strange group dinner setup, especially when they saw Bai Xiaobo and Xiaobin placing the dishes on the serving window’s counter. For a moment, no one knew what to do.
Fortunately, just then, Li Mingtao was the first to walk up to the counter, holding a cafeteria tray and a standard-issue bowl.
First, he scooped a heaping portion of braised eggplant and potatoes onto his tray. Then, he took another step forward and filled his bowl to the brim with fish with pickled greens.
Watching Li Mingtao, the others finally understood.
"So it’s a buffet!"
"Huh? But aren’t buffets all-you-can-eat? Why was there a price list at the entrance?"
"That’s northern-style buffets. For us in the south, ’buffet’ just means you serve yourself."
"Ohh, so the owner’s a southerner. Let’s stop talking and get our food. My mouth is watering just from the smell of that fish with pickled greens."
Wang Rui was at the end of the line, and finally, it was his turn.
Following Director Li’s lead, he first scooped himself a spoonful of the braised eggplant and potatoes.
’Holy shit! These potatoes are practically mashed!’
Seeing the potatoes stewed into a mush that clung to the eggplant fibers, Wang Rui couldn’t resist adding another scoop for himself. As someone from Jingzhou, it was no exaggeration to say he could devour two bowls of potatoes stewed like this in a single meal.
If the pork rib and potato stew at home were ever cooked like this, his appetite would instantly double!
When he reached the fish with pickled greens, Wang Rui followed everyone else’s example and ladled himself a heaping bowlful.
The bowl was a bit large, but for Wang Rui, who hadn’t eaten all day, it wasn’t an issue.
’Steamed buns?’
’Who eats steamed buns for dinner?’
He glanced at his colleagues and saw they’d had the exact same thought. Aside from Li Mingtao, who had two buns on his tray, and Zhou Kai, who had taken one, everyone else had opted for rice instead.
Wang Rui passed on the buns as well.
Once everyone had their food, the ten of them gathered around a large, circular table in the dining area.
Zhou Kai stood up. "This is just a simple get-together, so everyone eat your fill! Don’t worry about anything else!"
Hearing this, Li Mingtao nodded in satisfaction. ’As long as we don’t talk about work, no one will find out I’m working for two companies at once. Once I get the subsidy after tonight, it won’t matter even if they do find out!’
For Wang Rui, a member of the post-2000s generation, those words felt surreal.
Every company dinner he’d been to before started with a leader giving a speech for ten-plus minutes, followed by a collective toast.
After three toasts in a row, before you could even get a taste of the food, it was time to start making the rounds toasting people individually.
But now? Not only did the boss cut the long-winded speech, but there wasn’t even any alcohol on the table. This was the dream dinner for someone from his generation!
Enough talk. Since the boss had given the green light, Wang Rui didn’t hold back. He mixed a half-spoonful of the mashed potatoes with a half-spoonful of rice and took a huge bite.
The very first bite—a fine, melts-in-your-mouth texture—made Wang Rui’s eyes fly open. The flavor was simple yet layered, an aggressive assault on his empty stomach.
Combined with the fact that he’d skipped lunch, the deliciousness exploded exponentially in his mouth.
Before Wang Rui could say anything, the young woman from the warehouse sitting next to him exclaimed, "This is so good! Can a cafeteria really make food like this?"
"Holy shit! Ours is a cafeteria too, so why is the difference so huge!"
"This one’s different. The owner himself is the chef here, so of course it’s Delicious! You guys have to try this fish with pickled greens—it’s even more incredible than the eggplant and potatoes!"
Wang Rui quickly scooped up a spoonful of the broth from the fish dish.
SLURP~~
He hadn’t noticed much of a fragrance before, assuming it was just an ordinary plate of fish with pickled greens. But the moment he tasted the broth...
Savory, fragrant, and rich!
Wang Rui had never imagined that a simple broth could taste so incredibly rich and full-bodied!
The flavor of the stir-fried pickled greens, in particular, paired with the savory aroma of the fish broth to create a sense of absolute perfection, as if the two ingredients were born for one another!
The reason he hadn’t smelled this aroma before, he realized, was because a thin film of oil on the surface of the dish had sealed it all in.
Even more magical, after he swallowed the rich broth, the flavor didn’t fade. A lingering hint of spice and the taste of Cilantro continued to tantalize his taste buds, making him desperate for another mouthful to satisfy the craving.
Wang Rui lowered his head and slurped loudly from the rim of his bowl. Who could be bothered with a spoon at a time like this?
Across from him, Zhou Kai had devoured half a bun in two bites. He looked at Li Mingtao in disbelief. "These meat buns! They’re the real deal! It’s all meat! So Delicious and filling!"
Wang Rui hadn’t taken a bun, but looking across the table at the half in Director Zhou’s hand, he could see the wrapper was clearly made from a fluffy, soft, leavened dough. But that was nothing.
’What is that inside the bun?’
’Gelatinous pork skin, shimmering with collagen?’
’Huge chunks of lean meat?’
’And were those specks of chopped green chili?’
’Just imagining those ingredients mixed together, he could guess how it would taste. Taking an actual bite would be heavenly, wouldn’t it?’
Wang Rui immediately dropped his utensils, spun around, and ran back to the serving counter. His hands shot out, grabbing a bun with each one!
Not to be outdone, the others followed suit, each grabbing two.
No comparison, no pain.
Eating such Delicious meat buns and drinking such a rich, mellow fish broth, the dining area was soon filled with endless praise.
"If our work cafeteria was even half this good, I wouldn’t go hungry every day!"
"Just think about the buns we get in the morning. It’s nothing but cabbage, and the smell of that cheap oil makes me want to puke every time!"
"Reforming the cafeteria is a matter of utmost urgency!"
"The problem is that we all know the situation with the cafeteria. It’s not something that can be changed that easily."
They were all colleagues, so besides work, there wasn’t much else to talk about. Before they knew it, the conversation had naturally drifted to their own cafeteria.
Wang Rui ignored all of it, keeping his head down and focusing on his food. He devoured two servings of the eggplant and potatoes with rice, along with a large bowl of the fish with pickled greens.
He’d already finished one meat bun and noticed he was by far the fastest eater. ’How can these people still be busy chatting at a time like this?’
’Shouldn’t food this good shut them up?’
’Forget them. I’m just gonna eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!’
The others noticed the way Wang Rui was wolfing down his food. The young woman from the warehouse turned to him, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Wang Rui, how come you’re so quiet? All you’re doing is eating!"
Her words nearly made Wang Rui choke on a mouthful of his bun. He shot her a look of profound disappointment.
For some reason, in that very moment, his four years of studying Chinese language and literature caused his inner poet to awaken.
Wang Rui pondered for a moment, stuffed the last bite of his bun into his mouth, and recited slowly, "I urge you, eat with haste and do not dither, lest the south wind turns your feast to timber."
